Savory Oatmeal with Mushrooms Onions Chickpeas And Greens

We went from -30 degrees to 50 above in 2 day. What the F! Yesterday the day rained but got nice and warm, then the temperature fell hardl and last light the world started to get so slick and slippery. Going out was getting a little scary because of the ice. I went to bed a little afraid that I have to leave the house today for fear of slipping and smacking my face. It's a real fear and I know its bound to happen. I can already picture it, me walking along, maybe whistling a little tune, and smack, just like a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel.  I will go down fast and hard. I am not a graceful person.

But the day is going to happen and I have things to do that involve leaving he house.. I have the arnica and frozen peas ready just in case, but I might just leave on my hands and knees.

Enough about my irrational (but totally rational) fear. Lets talk about food. I am already thinking ahead to dinner. Or more like I am thinking behind to last nights dinner of oatmeal. A grain typically used as a breakfast food, cooked until light and fluffy, topped with sugars and fruits and sweet things.  Oatmeal for breakfast is always welcomed and always will be. But today my friends I am going to blow your mind and tell you to eat your oatmeal at dinner time,with salt and pepper and lots of yummy savory beans and veggies. 

Pow!

But doesn't make complete sense? Oats are so good, hearty, heart healthy, and pretty freaking cheap. Easy to cook, goes with everything. It's almost like rice, but I find is even more filling and contains more protein. Have no idea what to do for dinner. Grab the oats and a can of beans! Had a long day at work and just want something quick and easy and comforting. Oats with a bunch of veggies!  You can pretty much do anything with a bowl of oatmeal and it will be good. (tomato sauce, crispy tofu, a fried egg, cheese if you like.. you get the idea) It seems weird to me now that people all over are not eating oatmeal for dinner all the time.... yet. I have a strong feeling that everyone is going to be eating savory oatmeal for dinner very soon, so I am giving you the heads up so you can jump on this wagon now!

The stuff. A big cup of old fashion oats, a few mushroom, an onion, some cooked chickpeas, a clove or two of garlic and a mound of chopped greens. And we are going to also need a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and, if you have any, a small handful of cashews (or any other nut).

Begin by dicing up the onion and the mushrooms nice thing ans tossing them into a skillet with a touch of olive oil. Stick the skillet on the stove on medium heat and begin to cook.

When the veggies are on the stove, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, sprinkle it with salt, then dump in your oats. Give the oats a quick stir, then tun the heat down to medium and place a lid on the pot and leave it alone.

Once the veggies have cooked down a bit, mince up the garlic and toss into pan, along with the chickpeas (drain any liquid). Add a good glug glug of balsamic vinegar and continue to cook on medium heat until everything is nice and cooked and golden brown and tasty.

And lastly, toss in the chopped up greens and stir around until wilted.

And i bet that your oatmeal is done by now, cooked until oats are soft and the water has absorbed.

And the veggie bean mixture is ready.

A big heaping scoop of oatmeal, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and topped with a hearty heap of the cooked veggies and chick peas. Adding a few chopped nuts on top and another glug of vinegar.... It's the most perfect meal.

Happy Wednesday and watch you footing!

-C

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Savory Oatmeal with Mushroom Onions Chickpeas and Greens

Serves 2

• 1 cup old fashion oats
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup or so of cooked chickpeas
• small onion
• 3-4 large white or cremini mushrooms
• 2 big handfuls of chopped greens (kale,spinach, collards, or broccoli leaf.. whatever greens you got!)
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful of cashews or some other nut (optional)

Start by chopping you mushrooms and onions and tossing them with splash of olive oil into a skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Begin to cook on medium heat.

Grab a heavy bottom pot ans bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, dump in the oats, add a pinch of salt, give a little stir and reduce heat to medium low. Stick a lid on pot and leave it alone for about 10 minutes.

Once the mushrooms ans onions are starting to cook down, mince up garlic and add in, along with the chickpeas (drained of liquid) and a few tablespoons of the vinegar. Continue to cook until the veggies are browned, the chick peas are hot, and everything tastes good (give it a taste) Lastly, add in the chopped greens and stir around until wilted.

And the oatmeal should be done. (it;s done when its nice and light and fluffy and that water has absorbed)

Grab a bowl, add a big scoop of the oatmeal, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with a large amount of the veggie bean mixture and top with another glug of vinegar and some of those cashews all chopped up.

Grab a fork or a spoon and eat your oatmeal!

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Beet Sauce

Are you ready for this weekend? You know what's coming right? Yup, another arctic blast. -30 degree temperatures, windchill warnings and local news forecasters warning of dangerously cold conditions. "Don't go outside , your face will freeze off"

Oh yeah, and Valentine Day.

What are your thoughts on the V day? The mr and I, well we could kind of care less, but at the same time, we like the excuse to spend the day together, traditionally going for a hike with the pup (not this year... we would die) and just spending the day together being sweet (pretty much the same way we spend any days off together) We don't get fancy with dinner dates or overly large stuffed animals. No boxes of chocolate, bottles of champagne or fancy undies.  We keep it caj, maybe a sweet hand made card covered in glitter (never a store bought.) a stop for a good cup of coffee and an afternoon trip to the plant store to by a new pretty house plant (1. I really hate red roses and 2. I would much rather get a house plant then flowers that will die) But honesty, we just use V day as an excuse to not work and spend the day together, being left alone, eating whatever we want and doing whatever fun stuff we want.

This dish was kinda inspired by being so pretty bright pink, but also it was just what I wanted to eat for dinner. Spaghetti squash doesn't get as much play as it should. Sure it's not the most sweet and nutty of the squashes, but it has a really nice subtle flavor that makes it a fantastic base for pretty much anything. And the beet sauce. Again, it's such a pretty color, but beside that, I can't get enough of them. I love me some roasted beets (way better then any chocolate or sweet treat)

I could lie to you and say that this is the dish that I will be making for me and the mr on Valentines day, but no,this dish already happened this week and the mr got into it, but would rather eat his favorite meal (pizza) for dinner.  And I will be eating the left over beet sauce with carrot sticks (this beet sauce id for real.. topped with a little yellow mustard... I could eat it for life)  then make a hugmongo batch of popcorn covered in peanut butter. We wiil sit on he couch and watch a lot of Netflix (still working my way through the fresh prince) and maybe a cute Wes Anderson movie. I will be in bed by 9.

But don't mind us old folks here. Go for it. Do up the Valentines Day. Make a pretty dish of food for your sweetheart, or if alone, make it for yourself, especiallyif you are hanging by your lonesome. Valentinesday is about being happy and this dish will make you happy, whether or not you plan on sharing it.

The stuff. One spaghetti squash big enough for at least 2 people (I love left overs so maybe big enough for 4), 2 largish beets, a a small onion. Also grab a clove of garlic of 4, a lemon, the salt and pepper, and some olive oil. Optional, but a very nice addition is a handful of tasted walnuts.

Quick and crank up the oven (make sure you take out the cast iron you left in there from last night), then stick the squash, beets and onion into the hot oven to roast. I stuck them all on a baking sheet and left them completely whole, but if you want, you could chop the beet and onion into chunks and drizzle with oil or you could wrap the beets in foil and bake them that way but really, why go through all that when you can just not? And don't bother peeling them.(unless you think you must.. but you really really don't need too)

And same for the squash. You could cut in half and roast it that way, but again, why when you don't need to.

So anyway, roast the beets and onion until fork tender. And the squash as well (check by stabbing with a fork) All my stuff roasted up pretty much perfectly at the exact same time, but it really depends on the size of your stuff. So check after 40ish minutes.

And once you pull that roasted stuff from the oven, let it cool just enough where you can handle it. Chop the onion into a couple chunks, the beets into smaller chunks and slice the squash in half length wise and set aside.

Grab a blender and toss in the onion, beets the juice of the lemon (start with half) apinch of salt, a few pinches of pepper, and a clove or 2 of garlic (ok, I love raw garlic and used a lot. If you do not like the taste of raw garlic, just toss it with a little oil and stick into the oven with the beets for about 10 minutes. Or you could omit the garlic entirely)

Once all the stuff is in the blender, turn it on. Drizzle in about a tablespoon or two of olive oil and blend until a nice smooth sauce has formed. Taste, season with more salt and pepper if needed. Add the other half of lemon if you think it needs it. You can also add a bit of water to thin it out more.. if you want

So now the squash should be cool enough to handle. Scoop out the seeds and with a fork, scrape up into spaghetti!

Heaps of squash go into bowls then topped with a generous mound of beet sauce. Topped with some roughly chopped toasted walnuts, a sprinkle of pepper and some bits of green stuff (I just diced up some kale)

Look at that. So pretty, so pink and all ready to go. Dinner for 2 with a good bit of left overs for later!

Happy weekend! And Happy Valentines Day if you do it, or if you don't!

-C

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Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Beet Sauce

makes 3-4 servings

• 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
• 2 large beets
• 1 small onion
• 1 lemon
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• handful of toasted walnuts (optional)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Note. You might want to thin out sauce out a bit without the use of a ton of oil. Go ahead and add a little water. Also, I used raw garlic in mine, but some people might not like it raw. Just toss a few cloves of garlic in a bit of oil and stick into the oven for 10-15 minutes with the other stuff to give it a little roast. OR just omit.

Preheat oven to 425.

Stick the onion, beets and squash onto a baking sheet, drzzle the beet and onion with a tiny bit of oil and stick the sheet into the oven. Roast everything until fork tender which should take around 45-50 minutes. (depending on the size of your produce, some thing might take longer or shorter, so just check after 40ish minutes)

Once everything is roasted, let the beets and onion cool just enough to handle and cut into chunks and toss into a blender. Add in the garlic, the juice of the lemon, a few drizzles of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Now turn blender on and blend until smooth.

And the squash. Cut the thing in half and remove the seeds.  Then with a fork, scrap the squash from the skin into spaghetti like strands.

Place squash into bowls, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of oil if you want and top with a good hearty heap of beet sauce. Top with more cracked pepper and a few chopped walnuts and maybe add a little something green, you know, to make it pretty.

Serve warm with love and a fork.. your lips might turn pink with beet love.

Tahini Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I wanted to be in the kitchen so I asked the mr what he wanted me to make him. Anything he wanted, like a cake, or cookies, or donuts.

He asked for granola bars. (so cute)

I think the reason that he requested granola bars was that he knew I wanted to test out the golden syrup that I brought back from Ireland and I had mentioned that I was going to make myself some granola.  (not him, me) but I went with it. And really, I was excited to bust out the golden syrup.

Now what kind of granola bars was the question, but I didn't even ask him I just went with tahini chocolate chip. Tahini cause its amazing, chocolate chips because, just because. And the golden syrup. The bit of research that I have done on golden syrup had told me that this stuff is like glue (it really is) and that it can be used in lu of other binders that I would normally add to granola bars (like dates) It is pure can sugar that has been turned into a thick, golden syrup (hence the name) and has a more nutty, earthy flavor then just sugar, which went together quite nicely with the oats ans tahini in these bars. (next thing to try it with.. rice crispy treats!)

 So I got some kitchen time, the bars where made, the syrup was used, the mr was happy.

Win win win. WIN!

The stuff. Oats, tahini, golden syrup, cinnamon, sesame seeds, chocolate chips, and sea salt. Not a whole lot of stuff and nothing else is needed. But if you are feeling it, add some more. (cranberries, chopped dates, coconut, some nuts)

In a big bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, sesame seed and chocolate chips.

In a separate (microwave safe) bowl or jar mix together the golden syrup and the tahini. Stick it in the microwave for 15 seconds, take it out, stir it, then another stick it in for another 15 seconds. You just want the mixture to be runny. Another way you could do this is on the stove top or, Like me, place jar in the oven and stir until loose. (I don't have a microwave and I didn't want to dirty a pot)

Pour the warm mixture into the oat mixture and stir until all the oats and stuff are all coated.

Dump the mixture into a parchment lined pan and press it down as hard as you can with your hands or a bottom of a glass

And optional, but really good, sprinkle the top with sea salt. (do not use table salt)

Now here is the deal. You can do one of two things. If you want a chewer granola bar, place these bars in the fridge for at least an hour until they set up and call them done. For a cruncher bar,  stick the granola into the oven for a little bit to give them a slightly crunchier texture

I tossed my into the oven, just for like 12 minutes, just to give them a little color and a bit of crunch. (the longer you leave them in there, the harder and crunchier they become)

Pulled from the oven, chillin out and waiting to be cut.

And piled high. a stack of bars, awaiting a mouth to eat them.

What a bar. The mr is a lucky guy.

Happy day to you!

-C

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Tahini Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

makes 8 Bars

• 3 cups oats (gluten free if needed)
• 1/3 heaping cup golden syrup (can be bought at some grocery stores but can be found online as well)
• 1/3 heaping cup tahini
• teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2-1 cup of chocolate chips
• a few pinches of sea salt(optional)

Note. Feel free to add more mix ins if you want (nuts, coconut, dried fruit) just don't add more then another 1/2 cup of stuff.

In a large bowl toss together the oats, cinnamon, sesame seeds and chocolate chips. In a separate microwave safe bowl (or a pot), combine the golden syrup and the tahini. Place in microwave for 15 second increments,  stirring in between until the mixture is loose and pourable. (or heat on stove on low heat until pourable)

Add tahini mixture into oat mixture and mix until all the oats are evenly coated.  Dump into a parchment lined, 9x9 inch baking pan and evenly press the granola down as hard as you can with either your hands or a bottom of a glass (or whatever) Sprinkle the top with sea salt.

And now you have two decide if you want a more chewy granola bar or or a slightly crunchier bar. For a chewier one,  stick the pan into the fridge for at least an hour until they firm up. For a but more crunch,. place bars in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350, just until they get a slight golden brown and a little bit of crunch on top.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Once bars are ready, remove from pan, grab a knife, cut into bars (or whatever shape you want) and eat them. Store extra in an airtight container (raw ones in the fridge, baked ones are ok on the counter)

Persimmon Jalapeño Avocado Salad

Sitting at the airport in Copenhagen ……

What What!!!  Thats right people. Our travel adventure has begun!

And you guys, I made it alive, my very first ( and second) plane ride ever! And oh boy was it a dozy.

The flight from boston to Iceland was just about as scary as I could have imagined. The plane felt like it was jolting back and forth the entire time. So much turblance. I pretty much couldn’t lift my head off of the mr’s shoulder the entire flight or else I was going to barf. And sleep. Not a chance. I was to busy wondering how long we would make it in the sub artic waters if the plane went down. I was thinking a similar situation to Kate and Leo in the Titanic, although I would never let Nick go. (gag. I did a little too.) 

So now we are sitting and hanging at the airport waiting for eight, yes EIGHT HOURS for our next flight into Ireland. Yeah, we are a little bored and sure, we could lock up our bags and venture out into the city, but honestly, we are beat ass tired. We kind of planed on hanging here anyway so we could spend a little time recouping from the time difference (sleeping like bum style) and checking out the place so when we do come back next week for our stay we will know what to do. And really, just sitting here watching all the cool people with there funky luggage and hockey sticks??.. It’s a good bit of fun. I just wish I packed me one of those donut pillows.

Anyway enough about our travel adventures for now cause I know what you really want to know about is this salad.

This is one of those salads that leaves your mouth puckering and wanting more. Sweet, acitic, spicy.. it hits it all. I really wish I had me some of this salad right now. I made it this past weekend and as I am sitting here writing this, all I can think about it how I wish I packed it to bring we me. I actually might done that but I was worried that any fantastic food I brought with me to the airport was going to get confiscated. So all I have left to eat, until we get to Ireland and a grocery store, is a can beans.  Oh well. Next time. But you, you can go make this salad right now and eat it and be happy. I'll just have to wait until I get back to make it again.

The stuff. A persimmon (I used half), a small jalapeno (red or green) half and avocado and some red onion.  Then you need some greenage in the form of kale or whatever greens you want and a lime, some red wine vinegar, and a bit of salt. 

Slice the persimmon and the onion nice and thin and into mouth sized pieces. Cut the avocado into chucks and de-seed and slice the jalapeno into thin little pieces

Stick it all into a bowl and cover with the juice of the lime, a splash splash of vinegar , and a pinch of salt.

 Toss around and let chill for a bit (the longer the better)

Chop up the kale into piece that will fit into your mouth

And then dump the stuff right into the greens

Agh, I want some salad….Jjust one more plane ride.

Have a swell day my friends! 

-C

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Persimmon Jalapeño Avocado Salad

serves 1-2

• ½ of a ripe persimmon
• ½ of an avocado
• 1 small jalapeño (red or green)
• ½ of a red onion
• ½ a bunch of kale
• 1 lime
• a few splashes of red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Note.. You as much or as little the stuff as you like.

De-seed the jalapeño and thinly slice it, along with the persimmon and onion and place into a bowl. Cut the avocado into small chunks and into the bowl that goes too. Add in the juice of the lime and about 2 splashes of vinegar along with a pinch of salt. Toss around ad let sit on the counter for at least 5 minutes, but the long the better. And chop up your greens. When your marinating stuff tastes good enough to eat, toss into the greens. Sprinkle with pepper and grab a fork.

Eat. Yum.

Cumin Lime Waffle Iron Tofu with Squash and Avocado on Toast

I have been meaning to share the magic of crispy waffle iron tofu for a while, but somehow kind of forgot. Yesterday when talking to my (not quite) mother in law she mentioned the bean waffles I made a while ago and suddenly I had a very real need to go home and bust out the waffle iron and make some tofu. And some of you may be thinking that this sounds weird, but its not. Waffle irons are not just for waffles, you can cook just about anything in them. I compare then to a George Foreman grill (remember those) or even a griddler. . Works the same way, just makes everything waffles shaped.

As for the rest of this open face toast situation, it just makes so much sense.  Crispy cumin lime tofu, avocado, mashed up squash.... A heap of things that are so freaking good.  I actually made the sandwich for the mr and was a little bit worried he was not going to like it, but worry I need not. He got down with it too. You could even ditch the bread and eat waffled tofu slathered in the squash and tofu alone, or maybe swap out bread for greens (that's what I did) Whatever you do, it will be good and your tofu will be so nice and crispy (without having to deep fry) that you may never cook tofu anther way again.

The stuff. Tofu, some roasted squash (any squash or sweet potato works), and half an avocado. Going to need a lime, some cumin and a pinch of chili powder, salt and pepper and little olive oil. And some type of bread that is good for toasting.

The cumin and chili powder go into a bowl with lime juice, a little oil ans a pinch of salt ans pepper. Give it a good whisk and set aside.

And now tend to the tofu. You want to get as much water removed from the tofu as you can.  I do this by pressing the sliced pieces between a clean tea towel a bunch of times until the tofu is as dry I can get it without falling apart.

While you are doing this, preheat your waffle iron.

Once the tofu is a dried as you can get it, dredge each piece of tofu, front and back, through the cumin lime mixture.

And place it on your preheated, lightly oiled waffle iron.

Close iron and let the tofu iron itself cripsy.

And in about 7-10 minutes, you got yourself some super fantastic crispy, oh so tasty tofu.

Now to put it all together.  Bread is toasted and topped with mashed up squash.

Next goes the tofu then top that with the avocado. Finish with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt.

And sriracha if you like it..

Not deep fried, but super crispy tofu! And squash! and avocado! and toast!

It's amazing.

-C

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Cumin Lime Waffle Iron Tofu with Squash and Avocado on toast

Make 2 pieces of toast

For the tofu

• 1/2 a block of extra firm tofu cut about an inch thick slices
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 heaping teaspoon cumin
• pinch of chili powder
• salt and pepper
• 3 teaspoons oil plus more to brush onto iron

And for the rest of the sandwich

• a piece 4-5 inch piece of baguette or 2 slices of thick bread (use gluten free bread if you want)
• About a 1/3 cup of cooked or roasted squash or sweet potato
• sriracha (if you are into it)
• 1/2 an avocado
• the other half of lime

In a shallow bowl, mix together the juice of 1/2 the lime,the cumin and chill powder, a pinch of salt and pepper and 3 teaspoons of oil. Set aside

Preheat waffle iron to either the on setting or if it has variable setting, high.

Take your tofu and remove as much of the liquid as you can by pressing it between two clean kitchen towels. When you get as much of the liquid out as you can, take the tofu and place into the cumin mixture and coat both sides.  Ready the iron by brushing each side with a little more oil just to make sure it doesn't stick and place the tofu on the iron, close it up, and let it do it's thing for about 8-10 minutes. (check after 6-7 to see whats what and if is as crispy crunchy as you like, remove. If you think it could use another minute or two, well close it back up and keep ironing it.

And when the tofu is done, it's time tot make compile it all together.

Toast you bread you are going to use. Once toasted mash a good amount of squash onto toast. Place tofu on top of that and thinly sliced avocado on top of that. Finish with a sprinkle of salt, a squeeze of lime juice and if you are feeling a bit more spicy, a few drizzle drops of sriracha.

Eat right away. Do not share...they can make their own.