Slow Cooker Oatmeal

A big steaming bowl of oatmeal just hits the spot sometimes. I could eat oatmeal almost everyday. I usually have a box of instant oatmeal stashed in my desk at work for those days when I only have five minutes to eat and didn't bring anything.

I've seen and heard about steel cut oats for years, but this is the first time I've had them. Surprising, given my love for oatmeal. I put this in my crock pot before I went to bed, and woke up to a bowl of comfort food just waiting for me to dig in.

Slow Cooker Oatmeal 

1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups liquid (I used 1 coconut milk + 2 cups water for a creamy oatmeal. Almond, soy, etc., or all water would work well too)
salt
mix-ins (I used cinnamon, 1 tsp of gingeroot, minced, raisins, almond slivers, and then topped with chia seeds)

Put the oats, milk and/or water, salt, and any other mix-ins you want cooked in a crock pot. I put in the raisins so they would be nice and plump, ginger, almonds and cinnamon. Cook on low for three hours. I topped my with chia seeds for some extra omega 3s.

This makes about four servings. I put the leftover in a silicon muffin tin and baked on 350 degrees for 40 minutes. It's still moist, but is muffin shaped and will be great for breakfast this week.

I'm already looking forward to trying different combinations: cranberry, strawberries and cream, pumpkin in the fall, peanut butter and jelly. I'll probably end up with some pretty funky ones.

Kale Chips

I just got back from a week-long work conference. I firmly believe that they use food to induce people to sit through hours of talking in one setting.

Breakfast, talk, snack, talk, lunch, talk, snack, talk, dinner. Retire. Repeat.

This week was a little better because the setting was a beautiful farm in Pauma Valley about an hour outside San Diego. We saw purple mountains at sunset and were accompanied the entire time by two inseparable roosters who loved picking through our compost bucket. I named them Bert and Ernie.

The organizer is a vegan so there were great food options. A lot came directly from the farm, fresh as fresh can be. I still grazed the whole time and drank way too much coffee. So coming home, by body thinks it still needs to be eating every hour of the day.

Sitting on the couch wanting to munch, I thought I'd try my hand at the oh-so-popular kale chips. You can buy them in the store already made, but it couldn't be easier to do it at home and is much more economical (we can even say cheap).

1 bunch kale
drizzle of olive oil, about 2 tsp
sea salt to taste

Remove the hard ribbons from the kale and divide the leaves into 1 1/2 inch sections. The kale will shrink while cooking so make them a little bigger than bite size.
Lay the kale on a pan and drizzle with oil. Toss to coat and sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 20 minutes on 275 degrees F. Turn halfway through baking.
Enjoy! 

Tomato Sauced Tempeh

I'm a sucker for sales. Anytime there is a bargain I want to grab it, which is what happened when tempeh went on sale for half off at my local Kroger. I had no idea what to do with it, but it ended up being so good I had to stop myself from eating the whole pan.

Tempeh
One package tempeh, cut in cubes
One jar of tomato sauce

Put tempeh and sauce in a pan over medium heat. Cover and cook at least fifteen minutes or until the sauce is thicker and the tempeh cooked.

I served it with broccoli, snap peas, and carrots that were stir-fried with Bragg's Amino, salt, and pepper over a bed of Israeli couscous.  

This ended up being just the thing for the weird, cold Spring weather we're having in Georgia. It was warm and the tempeh is hearty, while the couscous and vegetables are light.

Good Karma in Atlanta

I love when Scoutmob leads to me to an awesome new place.

That's what happened Sunday afternoon.

This place is in Avondale Estates, and reminds me why community coffee shops are the best.

First, check out this spread. All vegan. Coconut yogurt with in-house made granola, pumpkin spice latte with soy milk, and the finale - a chocolate chip vegan muffin that is so most you might not have to chew.

They also have many more non-vegan items, but all gluten-free.

The staff was friendly and the people coming in was Atlanta at its best - all ages, types, etc. This is not your college kid-only or hipster-only coffee shop hangout (thankfully). Lots of light, a good selection of music, and a good wifi connection will have me coming back for more muffins.

Brussels Sprouts

Last year was the first time I ever really ate brussels sprouts. I was at a work conference in New York, trying to find where on the lunch table lay the vegetarian food and trying to snatch it up before the carnivores got it. Among a platter of roasted red peppers and onions were round green vegetables. I popped a few, and had to go back for seconds. And thirds. I was surprised to find out that this little vegetable I loved was a brussels sprout. I was equally surprised to see them poking up on stalks at my local Trader Joe's. The most surprise, however, came when I googled "brussel sprouts" to find out they are actually "brussels sprouts." The two "s" merge, as French words often do, to form one.

Since finding them on a stalk, I've eaten them steamed with couscous, stir-fried with other veggies and tofu, and roasted. Anyway made and anyway spelled, these little things are totally pop-able and totally good for you.

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

I'm not sure which I like more - the cats or the muffins. It seems every Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx have these little boxes of cupcake decorations. When I first saw them, I thought it was a fantastic idea and made my own out of scrapbook paper and toothpicks. They are cute, but not quite as this set of cats that a dear friend gave me. This is definitely the kind of thing best shared so I waited until my mom and sister were visiting to use them for pumpkin muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used a whole-wheat blend)

3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoons molasses

1) Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. 

2) In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and molasses. 

3) Add wet ingredients to dry and mix.

4) Pour into muffin pan, either papered or greased. Bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Winter Squash + Black Bean Pozole

I've succumbed to the awful cold that's making the rounds everywhere these days. At work people are sniffling and downing tea. At the grocery store the cashier is coughing while telling me my total. The man on the treadmill at the gym keeps sneezing. And now I am one among them. Properly coughing into my elbow...most of the time anyway.

I made this soup because I had pumpkin that was getting soft. It took a little time to prep because I soaked dry beans overnight, cooked them the next day, and then stuck them in the refrigerator to use in this soup the following day. But it was well worth it - this soup is like medicine. Only it's delicious.

This is also great warmed up the next day (or a few days later) after the spices have married. It becomes even more flavorful.


Pumpkin & Black Bean Pozole

1 large yellow onion, cut in chunks
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups vegetable stock
4 cups black beans
1 lb pumpkin and/or winter squash, cut in 1-inch chunks (I used one small pie pumpkin and one calabaza)
14 ounces hominy
4 tsp Chipotle Chili Pepper (quite spicy, decrease for taste)
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
2 Tbs lemon or lime juice
salt to taste

Toppings

cabbage, cut in strips
jalapeno pepper
diced tomato
chopped cilantro

Directions

1) Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and allow to cook while mincing the garlic. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes until the onion is translucent.
2) Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the pumpkin and squash are tender.
3) Remove from heat and squeeze in lemon juice.

4) Transfer to serving bowls and top with toppings.