Diet, Dessert and Dogs

[Sometimes, you just want to eat something now.  I've decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so easy to make that no recipe is required. Here's today's "Flash in the Pan." (For other FitP recipes, see "Categories" at right).]

Over the past year or so, it seems that a bowl of humble oatmeal has catapulted to star status on food blogs.  Not just any oatmeal, either; old-fashioned, cooked, steel-cut oatmeal–but with fancy add-ins. 

When I first started this blog near the end of 2007, I wrote about one of my favorite breakfasts:  baked oats.  Back then, I couldn’t have imagined all the recent variations on steel-cut oatmeal that have since materialized, from those with almond butter stirred into them (fabulous–it creates an incredibly creamy cereal); to blended oats (gotta love the ultra-smooth texture!);  to carrot cake oats (with carrots and “frosting”); and even spinach oats, with their vibrant emerald hue (and while I love my greens, I can’t say I’m quite ready for Shrek-inspired oats just yet).

So I’m guessing that someone has already posted about my new love, zucchini bread oats, but since I haven’t come across the recipe, I’m sharing it here (and hey, if you’ve already posted about it on your own blog, let me know!). 

I’ve been enjoying this breakfast about once a week over the past month or so, what with the abundance of zucchini at the markets these days.  Not only is this a great way to enjoy those overgrown 10-inch zukes*, but the grated zucchini softens and fairly melts into the oats when cooked so that it’s barely discernible and virtually tasteless in the mix.  And as a bonus, it adds fiber, moisture, Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as good amounts of magnesium, manganese, and potassium to your morning meal.

“Mum, we’d be happy to give those spinach oats a try–the color wouldn’t bother us at all.  Besides, since we’re color blind, we won’t even notice the green. Oh, and we probably wouldn’t notice it in any case, given that we’d lick the bowl clean within about 2.5 seconds.”

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

Infinitely adaptable, this recipe is great when you’ve got leftover cooked grains, extra zucchini, or just feel like a hearty, tummy-warming breakfast.

Per serving:

2/3 cup (160 ml) water or soy, almond, or rice milk

pinch fine sea salt

1/3 cup (80 ml) dry steel-cut oatmeal

1/4 medium zucchini, grated very fine (use smallest holes on box grater, or “fine” blade on food processor)

handful chopped pecans

1/2-1 tsp (2.5-5 ml) cinnamon, to your taste

pinch nutmeg or 1/8 tsp (.5 ml) ground ginger, if desired

1 heaping Tbsp (20 ml) natural smooth almond butter, or nut/seed butter of your choice

handful raisins, if desired

1 Tbsp (15 ml) agave nectar or maple syrup, or 5 drops stevia liquid

In a heavy bottomed pot, bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat.  Add the oats, lower the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice (if the bottom begins to scorch, add a bit more liquid). 

After 15 minutes, add the zucchini, nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well, then cover again and cook for another 5 minutes.  (Again, if the oats are too dry, add a bit more liquid).

Remove from heat, stir in the almond butter.  Stir before serving with sweetener of your choice and more milk, if desired.  Makes one serving.

NOTE: This is not a zucchini-flavored oatmeal; you won’t really taste any zucchini in this (though you might detect a few shreds here and there).  The veggie is just a silent nutritional bonus!

Variation:  You can substitute about 3/4 cup (180 ml) of another cooked grain of your choice for the oats and water.  In that case, either reheat the grains in about 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk before adding the remaining ingredients, or blend the grain, nut butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk in a food processor before warming gently for 7-10 minutes; stir in the zucchini and then allow to warm through before serving.

* Sorry, people who found this post via those depraved Google search terms–I’m talking about food. 

Oh, and stay tuned next time for a yummy giveaway! 

© 2009 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Last Year at this Time: Muhammara

[Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy of my new cookbook!  And if you’ve been waiting for the book to be listed on amazon.com, it’s now there!  Just click on the book image at left to see the three ways to buy.}

Anyone who’s ever successfully trained dogs knows that the key to success–more than anything else–is consistency.  Dogs like things to be the same each time they occur.  They like predictability.  So when you say, “sit,” you must always ensure that they sit.  When you say, “come!” you must ensure that they run toward you each and every time.  When you set 5:00 PM as their feeding time, you’d damn well better feed them at 5:00 PM.  And so on.

Why is this so?  Because dogs are creatures of habit.  Left to their own devices, they will repeat the same actions over and over (I mean, really, shouldn’t they already know what that hydrant smells like after the first 438 sniffs?). I recognize this canine quality every day at precisely 4:43 PM, when Elsie pads soundlessly across the office to barely graze my knee with her wet, leathery nose and remind me that dinner should be on its way in, oh, about 17 minutes. Or in the way Chaser tucks her head under the overhang of our bed’s comforter every evening before turning in for the night. Or in the way both Girls park themselves by the front door, pining, each weekday evening as they wait for the HH to arrive home from work.

Even though he’s fond of telling me I have “dog-like qualities,” it’s really the HH who is more the creature of habit in our relationship.  I liken myself more to Jerry’s character in Seinfeld, the one who had a library of cold breakfast cereals lining his kitchen shelf  because he peferred a varied selection. The HH, on the other hand, eats exactly the same thing for breakfast each day, following a very precise, very consistent morning ritual: 

7:00 AM:  Slam clock radio alarm with palm.  Lower palm to side of bed and pat Chaser’s head. Heave self out of bed.  Don “dog-walking pants” and sneakers.  Take The Girls for their AM romp and morning ablutions.

7:40 AM:  Shower and shave.  Forget to wipe the counter, leaving soapy pools of water clinging to all of Ricki’s cosmetic bottles. Reach into closet and grab the next clean shirt and next clean pair of pants (no matter if they don’t happen to match) and dress for work.  Slip into shoes, left one first, then right one and tie up laces.

8:15 AM:  grab a paper bag from under the sink and a banana from the bowl on the counter. Head to the fridge to fill the sack with other foods to enjoy later with that first deskbound coffee.  Pull out one green apple from the crisper drawer; then move to the door to select a home baked muffin from the unending stash on the shelf–

WHOAH! WAIT A SECOND HERE!

Suddenly, these days, there is no more stash of home-made, freshly baked breakfast goods.  Crisis!

You see, for the past 12 years or so, the HH has cohabited with a baker.  This means that he never had to think about his breakfast baked good; he was greeted each morning with a seemingly endless array of homemade, healthy treats from which to choose, courtesy of yours truly.  In the past year alone, as I was testing and re-testing recipes for the cookbook, those baked goods seemed to multiply of their own accord like happy little Tribbles, and the HH was often faced with an embarrassment of riches. It could be a tough choice for the guy, between a Sweet Harvest Muffin, Lemon Blueberry Scone, Maple-Millet Muffin,  PB & G Muffin, or even some Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake. 

But recently, I haven’t been baking much.  No, scratch that; I haven’t been baking at all. Adhering to the draconian restrictions  desperate measures stringent dictates of the ACD has made me shun anything sugary.  Forfeit anything floury. Eschew chocolate.  And–for a while, anyway–ban baking. 

Pity the poor HH. 

Not only has he lost his endless stock of breakfast muffins, he’s also been forced to eat the red apples from our weekly organic box (since I’m off fruit) instead of his usual green ones. I mean, really, how much can the poor guy take?

Feeling sorry for the guy, I decided to bake up some new muffins for his morning meal. Well, turns out I’m more a creature of habit than I realized–where baking is concerned, at least. Bake I must! I decided to accept the fact: Baking is my calling. Baking is in my blood!  Baking is my destiny!  I. Love. Baking.  Oh, and I also had a bunch of old ingredients in the cupboard I had to use up.

I spied a box of Cinnamon Puffins languishing at the back of the shelf , like the lone wallflower hoping against hope for a dance at the prom. I’d bought them before starting the ACD, mostly because I’d read about them so many times on VeggieGirl’s blog and was dying to try them.  And while I would have been happy to finish the box myself, I’m not allowed cereal on this diet; and the HH wasn’t fussy about them.  What to do?

Bake ‘em into muffins, that’s what! I thought I’d replace some of the usual flour with ground-up cereal for an extra hit of both grains and flavor.  Playing with proportions and one of my favorite flavor combinations, I came up with this version of Mocha Cinnamon Cereal Muffins.  And this way, you don’t have to choose between cereal and a muffin–you get both in one!

The result was an incredibly moist, fragrant muffin.  The cereal added textural interest and a density that suits these miniature quick breads perfectly. Unlike most of my breakfast baking, these gems contain neither fruit nor vegetable, attaining their moistness from the mixture of cereal and ground chia.  With just a hint of coffee and whisper of cinnamon, they would be perfect topped with some almond butter or even buttery spread.

It felt great to get back to baking, even if I can’t enjoy the fruits of my labor (well, in this case, the cinnamon-coffee of my labor) just yet.  As for the HH, he seems much more comfortable now that his morning ritual has returned to normal. 

“Mum, it’s great that you’ve got back to your old baking habit!  But how about that letting-us-lick-the-spoon habit?  Can you please get back to that one, too–??”

Mocha Cinnamon Cereal Muffins

I bet these would work well with any cinnamon-flavored breakfast cereal, or any cereal of your choice (just be aware that the cereal will confer some of its own flavor to the final product). 

2 cups (480 ml) cinnamon flavored cold cereal, dry (I used Cinnamon Puffins)

1 tsp (5 ml) finely ground chia seeds or 1 Tbsp (15 ml) finely ground flax seeds

2 Tbsp (30 ml) instant coffee substitute, or 1 Tbsp (15 ml) instant coffee

1/4 cup (60 ml) light agave nectar

1-1/4 cups (300 ml) plain or vanilla soy or almond milk

1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup (80 ml) sunflower or other light-tasting oil, preferably organic

1/2 tsp (2. 5 ml) apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup (105 g) light spelt flour

1/2 cup (60 g) barley flour (may substitute more spelt)

1 Tbsp (30 ml) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2. 5 ml) baking soda

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) cinnamon

1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt

2/3 cup (65 g) coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F (180 C).  Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners for small muffins, or 8 cups for larger muffins; or spray with nonstick spray.

In the bowl of a food processor,whir the cereal until it has crumbled to a fine meal.  There should be no large pieces of cereal visible.  You should have about 1 cup (240 ml) of cereal-meal.

To the processor bowl, add the chia seeds, coffee substitute, milk, vanilla, oil and apple cider vinegar.  Whir to combine.  (Note: if you use flax instead of chia, the muffins may be a teeny bit dryer–but still delicious!).

Add the spelt flour, barley flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt, and process again until blended, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary.  You should have a fairly thick batter.   Sprinkle with the pecans and stir them in by hand, but do not process again.

Using a large ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup (80 ml) measuring cup, fill the muffin cups, dividing the batter evenly. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan once about halfway through, until a tester inserted in a center muffin comes out clean.  Allow to cool about 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.  Makes 8-10 muffins.  May be frozen.

Last Year at this Time: Sweet Potato and Kasha Burgers

© 2009 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Part I:  THE JUICE SEGMENT (feel free to skip to Part II)

We’re having some down time today at the DDD household, as today is the first-ever Family Day holiday in Ontario (I’ve always thought it only civilized to have a day off in February–the gap between New Year’s and Easter/Passover is just too long).  Everything government-related is closed, as are many retail establishments, so the streets are quiet and still.  Why, it’s the perfect atmosphere to reflect on my first entire day of WOCA (Week of Chocolate Asceticism)!

But since I know you’re likely more interested in the food than my self-imposed abstemiousness, I’ve decided not to dwell on my woe-is-me struggle to avoid chocolate during this time.  Instead, I’ll provide an update each day at the end of the post–following the main attraction (a new recipe!).  And one of the perfect ways to start off a shiny, new, ”clean” week of eating is a delicious, cleansing, freshly-squeezed vegetable juice.

What? Juice?? But where, you may ask, are all the desserts?  Where are the cookies, the muffins, the pies, the cakes?  Where are the yummy, creative vegan dishes?  Where is the–CHOCOLATE?

Ah, yes.  Now, now, let’s all take a deep breath, count to ten, and focus on the mantra  kiss and make up reload the chamber try to calm down.  No, no, we haven’t abandoned chocolate indefinitely!  That sweet sepia beauty shall return; all in good time.  In the meantime, however, I have a party to attend in less than 2 weeks, which means I need to get my ass in gear (no, I mean that literally–I have no gear big enough to fit my–well, you get the idea). 

Despite having a well established and famous juice-bar-turned-restaurant here in Toronto, I first tasted a freshly squeezed vegetable juice in Ithaca, New York, at the famed Moosewood restaurant.  The HH and I were on our way to visit my Boston cousins for a few days, and spent an evening exploring the university town.  After reading so much about the Moosewood over the years (and coveting the Moosewood cookbooks I owned), I couldn’t wait to try their food.  The juice was merely an afterthought–”Something to drink before your meal, Ma’am?”–so I ordered without really thinking about it (I was too fixated on having been called “Ma’am,” I guess). I had a carrot, beet, and ginger mix, and was immediately enamoured! The HH, not quite so infatuated, declined to even taste it (“I can smell the beets,” he pouted.  “It smells like dirt.”).

A few years later, I learned more about fresh juices in nutrition school, and was so inspired I promptly went out and bought myself a ridiculously overpriced single-gear juicer.  Freshly squeezed, juice is a detoxifyer, immune booster, and wealth of nutrition. (If you’re interested in learning more, there’s a quick and clear description of the power of raw juices in a book my friend PR Queen lent me, called Raw Food: Life Force Energy.)

As a result of that juicy inspiration, I peeled, chopped, pushed, propelled, squeezed, filtered and poured enthusiastically for the first year or so, before I grew weary of spending 15-20 minutes just to clean the mechanical monstrosity when it took me all of one minute to actually drink the beverage it prepared.  You see, juicers tend to generate an abundance of both juice AND pulp; and the pulp has a tendency to cling obstinately inside the filter (which turns out to be a good thing for the juice per se, as you really don’t want to be lapping up strings of celery fiber from your glass).  Nonetheless, juicing can be an onerous task.

 One of my favorite juice combinations in the morning is carrots, apple, celery, beets, ginger, parsley and dark, leafy greens (usually kale), with a clove of garlic thrown in for good measure (and the anti-microbial properties in confers).  Drink one of these concoctions first thing, and you’re basically buzzing until lunch (with complimentary protection against vampires included). 

I did convince the HH to try my juice, just once.  His response–emitted along with a fine spray of the green liquid itself–was: “Aaarrggghhhecchhh!! This tastes like A FIELD OF WET GRASS.”  (Now, don’t ask me how he knows what a field of wet grass tastes like; but anyway.)

And so, rather than impose the selfsame green terror on all of you this fine winter’s day (I’ll save that for another fine winter’s day), I thought I’d start off this week with something nourishing, something sweet and crunchy, something to suit breaking the fast in the morning:  homemade granola!  

Part II:  THE GRANOLA SEGMENT

Over the past few years (ever since I studied holistic nutrition) I’ve had colleagues and friends occasionally remark as I wax poetic about tofu or kale, “Now, don’t go all crunchy granola on me, Ric.”  But I’d never take offense at the comment; I could never comprehend why that phrase should be flung pejoratively. What is wrong with crunchy granola, anyway? 

 As far as breakfast cereals go, granola (a real, whole-foods kind, not sugar- and fat-laden varieties you find in wax-lined boxes) is one of the best.  A flavorful potpourri of whole grains with their generous mineral and fiber content, gem-like dried fruits with theIr chewy sweetness and tang (and even more of those necessary minerals), and the occasional flake of coconut or morsel of toasted nut (both providing healthy fats)–well, what’s not to love? 

Although I’m not a regular consumer of cold breakfast cereals (though I do love me some baked oatmeal once in a while), granola is one cold cereal I do fancy.  I love the mix of textures from crumbly to crunchy to chewy, all bathed in opaque milky sweetness (whichever type you choose).

This recipe is loosely based on the one in Becoming Vegetarian by Melina Vesanto, and I’ve adapted it liberally.  I’ve added more of the liquids to bind the granola into clusters, and adapted the fruits to suit my tastes (also adding a bit more than the original recipe suggests).  Here’s the mix of dried cranberries, unsweetened cherries, raisins, goji berries I used this time round. The array of dark reds and brilliant coral of the gojis nestled on top the grains creates quite a tantalizing mosaic of color.

Homemade Crunchy Granola

You won’t miss the usual wheat in this satisfying, healthy granola.  It is slightly less dense than store-bought, and contains less fat. This holds up well in milk and is equally good as a snack on its own. For a gluten-free version, simply use oats, buckwheat, or quinoa flakes.

4 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)

1 cup rye, barley, or soy flakes, or a combination (I used buckwheat and barley flakes)

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I like almonds, cashews, and pecans)

1/3 cup dried coconut (unsweetened)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cardamom (optional)

1/2 cup sesame butter (tahini)

1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar, or a combination

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup puffed brown rice cereal (I use Erewhon)

1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds (I used both)

1-1/2 cups dried fruit (I like raisins, chopped apricots, chopped dates, dried cherries, dried apple, dried cranberries, or a combination)

Preheat oven to 325F.  Spray a large roasting pan with nonstick coating. In a large bowl, mix the oats, rye (or other flakes), nuts, coconut, and cinnamon. (If using raw seeds, add these now as well).

In a smaller bowl, mix together the tahini, water, liquid sweetener and vanilla, blending well. Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix well to coat most of the flakes. 

Pour the granola into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and roast for 40-50 minutes , mixing every 20 minutes or so (be sure to move the mixture at the edges toward the centre to avoid burning, and move the mixture in the centre out to the edges).

Remove from oven and cool completely.  Then add the fruits, puffed rice cereal and pre-roasted seeds (if using) and mix well. Store in jars or airtight plastic containers.  Makes about 8 cups.

Since these foods combined contain both fruits and vegetables, I thought they’d make the perfect submission to Sweetnicks’ weekly ARF/5-A-Day event. You can check out all the entries on Tuesdays.

WOCA Update:  The first day of my chocolate abstinence was pretty much as I expected it would be–very difficult.  One thing I’ve learned in the past (like, the 75 or so other times I’ve gone through this cycle) is that, if I truly wish to avoid eating the sweet stuff, I should allow myself as much as I like of anything else that’s whole, healthy, or naturally sweetened (such as fresh fruits)–at least for the first few days.  So today I ate more nuts than I would have liked, and snacked on more leftovers from our V-Day dinner than I would have liked (though not the pie, evidemment), but I managed to go 24 hours without consuming anything chocolate or anything containing added sweeteners; one hurdle passed! 

(“We knew something was up, Mum, when you forgot to give us our Kongs this afternoon. . . hurry up and get over this, okay, Mum?”)