Diet, Dessert and Dogs

[Just look at that peachy color! And it's not Photoshopped!]

Don’t you just hate it when your regular routine is disrupted? Well, maybe it’s just me.  As a Libra, I tend to be perhaps a little too attached to routine consistency boredom equilibrium in my life (Libra is represented by the scales, after all).  When the calm of a well-established pattern is disturbed, as it was last week, I’m thrown into a tizzy.

And just what horrific event occurred that turned my previously placid waters into choppy seas, you ask?

My treadmill broke.

Okay, maybe not so earth-shattering.  But I was accustomed to walking for 45 minutes every morning on my treadmill, while watching my soap opera (multi-tasking at its best). Now, I’m forced to head to the workout club each AM instead (howdy, octogenarian couple with the matching T-shirts!  How ya doin, Burly Guy who wears black dress socks?  Nice to see you again, trainer with the too-revealing tank top!).  Which means I haven’t watched my soap in over a week (I’m so far behind, in fact, that in my episodes Jack and Carly have only been married six times).  Which means I’ve had to switch to an elliptical trainer instead of a treadmill (my quadriceps are barely hanging on for 20 minutes at this point).  Which means I must wake up, wash my face, get fully dressed and drive to the club before I can even begin to work out.  

Which, ultimately, means less time in the morning to do everything else I used to do. Like wrestle with The Girls.  Like answer emails.  Like cook and eat breakfast.

Like so many people in the world of food and health blogs, I read Angela Liddon’s Oh She Glows.  I mean, who wouldn’t?  It’s fun to read, Angela is an inspiration (she just completed a triathlon!), and (big points with me these days) she prefers to post recipes that are, to paraphrase her own words, quick, healthy, delicious–and contain only a few ingredients. Well, if that doesn’t just make my temporally-challenged day a little bit brighter! 

Enter Angela’s seen-them-everywhere-on-the-blogosphere Banana Soft Serve Vegan Overnight Oats.  The recipe is a staple on Angela’s blog (with a multitude of variations, such as peanut butter, cacao nib, carob, rice crisps and so on) and has made cameo appearances pretty much everywhere else, too. 

And now it’s finally DDD’s turn to give these oats a try!  Okay, so maybe I’m a little late to the party.  But with this recipe, I was sort of like the dowdy bookworm who joins in with just a little sip of wine. . . and before you know it, she’s downed a half dozen glasses and is dancing on the tables.  I went a little loco for these oats. Like the proverbial ACD-er in a pastry shop, I wanted to eat them all, and try out every varation I could get my hands on.

[Seriously, does that look irresistible, or what?  Of course, you could serve this in a regular cereal bowl as well.  But then it wouldn't be as pretty.]

It’s no secret how much I love my baked steel-cut oats, and they will always hold a special place in my heart (and stomach). But these Banana Soft Serve Vegan Overnight Oats are perfect for a warm summer morning: light, refreshing, creamy and cold. . . in fact, it felt more like I was eating a dessert than a breakfast (always a good thing in my books).  Besides being ideal for the season (no cooking = no heating the oven = no sweating in the kitchen), the recipe also provides a substantial nutritional punch and will keep you feeling satiated for hours.  Even though I normally find myself sniffing around the kitchen mid-morning for something to snack on (“Excuse me, Mum, but isn’t that our domain?”) , after one bowl of these, I was pleasantly full well past my usual lunch time.

Why did it take me so long to try these out?  Blame it on the bananas. Since we ACD-ers aren’t permitted any “tropical” fruits (banana, mango, etc.), I had to come up with an alternative.  I tweeted Angela a while back to ask if she had any suggestions for what I might use instead, and I settled on frozen berries.  And so, my first version of BSSVOO made its debut:

Those were good, but I knew I could do better.  Supporting the cause of the banana-phobic everywhere, I racked my brains to create a delectable and creamy Soft Serve worthy of the Overnight Oats moniker!  One intriguing possibility was frozen pears (and while those would likely be delicious, we were all out–and I didn’t want to hold up the process of culinary creation). 

Eventually, I decided, “yes!”, I would dare to eat a (frozen) peach–and tried that mixed with a few strawberries for color.  The result was a visually stunning and tastebud-tickling parfait that provided one of the most enjoyable breakfasts I’ve had this year.

If you haven’t yet jumped on the overnight oats bandwagon, what are you waiting for?  Hop right on.  The recipe is super easy (ingredients stay in the fridge overnight; then layer–or not, your choice) and is a perfect way to consume seasonal fruits.  Of course, if you’re able to enjoy bananas, go ahead and try it that way first.  There’s always the rest of the summer for peaches. Or berries. Or pears. Or every single other fruit.  Makes me glad I finally shook up that dull routine.

On another note, I love watching changes as they occur in the blogging world (even if I prefer stability in my exercise routine). One of the features you’ve no doubt noticed on many blogs these days is a question, or list of questions posed to the readers at the end of the post.  I enjoy reading these, as they provide some insight into the blogger’s ideas and, even better, often generate a discussion among the commenters.

So here’s today’s question:  Would you like to see questions rounding out the posts on DDD?  Is this a feature you think would enhance the blog?  (Cheating, I know; asking a question about questions!). 

I always love reading your comments and would be thrilled with more interactive discussion on the blog.  I’d love to hear more from you and welcome ideas about what you’d like to read/see on DDD! So please, pipe up (and lurkers, here’s your chance!) and share your thoughts!  

Peach (or other) Soft Serve Vegan Overnight Oat Parfait (ACD Phase II and beyond)

adapted from Oh She Glows

This is an easy and delicious way to treat yourself in the morning.  When you wake up to a serving of these oats, you really will feel as if you’re eating something special.

For the Oats:

1/3 cup (35 g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not instant or quick cook)

2 Tbsp (30 ml) chia seeds

1 to 1-1/4 cups (240-300 ml) plain or vanilla soy, rice, or almond milk

5-10 drops plain liquid stevia, to your taste

1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon

For the Soft Serve:

1 medium peach, washed, pit removed, cut into chunks, then frozen solid

2-3 fresh or frozen strawberries

2 tsp (10 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 tsp (5 ml) fresh lemon zest (optional)

1 Tbsp (15 ml) agave nectar OR 5-10 drops plain liquid stevia, to your taste

For the overnight oats, place all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.  (Note: Angela mentions that these can be ready in as little as 1.5-2 hours if you start in the morning, or if you’re desperate for a snack).

For the soft serve, place everything except the agave in a food processor and process until the mixture becomes crumbly.  Sprinkle with agave and continue to process another 20-30 seconds until the mixture comes together in a ball and begins to soften.  Take care not to overprocess, or it will melt too much and liquefy.

To assemble, alternate layers of the overnight oats and the soft serve in a bowl or glass.  If you’re rushed (or lazy, like me), you can simply top the oats with the soft serve in a bowl and aim for a bit of each in every spoonful.

Optional toppings include cacao nibs, dried fruit, granola or puffed rice, or pretty much anything else you can think of that would complement the flavors.  Serve immediately. Makes one very substantial serving.  Recipe may be doubled.

With its ability to straddle the breakfast/dessert divide, this recipe is a perfect submission to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays event.  Check out her weekly list of yummy AND healthy recipes!

AND ALSO: Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes has just begun a new site, FoodBlogDiary, that lists all blog events for each month.  She’s already got more than a dozen events listed for June (including Kim and my l’il SOS Challenge).  Check it out so you can enter the events that appeal to you, or submit your own! 

Two Years Ago: Old Reliables: Salads You Can Count On

You might also like: Giant Baked Upside Down Apple Pancake

© 2010 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.”

* 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! 

This post is being shared at Cara’s Love Your Heart event!

© 2009 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Last Year at this Time: Muhammara

[I thought it would be fun to run a little series over here at DDD: I'll profile one one of my favorite foods, or a food that I've recently discovered and enjoyed, over several days.  For this second entry, I'm focusing on Quinoa. The series is presented on an occasional (and entirely arbitrary) basis, before I move on to the next lucky comestible. ]

You guys are too funny!

I would never have guessed that my silly little comment about quotation marks at the end of yesterday’s post could spark so many witty comebacks.  Well, quotation marks be damned! Now that I’m officially *back,* I’ll just have to reach waaaay %back % into my punctuation quiver and pick out a few other sharp marks and symbols.  And so, right ++BACK++ at ya! 

For now, though, I must hold myself >bAcK< and will no longer tap my spinal woes as a source of humor (though the original Spinal Tap, on the other hand, provides its own endless source of punny laughs).  And now, let’s get back  to today’s Lucky Comestible!

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you’re likely already familiar with my penchant for breakfast foods.  The morning repast is, unequivocally, my favorite meal of the day.  So how could I go through five different recipes featuring quinoa and NOT include at least one targeted breafast dish? 

I’ve already covered a baked good with the Almond-Quinoa Muffins; today, I’ve repurposed Lisa’s amazing Quinoa and Oatmeal Croquettes recipe for a breakfasty-sweet usage rather than the delectable savory meal (smothered in a rich mushroom sauce) that she originally wrote about. Luckily, the recipe is super-easy and employs ingredients I already had on hand, so I was able to whip these up without having to head to the supermarket, which would have undoubtedly strained my finances patience relationship  (Oh, just SAY IT:)  BACK .

I’ve always thought of croquettes as somewhat pear-shaped orbs that sit under a thick slathering of creamy sauce.  As a kid, my mom sometimes made chicken croquettes, which involved grinding, mixing, and shaping the mounds of seasoned chicken before rolling them in breadcrumbs and baking them, after which they were doused with à la King sauce (ie, canned cream of mushroom soup) that had a handful of frozen peas thrown in. Representative of the times, but hardly worth the effort, I always thought.

When I saw Lisa’s recipe, I was a little surprised at the form of these croquettes. Like that iconic fast-food hamburger, they were square rather than round; and like the proverbial bank heist-without-a-hitch, they were almost too easy: simply cook up, spread in pan, then cut into shape.  I suppose I could have used a cookie cutter to approximate a rounded shape, but why bother? Who said croquettes have to be round, anyway?

What I like about these little darlings is that the quinoa is very evident–not a co-star, but the main attraction.  The oats, while present, don’t really determine much of the overall flavor; rather, they seem to bind the croquettes together instead. The mixture reminded me very much of a polenta in texture and preparation; but the taste was, to my mind, very well suited to breakfast.

 And so, still limited by the few ingredients I actually had in the house after the GBR, I pulled out some homemade cranberry preserves as a topper and set about heating these in the griddle for breakfast.  I was very well rewarded with a nubby-textured, moist and chewy croquette highlighted by the occasional crunch, courtesy of sesame seeds sprinkled over top.  The slightly sweet, slightly tart jam was the perfect accompaniment.  These would also be divine with maple syrup, I think.  Oh, and mushroom sauce (as Lisa suggests) too, of course.  

Quinoa-Oatmeal Croquettes

from Lisa’s Vegetarian Kitchen

Quick, hearty, and substantial, these are the perfect breakfast bites.  If you’re in a hurry, you can even wrap them up and take them along.  And, as Lisa suggests, they make a great base for a savory sauce, too.

1 cup dry quinoa

1 cup rolled or steel-cut oats (I used rolled oats)

3 cups water

1/4 tsp. sea salt

sesame seeds, as needed

olive oil, as needed

If desired, rinse the quinoa to remove the bitter outer resin (I didn’t bother, as I assume most quinoa these days is pre-rinsed; but if you want to be safe, go ahead). Place quinoa and oats in a glass casserole or pan along with the 3 cups water, cover, and soak overnight in the fridge.

The next day, grease a 9 x 9 inch square pan with olive oil or nonstick spray.  Pour the mixture into a medium-sized pot and stir in the sea salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until it has the consistency of a thick porridge, about 25-30 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Refrigerate at least 20 minutes, to let the mixture cool and firm up (I left it for about 4 hours).  Cut the mixture in to cubes of desired size (I cut the contents of the pan into 20 small cubes).

Lightly oil a frying pan with the olive oil, and fry the cubes on both sides until golden brown and crispy on the outside.  Transfer to a plate and serve with fruit preserves of your choice.  Makes 4-5 servings.  Will keep for 4 days, covered, in the fridge.

Other Posts in this Series:

Lucky Comestible II (1): Quinoa Salad with Buckwheat and Cranberries

Lucky Comestible II (2): Almond-Quinoa Muffins

Lucky Comestible II (3): Tagine of Quinoa with Chickpeas, Olives and Prunes

Lucky Comestible II (5): Apple-Quinoa Cake

Other Quinoa Recipes:

(Got a quinoa recipe?  Send me the link during this Lucky Comestible week, and I’ll add it to the list!)

• Couldn’t Be Easier Quinoa Casserole courtesy of Shellyfish at Musings from the Fishbowl
• Quinoa with Sundried Tomatoes and Corn courtesy of Lisa at  Lisa’s Kitchen
• Quinoa Soup with Corn courtesy of Lisa at Lisa’s Kitchen
• Quinoa Lentil Chili courtesy of Romina at Vegan Eating for One
• Not One, But THREE Quinoa Dishes courtesy of Diann at Eat’n Veg’n (I want that breakfast bar recipe!!)
• Cheddary Tofu Quinoa Pie courtesy of Jenny Wren at Rabbit Food
• Butternut Squash Quinoa courtesy of Karen at Test Drive Kitchen
• Beetroot and Quinoa Salad courtesy of Lucy at Nourish Me

After a rollicking time last evening (it was my Human Honey’s birthday, so we splurged ridiculously at one of our very favorite restaurants), I woke up, late, this morning and decided that it was time to return to the pleasures of baking.  After all, I haven’t baked anything in seven whole days!  Can it be only seven days since we left the old place??

 The first challenge to address was “what to bake?”  Then it hit me that I’m scheduled to teach a cooking class on Tuesday, and desperately needed to re-test one of the recipes I’d dashed off so cavalierly before the move.  With the class looming, I figured it best to try out the recipe before sending it in print to the cooking class coordinator.  Besides, I had all the ingredients on hand, I was sure I could locate all the necessary equipment, and–most important of all–I was really hungry for something real, something freshly baked, something–well, something not chocolate.

The perfect recipe?  My old standard, Orange-Oatmeal Muffins. 

This recipe is one of the very first I ever created with alternative-to-wheat flours, and it remains one of our favorites here in the house.  (“Yes, we love it, too, Mum!”) I’ve given it out to scores of friends, acquaintances, and cooking class participants, and everyone has been amazed at how simple the recipe is to prepare, how moist and dense the texture, and how generally yummy the result.

When I was first told not to eat wheat, I didn’t really know what to do with myself.  I’ve since learned that spelt (especially light spelt) flour is more or less a one-for-one replacement for wheat, and we have come to prefer its subtle, slightly nutty, slightly sweeter taste.  (Once, when I was baking “regular” vegan muffins–ie, choc full o’ sugar, white flour, and margarine–for a vegetarian restaurant, my H.H. and I felt the need to taste-test them to ensure they’d come out right before I dropped them off at the restaurant.  But by then, we’d been eating spelt- and kamut-based baked goods for three or four years already.  We took one bite of the pallid, unremarkable little quick bread and immediatley spat it out.  “It has no flavor!” we cried, and “this tastes like styrofoam!” we exclaimed. (Though how we’d recognize the taste of styrofoam, I have no idea.) We’d become so accustomed to eating food that has real depth, real substance, real nutritional value,  that the old, conventional baked goods tasted sickly and bland to us.) Nowadays, I think of spelt as a fraternal twin, rather than a distant cousin, of wheat.

When experimenting with muffin recipes back then, I wanted to create something with only natural sweeteners, preferably fruit-based, both for the vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant properties, as well as for the fiber and stabilizing effect on blood sugar levels compared to refined sweeteners. I opted for a bit of maple syrup (for its intense sweetness) paired with blackstrap molasses (for the incredible nutritional punch, the calcium, iron, and other trace minerals). Back then, flush with my newfound natural-nutritionist zeal, I was determined to include as many whole grains as possible in each recipe, so threw in three.

 While considering which fruits to include, I was struck by a childhood memory of a strange habit my mother had had.  On afternoons when she wasn’t working, after setting up whatever dishes she’d be preparing for dinner, she’d retire to her bedroom (where the only TV in our house was located), tote along a fresh orange, and sit watching her soap opera while she munched on it.  What made her practice unusual (besides sitting on the edge of a bed to watch TV at 2:00 PM) was the way she consumed the fruit:  she’d wash the orange, then bite into it the way one usually tackles a fresh apple–chomping straight through it, skin and all.  The juice would squirt, the flesh would fly a little, and she’d chew with a slightly squishy, slightly crunchy sound as she slurped, munched, and spat out the seeds onto a paper towel (we never seemed to have paper napkins in our house). 

I thought about my mother’s odd approach to oranges as I set about creating this recipe.  Why couldn’t I include the whole orange here, too, skin and all?  After all, much of the best nutritional value in the orange actually resides in the skin and pith, the slightly bitter white lining just under the orange peel. Antioxidants, bioflavonoids, cholesterol-lowering properties–I could include all of these.  I decided to give it a try, guessing that the combination of sweeteners and slight bitterness from the full orange would complement each other beautifully.  I was right!

Similarly, the combination of spelt and kamut allows a mix of hard and soft flours for a solid, but not too heavy, texture, and the oats provide a bit of chewiness and dimension. 

These are definitely not conventional muffins.  They’re low in fat, full in flavor, dense, and very moist.  You’ll find little flecks of orange peel and date scattered throughout. I love these muffins for breakfast, warm with a little almond butter.  You’ll need a food processor for this recipe.

Wheat-Free Orange Oatmeal Muffins

1 whole medium organic orange, washed, dried, and cut in eighths (remove any pits)

1/2 cup chopped dried pitted dates (they should be soft)

1 Tbsp. finely ground flax seeds

1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil or organic sunflower oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp. blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup plain organic soy milk or almond milk

1/2 cup whole spelt flour

1/2 cup whole kamut flour

2-1/2 tsp. non-aluminum baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 cup old-fashioned whole oats (not instant)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners for small muffins or 9 liners for large muffins, or spray with nonstick coating.

In the bowl of a food processor, process the orange segments until almost smooth.  Add the dates and process almost to a smooth puree (you can leave a few small flecks of date and/or orange). Add the flax, oil, maple syrup, molasses, and soy milk and process again just to blend.  Set aside while you prepare the dry ingredients, or at least 2 minutes.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.  Add the oats and stir to mix.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture in the bowl and stir just to mix.  (It will seem too wet for a regular muffin batter; this is as it should be.)

Using a scoop or large spoon, fill the muffin tins 2/3 full for smaller muffins or 3/4 full for larger muffins. Bake in prepared oven for 20-25 minutes, turning once about halfway through. Cool about 10 minutes before removing to a rack.  These taste even better the next day, as flavors meld.  These muffins freeze beautifully.

Please do let me know how you like these if you try them.

[This recipe will also appear in my upcoming cookbook, Sweet Freedom, along with more than 100 others, most of which are not featured on this blog.  For more information, check the "Cookbook" button at right, or visit the cookbook blog.]

I’ve been craving my favorite baked oats ever since writing about them the other day on this blog.

The recipe is actually from the Moosewood Classics cookbook, but I’ve made it so many times and adjusted the amounts and ingredients to my own liking so much over the years that I’m not sure how closely it resembles the original anymore. 

In any case, this recipe provides the creamiest, richest-tasting, most delicious bowl of stickin-to-your-ribs-for-the-entire-morning oatmeal that you will ever eat.  It reminds me of an old-fashioned rice pudding, with a similar texture and creaminess, but made without refined sugar, and with lots of fibre from the apples and raisins (not to mention a whole whack of minerals!).  And oats are a terrific source of phytoestrogens and soluble fibre. . . great for those mid-lifers like moi.  

Another fabulous plus to this breakfast is that it’s wonderfully convenient.  What I usually do is whip up the oat-milk mixture first thing and pop it in the oven, then go shower and get ready for work.  By the time my hair is done, so is the oatmeal, and I can happily spoon it up as I read the paper.

So here’s my recipe:

Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup steel-cut oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill)

1-1/3 cups soy or rice milk

1 Gala or other sweet apple, diced (I leave the skin on)

1/3 cup raisins (omit if on the ACD)

about 8-10 drops stevia (you can use maple syrup, agave, whatever you like)

1-2 tsp. cinnamon, to taste

pinch cardamom

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil an 8″ glass pan and set aside.

In a medium pot, bring the milk and oatmeal to the boil over medium heat, stirring frequently (you may add a pinch of salt at this point if you like).  Add the apple and raisins and return just to the boiling point.  Stir in the cinnamon and cardamom.

Pour the mixture into the oiled pan, cover, and bake in preheated oven about 35 minutes.  After 35 minutes, remove the cover and stir the mixture.  If the liquid has all been absorbed, it should be ready; if not, cover again and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or so.

When ready to serve, add the sweetener and stir again.  May be topped with additional milk if desired.  Makes 2 servings.