BAKED CEREAL

Creamy, smooth and chewy, filling, texture and satisfying are some of the words that describe this recipe after having that first serving.  This recipe was recommended to me by my sister-in-law.  She got it from her daughter.  The recipe is a combination of steel cut oats, pearl barley and wild rice baked in the oven.  The addition of wild rice and barley changes this recipe from just being porridge. I made a batch of this cereal one Sunday and had it for breakfast for the week.  It is easy to heat up the portion you are having in the microwave for your breakfast or any other meal.  You can add fresh fruit including berries to your heated individual portion or you can cut up apricots, add raisins, cranberries or chopped nuts to the oatmeal once it comes out of the oven after it is first baked. I didn't add any dried fruit but added fresh fruit to the individual portion I was having.  It is great recipe that I will continue to make.

Out of oven and cooling in the baking dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup wild rice

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/2 cup steel cut oats

2 tbsp maple syrup or agave

1.5 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

6 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Add all of the ingredients to a 2.5 quart dish.  I used a corel baking dish with a glass lid.  Mix everything well and bake covered either using a lid or covered with foil. Stir occasionally.  Bake for 1.5 hours.  Cool before refrigerating in a storage container.  Serves 6 depending on your portion size.

CHOCOLATE GINGER BANANA BREAD

My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me.  She had seen it in a local paper where she lives and made it one afternoon.  She sent me me the recipe and said it was really delicious.  What makes this loaf different than a regular chocolate chip banana bread is that it has ginger.   I used the sweetened dry ginger that is shaped like a dried apricot.  You could also used the dry ginger that is packaged in strips.  The loaf turned out well and the ginger is a nice addition to the taste of bananas and chocolate chips.  It won't get take long to consume this loaf.

The ingredients have been mixed together.

Ready to go into the oven.

Ready for sampling.

Chocolate Ginger Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS:

2 cup flour            

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt            

¾ cup chocolate chips

½ cup chopped ginger            

½ cup butter, softened

¾ cup sugar            

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla           

2 very large bananas (1 cup)

½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium size mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir in the chocolate chips and ginger. 

Using an  electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla, then add mashed banana and sour cream.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture.

Pour into a 9x5 inch sprayed loaf pan; bake at 350°F about 50 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes and then turn out of the pan. 

TOMATO VEGETABLE BEAN SOUP

This soup is a hearty soup and can be a meal by itself.  You can vary the beans but you would need to use beans that have similar cooking times.  The lentils and split peas really thickened the soup along with the sprouted brown rice quinoa combination that I used.  I ended up adding a bit of water once the soup was finished cooking.  I used an electric pressure cooker to cook the soup but stove top and a slow cooker are other options that you could consider.  Friends dropped by after the soup was finished cooking so several of us enjoyed a mug of soup.  We all enjoyed this soup.

INGREDIENTS:

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup dry split peas (yellow)

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/2 cup red lentils

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 cup rice or rice quinoa mixture

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 - 28 oz diced tomatoes OR 6 to 8 tomatoes skinned and quartered

1 - 5 1/2 oz can tomato paste

8 to 9 cups broth (vegetable, chicken or beef)

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Stove Top: Place all of the ingredients into a large soup pot. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to simmer.  Cook for 1 1/2 hours to two hours or until tender.

Slow Cooker: Place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker crock pot.   Cook on low for six to eight hours.

Electric Pressure Cooker: Place all of the ingredients into the pressure cooker container.  Cook on medium pressure for 19 minutes.  

VEGETABLE OMELET IN A MUFFIN TIN

I like some variety in my food choices for breakfast.  Eating the same thing for a week can be boring.  I was also thinking about options for work day breakfasts that could be taken to work or already prepared ahead of time if I was eating breakfast at home.  This recipe is a cross between a crustless quiche and a vegetable omelet.  You use a muffin tin to cook the eggs and you can use muffin tin liners instead of greasing each individual tin.

I also like this recipe in that it includes vegetables which are good to eat with every meal.  It is a mixture of eggs, egg whites, cubes of back bacon and vegetables.  The combinations are endless.  I used back bacon instead of regular bacon as it is leaner and it has less salt.  I did add a small slice of aged cheddar cheese to each muffin cup before baking.  That is also optional if you are following a dairy free diet.  I consider myself about 95% dairy free in the food I eat.  Occasionally I will have some cheese.  I did add some salsa to my plate as a condiment for spicing up these eggs.  Both the DH and I enjoyed this for our breakfast and there are leftovers for breakfast this week.

Before baking and addition of cheese.

Ready to eat. 

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs
1 cup egg whites
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 coloured pepper, diced
5 asparagus stalks, thinly sliced
2 big handfuls of spinach, chopped
5 thin slices of Canadian back bacon, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces of sliced cheese

muffin tin liners
12 size muffin tin

DIRECTIONS:

Add the onion, pepper and asparagus to a small bowl.  Add a little bit of water and microwave for two minutes.  This is to soften the vegetables.   In another bowl beat the eggs and egg whites. Add the  salt and pepper.  Add the microwaved vegetables, bacon and spinach to the eggs.  Mix thoroughly.

Using a tablespoon, spoon the mixture into each well in the muffin tin.  Add enough to each well so that the mixture is close to the top.  Add a small amount of cheese to the top of each muffin tin well.  Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.   Makes 12 muffin servings.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN VINDALOO

Vindaloo is a dish based on east Indian spices.  There are a number of different recipes that use different kinds of meat and combination of spices.  I wanted to make a slow cooker recipe using chicken breasts and also one that was lower in carbs.  I have a few cookbooks by Dana Carpender including a slow cooker book.  I decided to make this recipe as it didn't require browning the chicken; it was simple - mix up the ingredients and pour over the chicken and just leave it in the slow cooker for 6 to 7 hours.  A great way to cook for a sunday when you also have other things to get done.

This recipe was also of interest to me as I wanted to make one that was different to what I have done before and I also had the ingredients.  Having the ingredients at hand is usually the deciding factor.  I made half the recipe and even that will provide leftovers for a number of meals.  I know some of my lunches this week could include chicken vindaloo.  Chopped up chicken for adding to salads or on its own is a good option for variety at lunch time.  The recipe turned out well and I have lots of leftovers!

All of the ingredients added and getting ready to cook.  I sprinkled some extra turmeric on the top of the chicken.

Chicken in a serving dish.

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds (or 1.5 kgs) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated ginger root
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
dash of salt, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Place the onion, garlic and chicken in the slow cooker.  I cut the chicken breasts in half as they were large.  In a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and combine well.  Pour the liquid over the chicken.  Place the lid on the slow cooker, set it to low and let it cook for 6 to 7 hours.

Adapted from "200 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes" by Dana Carpender.

MISSISSIPPI SLOW COOKER BEEF ROAST

Over this past week there has been many printed and on-line recipes for food to make on Super Bowl weekend.   I like to make some meals on the weekend that carry over during the week and make supper preparation easier.   I have two slow cookers and an electric pressure cooker that has a slow cooker function so I have no excuses for not having enough appliances to make meal preparation easier.

This particular recipe featured in the New York Times caught my eye as it is for a slow cooker beef pot roast, it uses a ranch style sauce to create the liquid you need instead of adding water or tomatoes or canned soup and had a hint of heat to it in the form of peperoncini peppers.  These are pickled hot Italian peppers.  I have never used them before like this in a recipe and I don't go out of my way to eat hot pickled peppers.  I followed the recipe for the most part except for the following:

• a smaller roast, three pounds; 
• less salt and pepper in the flour blend that is used to coat the roast; 
• instead of butter I used a vegan soy free buttery spread and used one less tablespoon than what was in the ingredient list; and. 
• added seven peperoncini peppers as I was worried eight to twelve peppers might make it too hot.

The pot roast cooked for the afternoon and along with a salad, I made mashed potatoes with carrots to go with the meal.  Both the DH and I thought that this was likely the best slow cooker beef roast I have ever made.  The seven hot peppers did not make the meat hot nor the liquid at the bottom of the cooking bowl.  Next time I will add another pepper or two.

After searing in a heavy duty frying pan, it is placed in the bowl of the slow cooker.

Added the hot peppers and buttery spread.

After the roast with the peppers and butter heats up in the slow cooker, you add the ranch dressing.

I have updated the link to another recipe at a different site, the reluctant gourmet, as you need a subscription to get access to the NY Times.

GREEN BEANS WITH LEMON DIJON DRESSING

I buy a bag of green beans from Costco from time to time and I am always looking for different dressings to use with the cooked green beans.  I found this recipe in a cookbook by Deena Burton 'let them eat vegan'.  There are lots of great recipes in this cookbook.  I like this dressing as it includes lemon juice and dijon mustard.  You can serve the cooked beans warm or cooled with this lemon dijon dressing.   I didn't have fresh herbs but I do have dijon mustard with dill so I used that.  Dijon mustard with dill is one of my favourite mustards to add to recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound green or yellow wax beans, whole or cut into smaller pieces
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp agave or maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh dill, parsley or tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Boil a pot of salted water and add the beans.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until tender.  Drain and let cool.  Set aside.

In a bowl, mix the remaining dressing ingredients except for the herbs.   Some like to add the oil at the end while mixing in order to emulsify it.  Add the beans to the bowl and thoroughly mix.  Serves 4.

Adapted from 'let them eat vegan'.

YOUR BRAIN AND DOWNTIME

I came across an article written by Ferris Jabr in the October 15, 2013 on-line edition of Scientific American.  The article is about the importance of taking mental breaks or downtime to recharge your batteries, increase your productivity, solidify memories and enhance your creativity.  It is not just about getting enough sleep every day but it is also about taking a break from being busy, multi-tasking, concentrating for hours on end on a particular task or being subjected to constant stimulation.  It is about taking a break from the constant monitoring of emails, twitter, instragram, Facebook and texting. 

Your brain doesn't stop working; the molecules, hormones, cellular processes and all of the biological cycles keeps on going.  The article says that "during downtime, the brain also concerns itself with more mundane but equally important duties.  For decades scientists have suspected that when an animal or person is not actively learning something new, the brain consolidates recently accumulated data, memorizing the most salient information, and essentially rehearses recently learned skills, etching them into its tissue.  Most of us have observed how, after a good night’s sleep, the vocab words we struggled to remember the previous day suddenly leap into our minds or that technically challenging piano song is much easier to play.  Dozens of studies have confirmed that memory depends on sleep."

Have you ever noticed what you think about when you just let your mind wander?  It is far easier to let your mind wander when you are taking a walk, sitting at a cafe or on a park bench, travelling when you are not doing the driving, or taking a shower or a bath.  Do you replay conversations in your head, think about upcoming work or social functions, think about a recent book or article you read or just soak in your surroundings and tune in to the sights, smells and sounds of what you are experiencing.  I find that some of the best mind wandering can occur when you are taking a walk or in the shower or bath.  The time spent in the shower or bath would be briefer than a walk but it can still be impactful. 

Exercising is also another tool to use to let your mind rest.  I would venture though that not all exercising is restful as some can be competitive and your mind is working hard to strategize on how to win or meet your goals.  I have found that yoga can provide a great downtime as the room or studio is quiet and you are focussing on your breathing and the stretch you are doing.  Furthermore the inside chatter in your head stops.  You take a break from all of the rushed thinking and things you need to get done.  The last point that should be made is about allowing time for yourself to have some downtime.  

The article by Ferris Jabr reviews the impact of taking naps, vacations, incorporating more personal time into your daily life.  If you would like to read more about 
your brain and downtime, this link will provide lots more detail. 

ALMOND AND COCONUT FLOUR BREAD

In my travels through the internet I come across wonderful food blog sites.  The pictures and layouts are eye catching as are the recipes.  I have posted several gluten/wheat free recipes for breads and muffins.  I decided to try this one from elana's pantry as I am familiar with her cookbooks.  The ingredient list to make this bread is not extensive and it requires both almond and coconut flour.  It does require five eggs which is more than some other loaves I have made.  The loaf is not large in size so one wants the loaf to rise while baking and also be tasty with the investment of both eggs and almond flour for the ingredients.

In making the loaf I didn't make any adjustments to the measurements for the ingredients.  I used agave instead of honey as the honey I have is solid.  I also melted the coconut oil in the microwave before adding it to the batter as I was worried about adding solid coconut oil to the batter and not having it evenly distributed.  I used a mix master to mix the ingredients using a small bowl.  The standard mix master bowl would have been too large for the size of this loaf.   I used a small non-stick loaf pan and greased it with coconut oil so that the loaf would come out easily.  I baked it for about 28 minutes at 350 degrees F using convection heat in the oven.  The loaf needs to rest for two hours in the pan and cool before turning it over to come out of the pan.  I let it cool down for an hour and that was fine.  The bread does not rise to the same height like regular gluten yeast bread.  But it is very filling I think due to the eggs.  It is not crumbly when slicing nor dry in texture.  The DH and I thought the bread tasted fine and he said it was like a banana loaf in terms of height.  One could add a mashed ripe banana to the batter and I am sure it would work.  I will store the loaf in the fridge in a plastic bag or container instead of leaving it on the counter or in the cupboard.

Batter mixed and ready to go into the loaf pan. 

The sampling has started.

Here is the recipe from elana's pantry - almond and coconut flour bread.  Enjoy!

VEGAN BURGERS WITH BBQ SAUCE

In looking to cook more vegetarian and vegan based meals, I decided to make vegan burgers for supper tonight.  I already have a box of frozen vegetarian burgers that are good but not great and could have used those instead but decided to make burgers from scratch after reading about the perfect vegan burger on Catherine Katz's blog site Cuisinicity.com.  These burgers are not mushy, they don't fall apart, are chewy and are filling.  One burger with homemade oven fries was enough for me and also for the DH.  I chose to make fries instead of having a bun.  I would make these burgers again.  They require prep time as you have to first cook the farro, mushrooms and lentils if you use dry lentils.

I followed the recipe for the burgers and didn't make any substitutions.  I made four big burgers, each about the size of a quarter pounder.  You can use either canned or dry lentils which of course require cooking first.  I used dry french lentils.  The recipe for the BBQ sauce looked good and decided to make it.  I am glad I did as it adds to the flavour of the burger and it is a sauce that could be used to baste other things.  I did not add the chipotle powder nor the turmeric.  I like turmeric but that spice bottle is empty and I do need to fill it up again with turmeric.  These burgers can be grilled but I made them in the oven.  The oven temperature was set at 375 degrees F and I baked the burgers for about 45 minutes.  I basted the upside of the burger and after 25 minutes I flipped them and basted the second side.  I think they could have been baked for less time but I was also baking the fries in the oven at the same time so it was all about timing.  I have attached the link for the recipe after the photographs.

Basting burgers with the BBQ sauce.

Just out of the oven.

Oven baked homemade fries with the burger.

   Here is the link for the recipe for vegan burgers.