Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Pumpkin Oats

I wrote a while back about my obsession with slow-cooker steel cut oats. I ran out of apples and cranberries a few weeks back and REALLY wanted some more oatmeal. I remembered I'd come across "Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal" and had a few packs of frozen pumpkin puree from the fall left in my freezer just begging to be used. This version is so scumptious and has the added benefit of some vegetable involvement!

This makes a nice large vat of oatmeal and makes approximately 20 muffins worth if you are planning to use your muffin tin to freeze it in small batches.  (so for me this is 10 days worth of breakfast!) So just think, a few minutes of effort, a few hours of patience and you have a healthy, hearty, quick breakfast for TEN days! I found that I really liked mine topped with some sprinkled cinnamon, a tiny sprinkle of plain white sugar (like less then 1/4 tsp), a small bit of butter and dark chocolate chips!

2 c steel cut oats
6 c water
2 c skim milk (you can alter the ratio of milk and water a bit if you want more calcium)
28 oz canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
2 -3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves or allspice
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

1. Spray your slow cooker dish well with non-stick spray
2. Add all the ingredients, stir it up
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until oats are done

To freeze, spray muffin tin well with non-stick spray, fill each tin with oatmeal mixture (fully cooked), allow to cool and them place it in the freezer for a few hours. When it's frozen, remove the pan from the freezer, carefully run warm water over the back of the muffin tin pan to loosen the "muffins" and pop them out, place them in a large ziplock bag, place them all in the freezer. When ready to eat, remove desired amount of "muffins" and place them in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 3-4 min or until fully heated. Stir and top as desired.

Chicken Meatballs & Stir Fry

So a while back it was determined that Senor was having some major issues with red meat and pork. For me, this was not a big deal...I was vegetarian for a while before we met and dated. For Senor, this was awful. So we've been eating alot more meatless meals and trying to find ways to adapt some of our recipes so we can keep eating them!

In the midst of recipe hunting and meal planning I came across these "meatballs" at the grocery store one day. They are tasty and so quick to toss into the oven, steam some broccoli and carrots, make some black rice...slice up some red pepper...delicious and QUICK!

We splash on some rice vinegar and a little teriyaki sauce/marinade and it's such a kid-friendly, tasty, healthy little dinner it's been in our rotation at least once a week for the past month.

Tomato Basil Soup and other easy recipes


A few weeks ago, it was cold, I was tired, & the groceries were running low. It was dinner time. What to do, what to do. I wanted soup. I wanted a sandwich. The thought of Nordstrom Cafe's tomato basil soup came to mind. MMMmmmmm. In that instant, I knew what had to be done.
I went scavenging for a recipe that didn't require cream or weird items. I came across this recipe and used it (modified) to create some very quick, yummy soup. Add a delicious ooey, gooey grilled cheese sandwich on 5 grain bread and dinner was served!

Pantry Tomato Basil Soup:
1 cup onion, chopped (I used frozen)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2-4 Tbsp olive oil
1 c low sodium chicken stock/broth
2 28-oz can of tomatoes in some form, I used one of crushed tomatoes and 1 of whole stewed tomatoes...it really doesn't matter too much
2-4 Tbsp dried basil (the recipe called for fresh but my basil plant wasn't up to the job yet)
2 tbsp dried parmesan
1 c milk (skim, 2% or whole)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt (optional)

Topping: shredded parmesan cheese and bread croutons

1. Sautee onions in oil over med-high heat 3-5 min
2. Add in garlic and stir for another 3 min
3. Add in chicken broth, tomatoes and basil
4. Simmer for 20-30 min on low (I think I did this for maybe 10 min... I was lazy and impatient)
5. Dump it into a blender or food processor (work in batches if you need to); blend for 4-8 min until it's all smooth and creamy
6. Dump the smooth soup mix back into the stock pot. 
7. Stir in the milk and bring the soup back to a low simmer, add salt & pepper to taste
8.  Top with cheese, fresh olive oil and croutons


And here are some other recipes I've tried recently that went together pretty quickly and were yummy!
1. Roasted Asparagus Tomato Pasta with Goat Cheese...delicious. I loved the goat cheese and roasted asparagus
2. Banana Bread Waffles. If you have super ripe 'nanas sitting around this is a great way to use them up! I made a huge double batch, froze the leftover waffles and we've had them for breakfast a few days.
3. Carrot Cake Muffins...no mixer required. Does require some elbow grease for shreddin those carrots. I don't have any cutesy pictures.
1 c all purpose flour, unbleached
1 c whole white wheat flour
1/2-3/4 c sugar (I lean towards the 1/2 c)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
1/4 tsp cloves (optional)
1/2 c oil
1/2 c applesauce--the no sugar added kind (or plain greek yogurt)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 c finely shredded carrots
1 c raisins
3/4 c chopped nuts (I recommend pecans or walnuts)
1 c very well drained crushed pineapple

1. Preheat the oven 350F, line muffin tin with muffin liners. shred carrots and drain pineapple, set it all aside
2. In large mixing bowl mix together all dry ingredients (flours, sugar, soda, powder, spices)
3. In a medium bowl mix together oil, applesauce, eggs, vanilla
4. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir well. Add in carrots, raisins, nuts, and pineapple, stir well
5. Plop approx 1/4-1/3 c mixture into each muffin container.
6. Bake 20-25 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean

You can top them with plain cream cheese (Publix makes a vanilla cream cheese flavor that is PERFECT!) or you can whip some cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla together.