Tag Archives: oats

Persimmon Date Bars- For Sadie

26 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in cookies, dessert, gluten-free, vegan

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DSCN3582Love:

I am dedicating this post to my dear friend and fellow TBC (Tall Bitches Club) Sadie. A couple of weeks ago I got an unexpected package delivered to my house, when I brought it inside and saw Sadie’s return address I thought it was one of her cool paintings (that came later!) but then I saw the word “Perishable” all over the box, it was a whole box of persimmons from the tree in her backyard in California! I was speechless (hard to believe, I know) and excited beyond believe, a whole BIG box of persimmons, do you know how much these babies are at the grocery store? A lot! It took me just a bit to come up with the perfect recipe for Sadie and her family, so in the meantime we enjoyed them for breakfast. These bars are completely decadent and sweet but there is a little a secret… they are totally gluten-free and vegan! This means everyone can enjoy them, including my thoughtful amazing friend Sadie. I’m lucky to have her in my life and you’ll be lucky to have this recipe. ENJOY!

About Sadie:

1. Sadie is sweet, tender and soft spoken but if you mess with her she’ll kick your butt!

2. The story about how her and her husband JD met and fell in love is one of my favorite stories, and when I hear the song “At Last” by Etta James I instantly think about them.

3. She’s not only a terrific friend but she’s a TERRIFIC MOM to some of the sweetest, most polite and loving little girls you’ll ever meet.

4. She’s the kind of friend who just knows when you are having a bad day and will sent a “you doing okay friend?” text. I miss her tons.

IMG_4235Food:

DSCN3563Persimmon Date Bars makes 18 bars

Filling-

2 T. local honey

3 large persimmons, diced

1 1/2 c. Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

1 lemon, zest and juice

DSCN3610Crust-

2 1/2 c. oats flour (I grind oats in my blender to make the flour)

1 c. walnuts, chopped

1/2 c. sucant (or any sugar you have)

1 c. coconut oil

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. real salt

DSCN3567Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a small saucepan over medium heat, add all of the filling ingredients except the lemon zest and cook until tender and soft, about 10-15. Stir a few times to make sure the fruit doesn’t stick to the pan. Take the fruit of the heat and let cool just a bit, add the lemon zest.

2. Line your glass baking (9×13) dish with parchment or rub it down real well with coconut oil. I have done both, I think the parchment might work the best. In a medium bowl add all of the crust ingredients except the coconut oil, you can either cut in the coconut oil with a pastry cutter or your fingers. The last time I made these I accidentally melted the coconut oil, they turned out fine.

3. Spread half to 3/4 of the crust mixture evenly in your prepared baking dish, next spread the filling mixture over the crust. Finish with the remaining crust mixture, distribute evenly.

4. Bake 40-50 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cool completely, (you can place them in the fridge to speed up the process!) and then slice into 18 bars. EAT!

*Note: I keep mine in the fridge, use a sharp knife when slicing them and be careful pulling out the first one.

DSCN3615DSCN3617DSCN3584Nutrition:

Persimmons:

1. Improves weight loss- lots of fiber

2. Protect and nourish eyes- contain vitamins A, C & K

3. Improves digestive system- they help you poop!

4. Cancer fighting- neutralizes free radicals

5. Detoxify the body- they help clean out the colon

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Peanut Butter Honey Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in cookies, gluten-free

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Food:

Peanut Butter Honey Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies makes 18

1/2 c. nut butter (I used peanut butter from Liberty Heights Fresh), or nut butter of choice

1/2 c. Clifford Farm honey (local) if vegan use maple syrup

1 t. vanilla

1 egg (Clifford Farms) if vegan use 1 T. chia seeds mixed with 3 T. water

3/4 c. oat flour (I grind thick organic rolled oats in my blendtec until I get flour consistency, most blenders will work for this)

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. Vietnamese cinnamon

1/2 t. real salt (local)

1 1/2 c. thick organic rolled oats

3/4 chocolate chunks (or your favorite chocolate chips)

1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

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Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpad. Using your stand mixer or a mixing bowl cream together the nut butter, honey (or maple syrup), egg (or chia) and vanilla.

DSCN33262. Next add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, mix well. Next add oat flour, oats, chocolate chunks and walnuts until well mixed.

3. I use a small cookie scoop. Scoop out the batter and place it on the prepared baking sheet. I bake 12 at a time. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned, let rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes (I swear by this step).

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Nutrition:

Sometimes you just need a cookie.

Love:

Life has been very busy and overwhelming and last Wednesday night I just had to make cookies at 10 pm, not my usual routine. The great thing about having made these for no reason gave me a reason to gift them to the special people in my life. Enough said. Enjoy!

Raw Oatmeal with Roasted Pumpkin

27 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in breakfast, gluten-free, seasonal, vegan

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Food:

Raw Oatmeal with Roasted Pumpkin

Start with the directions for the Raw Oatmeal here

Roasting pumpkin:

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1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a pie pumpkin (find at farmers market) in half, scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until flesh is tender. Let the pumpkin cool, then scoop the flesh out into a food processor and puree until smooth. (You may need to add just a bit of water to get things moving). Store puree in an airtight container in the fridge.

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Putting the two together: this is for 2 servings

1. After you have drained and rinse two containers of your buckwheat and sunflower seeds place them in a food processor.

2. Add 1/4 c. milk (I used homemade cashew milk), add 1/2 c. pumpkin puree, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 T. pure maple syrup and a pinch of real salt. Puree until you get the consistency of oatmeal.

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Toppings:

DSCN3317Each bowl gets…

1/2 c. goat yogurt (Drake Family Farms, find at farmers market, Liberty Heights Fresh, Whole Foods)

Divide the pumpkin oatmeal puree between the two bowls

1 T. chopped walnuts

2 tsp. bee pollen (local, find at Whole Foods)

1 T. chia seeds (I grind mine)

1 T. coconut butter (find at most health food stores, worthy purchase)

EAT!!!

Nutrition:

Pumpkin: Pumpkins are among the most versatile members of the entire gourd- squash-melon food family. Pumpkins aid in antioxidants support, regulates blood sugar and have anti- inflammatory benefits.

Bee pollen: Bee pollen is a raw living food that contains amino acids our bodies don’t produce. It is an immune booster, treats allergies, aids in digestion, energy booster and good for the skin. Bee pollen is great for everyone but especially vegans and vegetarians.

Love:

This raw oatmeal with roasted pumpkin is so good and the perfect breakfast to transition into the fall. The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it anytime of year using seasonal ingredients. I was reminded of this recipe last week when I taught a grains class for the U of U LifeLong Learning program. I expressed to my students that grains sometimes get a bad wrap, but they contain vitamin B which give your body the building blocks to produce serotonin to help keep moods stable as well as helping you stay fuller longer and they don’t spike your blood sugar because they are WHOLE GRAINS. This grain is also gluten-free which means it won’t cause inflammation in the body, when mixed with the pumpkin it is a double dose of anti-inflammatory benefits. I love having a breakfast that is good for me and tastes even better, I also love that which each changing season we get a new bounty of food to experiment with. ENJOY!

Love Muffins- Vegan & Gluten-Free

02 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in breakfast, dessert, gluten-free, homemade gifts, vegan

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Food:

Love Muffins- makes 12

8 oz. buckwheat flour or oat flour (you can use your blender or flour mill to grind your own flour, that is what I do, or find at grocery store. Also, I did use my scale to measure the flour. It’s slightly over a cup.)

1/2 c. local honey (I use Clifford Farms)

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. real salt

1 1/4 c. nut milk (I use homemade)

1/3 c. heaping, favorite nut butter (I used Barney Butter Chunky Almond Butter)

1 T. chia seeds mixed w/ 3 T. water

2 T. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. heaping of your favorite jam (I used Amour Spread Raspberry Jam, this would be a great recipe to use your own canned jam)

DSCN3146DSCN3147Directions:

1. Start by pre heating your oven to 400 degrees. Next line your muffin tin with parchment muffin liners, or if you are like me and ran out of liners oil your muffin pan with coconut oil.

2. In a medium size bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan heat the coconut oil, nut butter and honey until smooth and mixed well. Do not over heat or let the mixture come to a boil. Take off the heat and add nut milk, vanilla and chia seed mixture. Mix. (I was able to skip this step and just mix everything in a bowl with a whisk because it has been so hot!)

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and fold all of the ingredients together. Don’t overmix.

5. Using a big spoon, spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, only half way. Next, add a teaspoon of jam to the middle of each muffin. Then spoon more of the batter over the jam, fill to the top.

6. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool and then devour!

DSCN3149DSCN3150DSCN3151Love:

I call these ‘Love Muffins’ for a few reasons, 1. Who doesn’t love nut butter and jelly? 2. I got to use my favorite local jammer Amour Spreads! 3. I have been working on this recipe for sometime and finally cracked it. These are super easy to throw together, are a crowd pleaser and totally worth turning on the oven for. My husband was so happy when he walked in and saw these fresh out of the oven, he immediately shoved one in his face. (Notice in the pic below that one is missing!)

Amour Spreads and I are getting ready to work on a little project together (stay tuned!) and I wanted to make and share these with them. I hope they like how I used their love to share a little love with all of you.

I think these would be amazing with your own canned jam or jelly, you could attach this recipe to one of your jars of jam and give it as a gift. ENJOY!

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Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (Gluten-Free)

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in dessert, gluten-free, seasonal

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Food:

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler– makes a lot!

Crust-

4 c. oat flour

8 oz.  organic ghee, chilled (if vegan use coconut oil)

2 T. baking powder

2 t. real salt

1/2 c. sucant (or sugar of choice)

2 c. organic buttermilk (if vegan use non dairy milk of course)

cinnamon

Filling- (can be cut in half, but don’t cut the crust ingredients in half)

10 c. organic strawberries, hulled and cut in half

5 c. rhubarb, outer skin peeled and chopped

2 lemons, juice and zest

2 T. cornstarch

1 c. local honey

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Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large baking dish (mine is 10x12x3) place the prepared fruit in the baking dish, add the juice and zest of two lemons, cornstarch and the honey. Mix well to combine.

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2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oat flour, salt, baking powder, sucant and whisk to combine. Next add the cold ghee to the dry ingredients and mix well with your hands (can be done in the food processor as well, make sure not to over mix) until it resembles coarse meal. Next add the buttermilk and fold together.

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3. Spoon the crust mixture over the prepared fruit in big spoonfuls. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon. Place the baking dish on a parchment lined baking sheet before placing it in the oven. Bake for 45-60 minutes, you want the top to be golden brown and the fruit bubbling.

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Love:

Do you ever get a craving for something  and you just have to have it? Well lately this has been happening to me a lot, I know what you are thinking and NO I am not eating for two! But seriously my cravings have been off the charts, insert Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler. I called the two best bakers I know for help on this one, Gwen Crist the President of Slow Food Utah and my friend and fellow slow foodie Amber Billingsley head pastry chef at Vinto. Originally I was going to make pie but who can bother with crust so Gwen talked me into a cobbler and Amber recently brought a cobbler to our Slow Food Utah book club that almost brought me to tears it was so good! Of course I had to put my own spin on it making it gluten-free, using ghee in place of butter and subbing in my opinion “healthier” sugar. The result was stupendous, the crust was perfect and the honey added a natural sweetness that didn’t over power the fruit. I served it room temp with a dollop of Tahitian vanilla ice cream. This was so fun to make and even more fun to eat, I think my friends at our July 4th get together would concur. Even my picky spoiled husband who doesn’t eat cooked fruit was pleased. If you get a craving for strawberries and rhubarb like me, make this, you won’t be sorry! ENJOY.

Coconut Banana Caramel Cream Pie

27 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in dessert, gluten-free, vegan

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Love:

Last fall my sister came for a visit and I wanted to make her a special meal and an even more special dessert. I made a version of this pie with a traditional graham cracker crust and caramel that I made by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk (still in its sealed can mind you) for 2 1/2 hours! Plus heavy whipping cream for a topping. I knew this would be a hit with my sis, the last pie I made her was a chocolate tofu pie and she ain’t down with no tofu pie. I can’t wait till she visits again so I can make her this new version, don’t tell her but it’s vegan and gluten-free and if you ask me better than the one we had last fall. I have been working out this recipe in my head for the last six months and then one Monday morning in yoga during savasana (corpse pose for those of you who aren’t into yoga) it all fell into place. I couldn’t be happier to share this recipe and hopefully some new ideas (caramel sauce made from dates, and coconut whip cream) with you, and most of all I can’t wait to make it for my non tofu eating sis! Enjoy!

Food:

Coconut Banana Caramel Cream Pie serves 8

Crust-

3/4 c. organic thick rolled oats (gluten-free)

3/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut (I buy mine in the bulk section)

3/4 c. walnuts

6 T. coconut oil, melted

3 banana’s, sliced (for filling)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the oats, walnuts and shredded coconut in the food processor, pulse until you get a nice crumble.

2. Pour the crumble into the pie pan, add the melted coconut and with a fork mix until well combined. Smooth out and press up the sides.

3. Bake for 22 min. Take out of oven (the center of the crust might puff up, don’t worry) and let cool 15 min. With the bottom of a measuring cup smooth out the crust again, press lightly up the sides and then place the crust in the fridge for at least one hour (I think mine was in there for 2), it will firm up and be ready for the rest of the ingredients.

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Salted Caramel Dip/Sauce- politely borrowed from My New Roots

2 cups pitted Medjool dates

¼ cup raw nut or seed butter (almond, cashew, sesame tahini, sunflower) (I prefer almond butter)

4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. sea salt (or more to taste)

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (I use organic vanilla extract)

soaking water as needed

Directions:

1. Soak dates for at least 4 hours in water.

2. Drain dates, reserving the soak water.

3. Add dates to a food processor along with all other ingredients, except for soaking water. Blend on high until dates are smooth. Add soaking water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached (for a sauce to pour or drizzle, add more water).

4. Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week.

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Coconut Whip Cream-

1 c. canned coconut milk, chilled (save the leftovers for a smoothie OR if you really like whip cream use all of it and adjust sweetness)

1 T. pure maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pour the canned chilled coconut milk into a bowl (I used my kitchen aid mixer with the whip attachment). Start to whip. When it starts to firm up stop machine and add maple syrup and vanilla. Whip again until you’ve reached desired consistency. (I like mine firm but still light and fluffy, use your best judgement it will firm up more in the fridge).

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Toasted Coconut for topping-

1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1. Place the coconut in a dry saute pan over medium low heat, lightly toast stirring often. Careful not to burn, set aside.

Assemble-

1. Prepared crust

2. Sliced bananas

3. Salted Caramel Sauce

4. Coconut Whip Cream

5. Toasted Coconut

Place in the fridge for at least an hour for all the flavors to meld together, cut with a very sharp knife and serve immediately.

DSCN2802DSCN2804DSCN2807DSCN2810DSCN2793Nutrition:

Coconut oil- Coconut oils medium-chain fats are easily absorbed and preferentially used as an energy source, their burning actually increases the body’s metabolic rate. Coconut oil contains a fat called lauric acid also found in breast milk, lauric acid is converted into a highly beneficial compound called monolaurin, an antiviral, antibacterial destroyer of disease-causing organisms.(Canned coconut milk- buy whole, not low-fat. Low fat coconut milk has most of the medium-chain fats removed. Choose a brand that has no additives.)

Dates- Dates are rich in antioxidants  and anti-cancer compounds. An alkaline food and an excellent source of easily digested carbohydrates.(Eating local is key in a holistic diet, but eating regionally is also important depending on where you live. In Utah we don’t have a year round growing season so eating within our region fills in those gaps. Dates are in season in California during this time of year and I was lucky enough to be gifted 2 lbs of them. This was the perfect recipe to use some of them on.)

Oats- Oats provide and abundance of antioxidants and lignans which help protect against cancer and help stabilize blood sugar levels. Rolled oats, which are minimally processed are slightly less beneficial than steel-cut or whole oat groats.

Oatmeal Banana Bread

25 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in breakfast, dessert, vegan

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Food:

Oatmeal Banana Bread

1c. oats (preferably gluten-free)

3/4c. walnuts, divided

1/3c. coconut flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

4 ripe bananas

1/2c. nut milk (I used Homemade Coconut Milk)

2 tsp. vanilla

6 T. coconut oil (if solid gently melt)

6 T. pure maple syrup

1/4c. sunflower seeds, hemp seeds and whole almonds- chopped

3/4c. vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Start by lining a loaf pan with parchment paper and preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Next place the oats and 1/2c. walnuts in the food processor, process until it looks like flour. Be sure not to over mix.

 3. Place the oat/walnut flour into a large bowl, one that is big enough to add the other ingredients to. Add the coconut flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder to this mixture and mix well with a whisk or fork.

4. Next place the banana’s, nut milk, vanilla, coconut oil and pure maple syrup into the food processor, process until all the ingredients are mixed well. The scent of this mixture is heavenly. Add this mixture to the dry mixture. FOLD all the ingredients together, DON’T OVERMIX!

5. Now add the chopped almonds, the remaining 1/4c. walnuts, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds and chocolate chips. Fold these in gently. Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. (Check the banana bread by inserting a toothpick into the center, if it comes out clean it’s ready) Let cool completely before slicing.

Nutrition:

Nuts and seeds- With their gold mine of healthy minerals and their niacin and folic-acid contents, seeds are an excellent nutrition package. They are among the better plant sources of iron and zinc. In fact, one ounce of pumpkin seeds contains almost twice as much iron as three ounces of skinless chicken breast. And they provide more fiber per ounce than nuts. They are also good sources of protein. Each seed has its own individual bang for its bite, reasearch each on and be amazed.

Coconut Flour- Coconut flour has a low glycemic index, which means it’ll keep you fuller for longer and gives you steady, balanced energy. Not to mention its 58% fiber content, ranking it the higher than bran!

Banana’s- They soothe the stomach and strengthen the lining against acid and ulcers. Has antibiotic activity. Bananas feed the natural acidophilus bacteria of the bowel. They are high in potassium which benefits the muscular system.

Oats- Oats provide and abundance of antioxidants and lignans which help protect against cancer and help stabilize blood sugar levels. Rolled oats, which are minimally processed are slightly less beneficial than steel-cut or whole oat groats.

Love:

This yummy, decadent, GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN Oatmeal Banana Bread will blow your mind, it is very similar to my Banana Date Muffins, but without the dairy. With the addition of the oat/walnut flour (which I learned about from My New Roots, and was the inspiration for this heavenly creation) this Oatmeal Banana Bread is on a whole other level. I have made it twice now and we (me, Billy and everyone who I served it to last week) are in love. Get in the kitchen and make a loaf, it’s easy-I SWEAR! Enjoy!

What’s Cookin’

26 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in beans, breakfast, DIY, quinoa, salad, seasonal, Side dish, vegan

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Love:

You know what I love about blogging? Other blogs! Do you ever wish you could live in someone elses kitchen? Well, I do. That’s what I get from other blogs, they do the work and I look fabulous. My hope is that I do that for all of you.

So have fun seeing what I have been busy in the kitchen whipping up, and thanks for the other blogs I follow for inspiring me to get in the kitchen keep cookin’.

Food:

Lentil Meatballs

 I found this fun recipe on Pinterest, which lead me to this great new blog Sprouted Kitchen. These Lentil Meatballs were easy to whip up, and there was also a recipe for a Lemon Pesto to go with them (I switched parsley for basil and walnuts for pine nuts). Billy loved these. They were what was for lunch last week.

Quinoa Spinach Bake

 I thought I had a pic of the finished project, sorry. I found this great recipe on Whole Living. I love all things quinoa, it is so versatile. I thought this Quinoa Spinach Bake would be great with the Lentil Meatballs and I was right. I chopped up some fresh spinach, tossed in the Lentil Meatballs, topped it with the Quinoa Bake and finished it off with the Lemon Pesto. Voila! Lunch was fantastic.

Banana Walnut Pancakes (I call them love pancakes)

 Raw Slaw w/Tahani Dressing

Homemade Goat Milk Ricotta

Raw Cashew Dreamcake

All four of these recipes came from the same blog, My New Roots! I know, I know a little obsessed, but I don’t care. The creator of this blog is into Holistic eating, living, being, cooking just like me! I have to say that I hope my food is as awesome to y’all as hers is to me.

The Pancakes are vegan, gluten-free and are made with walnut flour. We have made them two weeks in row-yum! New favorite.

The Raw Slaw is great for this time of year, all the ingredients are seasonal (bonus). We had it last Monday for Soup and Salad Night. I strive to have a balance between raw and cooked foods in my diet and this salad is perfect for that. Not to mention that it is fabulous to look at!

Homemade Goat Milk Ricotta was too easy to make and went perfect with my Roasted Bell Pepper Tempanade for Oscar night on the couch. This recipe will definitely make another appearance in my kitchen, so good. I made my own cheese!!! Bonus: I got to use local Drake Family Farms Goat Milk.

Raw Cashew Dreamcake, you had me at hello. A raw dessert that taste like cheesecake? Sorry people this one is a no brainer, and the bonus is that I got to use honey from my buddy Dean’s bees and local raspberries that I had in the freezer.

Thanks for the blog love. Enjoy!

Raw Oatmeal

15 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in breakfast, vegan

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Raw Oatmeal topped w/Walnuts and Pears...don't forget the Chia Seeds

Food:

Raw Oatmeal  I prep 10 containers for the week, 2 per day (Mon-Fri)

Prepped and ready to soak

2 1/2 c. raw buckwheat oats, 1/4c. goes into each container

10 T. sunflower seeds, 1 T. goes into each container

Directions:

1. Each night I take two prepped containers out of the my pantry (this is for Billy and me), remove the lid and cover the oats and the sunflower seeds with water. Place the lid back on the container and let the mixture sit on the counter over night.

2. In the morning drain the water off the oats and seeds for both containers, rinse and drain again. Empty the contents of both containers into a food processor. Add 1/4c. of your favorite milk (I use homemade almond milk, recipe is on the blog), process the mixture until you get the texture of oatmeal. You might need to scrape down the sides and process for just another minute. Set aside.

3. In two bowls add 1/4c-1/2c. of your favorite yogurt (we use Drake Family Farms Goat Yogurt, if you are vegan omit the yogurt or sub non-dairy yogurt). Divide the raw oatmeal mixture between the two bowls w/yogurt.

Toppings:

Pears, 1 between the two of us (the fruit changes seasonally, pears are a winter fruit and they have been on sale-bonus)

1 T. chopped walnuts and 1 T. ground chia seeds, for both bowls

Drizzle of raw agave nectar, or pure maple syrup

Nutrition:

Soaking nuts, seeds and grains allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. Soaking in warm water also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors, present in all seeds, and encourages the production of numerous beneficial enzymes. The action of these enzymes also increases the amount of many vitamins, especially B vitamins. During the process of soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption. (Courtesy of Food Matters)

Buckwheat- Buckwheat is a fruit not a grain and is wheat free, it is one of the best plant sources of protein. It is also rich in lysine, one of the amino acids that is lacking in many grains. Buckwheat is an excellent source of magnesium, which helps relax arteries and promote blood circulation.

Love:

My friend Gwen shared this recipe with me years ago, I think it was shared with her by one of our fabulous yoga teachers at the studio where we practice. I love this raw oatmeal because it easy to prep for the week and really easy to throw together in the morning before we get on with our busy day, oh and its healthy and delicious! The fruit changes seasonally so you can switch things up, the other bonus is that the oats, nuts and chia seed can be found in the bulk section of your market- I call that ‘getting the best bang for your bite.’ ENJOY!

White Bean and Sage Pita Burgers- Cooking Light, June 2011

10 Friday Jun 2011

Posted by in beans

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Sometimes I’m at a loss for ideas on what to make for meals, so occasionally I have to pick up one of my favorite magazines like Cooking Light for divine intervention. I saw these veggies sandwiches and thought they would be right up mine and Billy’s alley, let me just say they were a hit. Enjoy!

 I used my biscuit cutter to help me mold the patties, this mixture is very sticky and soft.
 I had to also enlist my 1/4 c. measure and spatula to get the job done. A little harder than I was anticipating, but the final product was worth the work.
 MMM… the yummy yogurt sauce, local goat yogurt and local goat feta.
 Fresh herbs from my garden that I used in the sauce, mint, green and purple basil and a little rosemary.
 No caption needed for these last two photos, my hope is that they speak for themselves.
– White Bean and Sage Pita Burgers-
Olive Oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
1/3 c. raw rolled oats
1/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted
2 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 t. fresh chopped sage (I used more)
2 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
2 (15oz) cans cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c. reduced-fat sour cream (I used Drake Family Goat yogurt)
2 T. grated fresh onion (I also used some scallions I had hanging around)
2 T. crumbled feta (I use local feta, crumbled it myself)
Pita
Mixed Greens
Tomato (I also sliced more onion, and cucumber and olives would be great on this-next time!)
1. Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat, when ready add onion and garlic to the pan. Cook for just a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Place mixture in the food processor. Add oats and next 8 ingredients (through egg) process until smooth.
2. Wipe pan with a paper towel. Return pan to medium heat, add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Working with one portion at a time, spoon bean mixture into 1/2 c. dry measuring cup and carefully remove bean mixture with a rubber spatula onto pan. Bean mixture is very soft and sticky, use the spatula to shape mixture into 3/4 inch thick round patty. (As you can see from my photo’s I formed all the patties out before hand and I put them in the fridge to set up for a few hours. I just happened to make mine early in the day so they would be ready when I got home late last night.) Cook 8 minutes or until golden turning after 4 minutes. Repeat until all the patties are cooked. (My mix made 8 patties)
3. Combine sour cream (or yogurt), grated onion, and feta in a bowl, (fresh herbs if you have them). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Using the sauce, pita, greens, tomatoes, (cucumber and olives if you have them) build your sandwiches.