Super Easy Superfood Oatmeal...

Quinoa for breakfast is nothing new. In fact, combining quinoa and oats for a delicious protein rich breakfast isn’t new either, but it is new to me. As quinoa continues to grow in popularity here in the United States I continue to come across new and interesting uses for it. Of course, I never have time to try all the recipes I see, or even half of them, and when it comes to breakfast food I’m usually at a disadvantage anyway since I’m not much of a morning eater anyway. Which is why I normally opt for a fruit or green smoothie.

Of course, there are those rare days when I wake up with breakfast on my mind, and today was one of those days. Normally when I crave breakfast it’s something carby, or decadent. It’s always something that requires work and effort and it’s very seldom wholesome. Today was different, maybe it’s the cool autumnal weather, or the fact that I’ve been feeling less then ideal lately, but I woke up craving oats. Actually, that’s a lie, I’ve been craving oats for days now actually but I’ve just been to lazy to make them. Since I woke up extremely early this morning for no apparent reason, and have the day off I decided that if I wanted oatmeal then there was no time like the present.

The original idea was just to make a basic pot of oatmeal that would be large enough to last me through the weekend, but as I was standing in front of my pantry I thought “why not try that whole quinoa breakfast thing?” So I decided to add some quinoa to my oats. Then I started thinking about what else might be good. I had a single apple sitting in my fruit basket, and that always tastes great in oatmeal, I have bags of random Superfood burning holes in my pantry shelves and so why not add them too for a super nutrient dense, antioxidant rich breakfast? See how it is? Once you get started down a certain path you can’t stop, and I ended up with one of the most enjoyable bowls of oatmeal ever. The goji and mulberries really added a nice element to the oatmeal, a subtly sweet and complex blend of flavors. Even my husband who is no fan of oatmeal, but reluctantly agreed to try it, loved it!

The beauty of this oatmeal is you can literally do whatever you want with it. There are so many things you can add in, so many variations, an endless amount of options to keep you interested. This morning I chose to add the blueberries, cherries, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, maple syrup, pomegranate molasses, and unsweetened almond milk to my bowl and it was divine. My husband meanwhile chose blueberries, cherries, flaxseeds, chia seeds, raisins, maple syrup, pomegranate molasses and vanilla almond milk.

However you choose to eat it, I hope you enjoy it!

Super Easy Superfood Oatmeal 

1 ½ C Steel Cut Oats
½ C Quinoa
5 C Water
1 Granny Smith Apple Peeled and cubed
4 Tbsp Goji Berries
4 Tbsp White Mullberries

Optional Add Ins per Serving 

2 Tbsp Fresh or Frozen Blueberries, Raspberries, or Blackberries
8 Fresh or Frozen Whole Pitted Cherries
2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed
1 Tbsp Raw Sunflower Seeds
1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1-2 Tbsp Raisins
1-2 Tbsp Walnuts
Sliced Banana
½ - 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
½ - 1 Tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
Almond, Coconut or other favorite non-dairy milk

- Combine the Oats, Quinoa and Water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat and let simmer on the stove for 40-60 minutes, stirring occasionally until the oats have thickened and are tender.

- Ten minutes before the end of cooking add in the peeled chopped apple and stir to combine.

- Five minutes before the end of cooking add in the Goji and White Mullberries and stir to combine.

- Remove the cooked oatmeal from the heat, and spoon out individual servings. Top each serving with desired add-ins.

*** Note - To ensure this is Gluten-Free use GF oats. *** 

Mixed Green Salad with Maple Roasted Rutabaga, Edible Flowers, and Creamy Maple Dijon Dressing...

Sometimes the best thing to ever happen in my kitchen is we run out of food. Im sure many of you start running out of the essentials, as well as fresh produce by the weeks end, - I know it often happens to me, - but rather then look at this as a negative I try and turn it into a positive. Sometimes you have your most creative moments when you’re at your most limited.

Take this salad for instance, it came about entirely out of necessity.  The day I made it all I had left in my fridge were a few sparse handfuls of mixed greens, a couple of tomatoes, a lonely avocado, some green onions and 3 rutabaga and I’d procured for some other purpose and then promptly forgot about. My pantry of course had other things like canned tomatoes, pasta, canned beans, olives but I didn’t want that. I was craving something fresh and light, that was fast, filling and satisfying. Normally when I feel that way a salad is my ‘go-to’ so I quickly began thinking about how I could turn these meager offerings into a salad that would inspire and satisfy my tastebuds.

Now, I can’t say I’ve ever actually eaten a rutabaga before this, and if you asked me why I originally bought them I couldn’t tell you because I can’t for the life of me remember what I had planned to use them for. But, since I had them, and a salad of tomato, avocado and onion isn’t very inspiring - or filling - I thought I’d give them a try. How bad could they be roasted and thrown in with the greens? Maybe they’d taste kind of like beets, sweet and earthy, that works in salad!

So once the salad began taking shape I needed a dressing. This too came into existence out of necessity. I used the things I had on hand, and I chose to use coconut milk yogurt again to provide creaminess because I needed to use the remainder of the container ASAP. Plus it worked out so well on my arugula, beet and walnut salad I thought it was worth trying out again.

While the rutabaga was roasting it filled the kitchen with a heavenly smell, that had me drooling as I diced my veggies and whisked the dressing. By the time they popped out of the oven I couldn’t resist snapping one up and giving it a taste. Wow! Seriously guys, roasted rutabaga? This is like my new favorite thing ever. The tiny bit of maple syrup made it sweet and the Bragg’s made it smokey, this was an absolutely perfect combination. I happily tossed them into the salad, garnished my bowl with some edible flowers I’d picked up in the market, and drizzled on the dressing.

I took my first bite and knew instantly that it was magic! Maybe this combination sounds weird to you, but I assure you it’s not. The flavors blend so much better then even I could have imagined while I was creating it. You get the sweet smokey rutabaga, the bitter arugula, the creamy avo, the acid-sweet tomatoes, mixed in with a rainbow of flavors from wild flowers, and a dressing that is sweet, smokey and tangy. What more could you want?

Mixed Green Salad with Maple Roasted Rutabaga, Edible Flowers, and Creamy Maple Dijon Dressing

Salad - Makes 2 servings

2 Handful Arugula
2 Handful Mixed Baby Greens
2 Tomatoes sliced
1 Avocado sliced
Sunflower Seeds to taste
Green Onions to taste
2oz Edible Flowers
1 Recipe Maple Roasted Rutabaga

- Maple Roasted Rutabaga 

3 Small Rutabaga Cut into small chunks
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s

Preheat Oven to 425'F and roast for 10-15 minutes

- Creamy Maple Dijon Dressing 

4 Tbsp Plain Coconut Milk Yogurt
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Liquid Smoke

- Preheat Oven to 425'F. Place the cut rutabaga chunks into a bowl and drizzle over the olive oil, maple syrup and Bragg’s. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t measure exactly, but I didn’t use a lot so you can change the tsp quantity to suit your taste. Give the bowl a few good shakes to make sure all the rutabaga is covered in the mixture then spread the rutabaga out onto a baking sheet.

- Bake for 15 minutes until the rutabaga is smelling wonderful, and it’s a nice golden brown. It should be tender-firm.

- While the Rutabaga is roasting prepare your salad by evenly distributing the salad ingredients amongst two bowls.

- Next make the dressing. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until well combines and smooth. Since the yogurt may want to curdle when you add the mustard in this may take a couple of minutes of vigorous whisking to turn smooth. It will get there however.

- Once the Rutabaga is cooked divide it amongst the two bowls and drizzle the dressing over top of each salad.

Enjoy, on a lazy summer afternoon with a good book, and a drink.

Tropical Greens Smoothie with Super Seedy Milk...

I love smoothies, I’m sure you know this by now. I especially love them in the summer, but this summer thanks to two extended vacations and a busy schedule I haven’t been feeling much creative inspiration in the smoothie department. I still drink a smoothie each morning of course but over the past month and a half I’d say I’ve mostly been drinking flax-milk chocolate vega shakes. They’re delicious of course but nothing that really needs to be written about.

Well yesterday I decided to try something new. I decided to make some homemade seed milk. I’d made homemade nut milk before and that was fun and easy, so I thought I’d give seed milk a try. It’s even easier then nut milk because you don’t have to filter out any pulp and it gets super creamy without having to soak the seeds first. Of course the recipe makes quite a bit (3-3 ½ C) so today I wanted to make sure I used up some more of it. Of course the next logical question became “What should I use it on/in?” After a bit of thought I decided a good belly-filling smoothie was just the ticket, and since I’ve been thinking a lot about the glorious combination of pineapple and spinach that seemed the natural choice for the smoothie.

The seed milk on it’s own is a bit bitter, as you would expect from sunflower and sesame seeds, so I wasn’t sure how it would pair in a smoothie. However I figured pairing it with sweet frozen pineapple could only make a good thing better and I was right. This smoothie came out so creamy and delicious, really you won’t believe how creamy it is! The seed milk becomes a subtle flavor addition and the tropical flavors really shine through. A perfect blend, and super filling, which is great for a first day meal.

I know it may sound a bit weird “Seed Milk” but trust me, this smoothie is delicious! And the best thing about it is that this is a super quick and easy way to get in some greens and some seeds. Two food groups I think a lot of us often neglect.

Tropical Greens Smoothie with Super Seedy Milk

1 ½ C Frozen Pineapple Chunks
1 Big Handful Baby Spinach
1 Banana
1 C Super Seedy Milk (Recipe Follows)
½ - 3/4 C Filtered Water

- Place all ingredients into a highspeed blender and blend on high for 1 minute or until completely smooth and creamy. Pour into glasses and enjoy with a nice bowl of strawberries!

Note - If desired you can use half frozen pineapple chunks and half frozen mango chunks to give the smoothie a slightly more tropical feel.

Super Seedy Milk

 3/4 C Raw Sunflower Seeds
1/4 C Hemp Seeds
1/4 C Sesame Seeds
4 Medjool Dates
A Tiny Pinch of Cinnamon
2 ½ - 3 C Water (Depending on how thick you want it)

- Place all ingredients into a highspeed blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until the milk is smooth and creamy. Add more or less water for your preferred consistency.

- Store leftover super seedy milk in an air tight container or mason jar in the fridge for 3-5 days. Shake well before using because the milk may settle and or separate when in the fridge overnight.

Kale Salad with Fresh Figs and Roasted Balsamic Mushrooms...

This salad makes a nice simple meal that’s both delicious and filling. A perfect salad to enjoy during one of autumns warmer evenings. It also makes for a lovely presentation as a starter salad. The lemon juice, maple syrup, cherries, figs and mushrooms make for the perfect combination of sweet, savory and sour. Enjoy by candlelight, with soft music and a bottle of Pinot Noir.

Kale Salad with Fresh Figs and Roasted Balsamic Mushrooms

Salad

1 Bunch Kale
2 Carrots Julianne or grated
½ -1 large red pepper sliced thin
½ Large red onion sliced into thin half or quarter moons
Handful of dried Cherries
Handful of Sunflower Seeds
4-5 Fresh Figs Quartered
1 Batch Roasted Balsamic Mushrooms

4-6 Cloves Garlic finely minced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1-2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
pinch sea salt and black pepper

Roasted Balsamic Mushrooms

20-25 small to medium Cremini Mushrooms
2-3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ tsp rubbed sage
½ tsp crushed Rosemary
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
5 garlic cloves minced fine
Dash of Agave (optional)

- First remove the stems from your mushrooms. You can keep them and use them or discard them. I kept mine. Then place mushrooms in sealable container along with minced garlic, vinegar, oil, agave and seasonings. Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to marinate, turning once.

- When you’re ready to make your salad, preheat your oven to 400'F (202'C) then chop your kale into bite sized pieces and place in a large serving bowl. Add the olive oil, Lemon Juice, Maple syrup minced garlic, and pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Stir thoroughly until all kale is coated. Then set aside to marinate at room temperature.

- Lightly spray a small baking dish with non-stick spray. Dump your mushrooms along with the marinade into the dish and roast at 400'F (202'C) for roughly 20 minutes until mushrooms are nice and soft.

- While mushrooms are roasting prep your veggies but don’t add them to the kale just yet.

- When mushrooms are done remove them from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes so that they are still warm but cool enough to eat without burning yourself.

- Add Carrots, red pepper, red onion, dried cherries and sunflower seeds to the kale, mix to combine.

- Distribute salad evenly amongst two plates and add quartered figs. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooled mushrooms from the roasting pan and place them onto the salads. At this point you can either discard the mushroom marinade or reserve it to drizzle a tsp’s worth over each salad.

- Serve and Enjoy!