Baked Oatmeal

I made some healthy adjustments to this recipe, and we love it!

The night before…
• 3 c rolled oats -not quick cook
• 3/4 c sucanut or agave (we prefer sucanut to the agave. Firmer texture)
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/3 c liquified coconut oil
• 1 1/2 c plain yogurt or kefir (we make our own, and sometimes I use some of each)
In the morning...
• 1 c almond milk
• 2 eggs (or 2 T chia seeds plus 4 T water; let sit for 15+ minutes to gel-we have used both and they both work great!)
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t sea salt
• opt: add 1 apple chopped and 1/3 c raisin. We have also tried it with 1 sliced banana, diced peaches, diced strawberries, frozen mixed berries... Be creative!

Instructions

The night before…
1. Combine the night before ingredients and mix well.
2. Cover with plastic wrap or towel.
3. Leave on the counter overnight.
In the morning…
4. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
5. Pour into greased glass baking dish-we do one that is between square and 9x13.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until it looks a little browned around the edges.

Lentil Burgers

I never believed I would prefer another burger to a hamburger, but these have definitely snagged my preference! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, but made a few modifications:

3 c dried lentils

8 c water

4 t vegetable broth powder
1 c uncooked brown rice

4 c seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c minced dried onion (or a little bit of fresh if you prefer fresh)

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced-if you love garlic like me
1/2 t pepper

1 c fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
olive oil

Rinse the lentils & brown rice. Combine the lentils, water, and vegetable broth powder. Bring to a boil and then add the rice; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45-55 minutes. Mash a little for consistency, then pour into a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, pepper, and Parmesan, mixing well. Form the mix into patties, about 14-15.

Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Place the patties on the foil; drizzle more oil on top of patties. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, turning once to brown each side.

We serve these alone (no bun) along with a large salad. My 3 older kids all said, "Wow, these are REALLY filling!" Yep, they sure are! This made enough for our family plus leftovers for the hubby the next day. These also store nicely in the fridge and are good several days later.

Salad Dressings

This post was inspired by my friend Jennifer who is starting to change her eating habits! She is totally inspiring! We have salad nearly every night before our dinner, as a "first course" so to speak. A large helping of salad fills us with nothing but the best, and a large portion will curb overeating in the "next course".
Here are some of our family favorites for salad dressing:

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c honey
1/4 tsp paprika
1 T poppy seeds
2-3 T pureed strawberries or raspberries
1/4 t basil
Blend all ingredients except poppy seeds in high-powered blender. Add seeds and pulse a few times.

This dressing is great for green salads with fruit in it (mandarin oranges with nuts and seeds, apples/raisins/pumpkin seeds, etc.)

Also, it makes a lot of dressing, so feel free to half it/quarter it, etc. This applies to all of the dressing recipes!

Maple Syrup Dressing
3/4 c extra virgin olive oil
3/4 c red wine vinegar
6 T maple syrup
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 c brown mustard
1/4 yellow or white onion
1/2 t garlic powder
Blend all in high powered blender until smooth.

Basil Parmesan Vinaigrette
1/2-3/4 c fresh basil leaves
1 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
3 T white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t sea salt
Blend all ingredients in high powered blender. Let sit in the fridge at least 2 hours to meld flavors.

Basic Salad Dressing
1 c extra virgin olive oil
2 T unrefined flaxseed oil
1/4 c vinegar (either raw apple cider, red wine or balsamic)
1 T Dijon mustard
***You can also add either 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme), sundried tomatoes and green onion, substitute some walnuts for part of the oil (this makes it creamy) OR add tomatoes & basil.
Blend in high powered blender until smooth

Favorite Dressing for sweet salads....
1/2 c honey
1/2 c raw apple cider vinegar
1 c extra virgin olive oil
1 T mustard
1 t sea salt
1 small red onion, cut into fourths
1 T poppy seeds
Blend all ingredients except poppy seeds in high powered blender until smooth. Add seeds and pulse a few times.



All of these dressings come from Green Smoothie Girl's recipe collection! Check her out!

Crock Pot Spanish Quinoa

This recipe was originally inspired by my sister-in-law, Christian. She has a spanish rice recipe that is super yummy, and I thought that it might be fun to make with quinoa for a different consistency. I found this in my new cookbook, and knew I had found a new favorite recipe with a little bit of tweaking. My hubby raved about it multiple times that night and the next day. Soooo, here ya go!

Spanish Quinoa
2 T olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
3 c water
1 1/2 c quinoa, rinsed well
2 T vegetable broth powder
1/2 small can tomato paste
1 t salt
1/2 t chili powder
optional ingredients: 3/4 c black beans, 1 c frozen or fresh corn, 1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat oil in skillet and saute onion for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and pepper and saute another 3-5 minutes.

Combine saueteed vegetables, water, quinoa, broth powder, tomato paste, salt and chili powder in crockpot. Stir until paste is mixed into the liquid. You can add optional black beans and corn. Cook on high for 1 1/2-2 hours until quinoa has unfurled. Garnish with optional cilantro.

*Note-I double this recipe because I love leftovers!

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

Happy New Year! I'm back!

I have some super fun recipes that will save you time and money! Who here uses canned tomatoes regularly??????? Anyone?

How about potatoes?

Yep, that's affirmative on both counts at our house! My dearest friend gave me a new cookbook for Christmas. It's a vegan crockpot cookbook, and I LOVE IT! There were a few short cuts in the book that I'm super excited about, having already tried them out!

First of all, I found tomatoes for super cheap last summer...like $6 for a bushel. I'd heard you could throw the tomatoes in your freezer whole, so I did that with as many tomatoes as I had room for, but this year will be different! Cheap, diced tomatoes! All you need is a crockpot, some freezer bags, and of course, TOMATOES! All you do is rinse your tomatoes, dice and fill up your crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3 hours.

I have a crockpot with a timer, and it shuts off after the time is up, so I set it for 3 hours on high just before I go to bed. In the morning the tomatoes are cooked and cooled enough to put in bags. I freeze in 3 cup portions, equal to 2 cans of diced tomatoes. I promise you, your chili, sauces, soups taste so much better with locally home grown tomatoes then store bought!

Now, for potatoes! Scrub down your potatoes (regular or sweet potatoes) and place in crockpot (if you work, scrub the night before, place in your crockpot and turn on just before you leave for work). In 6-8 hours, low heat, you have absolutely perfect baked potatoes! Top regular potatoes with leftover chili, or have a baked potato bar. Sweet potatoes can be topped with butter, cinnamon and honey or agave nectar for a fun treat! Mmmmm!!!

Foods That Cause Breast Cancer?????

Yep. Complete with research to back it up. Guess what #1 is? Sugar. Great reminder to me as I pass York Peppermint Patties or Reese's PB cups this time of year... I'm determined to learn how to make healthier treats for my family and to be extra firm when asking folks to not offer sugar to my children. Their health is so precious to me!

Read all about it here.

Potato Garbanzo Curry

1 1⁄2 C dry garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 
1 C brown rice, uncooked
4 C water
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 
1 tsp. cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp. cloves
1⁄2 tsp. allspice
4 C chopped new (red) potatoes 
2 C vegetable broth, click here for vegetable broth powder recipe
1⁄2 C water
1 tsp. sea salt
1⁄2 C organic peanut butter (no rapeseed oil or corn syrup/sugar added) 
2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
1⁄4 C molasses

Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans and brown rice together, and then soak them in water overnight and then drain well. Bring 4 C water to a boil, add the garbanzos and rice, then reduce the heat and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes until the water is absorbed.
Sauté the onions in the oil until tender, add the spices and potatoes, and sauté together briefly. Add the vegetable broth, 1⁄2 C water, and salt. Simmer until potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes). 

Add the garbanzos and rice, peanut butter, curry paste, and molasses and heat through. Serve hot. 

Sit back and enjoy all the unique flavors. It's different, but very satisfying!