Soaked oats

I like soaked oats for breakfast. I like eggs, too, but that's a different story for a different post. Although I originally found out about soaking oats as a raw food thing, I've since been told that virtually all oats sold (even the organic ones) are not really raw. Oats are processed to make them from the original grain form, into the flat, dry little discs that Quaker (and others) sell; they are heated and dried to improve shelf life.

There is a whole debate about oats and gluten -- but that's a scientific discussion for another time and place. This is a recipe blog, so if you have problems w/ gluten, this recipe might not be for you.

NUFF SAID! RECIPE TIME!

Soaked oats is a really basic recipe: about 3/4 cup oats, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup liquid, all stirred together in a bowl and allowed to soak overnight.

No one said this had to be BORING, though! Last night I made it up w/ pomegranate juice for the liquid, and added about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I'm eating it now w/ blueberries, and I'm entirely pleased!

You can add other spices (try ginger, either grated fresh or powder, or cardamom for a more exotic taste), and top it w/ any fruit you want. You could use milk (any kind) for the soaking liquid if you want, or add raw nuts to soak overnight with the oats. Suggested combos (don't forget the pinch of salt for each of these):

oats + apple juice + 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger: top w/ apple slices

oats + 2 tablespoons raw cashews + 2 tablespoons raisens + 1/4 teaspoon powdered cardamom: top with applesauce

oats + almond milk + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg: top with fresh peaches

This is a great start to the day! and YUM. Enjoy!

The blackberries are getting ripe around here!

And I'm wondering what to do with them, should I decide to go pick a bunch of them?

A raw pie with a nut crust? Smoothies? Some of my icy treats (maybe blended with ricotta)? Summertime is so full of potential and creativity!

The Farmer's Market

I have come to adore my local Farmer's Market. It's an easy way to ensure that I get local products - resulting in produce that is fresher and tastier, too. I've been indulging in tasty summertime treats -- cherries, summer squash, berries, etc. There is a place selling wild/local salmon, too. Not shipped in from Alaska -- nothing against Alaskan salmon, it's yummy, but it takes more energy to ship it in to Washington, than the stuff caught right off the coast.

All that said, and as nice as the Farmer's Market is, there are some drawbacks:

- It's only open during the summer (duh, that's when the local produce is, uh, producing).
- Stuff that doesn't grow around here, isn't at the Farmer's Market (like lemons).
- Not everything is organic - although there are a number of vendors who post signs such as "no pesticides used". Is it greenwashing? I don't know, your results may vary. Best to check a place out and investigate it a little more before you buy, if this is a concern for you.

Wherever you live, I bet there's a Farmer's Market nearby -- sometimes they are open during the week, but Saturdays or Sundays are more typical. Enjoy your yummy summertime treats!

A basic vegetarian recipe

Rice and beans - let's face it, most of the world lives on some variation of grain/legume, and rice and beans are classic. Here, I use brown rice and mung beans -- but you can use other combos within the grain/legume families. Sometimes I substitute a bit of quinoa for the rice, for example.

Credit where credit is due: I first read a variation on this recipe in Yoga Journal, and awesome publication. :-) Since then, I've altered the recipe quite a bit.

Take 2-3 teaspoons curry powder and lightly sautee in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, just for a moment, on medium to low heat. When you start to smell the seasoning, add the following:

six cups water
1 cup brown rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup mung beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon salt

Bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat so that there is just the barest of bubbling that goes on. It will cook slowly over the next hour or so. When all the liquid is absorbed, it's done.

Stir and serve with: steamed veggies and chutneys if desired.

Do you want it spicier? You can add other spices during the cooking process, such as grated ginger, mustard seeds, chili powder, cumin seed, finely minced jalepeno pepper,etc. The two teaspoons of curry powder are a fast and easy way to add seasoning. I hope you enjoy this basic, easy, and CHEAP recipe, as much as I have.

Grilled mushrooms

Portabellas always look inviting to me, and the prep work on these is pretty minimal. There are two of us, so I made two of these last night.

First, gently pull up the stem from the underside of the caps -- it should gently separate, leaving a small divot in the cap. Take the stems, break them apart a bit, and put in a food processor. Process with: 1 clove chopped garlic, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, a pinch of salt, and any other herbs or spices desired.

Put the caps up side down on a grilling pan, or a piece of foil. Drizzle with vinigrette (1 part lemon juice/2 parts olive oil/pinch of salt per 1/4 cup, works). Let it sit for 20-30 minutes to soak in. Spread the ricotta mixure on top, right out to the edges, and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon each parmesan cheese.

Set the pan/foil with the caps right onto the grill, and grill on a low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. The pan or foil will help to catch the juices, and make removing them from the grill much easier. Serving size is one each. We had them with potato salad and the last of the cold beet soup.

Summertime: chilled beet soup

I'm going to take a photo of the finished product and post it, but trust me: it's a beautiful, ruby-like red as a finished product. It is so much better, pureed and chilled, than it would be as chunks and hot. Perfect starter for a summertime meal!

Chilled beet soup

Trim one bunch beets (3-4 medium beets): remove leaves (save), and trim off the bottom (root) so that you have a roundish beet left. Do not peel. Quarter and steam with: 3-4 medium carrots, cleaned and cut into one inch chunks; one medium red onion, cut into chunks; 1/4 red cabbage, cut into chunks. Steam until all veggies are soft but not mushy. Add cleaned, chopped beet leaves and steam 1-2 more minutes. Take off heat and allow to cool (may take a few hours).

When cool, pick out the beets and rub off the skins (so much easier than peeling!). They should come off very easily. Puree all veggies in a blender with water (may take 3-4 batches, depending on the size of your blender). Use only the amount of water needed to puree, so that you have a thick soup. Add batches to a bowl or other container. Add lemon juice and salt to taste (approx the juice of one lemon, and I like about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt). Stir and allow to chill in the fridge.

To serve: Ladle out about 1 cup into a bowl, and top with 1 teaspoon sour cream. You can put finely minced herbs on top: dill, chives, parsley, or whatever you wish. One cup of this is about two of those daily servings of veggies that you may have heard are so good for you. In this case, so tasty, too! Mangiamo!

Salsa!

Okay, for a very basic salsa, all you really need is chopped tomatos, finely finely minced jalepenos (take out the seeds first), and salt. Really, for a milder salsa, you could use a different kind of pepper. You could roast the tomato and the pepper first, rub off the blackened skin, and chop and mince to your hearts' content for a nice smokey flavor. The proportions are up to you.

But there is the issue of add-ins for salsa, and really, the sky is the limit. Here is a list of things to consider adding to your next batch:

- fresh cut off the cob corn
- cooked black beans
- minced onion (can be roasted first)
- finely minced garlic (can roast first, too - a much milder garlic flavor)
- finely minced cilantro or parsley
- chili powder
- minced chives
- finely chopped basil
- finely chopped watermelon
- finely chopped, roasted pineapple

Really, the sky's the limit - I wouldn't add all of the above at once, but any one of these is tasty. Yummy!

It's still chilly hear, but I hear summer is coming!

So I need to start thinking in terms of summertime recipes: grilling, salads, cooling drinks ... are there any preferences or ideas?

I'm thinking of trying grilled portabello mushrooms later in the week (perhaps stuffed with a garlicky ricotta cheese) -- they'd be good with a nice salad and perhaps roasted potatos.

And lately I've thought of a cool cucumber soup dressed with dill. Basically pureed cucumber (peeled and seeded first), pureed with buttermilk and a pinch of salt. Dress with finely chopped dill. It might need some other seasoning; I'm still in the idea process with it.

Fruit waters

There's a lot of buzz about making fruit and flavored waters out there. There are some gadgets that are for sale, but basically, you can use a clean glass jar with a lid. All you need to do is cut up some fruit or herbs, add water, screw on the lid, and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. Drain off the water, and it's very nicely flavored. I first heard this from someone who suggested the following combo:

A few slices of peeled cucumber, a slice or two of lemon, some slices of thinly sliced ginger, and mint (you could use a mint teabag -- it makes cleanup a bit easier).

She loves it -- I haven't tried this particular combo, but I have tried just lemon and ginger. BTW, my massage therapist commented that my skin was much MUCH softer than usual last night, and this is just after a few days.

Other possible combos:

Slices of melon and mint

Frozen fruit -- berries, mango, peaches (solo or in combo)

Lime and raspberry

cucumber-mint

Basil and canteloupe

slices of orange

etc etc etc.

It's easy, and cheap with a glass jar. No need to spend 20 bucks on a special container to "brew" this water! Leftover fruit can be eaten, or added to a smoothy. It's a great way to stay hydrated! Have fun with it, let me know if you find a particularly tasty combo. :-)

Homemade ice treats

Here's a thought -- get some molds for making homemade ice cream, or frozen juice treats. I got mine from Ikea, but I've seen them at other stores, too. I just puree the desired ingredients together, freeze for a few hours, and run hot water over the molds to get them to unstick. They come with their own handy plastic handle.

You can freeze any one of the following, or make up your own recipe:

- any fruit juice, plain, or blended with other fruits. For example, one whole banana pureed with pomegranate juice.

- pureed plain fruit, such as strawberries or raspberries. (this would be good if you brought home a large amount of fruit on sale and needed to put it up fast for later use)

- milk with cocoa powder and a banana

- milk with a banana, and a spoonful of maple syrup and a dash of vanilla (DECADENT)

- peaches and cream

- steamed winter squash with a splash of cream and maple syrup and a dash of nutmeg (pumpkin pie-like treat)

You could even get exotic with ingredients like rose water or cinnamon or nuts.

Have fun! I am.

Humor (kinda food related)

In the beginning, was the Cola, made from sugar, water, and cocaine. And the Lord God saw that it was good, and said, let ye sip this for hangovers.

And then, the Federal Government said, ye should no longer partake of cocaine; this drink is illegal. And their was a wailing and gnashing of teeth, and much headachiness upon the land.

But then the scientists discovered caffeine, from the lowly coffee plant.

The Lord God said, let ye use this instead of cocaine.
and the headaches vanished, and all were happy again.

And THEN, the people became accustomed to their caffeine; they began to ask for more. And with more sugar, too. and a little different flavoring. And thus was the begetting of the Great Rift: Pepsi versus Coke.

And the people and their God were pleased; and the workers were ever more able to wakefully complete their daily tasks.

But then, the people became used to the amount of caffeine in these popular, sugary, fizzy drinks. And too, the Corporations invented: The Night Shift.

and lo, The Night Shift was long, and it was dark, and it was Sleepy. And the people prayed for More.

And then was invented: Mountain Dew. More caffeine, more sugar, more MORE!

But still, The Night Shift did not bubble and fizz.

And So Mountain Dew begat the Energy Drinks: More Caffeine, More sugar as High Fructose Corn Syrup, and other stimulants added to make The Night Shift bubble and fizz.

Guarana! Ginseng (both Panax and Eleuthero)! EPHEDRA!

And lo, The Night Shift both bubbled AND fizzed!

And then those drinks with Ephedra, led to heart palpitations, and bubbling and fizzing was perhaps a bit much.

And so the so, the Federal Government said: drink not of the Ephedra, for it is harmful.

And there was some gnashing of teeth, for Ephedra was said to help with weight as well. But not too much gnashing.

For still The People, including The Night Shift, had caffeine, HFCS, guarana, ginsengs, and other herbs to drink. Some fortified with B vitamins!

To partially replace the vitamins stripped away from the corn to make sugar.

And hosanna, all did bubble and fizz. Pass the Pizza and Ho-Ho's. Amen.

Vegetarian Crock Pot Chili

Yesterday, it was time to cook something ... I was going to be out to class last night, had plenty to do, not much time. But enough to start up the crockpot around 2 or so, just enough time for chili around 5!

Got out the crockpot, added a spoonful of butter, 2 heaping spoonfuls of chili powder, and a smaller spoonful of cumin seeds. Also about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. Turned on the pot to let the butter melt and the spices warm up a bit.

Found in the refrigerator: The last of a bunch of celery, plus an onion. I diced these up and set aside. When the butter and spices were melted and mixed a bit (about 15 minutes), I added the diced veggies. Let it all brew for about 30 minutes. I stirred it a couple of times.

Found in the cupboard: 3 cans (16 oz size) of various kinds of beans: kidney, pinto, and garbanzo. Opened them up, and gave them all a very good rinse in a colander. Added them to the crockpot. 2 cans (same size) of tomato (I think one was diced and one was crushed). Added to crockpot. Rinsed out the tomato cans with a little bit of water (no more than a 1/2 cup total). Added that water to the crockpot.

This is the very basic recipe, but it's decent enough, and feeds two people dinner for about 3 days. It's good on toast with melted cheese on top.

Do you see how you could add things to this, if you have them around? Mushrooms? Ground turkey or beef? Minced garlic? Red, yellow, green peppers? A jalepeno pepper (carefully deseeded and minced)? Zucchini? Etc? Hmmmmmm? Have fun!

Ginger syrup

Take the ginger, peel it (or just trim away the dried out parts). Using a sharp knife (the cook's favorite implement), slice the ginger thinly (1/8 inch is good, 1/4 inch is okay but a little thicker than ideal, and even less than 1/8 inch is best yet). Layer the slices in a clean container with one of the following between the layers:

- plain sugar (brown or white, either is okay)
- honey
- agave syrup

(Artificial sweeteners are not recommended)

Add some extra on top of the slices, too.

Let it sit for a day or so (you can put it in the fridge if you want, but you don't have to).

It's easiest to see with the sugar, because the ginger juice will liquify the sugar and turn it to ginger syrup! What can you use the syrup for?

- add a spoonful to hot water with some lemon juice for an instant hot beverage! Also good iced.
- add it to pie filling -- especially good with cherries!
- add a spoonful to a smoothy.

It may be strong, depending on the quality and freshness of your ginger, and the exact ratio of sugar to ginger root. PLUS! you can fish out the ginger slices for use in baking, or to add to tea or even just nibble on straight. Again, it may be more spicy that what you are used to, so you may want to taste it first before use to estimate how much to use.

Two new things

1. I was talking to a woman yesterday as we were oohing and aaahing over the price of organic broccoli in the store (99 cents a pound), and she said she likes to roast it. My sister also says that roasting is her "go-to" prep method for veggies, so I thought, what the heck. I cut up the broccoli into florets, tossed them with a small spoonful of olive oil, and put them on a pan in the oven at 350. I shook/turned them a couple of times, but they were done in less than 15 minutes. Took them out and tossed them with a pinch of salt. YUMMY!

2. I saved the broccoli stems and put them through my juicer, along with some celery, carrots, and part of a cuke. I had been feeling kinda punk, and this juice perked me right up, and also ... YUMMY! or am I just a wierdo? whatever, I thought it was yummy!

TTFN!

This works as a vegetarian main course

Don't know what you'd call this .... polenta-dilla? It's polenta, refried beans, salsa, and cheese layered in a pie pan. You could use a 9x9 square dish if you prefer.

First, the polenta layer -- Bring 3 cups water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon each salt and olive oil. Slowly add, while stirring, 1 cup dry polenta. Turn down heat to a simmer, and stir continuously for 10-15 minutes. It's a surprisingly long time. Better have some music on to keep you company. stir stir stir. don't stop! I use a wire whisk, but you could use a spoon.

The polenta will be fairly thick -- pour it into an oiled pan (pie or square), spread it out evenly and smooth the top. Pop it into a 350 oven for 15 minutes.

Next is the refried beans. Now, I prefer the low fat, or fat-free, but you could use the fully loaded ones. I put a full 15 or 16 oz can into a cuisinart and add about 2 to 4 tablespoons of water -- just enough to allow me to make it into a slightly thinner puree in the cuisinart. This helps me to spread it on top of the polenta. At the end of 15 minutes, pull out the polenta, and carefully pour the beans on top, and spread them out as evenly as possible without terrifically disturbing the polenta. Put this back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Finally, take it out, and pour about 1/2 cup of salsa over the top, spread it around so it's more or less even, and top with grated cheese more-or-less evenly over the top. Put this all back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes, till the cheese melts.

Take it out, and do your best to cut it up -- it's still pretty mushy, but it's very tasty! You can top with any of the following: sour cream (or plain yogurt), cut up scallions, cilantro, parsley, minced onion, or whatever you want.

Serve with steamed veggies - I did broccoli last night. Yum!

Different cooking styles

Just so you know, most recipes for stews can be made either in a crock pot, cassarole dish, or large pot. You can even use a large frying pan. The effects will vary, and each method has pros and cons.

Crock pots are easy to use -- you need to have plenty of time (3-6 hours) to let things simmer, but once it's set up to go, you can pretty much leave it alone all day (although occasional stirring will help prevent stuff from sticking, but it's not strictly necessary). You can get an inexpensive crock pot if you just want to experiment with it, but the more expensive models have all kinds of bells and whistles - timers, several different temperatures, etc. To my experience, crock pots start at around 40 or 50 dollars.

A large cassarole dish should probably be lightly coated w/ oil before adding ingredients, and you'll want to make sure things are spread around evenly (more or less). A large cassarole dish with a lid might start at around 10 bucks, although those fancy ones can easily run a lot more (think 80-90 dollars). Things cook a lot faster in a large cassarole dish, and you can just leave it in the oven. If you wanted to go to an event of some sort and needed to just leave it to bake for a couple of hours, you can bake on a lower heat (around 300), but normally, I bake cassaroles at 350 and it takes about an hour.

A large cooking pot that stands about 9 inches tall and 9 to 10 inches in diameter, cooks on the stovetop, and comparatively fast (typically about 30-40 minutes). You should definitely start with some oil (or butter, yum!) in the bottom to prevent sticking and scorching. And you should pay closer attention with a stew made in a pot, than in the crock pot or cassarole - stirring to keep the bottom from scorching, unless there is a fair amount of fluid in there. You add ingredients according to how fast they cook, and you can sautee ingredients first (this is nice to help open up the flavor of spices, or to take the sharp flavor out of onions or garlic). Then add the rest of the ingredients: Meats generally need longest, then root veggies, then any other softer ingredients. A large cooking pot with a lid, like this will probably start at around 10 dollars, too.

And if you want to get even fancier, you can cook some ingredients separately, in a second pot, and add them to the stew just before serving. If you would like things to have more individual flavors, anyway. It's up to you! I'm just the messenger, here. Enjoy!

By popular demand!

It's come to my attention that some readers need easy recipes; here you go!

Vicki's Wicked Chicken
Easy, filling - best teamed up with a salad or steamed broccoli to punch up the nutrition, but still - it's easy and filling! Inspired by a night when I wanted a home-cooked meal, but I was too tired to do anything fancy.

You will need a large cassarole dish with a lid, and a knife and cutting board.

Grease or oil the cassarole dish - smear it around so that the bottom is covered and the sides are oiled/greased about half-way up the sides. You could use one of those oil sprays if you want to cut calories.

Add:

• About one pound of frozen potatos -the type that you bake and eat. I like Alexia Foods' ones, but you could use any brand. You could even buy potatoes in the produce section and just slice them up. About one pound. No need to thaw them first - just dump them into the pan and arrange them in a more-or-less even layer in the bottom.
• About 1-2 cups of cleaned, sliced carrots and onion. Spread over the top of the potatos more or less evenly. You could use any veggies you might want - mushrooms, turnips, etc -- root veggies are best. I would avoid using strong tasting veggies like broccoli in this dish.
• About 1 pound of skinless, boneless chicken, cut up into chunks about 1" squarish in size, and added evenly over the top of the veggies.
• Sprinkle over the top -- about 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning salt, or any mix of herbs and salt you want. I like steak seasoning salt, but there are blends out there specific to poultry.

Put the lid on the cassarole, and put it in a 350 oven to bake until it smells right and the chicken is done - about an hour.

An hour is about right for a salad, no? Take a large bowl, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, about half that amount of vinegar (less if it's balsamic vinegar), a couple of pinches of salt. Add seasoning, about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. If you like garlic, you can add some finely finely minced garlic, but dill, thyme, basil, sage, oregano -- all these are good, too. You can even mix them up! I like minced garlic and oregano, but whoever you hang out with over the evening is gonna have to like garlic, too, if that's what you use.

Anyway, next you can add the denser veggies - grated carrot, halved cherry tomatos, whatever you want. Toss in the olive oil mix and let them sit. Next, if you are lazy, add a package of that pre-washed spinach or lettuce (baby romaine is nice) -- if you are less lazy, you can start with a head of lettuce and wash it yourself first with a salad spinner, then cut it up into pieces. Add to the large bowl. Toss to mix the whole thing just before serving, then divide up into serving bowls. You can sprinkle the top with some cheese before serving if you want (I like a few chunks of feta on mine). This salad doesn't keep well - make only what you plan to eat right away, as the lettuce turns dark and wilts from the dressing.

Have fun! You can serve up the chicken with ketchup, salsa, or whatever you want. Next up: Salsa chicken -- also super-easy and tasty.