June 2011

Jun

25

Savory Oats

I will admit it openly. I avoided savory oatmeal for a couple of months. “What could possibly be good about oatmeal fixed without a little sweetness?” I thought. The idea of one of adding olive oil instead of real maple syrup to my breakfast oats was rather appalling.

I claim to be a person who likes almost everything. It’s hard for me to think of a food I don’t like. I’m stalling right now, trying to think of something… Menudo. It’s a Mexican dish that has pork skin in it. ~~Makes me want to puke.~~ It’s not my favorite… Lima beans. Something about chalky, slickly, pale beans doesn’t appeal to me… Fast food burgers… If I thought I could come up with some more… As long as it’s quality food I’m not picky.

Claiming to be an “eater-of-all” while sticking my nose up at the simple idea of “Savory Oats” was starting to whisper “liiiiiiiar” in my ear, so when I saw this post for the infamous savory oats I had to give it a try. (Besides, with good cheese and plenty of olive oil anything can go for bad to edible.)

The results were very edible. So edible in fact, that I will make them again. I can now reclaim my eats-almost-everything title. Don’t be an oatmeal snob like I was and leave this recipe sitting in cyberspace! Try it out and let me know how you LOVE it! ; )

Savory Oats with Asiago

Cooked Oatmeal, to suit your appetite.
Salt and Pepper, to taste.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, just a little drizzle.
Asiago Cheese, chopped in tiny pieces or shredded.
Provolone Cheese, a little slice.
One Egg, with a runny yolk.
Green Onion, chopped.

Cook oats with water. I prefer mine firm, especially with this dish. A good ratio is 1 part oats to 2 parts water. While the oats are cooking, fry or poach and egg, leaving a rich, thick-but-runny yolk. Melt your provolone cheese on top of the oatmeal, then spoon into a bowl and top with asiago, green onion, evoo, egg and S&P to taste.

The silky yolk paired with the hearty oats makes a delicious and satisfying breakfast. I had a side of pan-fried sweet potatoes with mine, leftover from the Quinoa Burgers I made a few days ago.

Jun

22

No Regrets Chocolate Sundae

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I was craving a little something sweet tonight, but have given up sugar for the time being. (Except for Saturdays, because no sugar at all isn’t healthy for a girl!! ; ) ) So, the time to came to try a frozen banana recipe I had ran across while hunting down healthy and delicious recipes on blogs…. like I do for hours on end. I went off what I had read, and winged it…. Results were very edible. So here you have it, the No Regrets Chocolate Sundae.

“Ice Cream”

2 organic bananas, very ripe, frozen*
1/4 cup reduced-fat milk
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened coco powder

Blend until smooth and creamy in the blender.

Chocolate Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened coco powder
1 tablespoon milk
stevia sweeter and honey to taste

Blend all ingredients, adding milk until it has a smooth consistency.

Top with 2 tablespoons of chopped peanuts.

*A little tip on freezing bananas. This may seem obvious, but to me the first-time banana freezer and let’s-get-this-done-quick girl it was a little hazy. Peel your bananas before you freeze them. Trust me. Peeling slimy black half-frozen banana skin off isn’t fun. It also helps if you break them into chunks first.

Jun

18

Light Hummus

Blog Posts / she cooks she bakes / 1 comments

If I was only allowed 3 foods for the rest of my life, I think tortilla chips, hummus and salsa might just make the cut. I would really miss peanut butter, though. A lot. And dark chocolate. Good thing I don’t have a 3 food limit for the rest of my life.

Well, I love hummus. It’s rather a staple in my fridge. Simple, quick, easy and healthy, I love to have a jar in the fridge to munch on with a bag of carrots. I have my stand by hummus recipe, but was looking for something with a little less fat. I was reading a magazine and saw plain yogurt used instead of olive oil, and decided to give it a try.

Success. I gave it an olivey-twist, but you could also use the traditional hummus spices.

15.5 oz Can Garbanzo Beans
1/4 c. Plain Low-Fat Yogurt
2 Tsp Lime Juice
1 Lg Clove Garlic
1 Tsp Fresh Thyme
1/4 Tsp Chili Flakes
1/4 Tsp Tony’s Creole Seasoning
8 Green Olives

Put it all, minus the green olives, in the food processor (or blender) and whip it until it’s smooth! Add the olives at the end, and pulse it a few times to chop them.

Makes: 6 Servings

77 Calories and 1.8 Grams of Fat per Serving

I looked up the Calorie and Fat count for regular hummus, and about.com told me that one cup of regular hummus contains about 435 calories and 21 grams of fat. Although, they also stated….

You have to consider that it is very unlikely that a single person will consume a one cup of hummus in one snack sitting.

Lies. They have not met me at about.com. Another site said 1 TB contains 27 calories and 1.29 grams of fat. Whatever it may be, this is a healthier recipe. =P

Enjoy, give it a try. Let me know if you like it!

Jun

14

Chicken and Quinoa Salad

Blog Posts / she cooks she bakes / 0 comments

Mom and I collaborated on dinner tonight. I made a chicken mole the other night, and we had leftover shredded chicken. I was begging for quinoa, (pronounced Keen-wa) and we came up with a Chicken and Quinoa salad served on a bed of lettuce. It was deeeelishiousss. ; ) I had told her I was going to make dinner, but when I came back inside from spending some quality time with the sunshine and Pandora Radio she had already started dinner. So I kicked her out of the kitchen and finished things up while she went out to her natural habit, her veggie garden. She pretty much lives there, and in her flower gardens, in the summer months. ; )

When I cook I am very bad about following recipes, so here are the ingredients I used, with a few approximate measurements. Add and subtract to your tastes!

Quinoa and Chicken Salad

2c Raw Quinoa, rinsed (very important!! If you don’t rinse it it will have a bitter taste.) and cooked with salt
2c. Cooked and Shredded Chicken
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Cucumber, diced
Tomato, diced
Red Pepper, diced
Salt and Pepper
Lime Juice
Green Onions, chopped
Garlic

Dressing

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Salt
Fresh and or Dried Thyme
Dried Basil
Mustard
Garlic
Green Olive Juice

Serve on a bed of green lettuce with garbanzo beans, freshly chopped thyme, green olives and chopped green onions on top. This made enough for our family of 5 with leftovers. It’s great to store in the fridge for a quick lunch.