Oatmeal with Baked Apples and Pecans

This is an EASY make ahead breakfast. You can put a few bowls of it in the fridge and just take them out and reheat them in morning.
It is great because it is a WARM breakfast, uses seasonal ingredients, and is very filling. This recipe will be enough for about 4-5 bowls of oatmeal.

To make the baked apples:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel and slice into 1/4 or 1/2 inch pieces 4 apples (any seasonal variety) - and even if they have started getting mushy they will taste fine once baked
3.Arrange the apples in an 8x8 baking dish
4. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a dash of lemon juice.
5. Then put a few (about 5-6) little slices of butter over the apples. About a tablespoon total.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.

To make the oatmeal:
Bring to a boil: 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan.
Once boiling add 2 cups of rolled oats and turn the heat down a little. Cook for about 10 minutes. Then cover, turn off the heat and let sit to thicken about 10 more minutes.

Chop pecans or walnuts to taste (I like about 1/4 cup per bowl).

Once the oatmeal is done cooking, divide it among 4 or 5 bowls. Top with the chopped nuts. Once the apples are done baking, divide them among the bowls of oatmeal.
You can just cover the bowls with foil or saran wrap and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Just reheat uncovered in the microwave about 2 minutes, stirring halfway.

I don't know if you've heard of the Dr. Oz "Just 10 Challenge" but this meal would easily fit into that plan.

Couscous with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes

This is a good recipe that uses the produce that is ripe at this time of year.

Ingredients
2 TBS. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2.5 cups vegetable stock
1.5 lbs. medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 TBS. fresh thyme, or 2 tsp. dried
1.5 cups quick-cooking couscous
1 TBS. butter or olive oil
24 cherry tomatoes

Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Stir in the vegetable stock and zucchini and bring to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is tender, but not soft, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the thyme.
3. Stir in the couscous and the butter/olive oil. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand until stock is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the cherry tomatoes.

I prefer tomatoes roasted...sometimes I preheat oven to 400 degrees, coat the whole cherry tomatoes in oil and minced garlic and roast for 20 minutes, and then add them to my recipes.

Savory Millet Cakes

This recipe is nice because it contains some ingredients that are in season from the Farmers Market (zucchini, carrot, onion, garlic).

In terms of TCM, millet is sweet, salty, and cool in nature. It is said to enter the channels of the kidney, spleen, and stomach. In TCM, the spleen plays a large role in digestive function and helps break-down foods in order to absorb their nutrition.

This recipe is courtesy of eatingwell.com

Ingredients:

1 TBS. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup dry millet

1 clove minced garlic

3.5 cups water

1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt

1/3 cup coarsely shredded zucchini

1/3 cup coarsely shredded carrot

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1.5 tsp. fresh minced thyme, or 1/2 tsp. dried

1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 2-4 minutes. Stir in the millet and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add water and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 20 minutes.

2. Stir in zucchini, carrot, parmesan, thyme, lemon zest and pepper. Cook uncovered, maintaining a simmer and stirring often to keep millet from sticking, until the mixture is soft, ver thick, and liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and let stand, covered for about 10 minutes. Uncover and let stand, stirring once or twice, until cool enough to handle - about 30 minutes.

3. With dampened hands, shape the millet mixture into 12 cakes or patties, 3 inch diameter (a scant 1/3 cup each).

4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, or coat a pan with sesame oil and heat over medium heat. Add 4 millet cakes and cook until bottoms are browned, 3-5 minutes. Carefully turn the cakes with a wide spatula and cook the other side until browned. Re-coat the pan with oil and cook the remaining cakes in batches, reducing heat if necessary to prevent burning.

Note: prepare up to step 2 up to 2 hours in advance

Italian Stuffed Portabellos

This recipe is courtesy of the Moosewood Restaurant "New Classics" cookbook. It is really one of me and my husband's favorite cookbooks.
I have been seeing a lot of mushrooms at the downtown Farmers Market (although I think they come from Oregon - Utah doesn't have the best mushroom climate).
The mushrooms can easily be served on a bed of pasta, a side of polenta, or on toasted ciabatta bread.

Ingredients:
4 large portabello mushrooms
3 TBS. olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion (can get at farmers market)
3 large garlic cloves minced or pressed (can get at farmers market)
2/3 cup minced red bell pepper (will soon be available at farmers market)
3 TBS. chopped fresh basil (can get at farmers market)
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (can most likely get at farmers market)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (can most likely get at farmers market)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 TBS. bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking dish (9x13 or so).
2. Carefully brush or wipe off any soil from the mushrooms. Twist off the stems and discard.
3. In a skillet, warm 2 TBS. of the olive oil and saute the onions for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and red peppers and saute for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a bowl, mix together the basil, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, salt and bread crumbs. Stir the sauteed vegetables into the cheese mixture.
5. Brush the portabellos with the remaining TBS. of oil and place them gill side up in the prepared baking dish. Mound cheese mixture in each.
6. Back uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the mushrooms release their juices and the cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Summertime Soup

In Chinese medicine, herbs and foods are ascribed to different properties. For instance, there are 5 taste categories that herbs and food can have: sweet, bitter, acrid (kind of like pungent), sour, or salty. Some foods and herbs are also said to be bland.

In addition to these properties, herbs and foods can either be hot or cold in nature (or fall somewhere along that spectrum, such as warm or neutral).

One food that is commonly used in the summertime is watermelon. Its properties are sweet and cold. It can help keep you hydrated during the hot weather.

The ginger root in the following recipe helps to balance the cold nature of the other ingredients.

This recipe is courtesy of Nicole Tischmak:

Ingredients:

Watermelon from 1/2 of a footlong melon, cut in chunks with seeds removed

1/3 of a fresh pineapple cut in chunks

20 fresh mintleaves

1/2 inch piece of ginger root, sliced or grated

Directions:

Puree the pineapple, mint, and gingeroot in a food processor. You can puree them in batches to puree them thoroughly.

Puree the watermelon in the food processor as well (you can leave chunks if you wish).

Mix all of the pureed ingredients together. Enjoy as a cold soup.

Store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days (but it will probably get eaten before then!)

Brandt's Beets

Last Saturday marked the start of the Farmers Market season here in Salt Lake City. Going to the market is a favorite event of mine. As you stroll through the booths, you can see which fruits and vegetables are in season (although, now that I am experimenting with square foot gardening I have some idea). In addition to produce there are locally made cheeses, breads, and of course pastries.

On Sunday, as I munched on lettuce, arugula, peas and asparagus, my brother experimented with cooking some beets he had purchased at the market:

Ingredients

8 beets with greens still attached, thoroughly washed

1/2 stick of butter

splash of olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

lemon juice, to taste

1/4 tsp. each of fresh parsley and thyme, chopped

1/2 cup hefeweizen (optional)

Directions

1. Thoroughly wash the beets, leaving the greens attached. You may cut of the skinny ends of the roots or any areas that look damaged.

2. Fill a medium to large sauce pan with salted water and bring to a boil.

3. Once the water is boiling, add the beet roots, but don't submerge the greens. Boil for about 25 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, push the greens into the water as well. Check if the beet roots are tender, then drain in a colander.

4. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan heat the butter and olive oil over low heat. Add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and hefeweizen (optional). Let all of the ingredients simmer together. As it simmers, it will thicken a little.

5. Once the beets are drained, place in a large serving bowl. Pour the butter sauce over the beets and stir to coat evenly. Enjoy

Beets are very good at nourishing the blood and benefiting cardiovascular function.

Local Utah - Sassyscoops.com

In addition to recently having my business reviewed by sassyscoops.com (http://www.sassyscoops.com/reviews/acupuncture-giveaway-yay-yeow/), I have found their website to be a great source for finding and supporting local businesses.
I really like the idea of supporting local entrepreneurs and women in business. The Sassies give honest reviews.
If you are reading this post, please check-out my recipe posts as well...I will also be adding a vegan soup recipe later this week...

Curried Lentils

During my time at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM), the curriculum included an "Eastern Nutrition" course and a "Western Nutrition" course. It was nice because each week a different student would have to prepare a dish and bring it to the class.

This recipe was provided by one of my classmates, and its claim to fame is that it is high in folate (essential for everyone, especially pregnant women).

It can be prepared as per the directions below, or put into a crock pot for 4 hours instead.

Ingredients

1 cup brown or green lentils, washed and picked over

4 cups vegetable broth

1 TBS. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium cloves garlic, chopped

2 medium carrots, diced to 1/4 inch pieces

2 medium celery stalks, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

2 cups kale, finely chopped

2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1 15oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

3 TBS. chopped fresh cilantro

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse lentils in strainer, and sort through, removing debris.

2. Heat 1 TBS. olive oil in medium soup pot. Saute onion until translucent.

3. Add garlic, carrots, celery and kale. Continue to saute for another couple of minutes.

4. Add curry powder, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper and mix to bring out its flavor.

5. Add rinsed, drained lentils, vegetable broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until lentils and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Add cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

Can serve over rice, or as a stew.

Carrot Butter Spread

There is a vegetarian restaurant in Salt Lake City called Sage's Cafe. It has stayed popular especially with the "younger crowd." This is their recipe for Carrot Butter. No, I didn't steal it - it was published in a local magazine a few years back.

I like to use it as a spread for sandwiches and garden burgers (mostly because I don't like mayo so I'm always looking for other spreadable options). It can also be served with baguette slices as a dip or kind of like bruschetta.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 lb. carrots, peeled

3/4 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 cups safflower or canola oil

2 TBS. maple syrup

1/2 TBS. vanilla

1/2 TBS. salt

Directions:

Chop the carrots into small cubes (no greater than 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch) and boil in 1.5 gallons of water for 2 hours. Once the carrots are cooked and soft, puree all the above ingredients in the food processor until smooth.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Not going to lie. This is pretty much the best chocolate cake - vegan or not! It is moist, chocolatey, and easy to make!

Ingredients:
1.5 cups unbleached flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil (I use coconut or avocado)
1 cup chilled brewed coffee (i.e. leftover from the morning)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 TBS. apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Lightly grease and flour an 8x8 baking pan. Mix all the ingredients except the apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl. Blend until mostly smooth. Add the cider vinegar and stir briefly. This will create a reaction with the baking soda (the reason you don't need eggs). Without wasting any time, pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25-30 mins.
Let cool and frost if desired!

Sometimes, I like to make an easy (but non-vegan) frosting for this cake:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 TBS. butter
about 1/ TBS. of milk
dash of salt
1/2 tsp. of vanilla
2 oz. melted chocolate (either bittersweet or even just semisweet chocolate chips)
Mix all the ingredients (a kitchenaid mixer works well to create a frosting-like consistency)

Spicy Peanut Noodles

Yum!

Feel free to add black sesame seeds to the finished product! Great for taking to a potluck!

Ingredients:

3/4 pound of thin spaghetti, thin rice noodles, or thin quinoa noodles

2.5 TBS. sesame oil

1/3 cup roasted, salted peanuts - coarsely ground

for the sauce:

1/3 cup plus 1TBS. natural smooth peanut butter

2 TBS. tamari or soy sauce

2 TBS. rice vinegar

2.5 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. molasses

1 TBS. minced fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 TBS. chopped fresh parsley or coriander (optional, because I don't like parsley :)

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

lemon wedges

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta of choice just until tender. Drain and toss with the sesame oil in a large, shallow bowl.

Make the sauce: combine the peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, honey, molasses, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in the food processor. Pulsing to produce a smooth texture; gradually adding up to 3 or 4 TBS. of water. The finished sauce should have the consistency of thin yogurt.

Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to coat well. There will be clumps, and you may want to use your hands to make and even coating.

Toss in the parsley or coriander and grated carrot. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, toss the pasta with the coarsely ground peanuts. Serve with a lemon wedge on the plate.

Courtesy of Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family

Simple Arugula Salad

Being back in Salt Lake City, my family and I have been experimenting with square foot gardening.

Although only 3 days ago it snowed about 4 inches, the weather is quickly warming up and it is time to start planting certain vegetables.

One of which is lettuce. I am not a huge lettuce fan, but I do enjoy arugula. It has a tangy and pungent flavor. Here is an easy arugula salad that goes well with pasta or pizza.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of arugula

1/2 fresh lemon (to be squeezed over the salad)

1/2 tsp. of fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp. of real salt

1 TBS. balsamic vinegar

1 TBS. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Squeeze the lemon over the arugula. Add the pepper, salt, and vinegar and toss. Sprinkle the top with the parmesan cheese. Serves 2.

Zucchini and Heirloom Tomato Galette

OK, so rather than being at the height of fresh summer produce, we are still "stuck" in winter.
This recipe will be a delicious reminder of freshly grown vegetables - only a few months away.
Courtesy of Borski Organic Farms, out of my hometown, Kaysville, Utah.

Ingredients:
1 pie crust dough, rolled into 13'' circle (doesn't need to be perfect)
4 TBS. prepared pesto
1 TBS. olive oil
1 small zucchini, sliced thin
1 small yellow summer squash, sliced thin
2-3 slices of roasted red pepper (you can buy this already prepared, or make your own)
4-6 spears of asparagus
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced (OK, so maybe you can't find heirloom, but there are some on-the-vine hothouse tomatoes available)
1/4 cup chopped leeks or green onions
1 cup shredded cheese (parmesan, mozz., cheddar, etc.)
fresh pepper and Real salt to taste
(optional) 1 egg, beaten (to be used as egg wash)
(Optional Custard Filling: 1 large egg, lightly beaten; 1 TBS. melted butter, 1 TBS. prepared pesto, 1/4 cup half and half)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat liner.
In saute pan, heat olive oil and cook asparagus and leeks or green onions for 2 minutes.
Remove to paper towels to cool.
Add the zucchini and yellow squash to pan and saute for a few minutes, do no overcook.

On floured surface, roll your pie to to a 13'' circle and transfer to the lined baking sheet, don't worry about overhang.
Without cutting through the dough, make a 9'' circle, which will be used as a guide for where the filling goes.
Spread pesto evenly over the 9'' circle, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.
Place zucchini and squash in the circle, overlapping where needed.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and some more of the cheese.
Arrange tomatoes, peppers, and asparagus on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top off with remaining cheese, leeks or onions.
Moisten the edges of the crust and gently fold up, pressing and pinching in the edges in a rustic, gathered pattern. Brush the pastry with egg wash (optional).
Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 mins. While baking, whisk together ingredients for filling (optional). After the 30 mins of baking, gently pour the filling into the center of the galette. (if the galette has a lot of vegetable juices, you can spoon some out to make room for the custard filling).
Continue baking an additional 15-20 mins.
Remove from the oven and let set 10 mins before cutting.

Sour Cream Banana Coffee Cake

For a little while, I followed a gluten-free diet. During that time I was trying many recipes to see which ones "worked" when they were prepared with gluten alternatives. This is a breakfast bread, or a dessert - and it worked well!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

8 TBS. sugar (unrefined)

1 egg

1/4 tsp. gluten free vanilla extract

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup gluten-free flour (if there is one you like cooking with, i.e. almond flour, or rice flour that is fine. There are some gluten-free blended flours on the market, too. )

1/2 tsp. gluten free baking powder

1/2 tsp. gluten free baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and 6 of the TBS of sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in banana and sour cream. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon, walnuts, and remaining 2 TBS. sugar.

2. Spoon half of the batter into a greased bread pan. Sprinkle with the walnut/cinnamon/sugar mixture. Spoon on the remainder of the batter. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-38 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 mins then remove to a wire rack!

Black Bean Chili Soup

This is an easy recipe to make in the crock-pot.

Ingredients:

1 15oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz. can of mexican stewed tomatoes (i.e. tomatoes with green chilies), undrained
1 14.5 oz. can of regular diced tomatoes, undrained
1 11oz can of whole kernel corn, drained
16 ozs. of veggie broth or broth of your choice
4 green onions, sliced
1 small green pepper, sliced
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1TBS chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
Place all ingredients in slow-cooker and cook for 5-6 hours on low heat.
When I made this, I had the crock pot on "high" and it was getting too hot and depleting the fluids.
The first night I ate this I added some tortilla chips to my soup bowl and had a "tortilla soup."
The next day, (because you will have leftovers) I made a grilled cheese sandwich and dipped it into the soup. It's nice on a cold day.

Bean and Vegetable Soup with Fancy Beans

I was inspired to make this soup because the weather has been cold and wintery lately. Also, I have been reading Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal Vegetable Miracle which features an heirloom variety of beans on the cover called Christmas Lima Beans.
Yesterday while I was at the store, I saw those beans and bought a bag. I also bought a bag of mixed dry beans and lentils.

Ingredients (for 4-6 servings)
about 1.5 cups of mixed dry beans and lentils
2-3 boullion cubes (your choice of flavor)
1 carrot peeled and cut into thin slices
3 stalks celery cut into thin slices
3 red potatoes peeled and cut into little cubes
1 yellow onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 can crushed or diced tomatoes with juice (optional)
1tsp. mild chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBS. butter

Directions
1. Put dry beans in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Cover and soak for 1 hour.
2. Drain and rinse beans, place in pan of the crock pot.
3. Add all the cut-up veggies (except the onion) to the crock pot. Also dissolve the boullion in water, and add enough water to the crock pot to cover the veggies and beans. Once all that is added, turn on the crock pot on the "high" setting for 1 hour.
4. In a medium sauce pan, saute the onion and garlic in the butter, until onion is translucent.
5. Add the onion and garlic mixture to the crock pot. Also add the chili powder and any other spices you might like. Also add the can of tomatoes (optional).
6. Once the crock pot as cooked on "high" for 1 hour, turn setting to low and simmer for 4-6 hours until all ingredients become tender.