Can't BEET this Oatmeal Breakfast!

I am soaking grains like it is going out of style. I haven’t quite wrapped my head around how much my digestion changed by soaking and fermenting. Sprouting is still very iffy, as the buckwheat and crimson clover’s mucilaginous tendencies made using mason jars not such a great idea. The red lentil, on the other hand, turned out just fine, though it took some effort getting them out.

Back to the drawing board, I suppose, but at least I’ve got soaking down.

It isn’t enough to soak grains overnight anymore. There is something to twenty-four hours (or longer) that breaks down the phytic acid so completely that the minor upsets I’ve still been having are gone. Grains are not only easier to digest; they are easier to cook as well.

Steel cut oats make oatmeal with texture, but when it isn’t soaked it can be like you are chewing on finely diced cork. After twenty-four hours of soaking, it was a totally different kind of oatmeal than it used to be: soft but with texture, ever so slightly sour, and hearty (I prefer a “runny” oatmeal). I loved the change, but I wanted different ingredients that complimented it other than nut butter and chopped apple, particularly a vegetable. A couple of beets were sitting uneaten in the fridge, and after seeing a few blogs bringing these two great foods together, I knew I had to give it a try.

And let me tell you, it is the perfect breakfast before an epic adventure.

Sweet Beet Steel Cut Oatmeal 

45 g Steel cut oats

5 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar

Filtered water

Place the ingredients in a jar or measuring cup and let it sit at room temperature for twenty-four hours (or more).

7 g Butter*

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

1 Small beet (around 130 g), shredded

10 g Cacao nibs

10 g Pistachio nuts

5 g Chia seeds

5 g Raw dehydrated coconut flakes

In a small saucepan, put the oats on medium heat.**

Once it starts to thicken and bubble, stir in the fat, salt, and vanilla.

After a few minutes at a consistent boil, add the shredded beet and cook until soft.

Pour into a bowl and top it with the remaining ingredients.

Serve hot.

Makes 1 serving.

* If you want to make this vegan, substitute the butter with your choice of herbivore-friendly oil or omit entirely.

** I know that I have said to drain the soaking water in the past, as is also recommended by quite a few bloggers and resources, but I found it unnecessary after soaking for twenty-four hours or more. In Katz's book Wild Fermentation, he also cooks with the soaking liquid (I think), so I'm going with this method until shown otherwise.

Farmers Market Hopping

Going to farmers markets has become quite the weekend pastime for me. So when my friend CB invited me to go to Hamilton, Virginia and visit various markets he liked, how could I say no?

The ride there was filled with farms and wineries, winding roads and rolling hills, and I couldn’t wait to see how these markets differed from the ones in northern Virginia.

Want the recipe? Go here!

Before I left for such an excursion, I had an amazing breakfast: oatmeal with beets and steel cut oats, an apple with peanut butter, and coffee. If you are going to spend the day farmers market hopping, a hearty breakfast is essential to your success.

Oh, and naturally taking lots of pictures when you get there.

I love the variety of the vendors at both the Purcellville Community Market and the Leesburg Market. There were wine vendors, Shitake mushroom growers, meat and dairy folk, flowers, baked goods, pickles, salsa, fruits and vegetables, herbs and fruiting plants… 

There is even an organic nursery nearby that I am definitely going back to next spring.

I always come home so inspired by the market: inspired to create foods I never had before, and inspired by the people I met. He and I had wonderful conversations about food, our trip to Toledo, OH next weekend, and what great changes this world is coming to.

I can’t think of a better Saturday, and a meal to end it with. I had been experimenting with soaking beans this week, and I can definitely tell the difference with soaking dried beans for a few days versus buying them canned. 

Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Quinoa Hash

106 g Dried black beans, soaked for a few days*
84 g Quinoa, soaked for twenty-four hours**
2 Small sweet potatoes, diced into small pieces
15 ml Olive oil
1 Red onion, finely diced
1 Bell pepper, finely diced
3 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Chili powder

* & ** If you have leftover beans and quinoa already prepared, simply use those up instead, about 260 g black beans and 230 g quinoa. Both were soaked in filtered water with about one teaspoon of unrefined apple cider vinegar, though the beans were drained at least once a day. Prepare the beans and quinoa like you usually would, go here and here.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Lightly toss the sweet potato pieces in the olive oil and place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper (make sure there is plenty of room).
Bake for thirty minutes or until soft.
In a cast iron pan, heat additional oil on medium heat and cook the onion, cloves, and pepper at its smoking point.
Once softened, add the cooked beans (without the liquid), quinoa, sweet potato, and spices, and stir until slightly caramelized in some places.
Top the hash with a pan-fried egg (or whatever protein you like) and serve hot.

Makes two servings.