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.

Stumped & Flopped

I’ve been producing quite a few “half-baked” recipes lately. It’s a term I use to regard a recipe as having the potential to be delicious, but it’s missing something crucial. There were two of which I was particularly bummed about, because I was really looking forward to blogging their awesomeness and I’m usually quite good at figuring out what recipes need.

These two, however, have stumped me silly. 

So if anyone out there in cyber space with some time and the ingredients could make it and tell me what’s missing, I’d gratefully appreciate it.

The first of these borderline flops was a smoothie similar to the “Sweet Pea Pucker Smoothie” recipe I made early on in my Meals with Morri blogging. I had a bag of key limes I needed to use up and was craving a key lime pie sort of smoothie. I don’t think it was nearly tart or sweet enough (that, or the sweet and sour flavors weren’t balanced correctly), and could have possibly used a banana in the mix.

Key Lime Pie Smoothie

Juice of 6 Key limes
1/2 Ripe avocado
81 g Frozen spinach
150 ml Coconut milk
120 ml Almond milk, unsweetened vanilla (found in Trader Joe’s refrigerated section by the milk)
122 g Applesauce, unsweetened
Stevia, to taste

I blended the ingredients until smooth and poured it into two jars lined with almond meal and flaxseed meal (the “crust”). It tasted okay, but I wasn’t very much impressed with it overall.

The second one was also a disappointment, though edible. I wanted to make an indulgent oatmeal breakfast with cocoa nibs and powder. I’ve had issues with cocoa powder before (see this post for my cocoa powder flop moment), so maybe baking chocolate would have worked better. It also wasn’t balanced in flavor, a little to bitter and not sweet enough. Instead of water, I think almond milk would have helped in making it creamy and decadent instead of strong and grainy. It’s also quite possible that the cocoa nibs should be on their own, like a chocolate chip or something.

Chocolate Crunch Oatmeal

20 g Steel cut oats
20 g CGF rolled oats
240 ml Water
5 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
7 g Cocoa nibs
5 g Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla
Stevia, to taste
1/4 tsp. (1 ml) Coconut oil

I combined all of the ingredients except for the coconut oil the night before to soak, and then cooked it over medium heat the next morning (oil included). I poured it into a bowl and garnished it with a whole banana, a spoonful of peanut butter, chilled coconut milk, and a dash of cinnamon. Again, I think if the garnishes were integrated in the oatmeal, it would’ve tasted phenomenal.

Let me know what recommendations and alterations you’d make with either (or both) recipe, and I’ll make them again and credit you for helping me in its success.

Embracing October with a Basic Breakfast Bake

It seemed like the spirit of autumn came along just in time for the month of October, and I am instantly reminiscent of Sweden. There is crispness to the chilled air that brings me back to Scandinavia, and my heart aches for a traditional fika and a stroll in the woods surrounding the campus in Växjö. Soon I will have to bundle up and wear acceptable shoes for a day trip to the pumpkin patch in the near future, but for now I’m enjoying the warmth of the house and the cat sitting on my lap.  

The air conditioner is officially off for the next two seasons, and with the awakening of the heating system came dust that once lay dormant in the ducts. To end a perfectly calm first weekend of October was cleaning, dusting (and sneezing), organizing, moving, and cooking. Actually, it was a lot of cooking, and a lot of planning for this month’s cooking endeavors.

Mama Dazz knows the fall season is my favorite season of all, and as a treat won me a collection of some fabulous cookware on eBay. They are copper tinted bowls, pie dishes, and casserole dishes that had been in someone’s attic for decades (never used and with their individual stickers still intact). Soon to come in the next few days are my lemon yellow ramekins in a number of sizes and depths, of which I will celebrate by making baked ziti, shepherd’s pie, various desserts, breakfast bakes, and so much more. It is no coincidence that my bakeware came just in time for canned pumpkin to come to Trader Joe’s. Oh yes, there is going to be many recipes with pumpkin in it over the next two months, with pies, smoothies, breads, pancakes, sauces, breakfast bakes, and… do you hear growling? Either it’s something celebrating Halloween early under the bed or my stomach is getting hungry for pumpkin.

Anyway, I want to introduce to you my first breakfast bake. It’s just the base, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. The bowls were a tad small to put the batter into one (believe me, I tried), so I ended up with two small bran muffin looking breakfast bakes that were oh-so delicious and filling with a smidgeon of honey on top.

Basic Breakfast Bake

20 g (or 1.5 tbsp.) Kasha
22 g  (or 1.5 tbsp.) CGF steel cut oats
1 tbsp. Chia seeds
1 tbsp. Flaxseed meal
1 tbsp. Unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
2 oz Water
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
1 egg
10 g Butter

Combine the kasha, oats, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, applesauce, vinegar, and water in a smallish mixing bowl and let it sit covered overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Add in the baking powder, baking soda, and egg into the batter.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan (or microwave if you use it), and let it cool for a minute or so once liquefied.
Empty the melted butter into the bowl and evenly coat the edges of your baking dish, and pour the rest in with the mixture.
Transfer the batter into the dish and bake for thirty minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with honey, your choice of fruits, peanut butter and fruit preserves, or a drizzle of milk on top in a bowl.

Serves 1.