vegetable breakfast bowls

 Sweet potato-kale-zucchini breakfast bowls from here, with some adjustments.  It's ... very tasty.  Almost too much because I had a heavy hand, worried about vapid vegan fare.  It also took over two hours to get together and it only made enough for 2-3 meals, so definitely not something to do on a work morning, but a nice Saturday morning activity (and I wonder if I could roast vegetables at my office kitchen).  It's just about restaurant quality, TBH. 

#1 - savory granola (I omitted everything in italics and it still turned out great)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ground flax meal
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup raw buckwheat groats
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds or hemp seeds
• 1/3 cup coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup golden raisins optional
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup aquafaba or liquid from a can of chickpeas; substitute an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons safflower grapeseed, or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F and line one or two baking sheets with parchment. Mix the flax, oats, buckwheat, all of the seeds, coconut flakes, raisins, and all of the spices/seasonings together in a large mixing bowl.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the aquafaba, oil, and maple syrup. Pour this wet mixture over the granola mix and stir well to combine everything evenly.
• Bake the granola for 20-25 minutes, stirring a few times during cooking to ensure that the granola at the edges of your baking pan doesn't burn. Allow the granola to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight storage container.

 

#2 - turmeric tahini dressing

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon tamari or nama shoyu
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated finely on a microplane, or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 small clove garlic grated on a microplane or finely minced (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/3 cup water (to desired consistency)
  

Mix together. Note: the flavor is intense.  This will be good on a salad with chickpeas and the savory granola.

 

#3 - roasted vegetables

I did sweet potatoes and zucchini per her recommendations.  Other vegetables could work.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Chop zucchini, mix with oil & salt and pepper, put on pan.  Peel and chop sweet potato, toss with oil and salt & pepper (other spices as desired).  I put it all on one pan and roasted for 30 minutes.  That was a little too long.  

 

#4 - sauteed kale - from here.

Heat oil in skillet and cook 2 cloves garlic until soft (not colored).  Add in 1/2 c. stock and chopped (young, soft) kale and bring to a boil.  Cover and let cook 5 minutes. Remove cover and cook until liuid evaporates.  Add 1T red wine vinegar (2T was too much) and salt/pepper to taste.

 

#5 - Assemble bowls with vegetables, granola, and dressing. 

baked oatmeal

This was super tasty, though I found it too sweet with 1/3 c. maple syrup and 1 T sugar over the top, and more desserty than breakfasty (I never have sugar for breakfast).  Excellent with yogurt!

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup roughly chopped pecans
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (or ½ teaspoon regular table salt)
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 ¾ cups milk
• ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 large eggs or flax eggs
• 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or coconut oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 ounces or 1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries (or 2 ½ cups of your preferred berry/fruit, chopped into ½” pieces if necessary), divided - I used 3small gala apples on bottom and blueberries on top and it was super tasty.  I think it might be good with carrots and apples, too. 
  
• 2 teaspoons raw sugar (optional)
• Optional toppings for serving: plain/vanilla yogurt or whipped cream, additional maple syrup or honey for drizzling, and/or additional fresh fruit

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish. Once the oven has finished preheating, pour the nuts onto a rimmed baking sheet. Toast for 4 to 5 minutes, until fragrant.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, toasted nuts, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Whisk to combine.
3. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the milk, maple syrup or honey, egg, half of the butter or coconut oil, and vanilla. Whisk until blended. (If you used coconut oil and it solidified in contact with the cold ingredients, briefly microwave the bowl in 30 second increments, just until the coconut oil melts again.)
4. Reserve about ½ cup of the berries for topping the baked oatmeal, then arrange the remaining berries evenly over the bottom of the baking dish (no need to defrost frozen fruit first). Cover the fruit with the dry oat mixture, then drizzle the wet ingredients over the oats. Wiggle the baking dish to make sure the milk moves down through the oats, then gently pat down any dry oats resting on top.
5. Scatter the remaining berries across the top. Sprinkle some raw sugar on top if you’d like some extra sweetness and crunch.
6. Bake for 42 to 45 minutes, until the top is nice and golden. Remove your baked oatmeal from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Drizzle the remaining melted butter on the top before serving.
7. I prefer this baked oatmeal served warm, but it is also good at room temperature or chilled (I’ll leave that up to you!). This oatmeal keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 to 5 days. I simply reheat individual portions in the microwave before serving.

farmers market breakfast bread

This is pretty tasty!

Farmers Market Breakfast Bread

Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (120 grams)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• spices (cinnamon, cardamom, etc.
• 1/2 cup sugar (or less)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons oil (plus for pan)
• 1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
• 2 cups shredded vegetables (one or combo - beets, carrots, summer squash)  - I made it with an apple and a couple of carrots; may try some sauerkraut next time.
  

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil; set aside.

2. Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. Whisk the sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until pale and shiny, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the oil and yogurt. Pour in the flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the vegetables, stirring just enough to distribute vegetables evenly throughout.

4. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Pick up the pan and gently tap it on the counter three times to dislodge any bubbles. Bake until the top is golden-brown, the bread is pulling away from the sides, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 60 to 70 minutes.

5. Let the bread cool in the pan 20 minutes. Flip the bread out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

vegetarianish

 I've been noticing for awhile that meat is less than appealing to me.  Especially in modern-day America, what do we really have?  Chicken, beef, pork?  Pork upsets my digestion if I do more than a bit of seasoning with it, and chicken is getting there.  I kind of force myself to eat it because I want to get the protein, but I don't enjoy it.  Beef is ... ok, and I like things like ground beef in chili and such.  But ... meh.  I do eat a fair amount of salmon because it's local and I can tell my brain works better with it.  And I've been on a bit of a cheese jag, and of course yogurt is always central to my diet, but I'm not a fan of the milk industry and I can't get local humane dairy.  I cannot eat eggs on their own (fried, scrambled, etc.) unless I want some raving diarrhea (they're still fine mixed into baked goods, thankfully).  I currently have a chicken carcass simmering to can up some broth and it got me thinking ... as much as I love chicken broth, could I make a vegetable broth that I love as much?  Like with dried mushrooms and such? 

What has been exciting to me for years is vegetables.  While a typical American supermarket produce department isn't often that exciting , farmers markets goods are much more so.  I'm eating pea shoots today for lunch for the first time thanks to a local farmer.  And what I can grow delights as well.  And there are sometimes interesting things that come through a produce department that I have to keep an eye for.  I've also found a pretty good source for things like beans and nuts, which were harder to get in my last location.  And there's an Asian market I need to go check out.  

While when younger I was vegetarianish, something I've chafed against is the rigidness of it and how demanding people can be about it.  I absolutely refuse expensive substitutes, believing that a vegetarian diet can provide more interest than a meat-focused one so why substitute for something inferior?  

Simultaneously, I've been finding processed foods repulsive (they've never been a big part of my life, and now I'm especially eschewing them), and kicking sugar is a very good plan for me. And more of my friends are going "plant-based" in an enthusiastic manner.  Some for reasons like becoming friends with a pig, others as a lifesaving measure with health issues.  I read an interesting article recently about how veganism is more popular among African-Americans, and that tracks with my friends and I'm interested in this "vegan soul food" and such for good ideas.  

So, this is no manifesto or oath to live with no animal products.  It's just a recognition that if I'd rather eat white beans instead of chicken, that I should just eat the damn white beans.  And maybe try some other things, like vegetable broth.  

Back from decades ago when vegetarianish, I quite liked a lentil shepherd's pie I used to make, probably similar to this.

A good reminder of black bean and sweet potato burritos (good for breakfasts, something I struggle with). 

Sweet potato-millet pancakes sound great. As does this sweet potato breakfast bowl with savory granola. Savory turmeric chickpea oats?  Hm

Stoked to make this baked oatmeal with a too-sour apple and blueberries about to turn.

Vegetarian posole?  Why not!  While the homemade chicken broth is a great, the chicken is my least favorite part, and I don't even consider pork.  Why not use beans?

Watching Ask the Doctor and they were making lentil burgers with potato so I found this Aussie recipe that looks tasty.  Another option for lentil patties.  Some whole wheat buns to go with them.

blueberry feta salad

 Obviously I can just toss things together, but this recipe gives good ideas.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups spinach and arugula salad mix
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (about 1/2 pint)
• 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

How to Make It

Toast pecans in 400 oven about 5-7 minutes, until slightly browned and fragrant.  In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add spinach and arugula mix, blueberries, pecans, and feta cheese, tossing gently to combine.

 

yogurt cake

 I made a batch of yogurt with some bad bacteria in it (tastes way off) that I'm using up for baking.  Everything has so much sugar in it, but this does not and it's still moist and tasty.  I don't usually have lemons about (they're expensive here), so I wonder about some other flavor instead of lemon zest.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250gr) plain yogurt
• 2 leveled cups (250gr) all-purpose flour or light spelt flour (I mixed both)
• 1/2 cup (100gr) white or unrefined cane sugar
• 1/2 scant cup (approx 80gr) vegetable oil 
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla essence
• 1 Lemon, zest
• 1 pinch salt

JAM GLAZE

• 3 Tbsp apricot or orange jam

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F°/180C° and place the rack in the middle position.
• Grease a 9x5x2.5 inch loaf pan with butter, cooking spray, or simply line the pan with parchment paper (in this case there's no need to grease the pan).
• Mix eggs and sugar, then add oil, lemon zest, vanilla essence and mix again. Add yogurt (not very cold) and mix it into a smooth consistency. All in one bowl.
• Whisk flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt together and add to the wet batter until just combined. 
• Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. 
• Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 
• You can serve it plain or brushed with some quick and easy jam glaze which adds a lovely shine and flavor. Fruit glaze: put 3 tablespoons of apricot or orange jam into a small saucepan. Heat gently over low heat until the jam has melted and If it looks too thick adjust the consistency with a tiny bit of warm water. When the glaze is the consistency of runny honey, brush the yogurt cake straight away.