Oatmeal Griddle Cakes

This morning I woke up awfully early… 6:00 on a Sunday. I tried so hard to go back to sleep but just ended up tossing and turning. I finally decided to get up so DFJ can get a few more hours of sleep in peace. Sleeplessness has been my enemy over the past few weeks and questions about what the future may bring constantly haunt me. I seriously need to get over this for my own sanity. There are so many things on my mind lately and to-do lists just keep getting longer and longer with not much progress on the things that I should work on. In order to get away from it all, I indulge in some fun things like baking artisan bread with my own starter (more on that in a later post), doing yoga at home after my yoga teacher introduced me to YogaGlo, endless life conversations with DFJ, playing Settlers of Catan, watching Parenthood, reading The Casual Vacancy, and getting serious advice from friends. Life is really scary, complicated, and stressful… but you just can’t let it get to you. If you do, you fail to see what’s important and overlook the simplest of things that can make you smile. I need to live by these words and do better at being in the moment, just savoring the fact that I am alive.

When I tiptoed out of the bedroom in my pajamas, I turned on my old laptop and did something that I have been meaning to do for a long time, organize pictures and write them into CDs so I have back-ups. The project is far from over but it is a start. I moved back and forth from doing that to writing a blog post that will come up later this week, while a pot of oatmeal was bubbling away for this week’s Food Matter’s Project. Quite an eventful morning!

DFJ woke up just in time to find me mixing up a batter for Oatmeal Griddle Cakes. The lovely Aura, author of Dinner with Aura, picked this delicious brunch item for this week. These griddle cakes are hearty and healthy, just the perfect fuel to start your day! Between mouthfuls, DFJ looked at me and told me he wished every day is as relaxed and easy as a Sunday. I completely agree… on Sundays, we make breakfast leisurely, sip our coffee slowly, and actually get the chance to talk. It makes for a wonderful start to our day!

These griddle cakes are the perfect use for leftover oatmeal, but since I have not made oatmeal in a long time, I made a fresh pot using old-fashioned rolled oats, a pinch of salt, and a good douse of cinnamon after it was done cooking. I followed Mark Bittman’s original recipe closely except for a few tweaks: I used ½ cup of rye flour (in lieu of all-purpose and whole wheat) and I used a combination of dried figs and golden raisins.

 

I love the crispy exterior and the chewy interior, the heartiness of the oats, the sweet juiciness of the plumped up figs and raisins, and the wholesomeness of these griddle cakes. A little bit of agave nectar and some fruit on the side makes it even better. A thick smear of almond butter also makes for a very delicious post-workout snack (I devoured it in less than a minute after the gym today).

Visit Aura’s blog for the original Mark Bittman recipe and while you are over there, check out her delicious recipes and gorgeous photography. Also, don’t forget to stop by the Food Matter’s Project website to see what the other members came up with.

I hope everyone has a great Valentine’s week! This is the perfect time to go overboard in letting your loved ones know how much they mean to you and how much you appreciate them. While you’re at it, do take time to give yourself some love as well, because you deserve it!

P.S.

I love you guys and am so grateful to you for reading my words, listening to my stories, and checking out my recipes!

Carrot and Parsnip Salad

I have never been a big fan of raw food except for the green, leafy salads. However, I am now inspired to make more and more raw food recipes after making and savoring every bite of a wonderful salad from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison, the latest book I inherited from my special friend, Sally.

If you’re looking for a very delicious detox food after all those Superbowl snacks, this Carrot and Parsnip Salad is what you need. This is the kind of salad that can almost pass as dessert except for it is anything but! There are all sorts of healthy stuff in this salad… carrot, parsnip, dates, lemon, honey, Greek yogurt, and walnuts. Need I say more?

This salad is super fresh with delightful carrot and parsnip crunches. The honey-lemon vinaigrette gives it a bright and sweet flavor that almost tricks your mind into thinking you’re eating some sort of vegetable candy. Yum!

A feel good, sexy salad that is equal parts earthy, zesty, and crunchy… definitely the kind that you will want to eat non-stop! 

Carrot and Parsnip Salad (Makes 4 servings)

Adapted from Deborah Madison’s Parsnip Salad with Walnuts and Dates, Local Flavors

1 carrot, peeled
1 parsnip, peeled
8 dried and pitted Medjool dates
zest of a small lemon, (use a Meyer lemon if you have one)
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel
few grinds of black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and honey. Set aside.

Heat a small, nonstick pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, toast the walnuts for 5-7 minutes. Stir often to make sure the walnuts don't burn. Turn off the stove, move the walnuts into a small bowl, and let cool.

Grate the carrot and parsnip with a box grater, using the side with the large holes. Split the dates lengthwise and then cut into 6 pieces.

Place the grated carrot and parsnip into a large serving bowl. Add the chopped dates. Zest the lemon right into the bowl. Toss everything together with fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle the lemon-honey dressing over the ingredients and drop the Greek yogurt on top. Mix everything well together.

Cover and refrigerate if you don't serve it right away. Toss in the toasted walnuts right before serving.

Enjoy!

Cardamom-Scented Pear Crisp

Hi Everyone! The Food Matter’s Project members are baking up something oh-so-good this week. Camilla, author of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, picked a heavenly recipe: Cardamom-Scented Pear Crisp. Thank you Camilla, for choosing something so simple and so wonderful!

I love pears! They are great eaten as they are, of course. But they are also awesome in grilled cheese sandwiches, salads, pies, and tarts. I also happen to love pies and tarts, but as much as I love them, I find the process of making the dough a little tedious and it tests my patience (with the refrigerating to firm up the dough and all). When you make fruit crisps, you don’t have to deal with that! Butter, sugar, flour, and oats just get mixed together, sprinkled on top of the fruit slices, and bam, it’s ready to bake. In Mark Bittman’s recipe, which you will find in Camilla’s blog, walnuts are added in the crisp, which adds an awesome nutty crunch. 

Since this is a pear crisp, you will need a lot of pears. You know how pears can sometimes be hit or miss? Like sometimes, they are perfectly juicy and sweet and sometimes they need to sit around for a few days before they are ready? Well, you don’t need to worry about that in this recipe, once the pears cook in the oven, they will tenderize and turn out just fine! 

The cardamom flavored pear slices are just lovely. Cardamom adds warmth and spice to the pears and lets it take on an exotic feel. The crisp topping is perfect! I have never successfully made fruit crisps because the topping never turns out the way I want it to… this one turned out just right: crunchy, nutty, buttery, powdery, sweet, and everything good. Need I say more? 

This is a great dessert that everyone will surely love. It is delicious and healthy (no copious amounts of flour, sugar, and butter). Plus, it’s super easy to make!

For the original Mark Bittman recipe, head on over to Camilla’s blog. AND don’t forget to check out other FMP members’ take on this one at our website. 

Happy Monday you guys!

Everything Granola

I love making granola… you must know that by now (Yogi's Granola, Granola Crumbles, Easy Granola, Delicious Granola). As soon as we run out of granola, I have to make a new batch. DFJ loves it just as much as I do! This granola is not much different from the other granolas that I have made before. The process is pretty much the same, but this time I added more nuts (the more, the better), used more honey (since DFJ has an incredible attraction towards anything and everything sweet), and loaded it with different kinds of dried fruit (for extra sweetness and chew).

Granola is the perfect energy booster before starting a long day or a big workout. You can enjoy it with yogurt or milk. I prefer mine with a generous dollop of plain, Greek yogurt and some fresh fruit mixed in. DFJ likes it with milk. You can also just eat this granola by the handful to stave off that afternoon hunger. If you run out of dessert, this is a great alternative… a hefty sprinkling on vanilla ice cream, yes!

This Everything Granola is very delicious… sweetened just right with so many surprises in every crunchy-chewy bite!

Everything Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup cashews, coarsely chopped
½ cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sweetened, flaked coconut, tightly packed
 
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
 
½ cup chopped dates, dried and pitted
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
 
 
Position an oven rack in the middle slot and preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the oats, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, cashews, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and flaked coconut in a deep baking pan. Use your fingers to mix everything well together.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, thoroughly stir the olive oil, honey, agave nectar, vanilla extract, and salt until well mixed. Pour the wet mixture onto the dry mixture and stir, making sure that everything is well combined.

Put the granola into the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven every 15 minutes to stir the granola for even cooking.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix together the dates, raisins, and cranberries. Set aside. 

After 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven to stir in the dried fruit mixture. Bake for another 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, stir the granola, and bake for 5 more minutes. Turn the oven off and place the pan on a cooling rack. Allow the granola to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Granola may be stored for up to a week!   

 

Enjoy!