Oatmeal!

Its oatmeal! Oatmeal is really delicious and healthy. (as long as you get a canister of  plain oats and not the packed sugar filled kind.) 

Oatmeal is a complete grain. It has tons of fiber so its good for the digestive track, it slows down the break down of starches, which evens out blood sugar levels, and oatmeal lowers cholesterol! Plus its packed with nutrients and minerals. A great food to start the day.

But why the heck am I posting a recipe for oatmeal? Its a seemingly simple dish, but I make mine a bit differntly than the average person.

1/4 cup rolled oats
Hot water
Yogurt or soy cream
Sliced fruit
Some sweetener, like sugar, agave nectar or maple surup

1.) Put some oats in a bowl
2.) Add a little hot water
3.) Mix the oats til they  become oatmeal like.
4.) Add some yogurt to it! It makes the oatmeal creamy and good.
5.) Add slices of fruit and cinnamon or other spices if you like.
6.) Add a little sweetener if you need it and then eat!

Another great thing about rolled oats...you can also make granola out of them and add then to breads that you bake or even stick them in pancakes!

Italian Bread Dipping Sauce

I love this stuff. Its simple and makes a great snack, especially with some sliced Roma tomatoes.

Just make sure to remember that 2-3 Tbsps of oil/fat a day (saturated or unsaturated) is what the average person should be getting. (most people get much more than this) So its not a good idea to eat a whole bread loaf with this stuff. But the serving you see there is barely half a Tbsp, and I didn't even use the whole thing up when I was eating. It's also a lot easier to control your fat intake when you make foods from scratch than it is when you eat processed and canned foods, so learning how to cook with fresh foods is one of the best things you can do.

Ok, no more tangent, here's the recipe:

1 cup oil
Basil, Parsley, Oregano,
Minced Garlic, Black Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper
Anatto, Rosemary

1.) Mix all the ingredients up in a jar, bottle or bowl.
2.) Let it sit together over night so the oil will get infused with the flavors.
3.) Eat with some bread and tomatoes or cheese if you like.

The oil is good for about a week. After that botulism can start to accumulate in the oil, and getting the black death from your food can't be good.

Dutch Pancakes

The first time I saw a photo of these crazy things, I knew I had to make one. The presentation is fantastic, and it tastes wonderful too. It was also a lot easier than I thought it would be to make.

3 eggs (Sorry but there is no vegan alternative, this is primarily an egg food and substitutes won't work.)
1/2 cup milk / Soy milk
1/2 cup Flour (bread flour works the best)
Dash of Salt
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
7 teaspoons butter or earth balance


Toppings:
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Powdered or confectioners sugar
Maple Syrup
Ricotta Cheese, Gjetost cheese, or another desert cheese.
Fruit
Ham, Sausage or vegetables (leave out the sugar and vanilla if you make the savory version)

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place an iron skillet or oven safe frying pan or 10 inch cake pan in the oven.
2.) In a bowl beat the eggs until they are thick and frothy.
3.) Fold in the milk, vanilla, salt, and flour. (if you like you could also add chocolate chips, cinnamon, dried fruits or nuts)
4.) The batter will be thin but creamy looking. Once the Oven is heated, Drop the butter into the pan and spread it around with a fork.
5.) Pour the batter into the Pan and close the oven.
6.) Bake for 20-25 minutes. The pancake will puff up as it cooks and its done when it starts to brown a bit.
7.) Take the dutch pancake out of the oven and cut into wedges and place on plates. Add toppings and eat.

Dutch pancakes taste like a cross between crepes and mergenue. I thought it was pretty quick and easy to do. The whole process takes about 30 minutes and this recipe will feed 2-4 people. (though I admit to eatting the whole thing myself...)

Basic Crepes

This is a basic crepe recipe that can be modified to your taste and the situation. I make them often in college since there are few ingredients and it takes a small amount of time and effort.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, This is optional, for dessert crepes.
2 eggs / 2 tablespoons maple syrup or 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk

1. Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Once every thing is mixed bang the bowl on the cabinet to get the air bubbles out. You can also let the batter sit in the fridge for an hour.
3. Heat a small non-stick skillet and grease with butter, oil, or non-stick spray.
4. Pour about a tablespoon of batter into the center of the pan and swirl it around so the batter covers the entire surface.
5. Cook for 30 seconds and then flip the crepe, being careful not to fold it.
6. Cook the crepe for 20 more seconds and then put it on a flat plate or cutting board to cool.
7. Continue making crepe this way until all the batter is gone.
8. Once the crepes are cool you can stack them and they won't stick together.
9. Put anything you like into your crepes, meat, fruit, cheese and then eat!