Carrot Crumb Cake Oatmeal [gf. v.]

Hello again! Long time no talk. College has started up again, and that means 3 square meals a day and a whole lotta food “study” breaks. As a result I haven’t been doing much cooking besides a smoothie here and there. Since my school doesn’t serve Sunday breakfast, I made this oatmeal last night and ate it cold out of the fridge this morning.

This oatmeal has plenty of shredded carrots for texture and bulk, and I also added coconut flour and almond butter for flavor and body. Oatmeal normally doesn’t keep me full (I’m a scrambled eggs or breakfast taco gal at heart), but the extra fiber from the coconut flour and fat from the almond butter does the trick.

One last thing, now that I’m looking at these pictures, I’m thinking that a nice dollop of vanilla greek yogurt (“cream cheese frosting”) would have been great on this. Try out that route if you’re adventurous.

Carrot Crumb Cake Oatmeal

• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 2/3 cup water or milk
• 1 packet Quaker lower sugar maple & brown sugar oats*
• 1 tbs almond butter
• 1 1/2 tbs coconut flour
• 1 1/2 tbs raisins
• granola, to top oatmeal**

1. In a mug, or in my case, a paper cup, add the shredded carrots and 1/3 cup of water or milk.
2. Microwave for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is hot and the carrots are beginning to soften.
3. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of water or milk and the packet of oats. Microwave for another 2 minutes, or until the oats are beginning to foam up.
4. Stir in the almond butter, coconut flour, and raisins. Add a bit more water or milk if the oats seem too thick.
5. Serve immediately, or refrigerate overnight and serve cold. Top with granola, and a drizzle of maple syrup if desired.

*Or, replace with 1/3 cup quick oats + maple syrup, to taste.

**I used crumbled nature valleys bars (I can get it at my dining hall) and the pieces added a nice crunch and sweetness, but most plain granolas should work. If your granola is chunky, pulse it in a food processor before serving.

 

 

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Oatmeal Stuffed Baked Apples

I have a pretty solid routine when it comes to being on the computer.

I usually start off with facebookstalking, move on to checking my email, scroll through a billion pages of reddit, look for any tumblr updates, check my deviantart, and if I have time, oogle at the mind-numbing brilliance of foodgawker.

The other day, managing to get through my whole checklist, I was drooling at desserts on foodgawker when I came upon a recipe for this.  Ice cream stuffed apples? Yum.  My cranium began turning and all of the sudden, a simple idea invaded my thoughts: oatmeal stuffed apples.

This is a new, revolutionary food-so healthy (you get your apple a day to keep the doctor away!) and yet so simple.  Portable, filling, and best of all: DELICIOUS!

Today’s version (I’m betting there will be more in the future ;)) is super simple-an apple stuffed with cinnamon apple raison oatmeal.  They take about 30 minutes to make, but I betcha they could easily be made on a weekend, and heated in a microwave for breakfast (who wants to turn on an oven for breakfast anyways).

Eat them plain for maximum nutritional value, or top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for maximum yum factor.

Cinnamon Raisin Apple Oatmeal Stuffed Baked Apples

• ½ cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbs brown sugar (add to taste)
• pumpkin pie spice, to taste (I used 1 tsp)
• 2 apples (dense apples probably not the best for this recipe)
• 1 tbs raisins
• OPTIONAL 1 tbs butter- I didn’t use.
• OPTIONAL- 1 tbs walnuts, chopped

1. Combine the oats and water in a large bowl, and microwave at high heat for four minutes.  Carefully watch to make sure it doesn’t overflow.  OR cook the oats on a stove until done.
2. Combine the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a ramekin.
3. Take the apples and cut the tops off.  Scoop out and dice the flesh of the apples.  Cut off the stems.
4. *OPTIONAL* Rub the butter along the inside of the apples.
5. Take about 1 tsp of the brown sugar spice mixture and spread on the inside of the apples.
6. Add the remaining spice-sugar mixture to the oatmeal, along with the raisins, diced apple flesh, and walnuts, if using.  I only used the flesh of one apple, and fed the rest to my dogs.
7. Place the tops of the apples back on, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
8. Serve plain, or with whipped cream and/or ice cream. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cake

Guess what? It’s finally autumn!

Well, I guess technically it has been autumn for a little while, but I judge seasons by the weather, and it finally started raining today! 🙂

It’s actually really funny because my dad, who despises cold weather, was visiting Czech this past week, and while he was gone it was super sunny and warm.  The day he came home it actually started raining, so he missed all of the good weather!

EDIT: Yikes! My blurb got deleted! I’m not sure how

Well, I’ll add the recipe asap (a.k.a when I can find it!)

EDIT2: Here it is:

Oatmeal Cake

• 1 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1 cup quick oats
• ½ cup shortening or butter (I replaced half with applesauce)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar (I replaced both sugars with 2 c palm sugar + 1tbs molasses)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cup flour

1. Place the water and oats in a bowl for 20 minutes.
2. Cream shortening/butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs and vanilla. (If using applesauce, add here)
4. Sift dry ingredients together.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet.  Stir until just combined.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

“Autumn” Cookies

“These cookies taste like Christmas”- Sonia.

“You know what, if you went to a store and asked for fall cookies-this would be exactly what you would get.”-Phil

“Mmm, they’re good”-Mom

As much as I’m straining to write more here-there’s really no other way to describe these cookies other than little blissful bites of holiday spirit.

Speaking of holiday spirit, I need a vacation, asap.  Junior year is just as difficult as predicted, which why my little blog is so neglected. So sorry! I’ve made many recipes recently, but I just haven’t had the time to blog about them.  😥 Luckily, now that my first English essay of the year is done (essays consume me.  I’m the world’s slowest writer), I ought to have a bit more time for Chomps of Life.  🙂

Anyways, since I have to get back to history, I’m going to leave you with the recipe.  These cookies are a perfect way to celebrate the beginning of fall, and they’re healthy too (well, they have white chocolate chips, but that could always be subbed for say, cocoa nibs or raisins).  The actual cookie base itself is sugar free, gluten free, and vegan. Woah! Admittedly I’m not a health food blogger, and I doubt I could ever be one, but I like to mix it up with some more health conscious recipes here and there. Well, as long as they’re delicious.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

1. In a large bowl, sift together:

• 1 cup of Pamela’s Gluten Free Flour* (or all purpose flour)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp allspice and nutmeg
• ½ tsp ginger

2. Add to the dry ingredients:

• 2 cups of old fashioned oats

3. Cream together until light and fluffy:

• ¼ cup vegan butter, melted* (real butter fine too!)
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1 ½ tsp dry egg replacer (or 1 egg)
• 1 ½ cups coconut palm sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup (if aiming for a sugar free recipe, sub with sugar free pancake syrup)

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine with a spatula. The dough will be very dry (but still formable into balls).

4. Mix in:

• 1 cup white chocolate chips***
• 1 cup dried cranberries (raisins if making the recipe sugar free)

5. Measure the cookies into 1 tablespoon sized balls, gently flatten on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for eight minutes. Enjoy with a glass of milk (or soymilk).

*Other gluten free mixes will work as well, just make sure xanthan gum is an ingredient (if it’s not, you’ll need to add ½ tsp xanthan gum).
**If working with a drier dough does not appeal to you, add up to ½ cup more melted butter for a more traditional cookie dough
*** I should add that white chocolate chips are neither sugar free nor vegan, so if making this recipe for someone that is, the white chocolate can be subbed with sugar free white chocolate, sugar free semi sweet chocolate, vegan chocolate chips, cocoa nibs, or just left out, because the cookies are already darn delicious without them.