Posts Tagged ‘oats’
Strawberry Banana Granola
May 15, 2013 | 
Author Today I get to branch out and guest post on The Little Ferraro Kitchen! Go over and check out this recipe for strawberry banana granola.
STRAWBERRY BANANA GRANOLA
Source: Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen.
One year ago: Raw Cookie Dough Bites
Hot Oat & Quinoa Cereal
Memphis may be experiencing highs in the 80s and lows only in the 60s, but that doesn’t stop me from craving a warm breakfast. The great thing about this oatmeal/cereal is that you can prepare it the night before and then reheat it in the morning, complete with some great toppings. It even has some quinoa in it instead of just being all oats so it’s packed with extra protein. And by the way even if you are not a quinoa fan, it blends right in. Which got me to thinking, maybe I should try adding quinoa to granola bars?
One year ago: Blueberry Oatmeal Bagels
HOT OAT & QUINOA CEREAL
Serves 4
Ingredients:
CEREAL
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup rinsed quinoa (you can buy it pre-rinsed)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamon
4 cups water
TOPPINGS
Milk
Maple syrup
Toasted pepitas
Toasted walnuts
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, bring dried fruit, steel-cut oats, quinoa, raisins, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and water to a boil. Cover and let sit off heat overnight. (Alternatively, bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until grains are tender, 20-25 minutes.)
- Before serving, reheat cereal in saucepan, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed, until warmed through, 5-8 minutes. Serve with milk, maple syrup, pepitas, and walnuts.
Source: Bon Appetit February 2013
Posted in Breakfast, Oatmeal | 
Tags: cranberry, maple syrup, oats, pepitas, quinoa, raisins, walnuts | 
4 Comments »
Speculoos Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Granola Bars
In my opinion the best granola bars are the soft chewy ones, and after the no-bake peanut butter granola bars I made I wasn’t sure a granola bar could get any better. But after seeing Lindsay’s recipe for oatmeal cookie dough granola bar in her Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook, I decided that the granola bar base from the peanut butter bars were destined to be combined with cookie dough. And not just any cookie dough, but an oatmeal raisin cookie dough with Speculoos cookie butter mixed in. I even went so far as to mix the cookie butter into the granola bar base itself. They may not be the healthiest granola bars, but they taste just like an oatmeal raisin cookie but are better for you than a cookie! Which means they are highly addicting.
One year ago: Flavor-Injected Glazed Ham
SPECULOOS OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE DOUGH GRANOLA BARS
Makes 12 bars
Ingredients:
COOKIE DOUGH
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp Speculoos (or Biscoff) cookie butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp quick oats
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
BAR BASE
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Speculoos (or Biscoff) cookie butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
Directions:
- Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhanging over two opposite edges. Set aside.
- Make the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, beat butter, Speculoos cookie butter, and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, oats, salt, and cinnamon on low speed until incorporated. Fold in raisin and walnuts.
- Make the bar base: In a large sauce pan, add butter, brown sugar, honey, and Speculoos cookie butter. Heat over meadium-low, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Stir in the oats and crispy cereal until well coated. Pour half into the prepared pan. Press the mixture evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the cookie dough over the top followed by the remaining oat mixture and gently press with your hands until evenly spread and flat.
- Place the bars in the refrigerator and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Cut into bars and serve.
Source: Cookie dough adapted from The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook, by Lindsay Landis. Granola bars adapted from Two Peas and Their Pods.
Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast, Granola | Tags: honey, oats, raisins, speculoos, walnuts | 12 Comments »
Steel Cut Oatmeal with Bananas & Cobbler Topping
After my trip to Trader Joe’s this past weekend, I have successfully inhaled three of their dark chocolate peanut butter filled cupcakes. The fourth I reluctantly decided to share with my labmates before I ended up finishing it off myself. But those three cupcakes are still sitting not-so-pretty in my belly so it’s time for some oatmeal! Because healthy things negate bad calories, right? Which is why I will later eat some s’mores cookie dough bites for dessert O:-).
One year ago: Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Smoked Paprika
Two years ago: Potica Nut Roll
STEEL CUT OATMEAL WITH BANANAS & COBBLER TOPPING
Serves 2
Ingredients:
OATMEAL
1 tsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1-1/2 cups water
Pinch salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cinnamon
TOPPING
1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp rolled oats
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1 banana, sliced
Maple syrup (optional)
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in steel cut oats, coat in butter and toast lightly about 2 minutes. Stir in water and salt. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer lightly for 20 minutes, covered. Stir milk into oatmeal, cover and cook another 10-15 minutes or until oats are cooked completely. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Divide between two bowls.
- For the cobbler topping, stir all ingredients together until combined and divide into two equal portions. Top each bowl with prepared topping, bananas and maple syrup. Serve warm.
Source: Barely adapted from Lauren’s Latest.
Raw S’mores Cookie Dough Bites
After seeing Christina’s S’mores Cookie Dough Bites, I decided to make my own using the recipe for Raw Cookie Dough Bites. Visually they might not look as pretty or resemble traditional cookie dough, but they certainly taste like cookie dough and they are packed with good-for-you nuts. Just overlook the marshmallow bits, chocolate, and graham crackers haha.
Speaking of nuts, I’m going to tell you a little tale about innocent highschool-me. As part of my senior AP English class, we wrote different styled/themed poems and one particular assignment involved writing a customer complaint in the form of a poem (I cannot remember which style). These poems were then read in front of the class by either the writer or the teacher (I always let her read mine, I preferred the anonymity although one time I wrote one about my mom and everyone knew it was me but I digress). One student wrote a poem to a candy bar company complaining about the use of nuts in nearly all of their products. The poem went on and on about how much it ruined the ability to enjoy said candy bars and my uncensored reaction was “::GASP:: I love nuts!”, to which everyone turned to stare at me at laugh. Yea, I said that out loud and not in a low voice. And no, I did not realize what it sounded like until it was too late.
But you know what, I do love nuts dang it and I’m not ashamed to say it no matter what it sounds like! These cookie dough balls are proof of my profession, because they actually curb my real cookie cravings. In other words they are magic.
One year ago: Corned Beef with Blackberry Mustard Glaze
RAW S’MORES COOKIE DOUGH BITES
Makes about 2 dozen
Ingredients:
2/3 cup raw almonds
2/3 cup raw walnuts
2/3 cup raw rolled oats
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
2 Tbsp mallow bits (or cut up miniature marshmallows)
2 Tbsp crushed graham crackers
Directions:
- In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to a fine meal.
- Add the agave nectar and vanilla and process to combine.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls (about 1 Tbsp each) and place them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper.
- Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour to firm up. Store balls in a tightly covered container in the freezer.
Source: Adapted from A Dash of Compassion, inspired by Mis-Cakes Oven Adventures.
Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Desserts, Truffles & Bark | Tags: agave nectar, almonds, chocolate, graham crackers, marshmallows, oats, walnuts | 4 Comments »
Healthier Dark Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins
When it comes to brown bananas (unlike the yellow ones in the background of the image below), muffins are the most frequent utilization. So I decided to pump up the health factor of my all-time favorite muffins, Banana Peanut Butter Cup Muffins. I used a butter substitute, reduced the sugar and used brown + natural sweetener instead of all white sugar, traded the egg for flax, used ground oats in place of some of the flour, dark chocolate instead of the mini peanut butter cups, and finished it off with a crumbly oat topping instead of coarse sugar. I kind of miss the peanut butter, but I can solve that be spreading some on while I eat it O:-).
HEALTHIER DARK CHOCOLATE CHUNK BANANA MUFFINS
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
4 Tbsp Melt buttery spread, melted (or favorite butter substitute)
1/4 cup granulated Swerve sweetener (or favorite sugar substitute)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground oats
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
TOPPING
2 Tbsp oats
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas with melted butter and sugars. Mix well. Add the flax egg and mix well.
- Sprinkle in salt, baking soda and flour. Then, gently fold in dark chocolate. Be careful not to overmix!
- In a small bowl combine the oats and brown sugar for the topping.
- Divide amongst greased muffin tins and sprinkle tops with oat topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.
Source: Adapted from Eat, Live, Run.
Posted in Breakfast, Muffins | Tags: bananas, dark chocolate, flaxseed, oats, whole wheat | 6 Comments »
Baked Banana-Pecan Oatmeal
While at the self-check out line at Kroger over the weekend, the attendant came up to me and asked in a fascinated voice, “How did you get your hair that color?” I get this question quite often (although not so many with such amazed looks on their faces), so I proceeded to say how I have to bleach my dark brown hair first in order for the purple to show up in my bangs. Apparently this answer was insufficient to her, because she still looked very confused upon asking, “But what did you dye your hair with?” My response – “Purple hair dye”. Disbelieving me she said “They make that color?”, and I secretly rolled my eyes while thinking “obviously” but instead politely said, “Yes, you can get hair dye in any color you can think of”. This shocked her, which I found amusing but it was sufficient to fulfill her curiosity as she asked no more questions. On that note, I’m going to be really bummed when I finally dye my bangs back to brown. Over the years, I have received compliments from a wide variety of ages, ethnicities, and gender about how much they like my hair. But my favorite is when little girls point and say to their moms, “Her hair is pretty!”
Just like the bangs on top of my head, this oatmeal has a sassy top. A caramelized top, not purple. And as far as baked oatmeal goes, this one retains the most moisture compared to others I have tried. Although, it is likely due to the fact that it’s mostly prepared on the stovetop and then just broiled in the oven. But who is complaining with a bowl of creamy oatmeal and caramelization?
BAKED BANANA-PECAN OATMEAL
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups steel-cut oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp whole milk (I used almond milk instead)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 firm-ripe bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick on disgonal
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
Directions:
- In a medium pot, bring 4-1/2 cups water to a boil. Stir in oats and salt and cook 1 minute. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Bring oatmeal to a simmer over medium-high. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk and vanilla. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.
- Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Top oatmeal with bananas and brown sugar and broil until bananas are caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans and serve.
Source: Everyday Food, December 2012
Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Parfaits
Weekday breakfasts are always a challenge, as many of you have heard me complain about before. Everyday I say I am going to put forth more effort than just tipping the top of a cereal box over a bowl, but most of the time it fails and I end up cooing breakfast for dinner instead. But these parfaits may provide that extra motivation to turn the heat on in the morning. This is a relatively quick parfait to make as you can have the crumble baking, the apples simmering, and the quinoa cooking all at the same time. They are also great prepared a head of time (such as the night before), just assemble when ready to eat. An even better thing about this parfait, is that even non-quinoa lovers will enjoy it. The quinoa is flavored with cinnamon and then hidden between layers of syrupy apples, tangy vanilla Greek yogurt, and crunchy oat crumbles. It’s a protein sneak attack!
One year ago: Beef with Barley Soup
CINNAMON APPLE QUINOA PARFAITS
Serves 4
Ingredients:
OAT CRUMBLE
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts (optional)
CINNAMON APPLE COMPOTE
4 apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp sugar
1-2 Tbsp water + more, if needed
OTHER
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt (such as 0% vanilla Chobani)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine all ingredients for the crumble in a small bowl. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients for the apple compote, mixing well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Partially cover and cook until apples are softened and liquid is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add more water if needed in the cooking process. Take off heat and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions. Stir in cinnamon. Set aside to cool.
- To assemble, spoon 1/4 cup yogurt in bottom of a bowl, 1/4 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup cinnamon apple compote into each of 4 bowls. Repeat the layering and top with oat crumble.
Source: Prevention RD
Meyer Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Okay, after a week full of sweets being thrown at you, it’s time to enjoy a nice fresh and healthy breakfast (and maybe you can make this for your overnight Valentine ::wink wink::). It was especially necessary for me to get a good bite this morning because it’s going to be another long day in the lab. Fridays are supposed to be nice and easy days but no, I am determined to get stuff done. Having had this for breakfast hopefully the day won’t seem so bad, although I wish I still had some Meyer lemon curd to put on top.
Anywho that’s all I’ve got today. If you need me, I’ll be at my bench developing carpal tunnel from excessive pipetting .
One year ago: Caramelized Chicken with Jalapeno Cream
Two years ago: Chocolate Covered Cherries
MEYER LEMON BLUEBERRY BAKED OATMEAL
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced
2 cups nonfat milk
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Zest lemon; set zest aside. In a bowl, combine milk and juice from the zested lemon to make “buttermilk”.
- In a medium bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, spices, and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk together the “buttermilk”, butter, egg, and sugar.
- Spoon half of the oat mixture into the baking dish, and then half of the blueberries. Add the remaining oat mixture and scatter the remaining blueberries on to the top, pressing them in slightly. Pour in the milk mixture and place in oven.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture is a light golden brown along the edges, and the center has set up.
Source: Prevention RD
Overnight, Slow Cooker Eggnog Cranberry Steel-Cut Oatmeal
I know I left you hanging on Friday by saying I specifically whipped up homemade eggnog to use in a recipe, so today I am telling you why I went through all that trouble. I used it in slow cook oatmeal! Why? Because there’s nothing better than breakfast ready and waiting for you in the morning. And when you live by yourself that notion is pretty much impossible (without a slow cooker).
The eggnog added the perfect amount of sweetness to the oatmeal, which is why you don’t see any sugar in the ingredient list. So yes, homemade eggnog was worth the extra time in order to make this oatmeal. Eggnog may actually become a year round thing so I can continue to have a supply of this oatmeal. All to myself.
Also, I would like to point out that you can cook this oatmeal two different ways in your slow cooker. The first method cooks on low continuously, and leaves you with crispy edges along the walls of the slow cooker. But if you would prefer not to have those edges, cook it on high for a short time and then it stays in the slow cooker while it cools overnight. It’s as if you blast it with heat and then let it gradually go down to low and then off, which means you will have to heat up the finished oatmeal in the morning. The latter method is the one I used. As you can see in my picture, I still had a little bit of the crispy edge phenomenon but I thought it added great texture.
Two years ago: Stuffed Green Peppers
OVERNIGHT, SLOW COOKER EGGNOG CRANBERRY STEEL-CUT OATMEAL
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 cups eggnog
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chia seeds or ground flax seeds
Optional toppings: chopped nuts, additional dried cranberries, additional eggnog, sprinkled with nutmeg or cinnamon
- Method #1 for crispy edges: Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger*) slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on low for approximately 5 hours, or until oats are cooked & softened, and edges have browned. (Slow cooker times may vary.) Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired.
- Method #2 without crispy edges: Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger*) slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover and set on high for 1.5 hours. Stir, cover and turn off heat. Let them sit in crock pot for 8 hours with it turned off. The heat will continue to cook them as the crock pot cools down. In the morning the oats will be cooked. Warm up and serve with additional toppings, if desired
- Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well.
*I used a 6 quart slow cooker since that’s all I have.
Source: Adapted from The Yummy Life and Mother Thyme.
