lindsay's homemade oatmeal.

I've been meaning to blog about this recipe for months now, but the problem is that every time I make it, it's just slightly different. Kind of hard to write down a recipe that's always changing and all in my head...but here we go! I've been making a version of this homemade oatmeal for the last year now. Every Sunday night I will make a large pot of it and eat it for breakfast the next week. Wow...that just made me sound really boring! I do mix it up every once in a while...have some eggs, cereal...avocado on toast (for those of you who know my obsession with avocado)...but really, this is a staple at our house. 

The great thing about this recipe is how versatile it is. Really...the ingredients listed below are but mere suggestions. Feel free to add whatever "add-ins" you like from coconut, to dried fruit, to fresh fruit...even chocolate chips! Although I personally don't think I could stomach chocolate chips first thing in the morning...but to each their own. This recipe can be made and eaten immediately or reheated whenever you like. I generally keep it in a container in the fridge and scoop a bowlful for myself for breakfast. A splash of milk or water and a couple of minutes in the microwave and presto...instant oatmeal! 

One thing to keep in mind, this isn't your typical Quaker Instant Oatmeal, so don't expect it to taste like it. For starters, it's actually good for you! Depending on what you have on hand in your cupboards (and what your diet may be lacking) the sky's the limit! If you're looking to add a little fibre to your diet, some fresh fruit or a couple tablespoons of oat bran would be great. Adding a couple tablespoons of ground flax seed is a great source of antioxidants and Omega-3's. If you're trying to cut back on sugar, skip the brown sugar and maple syrup (although I must say it won't taste nearly as good!). Steel-cut oats are a slightly tougher, chewier oat and because they take longer for your body to digest, they keep you feeling fuller longer. Sorry for the spiel on nutrition, but eating this oatmeal for breakfast every morning just makes me feel slightly less guilty when a baguette and cheese becomes my dinner.

Oh...one last suggestion...buy your ingredients at a bulk store! Some grocery stores will package some of these ingredients in fancy containers with fancy labels and claim they are shipped from Ireland, but by buying everything at a bulk store, this recipe should cost you mere pennies!

Lindsay's Homemade Oatmeal

- (4) cups of water

- (1) cup of steel-cut oats

- (1) pinch of salt

- (1/4) tsp. cinnamon

- (1) cup of large flake oats (quick oats will work too)

- (1/2) cup of raisins, or any other dried or fresh fruit

- (1/8) cup of flax seeds, coconut, slivered almonds, etc. (optional)

- (2) tbsp. ground flax, oat bran, etc. (optional)

- (1) cup of milk 

- (2-3) tbsp. pure maple syrup, honey, agave, etc. (depending on how sweet you like it)

- (2-3) tbsp. brown sugar or another sweetener (again...depending on how sweet you like it)

To start, add 4 cups of water to a large pan along with 1 cup of steel-cut oats. Add a pinch of salt and cinnamon and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. 

Once the oats come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure you keep an eye on your oatmeal at this point, stirring occasionally and watching that it doesn't boil over. You will notice that a good portion of the liquid will evaporate, but while there is still a fair amount of liquid left in the pot, add in the large flake oats, the raisins (or whatever dried fruit you may be using), the flax seeds, and the ground flax seed. Stir to combine.

Just a side note that your body has a tough time processing flax seeds properly and you don't always get all the nutritional benefits from whole flax seeds. This is why ground flax seeds and flax seed oil are far more beneficial nutritionally, but I just like to add them for some texture.

 Stir in one cup of milk. This will give your oatmeal a creamy texture. Add in maple syrup and brown sugar (or whatever sweeteners you may or may not be using). Cook on low heat for another 10 minutes or so...again, stirring occasionally. You will start to see your oatmeal become a thick, creamy ooey gooey masterpiece!

And there you have it! Homemade oatmeal! Remove from heat and either serve immediately or let it cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

 

chili...inside and out.

Okay. First I must apologize. Again I have been M.I.A. for far too long. I could give you my list of excuses...busy at work, being without my camera, a little detour to Puerta Vallarta...but really...no one likes excuses. So here it is...my world famous chili! Okay...maybe not the world, but maybe Southern Ontario...or at least the Niagara Region...okay, maybe just at my house...but one day...

I know this recipe seems like an odd one to share considering it's spring and chili is generally more of a winter's night kind of meal, but for those of you living in Southern Ontario, or Montreal, or Halifax or even Trenton, Michigan...we've been teased with some warm days, but the 5 day forecast is looking cold and rainy! My solution...stay in your PJ's all day today, tune in to the "W" network and watch a cheesy romantic comedy from the 80's, and make a big pot of chili. Just a suggestion :).

This recipe is of course a spin off of another recipe I found...an award winning recipe at that. Stratford, Ontario hosts a yearly "Heartburn Day" festival where people gather to share their favourite recipe for chili, and this was one of the winners! This festival MUST be Stratford's true claim to fame...not this one hit wonder Justin Bieber :).


People's Choice Chili
(Serves 4-6)
 
- (7) slices of bacon
- (1) lb of lean ground beef
- (1) onion, chopped
- (1) clove of garlic, minced
- (2) tbsp of brown sugar, packed
- (1) can (19oz) diced tomatoes
- (1) can (19oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- (1) can (14oz) pork and beans in molasses
- (1/3) cup of vinegar
- (1) tsp dry mustard
- (3) tbsp chili powder
- (1) tsp Worcestershire sauce
- (1/2) tsp salt
- (1/4) tsp pepper
- hot pepper sauce (however much you like)


Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp and then drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.

Drain fat from pan if you wish and increase heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef to the pan, breaking it up with a spoon. Add the chopped onions to the pan and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until no longer pink. The key is to have a handsome guy like this to help break apart the ground beef :).

There are two ways to proceed from here. You can either choose to bake the chili or put it in the crockpot. If you're hoping to eat the chili right away, baking it will be much quicker, but if you're making it ahead of time, letting it simmer all day is good option. 
Add all the remaining ingredients to either an oven-proof casserole dish or your crockpot, including the ground beef mixture and crumbled bacon. Stir until combined.

If you're baking the chili, cover and bake at 300 degrees F for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid after 2 hours and bake for an additional hour, allowing the chili to thicken. If you've chosen to cook the chili in the crock pot, set to medium heat and allow to simmer for 4-6 hours, again stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!

 

coconut red lentil soup.

I must explain to all of you my lack of blogging recently. It isn't that I've been too lazy, although once you hear the real reason you may beg to differ. It isn't that I haven't been cooking. Trust me...we've been eating. And it definitely isn't due to a lack of new recipes to share. Since recently joining the addictive habit of Pinterest, my camera is overloaded with new recipes we've been trying. Sidebar...I must apologize to all of you who are "following" my posts on Pinterest, as my "repins" have all been of the foodie persuasion.

The real reason for my recent absence has been due to a little technical glitch with my laptop. I have recently lost all function of my letter "e", and for those of you who think this may not be a big deal...stop and consider the number of times I have had to "copy" and "paste" just to write this paragraph! Super frustrating! And it's a "good" day when it's just my letter "e" that decides not to work. Some particularly frustrating days, my "e" along with my "d", my "s" and some days even my "c" decide not to work! Luckily this is a "good" day. My husband is convinced this problem must be some sort of virus I picked up on Pinterest, but I'm not fully convinced. I unfortunately think it has more to do with the honey that may have dripped on my computer while I was blogging about granola bars...oh the hazards of the job :)

So while I generally like to "reword" a recipe I find, this one is copied directly from 101 Cookbooks...just for my sanity. Feel free to follow the original recipe from Heidi here.   

Since it's February, and since the weather in Montreal continues to dip below -20 degrees C, I will continue to make soup. And this recipe is a keeper! So tasty and hearty and according to my mom..."the kind of soup that really sticks to your ribs". For the past two weeks I've made a big pot of it on Sunday afternoon, and then enjoy it in my lunch at work for the rest of the week. For those of you who may be scared off by the raisins or the cilantro, I think it would still be great without them...maybe even with a dollop of peanut butter or sour cream on top! Don't judge...the added fat just seems to add a certain "je ne sais quoi"!


Coconut Red Lentil Soup

- (1) cup of yellow split peas
- (1) cup of red split lentils
- (7) cups of water
- (1) medium carrot, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- (2) tablespoons of fresh peeled and minced ginger
- (2) tablespoons of curry powder
- (2) tablespoons of butter
- (8) green onions, thinly sliced
- (1/3) cup of golden raisins
- (1/3) cup (80 mL)of tomato paste
- (1) 14-ounce can of coconut milk
- (2) teaspoons of salt
- one small handful of cilantro, chopped

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. 

Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. 

Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt.

Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water for a thinner soup or simmer longer for a thicker consistency.

Feel free to eat this soup on it's own, sprinkled with cilantro and the remaining green onions, or add on top of your favourite grain; rice, barley, farro, whatever!

Enjoy!