Steel-Cut Oatmeal

It's almost summer and it still feels like early Spring here in the Pacific Northwest.  How lucky are we?  Well, at least I can still eat hot cereal for breakfast thanks to our stubborn weather.  Winter is such a great time to enjoy a nice bowl of hot steaming bowl of oatmeal in the mornings.  I've never really appreciated oatmeal until last year.  I tried many varieties from the old-fashioned to instant oatmeal.  Of course, instant is the least healthiest because of the added sugars and preservatives that come in those convenient little packets.  I even tried to recreate McDonald's Fruit & Maple Oatmeal but my imitation has never come close to anything like it.  Then I discovered steel-cut oats.  It takes a little longer to prepare but it is totally worth the wait.  I usually cook up a batch on Sunday mornings so I can eat it throughout the week.  I just add a splash of milk to heat it up in the microwave.  My favorite combination are bananas and walnuts or dried cranberries and sliced almonds.  The combination of fruits and nuts tastes so good with oatmeal!  Of course, I kick it up with a bit of maple syrup or agave nectar to give it just enough sweetness.

Basics of cooking steel-cut oatmeal:
3-4 cups water (depending on how thick you want your oatmeal)
1 cup steel-cut oats

Bring the water to a boil and stir in the oats. Let the water and oats come back to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat. Let the oats simmer with the lid slightly ajar, stirring frequently so the oats doesn't stick to the bottom.  This will take 20-30 minutes depending on how chewy or soft you like your oatmeal.  Remove from heat and divide portions into individual bowls. Stir in your favorite toppings like milk, sweeteners, nuts, and fruits.  Makes about 4-6 servings.

Here's a tip - buy bulk and you'll save a ton of money because you can buy as little or as much as you like.  My local Wholefoods sells it for just $1.19/lb!

Zucchini Muffins

It's been a while since I baked so I decided to dust off my mixer and muffin pan for some yummy zucchini bread. I was looking back and noticed that I made zucchini bread when I first started this blog. I must have been very lazy at that time because I didn't post the recipe.  I couldn't recall where I found the recipe so I had to sort through all my printouts in my old recipe binder and tada!  I found it!  I've adapted the recipe to include whole wheat flour and less sugar.

Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from Joy Joy of Baking


1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 medium zucchini, grated
1/2 cup peeled and grated apple (about 1 large apple)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)


Preheat oven to 350 F and place rack in center of oven. Coat each muffin cup with cooking spray or butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, beat the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Beat in the grated zucchini and apple. Pour in the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the nuts and coconut.

Distribute the batter equally into the muffin cups, filling them up to the top. Bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes and then remove the muffins form the pan and let cool.

Makes about 12-14 muffins. (I had more batter than was needed for 12 muffins so I made a couple of mini muffins).

Spaghetti with Kale and Tomatoes

It's kale time again!

Spaghetti with Kale and Tomatoes
Adapted from Real Simple


Ingredients

6 oz whole-grain thin spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
dried chili flakes
salt and black pepper
1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and loosely chopped
Roma and grape tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds
parmesan cheese

Directions

Boil water in a pot and steam the chopped kale for about 5-8 minutes; remove. Cook the pasta according to package directions in the same pot. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, chili flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the kale and cook, tossing frequently, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, tossing frequently, until the tomatoes begin to soften, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the pasta and reserved liquid to the kale mixture and toss to combine. Toss in almonds and garnish with parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

A Simple Pizza Dough Recipe

I made a pretty darn healthy pizza last week. Can something like pizza even be healthy you ask?  It is to me if you are making the dough from scratch using whole wheat flour and topping it off with choke vegetables like tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, onions, and olives. Oh yeah, I also used the cilantro pesto I kept in the freezer from the batch I made in my previous post.

We enjoy making our own pizza at home because you get to customize it the way you want.  We even do pizza potlucks with my family to see what creations other people come up with. I've tried many pizza dough recipes and this one is foolproof. This recipe uses a KitchenAid stand mixer but since I don't have one I just kneaded it by hand and it turned out just fine.

The Best Pizza Dough
From Eat, Live, Run

Makes 2 large pizza doughs

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/3 cup warm water
1 packet yeast
1.5 tsp sea salt

Method:

In a mixing bowl, combine the warm water and yeast.

Stir in the salt and flour and mix on medium high speed on your KitchenAid for 5 minutes. While the mixer is going, drizzle in the olive oil.

When the dough is soft and elastic, take out of the bowl, rub with olive oil and then place back in the bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise for one hour.

After the dough has doubled in size, cut in half to make two large pizza doughs or make mini doughs. You can also freeze whatever dough you're not using in a freezer bag for another time. When you are ready for your pizza, roll out the dough, cover with your toppings and bake at 425F for 10-15 minutes.

Cheap Date at Andaluca

Hubby and I went to Anadaluca for dinner last week as part of Seattle Restaurant Week. Over one hundred restaurants in the Greater Seattle area offered a 3-course dinner menu for $28 with some even offering a 3-course lunch for $15. I entered a contest during the promotion and won two $50 gift certificates; one to Andaluca at the Mayflower Hotel and the other to 50 North. I was a little disappointed to find out that they just randomly sent me 2 gift certificates instead of one that I can use at any participating restaurants.  But free is free.  I can't complain, right?

Andaluca offers Mediterranean-style cuisine and is known for their assortment of small plates or pintxos. We don't venture to Downtown much unless we have out of town guests or meeting up for a night out with some friends. We were seated right away when we arrived at Andaluca 15 minutes before our reservation. The restaurant atmosphere was quiet and relaxed at first but it gradually grew busy halfway into dinner service.

For the appetizer, we had a Tuscan tomato bread soup with basil crème fraiche and tiny croutons ($6) and a Pear Salad with mixed organic greens, stilton cheese, hazelnuts and balsamic vinaigrette ($9).  These were very basic.

We had the choice of 3 pintxos for the entrées. I had the Roasted Mushroom & Chevre Risotto ($9), Moruno Chicken Skewer with marcona almonds & saffron aioli ($7), and Mini Crab Tower with avocado, palm hearts, and gazpacho salsa ($8). They were pretty good except for the crab dish which was way too salty. Hubs had the Beef Tenderloin Skewer with baby red potato and pears ($15), Potato Croquette with yukon gold potato, sour cream, idiazabal cheese, and panko ($5), and the Lamb Dolmas with basmati rice, dill, pine nuts, and lemon aioli.

For dessert, hubby had the Petit Liquid Chocolate Cake with hazelnut gelato, and espresso syrup ($7) and I got the Cabrales Cheesecake with apricot fig jelly, red wine & honey reduction, graham cracker hazelnut crust and hazelnut tuile ($7). Yuck, turns out I'm not a big fan of cabrales cheese.

The entire check could have easily totaled over $70 but we ended up paying $20 after the discount, plus taxes and tips.  I likey!