Spiced Pear Oat Parfait

Sorry for rolling out all the oat recipes on you, but hey, it's winter, and oats are warming AND delicious! This one's a little bit of a twist because I decided to throw them into a parfait, and it is seriously BOMB!

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or your milk of choice)
-1 tbsp and 1 tsp maple syrup, separated
-1 tbsp and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, separated
-1 tsp nutmeg
-dash of sea salt
-1 /2 pear, chopped
-1 tbsp ground flax seed
-1 tbsp chia seeds
-1 6 oz container of nonfat plain Greek yogurt
-1 (0.36 oz) package of Crispy Green Snacks freeze dried Asian pears
-2 tbsp slivered almonds

Instructions:

1) In a pot on the stove top, heat up the oats and almond milk on high heat until boiling.
2) Once boiling, reduce the temperature to low and begin stirring regularly.
3) Once the oats begin to thicken a bit (about 3-5 minutes), add in 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp cinnamon, the nutmeg, sea salt, flax seed, chia seeds, and chopped pears.
4) Continue to stir the oats until they become thick and the consistency of oatmeal (another 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.
5) In a bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, remaining cinnamon, and remaining maple syrup. 
6) Begin layering your parfaits - do one layer (about an inch thick of the oatmeal followed by a thinner layer of the Greek yogurt mixture followed by the crispy pears and finally the almonds. Repeat until both parfaits are complete.
7) Enjoy!

If you aren't a fan of pears, you can easily switch them out for apples (and Crispy Green Snacks does make freeze dried apples as well). I like using Crispy Green Snacks because 1) they're non GMO verified and 2) they're pure fruit which means no added sugar like a lot of dried fruit. Let me know what you think in the comments below! I look forward to hearing from you!

Savory Arugula Shiitake Oats with Parmesan and Thyme

So I will admit it, I have been slacking on recipes recently. It's not that I haven't been playing around with new things, but the holidays were just hectic! I know, excuses excuses. BUT it is one of my New Years resolutions to get back to my normal recipe posting schedule because I have A LOT of exciting ideas coming your way.

I'm a huge savory breakfast person (if you couldn't already tell). I'd probably be very happy eating just eggs and veggies every single day. But I do like to switch it up. I think it's important to vary what you eat 1) so you don't get bored and 2) so you get different kinds of nutrients. So one of the ways I've been trying to vary my usual egg and veggies dish is oatmeal. And honestly, I just wasn't feeling something sweet. So I decided to try to make a savory oatmeal, and it was AMAZING.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup of rolled oats
-2 cups of your milk of choice (I use unsweetened almond milk, and that's what the nutrition info accounts for)
-2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup shitake mushrooms
-1 cup baby arugula
-2 cloves garlic
-1/4 cup red onion, chopped
-1 tsp olive oil (or your choice of oil)
-3 sprigs of thyme
-Sea salt and black pepper to taste
-2 eggs (optional but included in nutrition info)

Instructions:

1) Mix together the almond milk and oats in a pot, and heat on the stove top over high heat.
2) In the meantime, heat up the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and onion and let cook for about a minute alone.
3) Add in the arugula and mushrooms and let cook down (about 3-5 minutes).  Remove from heat.
4) Once the oats are boiling, reduce the heat to low, and begin stirring regularly.
5) After about 3 minutes, as the oats are becoming a bit less watery, add in the garlic, onion, arugula, and mushroom mixture as well as the thyme, salt, and pepper. 
6) Stir regularly until the oatmeal becomes close to the consistency you want (about another 3-5 minutes). Add in the parmesan cheese, and continue stirring for an additional minute.
7) Once the oatmeal reaches your desired consistency and the cheese has melted, remove it from the heat and split between two bowls.
8) (Optional) In a skillet, soft fry two eggs, and top each bowl with one.
9) Enjoy!

I can't wait to recreate this dish! Next time I think I'm going to try gruyere cheese. I'm dreaming about it already. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

 

Gluten Free Coconut Pancakes

So I've been on a coconut kick lately. I was fortunate enough to win a giveaway that landed me some shredded coconut from Woodstock Foods. Plus, I've discovered probably one of the more amazing nut butter developments, coconut nut butter. Holy yum! I will be doing some reviews on a couple very soon, but I'll give you a preview, they are AMAZING!

So I figured why not combine all of this coconut yumminess into pancake form? I also make my pancakes with coconut flour, so this is perfect. And I must say, they're pretty darn good.

Here's What You'll Need:

-2 eggs
-2 egg whites
-1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp honey
-1 tbsp Manna Organics cashew coconut butter
-1 tbsp Woodstock Foods shredded coconut
-1/2 cup coconut flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-Pinch of sea salt
-Coconut butter for cooking

Instructions:

1) Whip up the egg and egg whites together in a bowl for a minute or two.
2) Add in the remaining ingredients (minus the coconut butter to cook) and stir until mostly smooth.
3) Heat up the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat.
4) Add your pancakes to the pan (about 3-4 inches in diameter) and cook  until they begin to bubble on the top (about 2-3 minutes).
5) Flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
6) Remove the pancakes from the heat, serve, and top with your favorite toppings (i.e. more coconut nut butter).

If you don't have coconut nut butter, you can switch it out for some additional honey or other sweetener in the recipe. Enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments below!
 

Pumpkin Pie Rolled Oats

We are coming up on one of my favorite weeks food-wise, Thanksgiving, and nothing screams Thanksgiving to me like pumpkin pie. So obviously I had to make some pumpkin pie oats. Really I'll use any reason to make something pumpkin-related, and this seemed like the perfect excuse!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 1/4 cups almond milk
-1 cup organic pumpkin puree
-1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
-1 tbsp and 1 tsp maple syrup, separated
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-Pinch of sea salt
-1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
-1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
-2 tbsp low fat Greek yogurt kefir
-1 tbsp unsweetened almond butter

Instructions:

1) Mix together the oats and almond milk and heat on high until boiling.
2) Add in the pumpkin, turn down to low heat, and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly.
3) Stir in 1 tbsp maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt, and continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes until the oats are completely cooked.
4) Mix together the Greek yogurt, almond butter, and 1 tsp maple syrup in a small bowl.
5) Split the oats between two bowls and top each with the walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and Greek yogurt almond butter mixture.
6) Enjoy!

I hope you like this Thanksgiving-inspired breakfast as much as I did. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Parmesan Lemon Tilapia over Garlic Broccoli Noodles

For all of you broccoli lovers out there, how many of you feel wasteful when you just chop off the stems? The florets are the part everyone eats, so don't feel badly. We're pretty much taught to toss those stems. The florets are served on everything from pasta to pizzas, as side dishes, you name it. You might even wonder, can I even eat the stem? The answer is YES!!!!, and I will show you a great (and delicious) way to do so!

Broccoli stems pretty much taste like, well, broccoli. They have a similar taste the florets, maybe a little milder. So they are pretty much good with everything! I decided to toss them with some garlic and top with a little fish, and trust me the combination is spot on!

To spiralize the broccoli stem, you cut off the florets and try to smooth out the sides, cutting off any parts that jut out. Also cut off the bottom so that it is flat. Ideally you want it to look semi-close to a cylinder. If you see the picture below, it isn't perfect but still produces great broccoli noodles.

Once you have your broccoli noodles, you're ready to go!

Here's What You'll Need:

-3-4 broccoli stems, spiralized (amount depends on thickness and length, the thicker and/or longer, the fewer stems needed)
-1 tsp olive oil
-1 clove garlic
-6 mushrooms, sliced
-1 medium tomato, chopped
-red pepper flakes to taste
-2 tilapia fillets (about 6 oz each)
-1/2 lemon, juiced
-2 tbsp parmesan

Instructions:

1) Heat up the oil in a pan, and throw in the garlic, cooking for about a minute.
2) Add the broccoli noodles and let them cook for about 3 minutes alone.
3) Add in the mushrooms, tomato, and red pepper flakes and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, coat the tilapia fillets with lemon juice and toss each in parmesan.
5) In a separate pan, cook the tilapia for about 5 minutes on each side over medium high heat.
6) Once cooked, split the broccoli noodles between two plates, top each with a piece of tilapia, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and feel free to subscribe for e-mail updates!