This baked soft and chewy oatmeal is the perfect meal prepping recipe for a healthy, wholegrain breakfast you can make ahead and enjoy all week. This recipe features blackberries and blueberries but you can easily make variations with pumpkin, apples and raisins, nuts and cranberries, and more. The best part is you only need one bowl so it's quick and easy. I topped mine with plain yogurt, pumpkin seeds and unsweetened coconut. Ingredients
INSTRUCTIONS
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Quinoa is one of the healthiest grains around. It’s higher in protein and essential fatty acids than any other grain and much lower in gluten and carbohydrates, making it a great choice for people who have wheat sensitivities.
5 cups cooked quinoa 1 cup chopped parsley ½ cup chopped scallions 2 T chopped fresh mint 2 cloves garlic 1 t chopped fresh basil ¾ cup lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil ½ long English cucumber 2 small tomatoes salt and pepper to taste Cook the quinoa several hours before assembling the salad. Rinse it well and then cook as you would rice (2:1 ratio of water to grain). The grains are coated with a bitter substance (saponins) so rinse well and rub between fingers before draining and cooking. Once cooked, cool in the fridge. Chop all other ingredients to desired size and toss well with the lemon juice and olive oil. Experiment and make it your own. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, or two shallots, finely chopped 1 cup millet 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 1/2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 1 small zucchini, peeled and shredded 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded 1/2 c. finely shredded spinach 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest plus 1 T. fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in millet and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes. Stir in zucchini, carrot, spinach, Parmesan, thyme, lemon juice and zest and pepper. Cook, uncovered, maintaining a simmer and stirring often to keep the millet from sticking, until the mixture is soft, very thick and the liquid has been absorbed, about 10-15 minutes more. In the last 5 minutes or so, lift and fold the mixture regularly but gently, being careful not to bruise the millet. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with more cheese and a few thyme sprigs. For Making into cakes: Uncover and let stand until room temperature, then chill overnight. With dampened hands, shape the millet mixture into 12 patties 3 inches wide (a scant 1/3 cup each). In a light oiled skillet, add 4 millet cakes and cook until the bottoms are browned, 3 - 5 minutes on medium heat. Carefully turn the cakes with a wide spatula and cook until the other side is browned, 3 - 5 minutes more. Re-oil the pan and cook the remaining cakes in batches, reducing the heat if necessary to prevent burning. 1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced ½ medium sweet onion, chopped into large pieces ¼ -½ cup slivered almonds or pine nuts 1 cup fresh red bell pepper, chopped 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well 2 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water 2 tbsp. fresh basil and/or parsley, finely chopped Sea salt and pepper to taste Directions: In a large, deep sauté pan add olive oil, garlic and onion. Sauté on medium heat until onion is translucent. Add quinoa and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid (approximately 15-20 minutes; quinoa should fluff with fork). Remove from heat and set aside. Add vegetables and herbs into cooked quinoa. Cover until ready to serve. (The vegetables and fresh herbs will blend with the cooked quinoa but will remain crisp.) Top with nuts and serve. About Quinoa: Quinoa (keen-wa) is a gluten-free grain and an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. It is also high in protein. You can buy quinoa in bulk, but buying it pre-rinsed allows for easier cooking. You may use traditional, red or black quinoa for this recipe. Granola bars have a healthy reputation but most commercial brands are a huge obstacle to good health for many reasons. Loaded with unhealthy sweeteners like corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup, articifical sweeteners, chemical additives and hydrogenated oils, granola bars cannot be considered a healthy snack. Even bars like Nature Valley are a poor substitute due to their high sugar content. I won't even compare the bars slathered with chocolate and studded with marshmellows which are completely anti-nutrient (meaning any possible healthy benefits are far outweighed by the poor ingredients used). Unfortunately, most of the nuts used in commercial bars have been roasted at high heat, which ruins the integrity of the essential fatty acids we need for good health. This recipe for granola is full of raw nuts and seeds, healthy fruit, high fiber and old fashioned oats without any chemical additives and sweetened with apple juice concentrate and dried fruit. I love it with almond milk, mixed with plain yogurt and berries and even sprinkled on my hot cereals. I process the almonds slightly into chunks and meal and I play around with the seeds using whatever I have on hand. Last time I made this, I didn't have almonds so I subbed in 1/2 cup hemp seed and 1/2 cup whole flax. For the fruit, I've subbed in dried cherries, goji berries, currants or dates. (When I'm feeling naughty, I've even added one litttle glug of pure maple syrup.) Experiment and make it yours.
First the Granola..... 3 c rolled oats (large flake & old fashioned, NOT instant or quick-cooking) 1 cup oat bran 1/4 c sesame seeds 1/4 cup ground or whole flaxseed 1/2 c sunflower or pumpkin seeds 1 c chopped walnuts or almonds 1/2 c. apple juice concentrate - thawed 1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed in the preheated oven in a glass measuring cup) or olive oil 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 c raisins (with no sulphites!) or 1 cup raisins and 1 cup cranberries 1/2– 3/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil two cookie sheets with coconut or olive oil. Mix oats and oat bran in a large bowl. Combine the apple juice concentrate, oil, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until everything is well coated with the oil mixture. Spread the mixture evenly on the two cookie sheets. Bake for 18-20 minutes (stirring after 10 minutes) or until golden brown. While baking stir the other ingredients together in a bowl. Remove oat mixture from the oven and add nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut, mixing together on the pan. Let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Granola Bars Once you've made your granola, these bars are a snap and contain eggs for an excellent source of protein and to bind them together instead of unhealthy sweeteners. They taste even better 2-3 days later. 3 eggs 3 TB apple juice concentrate 3 cups granola 1/2 cup to 1 cup unsulphured raisins Preheat over to 350. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, apple juice concentrate and cinnamon. Add the granola and raisins or dried berries and mix well. Let the mixture sit in order to absorb some moisture while you lightly oil a 9 inch square baking pan. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan, and pat it down with the back of a large spoon. Bake for 25 minutes, or until set and lightly brown around the edges. While the mixture is still warm, cut into 1 1/2 in squares (I make mine bigger). Store in the refrigerator. Please buy raw seeds and nuts that are refrigerated and store them in the fridge. You can find these at health food stores. Most unrefrigerated nuts and seeds are rancid and therefore the valuable essential fats within have been rendered moleculary unstable, hence they become free radicals in your body. |
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