Slow Cooker Oatmeal

There is only one reason I made this, and that is for my husband. Five days a week he gets up at 3:15a.m. to got work. So making something for himself is pretty much out of the question. We both love oatmeal and I am the one who likes to experiment with each and every recipe. I like adding nuts, spices, fruit. But he seems to like plain ole oatmeal. Just a bit of brown sugar and vegan butter and he is good to go. Not me. I want my oatmeal to be a party going on. Not that I do not like plain oatmeal. It is fine and dandy, but nothing wrong with adding a little zip to your breakfast.

The recipes I initially searched for all used steel cut oats. And those things are grand, but I don't have any in my cupboard. I have may own bucket of oat groats and then I roll them with my machine. I figured out after a few searches that I had to redefine the search to include 'rolled oats'. Once that was done I got to about the third recipe and Whamo, we were ready to slow cook.

This is one of those recipes as with pretty much any oatmeal recipe that is very flexible. you can add spices, change the fruit and so on and so on. Make this recipe first and then start playing with different ingredients. But trust me when I say that this one is perfect as is. Now, on to the recipe.

2 apples, peeled and chopped
1 t cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar (I misread that and used much less and it was still fine)
2 cups rolled oats (but not quick)
4 cups water
dash of salt (I did not use this)
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In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Add chopped apple to the bottom of the slow-cooker/crock pot. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the apples. Add the oats and water. This is going to be the difficult part, DO NOT STIR!  It will be the most difficult thing for you not to stir it all together. But trust me when I say that the cooking process will do that for you overnight.

I stared my crock pot on high for a few hours, then before I went to bed I checked on it and saw that it was doing very well. So I turned it down to super low and by the time my husband got up to go to work, he was good to go. I love this option so now he can have many more morning with a healthy start to his day. And as I always say, make...eat...enjoy!!

Healthier Ambrosia

Where I found this recipe I am not sure, but it looks like it may have come from the Hallelujah Acres Diet website. If you have not been there, then go and take a gander. They have some really great things over there. I made this at one of my cooking classes (on a raw class) and let me tell you this was fantastic, and for many reasons. It has basic ingredients and is simple to make. Plus, it is not overpowering to the taste buds. Let me explain that last statement.So many recipes can be in-your-face, but not this one. This is delicate and simple  But simple in a good way,  not a plain boring way.

Make this and use it at anytime you desire. It could easily go form a breakfast food to a dessert. Top it with some cashew cream...yummo. So now let's get down to business.

1 apple chopped
1 orange, peeled seeded and chopped
1/4 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raisins (or any small dried fruit)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans will do in a pinch
1/2 cup flaked or shredded coconut

Dressing
3 T agave or sweetener of your choosing
Juice form 1 lemon
1 T chia seeds
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combine all salad ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the agave and lemon juice.Stir in the chia seeds and pour over the salad. this si divine and so delicious. It is one of my favorite dishes to prepare. And as always, make...eat...enjoy!!

Healthier Catalina Dressing

That is not really the title of the dressing in its original format, but this is what I am choosing to name it. And for those of us who still remember what processed foods tastes like this will definitely spark your memory. When I make things that are supposed to remind me of a dish from my past, it had very well taste like I remember. This was a happenstance of making this dressing.

For those of you who know me, I am not a lover of salads. Now now, let me explain. I love them, but not as a last ditch alternative. Let me set up a scenario for you:
Random friend: Hey, want to go out to eat?
Me: Where do you want to go?
Random Friend: How about Red Lobster?
Me: Thanks but no thanks, there really isn't much for me to eat there.
Random friend: You can have the salad.

What is screaming in my head is this:  IF THE SALAD IS SO BLINKING GOOD, THEN YOU HAVE IT!!!

But I keep my wits about me and keep quiet. Why do us vegans come off as salad loving idiots. Yes I love a good salad, but not like everyone thinks that I do. There is so much more to us than iceberg lettuce and 1,000 Island Dressing (unless you have made yours from scratch). But I am always looking for new and different dressings, so that when I do make a salad for dinner, it is not them same old thing staring us in the face. With that said, let's see what Dr. John McDougall has in store for us. I found this in a cookbook of his that I got at a flea market for $2. Worth every penny I spent on it. Now, on to the recipe.

1 t Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce (tamari or liquid aminos is my preference, since we technically do not use soy sauce any longer)
A few dashes of hot sauce (optional)
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Place all the ingredients in a jar and shake well. I know this is a complicated dish, so if you have any questions on how to prepare this, please get in touch with me...I am here to help. REALLY!? Get one of your unused pint-sized mason jars and purchase some matching lids and rings (there are some that are quite decorative out there. Now you don't have to purchase a new-fangled bottle for dressing and you can use it over and over. AND, they are made from glass. And that is a sure sight better than using plastic.

Even my husband agreed that it reminded him of Catalina Dressing. So go and make this and as always, make...eat...enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Dressing

I love finding a good bargain. And today I did. I visit flea markets, garage sales and the withdrawn section of the local library. You never now when a little gem will turn up. I was at my local flea market and they have an extensive used book section from the local county library. And they have the place nicely sectioned off. So even within the cookbook section I was able to go right to the vegetarian section. I looked through every one of them and found only one that I wanted to take home. It was only $1, so even if I got it home and hated it, I only spent a dollar and even then it was going to a good cause.

I only skimmed through the booklet and saw a few I could already use. The book was published in 1987, but if I feel the need I will make them a bit healthier, but so far so good. This is a simple recipe and here is where my DUH moment happened. I think of myself to be a decently bright person, not super intelligent, but bright. I have been racking my brain on different containers that I can store my from scratch dressings in. Then it hit me. I have tons of mason jars in my patio. Some are pint sized and others are quart sized. I saw this recipe and used on of the pint sized ones and it is a match made in heaven. So now on to the recipe.

2-3 T sugar (I used granulated)
1 t dry mustard
1/2 t salt
1/2 celery seeds
1&1/2 t minced onion
1/4 cup white vinegar (We used rice vinegar)
1/2 cup oil
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Combine all thee ingredients in a jar. Cover and shake well until everything is combined. Chill and shake again. Serve over your favorite salad. I tested it before I put it on the table. It has such a good little zing. I will definitely makes this one again. And as always, make...eat...enjoy!

Really Good Soup

I found this recipe like I find most of mine, either through books I have, whether they be brand new or from some place like a flea market, garage sale, or the reduced section at your local library. Scour these places folks, there are treasures EVERYWHERE!

This book was actually given to me by a friend who was cleaning out her closet and definitely not a vegetarian. The title is The Farm-Vegetarian Cookbook Revised Edition. This is a community in Tennessee that is for the most part, a commune. Oh man, what I would not give to live in a community of vegans. I wold be in hog heaven (pun completely intended). But on to this recipe.

I look at recipe sometimes, and mostly when I am in a pinch for time and see if I have all thee ingredients. Whamo, the cooking begins. Well, this was one of those recipes. I hope you like it. My husband said it reminded him of the chicken soup that his mother use to make. High praise, for my mother-in-law is a great cook.

1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 T oil
5 cups boiling water
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t celery seed
1/4 cup dry TVP
1 t liquid aminos
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 T vegan butter
1-1&1/2 cups cooked brown rice
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Saute onion in the oil until soft. Bring the water to boil and add salt, black pepper, celery seed, TVP, and liquid aminos. Turn down immediately and add onion. Simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the nutritional yeast, vegan butter, and rice.

This soups is so simple that is scares me. This would also do well in a slow cooker once it is cooked through. The longer it sites, the better it tastes. Great when you are feeling sick or on a cold night. Get a great slab of bread or crackle some saltines on this and go for it. And remember, as always, make...eat...enjoy.

Almond Brittle

Well, I cannot believe it has been nearly 2 months since I have posted. What a slacker I am. With that said, let's move on to some delicious new dishes I have found, made and eaten. This next dish is most definitely not thee healthiest ones to eat, but we all have a little vice stashed away somewhere. And with the holidays right around the corner, I found this to be the perfect dish to be able to put in the food baskets I make for the adults in our families.

You see, I do not buy gifts for the adults any longer. And for many reasons. I do not know your color  style, size and many more things that go into choosing a gift for someone. If you get it wrong, then it is a gift that has been wasted. However, food is never wasted and moreso that has been made from scratch, which is exactly what my food is. No boxed crap here. (Because we all know that 99% of things in a box are highly processed)

I have found, quite by accident, this lovely little Indian woman who makes these cute and very understandable videos about her dishes.Her place is called, Manjula's Kitchen Now, some of them are not for me, but oh so many of them are. She makes it simple to follow and understand. there are no complicated recipes and thee only odd thing about them are the Indian spices that many of us may not have in our pantry. May I make a suggestion. GET THEM IN YOUR PANTRY.

When you begin cooking outside our familiar 'American' style dishes, and begin cooking with any ethnic dishes, your palette will thank for your decision making in exploring new dishes. Now, let's get on to this lovely little gem of a dessert that my son swears tastes just like Cracker Jack. And oddly enough...it does.

2 T vegan butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 t salt
1 T toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
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Grease an 8x10 cookie sheet, or any size you feel necessary. Remember, you will need room for this dish to spread out.

In a heavy bottom (this is important) sauce pan melt the butter along with the sugar and salt. now, here comes an extremely important part of the recipe.You need to stir this concoction all the time. This is definitely not something that you can walk away form, because in a matter of seconds, you can scorch the sugar and the dish will have been ruined.

As the sugar begins to melt, you will notice a color change in the sugar, it will eventually get to the point where it is a delightful golden brown. Now, not only does the color have to change, but the sugar needs to be in a liquefied state. The minute that happens, you need to add your sesame seeds and almonds.

Immediately take your saucepan and pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet. A small mistake I made was that I had over-greased my pan. It was not a bad thing, just that the brittle itself was a touch greasy when you picked it up.. so just remember to use a light touch when greasing your pan. And I used coconut oil for my grease.

Once you have poured your mixture, you will need to move rather quickly in spreading it out. Make it as thin as you want, but remember, the thinner you lay it the quicker it will dry. This dish only takes about 10-15 minutes to cool down enough to be able to break off into pieces. This amazed me. I thought Manjula was kidding...she was not.

This was a huge hit in my house. And it is something that will now be in my holiday goody bags for the holiday season. This will definitely bring back some memories. And as always, make...eat...enjoy!

Green Goddess Dip/Dressing

I cannot believe that it has been so long since I posted. And yet I have so many recipes to put up here. So, this is my latest gem. I found this by happenstance. I had a box of silken tofu and due to the fact that I have not used it all that much, I am still, pretty much in my experimental stage with this product.

But, what I am finding, is, is that this is an extremely versatile product. Do not confuse it with its cousin, block tofu. these products are used for totally different style dishes. There will be people who will tell you that you can, and that is all fine and dandy. But I prefer to keep the two separate.

My preference is to keep the silken for desserts, puddings, smoothies and the such. And I like the block tofu for dishes that require a bit more substance or when you need a product to physically hold together. With that said, let's get to the recipe.

1/2 package silken tofu 
2 green onions, chopped
2 t capers, rinsed 
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup cilantro
1 T agave
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 t vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 t prepared mustard
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In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth.

I will tell you, that this is one of thee most versatile dishes I have ever made. What I mean by that is, is that you can substitute so many different things. You hate parsley, up the cilantro. Don't have cider vinegar, use rice wine. Don't have capers (but you should), use olives (kalamata preferably). Out of lemon juice, use limes.

See what I mean by using other things? After I made this dish, the very first thing that came to my mind was Super Bowl Sunday and getting a pumpernickel bowl and placing this dip in the center. This is such a wonderful dish. You can also use this as a dressing. You would need to thin it out a bit. You can do this by cutting back on the herbs or just adding a wee bit of alternative milk to the dish.

Make this and you will be one happy camper. And remember, make...eat...and enjoy!