Hearty Oatmeal

4/26/2011

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Quaker Berries and Cream instant oatmeal was one of my favorite breakfasts growing up. This is my super easy, mostly healthy, big-kid version.Bonus: it keeps you full all morning!

1c. Steel-cut oats
1 3/4 c. milk or soy milk
1 tsp. brown sugar (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. Strawberries
1/2 c. blueberries



1.  Measure oats in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Add milk, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir.
3. Top with berries. No need to stir 'em in.
4. Microwave on 50% for 5 min.
5. Enjoy!
(How easy was that!?)

You can even experiment with different fruits and extracts. Other favorites: apples & cinnamon, maple & brown sugar.


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Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

4/21/2011

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Sweet potatoes have fabulous nutrition content. The trick is not to douse them with butter and sugar. That practically negates all the good stuff!

I LOVE sweet potato fries, by the way. I get them EVERY time a restaurant offers them. (Cafe Hollander has some of the best.) But there's gotta be a healthier way... Baking it is!

Spicy things make you drink more water while eating, which makes you feel more full.

Voila! My sweet potato wedges were born.

(I enjoyed them with BBQ Salmon and wilted spinach, shown here)

You will need:
Big Sweet potato
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Cayenne Pepper
Cinnamon
Black Pepper
Kosher Salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut sweet potato into wedges. I got 16 pieces from mine. It was ginormous. (Be careful, uncooked sweet potatoes are tough to cut!)
3. In a bowl, toss wedges with EVOO, just enough to coat.
4. Sprinkle in seasonings: about a teaspoon of each will do. Use more or less to taste.
5. Toss wedges making sure the seasonings have coated each piece.
6. Arrange on baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.
7. Turn down heat to 350 degrees. Bake another 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them. Sweet potatoes burn easily.
8. Let cool, or they're burn your mouth!
9. Pair with your favorite protein. Sooo delish!

Serves 2 Sweet Potato Lovers




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Oh, you fancy?

4/8/2011

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Sometimes you need something a little out-of-the ordinary. Monday night was one of those nights. I needed comfort food. Really delicious comfort food. One of my favorite comfort food meals is none other than grilled cheese and tomato soup. But plain just wouldn't do. I needed a little extra pizazz!  Enter herbs, avocado, tomato, garlic, chicken and "fancy" cheese (okay, fancier than American).
Literally everything in this recipe can be substituted for something that you like better.

You will need:
2 slices Oat Nut Brownberry bread
3 slices of your favorite cheese (I used Colby and Muenster, pre-sliced because I was lazy that night)
A few tomato slices, deseeded.
1/4 Avocado, sliced thin
6 slices Oscar Meyer Deli BBQ seasoned chicken
Salt & Pepper

Campbell's Tomato Soup
Garlic Powder
Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Pepper
Optional: Milk instead of water for soup




1. Start your soup (read directions on can) in a small saucepan on Med-Low heat.
2. Add desired amount of seasoning: garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, etc.
3. Butter one side of "bottom" piece of bread. Place it butter-side-down in a small omelet pan (don't start heat yet).
4. Build your sammich:
         2 pieces of cheese, tomatoes, avocado, a little S&P, chicken slices and one more piece of cheese.
5. Butter another piece of bread and place on sandwich butter-side-up.
6. Stir soup! (And continue with stirs in between checking your sandwich)
7. Grill sandwich on Medium heat. Be patient, you don't want this beauty to burn!
8. Carefully flip to check for browning. I had to use TWO spatulas so it wouldn't fall apart. Be careful!
9. Once cheese is melty and bread is browned, cut in half and make it look even more fancy by stacking it.
10. Pour yourself a cup of your fancy tomato soup. (It's fancy because you put seasoning in it.)
11. Voila! Beautiful AND delicious fancy grilled cheese & tomato soup.

Consider yourself comforted. And fancy.
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