Perfect oatmeal

 I'm not an oatmeal fan - but I like this!

I just read today that it is highly alkaline - something heath experts are saying is very good. It also has omega-3 fatty acids as well as 109% of the daily value for manganese.

Perfect Oatmeal
(from WH Foods)

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups water
dash salt
1 cup regular rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 TBS flaxseeds
1 TBS blackstrap molasses
1 cup milk or dairy-free milk alternative

Directions: 
 Combine the water and salt in a small saucepan and turn the heat to high. When the water boils, turn the heat to low, add oatmeal, and cook, stirring, until the water is just absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, cranberries, walnuts, and flaxseeds. Stir, cover the pan, and turn off heat. Let set for 5 minutes. Serve with milk and molasses. Serves 2

Baked Brown Rice

Another favorite from www.melskitchencafe.com. This recipe fooled John. He could not tell that he was eating brown rice.

*Note: This recipe doubles beautifully for a 9X13-inch pan.

*Makes about 3 1/2 cups cooked rice

1 1/2 cups brown rice 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water (if using water, add 1 teaspoon salt)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8X8-inch or 9X9-inch baking pan. Place the rice in the prepared pan and pour in the liquid. Stir to equally distribute the rice. Cover tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for five minutes before removing the aluminum foil and fluffing with a fork. If your rice still has a bit of liquid on the bottom or conversely, if it is dried out, adjust the baking time up or down to make changes. Variations: Before baking, slice one small yellow onion into dices or half moons and caramelize and brown in 1 teaspoon of olive oil until golden and soft (about 10 minutes in a nonstick skillet). Stir onion into rice and broth mixture and bake according to recipe.

After removing rice from the oven and letting it sit for five minutes, remove aluminum foil and stir in the zest and juice from 1 lemon, 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 apple, finely diced.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

Diane's modification:

I don't add the oil to the mix - just the dry ingredients. I grind the oats to flour in the vitamix and store the mix in the refrigerator.

To make pancakes - I combine 1 cup mix, 1 cup liquid, 1 egg, and 1 Tbs oil.

This recipe is taken from a food blog that I visit regularly (www.melskitchencafe.com). I have made this a few times and LOVE it. I keep the mix handy in the fridge and try to keep buttermilk on hand as well but when I am out I make a substitute with milk, lemon juice and a little plain yogurt. Mom made the mix without the oil and just added a bit when mixing the batter. They turned out great and the mix would then not need to be refrigerated.

*Note (added 3/2011): I’ve updated this recipe several times to reflect that I generally use 100% whole wheat flour (five cups total, instead of using 2 cups of all-purpose flour). I prefer white wheat flour, although red wheat could be used and will lend an even heartier taste to the mix. Also, I made it the other day and before I added the oats to the mix, I threw them in my blender (yep, blender) and pulverized them to a powder. We loved the result! Loved it. Although the texture with the unblended oats is fantastic in it’s own right, blending the oats lends a smooth texture to the mix and finished pancakes. I’ll be doing it that way from now on!

*Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats 3 cups whole wheat flour 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons baking powder 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 cup vegetable or canola oil (I left out the oil and added it when making pancakes)

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). If desired, grind the oats in a blender or food processor before adding to the other dry ingredients for a smoother mix. With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I’ve never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don’t break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it’s worth keeping it around!

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes.

Quinoa salad

We are into Quinoa lately. It's supposed to be a wonder grain - great source of protein and all kinds of good things. We bought a big bag of it at Costco so I went hunting for a good recipe. I came across this Citrus Quinoa salad that was fabulous

Citrus Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa

1 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup diced figs or dried apricots or raisins

1/2 cup drained canned mandarin orange sections, halved (I used the whole little can)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds or toasted almonds

2 green onions, diced

2 Tbs chopped coriander or parsley

Dressing:

1 tsp grated lemon or lime rind

3 Tbs lemon or lime juice

1 Tbs sesame oil (I used olive oil)

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp each ground cumin and coriandor

salt and pepper

Rinse quinoa and drain. In saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil; stir in quinoa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is transparent; drain and let cool.

In salad bowl combine quinoa, cucumber, figs, orange sections, sunflower seeds, onions and coriander.

Dressing: In small bowl mix lemon rind and juice, sesame oil, sugar, cumin and coriander; pour over salad and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Makes 8 servings of about 1/2 cup each (it was so good I ate 2 cups)