Overnight Oats with Cottage Cheese

I have been back on an overnight oats kick lately. I hadn't had them in a while until a couple weeks ago. I rekindled my love for them inspired by this recipe by the Healthy Foodie. I made some changes, but it got me hooked again. I have also seen some recipes for overnight oats out there using cottage cheese. Before I left for the weekend I wanted to use up the last bit of cottage cheese I had in the fridge, so I thought, what better time to give it a try. I love cottage cheese but only recently (last few months) have enjoyed it in a sweet state. I used to only enjoy it on pasta, or salads, on its own, or maybe with some nuts. But now, I like it with sliced strawberries or nectarines. Yum.

I started out with my usual standard overnight oats recipe, and substituted 1/2 cup of the soy milk for almost 1/2 cup of 2% cottage cheese. I absolutely loved the modification. I was quite full so I think next time I would scale it down, but it sure did pack a protein punch, 27 grams to be exact. Woah.

Overnight Oats with Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup oats
1 tbsp ground flax (or chia seeds)
1 small banana, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese

1. Chop banana into bottom of bowl.
2. Add oats and flax on top of banana.
3. Add soy milk and cottage cheese.
4. Mix, trying to keep the banana on the bottom (prevents browning).
5. Chill overnight (or for a few hours).

It was just the right about of cheesiness. It was a bit thick in the morning so I added a dash of milk until it was the consistency I like. I also added a little bit of almond butter (peanut butter would be good too).  Like I said, I would probably scale it down to 1/3 cup oats next time because I was too full after eating it all.

Overnight oats are a great breakfast for the summer because they are quick, cold, and require no cooking. There is so much potential for this kind of breakfast. Let your imagination run wild!

....And then come back here and let me know what you come up with!

Banana Chocolate Chip Chickpea Flour Pancakes

In about 5 weeks, I will have completed part of my research study for my Master's thesis, move out of my current house and into my parent's house, and depart for Italy for a 2 week trip with my Nonna and cousin. I am really excited for it all to happen, but I feel like a lot needs to happen in the next 5 weeks. One thing that needs to happen is that I need to use up a lot of my pantry and freezer items. This will not only make my move easier, but I will reduce the risk of wasting food and I will save some money. I am going to start making the conscious effort to use up what I have and attempt to make-due rather than taking those oh so tempting grocery trips.

What have I done in the past few days to accomplish this:

1. I made some granola. I made a version similar to the crunchy quinoa granola, but I added some oats and different nuts.
I have lots of yogurt in the fridge that needs to get eaten in the next week or two. Normally I add some fruit and I am good to go. However, I want to save some of those frozen berries for in the future when I may not have any fresh fruit available to me. Plain yogurt is a bit boring on it's own however so I made this high protein and fairly low sugar granola. It also used up lots of nuts that I had as well as some dried cranberries which I will not eat on their own.

2. Used up that big bag of frozen vegetable scraps.
For the past few months, I had been keeping some veggie scraps in a ziploc bag in the freezer. It had a little bit of everything. I kept aspargus ends, parsnip tops, carrot peelings, bruised zucchini, mushroom stems, and wilted celery. I had been doing this since I wrote this post on wasting less food, but I have not kept everything. I figured it was about time to make the vegetable stock I was keeping these veggies for. Soup is literally the last thing I would want to be making this time of year, but it had to be done. I will write about making vegetable stock in the near future, and what I end up using it for.

3. Developed a yummy pancake recipe using chickpea flour.
Once my oats run out, pancakes are the next order of business for breakfast, which will also help with using up some flour. However, I'd like to save my wheat flour for baking bread, and I have a lot of chickpea flour to play with. I wanted to figure out a good recipe that is quick and also delicious. After first trying chickpea pancakes with blueberries, I knew I needed to up the sweet factor if I was going to enjoy them for breakfast. My first try was a great success and after one more tweak I have settled on the following recipe.

Banana Chocolate Chip Chickpea Flour Pancakes
serves 1

1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (I think the sweetened soy milk might be neccessary)
1 banana, chopped
1 tbsp dark chocolate chips - an extra tbsp doesn't hurt ;)

1. Whisk together the first three ingredients.
2. Slowly add the soy milk, whisking in to remove any clumps.
3. Stir in the banana and chocolate chips.
4. Heat a greased pan on medium heat, and add 1/4 of the batter to the pan (I like to cover the pan). Once the bubbles no longer close up, it is time to flip the pancake. After 2 minutes or so the pancake should be about done.
5. I eat them plain or with a bit of almond butter on top.

These pancakes are really good, especially the bites which have lots of banana and chocolate. I have a feeling the use of the chickpea flour is an acquired taste, and definitely needs to be sweetened to be used as a pancake flour. I have been having these for breakfast for the past few days and have really been enjoying them. It is a great way to use up my chickpea flour as well as some frozen bananas kicking around. If you don't like banana, adding a tbsp or two of coconut is also good.

Peanut Butter Banana Protein Smoothie

Now does it feel like summer or what? I had another fantastic cottage weekend (2 in a row) this past long weekend. It is so nice to be by the water with friends, relaxing by the water, boating, canoeing, making s'mores, drinking some beer, and getting mosquito bites. Well, maybe the last part isn't so nice, but it comes along with all the pleasures of a cottaging weekend.

Cooking kind of takes a back burner in the summer I think, as making a fresh salad and not turning on the oven sounds like a better idea. The recipe I am going to share with you today is just what the summer calls for. It does not require cooking, could replace a hot breakfast, is cold, and tastes like a delicious milkshake. I have been delaying sharing this recipe because I don't have a picture of it, but a request for a smoothie came along and did not want to delay in sharing this amazing recipe.

Peanut Butter Banana Protein Smoothie

1 cup soy milk
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 medium banana
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp peanut butter

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.

This smoothie is actually amazing. It tastes so rich and the peanut flavour really comes through. I have yet to take a picture of this beauty, but it is a beige thick liquid with specks of flax throughout if not having a picture is throwing you off ;). A picture adds nothing to the story here.

In lieu of a picture of this plain looking smoothie, I am going to show you a picture I took of my meal two weekends ago when we went out for dinner in the Muskokas. It is just an iPhone pic, but it will have to do. A friend of mine has a fantastic picture, but he is being a bit slow in sending it to me *hint hint*. This post just could not wait. I am sure I will update the post with the much better picture, that my talented friend Derek took (me sucking up a bit), soon enough.  Updated picture from my friend Derek!

This was a beet risotto from the restaurant we went to somewhere in Muskoka. It was amazing. It was one of the few vegetarian dishes on the menu (unless they used chicken broth, but I don't think they did) and I ordered it out of curiosity. The risotto was creamy, sweet and had a touch of lemon, potentially just from the lemon zest. In the middle of the bowl was a thick slice of baked brie cheese, and pistachio pieces were sprinkles on top. The flavour combination was unreal. I hope to one day recreate this dish but I have a feeling it wont happen until the fall, as I could not bring myself to stand over a pot for an hour and a half in this heat. Instead, I think I will make a peanut butter banana smoothie.

Here are some other pictures of where I have been hanging out on the weekends:

Lake Joseph

Lake Joseph

Maple Lake

Strawberry Banana Soft Serve

I have talked about banana soft serve before, more than once, quite a while ago. It is quite ingenious as a method to make a vegan "ice cream" treat. Not only is it dairy-free, but it has no added sugar. It is just fruit, with a hint of vanilla. Lent is almost over, but this is a dessert I will gladly enjoy anytime of the year, even with no dietary restrictions.

Strawberry Banana Soft Serve

1 frozen peeled banana
handful of frozen strawberries
splash of soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Add banana and strawberries to food processor and pulse for a few minutes, scraping down the sides when necessary.
2. Add vanilla and a bit of soy milk. The soy milk helps to smooth out the consistency when using frozen fruit other than bananas. Add as much as is neccessary. Process for 3 or so minutes until smooth and "creamy."

This treat is so good on its own, but is awesome on top of pancakes or cold overnight oats. You can always make just plain banana soft serve, and omit the soy milk. Banana's really might be my favourite fruit. Not only are they delicious, very good for you, and peanut butters perfect partner, but they are practically magic for being able to turn into soft serve like this.

I have so many recipes and food adventures to post about, as I have not been able to blog the past week and a bit. I was really busy with some course work. Now I am finished and officially done required courses for my degree! I didn't think this would be such a big deal for until the day actually come. I think the fact that it ended on a Thursday before a long weekend, Easter long weekend, where the anticipation for summer has begun . Oh, and I can eat cookies in a couple days. That may also have something to do with it.

Have a great good Friday. OH and Happy Earth Day! Get yourself a free Starbucks coffee by taking in a reusable mug to use!

Shrove/Fat/Pancake Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday, also known as fat Tuesday or pancake Tuesday has came out of nowhere for me ever since I went off to school and no longer live at home. Every year my Dad usually made us pancakes for breakfast, always to my Mom's dismay as that was her (now ruined) idea for dinner. Traditionally this day exists to have one more glutonous day, using up fat, dairy and sugar before Lent begins, where one is not supposed to receive pleasure from food. As a kid and teenager I always gave up chocolate and chips (my two vices) for lent. I have not given up anything for Lent in a while but as spring (and summer) nears I tend to try and eat a bit better anyway. I will still be celebrating pancake Tuesday, but thanks to this recipe, not fat Tuesday.

This pancake recipe is adapted from my go to recipe for Healthy Spelt Pancakes for One from Oh She Glows, and is not an overly sweet or rich pancake. The recipe is so simple, versatile, and nutritious. I also happened upon an article from the Globe and Mail that was rather timely. It suggested to whip egg whites to achieve fluffiness instead of using baking soda. I usually add an egg to the OSG recipe so I thought I would try this egg whipping idea a try.

Raspberry Spelt Pancakes adapted from Oh She Glows

1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup soy milk (any milk really)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, defrosted
1 egg

1. Wisk together spelt flour, cinnamon, and baking powder.
2. Beat egg with electric mixer until foamy (~ 1 min).
3. Mix together milk and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add raspberries and mix in.
4. Fold in egg until combined.***
5. Ladle onto hot greased pan. Flip once bubbles no longer close when popped.

Makes: 4-5 pancakes.

*** Ok, so here is the deal. The whipped egg ended up thinning out the batter tremendously, which means I had to add some more flour (~1/8 to 1/4 cup) at this point. I do not recommend whipping the egg for this recipe, and just mixing it in with the wet ingredients.

 
The pancakes were very thin and did not have much fluff. Maybe the tip on Globe and Mail only works with your standard pancake recipe. This is not your standard pancake. I think I will stick to my usual method. Since these are not overly rich, I suggest you be creative with the toppings.

Topping Ideas:
1 small banana, sliced
1 frozen banana, processed into banana soft serve
maple syrup
peanut butter
nuts

I topped mine with banana soft serve and peanut butter. 

Since they were so thin I bet this would make a great crepe batter recipe. I have never looked into how crepe batter is made so this is really just a guess.

While I didn't celebrate fat Tuesday with this recipe, the gigantic cinnamon buns that my professor brought to class today surely made it a traditional fat Tuesday. On that note, you may not see any cookies, cakes or treats on the blog for the next..oh...40 days. You will see a new pasta recipe coming up in the next couple days though.

I hope everyone enjoyed some pancakes today!

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

I start five out of seven days of the week (on average) with a bowl of Vegan Overnight Oats, which I initially discovered on Oh She Glows. As much as I love this breakfast, I like to change it up sometimes too, particularly on the weekend. I came across this Banana Pecan Oatmeal Brulee recipe on Pinch my Salt a couple days ago, and thought it would be the perfect recipe to try this weekend. I made some slight changes to the recipe based on what I had on hand.

Banana Walnut Oatmeal adapted from Pinch my Salt


1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal
2 cups water
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 banana
Sucanat or brown sugar
walnut pieces

1. Put quick oats, hot cereal and water in a microwave/oven safe dish and heat on high for 3-4 minutes*, until desired consistency is reached.
2. Mix in ground flax seed and soy milk.
3. Slice banana and place on top of oatmeal. Sprinkle with sucanat or brown sugar.
4. Place under preheated broiler for 5ish minutes to melt sugar.
5. Sprinkle with walnuts.

* Alternatively you can make an equivalent quantity of any kind of oats/hot cereal on the stove stop, such as steel cut or scottish oats.

This was a nice treat yesterday morning, being so rainy outside. I liked the combination of the oats with the 7 grain cereal, something I have not done before. Even the leftovers were good this morning, when instead of rain, I awoke to snow... Not really jelling with my spring fever.

I came across an interesting article the other day as well, so I would like to share it with you.

It may be scary for some who have been told their whole lives that "fat is bad!", but it is becoming increasingly evident that saturated fat is not the problem with our diets. I was first introduced to the saturated fat myth by Michael Pollan when I read his book In Defense of Food. This article was brought to my attention on twitter and I think it is a good read, especially if this is news to you:

http://civileats.com/2011/03/04/a-big-fat-debate/

This doesn't mean go out and start deep frying all your foods. What it means is that be weary of 'low fat' convenience foods. What is taking the place of the fat? Most likely sugar, which we are now learning is our immortal enemy. I think the worst culprit I have seen for this type of advertising is any Special K product. While the fat debate will mostly go on far past our lifetime, there is one thing we can be sure of: there is no debate on trans fat, it is most definitely very bad for us.

Carrot Cake Disagreement

A while back I made a carrot cake for dessert from 101cookbooks.com (Big surprise. At one point, every meal I ate came from that site, I just love it!). It was hearty, dense, not too sweet, and was fairly healthy. I had it with a light maple cream cheese icing (included in the recipe) and it was delicious! With this success I forwarded the recipe link to my good friend Jenna who also loves a healthy baked good recipe. She tried it out with her Mother one day and thought it was awful! The only way she could eat it was with the icing!!

This surprised me beyond belief. We don't need our muffins very sweet and usually like the same foods. It takes a lot for us to call a baked good awful! I had to find out once and for all whether we did something different, or whether we really do disagree on the deliciousness of this health cake.

I thought today would be a perfect time to rebake the cake. I am leaving for Alberta tonight (with Jenna) and it would make a good snack as well as a quick breakfast tomorrow for my friends and I. I followed the recipe as it is on 101cookbooks but left out the dates. The first time I made it I also left out the dates. I also use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt.

The finished product:

I didn't make the icing this time becuase I didn't think it would travel well with icing, haha.

Then I had a piece....

So it wasn't as delicious as I remember, and I could have definitely used some cream cheese icing, but it wasn't awful! I think next time I will include the dates becuase they would definitely sweeten it up. I will still take this cake on my trip with me and will do it's job of providing a hearty and healthy snack.

Now to round out the experiment Jenna just needs to try a piece. We will share a piece on the flight tonight and I will know once and for all if our taste buds are not quite as similar as I thought, or whether Jenna's baking skills are not as fine tuned as mine (joking of course - Jenna is much more careful than I - haha).

I'm off to get ready for my trip to Alberta. I hope to have some great food stories to share from out west while I fuel up for days of hiking!

Yogurt Bowls

Now some people would call these parfaits, but I like to call it a yogurt bowl. Whenever I am kinda hungry mid morning or mid afternoon I often have a yogurt concoction with plain yogurt, fruit, nuts, granola or whatever I've got. Yesterday I had such an early breakfast by 11 it was time for a yogurt bowl.

I thought I would share this one because I think it looked so pretty!

This one is Astro all natural 0% plain yogurt, a tiny nectarine chopped, half a banana chopped, chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, and goji berries (the newest "superfood"). You could also sprinkle some flax seed on top.

This kind of snack will keep you satisfied for at least a few hours. I bought some blueberries yesterday, and I can't wait to use those in a yogurt bowl for my break at work!