Chia Oatmeal

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I have a bunch of recipes that I will be tackling today in preparation for tomorrow. I knew I needed a good breakfast that will keep me from sampling too much today, so I made my chia oatmeal. This is a fast and filling breakfast that you can have any and everyday if you want!

Chia seeds are remarkable in that in 1 serving (2 TB), they have as much protein as an egg, fiber as several pieces of whole grain bread, omega-3's of two salmon filets and many other nutrients. They are easy to digest and keep you full longer than most other breakfast foods. On many mornings, I will leave out the oatmeal part of this breakfast and just have the chia seeds, almond milk and fruit. It is a filling and refreshing breakfast, that still feels light.

But back to today, Chia Oatmeal is so fast and delicious, you'll be surprised and wonder why you don't make it all the time! When you get into the kitchen, immediately put a pot of water on the stove and when it is boiling, add some oats. I use gluten free oats or steel cut. I choose the kind of oats based on how much time I have to cook. If I have a lot of time, I'll use steel cut oats because they take longer to simmer. Once the water starts to simmer down a bit, I add cinnamon and vanilla, with a splash of agave.

The oatmeal will be done cooking in about 15 minutes (total from start to finish including boiling the water). While the oatmeal is cooking, I put a couple tablespoons of chia seeds into 1/4 cup of almond milk and let them sit. I also through in whatever fruit I have at the moment. Today I have some delicious frozen blueberries.

Shepherd's Pie

I have to admit that we haven't been to the grocery store in quite a while (almost two weeks... that's really long for me!) and we have to be creative with what we can make into a meal. Looking through the fridge and cabinets, I had the following basics hanging around:

• celery
• carrots
• loads of potatoes (still from my CSA)
• onions
• some frozen veggies
• dried lentils
• herbs
• fresh cranberries

So, what can you make with those? Tons of things! Since it was cold and we were hungry, I decided to put together a fast shepherd's pie. (using pretty much everything in the fridge except for the cranberries)

Here's the recipe, but feel free to substitute with any kinds of veggies that you have in the house. Frozen, fresh, canned, anything will work!

Jessi's Shepherd's Pie

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters (I leave the skin on)

1 cup veggie broth or milk of your choice

1 TB chives (half for mixing in the potatoes, half for sprinkling on top)

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 pepper, chopped (I used a poblano because we like it spicy, but you could also use any kind)

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup lima beans 

1 TB herbes de provence

1 TB thyme

1/2 bunch of kale, leaves removed from the stem and roughly chopped (or whatever greens you have like collards, chard, etc)

1 cup dried lentils, cooked 

2 TB cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Put potatoes in a large pot of boiling water and cook until soft (about 15 minutes). Drain potatoes and put into a large bowl. Add enough veggie broth to allow you to smash the potatoes until they are the consistency you like for mashed potatoes. Add 1/2 TB of chives, salt and pepper to taste, and mix into potatoes. Set aside.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots and peppers. Sauté 10 minutes, adding 1 TB of veggie broth or water at a time when the veggies start to stick.
4. Add corn and lima beans to the mixture in the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. If the veggies are frozen, cook until thawed.
5. Add herbes de provence and thyme to the skillet, cook for 30 seconds. 
6. Add kale and cooked lentils to the skillet. Mix the cornstarch with just enough water to make it liquid and pour into skillet. Stir and cook for another minute. If the mixture in the skillet is sticking or looks too dry, add veggie broth to give it a little moisture.
7. Pour veggies into a baking dish. It will be a tight fit in an 8x8 and a little thin for a 9x13. I used an 8x11 ceramic dish. Spread potatoes over veggies until they are covered. Sprinkle with remaining chives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Put in oven for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes start to crisp over to your liking.
9. Remove from oven and let it sit for a few minutes before serving. 
10. Enjoy!

Nutty Sweet Potato Soup

Tonight we wanted something pretty quick for dinner and not too heavy, so we made a soup recipe that I came across a few weeks ago. It is Nutty Sweet Potato Soup with Harissa and Spinach from Vegetarian Times.

The soup was really thick and flavorful. We followed the recipe pretty closely, but next time I would probably add more Harissa to make it spicier and maybe a bit more peanut butter to give it more of a peanut taste.

The picture from Vegetarian Times shows it a bit thinner, so maybe we'll add more water next time too... the soup in the bowl doesn't look overly appetizing as I show it above ;)

Pumpkin Polenta

Pumpkin and Polenta? Who knew the two ingredients would work so well together. This meal came together within 30 minutes and the polenta came out really creamy and flavorful. The salsa had the right tart kick to balance the creaminess. I luckily had fresh tomatillos and cilantro on hand from my last CSA share of the year to put into the salsa. (I put in a lot of extra cilantro because it is my favorite herb!)

Thank you to the Gluten Free Goddess for posting the recipe here!