Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

My weekday breakfasts consist of the exact same thing, every day. I'm a big smoothie lover, and smoothies fit perfectly into my morning schedule because a) I'm usually not hungry at 6:00 a.m. (or even 7:30 when I'm leaving for work), b) the smoothies I make are really healthy and I intend to share them on here at some point, and c) I already get up early enough. Ain't nobody got the energy to get up an extra 20 minutes to eat breakfast before the leave for work. Although, I suppose that if I confiscated my laptop in the mornings, I wouldn't need to get up earlier. But that's an entirely different issue I'm not ready to broach yet.

So, when the weekends come around, I'm usually looking for something that is filling (as I end up eating even later), nutritious, and let's face it, a bit carb-y. And I like to make something that lasts for a couple days. So oatmeal is often a go-to for me! And this oatmeal is really fulfilling. It has multiple grains that give it a nice chewy, not mushy texture, delicious caramelized apples, warm spices, and to-die-for maple syrup. This is the real stuff folks. None of that imposter corn syrup stuff. Not even real maple syrup from the sugar bush. This is maple syrup made from MY bush, right here on my property. I can't take credit for cooking it all up; that was my parent's doing last year, but I do hold a certain amount of pride knowing the syrup was tapped from our trees. And it has a delicious smoky flavour. Not to make you jealous or anything... but you should be jealous.

Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup steel cut oats
3 tablespoons quinoa, rinsed
1/3-1/2 cup large flake oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of all-spice and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on your taste)
1/3 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large apple
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon

Directions:
Combine water and milk in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add in the steel cut oats and rinsed quinoa, and continue to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, peel and dice apple to desired size. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat and add in the apple. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over top, and slowly cook the apples until they begin to become translucent and soft. The sugar will also start to caramelize on the outside of the apples.

Once the oats and quinoa have cooked for 20 minutes, stir in the large flake oats. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. The mixture will begin to thicken up. Stir in the cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, maple syrup and raisins. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, or until the liquid is almost completely gone and the oats are soft (*note, sometimes the oats take longer to cook or depending on your own taste, you might like them firmer or harder. If you need to cook them longer, simply add in a little more water and continue to cook). Once the oatmeal is done to your desired firmness/softness, stir in the vanilla and the caramelized apple pieces.

Serve while hot and enjoy! If you have leftovers that you are heating up the next day, add in a little milk prior to heating to help loosen the oats and restore some of the moisture.

Source: Sweet Treats & Healthy Eats Original. Pin It

Whole Wheat Cheese Bread

 

 





My head has finally made in into fall. Perhaps it's the turn of weather from beautiful, hot sunny days to absolutely freezing days (I don't exaggerate, this morning my thermometer said 2 degrees C). Regardless, one of the things I immediately think of when fall hits is warm homemade bread, and if that's combined with a hearty soup like corn chowder or chili, it's even better! The smell of freshly baked bread filling your house is amazing, and if it's cheese bread, you can smell it even more. This was one dish that I was so excited to cut into, and when I did, it definitely did not let down. It doesn't take a lot of work, just more time to let the dough rise, so it's perfect for a side to a dinner meal. The only tricky part is kneading all of those lovely chunks of cheese into the bread. Trust me, you'll want to use chunks and not grate the cheese, or else the cheese just kind of dissolves into the bread, and that's not what you want!!

 

Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups old cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
extra Parmesan and cheddar cheese grated, for topping

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the water, yeast, oil and salt with a rubber spatula. Beat in egg, followed by Parmesan cheese. Stir in white flour until just combined. Add in whole wheat flour, and using the dough hook attachment for the stand mixer, knead at low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead just long enough to make the dough is soft and smooth, then shape into a ball.

Place the dough in a lightly greased glass bowl and cover with a tea towel. Heat oven to 350 degrees F for 2 minutes, then turn off, until oven is just warmed. At the same time, boil some water. Place boiled water in a small bowl, and then onto the lower rack in the oven. Place the dough bowl in the oven on the higher rack, directly above the bowl with steaming water (warmth and moisture produce the best environment for the dough to rise). Let the dough proof for 45-60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Remove from oven and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the cubed cheddar cheese until well distributed (because the cheese is cubed, this step is a little challenging). Divide into 2 equal portions. At this time, it is possible to wrap the dough up and freeze for a later date.

Shape each portion into a loaf, and place seam side down in 2 well greased and floured 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan. Again, warm the oven momentarily and have boiled water ready so that the dough may rise for another 45-60 minutes, or until dough has risen above the top of the pan in the centre and corners are filled. Sprinkle tops of loaves with Parmesan and cheddar cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees F on lower oven rack for 30-35 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. And do me a favour, cut yourself a slice while it's still warm, and top it with a bit of butter. Heaven.

Source: adapted from Robin Hood Pin It