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Recipe Redux: Apricot & Roasted Hazelnut To-Go Oats

August 21, 2013by Rebecca10 Comments

My mother and I have an arrangement. She gives me jam and pickled beets and the like, and I return the empty jars to her for the next go round. Except when I don’t return the jars and begin to use them as my new Tupperware for traveling. Usually it’s trail mix, granola or this time around, To-Go Oats. She always eventually gets the jars back, as I start collecting too many. In the meantime I have an excellent collection of portable containers.

The last several years have seen me as an on again/off again weekend traveler. These next few weeks are no exception, as I will be on the road again and again until mid-September. I am definitely counting down the days (less than 30, I hope!) until W moves back for good. I’m squirming in my seat and imagining all the activities we can enjoy together that have been missed this last year. I just can’t wait.

Though I’ve always been big on traveling with food and eating a consistent diet no matter the circumstances, after discovering all of those pesky dietary restrictions in the last couple years, it has become mandatory to travel with a bit of food insurance. Throwing a batch of oats with all the fixings into a pan is my thing. I can leave the cooler with every random pantry item that I mightneed at home. Instead, breakfast is all there in a convenient jar to be poured into a pan and made into a bowl of goodness.

I like to add both old-fashioned thick oats and steel cut oats because I like lotsof texture. This batch includes a strangely addicting mix of fennel seeds, dried apricots, cinnamon and roasted hazelnuts. It is happiness in a jar. I always add fresh fruit, and this time around decided to double up on apricots, adding fresh red apricots to the top once cooked. The beauty of this mixture is if you’re an oat and yogurt kinda person, this is practically muesli-esque and can be used both ways.

Did I mention I am excited to now be participating in Recipe Redux? This month’s theme is Raising the Bar on Food in a Jar.

Apricot & Roasted Hazelnut To-Go Oats, serves 1

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats*

2 Tbs. steel cut oats*

2-3 dried apricots, diced

1 Tbs. roasted Hazelnuts, chopped

1 Tbs. brown sugar or to taste

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

dash fennel seeds

1-2 fresh apricots or any available fresh fruit

Measure into a clean jar, spin the lid, and shake. You’re ready to go!
To cook, boil 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Add entire contents of jar, turn heat to medium and cook about five to 10 minutes, depending on desired consistency.

* I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats, but any brand will work, if you’ve no gluten problems.

Summertime

Peach & Rosemary Cornmeal Cake

August 18, 2013August 28, 2022by RebeccaLeave a Comment

I have two confessions. One, I’ve been eating these Beet Burgers for at least one meal a day for the last five days. Mostly because I’m too stubborn to downsize a recipe and/or freeze leftovers in W’s absence. Oh, and they’re really good.

Two, growing up, I preferred the green, hard, unripe peaches and nectarines from the grocery store. Though I grew up quite close to orchard country, I didn’t like the squishy texture of a ripe peach. Never mind that there was no flavor. It was crisp. Like an apple. And I’ve always loved apples.

All of that has changed. To the second confession, I mean. I still have leftovers. I went to the farmers market yesterday and bought peaches from my favorite orchard. In a couple weeks, they will begin bringing in the first apples in all their glory. But right about now, Willamette Valley peaches are in their prime. Because I tasted each variety before purchasing, I finally chose the giant Red Globes that were perfectly sweet and ripe. Normally, I would simply slice them up one by one and eat, slowly, letting the juice drip. Drop. Onto the counter, all over my blouse, syrupy fingers infecting everything they touch. With the most perfectly ripe fruit, I wouldn’t usually want to mask its style by fussing. But I’ve been in need of a cake; something slightly savory with texture and herbs.

This cake delivers. Choose the ripest, choicest peaches you can find-Those flavors will shine through. I’ve adapted my recipe slightly so my cake is both gluten- and dairy-free. If you do not have a food scale, the gluten free flours total about 3/4 of a cup. If you have no dietary concerns, just sub in 3/4 cup all-purpose flour for the gluten free, and use regular milk instead of almond. I beg you, get out there (or into the kitchen) already and enjoy summer’s bounty of peaches while they last!

Peach & Rosemary Cornmeal Cake, adapted from Bella Eats
Updated: 8/28/22

1 Tbs. ground flax seeds
2 Tbs. warm water
50 grams sorghum flour
20 grams arrowroot flour
15 grams / 2 Tbs. almond meal
120 grams / 1 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt
2/3 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1 ripe peach, sliced thin
drizzle of honey, to finish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and flour an 8- or 9-inch springform pan (or a cake pan).
In a small bowl, stir together the ground flax and 2 Tbs. warm water. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and rosemary. Set aside.
In a large measuring bowl, stir together the eggs, oil, yogurt, milk, honey, sugar, and flax mixture. Whisk well until frothy.
Pour the liquids into dry ingredients and stir until smooth and combined. Pour the batter into cake pan.
Arrange the sliced peach onto top of batter, beginning in the middle and working outwards.
Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool before serving.
When serving, drizzle a little honey over the top to finish.

Running, Summertime

Savory-Sweet Summer Squash Salad

July 22, 2013August 28, 2021by RebeccaLeave a Comment

I stop suddenly on the trail, leering to the left, then swinging right. Taking it all in. This is one of my favorite places in the world. The place where W proposed, where we walked and ran together that last summer here. Where visiting friends and family were brought. Where I escaped Biology 212 and pondered life instead.

Serenity. Belonging. Ownership. These feelings wash over me.

Breath in. Release. And running again.

I opt for an out and back and take it all in again from the opposite direction, this time reveling in the change of light and the minty-summery-grassy aroma. Watch the sheep far off in the back pasture.

“Life goes on, day after day, but it also has the ability to reinvent itself, to start over.”

Farmers markets. Checking out my “must read” books from the library. Lazing away a post-5k afternoon, curled up with W. Somehow getting my body up and out the door to run 11 miles on a Sunday morning and then getting myself to church. Experiences I didn’t let myself enjoy this past year. Until now.

After months of unease and indecisiveness, starting over. Back to the place that feels like home. The college town that’s been in my dreams. I’ve longed for a sense of community, for fitting in where my values lie. For meeting new and catching up with old friends. I’m anxious to begin. Already beginning. W’s advice “don’t push it; let it happen,” as I restlessly wait for him to join me permanently in the fall. I’d like for everything to come into place all at once, but we’re easing back in to the thick of things.

“This is what the seasons show us. We all have marveled at the apple tree’s ability to rest through a dark, cold winter, then to grow new leaves in the spring, to blossom again, to bear fruit.” We’ve been waiting through the long winter these last couple years. We’re ready to let our flowers bloom. Grow those apples, I say.

Later, a moment’s jaunt from our new abode, W and I walk through the forest of ferns and Oregon grape, oak and Douglas fir. We contemplate this transition. Our journey has many unknowns. As one of us is uncertain, the other has been given divine wisdom to trust the process. It is a back and forth sort of thing, and we have always worked this way, it seems. Through the major decisions, this leaning on each other. Today, I encourage W to settle in to the journey, to welcome the ups and downs. Both are progress. We are moving forward again. To new beginnings.

Quotes are taken from The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life by Amby Burfoot.

This salad was inspired by a recent trip to Whole Foods Market. I wandered around and around the prepared foods counter until I finally settled on the salad with raisins. It was a solid choice, and I knew I needed to recreate the recipe. I changed the ingredients up a bit, by using millet and adding the summer squash, which in a greedy moment, I snatched more than was needed from my mom’s garden. If you do not have millet, feel free to substitute quinoa or couscous. Don’t skip the raisins, they add the perfect counter balance to the Middle Eastern-inspired spices.

Savory-Sweet Summer Squash Salad, serves 3-4 as a side dish
The vegetables in this can easily be interchanged. Sautéing diced eggplant instead of bell pepper is a great addition for the Middle Eastern flavors.

Recipe Updated: 8/25/21
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
pinch of black pepper
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup millet, uncooked
1 1/2 cups water
Juice of 1/2 a medium lemon
2 Tbs. olive oil plus more for sautéing
1/2 Tbs. raw honey
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium yellow summer squash, diced
fresh basil or cilantro, optional

To begin, bring water, spices, salt, and raisins to boil in a heavy saucepan. When boiling, gently stir in millet and cover with a lid. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 25 minutes. When done, set aside.
While grain is cooking, stir together the lemon juice, honey, and olive oil. Set aside.
Dice onion, bell pepper, and summer squashes into a medium dice. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high. Pour in enough olive oil to lightly coat bottom of pan. When hot, add the onion, and sauté for 15-20 minutes, until slightly caramelized. After about 15 minutes, stir in the bell pepper. Add a dash of water as needed to help caramelize.
When onions are sweet and golden, stir in the zucchini and summer squash. Sauté for 5-10 more minutes until squash is slightly soft. Stir in the cooked millet and the dressing. Adjust seasoning and sprinkle with finely minced fresh basil or cilantro, about 1 tablespoon per serving.