BREAKFAST: RAW OAT GROATS OATMEAL WITH SPROUTED BUCKWHEAT AND NECTARINES

Finally got my hands on some oat groats (raw and unprocessed form of oats) and I am loving it.  Personally I am not a fan of cooked oatmeal, so this is a great hearty breakfast that I am loving.  Life has been so busy this past month, I really need some easy quick go to recipes.  Of course, I still make my smoothies too on most days  ;)

Eating these delicious grains are easy.  Soaking is the most important.  Soak the oat groats 8-10 hours or overnight, rinse and drain.  For the buckwheat, soak them for 30 min to 2 hours and rinse thoroughly.  They will have a slimy kind of residue.  This is normal, just rinse thoroughly and leave in your strainer overnight covered to get a little sprout out of them.  Now they are ready to eat.

(You can also just soak your oat groats in your favorite milk in the refrigerator overnight to get them ready to eat as well.)

RAW OAT GROATS OATMEAL WITH SPROUTED BUCKWHEAT AND NECTARINES

2 tablespoons soaked oat groats
2 tablespoons sprouted buckwheat
2 tablespoons raw slivered almonds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 nectarine sliced, or your own favorite fruit
Optional, chopped dates or raisins do give it a little more sweetness
Almond milk

Add all the ingredients to your favorite cereal bowl and enjoy!  Yup, no guilt eating this breakfast.

Enjoy!

QUINOA CHIA SEED FLAX CRACKERS WITH SPLIT PEA SOUP

 

 

The weather is FINALLY changing here in Los Angeles.  It's by no means cold if you compare it to my east coast friends who got some snow this week.  But for us, we are finally feeling the difference and I am happy about it.  I love summer too, especially in southern California.  But now we can finally bring out the fall foods and baked goods.  That got me thinking.  I found a great home made cracker recipe on one of my favorite sites Whisks and Whimsy. 

 

I changed the recipe a little to include different seeds and grains and I very happy with how they turned out.  Super delicious!

 

VEGAN QUINOA CHIA SEED FLAX CRACKERS

 

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup whole wheat flour or splelt flour (I used whole wheat flour)
1/3 cup whole, uncooked quinoa (preferrably soaked for 2 hours and dried for maximum wholesomeness)
1/3 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, quinoa, chia seed, flax seed, baking powder, and salt. Then add the olive oil and mix with a fork until combined. Slowly mix in a 1/2 cup of water, working it in with your hands. If needed, add up to 1/4 cup more water until the dough holds together, although, I didnt need too much more than that 1/2 cup.  Knead the dough in the bowl until it is smooth and easy to work with, about 2 minutes.

 



Dust a clean surface with flour, dump out the dough, and press it into a flat disc. Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough until it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (the thinner crackers crisp up a little more in my experience). Cut the crackers into 2-inch squares or circles, rerolling the dough as needed.
Carefully transfer the cut crackers to ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheets.  Then I used a fork to poke holes on top to give it a nice ritz cracker appearance.

 

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the crackers are crisp and hard to the touch. Transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Makes about 50 to 60 crackers.

I thought it would be great to pair these crackers with a soup and since I had split peas in the pantry, I decided to make a split pea soup that had an Indian flair.  Super delicous.  Naan may have technically been paired with this soup, but the crackers with this dish were perfect too. 



SPLIT PEA SOUP

2 cups dried split peas
4 cups water, plus 1 more cup
1 teaspoon tumeric
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2-1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 clove garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 table spoons nama shoyu or Braggs liquid aminos

Before cooking peas always examine, rinse and sort well to assure maximum wholesomeness of this natural product.  Peas do not require soaking.  Combine the 2 cups of peas with 4 cups of water in a pot adn bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover with a llid and simmer for 25-35 minutes or until tender.  For this recipe you want the peas to be a little softer since we will be pureeing them. 

Remove from heat and all the remaining ingredients and with a hand blender, puree everything in the pot.  If you don't have a hand blender, you can blend it in a blender but be careful as the mixture is very hot.  You may have to do it in parts.

Let the soup sit or simmer on very low heat 10 to 15 minutes so the spices get infused into the soup.  Now it's ready to serve.

Enjoy!



 

 

 

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite vegan cracker or soup recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

 



OVERNIGHT OATMEAL







 

 

 

I have been seeing a lot of mason jar recipes on Pinterest and on my favorite food blogs lately.  However, I really fell in love with this recipe and concept.  I try to eat mostly raw, but at times I crave something real breakfast-y if you know what I mean.  This is perfect because you don't cook the oatmeal.  I couldn't find raw oats (groats) so this time I just used organic rolled oaks.  This dish came out just perfect.  I had to pack our breakfast this past weekend and what a cute way to pack a meal.

 

 

My husband doesn't like walnuts, so I put raw sliced almonds and raspberries in his.

 

 

 

I tried raw walnuts and raspberries in mine.  Just delicious.  I added in a tablespoon of chia seeds that are packed with protein.  One tablespoon will give you 3 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, and 2.9 grams of omega-3 fatty acids.  

 

Oatmeal has great benefits as well.  Some of you may ask if eating uncooked oatmeal is healthy.  Check out the benefits of oatmeal cooked or uncooked HERE.  Whether cooked or uncooked, oats have high nutritional value and approximately 310 to 390 calories per 100 g serving. This serving size delivers 9 to 11 g of fiber and 13 to 17 g of protein. Oats are also a good source of polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, which are healthy for the heart. Although they don't pack a powerful punch in terms of vitamins, they are high in several minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and manganese. The soluble fiber in oats helps to eliminate cholesterol and lower blood pressure, and the insoluble fiber helps keep your digestive tract healthy and efficient. The beta-glucan in oatmeal can also help regulate blood sugar, and the lignans can protect the body against cancer.

 

 



 

I got these jars from Ikea.  These SLOM jars with lid are only $2.99.  What I also love about this recipe is that there are no set rules.  You can use any kind of milk you like, use your favorite berries, dried fruit or nuts.  Such a great little recipe! 

 

OVERNIGHT OATMEAL

 

1/2 cups oats

1 tablespoon chia seeds

3/4 cup almond or coconut milk

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 table spoon shredded coconut

1 tablespoon raw almonds or walnuts

fresh fruit

 

Mix the first five ingredients in the mason jar.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 5 hours.  Top with the nuts and fruit in the morning and enjoy!

I have also done versions with figs, no dried fruit, with dates.  They have all been really good.  Just choose your favorite combination!

 

Bon appetit!

 

 

 

Oh, and here's my Instagram shot of eating this the other day on the run.  It was the perfect breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 



RAW: GREEN SMOOTHIE WITH PEAS

Peas you say?  Yes, PEAS!  I am definitely on a raw green smoothie kick and hope to keep this up for a long, long while.  I have a handful of friends who really do not like to eat vegetables, but they love smoothies.  This is a great way to get some of the needed fruits and vegetable intake for the day. 

I know growing up, I didn't think peas were a viable vegetable, but when you think about it, one of the first vegetable babies eat are peas.  They are really packed with a lot nutrition.  See below for an in depth analysis of nutrients from this site:

 

Oh, and I have to mention another hidden gem in this blend.  Kiwis.   One cup of kiwi fruit contains more vitamin C than a cup of orange slices.  Check out more nutritional information on Livestrong.

Amazing!  Are you ready to try it?

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup peas

1 cup baby spinach

1 large banana frozen

2 kiwis, peeled

1 cup frozen straberries

1 cup frozen pineapples

juice from two navel oranges (for a less tangy flavor you can use 1/2 apple juice)

1/2 cup water

Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender.  Makes two generous servings.

Top it off with a table spoon of chia seeds.  Yet another powerful ingredient.  I talk a little bit about the power of chia seeds in THIS POST.

Enjoy!

RAW: HOME MADE ENERGY BARS

  

I love these bars! These home made energy bars are so good, I make them just about every other week, if not every week.  The fabulous thing about this is that you can make many varieties by just switching out a few ingredients.  This recipe is super easy, so here it goes...

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz pitted dates (These were from Trader Joe's and I just used the whole package.)
1-1/2 cup dried cherries (If you buy them at Trader Joe's use the whole package.)

1/2 cup dried coconut

1/2 cup pepitas

1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup pistachios
3 table spoons chia seeds

Note:  I got all the ingredients at Trader Joes, all except for the coconut.  (I think we all need to write them to ask them to stock the coconut for us!)

Blend the dates and the cherries in the food processor until blended.  It will be very, very sticky.  Transfer it into a blow and then mix in all the other ingredients.  Wet your hands slightly and knead and fold the ingredients togehter by hand.  It will be tough but if you knead and fold it will eventually all be mixed togeher. 

Tip, don't put in too many dry ingredients, it will make it more difficult to fold and mold.

Press the ball of ingredients into a wax paper lined 9" x 13" baking pan.  Chill for 1 hour in the freezer and then cut into bars.  I like to store these in the refrigerator, it keeps them at a nice firm consistency.

Voila! 

I know you will love these and make them as much as I do.

Process pitted dates and cherries.

I love the information I found about dates at LIVESTRONG.COM... I think dates are my new favorite go to sweet treat.  Also, check out these nutritional points about dates if you need a little convincing.

Also, a side note about Chia Seeds, one tablespoon will give you 3 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, and 2.9 grams of omega-3 fatty acids.  What a powerful little seed!



Knead all ingredients together.

Press into 9" x 13" pan



Close Up...



So yummy!