Recipes

DISCLAIMER: I am no professional chef or classically trained baker, but every once in a while I can whip up some reaaaaal good bites. 


24 Karat Oatmeal IN THE AIR

Turmeric. Tur-mer-ic. To-MER-ic? Tuh-mur-ic? COMES FROM THE GREEK WORD - okay, okay, that's enough. If you are familiar with turmeric, then you know that them ancient witch doctors were using it to heal wounds, treat upset stomachs, cure diabetes, dye their clothes, color tattoos, ward off evil spirits, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera (disclaimer: I'm only half-joking, 100% of the time).

Indigenous to Southeast Asia and India, turmeric is a member of the root family (cousins with ginger, y'all) and has been used in food and medicine for thousands of years. It is still used in Ayurvedic medicine today, and is most prominently known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. 

The flavor profile of turmeric is quite distinctive and in my opinion, not for everyone. It has a bold, earthy, bitter flavor, and excessive amounts could leave your tongue tingling (or maybe that's just me and my allergy-kid lifestyle). 

So you're probably thinking, 'why is she rambling on about turmeric? I just want the damn golden oat recipe.' I'm going on and on because turmeric is the key ingredient to make these oats shine, DUH. While I find that this recipe has the perfect amount of turmeric where you can taste it, but it isn't overwhelming, I do not want anyone to have buyer's remorse (picky eaters, beware). 

My brief soliloquy is over, scroll on if you want to get jiggy with some 24 Karat Overnight Oats (recipe makes approximately 2 servings).

Ingredients:

Oats:

• 1 cup gluten-free oatmeal (steel cut or rolled, either work)
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 scoop vanilla protein (I used Quest)
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seed milk*
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (can replace with dairy free yogurt)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2/3 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ashwagandha (optional)

Toppings:

• pepitas 
• frozen blueberries
• bee pollen
• coconut flakes
• figs (dry or fresh)
• blood orange
• sunflower seed butter
• almond slivers
• goji berries
• raspberries

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients (oats, chia seeds, protein, turmeric, cinnamon, ashwagandha).
2. Add pumpkin seed milk, almond milk, yogurt, maple syrup and stir in thoroughly. While sitting overnight, the oats will absorb the liquid ingredients and become slightly thicker than the mixture is now. Add a splash more of milk if you prefer your oats 'thinner.' 
3. Once all ingredients are mixed thoroughly, transfer the oats to a jar**, seal, and refrigerate.
4. After your oats have set*** it's time for the best part: the toppings. Listed above are suggestions that go well with the oats as well as each other. Don't let the list stop you from getting down with yo bad self and adding something funky.

Notes:

* I'm sure many are looking at this and thinking WTF? Where does one acquire pumpkin seed milk? I make it by blending one part seed, three parts water in a high quality blender. When most people make seed or nut milks, they will strain the liquid in a nut milk bag (LOL) to filter out the pulp. Because I use pumpkin seed milk for recipes, I leave the pulp and just shake well before use. If all of this sounds ridiculous for one overnight oat recipe, that means you hold the popular opinion. Feel free to replace this ingredient with 1/3 cup milk of choice; I included it in this recipe because I like the flavor.
** I usually prepare overnight oats in mason jars because of the airtight seal and mobility. It's perfect for on-the-go breakfast and lets me get seven extra minutes of sleep in the morning. Oats should stay fresh for about 2-3 days while refrigerated.

*** You can either add your toppings (if you're doing it jar-style) a few hours after the oats have set and absorbed the liquid ingredients, or right before consuming if you prefer your toppings not to be refrigerated overnight.

**** Parts of above recipe and notes were plagiarized from my last overnight oats recipe, and will probably peep their way into future recipes. 

Don't forget to shine bright like your oatmeal,

Ali Baba's Gluten Free Aşure

Ahh, aşure. It's a widely known Turkish dessert that my grandmother would make from time to time when I was growing up. When I was younger, I never noticed the novelty of a dessert made of generally savory ingredients - I just knew I liked it.

Aşure is also referred to as Noah's Pudding (yes, like the ark). Legend has it that our boy Noah combined all the food left on the ark and came up with this medley of beans, chickpeas, raisins, barley, sugar, and so forth. 

Traditional aşure is not celiac friendly, being that its main ingredient includes whole wheat and barley. Lucky for me (and any other GFers craving this dessert), my dad has perfected his gluten-free aşure and was gracious enough to share it. (Fun fact: my dad's name is Ali and 'baba' means dad/father in Turkish, so the recipe name is as literal as it gets).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry navy beans (soaked, drained)
• 1 cup dry chick peas (soaked, drained)
• 1.5 cups gluten-free steel cut oats (soaked, drained)
• 1.5 cups raisins or craisins
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch (melted down in water)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In three bowls (keeping ingredients separate) pour navy beans, chick peas, and oats. Add water until each ingredient is submerged. Cover and soak overnight.
2. Drain each ingredient the following day, keeping them separate. In one pot, pour in navy beans and fresh water (enough water so beans are well covered). Bring the pot to boil, then simmer until cooked almost through. In a separate pot, follow the same steps for the chick peas. Usually the navy beans take a bit longer to cook than the chick peas (Approximate cook time: 30-45 minutes).
3. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with cold water until it becomes a slurry (semi-liquid mixture). Water to cornstarch ratio should be roughly 2:1, additional water can be added if necessary.
4. In a large pot, combine all ingredients including oats, beans, chick peas, cornstarch slurry, sugar, raisins/craisins, and cinnamon. Fill the pot with water until all ingredients are covered by approximately one inch of liquid.
5. Bring pot to boil, making sure to stir continually until it has reached a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes while occasionally stirring the pot (LOL) so ingredients do not stick to the sides. The mix should thicken thoroughly, though the ingredients should still be distinguishable and pretty easily separated with a spoon.
6. Thickness of the aşure is to preference. If you prefer a thick and pudding-like consistency, leave it as is. If you would prefer a thinner aşure: boil water separately, then stir in water little by little until you reach desired thickness. Note that once refrigerated, aşure will thicken further. 
7. Transfer into bowls or tupperware and place in fridge to cool. 

Typically aşure is served cold, topped with cinnamon and walnuts. The above makes A LOT of aşure, so feel free to half the recipe. I did not write the serving size, because one can easily have a small bowl orrr eat out of a giant Pyrex container until you realize you've just hit the bottom (not sorry about it). Just be mindful that you are, in fact, putting eight cups of ingredients into one recipe.

With love and legumes always,

 

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

Hello friends! I'm back from the dead (actually from finding out I have Celiac disease, so basically the same thing). To that news I say CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. Which inadvertently means there will be many a-gluten free recipes coming your way soon.

'Tis November, which in my opinion is peak pumpkin season. So naturally, that means PUMPKIN PIE OVERNIGHT OATS Y'ALL.

         

Like all oats recipes, this one is highly adjustable to your taste and preference, so don't be afraid to get yo salt bae on with that extra nutmeg.

Ingredients:

Oats:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used Nounos Pumpkin Spice Yogurt because I'm extra like that)
• 2 tbsp pumpkin (canned)
• 2 tbsp vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional; recommend if you like sweeter oats)

  

Toppings:

• 3 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 energy ball, chopped (I used this recipe; alternatives to this could be chopped up energy/protein bars of choice, Nakd and R.E.D.D. are some of my favorites)
• granola/cereal of choice (I used Pumpkin Spice Cheerios because I cannot be tamed)
• chocolate chips
• pecans or walnuts (or both if you're nuts)

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients (oats, vanilla protein powder, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon). 
2. Add almond milk, Greek yogurt, pumpkin, maple syrup and stir in thoroughly. While sitting overnight, the oats will absorb the liquid ingredients and become slightly thicker than the mixture is now. Add a splash more of almond milk if you prefer your oats 'thinner.' 
3. Once all ingredients are mixed thoroughly, transfer the oats to a jar*, seal, and refrigerate.
4. After your oats have set**: layer on all your toppings neatly (for the gram) OR Jackson Pollock them on in respects to the abstract expressionist art movement (or because you're hangry). 

Notes:

* I usually prepare overnight oats in mason jars because of the airtight seal and mobility. It's perfect for on-the-go breakfast and lets me get seven extra minutes of sleep in the morning. Oats should stay fresh for about 2-3 days while refrigerated.

** You can either add your toppings (if you're doing it jar-style) a few hours after the oats have set and absorbed the liquid ingredients, or right before consuming if you prefer your toppings not to be refrigerated overnight.

***The above notes were plagiarized from my last overnight oats recipe, and will probably peep their way into future recipes. 

Don't let the haters stop you from pumpkining,

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

Ideally, I'd like to have dessert for every meal of the day. Some people cannot stomach the thought of eating a fat slice of carrot cake for breakfast, but I dream about it. That being said, I wanted to come up with something that's the best of both worlds.

This recipe is pretty adaptable in the sense that you can switch out certain ingredients to fit your preference (coconut or whole milk instead of almond milk, never-ending topping options). Let me be the first to warn you that once you find an overnight oats recipe you love, you may become slightly (or excessively) obsessed.

Ingredients:

Oats:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 small carrot (or 1/2 a large carrot), finely grated
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Toppings:

• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• toasted coconut flakes
• pecans or walnuts
• honey or maple syrup
• raisins

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix oats, almond milk, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, chia seeds, carrot, vanilla, and cinnamon. Once all ingredients are mixed thoroughly, transfer the oats to a jar*, seal, and refrigerate (I know, I know, this is some complicated business).
2.  After your oats have set**: in a separate bowl, whip 1/3 cup Greek yogurt and 1 tbsp cream cheese together with a hand mixer.
3. The way I see it, you have two options at this point. Layer your toppings in your oats jar for the gram in an aesthetically pleasing way that makes you look like a lifestyle blogger that does yoga at sunrise and only drinks naturally caffeine-free herbal tea. OR violently throw all your toppings in your bowl/jar and consume immediately because you're hangry and don't have time for games or an oatmeal photo shoot. 

Notes: 

* I usually prepare overnight oats in mason jars because of the airtight seal and mobility. It's perfect for on-the-go breakfast and lets me get seven extra minutes of sleep in the morning. Oats should stay fresh for about 2-3 days while refrigerated.
** You can either add your toppings (if you're doing it jar-style) a few hours after the oats have set and absorbed the liquid ingredients, or right before eating if you prefer your toppings not to be refrigerated overnight.

Happy eating my oats and hoes,