“My brain is like oatmeal. I yelled at Kenny today for coloring outside the lines!” ~ Jack Butler in the 1983 movie, “Mr. Mom”, written by American screenwriter John W. Hughes, Jr. (1950-2009)

This week we learned a way of preparing oatmeal that is completely new to us, but has apparently been quite popular in Latin America for a long time: Batida de Avida.  This translates literally to “whipped oatmeal”, but in practice, it is what we would call an oatmeal smoothie.

Talk about coloring outside the lines!

The recipes we found for batida de avida called for cooking the oatmeal first, which in my mind makes it a great way for using up leftovers, but not very practical for those of us who make breakfast decisions at the last minute or prefer our smoothies cold. On a whim, we used what we knew about instant oatmeal and created what is a thicker, creamier result by grinding the dry oats to a powder before adding the milk. When we added vanilla flavored So Delicious coconut milk and some frozen fruit, we ended up with a smoothie that rivals a milk shake but gives the morning a very healthy start.

Oatmeal Smoothie

Serves 1 full breakfast or 2 drinks
Time: 3 minutes active + 10 minutes resting time

⅓ cup quick oats
1 cup So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage
1 cup frozen fruit pieces (we used strawberries for the photo)

Measure the oats into a blender container, cover, and process on high speed for about 30 seconds – until they are ground into a fine flour. Add the coconut milk beverage and blend on low speed to thoroughly mix. Allow to stand for 10 minutes so that the oatmeal becomes soft and thickens the mixture.

Add the frozen fruit pieces to the oatmeal mixture in the blender, cover, and process on high until smooth and very thick. Serve immediately.

“Ask not what you can do for your country.  Ask, “What’s for lunch?” ~ Orson Wells,  American movie director, actor, producer, and writer (1915 – 1985)

It takes 1 ½ medium sweet potatoes to feed the Mosaic Dad and me for supper, but what do we do with the leftover half?  The answer is pretty easy if just one of us  is home for lunch, but the idea of feeding two begged a little thought.

As it turned out, we also had two smallish zucchinis that were also asking to be used, so what better than to stuff them with a leftover mash for a nutritious lunch?

Sweet Potato Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Serves 2
Time: 10 minutes

¼ cup diced onion
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ baked or steamed sweet potato
¼ cup garnish of your choice, such as diced cooked beets, chopped nuts, or toasted sunflower seeds

Warm the vegetable oil in a small non-stick skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until softened.

Meanwhile, slice the zucchini lengthwise into halves. Scoop out the seeds in the center of each half to make a small well. (Use the scooped our potion in a soup, stir-fry, or muffins, for example.) Cook the zucchini halves, covered, in the microwave oven until tender-crisp, about 6
minutes.

Once the onion is transparent and soft, add the leftover sweet potato to the pan, mashing with a fork and continuing to cook until hot.

Divide the mashed sweet potato and onion mixture between the zucchini halves. Top with the garnish of your choice. To make a more substantial meal of this, try serving it with Mexican Quinoa Salad or Coconut Baked Rice.

“Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarieties between the two but can’t remember what they are.” ~ Matt Lauer, American journalist and television news personality (1957 – )

The oven turned off mid-way through baking cupcakes and we didn’t notice it until too late. When I showed the Mosaic Dad the disaster, he responded with, “Those aren’t wrecked, they’re just concave!” With that much sweetness in the house, you wouldn’t think we’d even need dessert. Oh, but we do…

So Delicious Coconut Milk Minis Fudge bars to the rescue!  They’re a tasty, cold treat in a size that doesn’t make us feel like we’ve overindulged (like a cupcake), but they’re very plain (unlike a cupcake). That’s where the chocolate chips and California walnuts come in.

Decorated Fudge Bars

Serves 6
Time: 5 minutes

¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup finely chopped California walnuts
 6 solidly frozen So Delicious Minis Fudge bars

Place a paper lined baking sheet on a shelf in the freezer where it can lay flat.

Melt the chocolate chips on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until they are velvety smooth.

Spoon the melted chocolate in a design over one fudge bar and immediately sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Place on the baking sheet in the freezer. Repeat with the remaining five bars.

Serve immediately, or allow the chocolate to fully harden and then place the bars in a sealable plastic bag to save for another time.

“An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a  vegetable that can make people laugh.” ~ Will Rogers, American entertainer  (1879 – 1935)

Mujaddara is a Middle Eastern favorite around our house. Inexpensive,  quick to prepare, and mild in flavor, this lentil and rice combination is also a source of excellent protein. For most of us, however, mujaddara is all about
the sweet, caramelized onions.

Fortunately, onions are very good for us: they help us fight cancer, support good cardiovascular and bone health, and are high in Vitamin C.

While it is possible to cook the rice especially for this dish, it calls for so little that we almost always use leftover rice – which also means there will be one less pot to clean after dinner. Some folks throw raw rice in with the lentils (1/4 cup brown rice + 1 cup water), but we have found that the lentils are mushy by the time the rice is perfect. If that doesn’t bother you, then by all means go right ahead.

Simple Mujaddara

Serves 4
Time: 30 minutes

1 extra-large onion, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup dried brown lentils
2 cups water
½ to ¾ cup cooked brown rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Begin cooking the onion in the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The idea here is to get them very brown (caramelized) without burning.

Meanwhile, place the lentils in water in a covered pot and bring to a light boil. Continue to boil for about 25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but not mushy, and the water has been absorbed.

Stir the cooked rice, cumin, and half the cooked onions into the lentils and continue cooking until the mixture is hot. Top with the remaining cooked onions on individual servings.

Traditionally, mujaddara is accompanied by pickled vegetables like turnips or beets, and scooped up with pieces of pita bread instead of being eaten with a fork.

“Farmers markets are green shoots coming out of the gun. They represent hope and they need to be cultivated.” ~ Jerry Brown, Governor of California (1938 – )

We’re finally HOME in Colorado and it feels great. Filling up an empty refrigerator has been fun, too, and part of the plan of attack for that was to start by visiting one of the many local farmers markets.

Farmers markets provide the absolute freshest produce available, and they give the shoppers the opportunity to learn about what is grown locally. Our take (pictured above) from Wednesday’s market was from a farm less than 25 miles away, picked that same morning, and grown organically. The total cost of $9 was much less than what we would have paid in the grocery store and we had fun chatting with the farmers and artists there.

Since we’re spending a lot more time on the bicycles than in the kitchen these days, we decided to just enhance a jarred sauce by simply adding eggplant. The eggplant gives the sauce a rich boost in flavor, fiber, and minerals, while adding a meaty chewiness that makes the dish more satisfying, especially for those who might not fully appreciate meatless meals.

The freshest eggplants are firm (no soft spots) and brightly colored, have a creamy flesh inside, and its seeds are very light brown – barely noticeable. The salting many recipes recommend to draw out bitterness is not necessary when the eggplant is fresh.

Note: Choosing an organic sauce helps eliminate questionable or unwanted ingredients, especially high fructose corn syrup, other sugars, and unidentified flavorings.

Start making this sauce as soon as you have put the water on to boil for the pasta and they will be ready at the same time.

Pasta Sauce

Serves 4
Time: 25 minutes

1 medium eggplant
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (28-ounce) jar of tomato-basil pasta sauce
2 tablespoons red wine (optional)

Cut the stem end of the eggplant off and discard. Dice the eggplant into ½-inch or less cubes (do not peel).

Spray or lightly coat the bottom of a non-stick skillet with olive oil and place over medium-low heat. Add the diced eggplant and cover with a snug-fitting lid. Cook, stirring once every 5 minutes for about 20 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and beginning to brown.

Gently fold the pasta sauce into the eggplant and heat until it just begins to boil. Spoon over your favorite pasta – bowties are perfect for this – and enjoy while hot.

To find locally grown food, farms, and farmers markets, put your zip code in the “find” box in the bottom right sidebar in the Causes We Support section.