Crunchy Steel-Cut Oatmeal

There are some recipes out there for cooking steel cut oats, but I haven't found any that suit me. So I made my own! The work is minimal (of course), and the end result isn't too gooey. It still has the shape of the oats and a bit of crunch. I don't know about you, but if I want a gooey lump of pudding-like oatmeal, I'll make the one-minute kind. I'm not going to bother with steel-cut.


Crunchy Steel-Cut Oatmeal

1 cup steel-cut oats
2 cups water
1 cup almond milk (or some other milk)

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine steel-cut oats, water, and almond milk in an oven-safe container. I generally use a glass loaf pan. Cook oats for an hour or more, depending on desired consistency (the longer you cook it, the thicker it becomes). Top oatmeal with whatever kind of milk you'd like. I use almond milk. Sometimes I add chia seeds because they blend well with the oatmeal and add extra nutrition. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

My Favorite Black Bean Burgers

Black bean burgers. How I love thee. I've never have store-bought (they're super expensive, and I am suspicious of the ingredients), only homemade. And baby, they are good. I've decided to share the recipe with you. Because I only use bread crumbs to thicken the burgers, they are easiest to work with when frozen, or at least refrigerated.

My Favorite Black Bean Burgers

adapted from vegetarian.about.com

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained

1 medium onion, diced

2 slices of bread, crumbled

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

dash of cinnamon

Other seasonings: cumin,  paprika, salt, pepper

oil for frying

Saute onion with olive oil for 3-5 minutes until soft. Mash beans with a fork (if you have a death-wish), or  puree in food processor (I use my Ninja Chopper, which I love; Ninja Master Prep Pro (Google Affiliate Ad)). Combine beans, onions and seasonings (I add about three dashes each of cumin and paprika) in a large bowl. Mix well. Add bread crumbs until the mixture is fairly thick.You may have to add more bread, depending on the size of the slices used.

Refrigerate mixture for at least an hour. Form bean mixture into patties, approximately ½ inch thick, and fry patties in a small amount of oil until slightly firm. Make veggie burgers and enjoy! If you are making these for only one or two people, you can freeze the patties between wax paper in ziploc bags. Otherwise, you can store the mixture in the fridge for a few days.

Easy Taco Soup

I made some pretty delicious soup last night. I would include a picture, but frankly, it's not exactly beautiful-looking. I used tomatillos and a jalapeno because I didn't have any green enchilada sauce in my possession, but if you have green enchilada sauce, by all means use it. That makes it even easier.

I'm afraid I don't generally measure seasonings that I add, unless I'm adding a fairly large amount like in my black bean burgers recipe. But I think you can figure it out and adjust things according to your desires.

Easy Taco Soup
Adapted from high heels and grills

Ingredients: 

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained (and rinsed if you are so inclined)

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained (and rinsed if you are so inclined)

1 (10 oz.) can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans

1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce (or 2-6 tomatillos and half a jalapeno)

1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth

Seasonings: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot. If using tomatillos and jalapeno, puree in a food processor and add to pot. Add seasonings according to preference. Heat until warm, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!

Of Food

I used to be one of those annoying people who wasn't really into food. I felt that my time would be better spent if I could get all my nutrition from a pill. Then last summer I experienced a money drought for a month, in which I could afford very little food. When it was over, I went food-crazy. But once again I find myself unable to enjoy food, and this time for very different reasons.

My body has deemed certain foods to be the enemy. Through my own experimentation, I have decided that dairy, eggs, and sugar are what my body fights. But now I'm starting to wonder if I have a problem with wheat as well, and/or certain oils.

I have finally managed to rid myself of dairy and eggs (eggs were easy, I did that months ago). I had also managed to rid myself of sugar, until a few days ago, when I purchased some chocolate almond milk with cane juice in it. I wanted to see if a more natural form of sugar would have the same ill effects for me. And I can say now that yes, it does. Thankfully some brands make unsweetened chocolate almond milk, which I will have to try. If you don't have a problem with sugar, Silk Dark Chocolate Pure Almond Milk is very good.

The past few weeks I've mainly been eating homemade black bean burgers on homemade bread, along with some fruits and vegetables. I find it a little annoying having to make bread every 2-3 days, but I guess I should be grateful that I live alone, or I'm sure I'd be making it much more frequently. Bread-making is a relatively new concept for me. We never had homemade bread when I was growing up (at least that I remember; it's possible my mother made it when I was very young).

I find myself growing tired of black bean burgers, which is to be expected. It's a sad thing to start out as a picky eater and then lose a large amount of the foods you actually eat. I'd never make it as a raw vegan.* As it is, I find myself breaking down every once in a while. But I'm naturally a pretty happy person, so the despondency doesn't last for long. And I suppose now I have a good excuse to avoid potlucks and the like.

*I mention veganism because I eat very little meat, so now it's like I'm an almost-vegan.