Apple-Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

Yet another online find that I neglected to record the URL for. Sorry 'bout that.

Baked Oatmeal
1 c. steel-cut oats
1/4 c. butter
4 c. hot water
1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
3-4 apples, peeled and chopped
8-10 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
1-2 c. cranberries (fresh or frozen)
3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. applesauce (unsweetened)
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine steel-cut oats, 2 Tbsp. butter, and hot water. Set aside.
2. Mix the ginger and cinnamon together.
3. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a pan over medium heat.
4. Add apples, 2-4 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. spice blend, and 3/4 tsp. salt to the pan. (Original recipes calls for 2 Tbsp. of sugar here, but I used more cranberries so I bumped the sugar up a bit as well.) Cook the mixture until the apples begin to caramelize.
5. Off heat, stir in cranberries. (Original recipe calls for 1 c. but I had some extras so I just threw them in. I think there were close to 2 c. of cranberries in the end.) Set the fruit mixture aside.
6. Add rolled oats, remaining spice blend, nutmeg, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 c. pecans into steel-cut oat mixture.
7. In a separate bowl, combine milk, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla.
8. Fold milk mixture into oat mixture.
9. Grease a casserole dish (or Dutch oven).
10. Spread half the fruit mixture in the bottom of the greased dish.
11. Pour oat mixture over fruit.
12. Top with remaining fruit and 1/2 c. pecans.
13. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

Γίγαντες Πλακί (Giant Baked Beans)

I found this recipe during some aimless Internet wandering. It looks to be a slow cooker adaptation of γίγαντες πλακί (gigantes plaki) or giant baked beans. Apparently dried runner beans (γίγαντες) are traditionally used for this. I couldn't find any, so I tossed in some great northern beans instead. And wow! Did they ever come out nice! This one is definitely a keeper. This was both easier and more delicious than any other baked bean recipe I've ever tried. Seriously good.

Γίγαντες Πλακί
~450g great northern beans (or gigantes if you can find 'em)
2 bay leaves
~1 tsp. red pepper flakes
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
4 onions, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can San Marzano tomatoes, smashed/broken up
a few sprigs of thyme (or maybe 1 tsp. of dried)
~1 tsp. dried oregano (optional)
~150g cubed pancetta
1 good-sized hunk of Parmesan rind
8 c. chicken stock
2 Tbsp. olive oil
pepper, to taste
crusty bread, to serve

Apparently with the traditional method, you cook the pancetta and vegetables first and build a fond and all that good stuff. I think the beans are meant to be soaked overnight as well. However, this slow cooker version just has you throw everything in the pot at once and cook it on high for six hours. My slow cooker is currently out of commission, but letting it simmer on the stovetop all afternoon certainly seems to have done the trick. I did have to add a bit more water partway through cooking, but that was no trouble. And other than that brief intervention, it was completely hassle-free!

And did I mention that this is probably the most delicious bean dish I've ever tried? Ever. Seriously. This made a huge pot of beans. We've been eating them for a week. And I'm okay with this! I'm not tired of them yet and I will certainly be making more in the future!

Cranberry Smoothie

I used to sometimes make cranberry smoothies that consisted of nothing but plain yogurt, frozen cranberries, and a tiny bit of honey. They were probably reasonably healthy, they were certainly nice and thick, but they were also almost inedibly tart. I recently came across an actual recipe for a cranberry smoothie, so I figured I'd give that a try. I'll admit, I tweaked it a bit, but the original was gonna be hella watery. Honestly, I'll probably tweak it even more if I make it again. I'll share three versions here: the original, the tweaked version I made today, and what I'd do next time.

Cranberry Smoothie
1 c. cranberries
2 c. water
1 1/2 c. almond milk
1/4 c. raw cashews
1/8 tsp. stevia
4 ice cubes

Cranberry-Yogurt Smoothie
1/2 c. frozen cranberries
3/4 c. vanilla almond milk
2-3 Tbsp. raw cashews
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt

Better Cranberry-Yogurt Smoothie
1/2 c. frozen cranberries
1/2 c. vanilla almond milk
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. almonds
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. frozen raspberries

Overnight Oatmeal

I can't remember exactly where I first heard about chia "pudding", but I know it's definitely not a new thing. Honestly, it never really appealed to me. Sure, it's easy and maybe I should've given it a chance, but it just didn't sound that good to me. I just felt like the texture would be off-putting. So I never tried it. And it never really occurred to me to use chia for anything else.

Then I came across a few "overnight oatmeal" recipes. I assumed it was some sort of slow cooked crockpot concoction like I'd seen once or twice before. But no! Uncooked oatmeal thickened with chia. Interesting... That I might actually be able to get behind.

I've tried a few similar versions so far. I'm still tweaking it, but I like the results so far!

Mixed Berry Oatmeal
1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. mixed berries
1 tsp. chia seeds
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. vanilla almond milk

Brownie Batter Oatmeal
1/2 c. quick oats
1 Tbsp. Nutella
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. maple syrup
2 cherries, chopped (next time I'd use 4)
1 Tbsp. chopped hazelnuts
1/2 Tbsp. chocolate chips
2/3 c. vanilla almond milk

Apple Blueberry Oatmeal
1/2 c. quick oats
~3/8 c. apple pie filling (preferably homemade)
~3/8 c. blueberries
1 tsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. wheat bran
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. vanilla almond milk

These all follow pretty much the same procedure. Just mix everything together in a mason jar or somesuch, stir it up, and pop it in the fridge overnight. The brownie batter one called for using the nuts, berries, and chocolate chips as a topping, but I think I'd just mix everything together next time.

The mixed berry one called for a whole cup of milk and was quite tasty, but a bit watery. The brownie batter one called for quite a bit less milk, but came out just a bit too thick. The latest attempt is just chilling in the fridge now, but I'm thinking that 3/4 c. is going to be just about right.

Veggie Sandwiches & Protein Salad Plate

I'm sick and I'm tired, but between the two of us TF and I actually managed to throw together a reasonably healthy, quick, and easy dinner this evening. The sandwich recipe came from... somewhere on the web... PopSugar maybe? And the salad is basically a copycat of my lunch at the Boathouse last week.

Veggie Sandwich
2 slices bread (I used a nice sprouted whole grain, but use whatever you enjoy)
2 Tbsp. hummus (I'd use a bit more next time)
2-3 slices of tomato
9-10 slices cucumber
~1/2 a carrot, grated
~1/4 of an avocado, sliced
alfalfa sprouts (if you have them; we didn't so we went without)

1. Toast your bread.
2. Spread 1 Tbsp. (or more) of hummus on each slice of toast.
3. Pile on the veg and close the sandwich.

Next time I might try adding a Tbsp. or so of tzatziki if I have any on hand. A little bit of cheese might also be nice. This is one situation in which I might make a case for a nice thin slice of "American" cheese or mild-medium Cheddar.

Another interesting variation might be swapping out the tomato for thinly sliced apple or pear and adding a bit of blue cheese. I'm thinking a nice Honey Crisp apple or Anjou pear would work well here.

Protein Salad Plate
2 handfuls mixed greens
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1 radish, sliced thin
6-8 slices cucumber
1/2 carrot, grated (optional)
2-4 Tbsp. vinaigrette (to taste)
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 tin tuna, drained
1-2 Tbsp. mayonaise
5-10 grinds black pepper

1. Combine all the veg, add the dressing, and toss.
2. Stir mayo and pepper into tuna
3. Place sliced eggs and tuna on top of salad and serve.