Pumpkin Oatmeal

I'm kind of obsessed with adding pumpkin to my oatmeal right now. I've been adding about 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, along with a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice to my morning oatmeal during the last couple minutes of cooking time and it's a nice seasonal change to a morning routine. Not to mention that pumpkin is high in fiber and contains phytonutrients. As a side note, this is the first time I've gotten Coombs Family Farms Maple Syrup, which the bottle says was voted #1 by Gourmet magazine, and it deserves that title, it's DELISH!!

Hope you are well!! XOXO -Amber

Granola

I decided to actually write out the recipe for this. It will make it easier for everyone to find.



1/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups thick rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 chopped pecans
1/2 sliced almonds
1 cup dried fruit, use what you like

Preheat overn to 225 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine the oil and syrup and heat, stirring, over low heat. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
In a large bow. toss together the oats, wheat germ, seeds, and nuts. Add the syrup mixture and stir to coat evenly. Spread the granola mixture out on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 90 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally while baking so it toasts evenly.

Transfer the warm toasted granola to a large bowl and stir in the dried fruits and let cool. Store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for 2 weeks. It can be frozen for up to 2 months.


It is very tasty on plain yogurt.

Cows

This is how cows are supposed to be raised - not fed corn, processed corn, drugs, animals by products....... Our cows live in a pasture. While they could not be certified organic I know that they eat grass, clover, and alfalfa. In other words, real cow food. I don't eat lots of beef but when I do I want to know what they have eaten because that's what I'll be eating too. You know how it goes- you eat what you eat eats. I tried to get grass fed sirloin at Whole Foods but they were out so you know what I did??? I just bought the grass fed hamburger. I'll eat steak when I know the cows have eaten cow food.

I took the picture because the cows seem so content in knee high clover.

Food Additives

I'm just checking email this morning and I find a link on yahoo to an article about the 10 scariest food additives. I was aware of some of them but caramel color was a surprise. I'm trying to seriously limit the amount of processed foods I eat and this was interesting to me. For some reason the link is acting up so here it is for you to copy and paste.

health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/top-10-scariest-food-additives

I want to be able to go back to it.

Smoothie Options

I was perusing the blogosphere like I normally do each morning when I came across this "Smoothie Guide" --> Simple Blueprint's Smoothie Guide. I don't normally make smoothies because my blender is a piece of crap and I just don't ever think to do it. I also think fruit smoothies are good but get boring pretty quick. I have seen several alternative smoothie type recipes lately that have caught my attention due to their addition of veggies like parsley, spinach and even avocado. After I saw this guide I was on Williams Sonoma's website blender shopping in no time : ) What do you think??

OMG

I am reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I'm guessing that this is the book that led to Food, Inc. I had heard about what happens to beef but it is different to read it for yourself. Ignorance is bliss, as the saying goes, but now I am not ignorant of the horrendous conditions by which beef and corn are put into our food supply. What a vicious cycle- poor farmers looking for help, government subsidies, turning corn into everything, cheap food and a health crisis.
I'm almost afraid to continue reading but I have to know so I can make educated decisions.

Tofu

Ok, I'm going to do it. What is the it? I'm going to make a tofu main dish. I've used silken tofu in smoothies but never in a main dish. I've eaten tofu in a restaurant and like it but can I cook it? I've found a recipe that looks good and easy. Stay tuned for the result.


Well.....I'm not too excited about the spicy crusted tofu. It was dredged in spices and pan fried in a little EVOO. A sauce with lemon juice and honey was not much help.

BUT... I will try again. I've already found the next recipe to be tried.

Dinner Everyone Likes

My mom recommended this recipe Wine & Tomato Braised Chicken which is from Eating Well magazine. The recipe is really simple and very delish! This however, is not the point of this post. The magazine had a section focused on dinners that you cook the first night and then re-fashion into something else the second night. This usually doesn't work for me because we never have enough leftovers for me to be able to pull of the second nights dinner. That said, the first night I served my fam and then alerted them that I needed the leftovers and if they were still hungry to eat an apple... and it worked. The point of this post then, is the second nights dinner, Braised Chicken Gumbo. It is Divine!! Even my husband loved it and it has brown rice which he normally turns his nose up at. It is very very easy, like 10 minutes easy but it is so flavorful and super healthy. If you're looking for something a little different that packs a punch, this is my recommendation.