Recipe: Overnight Oats, 2 Ways

I think I've mentioned before, I'm a super-cool urban hipster who is always up on the latest trends.

Oh, wait, what was that? You're snickering at me?

OK, fine. If you don't believe me, check out this lunch I recently packed for myself:

Why, yes, that IS a green smoothie in my lunch.

See, that's THREE Mason jars in one lunch. Other hipsters tip their waxed moustaches at me (yes, I spelled it the French way!) when they see that.

One trend that I've been enjoying recently is the rise of overnight oats. This is oatmeal that you don't have to cook; it's vegan-friendly (I'm not a vegan or even a vegetarian, but sometimes I play one on TV) and it tastes delicious ... if you are someone who likes things that are the consistency of rice pudding. I say this, because there's a large segment of the population that doesn't like pudding-type things with chunky bits. However, if you LOVE rice pudding or other types of chunky pudding (tapioca, bread), then you will like this a lot.

There are a lot of overnight oats recipes out there, from simple to complex. The basic principles are these: You put 1 part oats to 1 part liquid (I like almond milk) and an optional 1/3 part chia seeds in a container and put it in the fridge overnight. The oats and chia seeds soak up the liquid, and become a kind of pudding.

PUDDING FOR BREAKFAST!! And it's pudding that's ready the moment you wake up!

Make it in a funky jar for extra street cred -
if the street is in Portland and is lined with artisan barrel makers
and food trucks selling Korean-Finnish fusion food (kimchi herring - yum!). 

In experimenting with overnight oats, I've come up with two variations that are my favorites. 

The first is Cherry Vanilla Almond. I am a huge fan of dried cherries, particularly of the sour variety.

The second variation I've dubbed "Funky Monkey." The first time I ever had a smoothie, it was at a little shop in Santa Barbara, and the drink I had was called the Funky Monkey - peanut butter, chocolate, and banana (hence the monkey).  I've named my concoction after this perfect combination of elements.

Here are the easy-peasy recipes.

Cherry Vanilla Almond Overnight Oats

Ingredients (per serving)

1/3 cup rolled or steel-cut oats (steel-cut make a chewier texture)

1/3 cup vanilla almond milk

about 1/8 cup chia seeds

1/3-1/2 banana, mashed (optional)

a dash of cinnamon

a handful of dried sour cherries

Mix all the ingredients in a container (or Mason jar!), making sure to incorporate the banana well. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight.

When you take it out of the refrigerator, it will look pretty firm and the chia seeds may be resting on top. Add a splash of the almond milk and stir. Garnish with your favorite fresh berries or sliced almonds (blueberries are especially delicious).

Funky Monkey Overnight Oats

Ingredients (per serving)

1-2 tablespoons peanut butter (I find 1.5 to be the sweet spot)

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/3-1/2 banana, mashed

1/3 cup vanilla almond milk

1/3 cup rolled or steel-cut oats

1/8ish cup chia seeds

a squirt of honey or other sweetener, if you want (I don't like very sweet things, so I often omit this, but the pudding isn't very sweet without it - especially if you're making this for a kid, I would add it, at least until you have them hooked)

Whisk together the peanut butter, cocoa, banana, and almond milk until well incorporated. Then mix in the other ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Splash with almond milk and stir to serve. 

Recipe: Shamrock Shimmy Smoothie

Mid-morning snack attack at work!
Shamrock shimmy smoothie!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm always ahead of the trends.

Exhibit A: Before most people had heard of Nirvana, I had already decided I didn't like them. Billy Joel, people. That's where it's at.

Exhibit B: Prior to "boho chic" being a major trend, I was sporting hippie threads that I dug out of the drama closet at summer camp.

Exhibit C: Prior to knitting becoming a trend, I taught myself knitting from a kit called "I Taught Myself Knitting!"

(Hmm... I'm beginning to realize I may not be as cool as I thought...)

One trend that I just haven't been able to get behind, though, is KALE. Seriously. Why would I want a salad that's made out of wadded up paper towels? My nightmare is being forced to eat a kale quinoa salad at a pop-up restaurant while watching Girls and listening to EDM. I imagine that in ten years, people are going to wake up and be all: why did I eat that? And why did we think that stuff was cool?

Even more baffling to me: putting KALE in a smoothie. A smoothie is supposed to be a bait-and-switch so that you can drink milkshakes and feel healthy about it. Peanut butter, banana, Hershey's. That's a smoothie.

Do you sense that I'm about to eat my words?

I still don't want a kale salad or a big plate of kale or a kale cupcake. My mom got me the Oh She Glows cookbook for my birthday, though, and it has several recipes for green smoothies in it.  Oh She Glows is a blog of vegan, whole foods recipes (when you Google it, the first search that comes up is "Oh She Glows kale salad"). The blog and the cookbook are great because lot of vegan recipes are heavy on soy products and processed fake-meat-like foods, which I try to avoid, particularly because it's the "Year of More" and that means more whole foods. 

For some reason, I thought I'd give green smoothies a try after every blogger in the world had already decided they were God's gifts to moms who give their kids cute nicknames on the internet. Guess what? 

Reader, I loved it.

So let's come around to the recipe, shall we?

A few days after this revelation, I was cruising on that great recipe-box-in-the-cloud, Pinterest, and there was a recipe for "healthy Shamrock shake - with mint!" I have never had a Shamrock shake, but that sounded pretty good.

For some reason, I pictured "mint" as being, you know ... mint. Like leaves, and stuff. I always forget that a lot of people don't eat natural things. The recipe was made with milk (I'm cutting way back on dairy), chocolate chips (didn't have those), and peppermint extract. Since I have a bunch of mint growing in my garden, I decided that I could make a "Shamrock" smoothie that would actually be healthy.

Below is the recipe my first stab at making my own green smoothie. I think it is SO delicious. At least to me, and I'm the one drinking it. 

A few notes:

• I've made it with both baby kale and baby spinach, but if you're making it for kids and you want them to forget there are greens involved, I'd go with the spinach.
• I used honey in this recipe, but if you want it to be completely vegan, then substitute a plant-based sweetener.
• This is not a cute color.

Shamrock Shimmy Smoothie

Ingredients

1 c. non-dairy milk (I like hemp milk)

3/4-1 c. baby kale or baby spinach, de-stemmed and torn

1 banana, sliced and frozen

6-10 fresh mint leaves

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. honey

Step 1) put everything in a blender and blend it and drink it. 

More Whole Foods Means Less White Flour (sob!)

More whole foods.

That's part of my focus this January as I begin the Year of More. Here's the problem: I don't always like whole foods - especially whole grains. I mean, just give me a fluffy white flour tortilla, OK? A whole wheat tortilla is like an insult to all tortillas, like a tough, chewy middle finger to the whole idea of a tortilla. And don't get me started on a whole grain English muffin. Why? Why? For the love of Queen Elizabeth II and all that's holy, an English muffin should not have seeds in it!

In the words of Mindy Kaling: "Gluten is my favorite food."

I decided that if I was going to persist in eating whole foods, than I was going to have to give up the idea of eating "healthy" whole grain versions of foods that I only really like when they are made with white flour. I've cut way back on things like tortillas and English muffins, but I'm not substituting anything for them. I'd rather eat a delicious white flour tortilla rarely, than eat a dirty-sock-tasting whole wheat tortilla every day. 

That's left a few holes in my diet, though. What have I been eating instead? And what can you put in your cupboard to replace white flour goodness? (Check out the Whole Grains Council for even more info on whole grains like millet, spelt, teff, kamut ... the list goes on and on!)

Bulgur: When I was a kid we ate a lot of bulgur. It can be substituted for rice, or used in Middle Eastern salads. Bulgur is wheat that's been pre-cooked and cracked, and it has a short cooking time so it's easy to use and convenient. In the U.S., all bulgur is supposed to be whole grain. You can buy it in the bulk area of stores that still have a bulk section, or in the Middle Eastern section of the grocery store.

Wheat berries: Wheat berries are whole wheat kernels. They cook for a long time - 45-60 minutes in water - so they aren't as convenient as bulgur. However, they have a nice nutty flavor and are a great base for salads.

Whole grain rye crisps: There are are several brands of rye crisps, so make sure you look for some that say whole grain on them. These are a great vehicle for avocado or hummus, or can be eaten plain. (They are pretty dry, though, so if you eat them plain, have a glass of water handy).

Popcorn: Yum! I like popcorn that only has sea salt on it. None of that fake butter for me. 

Corn tortillas: As I mentioned, I don't think there's any true substitute for a good flour tortilla, but some things (like fish tacos) are good with a corn tortilla. Corn tortillas are also good for enchiladas, huevos rancheros, and anything else made with eggs.

Lentils: Lentils aren't a grain, but they can be good for giving you a protein boost, and you can put sauces and toppings on them just like rice. They also cook quickly, like bulgur, and go well with many of the same Middle Eastern flavors.

Food For Life 7 Sprouted Grains bread: I don't enjoy whole wheat bread, but I love Food For Life bread. It makes a nice, firm toast. Since I haven't been buying flour tortillas (you can probably tell by now how traumatized I am by this), this toast has become my primary vehicle for peanut butter. And I just learned they make a cinnamon raisin bread! It's also an excellent avocado toast (Make toast. Smash avocado onto said toast. If desired, sprinkle with a pinch of salt or chili powder.)

Hopefully, these foods will help keep The Year of More from feeling like this: