Oatmeal in Disguise

The Healthy Librarian's Cheezy Oatmeal with sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach.

Not the most attractive dish, but very, very cool.

This morning on Debby's (aka the Healthy Librarian) Happy Healthy Long Life Blog I was introduced to the wonders of oatmeal. "Yeah, yeah, yeah" you're probably saying to yourself, it's all over the news, all over the packages of General Mills and Kellog's cereals. But hey, I'm a skeptic, and anything that is blown out by PR firms and advertisers I'm going to question. 

So I've kind of been ignoring oatmeal, eating it only occassionally when maybe I wasn't in the mood for a cold smoothie in the morning. That is, until now. Thanks to Debby and her wonderous ways of compiling and distilling information, I now know the secrets of this wonderfood. And I trust her a lot more than any big corporation any day! Read all about it here along with the recipe for Cheezy Oatmeal.

For the highest volume of creative oatmeal recipes check out the Kath Eats Real Food blog. Debby's oatmeal was based on a recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows. Seems like she's got a thing for oatmeal too. Confused about the difference between steel cut oats, quick cook oats, instant oats and rolled oats? So was I  until I read this insightful posting on The Sweet Beet. And last but not least, for the oatmeal die hards reading this, you've gotta give the Vegan Overnight Oats a try. Here's a great video tutorial about it by Angela at Oh She Glows.

What do you think of oatmeal? Do you consider it a staple in your diet?

Do you eat it plain or do you make all sorts of creative oatmeal?

Have you ever made a savory oatmeal dish? Vegan overnight oats?

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Vacation Kale and Bean Saute

Just a reminder, don't forget to participate in my first ever blog contest and enter to win a copy of the newly revised Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman! Winner will be picked at random on January 1st.

Are any of you wondering why I've been so quiet lately? Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway. I'm travelling with my family, escaping the cold of frigid Cleveland, if only for a short time. We're lucky enough to stay in a condo on the beach in Southwest Florida, where I have my very own kitchen. And that makes this healthy girl a very happy girl! I've been cooking up this amazing recipe for greens from the Dr. Fuhrman Member Site.  Here's my variation on this winner:

Kale and Bean Saute
Inspired by a recipe on http://www.drfuhrman.com/
Serves: 4

2 bunches kale, tough stems and center ribs removed, chopped or 1 large bag of prewashed/cut kale
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
vegetable broth, as needed
1 15 ounce can beans, any type, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoons fruity vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds or any type nuts (chopped if the nuts are large)
dash of salt

In a large skillet over medium heat, add vegetable broth to just cover the bottom of the pan. Broth sauté the onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Do not let onions burn. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add kale and re hydrated tomatoes and cook, tossing with the onion and mushrooms, over medium heat , adding broth only as needed, until kale is soft.

Add the beans, vinegar, mustard and red pepper flakes (be careful!), then cook for 3 more minutes. Taste and season with only a dash of salt.

I know from a lot of people that the holidays are an easting disaster.They resolve themselves to eating food that they don't feel good about mentally or physically and commit to eating healthy again as soon as January 1st rolls around. Why don't I just do the same? I'm here on vacation, why not go on a healthy eating vacation? Because something in me has changed. Maybe it was the reading and rereading of Eat to Live. Maybe it's the way that a green smoothie makes me feel. The "old" food just holds no appeal for me now. Brainwashed for the better I guess.

What have you been cooking up this holiday week? Are you sticking to your plans or falling prey to the holiday offerings?

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