Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Oatmeal with Goji, Mixed Berries, Banana and Walnuts



Sorry about the lack of recipes yesterday. There were a lot of appointments and errands yesterday that kept me away from the kitchen and computer. Yesterday ended on a very positive note with dinner from Ian.

As always I came home with ideas for things I can make at home. We had a nice potato gnocchi with tomato and fennel sauce last night (hold the pecorino). There was an also a little plate of crispy garlic and chili green beans that was vegan without any modification. We love mixed mushrooms particularly when morels are included. The mixed mushroom fricassee with fresh herbs was quite lovely. We got full before we could order the fresh asparagus with pineapple salsa and pomegranate molasses. You can expect to see my variation of all of these recipes in the coming weeks.

This morning it was in the low 50’s so oatmeal seemed like the appropriate breakfast. I had dried goji berries soaking in the refrigerator so I tossed those into the oatmeal to see if we would like them this way. We are always looking for another way to work the goji berries into our diet. Any food with an ORAC value over 25,000 is something I want to make certain we get regularly.

The statistics were given for the oatmeal as three servings since my husband had two bowls and I had one bowl. The frozen berries did a nice job of cooling down the hot oatmeal before I added the banana.

Oatmeal with Goji, Mixed Berries, Banana and Walnuts
Serves 3

Ingredients:

¼ cup of dried goji berries, soaked overnight in ½ cup of water
1 ½ cups oatmeal, dry
3 cups water
1 pinch salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ginger, powdered
1 ½ cups of frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries and Marion berries)
2 tablespoons golden flaxseeds, freshly ground
¼ cup English walnuts
1 banana, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Combine goji berries (and their soaking liquid), oatmeal, water, salt, cinnamon and ginger and stir to mix. Microwave on high until cooked (a few minutes at most). Add the frozen berries and ground flaxseed and stir to combine. Move the oatmeal to individual bowls and top with banana and walnuts.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 287.55
Calories From Fat (29%) - 84.65

Total Fat - 10.01g
Saturated Fat - 1.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 105.9mg
Potassium - 333.05mg
Total Carbohydrates - 49.25g
Fiber - 9.92g
Sugar - 17.55g
Protein - 7.81g

Comments:

Oatmeal was very welcome on this cool morning. We slept last night with the windows open because I love the fresh air so it was a little cool in the house this morning when we got up.

I really liked the berry and banana combination. Walnuts and flaxseeds were added for omega 3 fatty acids. Cinnamon and ginger added flavor and antioxidants. This oatmeal didn’t need the almond milk for flavor although that would have made it rich. I would have included it but since I was out most of the day I didn’t get a chance to make almond milk, so we were out.

Today is another busy day with cooking class and more errands. I hope to have time to post another recipe before I need to leave here. If not there will be an extra recipe tomorrow. I hope you all have good day.

5 comments:

  1. The oatmeal looks delicious, satisfying, and healthy. I must start eating more of it...and I must try some goji berries.

    Thanks for all the inspiration...there's always something new to do/try in the kitchen to keep things interesting and, with your ideas, healthy too.

    Getting prepped for a month of blogging! I'm excited.

    Have a great day,

    Rose

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  2. alicia-
    thanks for your comment! the vegan challah recipe is definitely one of the best bread recipes i've ever tried. i'm sure you could incorporate ww flour by subbing 1/2 of the ap flour. usually that works well.

    p.s. i love oatmeal!

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  3. Rose,

    The unsweetened goji berries are a little tart and sour with a subtle sweetness in the background. They remind me a little of an unsweetened dried cranberry but not quite as tart. My favorite way to use goji berries is in hot green tea.

    I can't wait to see what you post this month. Do you have a theme for VeganMoFo?

    veggievixen,

    The vegan challah you posted sounds great. I can't wait to try it. I was hoping you had tried making it all whole wheat but I will just dive right in and see what happens. What is the worst thing that can happen? Do you ever use sprouted whole wheat flour? I think it is more tender than regular whole wheat flour so I may use that for part of the flour. I will definitely let you know how the bread turns on.

    Alicia

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  4. I bought some goji berries today, and they do remind me of cranberries too.

    I don't have a theme for VMofo other than a snapshot of we eat from day to day. What theme did you decide on? I guess I'll find out tomorrow, can't wait. :)

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  5. Rose,

    I decided I am going to concentrate on making dishes from the Professional Chef healthy and vegan using produce from the farmers market. If nothing else it will force me to make recipes I had given up to be healthy.

    Wish me luck, I may need it.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete