put on your shades cause i'll be dancing in the flames tonight

well, its the last day of oatmeal fest. i can't think of a better way to greet 2012 than the way i have been all day-- eating oatmeal and ice cream and watching lord of the rings, being completely lazy.

for my final oatmeal fest post, i decided to do something beautiful. something colorful.

*coconut milk
*frozen berries (mostly raspberries)
*golden raisins
*figs
*pecans
*brown sugar

sweet and fruity, i think this is one of my favorite ways to eat oats.

what are you doing to ring in the new year? staying out all night or staying in and being a sloth? me, i think i may be doing a bit of both.

here's to 2011, and here's to what 2012 has in store

cheers *^^

tonight i feel like neon gold

well i do believe i have gone off the deep end. this morning i just couldn't shake the idea of cooking up some tomatoes to throw on my oats, and so this was born.

blt oats. hot balsamic tomatoes, tempe bacon, kale, and avocado all on a bed of creamy oatmeal. prepare to be amazed.

first step, cook up the tempe bacon in plenty of olive oil, until it is golden and crispy.

then, in that same pan, add some diced tomatoes. i used canned but fresh would work beautifully.

while those are going, take your kale and cut it up thin.

cut the avocado...

after the tomatoes have had a chance to get soft, add some balsamic vinegar. cover and let them reduce until the vinegar smells sweet and the tomatoes look caramelized.

and you're set! just throw everything on top, season with salt and pepper, and feast.

this was a serious breakfast. serious and hardcore. from the way things look, i'll be sending out 2011 with a bang.

cheers *^^

it's you who brings the morning

today was...hit and miss. gluten free baking is such a pain in the ass! i just need more practice. but i'll get to that later. my oatmeal today was at least right on point.

excuse the iphone pictures. my battery was dead this morning so i had to improvise..

oat bran with
*figs
*bananas
*vanilla
*coconut oil
*cinnamon
*walnuts
*almond milk
*brown sugar

now. baking. where to start? well. the main redeeming factor was that i have this completely amazing vanilla. it makes the food you put it in so fragrant and delicious. i don't think i can ever go back to my old vanilla.

magic

my mission today was to make snickerdoodles from the babycakes cookbook. as you may have guessed, i am a novice to gluten free baking. but it didn't seem so hard...until i actually started.

you will need
*1 1/3 cups plus 1/2 cup sugar
*3 tablespoons cinnamon
*2 cups rice flour
*1/4 cup flax meal
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 teaspoon xanthan gum
*1 teaspoon salt
*3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
*1/2 cup applesauce
*2 tablespoons vanilla extract

to get started, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. in a shallow bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and set aside.

in another bowl, mix 1 1/3 cups sugar, the rice flour, the flax meal, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, and the remaining tablespoon of cinnamon.

add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix with a rubber spatula until the mixture looks something like wet sand. i don't really know what that's supposed to mean but i figured i had something close enough...
cover the mixture and let it sit in the refrigerator for one hour.

the first thing i noticed when i took the dough out of the fridge was how oily it looked.. but i just assumed that's how it was supposed to be and thought nothing of it.

roll the dough into balls and cover them with the cinnamon-sugar. place them onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. gently press each cookie down to help them flatten out.

bake for 7 minutes, rotate the sheets, and bake for 7 more minutes.

when i turned the pans, the cookies were looking awful flat but i still had just a shred of hope that everything would turn out in the end. well...

it wasn't a complete failure. this was one of the times when the food looks really ugly, but tastes fantastic. its that mexican vanilla. my life is forever changed because of it.

 flat stanley

and then i remembered that there is nothing that ice cream can't fix. especially when its vanilla island coconut bliss.

i need practice, and i need to make sure everything is absolutely perfect, but i can really see myself getting along with this cookbook. and hell, even if the treats don't look as delicious as they do in the pictures, at least they'll taste just as good, if not better.

because i've got loads of ice cream.

cheers ^^*

never be daunted

hello all!

hope things are going deliciously this week. for me they certainly are. i cannot imagine a lazier way to enjoy christmas break.. :)

oatmeal fest is almost over! i can hardly believe how fast its gone by. although i guess really i don't need oatmeal fest as a reason to eat oats all the time...

yesterday's mixture was simple, yet wonderful.

*marionberry jam
*coconut milk
*cinnamon
*pecans
*vanilla
*brown sugar

and today, oat bran made its triumphant return! i love oat bran so much for is quickness. in 4 minutes, a big bowl of perfection is yours. not to mention how creamy it is...

 like oatmeal pudding

*coconut milk
*vanilla
*cardamom
*bananas
*dried cranberries
*loads of honey

kiss my ass, winter.

special special cookie recipe coming tomorrow! stay tuned

cheers *^^

i just want to sparkle for a moment

hope everyone had a great holiday! mine was good, but mother nature is a fickle bitch. that's right. it snowed just a little bit and then it was sunny for the rest of the weekend. i suppose there always is next year for a white christmas..

meanwhile, my oats have been anything but disappointing. on friday i had this colorful creation..

*coconut milk
*frozen cherries
*frozen blueberries
*vanilla
*pepitas
*dried mango
*orange zest
*brown sugar

and then i took a break for the holidays. spent the time making and photographing oats to make waffles and other treats for christmas brunch. but today i got back in the swing. what can i say? oats are all i want this time of year.

*cinnamon
*ginger
*cardamom
*applesauce
*coconut milk
*figs
*shredded coconut
*pecans

spicy and wintery. just what i was missing.

now, i'm off to go whip up some treats from the babycakes cookbook i got yesterday :)

cheers ^^*

she plays the drums i'm on tambourine

i've had these pears sitting on my counter for a few days now and could not figure out the right way to use them in oatmeal...until today.

fresh pears in hot oatmeal. so perfect and lovely for winter. this goes right up next to the balsamic reduction oats in terms of how amazing they were.

*coconut milk
*vanilla
*powdered ginger
*cinnamon
*bartlett pears
*brown sugar
*applesauce

yummm. this is one worth trying. it is a perfect bowl of holiday happiness.

cheers *^^

you've been acting awful tough lately

sorry about the gap in posts! i really do mean to get one done every day but i started working and just didn't get around to it yesterday. but that just means that now i have to beautiful bowls of oats to share today :)

 blueberry pie oats

*frozen blueberries
*banana
*pecans
*cinnamon
*coconut milk
*vanilla
*brown sugar

 i love it so much how frozen fruit changes the color of the oats. it makes them so much more appealing.

my oats today were quite similar to yesterday's, but a little more coconutty and a little less...blueberry-y?

*coconut milk
*shredded coconut
*vanilla
*pecans
*frozen blueberries
*brown sugar
*figs

look at that chunky oatmeal. doesn't it just make you feel instantly cozy?

in other news, its finally snowing! christmas miracles do happen after all.

cheers  *^^

in the disorder, you are the peace sign

so i think this may be one of my new favorite things. these oats were...unbelievable. well-spiced and satisfying for breakfast, and i can see them fitting beautifully into a brunch menu.

savory fennel garam masala oats

recipe adapted from journey kitchen

for  one serving...

*1/2 cup oats

*1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

*1/2 tsp garam masala

*1/4 onion, diced

*1/2 tsp garlic powder (or a clove or two minced fresh garlic)

*olive oil

*lemon juice

*salt and pepper

to start, cook the oats as per usual..

meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan and add the fennel seeds. cook until they become fragrant, and then add the onions and garlic powder. saute until the onions are translucent.

add the oats. mix everything together and then sprinkle in the garam masala. let it sit for a just a moment and then kill the heat.

top with lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper.

magical savory oats

the smell after these cooked was unreal. think of your favorite smells from an indian restaurant, and that's what we had going on. just lovely.

if you're still dubious of savory oats, this just may be what eases you over to the other side. try them. they're magical.

cheers *^^