Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

/ Kelly / 5 Comments

Live from Maryland, it’s Saturday morning!

There’s nothing quite like the exhilaration of waking up, making something for breakfast, and crossing your fingers and toes that it turns out well because you still need something to blog about that very day. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything. Ahem.

Happily, this particular breakfast is well-worth a post. I’ve always thought baked oatmeal was, quite literally, oatmeal you make on the stove and then pop in the oven for… some unknown reason. To firm up? To enhance the oat-y flavor? I had no idea. Turns out, you do the actual oatmeal-cooking right in the oven! And it makes a dish more akin to a casserole than a traditional oatmeal! Amazing. Who knew?!

My baked oatmeal is based on this one from Epicurious and this one from the fabulous Ricki Heller. I love Ricki’s idea of whizzing up the ingredients to make a baked oatmeal “pudding,” and I’ll definitely try that method next time. Meanwhile, though, I’ll be enjoying this blueberry-laden breakfast—and I hope you do, too.

 

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Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Serves four

  • Coconut oil or Earth Balance for buttering the pan
  • 2 C rolled oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats)
  • ½ C chopped walnuts, divided into two ¼ C portions
  • Scant ⅓ C brown sugar
  • ¼ C dried wild blueberries (optional)
  • 1 ½ t cinnamon
  • 1 t baking powder
  • Very scant ½ t salt
  • Dash nutmeg
  • 2 C non-dairy milk
  • 2 T ground flax
  • ⅓ C unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 t vanilla extract
  • 1 C fresh or frozen blueberries (use more if omitting wild blueberries)

Preheat the oven to 375˚. Spread the coconut oil or Earth Balance around the inside of an 8”x8” square baking dish, making sure to cover all sides.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (rolled oats through nutmeg, including ¼ C of  the walnuts) and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, add the wet ingredients (not including the blueberries) and whisk to combine.

Add the oat mixture to the baking dish, then pour the milk mixture over the top. Use a flat spoon or spatula to push the milk down into the oats so that they’re covered. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts (¼ C) and blueberries (fresh or frozen) over the top, pushing down a little to gently fold them into the oats.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the milk doesn’t look liquid-y on top of the oats. If you’re feeling decadent, sprinkle additional brown sugar or drizzle additional maple syrup over the top before serving.

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Apples + Agave

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

Oh, friends. It’s finally happened: I don’t have a photo to share with you today. Yesterday was busy busy busy. I celebrated my first Jewish holiday (assuming the childhood Hanukkah celebrations I held with my dolls and a bee-yoo-ti-ful clay menorah don’t count) at a Rosh Hashanah dinner with S’s extended family. Since we knew there wouldn’t be much vegan-friendly fare, we took matters into our own hands. We brought kugel (super yummy; and yes, you can cut down that olive oil measurement by a TON), macaroons (a never-fail recipe), and a mock chopped liver (delicious with flatbread crackers from Whole Foods). We had a nice time, even though S’s six-year-old cousin refused to talk to us and hid in the kitchen the entire night. Kids, eh?

Anyway, we also brought agave nectar to stand in for honey, because it’s a tradition to eat sliced apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah. According to some page I read on the internet, eating sweet foods is meant to “express our hope for a sweet new year.” Well, I can surely get behind that! And I’m okay with apples and agave, too.

Two big, plastic jars of agave .

Okay, I lied—there’s a photo for ya. We buy our agave from Costco, and it comes in a big ol’ double pack just like that stock image right there. It lasts foreverrr. Maybe I should start dipping my apples in agave more often.

How have you veganized a holiday tradition?

Easy Unbaked Apple Not-Quite-Crisp

/ Kelly / 3 Comments

There are a few foods that I will always and forever associate with my childhood. Somewhere near the tippy-top of that list is apple crisp. My mom took my siblings and I on near-annual outings to the apple orchard every fall, and I always knew that the bounty we brought home would soon find its way into dozens of delicious recipes. My favorite was apple crisp. I liked helping Mom bake it, if only because I could swipe the occasional spoonful of topping. After Mom put it in the oven, the crisp’s warm cinnamon-y smell wafted through the house as I waited anxiously for the oven timer to ding. Then, when it did, we all dug in. With five people in the family, we were lucky to get more than one serving. “Seconds” usually meant a few paltry slices of apple and maybe a crumble or two of topping. And that was with Mom making a double batch!

These days, S and I have lots of crisp to share when I make it. But when the weather’s warm and I don’t feel like turning on the oven, I opt for an unbaked stand-in that captures all the flavors of traditional apple crisp with none of the heat. It’s a little less rich, too, because you don’t bake the apples. And that means it comes together in no time—no more waiting for the oven timer!

 

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Easy Unbaked Apple Not-Quite-Crisp
Makes one large serving or two small

  • 2 T Earth Balance or coconut oil (you can substitute applesauce for one tablespoon if you want to keep the fat content down)
  • 2 T spelt flour or other flour of your choice
  • 3 T rolled or quick oats
  • 1.5 T dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Dash cloves
  • Dash salt
  • 1 large apple, peeled and cut into thin slices OR diced into cubes

In a small bowl, melt the Earth Balance or coconut oil. Add all other ingredients (except the apples!) and mix with a fork until it forms large crumbles. Move your diced or sliced apples into a second bowl, top with crumbles, and enjoy.

Note: I prefer Earth Balance in this recipe, but it’s not bad with coconut oil! Half and half would probably work well, too.

What’s your favorite quick dessert recipe?

Lemon-Glazed Blackberry Spelt Scones

/ Kelly / 4 Comments

The astute among you might notice that this second MoFo blackberry recipe uses the same accompanying flavor as my previous one: lemon. I couldn’t resist! The two fruits are just so complementary. Blackberries are the stars here, though, studded sparingly throughout a simple spelt scone that begs to be savored with a cup of hot tea.

Working with this tender dough requires care and attention so as to avoid crushing the large yet delicate berries. Don’t be afraid to use your hands when you fold them in, gently tucking them into their doughy cushion. The results are worth the extra work.

 

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Blackberry Spelt Scones
Makes six large or eight medium

  • 1 C spelt flour
  • 1 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ C sugar
  • 1 T baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 C coconut milk
  • ¼ C vegetable oil
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ C fresh or frozen blackberries (I used fresh, but I think frozen would work well here!)

Lemon Glaze

  • 1 T Earth Balance or other margarine of choice
  • 1 T + 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 T non-dairy creamer (non-dairy milk works fine too)
  • 2/3 C confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 375˚ and prepare a baking sheet by lightly oiling or lining with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (except the blackberries!) and mix until combined. Make a well in the center of bowl and add the wet ingredients. Mix gently until a soft dough forms. If it’s too tacky, add an additional 1-2 TB all-purpose flour. Add the blackberries, gently folding the dough over them.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured, clean surface. Flour your hands and gently give the dough a few kneads. Pat dough into a circle about an inch high. Using a floured bread knife, cut the circle into sixths or eighths, depending on how large you like your scones. (I did sixths and they were quite large!) Transfer scones to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make the glaze, melt the Earth Balance in a small bowl, then whisk together all the ingredients until a thick yet runny paste forms. Drizzle on cooled scones and let set a bit before eating.

Blueberry-Infused Vodka, aka My First MoFo Fail

/ Kelly / 15 Comments

Oh dear. We’re only three days into MoFo and I’ve already experienced my first fail. I had such high hopes, too. A few weeks ago, I made a basil-infused vodka that turned out really well—after just a week of infusing, the vodka was super flavorful. High on my success, I put some of my frozen blueberries into another glass jar of vodka and eagerly watched as the liquid turned a surprising and stunning shade of ultraviolet. Yesterday, I made myself a drink with the infusion, a simple concoction of simple syrup, the blueberry vodka, and club soda. I imagined a light, fruity, fizzy spritzer, perfect for the 90˚F Labor Day holiday. It certainly looked the part.

blueberry-infused-vodka_9655919519_oAlas! Like a vapid pop star*, its looks were really all this drink had going for it. It was dull and tasted mostly of the club soda, with no discernible blueberry taste at all. Crushed and not wanting to waste the vodka I’d already infused, I went back to the drawing board. I muddled another handful of blueberries in a mortar and pestle, then added some sugar and let them stew in their juices for a half hour or so. Then I added that liquidy mess back into the vodka and put it all back on the shelf to infuse some more. Here’s hoping that next week, I’ll taste the infusion and come back triumphant, with a post about my success. If you don’t hear anything, assume the worst.

Have you ever made an infused alcohol? If so, what’s the secret?!

* That was a cheap shot; I know a total of zero pop stars and shouldn’t disparage the ones I don’t know personally.

Lemon Pudding with Blackberries

/ Kelly / 5 Comments

Pudding is one of those desserts that always fascinated me as a kid. The transformation from a straight-up liquid to a thick goop more akin to a solid seemed magical—at what point did it happen? I knew it had to be a gradual state change, but my young self knew there had to be a turning point that triggered it, probably related to its temperature. And the care that went into preventing the pudding from sticking—the constant whisking and diligent scraping of the saucepan’s bottom—lent an additional air of glamour to the endeavor. Pudding was not something to, ahem, trifle with.

Perhaps I haven’t quite mastered the art of perfect pudding. I wanted to make a luscious lemon pudding to serve as the vehicle for a topping of big, ripe blackberries, but my pudding came out a little… funky. It tasted just fine, but its aesthetic appeal was diminished by ubiquitous tiny white dots suspended throughout its gelatinous form. Although improperly mixed cornstarch seems the likely culprit, I think I’m pointing the finger at my almond milk. I’ve been disappointed with Almond Breeze recently; their milk seems to separate at the drop of a hat, and the little white dots look suspiciously like separated almond milk.

But no matter. The pudding works just fine as a base for a topping of gorgeous blackberries, dots or no dots. Next time, though, perhaps I’ll opt for a pudding base of silken tofu… ;)

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Lemon Pudding
(serves three; adapted from this recipe)

  • 5 T cornstarch
  • 5 T cold water
  • Juice of two lemons (about ½ cup)
  • 2 C almond milk
  • Scant ½ t vanilla extract
  • ⅔ C sugar
  • ¼ t salt
  • Dash turmeric, for color
  • 1 C fresh raspberries, divided

In a small tightly-lidded jar, combine cornstarch and water and shake vigorously to combine. Set aside, preferably in the refrigerator.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the lemon juice, almond milk, vanilla extract, and sugar. Whisk to combine and heat for a couple of minutes. If the mixture separates, that’s okay–just give it a whisk.

Add the salt and turmeric. Stream in the cornstarch mixture slowly while constantly whisking. Continue to whisk until the pudding starts slowly boiling, then turn the heat down to low and continue whisking as the pudding thickens, for about 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Pour into serving dishes and let cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge. Cool for three hours or overnight. Top with fresh raspberries and serve.

Note: If using organic lemons, feel free to add a tablespoon of lemon zest. Mine weren’t organic, so I didn’t want to use the rinds.

Blueberry-Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

/ Kelly / 5 Comments

Welcome to VeganMoFo 2013! This year, I’m focusing on seasonal fruits–basically, any fruit that’s in season in Maryland in September. My first recipe is a bit of a cheat, though. I used dried wild blueberries instead of fresh, but you can substitute fresh wild blueberries if you like.

It’s amusing that slapping the word “breakfast” in front of any kind of baked good automatically lends it an air of healthiness. A cake is usually a sugary treat one consumes at a celebration, but call it a “breakfast cake” and you’ve got the green light to go to town on it at 10:00 in the morning.

Same thing goes for these cookies. A big ol’ scoop of rolled oats, a couple tablespoons of flax, and blueberries + banana make these puffy cookies A-okay for a quick on-the-go breakfast option.

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So on this first day of VeganMoFo 2013, why don’t you bake up a big ol’ batch of oatmeal cookies, brew a pot of coffee, and call it breakfast? It’s Sunday. You deserve it.

Blueberry-Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Makes 13

  • 2 T ground flaxseed + 6 TB warm water
  • 1 C unbleached all purpose flour
  • ½ C whole-wheat flour
  • 1 t baking soda
  • Scant ½ t salt
  • ½ t cinnamon
  • Dash nutmeg
  • 1 medium-sized very ripe banana
  • 2 T coconut oil, softened or melted
  • ½ C dark brown sugar
  • ⅔ C nondairy milk of choice
  • 1 ½ C rolled oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats)
  • Heaping ⅓ C dried wild blueberries
  • ⅓ C walnut pieces (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside. (You could also use parchment paper.)

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the ground flax and warm water and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients except the oats, blueberries, and nuts.

Add the banana to the bowl with the flax mixture and mash it well. The flax and banana mixture should be thick and goopy.  Add the oil, sugar, and milk to the wet mixture and stir well to combine.

Make a well in the bowl with the dry ingredients and add the wet to the dry. Stir to combine, then fold in the oats, blueberries, and walnuts if you’re using them. The dough should be thick and a little sticky. Drop heaping, rounded spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven.

PIN IT

Blueberry oatmeal breakfast cookies // vegan //govegga.com

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VeganMoFo 2013: Seasonal Fruits!

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

Hey, there. I’m just popping in with a little warning. If you’ve grown accustomed to my infrequent and very sporadic posts, be prepared—things are about to get crazy. This year, VeganMoFo is happening in September, and I am ready to go with my ever-ambitious goal of daily posting. And by “ready to go,” I mean I have a theme, a ton of ideas, and a LOT of baking to do. But I haven’t failed my daily-posting goal yet, and I’m not about to do that on my fifth (!) year of MoFo!

This year, instead of having a hodgepodge of unrelated themes, I’m simplifying. I’m going to explore the world of cooking with… seasonal fruits! I’ll focus on fruits that are available in Maryland in September, and share a mix of my own original recipes, other bloggers’ recipes, and who knows… maybe a few recipe showdowns. ;) I anticipate focusing mostly on blueberries,* blackberries, raspberries, apples, and pumpkins, but who knows what else might make it into the mix! I’ll break from my theme on Sundays and pull from the list of official MoFo blogging prompts to talk about something different. (If you’ve got a prompt you want me to cover, let me know!)

I’m really excited for this theme, and I’m also very excited to discover whether I end the month utterly sick of these fruits. Heh heh.

See you tomorrow when this shindig gets started!

Are you participating in MoFo? What’s your theme? What should I make with these fruits?

*Re: blueberries–they’re definitely at the tail end of their season in September, but I have pounds and pounds of blueberries my mama picked up in Rhode Island, froze immediately, and sent home with me after my trip to RI earlier this month. So I’m fudging it a little and pretending they’re seasonal!

Way Too Many Words About Doughnuts (seriously, just skip to the end)

/ Kelly / 6 Comments

When I worked in the registrar’s office at college, we had a weekly tradition: every Friday morning, our boss (the registrar himself), brought in a huuuge box of doughnuts. They weren’t anything special, just doughnuts from the local grocery store, but in the hectic office, at the end of the week, it was a much-appreciated gesture. Just like when I was a kid, I always chose a simple glazed doughnut for my breakfast treat.

Then I graduated, and the doughnuts stopped coming. And then I went vegan, and the doughnuts really stopped coming. And then I started craving them.

I never even considered myself a big doughnut fan until I couldn’t have them. The doughnut desire hit maybe a year or two ago, and since then it hasn’t let go of me. None of my vegan-friendly staples in Rhode Island or Madison carried any, and our trips to Chicago never left time to seek them out. When we were in New York City last summer, I was bummed to discover that Dunwell was closed on Mondays–the very day we could’ve gone. When we moved to Maryland, I searched high and low (or so I thought). Stickyfingers only offers doughnuts on Tuesday and Thursday, and the few places I found online that used to offer vegan options were closed.

The only doughnut I’ve eaten the past almost-four years was at a farmers’ market in RI. It was tasty and cakey, but it wasn’t really a traditional doughnut.

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And then, last weekend, S and I went to the National Air and Space museum for his birthday. On the way back, we stopped at Loving Hut in Virginia (my first visit!) for a late-afternoon lunch. I got a healthy and delicious vermicelli noodle bowl with peanut sauce, and S had a banh mi sandwich. But, most importantly, THEY HAD DOUGHNUTS ON THE DESSERT MENU.

As I munched my meal, my anticipation grew. The doughnuts in the front case looked like perfect specimens. Finally, after finishing our lunch, I ordered one to go. There were five (5!) varieties. I chose a chocolate doughnut, its top coated with a thin layer of sugary glaze and drizzled with chocolate. Although I’d resolved to wait till I was good and hungry to eat it, I lasted all of five minutes in the car before opening the package and sinking my teeth into it.

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It was pastry heaven. It was the most amazing and delicious doughnut I’ve ever had, vegan or not. It was cakey but dense, sweet but not too sweet, and perfectly chocolaty. Because I am the best girlfriend in the world (and because it was S’s birthday), I shared half the damn thing with him. (I didn’t even have to say “You should’ve gotten your own!”–he said it first.)

Despite my efforts to draw out the eating process, my beloved doughnut was gone too soon. A few small crumbs remained in the plastic container, the only reminders of the bliss I’d just experienced. All I wanted to do was turn the car around and go buy a dozen more, but alas, we didn’t.

I still regret it, and I’m trying to decide what level of crazy it is to drive 40 minutes just to get a doughnut. Thoughts? ;)

I emailed Loving Hut to ask where they source their doughnuts, and they responded promptly–they’re from Vegan Treats in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. We’re totally stopping on our next road trip up to RI.

Five Days in Maui, or, That Time My Sister Got Married

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

This has not been a particularly relaxing summer. That’s not a bad thing, really; it’s just a true thing. I’ve been busy. Busy moving across the country and then across(ish) the state. Busy settling into my new job. Busy unpacking and setting up house and dealing with a few too many apartment maintenance issues. Busy dealing with the irritating Maryland MVA. Busy traveling to Hawaii to be the maid of honor in my little sister’s wedding.

Mmhmm. My baby sister… got married… in Hawaii.

Okay, maybe that part of the summer was a little relaxing.

The bright blue-green ocean and a perfect sandy shoreline, with a few beach chairs, and palm trees in the distance.

It was a glorious escape. Five and a half days of sunbathing, reading on the beach, sipping tropical drinks, swimming in the ocean, eating lots of fresh fruit, enjoying my family, and marveling at Maui’s scenery.

A lush green valley topped with hazy clouds.

The wedding itself was small and sweet, with only the closest of family members in attendance. The ceremony took place on a bluff overlooking the ocean. S played guitar and sung. The wedding party walked barefoot on cool spongy grass, holding bouquets of flowers plucked from the abundant native foliage. My brother-in-law’s father, a pastor, officiated. My sweet baby nephew slept through his parents’ marriage vows, held by his grandma and then by me.

It was, in a word, lovely.

View of green hills, the ocean in the distance, and lots of blue skies and clouds.

Later, after my sister and her husband had had their fill of post-wedding photography among the gorgeous views, we all reconvened at a nearby restaurant for dinner. The chef had prepared a special main course (Israeli cous cous with vegetables) for the three vegans and one mostly-vegan, and S and I chose a scallion-lime tofu appetizer topped with crispy kale and sesame seeds to start. We rounded off our meal with passionfruit sorbet. (And superbly delicious drinks, a Mai Tai for S and a mango martini for me.)

Three food photos: tofu with small bits of crispy kale; cous cous with cauliflower, carrots, and other veggies; and three scoops of a pale yellow sorbet topped with a mint leaf.

I’m fortunate that the folks at my new job are flexible; they had no problem letting me jet off to Maui barely a month after I started. And I’m fortunate to have the family I have, including the extended family that came along with my new brother-in-law. And, of course, I’m fortunate to have the absolute best little nephew in the world.

Me and my nephew in the pool. He's sticking his tongue out at me!

What a kid. What a summer! And it’s not over yet. ;)