oats Archives - Page 4 of 6 -

August 31, 2014

Rainbow Sprinkle Energy Bites

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Celebrating with some sprinkle fun today.

A few weeks ago, I came across these gorgeous naturally dyed sprinkles. Not exactly healthy, but also not filled with lots of artificial colorants so it makes me feel a little better about serving them to my kids. My poor kids… whenever they see colorful cakes and candy, they ask, “Mom, does this have artificial coloring? Is this okay for me to eat?” I have to admit, I am a party pooper when it comes to artificially dyed food. I am no fun at all. But! I just purchased a 2.9 pound container of these sprinkles. Enough sprinkles to last a lifetime. I must get cool mom points for that, yes?

These Rainbow Sprinkle Energy Bites are no-bake, naturally sweetened, whole-grain, and are the perfect little snack to pack on-the-go or in lunch boxes. The little bites are filled with the goodness of oats, coconut, flax, wheat germ, raw honey, and almond butter. Cacao powder gives them a rich chocolate flavor and adds an extra boost of antioxidants. Sprinkles are completely optional of course, but don’t they add such a glimmer of fun? I used almond butter, but use any nut butter that you prefer. I’m going to try a sunbutter version next to keep it nut-free for school. Using a stand mixer breaks down the oats and gives the mixture a finer texture. A finer texture helps the sprinkles to adhere better, but feel free to mix by hand, especially if you are leaving off the sprinkles. From start to finish, the whole batch took me 20 minutes to make. These are easy, healthy, and deliciously satisfying!

Rainbow Sprinkle Energy Bites

Serves: makes 15 1¼-inch bites

Ingredients

½ cup creamy almond butter, peanut butter, or almond butter
⅓ cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup old-fashioned oats
⅔ cup unsweetened flaked coconut, chopped
¼ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons cacao powder
rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

Using a stand mixer, combine the almond butter, honey, and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, coconut, flax seed, wheat germ, and cacao powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the almond butter mixture and mix together on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined. Shape into balls of desired size and dip in a bowl of rainbow sprinkles to coat. Press lightly on the sprinkles to adhere. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Notes

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

August 25, 2014

Wild Blueberry Pie with Almond Oat Crumble

Wild Blueberries make me reminisce about childhood summer vacations in Maine. I have vivid memories of hiking along the breathtaking coastline, visiting quaint little towns, devouring lobster rolls and fresh clam chowder, and picking wild blueberries. Maine is the only place where I have ever seen wild blueberries grown. They are much smaller than the blueberries commonly seen in grocery stores, but they are sweeter and have an even more intense blueberry flavor. I have not been able to find fresh wild blueberries anywhere locally so I used frozen wild blueberries here in this pie. The wild blueberries make this pie really spectacular, but you can also substitute regular blueberries if you cannot find wild. The almond crumble topping made from almond paste and oats enhances the whole blueberry experience. I make this pie every summer and dream about vacationing in Maine.

Wild Blueberry Pie with Almond Oat Crumble

Ingredients

Crust

½ cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon natural cane sugar
½ cup (8 tablespoons) of cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling

⅔ cup natural cane sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
32 ounces fresh or frozen wild blueberries, about 7 cups
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Crumble

⅓ cup old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
4 ounces almond paste, broken into small pieces, about ¾ cup
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ teaspoon salt
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

Crust

Add the flours, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
While the food processor is running, gradually add the water and process until dough just comes together, no more than 30 seconds. Start with the minimum amount of water and increase if dough is too crumbly.
Form the dough into a flat circular disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
On a lightly floured board, roll dough into a circle about ⅛-inch thick. Carefully transfer the crust into the pie dish and trim the overhanging dough with a knife. Crimp the edges as desired.
Chill crust in the refrigerator while preparing the filling and topping.

Filling

In a large pot, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. With a wooden spoon, sir in the blueberries and lemon juice. Stir gently over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes bubbly, about 12-15 minutes.
Chill filling until cool, about 1 hour.

Crumble

Add the oats, flour, almond paste, butter,and salt into the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture begins to hold together. Transfer to a small bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 400.
Pour the blueberry filling into the chilled pie crust. Using your index finger and thumb, pinch small pieces of the almond oat crumble and sprinkle evenly over the filling.
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust and topping become golden and the filling bubbles, about 45-50 minutes.
Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

adapted from Bon Appetit

June 19, 2014

Blueberry Oatcakes

These Blueberry Oatcakes are slightly adapted from a recipe that my sweet college friend, Carissa, gave to me. She told me that she makes these for breakfast at least once a week for her girls. After I made these oatcakes this morning, my petite 4 year-old daughter ate 4 and then wanted to have the leftovers for lunch. Needless to say that these are now a regular in our family too!

I love these oatcakes because they are completely whole-grain and comprised mostly of oats. Although we are not even close to being a gluten-free family, I do try to vary our grains so that wheat is not our only whole grain. This recipe does include a bit of whole wheat flour, but it can easily be substituted for a gluten-free flour to make these entirely gluten-free. Some planning ahead is required on these as the oats and yogurt need to be mixed together the evening before in order to soften the oats. I often like to combine my dry ingredients together the evening before as well and then everything comes together fairly quickly in the morning.

These Blueberry Oatcakes are wonderfully hearty and moist and make for a healthy morning breakfast. Serve along with some warm maple syrup to make these even more of a treat.

Blueberry Oatcakes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups plain yogurt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons honey
1 mashed banana, about ⅓ cup
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground flax
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Heaping ½ cup fresh blueberries
Unsalted butter for frying

Instructions

The evening before, mix the oats and yogurt together in a large mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, add the eggs, honey, and mashed banana to the oats and yogurt and mix together with a wooden spoon.
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the flour, flax, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until dry ingredients are just incorporated. Batter should be fairly thick.
Use a rubber spatula to fold in the blueberries.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle. Ladle the oat batter into the pan, spreading batter if necessary to make circles about ⅓" thick. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the underside is golden brown and then flip to the other side and cook for another 2 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve warm along with maple syrup, if desired.