Shakes and Smoothies

Shakes and smoothies are awesome.  They always taste like a treat, but are also healthy.
Here are some flavours I've made lately:

Blueberry smoothie, just frozen blueberries with whole non-homogenized milk.

Mixed berries with milk and plain 10% yogurt.

Raspberry.

Strawberry - peach.

Peach with milk and lavender honey.

The consistency depends on whether I use fresh or frozen fruit, and like I've said before, during off season, I always have frozen fruit in my freezer.  Sometimes I add whole non-homogenized milk, other times almond milk, sometimes orange juice.  Also, ground flax seeds, wheat grass, plain 10% yogurt, honey, vanilla.  Lately I just like whole non-homogenized milk and fruit, very plain, and so good.

Guten Appetit!  (German)

Baked Oatmeal

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/baked-oatmeal-with-blueberries-and.html

I got this recipe last week from a friend, and made a half portion for Sunday's brunch, to test it out.  It was quite tasty, so I made the full portion last night for dessert.

Here's what I changed:
- used butter instead of oil
-used whole non homogenized milk
-used more blueberries and pecans
-used less honey

The first time I made it, I used some clover honey and some agave nectar, because I didn't have enough honey.  Even though I used less than 1/4 cup between the two - I didn't measure, but I know it was less than 1/4 cup, I found the dish too sweet.  So, the second time I used about 2 table spoons of lavender honey, and it came out ok, could be a bit sweeter, but since I used pecans, I can drizzle maple syrup on top to achieve a sweeter, more dessert like, taste.

The first time, I also used aluminum foil for the whole time, the first 15 min and the final 30 min, mainly because I assumed I should.  The second time, I noticed it only says to use foil for baking the bananas, which makes sense, because the foil traps in heat and steam, so they bake through quicker and remain moist.

The recipe also specifies ripe bananas, which I used the first time, but the second time my bananas weren't very ripe, they still worked, but I'm thinking the super ripe ones add extra sweetness, an they bake through better.  I say either works, but if you're using light-med yellow bananas, adjust the sweetness, and expect some unbaked bits.

The second time I used foil for the first half and removed it for the second half - more or less - of the 30 minute baking.  The top pecans didn't get as soft, but otherwise it was fine.

When I made the half batch, I still used a whole egg, and I think I liked it better, so next time when I am making a full batch I may use 2 eggs, or one big one from the farm.  I'm waiting for my order to come in  :)

In the end, this is a great idea for oatmeal.  James liked it enough to want me to make it a second time, and he doesn't like oatmeal or blueberries.  I love finding ways of making him eat things he says he doesn't like, and having him ask for seconds, and I didn't even have to disguise the oatmeal or blueberries.

In the future I may use different fruit and nut combos.  I think this would be great with peaches and / or plums with walnuts, and plain yogurt on top when serving; or raspberries and almonds; or even chocolate chips, banana, and hazelnuts, with whipped cream, for an even more desserty alternative.

Enjoy!

Rice Pudding

It's back to snow again.  This winter's been up and down with the temperatures and weather.  In a way it's good because even when it snows a lot, it either melts the next day with high temps, or washes away with rain.
It's Saturday evening, and James was craving rice pudding.  I was planing on going to the market to get some eggs, and he asked me if I can pick up some rice pudding.  I never made it to the store, but I ended up making rice pudding with the ingredients I have on hand.  I find store bought rice pudding very sugary.  As I get older, I still like sweets, but not sugary stuff.  For example, I like good quality milk chocolate, but can't stand typical check out line chocolate bars, which should really be called refined sugar bars.

I've made rice pudding in the past, but like with a lot of my recipes, or lack of, it's different every time.  This one turned out quite tasty, so I decided it was worthy being posted, and it made it into my recipe book.

What you'll need is:
- coconut oil
- carrot, shredded
- raisins
- short grain rice, round or semi-round, such as Arborio, Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano
- milk
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- honey or maple syrup

I used 1 cup of rice, and 3.5 cups of almond milk, the rest I didn't measure.  Also, using cow's or goat's milk will work, as both are creamy.  This would've been even yummier with full fat (non-homogenized) milk, but I didn't have enough left.

Heat up the oil, add rice, stir and coat for a minute; the rice will start turning translucent.
Add milk, 1/2 cup at a time.
After the first 1/2, add spices and raisins, and shred carrot, add honey or maple syrup.
           - for best results taste the "liquid" and adjust flavour; you can always add more.
Keep stirring, and waiting for milk to be absorbed before adding more.

The carrot adds sweetness, texture, and nutrition.  I didn't add too much honey, because I didn't want to make this treat too sweet.  The raisins add a lot of sweetness with each bite.  If you don't like raisins, you can skip them, or add nuts instead.

Perfect treat for a wintery evening.  Enjoy with a cup of tea!  I had a dried fruit infusion.