Thinking of this post, I put together this list:
traditional
chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
dried fruits (golden or regular raisins, cranberries, mango, pineapple, etc.)
chopped/mashed fresh fruits (bananas, apples, etc.)
brown sugar
honey
cinnamon
ground ginger
ground cloves
(fresh) ground nutmeg
splash of milk
splash of cream
sprinkle of salt
small knob of butter
vanilla
less traditional
pumpkin puree
grated carrots
applesauce
cranberry sauce/relish
diced crystallized ginger/"ginger chips"
fresh ginger
nut butters (peanut, almond, sunflower seed)
fruit preserves
jam
fruit/vegetable butters (apple, pear, pumpkin)
ground flax
ground cardamom
almond extract
nutella
miniature chocolate chips
agave nectar
real maple syrup (Grade A, Grade B)
molasses
shredded unsweetened coconut/shredded sweetened coconut, shredded toasted coconut
cottage cheese
leftover cooked grains (brown rice, quinoa, wheatberries, etc.)
sprinkle of granola
citrus zest (orange, lemon)
cooked fruits (sauteed apples, pears, bananas etc.)
Again, obviously not an exhaustive list.
I eat the organic version of these Bob's Red Mill oats for breakfast almost every day. Are you an oatmeal eater? If so, what do you put on your oatmeal? If not, what do you eat for breakfast?
general housewifery is participating in National Blog Post Month (NaBloPoMo).
Showing posts with label Currently Eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Currently Eating. Show all posts
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
procrastination cauliflower
What to do when I have hours of writing and work ahead of me?
Decide to roast a head of cauliflower and two heads of garlic, of course.
This didn't come out how I planned (I wanted something somewhat firm and slightly caramelized), partially because I left the pan covered with foil too long in the oven, and partially because my housemates shut the oven off in the middle of cooking, probably because no one expects the oven to be on at midnight. The resulting cauliflower was still delicious but soft, and to exploit this, I'm eating some of the leftovers lightly mashed with a fork for lunch. This tastes nothing like mashed potatoes but is much more flavorful and little healthier. I could envision different herbs, spices or cheeses incorporated, but I like the simplicity of this preparation. This recipe is ridiculously easy and makes an often hated vegetable incredibly palatable. Plus, garlic is really good for you and this recipe has around fifteen cloves of it.
procrastination cauliflower
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets and rinsed
2 heads of garlic
olive oil
sea salt
(freshly ground) black pepper
pecorino, or some other hard grating cheese
Preheat the oven to 375. In a large baking dish (I used 13x9 Pyrex, I do wonder whether metal would improve caramelization) Pour a little olive oil into the bottom of the pan and spread it around. Toss the florets of cauliflower in the oil so that most have a light coating (do the oil to taste, I like to air on the side of caution with only a couple of tablespoons). Cut off the tops of the garlic heads so that all of the cloves inside are exposed. Don't be too precious about losing garlic--there will be plenty. In fact, if you don't love garlic as much as I do, you might want to use just one head. Put the exposed heads in the pan, nestling them in with the florets. Add a little more olive oil right into the open heads of garlic to prevent burning, and then salt and pepper the whole pan, and don't be shy. Cover with foil and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until the cauliflower is the texture you prefer. Now pluck those open heads of garlic out of the pan, they are full of one of the most delicious substances known to man: roasted garlic. Pop the cloves out by squeezing the head. If you are smarter than me you will let them cool slightly first. Mash the cloves with fork and toss thoroughly with the roasted cauliflower. Top the whole mess with grated pecorino and pop back into the over for a few minutes, uncovered, to melt the cheese. Eat.
Decide to roast a head of cauliflower and two heads of garlic, of course.
This didn't come out how I planned (I wanted something somewhat firm and slightly caramelized), partially because I left the pan covered with foil too long in the oven, and partially because my housemates shut the oven off in the middle of cooking, probably because no one expects the oven to be on at midnight. The resulting cauliflower was still delicious but soft, and to exploit this, I'm eating some of the leftovers lightly mashed with a fork for lunch. This tastes nothing like mashed potatoes but is much more flavorful and little healthier. I could envision different herbs, spices or cheeses incorporated, but I like the simplicity of this preparation. This recipe is ridiculously easy and makes an often hated vegetable incredibly palatable. Plus, garlic is really good for you and this recipe has around fifteen cloves of it.
procrastination cauliflower
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets and rinsed
2 heads of garlic
olive oil
sea salt
(freshly ground) black pepper
pecorino, or some other hard grating cheese
Preheat the oven to 375. In a large baking dish (I used 13x9 Pyrex, I do wonder whether metal would improve caramelization) Pour a little olive oil into the bottom of the pan and spread it around. Toss the florets of cauliflower in the oil so that most have a light coating (do the oil to taste, I like to air on the side of caution with only a couple of tablespoons). Cut off the tops of the garlic heads so that all of the cloves inside are exposed. Don't be too precious about losing garlic--there will be plenty. In fact, if you don't love garlic as much as I do, you might want to use just one head. Put the exposed heads in the pan, nestling them in with the florets. Add a little more olive oil right into the open heads of garlic to prevent burning, and then salt and pepper the whole pan, and don't be shy. Cover with foil and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until the cauliflower is the texture you prefer. Now pluck those open heads of garlic out of the pan, they are full of one of the most delicious substances known to man: roasted garlic. Pop the cloves out by squeezing the head. If you are smarter than me you will let them cool slightly first. Mash the cloves with fork and toss thoroughly with the roasted cauliflower. Top the whole mess with grated pecorino and pop back into the over for a few minutes, uncovered, to melt the cheese. Eat.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
off my game
Despite craving a little comfort this afternoon, I decided to once again tackle my personal white whale: cooking brown rice. Seriously, I think I'm cursed. White rice is never a problem (but I try to stick to whole grains so I rarely cook it for myself), but brown rice is finicky and I can't think of one time I've done it just right. Many a night I have just given up or ordered a pint of brown rice from the local Chinese restaurant to eat with something that needed rice.
Well, the rice turned out a bit moist. I really hate that word "moist". But that's how it was, just a little too much liquid. I probably should have left it in the pot longer, but I was trying not to burn it. It didn't end up mattering so much, as I was planning to make lazy fried rice with garlic and onion an egg and soy sauce and shelled edamame. It turned out delicious anyway.
But it would be nice to figure out the secret to the rice. Suggestions?
Well, the rice turned out a bit moist. I really hate that word "moist". But that's how it was, just a little too much liquid. I probably should have left it in the pot longer, but I was trying not to burn it. It didn't end up mattering so much, as I was planning to make lazy fried rice with garlic and onion an egg and soy sauce and shelled edamame. It turned out delicious anyway.
But it would be nice to figure out the secret to the rice. Suggestions?
freeze your own
What have I been munching for breakfast daily since returning to the university? Eggs, fruit and toast made from homemade bread.
This past summer, slightly daunted at the price of mediocre store-bought multigrain loaves, I decided to try my hand at making my own. I'm not going to be like some people I know and argue that bread making is painless (make enough and your arms will be sore the next day) or mess-free, but I do think it's worth it. I'm a huge proponent of knowing exactly what's in everything you eat. I'm finding more and more supermarket loaves contain artificial sweeteners, like sucralose (Splenda) that I'm trying to cut out of my diet. The loaf my mom prefers smells strangely of maple syrup when toasted. Strangely, because I've gone through the ingredients, and it doesn't contain maple syrup, or any natural sugars for that matter.
Bread making is fun, even if it can be challenging, and since long periods of its prep time involve waiting for it, it's a good activity for any decent multitasker. Sometimes I'll start the dough, bake some cookies, and then return to do the second knead, form the loaves, etc. Sometimes I'll read or run errands or do my homework. I haven't tried the fancy no-knead breads people have raved over for the last year, because I don't keep a dutch oven with me at school and haven't really thought to do it at home. Next time I have the opportunity to try it, I will.
Bread machines bore me. I'm never quite happy with the texture of the resulting loaves.
Many bread recipes produce more than one loaf, but luckily, bread freezes pretty well. The downsides are that when it defrosts, it goes stale a little faster than a fresh loaf. I get around this by making mostly breads that are mean to be toasted. I wait till they cool completely, slice the loaf, then double wrap it in foil and freeze. This means I can take out one slice or five as I need them.
I'm not going to post the recipe for the loaf I'm currently consuming, because in my opinion while it's delicious it's just not perfect yet. I took the whole wheat bread recipe from an old copy of the Joy of Cooking, and tweaked a bit. In the end I used 1/3 white flour, 1/3 whole wheat flour, 1/6 oats, 1/6 flax seeds (half meal, half whole seeds). This yielded two loaves that were chewy and flavorful, with lots of nutty whole-wheatness. The bread is better toasted than plain, but takes butter/jam/cream cheese delightfully. I think maybe doing it with some vital wheat gluten or playing around with the flour ratios will perfect it. If I ever do, I'll post.
This past summer, slightly daunted at the price of mediocre store-bought multigrain loaves, I decided to try my hand at making my own. I'm not going to be like some people I know and argue that bread making is painless (make enough and your arms will be sore the next day) or mess-free, but I do think it's worth it. I'm a huge proponent of knowing exactly what's in everything you eat. I'm finding more and more supermarket loaves contain artificial sweeteners, like sucralose (Splenda) that I'm trying to cut out of my diet. The loaf my mom prefers smells strangely of maple syrup when toasted. Strangely, because I've gone through the ingredients, and it doesn't contain maple syrup, or any natural sugars for that matter.
Bread making is fun, even if it can be challenging, and since long periods of its prep time involve waiting for it, it's a good activity for any decent multitasker. Sometimes I'll start the dough, bake some cookies, and then return to do the second knead, form the loaves, etc. Sometimes I'll read or run errands or do my homework. I haven't tried the fancy no-knead breads people have raved over for the last year, because I don't keep a dutch oven with me at school and haven't really thought to do it at home. Next time I have the opportunity to try it, I will.
Bread machines bore me. I'm never quite happy with the texture of the resulting loaves.
Many bread recipes produce more than one loaf, but luckily, bread freezes pretty well. The downsides are that when it defrosts, it goes stale a little faster than a fresh loaf. I get around this by making mostly breads that are mean to be toasted. I wait till they cool completely, slice the loaf, then double wrap it in foil and freeze. This means I can take out one slice or five as I need them.
I'm not going to post the recipe for the loaf I'm currently consuming, because in my opinion while it's delicious it's just not perfect yet. I took the whole wheat bread recipe from an old copy of the Joy of Cooking, and tweaked a bit. In the end I used 1/3 white flour, 1/3 whole wheat flour, 1/6 oats, 1/6 flax seeds (half meal, half whole seeds). This yielded two loaves that were chewy and flavorful, with lots of nutty whole-wheatness. The bread is better toasted than plain, but takes butter/jam/cream cheese delightfully. I think maybe doing it with some vital wheat gluten or playing around with the flour ratios will perfect it. If I ever do, I'll post.
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