Baked Cinnamon Pear Steel Cut Oats

Oatmeal is quickly becoming my breakfast obsession for the winter of 2012-13. I really don't remember what I did before I discovered the awesomeness that is steel cut oats. They're so versatile and I've been finding myself making all sorts of oatmeal concoctions in the slow cooker, on the stove top and now baked up in a warm and delicious casserole.

This, my friends, is what comfort food for breakfast looks like.  I decided to change things up a bit because I've been obsessively cooking with pumpkins and apples since September, so pears were my fruit of choice this time 'round. I combined fresh pears with cinnamon and Sucanat and the result was an ooey gooey fruit explosion tucked away under a hearty oatmeal topper.

Baked Cinnamon Pear Steel Cut Oats
Serves 4 - 5

2 large pears, chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
1 c steel cut oats
2 c almond milk (or soy milk, coconut milk, dairy milk)
3 tbsp Sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch sea salt

Preheat your oven to 400 and grease a medium-sized casserole dish.

Place the chopped pears in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the Sucanat and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Mix until the pears are well coated and pour into the bottom of the casserole dish.

Sprinkle the steel cut oats over the pears.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, the remaining cinnamon, Sucanat and vanilla. Pour over the oats and pears.

Cover your dish and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Ooey gooey goodness.

Top your oatmeal with your fave toppings such as maple syrup, chopped walnuts, coconut or raisins. My favourite way was to top it with some plain non-fat Greek yogourt drizzled with just a teeny weeny bit of maple syrup or honey.   

Store the leftovers in your refrigerator and re-heat in the microwave for a quick, CLEAN and healthy weekday breakfast.

What's your favourite oatmeal topping?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

Grandma's Spiced Fruit

Tonight I had my weekly dinner with my grandparents. After a very long day at work, I walked through their door to an amazing aroma. Sitting on the stove was a big pan of spiced fruit. Sweet pears, peaches and pineapple smothered in a brown sugar curry sauce. Who would have thought?!

I don't normally cook with curry and I think I'm a little afraid of it. I have only had Indian food a couple of times and normally I find the smell of curried dishes to be too strong and over-powering for my tastes.

But this dish was certainly an exception. It was delicious!

Grandma's Spiced Fruit
This recipe is my grandma's version. See the note below for my healthier variation.

20 oz canned peaches, halved
20 oz canned pears, halved
20 oz  canned pineapple rings
1/3 c melted butter
3/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp curry

Heat oven to 375. Greast a 9" x 13" pan. Arrange fruit in the pan.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the fruit. Bake for 15 minutes, making sure to baste the fruit after 10 minutes.

This dish was really fabulous. I think it would be amazing served with vanilla bean or french vanilla ice cream!

*NOTE: It would be so easy to make a healthier version. Just substitute the canned fruit for fresh fruit and the butter for Earth Balance. It probably would take longer to bake, but it would be so worth it!! I actually found the canned fruit a bit too sweet and I think fresh fruit would be amazing. I will let you know how it turns out when I try my version.

Grandmas are the absolute best! She was beaming as I snapped a few pictures of her dish. I think I just might start a Wednesday tradition featuring one of her dishes. She will feel like a star! :-)

What is your favourite curry dish - I would love to step out of my comfort zone & try some new dishes - send me your recipes please!!

Good night all!

Andrea

Veggie Plate with Hummus and Chocolate Cashew Dip

What a great long weekend it has been with my mom! We have been to the movies, visited with family, gone out for dinner and brunch, driven all over Southwestern Ontario searching for a book that I have been wanting to buy and eating.....lots and lots of eating CARBS!!!

We have had banana cake, sweet potato cornbread, ravioli, gnocchi, spaghetti, toast and the list goes on and on. Today, I decided we needed to amp up our veggie and fruit intake and add some healthy dips to go along side for a healthy lunch.

I had some organic carrots, pears, kiwis and apples that I need to use up, as well as some leftover green onions from Saturday night's dinner. I also added some vegetable crackers that I needed to use up.

Doesn't that look refreshing?? I have been craving something green for days!

It won't take you long to figure out that I am a total sucker for dips. In fact, I can eat an entire bowl of dip in one sitting, so it's best if I have some healthy choices that I can whip up quickly and easily rather than digging into store bought dips that are full of fat and empty calories.

Hummus
Adapted from Oh She Glows

1 19 oz can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp spicy Herbamare (sea salt)
3 cloves of garlic
juice from 2 fresh organic lemons (approx 5 tbsp)
3 - 4 tbsp of water
1 tsp Frank's red hot
1/2 c tahini
1 tbsp olive oil

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Unfortunately my food processor bit the dust today, so I had to blend this in batches in my very old blender :-( 

Right before serving, drizzle with an additional tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

This hummus is fantastic~it tastes great with fresh veggies, on crackers, in veggie wraps or on whole grain toast.

I also wanted to have something sweet, so that I could dip my fruit. I have been having a love affair with cashew butter lately and I only had a wee bit left in my jar....what better combo than to mix my favourite nut butter with a chunk of chocolate? The only question more pressing is why has it taken me so long to try this combination??

Chocolate Cashew Butter Dip
2 - 3 tbsp of all natural cashew butter
1 square of dark chocolate

Place in microwaveable dish and heat in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir after each 30 seconds.

Absolutely decadent!

I really loved this dip with the apples. I think it would also be divine with animal crackers.

This was such a great lunch - it was satisfying and healthy and provided us with lots of fruits and vegetables that our bodies were so badly craving.

My mom really loved the hummus (I did too), but I really loved my chocolate cashew butter dip. Thank goodness I only had enough to make a small little bowl because I finished every last bit!

Wishing you a wonderful Monday evening and lovely end to your long holiday weekend (if you were lucky like me to have one).

Andrea

PS - If you're craving something a little sweeter and more decadent, check out my girl, Kris's, contest at i heart wellness. Enter to win 6 of her bakery's decadent Chocolate Chip "Chips Enjoy" Cookie Sandwiches - they are vegan and gluten free!! Click the link above to enter. I'd wish you all good luck, but you're going to have to beat me to get these tasty treats!!