Winter Vegetable Soup

(recipe from Cook Your Way to the Life You Want by Christina Pirello)

1-inch piece kombu
1 onion, diced
2 cups diced green cabbage
2 cups cubed winter squash (such as butternut)
1 cup rolled oats
6 to 7 cups water or vegetable stock
2 to 3 tsp. miso

Layer kombu and other vegetables in a soup pot in the order listed.  Top with oats, and add water.  Cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until vegetables are soft and oats are very creamy, about 40 minutes.  Remove a small amount of liquid, and use to dissolve miso.  Stir miso mixture gently into soup, and simmer, uncovered, 3 to 4 minutes to activate the enzymes in miso.

(This soup needs way more seasoning!  Season to taste, and it is delicious.)

Toasted Muesli with Millet, Coconut, Pistachios, and Cranberries

(recipe from Whole Living magazine)

1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 cup whole millet
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
3/4 cup shelled pistachios (I used walnuts)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp. coconut oil (I used olive oil)
1 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
2/3 cup dried cranberries (I used frozen cranberries)

In a bowl, pour boiling water over millet, cover with a plate, and let sit until softened, 30 minutes.  Drain.

Heat oven to 325F.  In a large bowl, combine drained millet, oats, pistachios, and coconut flakes.  (I also mixed in the frozen cranberries.)

In a small saucepan, bring honey, oil, and salt to a boil.  Pour over millet mixture and stir until combined.

Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until golden, about 20 minutes.  Once cool, stir in dried cranberries.  Muesli keeps, stored in an airtight container, two weeks.

(Even with all of the substitutions I made, this was lovely.)

Carrot Walnut Cookies

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1 cup raw unsalted walnuts
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 carrots, grated
1 apple, cored and seeded, grated
1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine walnuts, oats, and raisins in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger.  Add carrots, apple, banana, and apple juice and stir until combined.  Drop by rounded tablespoons an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets, making about 24 cookies.  Press down on each cookie with the back of a fork to flatten slightly.  Bake until tops and bottoms are lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

(Tasty little healthy cookies!  Wholesome enough to eat for breakfast.  Quick and easy to make.)

Lisa's Granola

(recipe from Eating Well magazine)

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raw, unsalted pepitas
1/2 cup maple syrup
6 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325F.  Line a roasting pan or large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine oats, almonds, walnuts, and pepitas in a large bowl.  Whisk maple syrup, oil, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until blended.  Pour over the oat mixture and toss to coat. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.

Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until lightly and evenly browned and starting to dry out, 50 minutes to 1 hour.  Let cool completely in the pan before serving or storing.

Store airtight in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.

(Delicious!  I added a bit less oil.  Also, monitor the cooking - my oven is hotter, I think, so I didn't have to bake for as long as they say.  I ate this with blueberries, bananas, and coconut milk and it was yummy.)

Homemade Granola Bars

(recipe from goop.com)

1 1/3 cups rolled oats, divided
a pinch each of salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger
1/4 cup flax seeds (I used hemp seeds)
1 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped (or any combination of roughly chopped dried fruit and/or nuts) (I used 1/2 cup apricots and 1/2 cup pecans)
1/4 cup canola oil (I used mashed banana)
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used agave syrup)
2 Tbsp. brown rice syrup

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a 8" square baking pan with parchment paper, letting a bit of excess paper hang over the sides.

Grind 1/3 cup of the oats in a food processor until powdery.  Add them to a large mixing bowl with the remaining oats, salt & spices, flax seeds, and apricots.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then stir them into the dry ingredients.

Put the mixture in the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.  Bake for 1/2 hour, or until evenly browned.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes.  Remove to a cutting board (the parchment paper will act as a sort of sling, making this very easy).  Cut into individual granola bars.

(I am on a mission to find a recipe for really good breakfast bars.  This was tasty, though a bit dry, and didn't hold together so well in bar form.  Also, loads of sugar syrups and not much healthy substance.  The mission continues!)