June 17, 2010

Sunrise, Sunset

Check out this gorgeous sunset I saw outside the house the other day. Shortly after I snapped this picture the entire sky turned a lovely shade of pink. Florida sunsets are phenomenal sometimes.



This morning (post-sunrise, I don't wake up that early) I decided to make a bowl of hot oats. Why? I don't know. It's supposed to be over 100 today. But, my craving was calling me to the stovetop. No matter how creative I get with my oats, this is always my favorite.


Banana bread oats

In the mix

- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup almond milk + 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 banana, whipped in while cooking
- Cinnamon

Topped with

- 1/2 banana
- Raw walnuts
- Flax
- More cinnamon
- Granola sprinkles


It's even better than eating a slice of warm banana bread straight from the oven. Well, almost.

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Last night's dinner started as an awesome idea, but didn't end as such. I whipped up some cilantro jalapeno hummus and wanted something to dip into it that wasn't pita or something overly carby, so I decided to make Brendan Brazier's zucchini "chips". I was expecting them to be crispy and light and an amazing accompaniment to my deliciously spicy hummus. However, after I took them out of the oven, they were soft and floppy and not chip like at all. The flavor was amazing, though, so I decided to toss them on a salad and call it a day. Here's the recipe if you want slow cooked zucchini:

Ingredients

- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- S&P

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300.
- Cook for 30 minutes on a greased cookie sheet. Eat as a side dish or a salad/grain dish topper, but do not attempt to dip into anything. It won't work, I promise. What I have learned about Brendan is that he likes to name his dishes things they aren't (see: pizza), but his flavors are wonderful. I guess you can't have everything.


I almost didn't want to include this in the post, but it looks pretty and tasted great. Plus, coconut oil is my latest obsession so I look for any excuse to cook with it.

4 comments:

  1. What an awesome picture. Those oats sound heavenly. I love love love banana bread. Hope you're having a great day!

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  2. you know what..as much as i love coconut oil; i don't think it's ideal for making anything crispy. Vegetables absorb it oddly. I bet if you used olive oil or peanut oil they'd crisp up better :)

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  3. I'm partial to bread in all its forms. It's been a decent day so far! I hope your day is lovely as well.

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  4. I don't think they're going to get crispy unless they're dehydrated, honestly. His recipe requires them to be cooked too low to roast and too high to dry, so they end up flavorful but mushy. I agree that veggies absorb it though; it works better in desserts and as a flavoring/finishing oil.

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