Vegan Cooking with TLC

I first tried Dragon Fruit several years ago in Hawaii. I liked it okay but didn't think much more about it after I got home.  When I found frozen Dragon Fruit in the grocery store, I bought some. I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I bought it. Maybe it sparked a memory of that wonderful trip. I'm not sure. I brought it home.  Eventually, I decided to try it in a smoothie. It worked well there. Then one day I grabbed it as I was getting out frozen cherries for my oats. I started to put it back and then decided to give try it with my oats. I actually found I liked it in my oats, and thus I created this recipe. Dragon Fruit Oat Groats 1 cup oat groats 2 cups hot water 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 pinch ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons dried Goji berries 2 dried bananas, cut into pieces 1 tablespoon dried barberries 2 teaspoons cacao nibs 1 cup frozen dragon fruit ½ cup froz...

This recipe was inspired by a packaged oatmeal I used to eat many years ago. I think it was called Peaches -n- Cream, but I can't remember for sure. One day I was looking in my freezer to see what fruit I had because I was a bit bored with my usual oats. I saw some peaches and that old breakfast popped into my mind. Then I saw I had some hazelnut milk left in the refrigerator, and I decided to see what would happen. My first attempt included blueberries and tasted good but wasn't what I was looking for. I removed the blueberries and played with the proportions of a few other ingredients. The result was this recipe.  I will likely share the blueberry version eventually as well. Creamy Peachy Spelt Berries 1 cup spelt berries* 2 cups hot water 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon amla powder ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 2 tablespoons dried mulberries 2 dried bananas ¾ cup hazelnut milk** 10 ounces peaches*** 4 teaspoons fruit infuse...

After reading How Not to Diet by Michael Greger, M. D. FACLM, we decided to try oat groats for breakfast. I was incredibly skeptical about how it would work. But now I actually prefer them over steel cut oats. We now eat oat groats several times a week most weeks. Very Berry Oat Groats 1 cup oat groats 2 cups hot water 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 pinch ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons dried Goji berries 2 tablespoons dried mulberries 1 tablespoon dried barberries 2 teaspoons cacao nibs 1 cup frozen blueberries 4 teaspoons fruit infused balsamic vinegar* 4 tablespoons walnuts ½ teaspoon hemp seeds Add oat groats to a pan . Add water to pan. Cover. Let soak for at least 30 minutes.** Add spices and flax seeds. Stir together. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Let cook until groats are tender, approximately 25-30 minutes depending on how long they soaked.   Add dried fruit and cacao nibs. ...

Sometimes it's good to get back to basics, so I decided to make and share my Basic Berry Pecan Steel Cut Oats recipe. This one is based on one of the first steel cut oat recipes I ever made. Basic Berry Pecan Steel Cut Oats ½ cup steel cut oats 1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds 2 cups water 1 cup berries of your choice ½ cup pecans chopped 1 teaspoon cinnamon* Add enough water to a small pan to coat the bottom of the pan. Add flax seeds. Stir. Add oats and water to pan. Cook approximately 20-25 minutes until oats are creamy and most of the water has been absorbed. Stir in cinnamon when oats are almost done. Place berries over oats low heat to heat and cook five minutes to heat through. Remove from heat. Combine oats and berries. Spoon into bowls . Top with pecans. Serve. * I use Ceylon cinnamon  because it is high in antioxidants and doesn't contain coumarin. Note: I use organic ingredients whenever possible. ...