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Pumpkin Almond Oatmeal

Some of you may still have a few leftovers from Thanksgiving… some pureed pumpkin, some condensed milk from making pie or even a tres leches cake. Wink, wink…

Well, that was my predicament about this same time last year – left over pumpkin and condensed milk from making a few batches of my Pumpkin 4 Leches Cake. I was not let them go to waste… so here’s how to partly clean your fridge from those Thanksgiving leftover ingredients.

PUMPKIN ALMOND OATMEAL

¾ cup condensed milk

¾ cups water

¼ cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

½ tsp vanilla powder

¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat add the condensed milk, water and pumpkin puree. Whisk well to combine and dissolve the pumpkin into the milk. Season with vanilla powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt . Mix together to combine well. Immediately after, add the oatmeal. Mix well again and partially cover the saucepan allowing an opening for you to see the milk and how it’s coming to temperature.
When the milk starts to boil, in about 2-3 minutes, stir everything to combine and allow all the boiling to subside a bit. Lower the temperature of the stove to low and continue to cook partially covered.
After about 5-6 minutes of cooking, you’ll see the oatmeal starts to thicken a bit, but not quite done yet. I cover completely. Count to 10 and turn off the stove. Turn it off and walk away. Don’t look, don’t peek… just walk away.
After about 15 minutes of letting the oatmeal stand, it’s done. I usually let it stand for about 30 minutes to allow it to be a tad cooler.
Add the toasted almonds over the top to garnish as you’re serving it.

Tip: You can also used pureed sweet potato for this recipe… or use 1 ½ cups almond milk instead of the condensed milk + water mixture, but then add 1 tbs brown sugar to sweeten the oatmeal.

Tags: #karmafree, almond, almond milk, cinnamon, condensed milk, food, nutmeg, oatmeal, pumpkin, vegetarian

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Categories breakfast, Thanksgiving

Colombian Breakfast Arepas

8 Sep

I’ve never been to Colombia… YET. But I have many Colombian friends who boast the deliciousness of their native cooking – Rubén, Andrew, Karina, Enrique, and my good friend, Dolly. Whenever we visit our Yoga Center in Queens, she always wants to please our Guruji, and all of us who visit, with many of her Colombian favorite recipes.

Lately, she’s been making us her Colombian Arepas. These arepas are made with yellow cornmeal and topped with your favorite veggie mixture. We are busy yogis, so Dolly uses frozen pre-made arepas from La Venezolana, but there are many good brands out there. Try to pick a brand that’s as natural as possible, with the least preservatives.

Here, I will share the recipe for the delicious topping…

COLOMBIAN BREAKFAST AREPAS with MIXED MUSHROOMS

4 corn arepas – the refrigerated kind

6 large white mushrooms, chopped finely

1/4 lb oyster mushrooms, chopped finely

1 yellow onion, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

2 tbs garlic and herb butter or use vegan butter if you prefer

2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbs soy sauce

¼ cup wáter, if necessary to make a sauce

1 cup vegan shredded cheese – I used Trader’s Joe’s vegan cheddar/monterrey jack mix

Vegan mayonnaise

2 tbs Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

To thaw the arepas, place them in a 350F oven in a baking sheet covered with parchment paper… or place them on top of a griddle. The oven is helpful because it can fit as many arepas as you want. This recipe is good enough for 4 arepas, but it’s easily doubled if you need more for your crowd.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, drizzle a little bit of olive oil to the garlic/herb butter. Add the mushrooms
and toss them to coat them with the oil and butter. Spread them out in the skillet so they can get browned. Resist the urge to move them around. Wait until the mushrooms start to give off the smell of a cooked steak… I know… I know… but you’ll remember me when the smell hits your nose. You might want to turn on the smoke extractor in your kitchen for this one…
When you’re ready to move the mushrooms again, add the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper and toss the whole contents of skillet so the onions and peppers cook.
The arepas should be warm now in the oven… take them out, spread a generous schmear of vegan mayo and place about ¼ cup of shredded vegan cheese on top of each arepa. Place back in the oven for a few minutes for the cheese to melt thoroughly.
After a few minutes reduce the heat to medium, add the tomatoes and season with the thyme leaves. After about 1-2 minutes, add the vinegar and soy sauce to start to create a sauce. If the tomatoes do not give out too much liquid, add a little water to create a sauce.
As soon as the cheese is melted and the mushrooms, onion, tomato mixture is cooked, you can assemble… Place one arepa with melted cheese onto a plate and cover with a healthy helping, about ¼ of the mushroom mixture over it. Serve alongside a simple green salad on the side.

I’ve had this dish originally as a hearty breakfast/brunch item… but I have also made it as a light dinner option. Add a few slices of avocado, and you’ll be golden. It’s easy to make and super filling. Hope you enjoy ittoo…

Tags: #karmafree, arepa, bell pepper, corn arepa, food, mushroom, onion, oyster mushrooms, tomato, Vegan, vegetarian, white button mushroom

Comments 2 Comments
Categories breakfast, main courses

Avocado Toasts

31 Aug

This is a breakfast inspired by a delicious treat we had last month while traveling in NYC. We had breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, a great French-style bakery/restaurant chain found in many cities in the US. We were going to see the “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and needed to make some time before the museum actually opened at 10AM.

We had only had some fruits and we were hungry… so we ordered steel-cut oatmeal and Avocado Toasts with Kale and Cumin Salt, a seasonal option for breakfast and lunch at the restaurant. To be honest, I’ve had better versions of the steel-cut oats from LPQ before, but the Avocado Toasts stole the show!! I don’t know if it was the awesome gluten-free bread they were made in… or the interesting combination of the kale and cumin salt, but we were blown by the deliciousness of these toasts. I even had to Instagram-it they were sooo good.

These days, I have such an abundance of avocados that I decided to have some for breakfast the other day… I made it my own by exchanging the cumin salt for garlic salt and adding alfalfa sprouts instead of kale.

AVOCADO TOASTS

2 slices of bread – I prefer whole grain or gluten-free versions

½ avocado – sliced

Vegan Mayonnaise

Dijon or Stone Ground mustard

Alfalfa Sprouts

Garlic Salt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I make this just like at Le Pain Quotidiene, open-faced. But you can pile it all up, make it portable and eat it like a traditional 2 slice sandwich… it’s up to you.

Toast the bread to your liking.
Spread a generous amount of vegan mayo and mustard.
Arrange the avocado slices, in shingle like manner. Season with a light sprinkling of garlic salt.
Pile the alfalfa sprouts. Drizzle a small stream of olive oil. Season with a light sprinkle of garlic salt again.

Tags: #karmafree, alfalfa, avocado, bread, egg-free mayonnaise, eggless mayonnaise, food, mustard, sprouts, Vegan, vegan mayo, vegetarian

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Categories breakfast, sandwiches

Fruit Smoothie with Fresh Baby Spinach

14 May

This was the smoothie recipe we shared at the 3^rd KarmaFree Cooking Class recently. I just wanted to share with the class how easy it is to add nutrition to a fruit smoothie by adding fresh spinach. The green flecks might be a bit strange, but the vegetable flavor is masked with the sweetness of the banana and berries.

If you prefer not to see any green flecks at all, you can try my Stealth Shake which has darker berries and the spinach is completely masked.

Also, you can boost the power of your smoothie by adding chia seeds, flaxseeds, maca all together or any of them individually.

FRUIT SMOOTHIE WITH FRESH BABY SPINACH

1 banana

4 strawberries

A handful of fresh baby spinach leaves

½ cup plain yogurt or kefir

1 cup passion fruit juice

A squirt of honey or agave nectar

1 tbs ground flaxseeds

1 tbs chia seeds

1 tbs maca powder

3 ice cubes

Blend all the ingredients in a blender.
Serve ice cold.

Tags: #karmaclass, #karmafree, baby spinach, banana, chia, flaxseeds, food, Maca, passion fruit juice, probiotics, strawberry, vegetarian, yogurt

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Categories beverages, breakfast, KarmaFree Cooking Classes

Double Mustard Roasted Potatoes

12 May

These are an updated version of my Mustard Roasted Potatoes… double the magic, double the fun with two times the mustard. Dijon and Grain Mustard are my absolute favorite mustards and they make a zesty potato, worthy of celebrating the Moms in your life.

Great with a Tofu Scramble filled with tomatoes, peppers, onions and grape tomatoes. Super colorful, super tasty and great vegetable-based protein too.

DOUBLE MUSTARD ROASTED POTATOES

2lbs red-skinned potatoes, cut in fourths

3 tbs Dijon mustard

3 tbs whole grain mustard

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbs Italian Seasonings

Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste

2 tbs Olive Oil and a little more to grease the baking sheet