This recipe is for a single serving, so you can always make more. I am a person who loves oats, but does not like oatmeal. I keep rolled oats on hand for granola, granola bars, pancakes, breads, muffins and cookies. But, the exception is a savory egg-y oatmeal that I really, really love.It's simple - cook 1/4 cup of oats in about 1 cup of water (I don't feel my cup all the way because I like mine really thick). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes (or less) until oatmeal is done.
When you're oatmeal is almost done, heat a pan with cooking spray and drop one egg in it. When the white starts to get cooked, flip over and cook for a little longer (only a 1-2 minutes more because this is best with a runny egg).
Put the oatmeal in a bowl, top with the egg and some shredded parmesan, fresh cracked pepper and diced avocado (1/2 of an avocado is all I use). It is so good!!
2. Banana Nut Muffins (bananas, sesame seeds, sugar, flour, butter - NO EGGS!! So, this could be vegan if you used margarine instead of butter and is a great muffin recipe for people with egg allergies).
I had 2 very ripe bananas and no eggs, so I cruised the web, read some recipes and then made these muffins. This recipe makes 4-6 muffins, depending on size.
Preheat oven to 350.
Mash two ripe bananas and combine in a bowl with 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1-2 tbs melted butter. Mix well and add sunflower seeds, per your discretion.
Put in muffin tins and bake for 12-15 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).
3. Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf (brown rice, baby bella mushrooms, parmesan, chicken or veggie stock, grill spice)
This rice turned out really well on Christmas and complimented the steaks we made. I always cook my rice (1 cup) in a rice cooker - so much easier. To have the rice really stand up to the steak, I cooked it in chicken stock instead of water. (You could always use veggie stock, if you prefer or are vegetarian).
When your rice is almost done, begin to sautee the already sliced mushrooms (1 package) in your oil of choice. I added the same grill spice that we're using on the steaks. It's really nice to add the spices you are using for your main dish to the mushrooms to tie it together.
I think baby bella are the best mushroom for this recipe. When they are almost done, break them up into smaller pieces (I just do this right in the pan with the wooden spatula I'm cooking with), then add the rice. Toss together really well and add the shredded parmesan.
4. Herbed Mashed Potatoes
Chop 4 idaho potatoes (peel or no peel is up to you. I like skins in mine, so I rarely peel them). Cover with water and bring to boil (you can use vegetable or chicken broth in place of water).
While you're potatoes are boiling, prep your herbs. I wanted to do a Southwest style mashed potatoes, so I was using cilantro and used about half of the bundle from the store. I pulled the leaves off of the stems and then threw the cilantro in the food processor to save me the chopping hassle.
Once the potatoes are soft (typically 20-25 minutes), reserve about 1/2-3/4 cup of the starchy water (especially if used broth) and drain the rest. Mash the potatoes (in the pot you cooked in, now that the water is drained off) and add the chopped up herbs and the reserved water. I also recommended adding the cheese of your choice. I added about 1/2 a bag of a shredded colby/pepper jack cheese blend because I thought it would go nicely with the cilantro. I also added about 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (since I didn't have any sour cream) to make the potatoes more creamy and couple of pats of margarine. Mix it all up and enjoy. (I prefer to mash my potatoes by hand with a potato masher, but I know a lot of people use a mixer, which is great too. (Heavy cream or milk could be used to make the potatoes creamy as well, just add in small amounts because you don't want soupy potatoes - yikes).
You can mix up your herb and cheese combinations based on what you have. I had cilantro left from a different recipe, so I went in the direction of Mexican/Southwestern for these potatoes, but basil with parmesan cheese would be great too -- that is actually the herbs and cheese the Ina Garten recipe that inspired these potatoes called for.
5. Pita Pizza (Pita, Cheese, Radicchio-or whatever other veggie you choose, Mushroom, Oil)
When I have pita leftover, I often use it to make easy pizzas. A really, great and simple option is to use the pita for pizzas when you have veggies to use up. I always love mushrooms on pizza, so that tends to be always in the mix. This time, I added radicchio - the two veggies balanced well, but I also recommend spinach or wilted arugula (a good idea when you have either of those greens that are about to go bad).
How I assembled my radicchio-mushroom pita pizza. I tossed the radicchio in olive oil and salt and pepper and broiled it for about 7 minutes.
While that was broiling, I sauteed the mushroom (in olive oil - you can add balsamic vinegar as well, if you want). I don't like to have the mushrooms cook only on the pizza, but like to sautee them ahead. If you are doing spinach or arugula, you just add them in with the mushrooms (after the mushrooms have been going for a few minutes).
Once the radicchio was done, I put my pitas in the oven. I spray my pitas with whatever oil spray I have, then put the shredded mozzarella on it. Put it in the oven (I just used the end of the broil cycle on my oven) and watch them -- only put them in long enough to melt the cheese.
Remove from oven, top with warm veggies and enjoy. Simple, but good. (You can always load on more veggies if you want).
