Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

When I first discovered baked oatmeal, I was in college and was immediately excited about the dish. An oatmeal that I actually liked! I went home to my mom’s house and told her about my discovery. As I was explaining it to her, she said, “Sounds a bit like cake. “

I furrowed my brow. Cake? I mean sure, it has some similar ingredients. But it is “better for me.” Right? In truth, that version of baked oatmeal was a lot like cake. I think it called for both sugar and flour. But, it also taught me that I can like oatmeal. Baked, it became something that I enjoyed.

I still make baked oatmeal every now and again, adding in seasonal fruits and nuts (like this cinnamon berry pecan baked oatmeal). These days, the main difference is that I sweeten it with maple syrup, honey, or fruit, and use whole ingredients. And while it is a pretty carb-heavy dish, I find that rolled oats do keep me full through the morning until lunch. The other main advantage? One batch lasts us the better half of a week, so breakfast is squared away in the morning for a few days.

With this recipe, I’ve taken the idea of a cake and folded it in: carrot cake baked oatmeal. (Carrot cake — definitely a cake. But it calls for vegetables!) Along with rolled oats, you fold in carrots, raisins, coconut, fresh ginger and even walnuts (I love the crunch these add. If you do not like walnuts, try pecans). All of those together combined to make a pretty hearty oatmeal — one that’s not really cake, but you can imagine it is, while knowing you’re eating something much more nourishing!

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Published January 3, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Active Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup shredded desiccated coconut + 2 tablespoons for topping

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 cup milk

1 cup whole milk yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts + 2 tablespoons for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup coconut.
3. Add egg, honey/maple syrup, melted butter, freshly grated ginger, milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir until everything is incorporated.
4. Fold in shredded carrot, raisins, and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
5. Spread mixture in an even layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons coconut and chopped walnuts.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until edges of oatmeal begin to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

Happy 2019! 🎉

What are your goals this year? Any New Year Resolutions?

I haven’t written any down, but after the holidays I am looking for some healthy meals to tuck into. (After all that Eggnog, thumbprint cookies, and pie — oh my!)

Plus, when the days are short and it’s dark before I leave work, there’s nothing like a colorful, warm dinner to brighten things up. Red Curry Noodle Bowls are exactly that.

Rice noodles cook in 5 minutes flat — a big advantage if you’re rushing to get dinner together after the gym or a long day! In fact, if you’re really in a rush, and you’re good at planning (eh-em — not me), you can make the coconut curry broth ahead of time, and then dinner will be on the table in 10 minutes! 

Other than being 1) super delicious and 2) super cozy on a cold January day, this bowl has it all: complex carbohydrates, protein, fat (specifically, medium chain saturated fatty acids), and fiber. Plus: Vitamin C, folate, omega-6 and omega-3s, and essential minerals.

Thai Curry is usually served over rice, but sometimes you just want to mix it up! Rice noodles are slurpy, delicious, and a perfect match for curry flavors. (Besides, see above comment about cooking time… they cook faster than rice, which takes closer to 18 minutes.)

To store leftovers, I put cooked rice noodles in one pyrex dish and the broth and veggies in another. I’ve found that some brands of rice noodles will continue to soak up any broth or sauce after they’re cooked, so when you store them together the noodles get a little too soft for my taste. Keep them separate until it’s time to eat and you’re golden! (Sort of like ramen — add the noodles last!)

Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

Published January 1, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the red curry coconut broth:

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk

¼ cup chicken broth

4 tablespoons red curry paste

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Dash of fish sauce (optional)

For the shrimp & veggies:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup shrimp, raw, shelled & deveined

2 cups broccoli florets

½ cup sliced mushrooms

For serving: 

Brown rice noodles

2 tablespoons scallions, sliced

Sesame seeds

Lime wedges

Hot sauce, such as sriracha

Directions:

1. Make the sauce: Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a sauce pan, and add minced shallot. Sauté until shallots are soft. Add coconut milk, broth, curry paste, lime juice, maple syrup, and a small dash of fish sauce (optional). Bring to a simmer, and stir until everything is well mixed.
2. Sauté shrimp in veggies: Heat coconut oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes or until pink (about 1 minute on each side). Move shrimp to a plate, and reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms to pan, and cook about 2 minutes, and then add broccoli. Cook for 3 mote minutes, stirring every minute or so — broccoli should be bright green and mushrooms should be soft.
3. Cook noodles according to package. I used Lotus Foods Brown Rice Noodles, and boiled them in hot water for 5 minutes, and then strained them.
4. Serve: Divide rice noodles between 4 bowls. Ladle coconut curry broth over top, and then use a spatula to divide shrimp and veggies between each. Top with sliced scallions, sesame seeds, lime wedges, and hot sauce to taste.

Warm Gruyère, Roasted Garlic & Thyme Dip

It is about 21°F this morning. The cold always me makes me crave crave warm, cozy dishes. This gruyère, roasted garlic and thyme dip  is just the thing to take to a New Years Eve cocktail party, or simply enjoy on the sofa after a long day, with your feet kicked up (build a fire in that fireplace, while you’re at it!).

I went to a cocktail party this fall (potluck style), and there were at least three different spinach and artichoke dips! Tasting and comparing them all was fun, but really? Three versions? Seems everyone was on the same page that night. I LOVE spinach artichoke dip, and this dip hits the same craving but mixes it up a bit.

The first step in this recipe is to roast a whole head of garlic. Have you roasted garlic before? YUM. It becomes golden and soft and spreadable. I roasted an extra head of garlic while I was making the one for this dip just so we could have it. It makes the best garlic garlic bread or compound butter. You may as well make the most of having the oven on!

Surprisingly, even with a whole head of garlic in this dip, it’s a subtle flavor — not a “I’m going to be breathing garlic for the rest of the night,” flavor. The gruyère and cream cheese soften it. Thyme adds an herbaceous note. The leftovers (if you have leftovers — in the realm of cheese that’s a rare story) do well as a sandwich spread or tucked inside of an omelette with sautéd mushrooms.

The new year is almost here! Wishing everyone a joyful 2019!

Warm Gruyère, Roasted Garlic & Thyme Dip

Published December 7, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 75 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 head of garlic

1 teaspoon olive oil or avocado oil

8 ounces sour cream, at room temperature

2 ounces cream cheese

2 ounces gruyère, finely grated, plus 2 tablespoons for topping

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon minced parsley for garnish

For serving: crudités, crackers, crusty bread, etc.

Directions:

1. First, roast the garlic: preheat oven to 350° F. Chop the very top off of the head of garlic. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive/avocado oil. Place in oven and roast 45 minutes, until cloves are golden and soft.
2. Allow garlic to cool until you can easily touch it without burning your hands, about 15 minutes. Squeeze garlic cloves into a medium-sized mixing bowl, discarding of the garlic papers. Mash garlic.
3. Add sour cream, cream cheese, 2 ounces gruyère, salt, black pepper, and thyme to bowl. Use a fork to mix until well combined.
4. Spread cheese mixture in a ramekin or cocotte dish. Do not over fill—make sure there is at least 1/4-inch of extra room in the dish to avoid bubbling over. Top with remaining 2 tablespoons gruyère, and place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and just starting to brown in spots on the top.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before sprinkling with minced parsley and serving with crudités, crackers, or crusty bread.
6. Leftovers? Eat them cold as a spread on toast, sandwiches, etc, or re-warm the dip in the microwave for 30-second intervals or in an oven until warmed through.