Recipes To Keep You Running - Savory Oatmeal

Oh man. I should have taken a picture of this for y'all, but I ate it already! When we think "oatmeal," we usually think "breakfast food." Something dressed with a drizzle of honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, brown sugar, dried fruit, etc. But oatmeal doesn't have to be a sweet breakfast dish. Today was the first day I made my own batch of savory oatmeal. I loosely followed this recipe of Mark Bittman's, and by "loosely," I mean, I finely diced some celery (because I didn't have scallions) and added it to the freshly cooked steel cut oats. I then added a splash of low sodium tamari and a tiny drizzle of sesame oil. No extra cooking required.

Believe me: it was simple and tasty and "lunchy" and satisfying. The celery was just as good as the scallions because I still got the same crunch. The sesame oil and tamari complemented each other as well. The steel cut oats resembled sort of a soft rice in taste and texture.

Oatmeal for lunch and dinner. Try it.

Quick Savory Oatmeal


1 c. quick cooking steel cut oats
2 c. boiling water
2 tbs. finely diced celery or scallions
1 tbs. low sodium soy sauce or tamari
seasame oil for drizzling


Cook the oats according to directions on package. If using a stovetop, bring the oats and water to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat and stir frequently for five minutes. If using a microwave, add boiling water to the oats and microwave in a large bowl for 3 minutes, stir, then microwave for another two minutes. (Note: when microwaving, make sure the bowl is twice as big as you think you'll need. The oats and water will "puff up" during cooking, and if your bowl isn't big enough, you'll wind up cleaning up your lunch or dinner rather than eating it.)


Once the oats are cooked, quickly add the vegetables, a splash of tamari, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Wait several minutes for the oats to cool.


Enjoy!

Recipes to Keep You Running: Spring Green Soup with Lemon and Dill

As I type this, drizzle is falling outside, making everything more green than it already is. Spring has almost given way to summer. We're getting more hot and humid days here than cool ones. The fresh verdant green of the grass and trees has started to turn brassy. Along the lakefront, the population of lake gnats has been mostly eaten by birds (THANK GOD). And local farmers' markets have resumed.

One of my food resolutions this year was to try to cook local and in season as well as healthy. While I still haven't taken the plunge and gotten a CSA box of produce each week, I try to make seasonal choices when I shop. This soup helps me achieve that aim.

The great thing about this soup is that it's incredibly forgiving and versatile. You can put whatever you find at the farmers' market into it, and it will still taste wonderful. I adapted this soup from Anna Thomas's book, Love Soup. I got this book as a Christmas gift this year from my mother in law, and I cook from it constantly. It focuses on seasonal, vegetarian soups with some recipes for breads and desserts thrown in for good measure. I highly recommend it.

Spring Green Soup

1 large leek, chopped (both white and green parts)

2 tbs. olive oil

1 large pinch sea salt

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced

1 bunch asparagus, sliced

2 medium green zucchini, sliced

1 bunch baby spinach leaves, or 1 bunch chopped regular spinach leaves

2 tbs. fresh dill, chopped

3 or 4 c. vegetable broth

1/2 lemon, juiced

cayenne pepper

Wash the leeks and drain them. Chop them. Cook them in a large, nonstick skillet with olive oil and salt over medium heat until tender, 8 to 10 mins.

While the leeks cook, scrub and dice the potatoes and put them in a large soup pot with 4 c. of water and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for 10 mins.

While the potatoes and leeks cook, slice the asparagus and zucchini. Wash the spinach leaves.

Add all green veggies, including the leeks, to the the pot and simmer for 15 or 20 minutes. In the last few minutes of cooking time, add the dill and lemon juice and then a pinch of cayenne.

(Anna Thomas recommends that you let the soup cool slightly and then blend with an immersion blender, but I've skipped that step, partly because I don't own an immersion blender and partly because I like the rustic look and texture of the sliced vegetables in the soup.)

Serve with hunk of crusty french or sourdough baguette, a glass of cool white wine, and friends.

Recipes to Keep You Running: Asian Slaw with Tofu Triangles

I'd like to occasionally share some of my favorite recipes with you guys as we go along. As a vegetarian runner, I'm constantly looking for new ways to incorporate protein into my diet while at the same time trying to lower fat and amplify taste. If you have any recipes to share, feel free to comment! You may see one of them featured in a post at a later date.

This recipe for asian slaw is adapted from a salad recipe in the May issue of Fitness magazine. It's fairly healthy from a calorie and fat standpoint. It's loaded with veggies and tofu. It is a little high in salt, though, so make sure to watch your sodium intake on the days you make/eat this. This slaw is also an interesting alternative to traditional coleslaws, and a great dish to bring to those Memorial Day cookouts this weekend.

Asian Slaw with Tofu Triangles

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

1/3 c. low sodium tamari

3 tbs. rice wine vinegar (I eyeballed this as well as the measurements for the honey and oils)

1 tbs. seasame oil

1 tbs. peanut oil (or canola oil if you don't have peanut)

2 tbs. honey

1 tbs. minced ginger (I just cut a chunk off of a ginger root and minced it)

2 or 3 minced garlic cloves

2 14 oz packages of firm or extra firm tofu

3 tbs. seasame seeds, toasted

2 c. sugar snap peas

6 c. shredded cabbage

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 c. shredded carrot

1 bunch chopped scallions

1. Slice the tofu into half inch strips, and cut each strip diagonally to form triangles. Cook the triangles in a non-stick pan over low heat. This method is called "dry frying." No oil is required, but it is important that the heat stays low and that your pan is nonstick. When the tofu begins to turn light brown and "dry out," on one side, it's time to flip it and cook the other side. Another way to tell if one side is done is to try to move the piece around in the pan. If it moves, it's ready to be flipped. This takes about 30 to 40 mins.

2. While the tofu is in the pan, whisk the soy sauce, oils, honey, ginger and garlic together in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Bring a small pot of water to boil on the stove. Add the peas and blanch for 2 minutes. Then drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

4. When the tofu is light brown on both sides, remove from the heat. Place in a small baking dish and pour half of the dressing over the triangles. Marinate for at least 10 minutes.

5. Toss the cabbage, red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, carrots, and scallions together with the remainder of the dressing. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the slaw.

6. You can serve the slaw with the triangles on the side, or put the triangles in the slaw. When I took this to a gathering last night, I tossed the triangles and their "marinade" in with the rest of the slaw for a one-bowl meal, but if you're serving at home, you may want to leave the triangles separate and have people serve themselves.

What I like about this recipe is that it can be customized in many ways. You can substitute snow peas or add edamame. You can top with crushed peanuts. You can even make this a more traditional "oriental salad" and add crushed, dried ramen noodles.

I hope you enjoy!