Versitile Oatmeal

My husband is not a fan of hot cereal, but I love oatmeal. It's so easy and you can add variety by simply changing the toppings.

Oatmeal:
1 cup thick rolled oats
3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
honey, agave, maple syrup, sucanant 
Toppings:
banana slices & pecans,
toasted walnuts & cranberries,
raisins & cinnamon,
apple chunks, banana slices & cinnamon or nutmeg
experiment with your own ideas. I enjoy a tsp of butter in addition to my toppings.

Bring the oats, water and salt to a boil in a medium sauce pan.
Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 - 7 minutes until soft and creamy.
Stir in your sweetener of choice.

For extra creamy and nutritious oatmeal, soak the thick rolled oats in water with a tablespoon of plain yogurt mixed in overnight. It almost tastes buttery.

Vegetarian Pad Thai -A Refreshing Dinner

Here's a quick, refreshing dinner to serve during lent, cleansing or anytime you want to feel a burst of energy.


Vegetarian Pad Thai

1 12oz pkg rice noodles
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 Tbsp brown rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar or sucanant
1/8 cup crushed red pepper or 1 Tbsp red pepper paste
1 cup thinly sliced snap peas or pea pods (slice the whole pods on either)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots (matchsticks)
3 green onions
1/4 cup peanuts
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Soak rice noodles in cold water 30 - 40 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside.

Heal oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, and cook until firm (Can also ad chunks of firm tofu here).

Stir together oil, rice vinegar, sugar and crushed red pepper. Pour over the drained rice noodles and toss. Put noodles in large skillet with veggies and eggs/tofu. Toss and warm on the over for just a few minutes.

Garnish with crushed peanuts, chopped green onions and lemon wedge.

Remember Japan

Here's an easy Japanese recipe called Ocha-Zuke. It's a common snack in Japan. Enjoy this rice-dish with your family and remember the families in Japan that are suffering so much right now. Say a prayer together for them as you join together to eat.

Ocha-Zuke

Salmon fillet
1/4 Nori sheet
1 1/4 cups Japanese short grain rice, cooked
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp Sencha leaves (a kind of loose green tea)
1 tsp wasabi paste (from a tube or dry, mixed with water)
4 tsp shoyu (similar to soy sauce)
salt

1. Salt the salmon fillet and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

2. Wipe the salt off the salmon with paper towel and broil the fish for about five minutes, or until cooked through. Remove skin and bones, then flake the fish with a fork.

3. Cut the nori sheet into thin strips about an inch long.

4. Place equal amounts of rice in soup bowls or rice bowls. Place equal amounts of the salmon on top of the rice.

5. Put the green tea in a teapot and cover with hot water (barely boiling). Allow to steep 45 seconds to 1 minute. Strain the tea, the pour over the top of the rice and salmon. Add some nori and wasabi to the top of the rice, then trickle some shoyu on and serve.

From: The Complete Book of Japanese Cooking, the Traditions, Ingredients and Recipes

Breaking Food Addictions

This is a great time of year to start fresh with diet and nutrition. Ever heard of "Spring Cleaning?"

Food addictions can weigh the body down and cause a cycle of craving, feeding and more craving. Take time this season to discover what you crave, when you crave it and why. Try fasting that food during Lent or for a month and see how you feel at the end.

Here's a great article to help you on this journey: Are Food Addictions Real on the Native Remedies Blog.

 Sugar is a big one for Americans. This is an old book, but still so applicable. If sugar is your addiction, you may want to read Sugar Blues.

Tell us your story about food addiction in the comments.