Pumpkin Oatmeal

The cooking blog world is being inundated with pumpkin recipes right now, so I thought I'd add one more. If you're feeling fall-ish and want a little pumpkin in your life try this clean eating pumpkin oatmeal. 

I'm going to save you the disappointment I experienced and come right out with the truth: this does not taste like pumpkin pie.  It tastes likes pumpkin oatmeal, thus I changed the title to reflect this. It is however very pumpkiny and filling and healthy. It's also a beautiful orange color and will help you get into the fall spirit. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal
Serves 1
From The Gracious Pantry
Printable Version
Ingredients
1/4 cup dry oats, cooked (I used steel cut oats)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I created my own with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger)

1 tablespoon flax seeds (I used ground)
1/4 cup pecans
Maple syrup to taste

Directions
Cook oats according to package directions. In the last five minutes of cooking stir in the pumpkin puree, flax, and pumpkin spice.

Scoop mixture into a serving bowl and top with pecans and maple syrup. 

Creamy Chicken and Brie Soup

While most of you are enjoying cooler weather the temperature here on Okinawa remains a balmy average of 86 degrees. Irregardless, I've been wanting fall type foods lately and soup is the quintessentail fall food to me. I had bookmarked this recipe from How Sweet It Is months ago, waiting for the next time I was craving soup. I knew this would be a winner because hubby and I are cheese fanatics and Brie is among our favorites. With sauteed peppers, onion, spinach, chunks of chicken and swirls of melted Brie this soup was comforting, filling, and perfect with crusty bread. If I enjoyed it on a tropical island I know you will enjoy it too!

Creamy Chicken and Brie Soup
From How Sweet It Is
Printable Version
Makes 4-6 bowls
Ingredients
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
3 cups raw spinach, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
1/2 cup half and half
8 ounces brie chopped into small pieces

Directions
Heat a large pot to medium and add olive oil. Add in onions and peppers with a sprinkle of salt and saute until soft about 7 minutes.

 Stir in spinach and garlic. Add butter and once it melts whisk in flour to create a roux. 

Continue whisking until all ingredients are combined. 
Add chicken to the pot along with milk and chicken stock. 

Allow soup to come to a simmer then add Brie. 

Stir until it melts for about 5 minutes. Stir in half and half. Turn heat up to high and let soup come to a boil, stirring every few minutes. Once soup boils turn it down to a simmer and allow to cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot!

Nutella Brownies

Last week I teased on facebook that I was baking something delicious with Nutella. Here they are - Nutella brownies aka my new favorite way to use Nutella. These brownies are little bites of heaven. Soft, chewy, moist and flavored with Nutella. I think they'd be even better with chocolate chips mixed in, but I used chocolate sprinkles to jazz these up a bit. I made them for dessert last week when we had friends over for dinner. They didn't last long and they won't in your house either!

Nutella Brownies
From Photo A Day
Printable Version
Ingredients
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (didn't use salt as I used salted butter)
2 eggs 
1 1/2 cup Nutella
1/2  cup brown sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled slightly (used salted butter)

Directions

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper, letting the paper extend over two opposite sides. Butter the two other sides.

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, hazelnut spread, brown sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the melted butter.

Scrape the batter into the cake pan. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached (not completely clean) about 40 minutes (Baked them about 10 more minutes as they didn't seem firm enough).

Cool in the pan for about 2 hours. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese "As-You-Like-It" Pancake)

For our latest dining out in Okinawa experience, hubby and I went to an Okonomiyaki Restaurant. We happened upon it while out shopping and sight-seeing. We had heard of this type of restaurant, where you choose ingredients for a cabbage batter pancake and cook it on a griddle at your table. It sounds strange, but they are really very tasty! The ingredients all compliment one another and the result is a savory, filling meal. At the restaurant my husband ordered a pork Okonomiyaki very similar to the one I recreated at home. Here is hubby's dinner at the restaurant:

I got a "Mexican" flavored Okonomiyaki. Bad choice. It wasn't terrible, but the spices were strange and I really preferred hubby's over mine. The next day my neighbor and friend Louise asked me if I knew what my next Japanese recipe was going to be and I said I wasn't sure. She gave me a recipe for Okonomiyaki without her even knowing we had just tried it the night before! It was cooking fate, I tell you! I "Americanized" the recipe because I realize you won't be able to find hakurikko flour, pickled ginger or dried fish flakes and I didn't use them in my recipe anyway. The next time you are feeling adventurous or want to try something exotic, I hope you will consider making your own Okonomiyaki. Just the name is cool, don't you think!? :) I listed variations after the recipe, as the sky is the limit with these!

Okonomiyaki (Japanese "As-You-Like-It" Pancake)
Serves 2
Printable Version

Ingredients
2 2/3 ounces flour
1 ounce yam (sweet potato)
3 1/3 ounce fish stock or water
2 think slices of bacon
3 1/2 ounces cabbage
Green onion
1 egg
1 ounce Worcestershire Sauce
1 ounce Mayonnaise
1 ounce Vegetable Oil

Directions
Rinse the cabbage and green onion in cold water. Cut the cabbage into julienne strips and the chop the green onions. Peel the yam and grate. Chop one slice of bacon thinly and leave the other.

Place the flour, stock (or water), and grated yam into a bowl and whisk throughly to create the batter.

Add the cabbage, green onion, bacon and egg to the bowl and mix well. 

Heat a griddle to 400 degrees and add some vegetable oil. Pour the batter onto the griddle and place the other slice of bacon on top. 

Heat for three minutes. Turn the pancake over and allow the other side to cook for five minutes. Flip again and cook for five minutes. Flip again and cook for three minutes. Flip on more time and cook another three minutes. 

Whisk the Worcestershire Sauce and Mayonnaise together and spread on the top layer. Serve immediately!

Variations: Shrimp, cheese, squid, corn, etc. in addition to or instead of the bacon. 

Smashed White Bean & Avocado Sandwich

I have a thing for avocado. An obsession and a never-ending yearning. I could eat it everyday. I have an entire pin board on pinterest devoted to avocados. If I just lost you, then you need to immediately go to pinterest.com and get with it! :) Through my pinning of avocado recipes I came across this recipe and I instantly fell in love. I went out right away and bought a can of white beans. I didn't have to buy avocados because they are always in my house. Always. 

This sandwich was awesome! The creamy salty white bean spread with fresh tomatoes, spinach, and velvety avocado was a delicious lunch for hubby and I. I modified the original recipe because after all, it is a sandwich and there are about 1 million variations of sandwiches. You can add or subtract whatever fresh veggies you have on hand or like to combine with avocados. Satisfying, heart healthy, and avocado in every bite. I don't need much more in life that what this sandwich has to offer. :)

Smashed White Bean & Avocado Sandwich
Modified From Real Simple Recipes
Printable Version
Makes 2 sandwiches (go to the link above for 4 sandwiches)
Ingredients
1 15 ounce can of white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 slices multi-grain or wheat bread
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise
1 tomato, sliced
1 cup spinach 


Directions
In a bowl combine the beans, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roughly mash the mixture with the back of a fork. 

Place the slices of bread on a work surface. Top two slices with spinach and tomato slices. Spread the smashed white beans on the other two slices of bread and top with avocado slices. 

Place the two different slices together and slice each sandwich in half if desired.