Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

Now that the mornings are chilly, I've been craving something warm and comforting to keep me warm through my morning commute. On Sundays I always make Bill a large pot of steal cut oatmeal. Steel cut oats stand up well to being stored all week, and usually he pairs reheated oatmeal with fresh berries. For a new twist I decided to bake up our own apple cinnamon toppping. I was able to cook this up in a snap on Sunday afternoon, and the two of us had healthy & filling breakfast for the week!

Ingredients:

• 4 Hubbarstein apples (other good baking varieties include: Cortland, Gala, Honeycrisp, McIntosh)
  
• juice of 1/2 lemon
  
• 2 tbsp raw turbinado sugar
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• 1 cup John McCann's steel cut Irish oatmeal
  

First, make the steel cut oatmeal as according to directions. A double batch (2 cups) will give you enough breakfast servings for a week. For 1 cup of oatmeal, put two cups of water to boil. Add the oatmeal and stir. I recommend keeping the heat on medium/high for a few minutes while stirring the oats occasionally. Lower the heat to a simmer.


Cook for an additional 20-25 minutes, taking care to stir the oatmeal every 5 minutes or so to prevent any from sticking to the bottom of the pot. For the last few minutes (usually it takes 30 to cook completely), stay by the stove side as the thicker oats will stick & burn more easily. Remove from heat and let cool to store in a large Tupperware container.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the apples.


Chop into dice-sized pieces. Toss with lemon juice, turbinado, cinnamon and vanilla. Add contents to a bread pan or other small baking pan greased with cooking spray.


Bake for fifteen minutes. Stir up the apple mixture. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, stirring the contents every ten minutes. Remove and let cool completely before storing.


To reheat simply add a serving of oatmeal in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 45 seconds. Add a couple of tablespoons of the apple mixture and heat for another 45 seconds – 1 minute until hot. Delish.

Brands I Like

I use John McCann’s steel cut oatmeal because it’s got a great texture. Opt for the one that takes some time to cook – not the instant 3 minute variety. The original oats will hold up better when you’re storing it in the fridge. If you want to make the 3 minute variety fresh each morning, awesome, but pre-packing your breakfast in a to-go container is as easy as grab & go.

Turbinado sugar is also known as cane sugar or raw sugar. Turbinado sugar is a healthier alternative to white, refined sugar. It is lower in calories since it tends to hold more moisture. Turbinado sugar isn't processed as much as white sugar, so it is naturally healthier for your body. This is an easy substitution to make for any baking recipe for healthier results!

Dulce de Leche Brownie Bites

After a stressful week, I picked up a a can of condensed milk with the intention to make dulce de leche. After a little internetz research, I discovered the old-school candy making technique was more advanced than I was prepared for. I opted instead to boil down the condensed milk over the stove top. Yes, it's simple in the way that there is only one step, but a sacrifice in the way that you cannot leave its side. But I promise these little puppies are even better than the mouth-watering pictures.

Ingredients:
(adapted Martha recipe)

• 1, 14oz can condensed milk (see Brands I Like)
  
• 2 cups flour (King Arthur Brand is my fav)
  
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon Ghirardelli cocoa powder
  
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
  
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1 + 1/3 cups sugar
  
• 2 large egg yolks
  
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

NOTE: The first time I made these, I tried making thumbprint cookies as pictured below. However, when the cookies baked they flatten out more than I liked, so the next batch I put the cookie dough balls into a muffin pan. This worked like a charm. Fuss free, plus you can make even bigger cookie like the pic above!


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the dulce de leche first, so it can cool and be easily malleable when you're ready to fill the brownie bites. In a small sauce pan, or better yet, a double boiler if you have one, add the can of condensed milk. Put heat on low and slowly stir the milk until it starts to heat up. Once hot, raise the temperate to a medium heat. Stir constantly and get comfortable.


Keep stirring! This process will take approximately 25 - 30 minutes. You need to stay by that stove side the entire time. Stay attuned to the condensed milk. If you catch sight or scent of any hint that the milk is burning, lower heat immediately. Adjust heat as needed and after about 15 minutes, and you're feeling nothing as happened, the milk will finally start to thicken. Between 20-30 minutes you'll feel the milk turn to a caramel thickness. I removed mine from heat after 25 minutes, when at the consistency shown above. Set aside.


Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a small bowl.


Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium, and add yolks, cream, and vanilla. Scrape sides of bowl. Beat in cocoa flour mixture until just combined.


TO MAKE COOKIES: Roll balls using 2 teaspoons dough for cookies. Place cookies 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets. With chapstick or handle of a wooden spoon, press gently in the center of each to create an indentation. Bake until cookies are just set, about 6 minutes.

TO MAKE BROWNIE BITES: (Recommended Method) Roll balls using 2 tablespoons dough for brownie bites. Place cookie dough balls into greased muffin tins. Bake until cookies are just set, about 8 minutes.


While brownie bites/cookies bake, shape dulce de leche into chickpea sized balls for cookies - or mable sized balls for brownie bites. You can flatten these slightly to make more of a button shaped candy. After specified time above, remove brownie bites/cookies and add one dulce de leche candy to the center of each. If cookies have lost indent, press indents again. If making brownie bites in muffin tins, just push the dulce de leche buttons into the center of each. Rotate the brownie bites/cookies when putting back into oven. Bake for an additional 6 minutes.


Let cool completely and enjoy! These decadent treats were a hit will Bill :)

Brands I Use

You can find condensed milk in grocery stores usually with the latin american foods. Here's the random brand that I grabbed at my local store. One small can will be plenty, and you can always roll the extra into buttons and enjoy as homemade candies!



If you have ANY recipe that calls for cocoa powder - this is what to use. Bill's mother bought us a container once to make her frosting recipe, and I've been using nothing else since.

Sweet Treats: Pumpkin Empanadas

Empanadas can be sweet or savory stuffed treats, but layers of puff pastry and deep frying can weigh down the classic recipe. My grandmother used to take a quick shortcut by using wonton wrappers for the dough; pre-cut to the perfect size and at only 20 calories per wrapper, this treat is guilt free. To see the healthier brands I used for this recipe scroll to the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 package wonton wrappers
  
• 1 egg white
  
• 1 can pumpkin pie filling
  
• 2 tbsp organic raw sugar
  
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
  
• cinnamon
  
• cooking spray
  
• basting brush

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix pumpkin pie mix (if you only have canned pumpkin you can add your own ground clove, cinnamon & nutmeg to flavor), sugars & an extra sprinkle of cinnamon until combined.

Set up a little assembly workspace. Lay a small stack of wontons on a plate with the bowl of pumpkin mix and a small bowl of a beaten egg white next to the plate. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set nearby.

Assembly: Peel one wonton wrapper from the stack and lay in the center of the plate so one of the points are facing you, so wrapper is a diamond instead of a square. Using a small basting brush (dipping your finger works well, too), moisten the two edges that are further away. In the center of the wonton add a full teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture. Fold the corner of the wonton up and over the mixture and seal onto the egg white brushed ends. Press down gently from each side, and distribute the mixture evenly in the pocket you create.

Secure your seal by pressing the edge of a fork around the sealed ends, creating a crimped seal. This will keep the empanada from opening up in the oven. Take care not to overstuff, not only because it's trickier to seal the empanada, but also because the filling might leak out during baking.

Using a spatula, transfer the empanada to the greased baking sheet. Repeat until you've made the desired amount of empanadas. Once all the empanadas are formed, brush the tops of each with egg whites. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and flip each empanada. Brush opposite sides of empanadas with egg whites and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for an additional 6-8 minutes until edges are golden brown.


Let empanadas cool for a few minutes before serving. I used granulated raw sugar to finish these, but if I was taking them to a party, I would use powdered sugar for a more festive appearance. Also, both the pumpkin mix and the wrappers can last up to a week in the fridge if well sealed. To curb Bill's and my ravenous sweet tooths, I opt to make these a dozen at a time, so we don't eat too many at once!

Brands I Like

This pumpkin pie mix from Whole Foods has the perfect balance of spices.

These wonton wrappers are readily found in most super markets. If you're having trouble locating them, they are often found with the tofu products.