Greetings! :)
I had so many hiccups with work today. It was just one. of. those. days. I won’t bore you with the details though…!!
If there is one thing having my own bakery has taught me, it is that my own personal meals need to be QUICK, easy, yet still nutritious.
After a slight set back during clean up (I spilled a huge bag of GF rice crisp all over the kitchen! DOH!!!!!!!!), I dove into dinner mode.
I am on a huge savoury oats kick. I am really smitten over something when you see it on the blog more than once or twice. [See here and here for my first two successful attempts.]
Tonight my goal was to make the creamiest and cheesiest bowl of savoury oats yet. Did I just say cheesy? Why yes I did, and its’ name is nutritional yeast! Nooch for short. ;)
Sneaky Peaky…
Chia seeds were my best food find in 2009. My best food find in 2010 is nutritional yeast (so far anyways!). Although I started to use nutritional yeast in 2009, I didn’t really appreciate it until recently!
What is nutritional yeast?
“Yellow in color and with a nutty cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is a favorite amongst many vegans because of its unique flavor and similarity to cheese when added to foods. Sprinkle some on hot popcorn or garlic bread, or add a generous spoonful to a stir fry or pasta sauce. Nutritional yeast can be found in the bulk foods or supplement section of your health food store. [Source]
“It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins and is a complete protein. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium. Some brands of nutritional yeast, though not all, are fortified with vitamin B12.’ [Source]
Nutritional yeast is a great way to reduce your cheese consumption, yet still create fabulously cheesy and decadent dishes! It is basically a vegan’s dream, but anyone with any diet can incorporate this into their meal plans.
This was by far my favourite bowl of savoury oats…
‘You’re So Cheezy’ Savoury Oats
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup regular oats
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (the cheeze factor!)
- 1/6 block vegetable bouillon cube (or to taste!)
- Dash or two of turmeric
- Dash or two of the little black dress of seasonings (see below)
- Salt, if necessary
Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Best Buds:
Creamy goodness. You will not be disappointed when you try this.
I couldn’t find the new Mary’s twists in Whole Foods the other week! Hope they arrive soon. Anyone tried them?
Toppings:
- Mary’s Crackers, crunched up
- 1/2 avocado
- Salsa
- Veggie burger flop from last night (it tasted BAD today! blech!!)
Steam coming off the spoon!
Thanks to those of you who suggested adding nutritional yeast to my oats!
There are really no words for this. But I’ll try. :mrgreen:
It was the most beautiful and decadent tasting dish I have had in a long time. Yet healthy, vegan, and packed with superfoods! You could even add a tablespoon of chia seeds to the oats for an extra kick if you are feeling down right crazy.
BOOM:
Eric and I have this inside joke between us involving the word BOOM. If you have seen the movie Couples Retreat you will know what I’m talking about. In one scene the yoga instructor teaches a class to the couples. He twists and bends the women’s bodies all over the place and as he moves their body, he says BOOOOOOOOOOM in this really creepy voice. It is just hilarious and we were dying laughing as we watched it.
Anyways, now Eric and I always say BOOOOOOM at random things and we laugh our heads off. Eric saw that I wrote boom in Sunday’s post and he said, ‘No one is going to know why you say that you weirdo!’ lol. So…FYI!
Dessert- dried organic apricots. Booooooom.
Nature’s iron supplement, I call these!
What is your best food discovery (or favourite meal) so far in 2010?
Updates:
- A Glo Bar giveaway over at Fit This Girl!
- This morning’s Peppermint Pudding was featured on FitSugar today
- Do you know a baby girl in your life? Check out Baby Enchanted’s newest site just for girls called Trixi Lou Couture! Through the month of March, US residents receive $10 off any purchase of $50 or more. Just enter code OSG10 at checkout to receive this special offer. You can also check out their Facebook page here.
I’m off to workout. I wasn’t going to, but after the stress of the day I really think my body will thank me for releasing some endorphins! Need to focus on how good I will feel afterwards…think happy thoughts…
Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.
~George S. Patton
I think those pictures may have just sold me on the savory oats idea. I trusted you enough to try the green monster, don’t know why little old OATS scare me!
Favorites of 2010: Green monsters, homemade almond butter in food processor, Toasted Nori sheets
Cheesy oats, I haven’t tried that, for sure! I tend to use polenta as my savory, grainy, creamy dish and I love to add nutritional yeast but I might have to try savory oats…boom!
Your cheezy sauce looks delish to me! I bet this is going to be the best thing ive eaten in 2010
Ok, i’m not going to lie, nutritional yeast kind of freaks me out. I have no idea why. I feel like I would buy it, it would sit on the counter and I’d just stare at it wondering what in heavens name I was supposed to do with it!
You’re a genius. That looks like it’s packed with cheese. And anything cheesy tasting is awesome in my book. I’m a little behind. My favorite of 2010 so far is almond milk.
That looks so amazing. I can not wait till I’m back home in my kitchen to make that oatmeal. I love oatmeal but I’ve yet to try savory oatmeal and cheezy oatmeal would be fantastic!!
Thanks for the fabulous recipes :)
That cheezey creation looks tasty, I end of learning so much about food that I had never known, or would have thought existed if it wasn’t for you…. Am I really that sheltered in the food world?
I love savory oats! Ive never added nutritional yeast to them though. Sounds just crazy enough to work!!
That’s a hard one! Even though it was really at the very end of December 2009, I have to go with Kabocha Sqush!
I was just thinking about oats today, because it seems like everyone is inhaling oats in the am. I have to load mine with tons of sugar to get them down, which isn’t really healthy so I dont have them. However, I’m definitely going to try the nooch version. I like dry oats, just not oatmeal but this different flavor may help :) I love how creative you are in the kitchen.
I def. prefer savoury oats to sweet
Almond milk is probably the best and most useful food discovery so far this year. I’ve been trying so many delicious foods I see on other blogs though! Nutritional yeast is on the list, along with liquid aminos. On another note, that yoga part was the best part of that movie for sure!
I just tried savory oats for the very first time today. I can’t believe I have been afraid of them all this time; they are so good!
I have nutritional yeast on my list of things to try SOON.
I discovered so many awesome foods through bloggin world; oatbran and oatmeal combination, flax, humus, tempeh, avocado combinations…. now I’m intrigued with nutritional yeast, coconut butter and chia seeds, but I have to find where can I buy it :)
Your savory oats sound delicious
I have been too scared to try savory oats….until now! This just looks too good to pass up. I am drooling! You always have the best recipes :)
So glad you tried the nutritional yeast and liked it! And, to one of the above comments, I eat nooch with hummus and veggies ALL THE TIME. In fact, that was my lunch today! My favorite discovery of the year so far has been sunflower seed butter! I am in love.
Kale chips & sweet potato oatmeal cookies! yummy
Nutritinal Yeast is my godsend food, being lactose intolerant!
So far this year I have discovered kale chips thanks to the blogosphere and I love ’em :)
Just bought my first box of nutritional yeast last week, am intrigued about having them with oats…! My boyf is a cheese-hound so have been trying to find a good cheezy recipe for him – might adapt yours, maybe with quinoa?
Mary’s Crackers look so delicious, wish we had them here!
My favourite find through the blogosphere is coconut oil!
quinoa would be amazing!
Ha I was so happy to find “Nooch” in the health food shop near my office. I definitely needed to cut down on the amount of cheese I was eating so it’s a wonderful store cupboard ingredient to have on hand. I tried out the cheezy sauce recipe from Veganomicon a while back and it was superb…