Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

After an unnecessary absence from blogging, I’m back with a delicious recipe to share.

The days are getting shorter and colder.

Comfort food is making a reappearance this autumn.

Cozy up to a warm serving of Vegan Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Mix together the dry ingredients and stir in the sliced apple.

Add in the wet ingredients

Give it all a good stir and put into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the crumble on top and bake.

Once the apples are soft and the sides are bubbly, your oatmeal is done!

Serve as is, with warm ‘milk’ or maple syrup.

Vegan Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups oats
• 1/3 cup and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, divided
• 2 Tbsp. dried fruit such as raisins or dates
• 1 handful of chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 fresh apple, cored and sliced
• 1 3/4 cup almond or soy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tbsp. and 2 teaspoons ground flaxseed, divided
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 3 Tbsp. wheat germ

Method

1. Mix 2 Tbsp. water and 2 tsp. of ground flaxseed in a bowl and set aside to thicken. Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C.) Grease a baking dish.
2. Mix together the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/3 cup brown sugar, baking powder,  salt, dried fruit and nuts in a large bowl. Stir in the sliced apple.
3. Add the almond milk, vanilla and apple sauce to the flaxseed mixture and stir into the dry ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. flaxseed and wheat germ. Sprinkle the crumble over the oatmeal mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
5. Eat as is or topped with warm almond milk or maple syrup.

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Food Makes Me Happy

Because I woke up at 6:24 am with a migraine.

Because I went to work with a migraine since it was school picture day and I didn’t want to be left out of my class photo.

Because we didn’t have our pictures taken today so I regretted going to work.

Because my head still hurts 15 hours later.

Because I want to go to sleep.

Because I have no photos of my food.

Because I’m a teacher who spends all day telling kids not to start their sentences with conjunctions like because.

Because I just started 8 sentences with ‘because.’

I’ll leave you with a photo I just received from a fellow photography-crazed couch surfer.

Food makes me happy.

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Blogger Bake Sale

Happy Tuesday!

I hope your second day of the work week is off to a good start.

I had a great day at school today. I truly believe I have the best class in the world this year. Every single child is so kind and the parents are wonderful.

I have been able to do so many awesome activities with this group due to their model behavior… activities like studying the local habitats to collect data on insects and other organisms. How lucky am I to call this ‘home’ and ‘work?’

Needless to say, when studying the pasture habitat, flies were the most frequently spotted insects. Yeah, I’m looking at you, Bessy!

I’ve just returned from play practice and am desperate to get to bed.

Before drifting off to reduce the bags beneath my eyes, I wanted to share what I’ve been putting into my body lately.

Sunflower seed bread with Autumn almond butter, pear and cinnamon.

I found some new sweet crèmes for oatmeal- caramel, dark chocolate and pistachio. I’d be lying if I said they were like nut butters. Sweet is the name of the game for these guys!

Dinner last night and lunch today was roasted vegetables with quinoa. Butternut squash, carrots, eggplant, green beans and red onions tossed in fresh rosemary olive oil, salt and pepper.

Breakfast quinoa with pear, cinnamon, almond butter, caramel crème and flax.

Fresh lettuce from my veggie lady. The colors are so vibrant!

Dinner tonight was a baked potato with tuna and baked beans served with a small salad. Yummy!

After coming home from work, I got busy right away baking my donations to Tina’s Team in Training Blogger Bake Sale.

I baked Nutella Cookies to go to Switzerland…

and Turtle Brownies (with the pecans and caramel baked for less crumbly transport) to be sent to Belgium.

Everything is packaged, labeled with addresses and ready to be sent off tomorrow!

Tomorrow is yearbook picture day at school.

I need my beauty sleep.

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Friends Trump Blogging

I have had a wonderful weekend with my friend Kelsey.

She arrived on my doorstep around 12 o’clock Thursday night after hitch-hiking from Frankfurt airport.

This girl is adventurous.

Kelsey and I went to the same college but have actually been in more contact since I’ve lived abroad than we were when living on the same campus.

Together in Berlin July 2010

Life is funny like that sometimes.

Walking and talking with this dear friend has been just what I’ve needed lately. She is always full of grace, love, kindness and meaningful advice.

She’s a great listener!

Friends trump food photography, so I’ll leave you with a food collage of sorts.

Pear, soft blue cheese and walnuts for lunch.

Pancakes with autumn almond butter and stewed apples.

Pasta bake with tofu, spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella.

Oatmeal with stewed apples, autumn almond butter, flax and cinnamon.

Before ending this weekend, do me a favor and take the time to tell a friend how much he/she means to you. If you’re close enough, go to his/ her house and give that person a hug too!

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Mushroom Focaccia Sandwich

I’m about to talk about Bakers Square.

Do Bakers Square restaurants still exist in the USA?

I’m not so sure.

I vaguely remember several branches going out of business.

Has the whole operation gone belly up?

Someone please answer me.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight unless I know.

Anyone?

For as long as I can remember, visits to Bakers Square involved one meal and one meal only.

The Chicken Focaccia Sandwich.

Sautéed mushrooms and red onions, a grilled chicken breast, Swiss cheese and honey mustard sauce served on warm focaccia bread with a side of seasoned fries.

Once I became a vegetarian, I didn’t give up the Bakers Square Chicken Focaccia tradition.

It just became: sautéed mushrooms and red onions, Swiss cheese and honey mustard served on warm focaccia bread with a side of seasoned fries.

Dinner tonight was a new and improved version of my favorite sandwich from the restaurant chain which might not exist anymore.

Tofu Mushroom Focaccia Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 servings of focaccia bread, toasted
• drizzle of olive oil
• 1 block smoked tofu, drained and sliced
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 2 small red onions, sliced
• Italian seasoning to taste
• Seasoned salt to taste
• 2 slices Swiss cheese
• 2 Tbsp. honey mustard

Method

1. Warm the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Sautee the onions, mushrooms and tofu with the spices until golden brown.
2. Toast the focaccia bread. Place the cheese on the hot bread, top with the sautéed mixture. You can either spread the honey mustard on the sandwich or use it as a dipping sauce.

 

This sandwich is so tasty and easy.

When you can make this in 15 minutes, who needs Bakers Square anyways?

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Autumn Almond Butter

It really is official now.

The leaves are falling from the trees.

Today I smelled the first fire of the leaf-burning season.

I even made a fresh batch of pumpkin pie spice.

 

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 Tbsp. cinnamon, ground

2 tsp. ginger, ground

1 tsp.cloves, ground

1 tsp. allspice, ground

1 tsp. nutmeg, ground

2 pinches cardamom, ground

Sift all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container.

Autumn has always been my favorite season.

I love the cool weather and warm sun.

Vibrant autumn leaves against a blue sky.

Cuddling up in a blanket with a cup of hot tea.

In the Midwest at any rate, autumn is the most beautiful time of year.

When I first moved to Germany and said how much I was looking forward to autumn, the Germans laughed at me.

I now know why.

For as bright and cheerful the Midwest autumns are, they are dark and gloomy here.

There are beautiful days, like today, but the majority of autumn is wet, cold, grey and depressing.

Luckily, I now have a fresh batch of homemade Autumn Almond Butter to cheer me up on the dreary days.

 Sweetened with maple syrup and flavored by pumpkin pie spice, this almond butter has got to be the best I’ve ever made.

God help me not to eat the entire jar tonight.

But in case I do, I made another jar of Vanilla Bean Almond Butter.

Just in case.

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Roasted Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich

This sandwich is a dream come true.

If I could eat it every day for the rest of my life, I would.

Although I haven’t made my favorite sandwich for many months, I’ve thought about it often.

Roasted seasonal vegetables.

Freshly baked Black Olive and Rosemary Focaccia.

Garlic mayonnaise.

Gooey Swiss cheese.

What could be better?

I know, having enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Let me walk your through the bread baking.

It could not be easier.

If you are afraid of yeast breads, start here.

Focaccia is almost fool proof.

Proof the yeast

Mix together the flours, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powders and olives.

Make a well and pour in the proofed yeast.

Kneed dough until smooth then form into mini loaves.

  After rising, poke dents, drizzle with olive oil (less than I did here,) and sprinkle with the rosemary and Italian seasoning.

Bakes until golden, slice and enjoy!

Now for a few veggie shots!

  Charred peppers just chillin’ out.

 Veggie assortment

The Herb Salt I use, seasoned salt is the most similar in the US.

There really is something magical about enjoying a delicious meal completely made from scratch.

It helps to create so much more appreciation for the food I eat.

Beware though, this is a messy sandwich!

 Beautiful even as it falls apart on my plate.

Yum!

Black Olive and Rosemary Focaccia

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• sprinkle onion powder
• sprinkle garlic powder
• 10 black olives, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Method

1. Proof the yeast in a small warm bowl by mixing the yeast, sugar and water then allowing to sit 10 minutes, or until bubbly.
2. Mix together the flours, salt, olives, onion powder and garlic powder. Create a well in the center and pour in the proofed yeast.
3. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined then turn out onto a floured surface and kneed for a few minutes, until smooth and elastic.
4. Form dough as desired and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and allow to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.
5. Poke dents into the surface with your finger and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle crushed Italian seasonings and rosemary onto the dough.
6. Bake at 375 F (190c) for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Roasted Vegetables Sandwich

Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise
• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
• 1 red onion, sliced into rings
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• drizzle of olive oil
• seasoned salt
• Italian seasoning
• 4 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 4 slices Swiss cheese

Method

1. Char the whole peppers over an open flame or grill until completely black. Put into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until cooled. Using a paper towel, rub the charred skin off of the peppers. Core and deseed.
2. Toss all cut vegetables in the olive oil, salt and seasoning. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at a high temperature until tender.
3. For the spread, mix the mayo and garlic and set aside.
4. To assemble the sandwiches, spread the mayonnaise on the fresh bread and layer the prepared vegetables. Top with cheese and enjoy either hot or cold.

Color is all around me right now. Autumn, here you come!

If you haven’t already, please pop over to Tina’s blog to participate in her Blogger Bake Sale and help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

If you live in Europe, please bid on the two items I’m donating, Nutella Cookies and Turtle Brownies.

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This is Germany

Medieval fairs on castle grounds.

Wine festivals within fortified village walls.

Cherry beer.

Roasted nuts.

Burning fires.

Joyful singing.

This was my Saturday.

The prospect of pumpkin pancakes got me out of bed yesterday morning.

The bright blue skies and warm summer weather put a smile on my face.

Add a medieval fair and wine festival into the mix and I was one happy girl!

Yesterday, my friends, Melanie and Lizzie, and I took off to explore. Lizzie has a car so we piled in, turned up the music and sang to songs of the 90’s while cruising between quaint villages and ancient vineyards.

First stop: Burg Satzvey

I visited this castle once before for a Christmas Market.

Today, the attraction was quite different!

For the last week, Burg Satzvey has hosted a Renaissance Festival.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Renaissance Festival at Burg Satzvey.

I imagined lots of vendors and handicrafts, but the festival is actually for people who like to imagine that they are living during the Middle Ages.

For a week, these lords and ladies camp out with their families and others who share their coat of arms.

They really live the whole fantasy.

Unfortunately, we missed the jousting tournament.

By the pictures from the castle’s website, I’d say we really missed out.

At least I had my friends to entertain me!

When you have a sword in a stone, who needs knights in shining armor battling it out on horseback?

I sipped a cherry-flavored beer while wandering around the castle grounds.

Although we all agreed that the festival was more for those who relived the Middle Ages, we had a great time.

We just had to leave before we stole this baby.

How cute is she?

Next stop: Ahrweiler Wine Festival

We drove through beautiful, winding roads lined by steep hills dressed in rows of grapes. Before long, we reached the fortified city gate of Ahrweiler.

We celebrated the beautiful summer day by sharing a bottle of white wine from one of the local vineyards.

  The wine was wonderful, but too sweet to have more than one glass.

Speaking of glasses, I love the reflection of the old city center in the wine.

We munched on spicy roasted nuts while swaying to German songs and sipping our wine.

The village was packed. It was wonderful to walk around the cheerful surroundings and check out all the wine stands from the region.

I only had one more glass of wine, but it was too dark by that point to get a picture. It was red, dry and slightly smoky. Absolutely wonderful. If they are at any of the other wine festivals to come, I’ll certainly buy a couple of bottles.

We ate, danced and laughed some more before driving back to Bonn.

It really was a wonderful day!

This is Germany and I am so blessed to be living here right now!

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Cheesy Zucchini Pizza

I’d like to begin this post by mentioning that Jenna is a genius.

I came.

I saw.

I conquered.

I followed Jenna’s recipe pretty closely but made a few changes based on the ingredients I had on hand. These changes are shown below. To see her original pizza dough recipe, look here. To see her original cheesy zucchini pizza recipe, look here .

Dough before rising.

Dough after rising.

Use half of the prepared dough for this recipe and save or freeze the other half for later use.

My grater fits perfectly inside a cereal bowl; great for grating management.

Ricotta and garlic ready to mingle.

Fresh mozzarella and goat cheese.

Add the cheeses to the shredded and drained zucchini.

Mix by hand.

Form half of the dough onto a a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Top the dough with the ricotta mixture.

  Spread and season with salt and pepper if your forgot to do it earlier.

Top the pizza with the cheesy zucchini mixture.

Sprinkle with some spice.

  Bake to perfection.

Eat alone as a complete meal or…

together with something else.

Either way, this recipe is a winner!

Cheesy Zucchini Pizza

Ingredients

For 2 pizza dough

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• cornmeal for dusting

For the cheese sauce

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

For the zucchini

• 2 zucchinis
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella, about 3/4 cup
• 3/4 cup soft goat cheese
• crushed red chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Proof the yeast in a small bowl with the warm water and sugar. Wait 10 minutes, or until bubbly. Mix together the flours and salt.
2. Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the proofed yeast and olive oil. Mix well. Kneed on a floured surface for 5-8 minutes, or until elastic.
3. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and let rest in a warm place, covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing the ricotta and garlic. Season with salt and pepper then set aside.
5. Grate the zucchinis into a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out any extra liquid. Add to a medium-sized bowl and mix together with the torn mozzarella and crumbled goat cheese- hands work well for mixing!Season with salt and pepper.
6. Dust a large baking sheet with cornmeal. Shape half of the pizza dough and place it on the prepared pan.
7. Spread the cheese sauce over the dough and top that with the zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with crushed red chili flakes, if desired.
8. Bake in an oven, preheated to 450 F, for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted. Cool slightly, cut and enjoy with a glass of wine!

Even Sebastian, the zucchini hater thought this recipe was fantastic. “Much better than frozen pizza.”

I’d have to agree whole-heartedly!

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Healthy Pumpkin Carrot Muffins

Pumpkin, pumpkin and more pumpkin!

Over the weekend, I cooked my first pumpkin of the season.

Slowly but surely, my pumpkin pile is dwindling.

Just look at the last 3 days’ breakfast for evidence.

Pumpkin oats with brown sugar and pecans.

Pumpkin oats with maple syrup and pecans.

  Pumpkin oats with ground flax, peanut butter and maple syrup.

Clearly, my morning pumpkin needs are being met.

But what about lunch and dinner?

If I had only thought about it earlier, I would have put pumpkin in my celeriac soup.

It was pretty amazing, even without pumpkin!

What about my lunch-time salad from yesterday?

I could have subbed pumpkin in place of the blueberries. Pumpkin would have gone well with the plum cobbler the Year 1 students made for the teachers.

I guess my pumpkin addiction will have to manifest in muffin form.

My attempt to create a Pumpkin Morning Glory Muffin was quite successful.

As an added bonus, my apartment now smells like autumn!

These muffins were tossed together using ingredients I had on hand.

Sift together the dry ingredients.

Whisk the wet ingredients together.

  Stir in the carrots.

 Add the dry ingredients.

Stir until well combined.

Chop the seeds, nuts and dried fruit.

  Fold in the nuts, seeds and fruit.

Spoon the batter into greased muffin trays and garnish with pumpkin seeds. 

Bake, cool and enjoy!

Makes 14 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or yogurt)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 large carrots, grated
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricot, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp. flaxseed, ground
• 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds plus more to garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, vanilla and honey. Stir in the shredded carrots.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir until well mixed.
4. Fold in the nuts, seeds seeds and dried fruit.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the muffins.

Now please excuse me, I haven’t eaten pumpkin in the last 3 hours.

I must remedy this immediately.

Thank God for muffins!

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