Overnight Oats (2)

My breakfast this morning (actually this was my breakfast on Wednesday but this is a LIE all food bloggers tell) was this – Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Overnight Oats. And it was TERRIBLE.

This is mainly because I, like an idiot, decided I didn’t need to use a sweetener because HEY the chocolate chips would be enough. They weren’t. But I did use chia seeds and they were pretty kickass and REALLY filling and apparently the INTERNET says its good for me? Ok!

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup soy milk
1 Tbsp chia seeds (I used these chia seeds and bought it from iHerb – use my promo code at checkout if you’re a first time customer)
1-2 tsps honey/maple syrup (please use a sweetener – otherwise you WILL be sad)
dash of vanilla extract
2 Tbsps chocolate chips
1 Tbsp peanut butter

Mix oats, milk, chia seeds, honey/maple syrup and vanilla extract the night before. Put in a container (small plastic Tupperware should work) in the fridge.

The next morning, stir and top with chocolate chips and peanut butter.

Eat.

* Chia seeds have protein and are awesome and apparently will make you a successful human being.
** My overnight oats are quite liquidy. You can play around with the consistency if you want it less liquidy. I understand that this is obvious advice. But logic may not be your strong point.

I make ugly food & it TASTES SO GOOD

The food I make is partly inspired by my Mom’s cooking, partly inspired by the contents of my refrigerator and sometimes inspired by THE INTERNET. Here’s a rundown of some dishes I’ve cooked from recipes found on some of my favorite food blogs and websites. I’ve also included the pictures and links to the originals JUST so you can see how desperately I need a new camera. Mine are first. Obviously.

Nutty Cranberry Granola – Shutterbean

This actually turned out really well except that the oats got a bit too overdone. But honestly, they taste kickass with any kind of milk and are super filling and good for breakfast.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes (Vegan) – Top With Cinnamon

This recipe make super heavy pancakes but they’re quite good and you feel weirdly healthy when you eat them. What the recipe doesn’t tell you is that it sticks to the pan like crazy if you use normal vegetable oil. So you know that’s cool if you don’t mind destroyed pancakes. Or you could use coconut oil which is recommended.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake – Nigella

This cake is a classic. It is easy and always turns out good. Mine looks a little different because I don’t do maraschino cherries and it also tasted different because I used pineapple slices in syrup. Don’t do it. Get pineapple juice and use that instead.

Green Chili Chicken – Singapore Shiok

Okay this was ugly and it didn’t taste so good. Was it something I did? Personally I think it wasn’t a very good recipe.

The Reset Button Salad – Shutterbean

I HAD to make this salad when I saw it. Unfortunately my version didn’t have spring onions because Fairprice decided to run out. Wow the contrast of how bad my salad looks next to the original is shocking. But it tasted awesome!

So get cooking this weekend and make some ugly, tasty food!

Easy Vegetarian Lasagna

I have to say I’m feeling good. You know why? Coz I made lasagna. And not only that I did it without my usual OCD way of following a recipe so closely that I have a breakdown anytime something doesn’t go exactly, according to plan.

I have been jonesing for lasagna for awhile but was also feeling like I didn’t want to eat dairy OR meat (no idea why – I call it “temporary veganism”) so when I came across this dairy free pasta recipe at the Minimalist Baker I was like hells yes. But then I couldn’t find the oversized shells the recipe called for and that’s how the idea of a lasagna version of this pasta was born. It’s also why I was forced to actually change a recipe. *Breathe in*

8 sheets of no precooking lasagna sheets (I used Barilla but I bought them before I found out about certain homophobic comments their CEO recently made – so I helpfully suggest you choose another brand)
1 1/2 block of tau kwa/tofu
2 Tbsp basil based pesto
2 pearl eggplants cut into 1/4 inch rounds
olive oil
2 cups of spaghetti sauce (I bought Prego Traditional Spaghetti Sauce)

Sprinkle eggplant rounds with sea salt and rub with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes (turn over after 10 minutes) until brown on both sides. Set aside.

Combine the tofu and pesto in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. In this recipe the tofu acts as the cheese.

Using an 8 by 8 inch pan, generously ladle like half a cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Put two sheets of lasagna on top – then top with a layer of the tofu/pesto mixture and then top with some eggplant. I suggest using about a third of the mixture and eggplants since that’s the number of layers you’re gonna do.

Ladle some of the spaghetti sauce on top of the topping. I have no idea exactly how much BECAUSE I DIDN’T MEASURE. So use your judgment and be generous since these no pre-cook lasagna sheets need a decent amount of liquid.

Repeat with the lasagna sheets – tofu/pesto mixture – eggplant until done. After putting on the two sheets on top with spaghetti sauce and not the mixture and eggplant because you should have finished it by now.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before eating.

*This lasagna isn’t SUPER tasty since it’s a little bland. But it hits the spot and it’s somewhat healthy. And it’s vegetarian! YAAY!

Overnight Oats

Happy Monday! Feel like stabbing yourself in the eye? Don’t!

INSTEAD – make Overnight Oats. It’s easy to do, apparently it’s good for your heart/health and it’s especially good for people (me) who don’t want to be late to work because they’re trying to eat breakfast at home.

1/3 cup oats
2/3 cup milk (almond, soy, etc. works)
1 Tbsp dried cranberries
1 tsp honey
pinch of cinnamon
dash of vanilla extract
walnuts

Mix oats, milk, dried cranberries, honey, cinnamon and vanilla extract the night before. Put in a container (small plastic Tupperware should work) in the fridge.

The next morning, stir and garnish with walnuts.

Eat.

Pat yourself on the back for being smart and healthy and winning at life.

*One thing they don’t tell you about overnight oats is that if you put the dried fruit in the night before (you don’t have to) it becomes plump and juicy and quite awesome.

**Another thing they don’t tell you is that it’s consistency is slightly slimy.

Channa Masala

This is like my fall back recipe. It’s my – hello I have no more creativity juices when it comes to food but want something spicy and that vaguely reminds me of home. Which is why during my undergrad I would make this every week and just keep it in the fridge. It’s kind of nutritious and tastes fairly good. It’s also cheap and doesn’t spoil easily. Oh yeah – you WANT this.

 

2 cans of chickpeas (500gm) – drained
1 onion – thinly sliced or diced
2 Tbsp ginger garlic paste (paste of 2 parts ginger, 1 part garlic – make at home or buy at Mustafa)
4 Tbsp curry powder (I use Baba’s Meat Curry Powder – any generic curry powder should do)
1 Tbsp chilli powder
1/2 Tbsp jeera powder (ground cumin)
1/4 Tbsp garam masala
1/4 cup tamarind juice
1 tomato – cubed
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 cup water
2 Tbsp oil (I’ve used both sunflower and extra virgin olive and both have been fine)
1 tsp salt

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot over a medium low flame.

Brown the onions. When done add the ginger garlic paste and fry until brown – keep a close watch because it burns easily.

When brown add the curry powder, chilli powder, jeera powder and garam masala (henceforth referred to as masala). Stir vigorously until cooked (oil will ooze out a bit). If necessary add more oil.

Add chickpeas and stir until the masala is even distributed. Add 1 cup water. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

Mash approximately 1/3 of the chickpeas mixture with the back of your spoon (this will act as the gravy).

Add the tamarind juice. Cook until it boils.

Add the diced tomato. Cook until the tomato is cooked (mushy-ish). Add ketchup.

Add salt, stir and you’re done!

Serve with rice or some other carb equivalent. Here I ate it with baked sweet potatoes and a cabbage salad. YUM. Disgustingly healthy stuff.

*This is a DiniBlini TM recipe 🙂