Olive Bread + Sweet Potato/Leek Casserole

Long time no see!

The past few days have been glorious. After several weeks of intense studying, I am rewarded with a few days off! I had missed you, kitchen.

This olive and sunflower seed bread is my best one to date. Wholesome, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. For a plain version, you could omit the olives but you might have to add some water as the olives add moisture to the dough. Check it out!

Slathered in butter right out of the oven... 

Olive and Sunflower Seed Bread:

- 1 cup warm water
- 1 Tbsp cane sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 Tbsp vital wheat gluten (optional, but recommended!)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- an egg, lightly beaten, for brushing (optional)

In a small bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water and add yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes foamy - that's how you know your yeast works.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat gluten and salt. Pour the yeast mixture on top and add the olive oil, as well as the yogurt. Mix until the dough starts to come together, then add olives and sunflower seeds and mix until barely incorporated. Turn the dough over onto a clean surface and knead until smooth - about 10 minutes.
Let the dough rest in an oiled bowl, covered with a kitchen towel in a warm spot, for about 2 hours - it will have doubled in size.
Lightly grease a loaf pan. Punch down the dough and place into prepared loaf pan, folding the sides underneath and keeping the top smooth. Let it rise, loosely covered, for another 40 minutes. During this second rise, preheat oven to 425F.
Once the dough has nicely risen above the loaf pan, lightly brush the top with the egg.
Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, turn the temperature down to 350F and bake for an additional 18-20 minutes.

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.

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Did I ever mention how much I love sweet potatoes (and chocolate, but that has nothing to do with the following recipe)? I have made a few variations of this sweet potato and leek casserole in the past, but never bothered writing down the recipe. I am glad I did this time, because it turned out delicious!

Ready to eat

Mmmmm, creamy leeks...

Sweet Potato and Leek Casserole:

- 1 Tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch leeks (3), washed and thinly sliced, tough green part removed
- coarse sea salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup cream (half and half or heavy)
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 cup veggie broth
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oben to 425F and lightly grease a casserole dish.
Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the leeks and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper. When the leeks are soft (about 6-7 minutes), add the lemon juice, mustard, cream, thyme, nutmeg and rosemary. Cook for a few more minutes and remove from heat.
Arrange a layer of sweet potato on the bottom of the casserole dish, overlapping slightly.
Spread 1/2 of the leek mixture on top. Repeat with another layer of sweet potato (they can be more spaced out), then add the rest of the leek mixture and one last layer of sweet potato.
Pour the veggie broth over top.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, with a pinch of coarse sea salt and some black pepper for good measure. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.
Bake, covered with foil, for about 35 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. You can broil for a couple of minutes to give it a lovely golden colour.
Let sit for 10 minutes before digging in and enjoy!

Have a wonderful week-end!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Happy Friday!

At work, we have a magic table. Food appears on it regularly, and at this time of the year, it is insanity: every time you look at it, some new delicacy has popped up. Soups, pretzels, bread, cookies, smoked salmon, crackers, cheese, chilli, fudge, and countless boxes of chocolate have appeared in this fashion over the past few days.
Does that make me want to bake any less? Nope.

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Sweet Potato Biscuits: (makes 6)

- 1 small sweet potato (about 1/2 to 3/4 once roasted and pureed)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup almond milk or regular milk
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- black pepper, to taste

Glaze:
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Roast the garlic + sweet potato - about 35 minutes at 375F.
Mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Turn the oven up to 400F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal (optional).
Once the sweet potato and garlic are roasted, scoop out the flesh and the garlic cloves and place into a blender with the maple syrup, butter, water and milk. Blend until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pepper.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until the dough starts to come together.
Generously flour a clean surface and dump the dough on it. With your hands, knead a few times until the dough holds together (not too much, otherwise your biscuits will turn out very dense).
Flatten into a 1 inch thick rectangle and cut into biscuits using a cookie cutter or a plain old glass.
Place onto prepared baking sheet and glaze.
Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes.

Delicious with an African Peanut Stew from the Oh She Glows Cookbook

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dates & Orange Breakfast Muffins

Hello everyone!

Life is tasting especially sweet lately. Yes, I have been doing a lot of baking. In the less literal sense though, I have been feeling especially lucky and thankful. No particular reason - it feels like lots of amazing things could potentially happen in the not-so-distant future, and that somehow makes me appreciate the present even more, if that makes any sense. What is there NOT to be grateful for, really, when we are healthy, when our families are supportive, when I am blessed with a wonderful group of beautiful and brilliant girlfriends, when we live in a warm and cozy home?

Speaking of sweetness, this muffin recipe is sure to brighten up your mornings. I mostly used dates as a sweetener, which pair wonderfully with the brightness of oranges. And, wouldn't you know it, there is a green veggie hiding in there! You cannot taste the zucchini, but it adds moisture as well as a boost of potassium and anti-oxidants.
If you are looking for a healthy muffin recipe to grab on your way out the door in the morning, this is it!

Date & Orange Breakfast Muffins: (makes 12 muffins)

- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp water
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 3/4 cup whole pitted dates (if not soft, cover with boiling water for 10mins then drain)
- 1/2 a small seedless orange, peel and all
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1/2 a medium zucchini)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 12-muffin tin.
In a small bowl, whisk the flaxseed and water and set aside - it will thicken to the consistency of egg white in 5-10 minute.
In another small bowl, combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside. The mixture will curdle and this is the desired effect. Alternatively, you can use buttermilk and omit this step (and omit the apple cider vinegar).
In a food processor, combine dates, the half orange (no need to chop or peel it - the food processor will work its magic), vanilla extract, maple syrup and olive oil.

Process until the mixture is mostly smooth, then add the milk mixture + the flaxseed mixture to it and process a bit longer to combine. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until just combined. 

Fold in the zucchini and walnuts

Bake for 16-18 minutes and let cool on a rack. 

Before adding the milk + flaxseed mixtures

The wet ingredients

Before folding in the zucchini and walnuts

Have a great week!

Carrot themed post: carrot cupcakes + carrot soup

Happy Friday y'all!

It has been another busy week. I was off work on Monday and Tuesday (which means I work this weekend, unfortunately), and was able to spend time doing what relaxes me most: cooking and baking. I have been fighting a cold for a while now, while The Husband has been in full-on man-cold mode. This, combined with the ever-present emotional roller-coaster of the whole infertility/adoption thing, and you have the winning formula for a drained and blubbery wife.
Thankfully, there is always cake to bring me back to sanity.

The flavour of the week: carrot cupcakes with "cream cheese" icing. I am using quotes here, because I actually made my own cream cheese out of cashews using this recipe, but you can just use plain old cream cheese, of course. To get an idea of how delicious these cupcakes were, know that I was planning on taking them to work after The Husband and I sampled a couple. Well, I regret to inform you, dear coworkers, that The Husband and I ended up eating all 10 cupcakes in 3 days. Enough said.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing: 

For the cupcakes:

- 1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, mixed well before measuring
- 1/4 canola oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely grated carrots
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, drained

Preheat oven to 350F and line a cupcake pan with 10 liners.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.
In another, medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, oil, applesauce, apple cider vinegar and vanilla.
Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the carrots, raisins, walnuts and pineapple.
Fill liners and bake for 18-20 mins. Wait until the cupcakes are completely cooled before icing.

For the icing:

- 3/4 cup cream cheese
- 1.5 cups icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat all the ingredients together and spread a thin layer on each cupcake.
Reward yourself with one.

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The carrot recipe that I will share now is quick, easy, and probably healthier than the cupcakes if you are looking for a main course.

Carrot Coconut Curry Soup:

- 1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
- 1.5 lbs unpeeled and roughly chopped carrots
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1.5 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 can coconut milk
- 4 cups veggie broth
- salt + pepper, to taste

In a large pot, sauté the onions in olive oil until they are starting to soften, then add carrots and sauté for a few more minutes. Add cumin, curry and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add coconut milk and veggie broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are just soft. Blend the soup in batches, return to pot, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

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One more baking effort worth mentioning is that I made bagels. I don't often buy bagels because of the crappy ingredients that most brands contain, which means that we don't often eat bagels....that has now changed, thanks to this recipe.

And for those who are curious to see how my cashew "cream cheese" turned out, here ya go!

Not too shabby!


















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Have a great weekend my friends!

Sweet Potato Veggie Chili and Cornbread

Happy Saturday!

Tomorrow will be my last long run (20 miles) before the training tapers off until the marathon. I am getting excited! So I am taking it easy today, running errands, cooking, and drinking tons of water.

I have a little bit of time to share my favorite chili recipe and the deliciously sweet and crumbly cornbread that goes along with it. For the chili, don't be afraid of the long list of ingredients - they are mostly stuff that you have on hand. It was originally a turkey and sweet potato chili recipe, so feel free to add some cooked turkey in there (a good recipe for the day after Thanksgiving).

Sweet Potato Veggie Chili: 

- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper, finally chopped
- 1/4 cup jalapeno or banana peppers
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cans diced tomatoes, with their liquid
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 large sweet potato, diced

In a slow cooker, combine the oil, onion, green pepper, jalapenos, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, salt, cocoa powder and pepper. Cook on high for an hour, until the onions soften.
Add all other ingredients, and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

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Now, let's talk cornbread. This recipe isn't particularly healthy, but it's quick, easy, and delicious!
I added zucchini to the latest one I made (about 3/4 cup grated, and I decreased the milk by 1/4 cup to account for the extra moisture), but it's just as good without. It's a very forgiving recipe. Enjoy!

Cornbread:

- 3/4 cup white all-purpose flour
- 3/4 whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup almond milk (or regular dairy milk)
- 1/2 cup water (add more, 1 tbsp at a time, if batter is too thick)
- 1/2 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients.
Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden and a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

This recipe also makes 12 muffins - they cook faster though, about 20 minutes.

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Stay healthy, y'all!

Catching Up

Hi y'all,

Life has been so very busy. You know what fixes everything though? A visit at my in-laws. I get to catch up on down time, family time, and, of course, blogging. I always come home feeling refreshed, refocused, reminded that family is what matters most.

I have been wanting to share a few recipes with you; none of them are my own creation, but all of them are worth trying in my opinion!

To start, let me ask you this: what if the best hot chocolate you ever had did not have an ounce of dairy in it? Would it turn your world upside down? It sure rocked mine.

You can find the recipe here. Hands down, it was the best hot chocolate I have ever had - dairy or no dairy!

Switching gears, this potato and lentil salad is healthy and hearty, perfect as a vegetarian entree paired with a hot cup of soup or as a side to chicken or fish. I have made it many times now, and have no intention of stopping! Click here for the recipe.

Drool.

Last but not least, I was intrigued by this Super Power Chia Bread recipe. Now, keep in mind that this isn't your typical slice of bread, but it is a dense, filling, nutritious and delicious snack. Slather some hummus on it and top that off with slices of avocado, and you're good to go!

Soon, I will attempt a sweet version of this bread - I'm thinking raisins and cinnamon....I'll keep you posted.

Eat your greens and have a nice week!

Rosemary/oat bread

Hello!

I have been going, going, going for the past little while...it was time for my body to yell STOP. I stayed home today, feeling like I could barely move. Sore throat, aches and pains all over, dizzy - you name it. 

I was getting bored, in bed all day, and I was craving some fresh bread - fitting for a rainy day. Because I had nothing but time, I experimented with this rosemary/oat bread. It did not disappoint! With a thin, golden crust and a soft core, it would be perfect for sandwiches. 

Here goes....

Rosemary/Oat bread:

- 1 tbsp active dry yeast

- 3/4 cup warm water

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats

- 1 cup whole wheat flour

- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 tbsp dried rosemary

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp maple syrup

- 1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp of the warm water with the sugar, and sprinkle the yeast on top. Leave it to proof for 10 minutes or until foamy. 

Pour the remaining warm water over the oats and leave to soften, for about 15-20 minutes. 

In a big mixing bowl, combine yeast mixture, oats, olive oil, rosemary, maple syrup and salt. Mix well. Add whole wheat and all purpose flour and mix until dough starts to come together. Tip onto a floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes. 

Place ball of dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rest for 2 hours. 

After 2 hours, punch down the dough to deflate slightly, then place into an oiled loaf pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a few oats, as well as a pinch of dried rosemary. Lightly press the oats and rosemary into the dough. 

Before the second rise

Cover again and let rest for another 1.5 hours. 

After the second rise

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Bake for 20 minutes uncovered, then cover with foil and bake for another 25 minutes. 

Turn loaf onto a wire rack and let cool for a bit if you can resist digging into it right away!

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I feel guilty for missing work and my run today (and possibly tomorrow if I don't feel better), but sometimes, the body forces you to stop and rest. 

I had a very bad long run on Sunday under the Vancouver sun. I struggled to keep going as my legs just didn't seem to cooperate! I should have listened to what my body was trying to tell me then!

Have a relaxing evening everyone :)

Sunday night Naan bread

What a nice weekend!

Yesterday was a busy day for me: running a half marathon as part of my marathon training, cleaning the house, finishing one of my nutrition course test papers, and, last but not least, catching up on The Bachelorette and Teen Mom. Yep. 

Today, The Husband and I headed to Skagway for a rainy hike and some Thai food. A good combo, let me tell you!

For dinner, we started with a whole baked brie (which we demolished), and then had veggies with humus and naan bread. Easy and fun!

Stove-top Naan Bread: 

- 3 tbsp plain yogurt

- 2 tbsp milk

- 3/4 cup water

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tsp sugar

- 3 cups all purpose flour (I actually used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose - makes for a bit of a denser bread - up to you!)

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

- salt, as required

Mix yogurt, milk, oil, water and sugar. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

Knead until dough is soft (about 5 minutes). 

Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. 

Let rest for about an hour. 

Roll the dough into a sausage shape and cut into 5 or 6 pieces.

Flatten into discs with the palm of your hand, cover with damp cloth, and let rest for another 20 minutes or so. 

With a rolling pin, roll discs out until thin (they will puff up in the pan).

Yes, I am wearing pyjamas. 

Cook in dry pan on med-high until bubbly on one side, then flip and cook for another minute or so.

Done!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend as well. 

Sleep is in order now. 

Sweet dreams!

Sweet Potato and Peanut Butter Muffins

Hello hello,

I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to their week! Mine has been busy, as usual. Study, run, eat, work, eat, study, sleep, repeat. Why do I do this to myself?

Nutrition is super-important for all of us living fast paced-lives. I am always trying to come up with ways to sneak extra vitamins and minerals in my diet, especially in the form of veggies. 

There was one thing that I have been too chicken to try until now....THE GREEN SMOOTHIE.
Yes, I did what I swore I would never do: I added spinach to my smoothie.
Let me tell you, I was shaking in my boots before drinking this thing!

Verdict? It wasn't that bad. You can't really taste the spinach when there is a banana in there. Still, I would rather eat my veggies than drink them. I will attempt the green smoothie again in the near future though!

Speaking of healthy snacks, I whipped up these peanut butter and sweet potato muffins a few nights ago. I was intrigued by this strange flavor combination that I had seen on a few blogs, so I decided to give it a go (tweaking the original recipes, of course). I was expecting these muffins to be very dense, but they were surprisingly light and fluffy! I loved them and would definitely make them again.

Sweet Potato and Peanut Butter Muffins:  (makes 9 muffins)

- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used whole milk, but even almond milk would work well)
- 3/4 cup sweet potato, cooked and pureed
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup all natural peanut butter (I used the crunchy kind)
- 1/2 cup oat flour (I just grind oats in the food processor)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together applesauce, milk, sweet potato, oil, vanilla, egg, maple syrup and peanut butter.
In a large bowl, combine oat flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Pour the wet ingredients over dry, and mix until just combined.
Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Ta-Da!
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In other news, our garden is doing really well!
I just went and grabbed some fixings for dinner: lettuce, tomatoes and dill. Thank you, Husband and Mother-in-law for all your gardening! I am now reaping the rewards of your hard work, hee hee hee.

'Night y'all!

Running snacks

Hola,

Another blustery day here. Is summer ever coming? We did get a bit of a teaser with two beautiful sunny days on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday, The Husband and I hiked the Fish Lake trail. My ankles are feeling it today (I still ran my 6 miles this morning though).

Thank you Patty, a.k.a. The Best Mother-in-law Ever, for leaving us with lots of your delicious oatmeal cookies. It was so nice to enjoy them at the top of the mountain!

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Being in the early stages of marathon training, it's a good time for me to experiment with snacks until I find the "fuelling strategy" that will work best for me on race day. The snacks have to:
- taste good (I'm not forcing anything down my gullet that I don't enjoy)
- be portable
- be easily portioned into small bites
- replenish carbs, but also some salt

Last year, when I was training for the Vancouver marathon, I mostly used sports "gummies" during my runs, such as Honey Stingers and Clif Shot Bloks (see picture below). However, I also struggled with a lot of nausea and gastro-intestinal upset during long runs (usually above 12-13 miles).

This time around, I am trying new things, hoping to find snacks that will not upset my stomach.
So far, it seems like Larabars are working well. I LOVE Larabars, for their great taste, of course, but mostly for the simplicity of their ingredients. The cashew Larabar, for example, contains dates and cashews. That's it. Which, of course, brings me to the conclusion that I should really try making my own, but that's an experiment for another day.

I recently picked up Gin-Gins all natural ginger candy. They are individually packaged chewy candies made with ginger, sugar and tapioca starch. I am hoping that the ginger will help with the nausea - I haven't yet tested them on a day when I actually felt sick though.

The Clif Builder's bars are not a "during the run" kind of snack, but they work well as a recovery snack when I don't have time to sit down for a proper meal. They contain 20g of protein and no freaky ingredients, even though the ingredient list is longer than I like to see it.

Soon, I'd like to experiment with snacks that do not taste sweet, like pretzels, or maybe nuts.

If anyone has suggestions, fire away!

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I haven't had much time for cooking and baking this week, but I have finally found a pizza dough recipe worth copying in my recipe book. You can find it here.

I followed it to the letter, and the crust turned out very well: not too thick, not too thin.

I splurged on some good quality whole wheat flour, and I am looking forward in using it in other recipes.

There are few things as satisfying as kneading a nice ball of dough!



I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Fail?

Happy Hump Day everyone!

So. Kids. There is a reason why all the recipes I have come across call for half white flour and half whole-wheat flour in burger buns. I had made them before, following the original recipe to the letter (without wheat gluten). They had turned out wonderfully soft and fluffy.

This time...not so much! They were definitely...crusty. They tasted great, and would made great dinner roll or bread - just not the ideal burger buns!

I got the original recipe for Holy Cow Vegan: Whole Wheat Burger Buns.

Nevertheless, it was a delicious meal. These chickpea/sweet potato burgers just never disappoint!

Here goes:

- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup raw almonds
- 1 medium sweet potato, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 of an onion, minced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup oats, processed into coarse flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I use Panko)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, process the oats with the almonds (until coarsely chopped), then add the chickpeas and process until mostly smooth.
Place mixture in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients, mix well and form patties.
These burgers can be baked (about 12 minutes each side), or barbecued until slightly charred (our favourite).

Serve with hummus, lettuce, pickle and tomato on a SOFT (haha) burger bun. A-MA-ZING.

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It has been a few days of life without the bathroom scale. So far, so good. I feel like I am forced to listen to my body even more, eating nutritious foods when I am hungry and stopping before I feel too full.
I disregarded my hunger/satiety cues for so may years, I am still learning to recognize them.

Alright peeps, I am off for a quick post-dinner walk with the dog, then it will be time for some studying, powered by some herbal tea and an almond butter ball or two!

Have a lovely rest of your week, and I will most likely be posting on Sunday - I have a fun game in store!

By the way - if anyone knows of a healthy recipe for SOFT burger buns that does not include white flour, please let me know in the comments below :)