Vegan Apple Pie Oatmeal

(Serves 2)

• 1 tsp Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine)
• 1 small apple, chopped (I used a Jazz apple)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• salt
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• ginger
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)

In a medium pot over moderate heat, melt the Earth Balance.  Add the chopped apple and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes, or until the apple softens.  If the apple begins to brown, turn down the heat, you just want to soften the apple.

Add the oats and stir frequently for 3 minutes, until the oats begin to toast and turn a bit golden brown and start to smell nutty.  Add the water and almond milk.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Add a small pinch of salt and each of the spices.

Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the oatmeal is cooked.  At the last minute, stir in the brown sugar and the vanilla extract, stirring to combine.  Divide between 2 bowls and serve immediately, topped with ground flax seeds, if desired.

I received loads of feedback on my Project Food Blog entry and wanted to say thank you very much to all of you that voted.  Unfortunately, I didn’t advance, but it was a fun experience and it looks like a bunch of people found my blog through it, so it worked out!  I also found several new-to-me blogs to read.

One of the most popular recipes on my blog seems to be my flatbread pizzas.  It’s not surprising to me, they are quick, cheap, healthy, and delicious.  What’s not to love?

I wanted to share a couple of tips to those of you who might want to try them yourselves.

• To get a nicely crunchy crust

The key is to bake them on the toaster oven rack.  Not in a regular oven (although that’s fine if you don’t have a toaster oven).  Not on a baking sheet or on foil.  But straight on the oven rack. I usually set the toaster oven to around 425-450 and it takes somewhere around 10 minutes to achieve my ideal crunch level.

To prevent your toaster oven from catching on fire, make sure your cheese is fully on the top of the crust and not hanging off the edge.

Not that I would know about the fire thing from experience.

No, really.

• The base of the pizza can really be anything carby

Classic flatbreads are great, naan works well, pitas are great, as are bagels, english muffins, and crusty sourdough bread.

• The toppings can be anything

From classic pizza flavors to sandwich (tempeh reuben, buffalo chick’n) or salad flavors (think caesar, greek, etc.), try your hand at any combination that strikes your fancy.  I bet it turns out great.  Report back to me with any especially yummy combinations you come up with!

This flatbread pizza was made on a pita.  I picked up a package of these at Trader Joe’s and love their flavor and texture.  I topped it with black olive hummus (again, Trader Joe’s brand), baby spinach, a New York State apple (I miss home!), and some sliced cheddar cheese.  I later covered the whole thing with crushed red pepper flakes because I’m a wild woman.

Autumn is by far my favorite month.  The leaves, the apples, the squash, the cooler jeans and sweater weather is the best.  Upstate New York sometimes gets a bad rap for the harsh winters and clouds, but for me, autumn makes up for all of that.  My favorite fall activities are those that combine the outdoors and food (duh!) so apple picking is right up my alley!

Beak &  Skiff is a great place for apple picking, and I’ve gone several times in the 3 years I’ve lived in Syracuse.  The apples aren’t organic, but they are local and it’s fun, so I happily wash off the skin and it doesn’t bother me.  The cheap price makes that easier, too.

I have used my apples to make these muffins, which I are also posted on Fresh Cracked Pepper.  I’ve also eaten them in my morning oatmeal, sliced thin on sandwiches, and just munched on them as a snack.

Hey all!

Head on over to Fresh Cracked Pepper where Jen graciously asked me to do a guest post for her series, Muffin Mondays.

I posted a recipe for Autumn Apple Muffins, that I really think you should check it out!  The muffins include some of the apples I picked recently at Beak & Skiff in Lafayette, NY.  There will be a post about that event soon!  As soon as I finish this draft of a 25 page paper I’m currently writing on the determinate character of law…