Meet Your New Friends: Legumes

photo: all over

Lately I've become quite the lazy cook. After years of preparing dinner, I just don't want to wash a sink full of pots and pans on a daily basis. Most of the people I know prewash greasy pans by hand before loading them into a dishwasher. I do the same when I have access to a dishwasher. In Manhattan I don't wish to lose a cupboard to install a dishwasher. Also I have a big sink so if I start a prewash, I might as well finish the job with an extra wash and multiple raises.

 

Lately Legumes have become my easy-peasy dinner staples. Into the CrockPot they go. I've started to toss in brown rice and mixed vegetables for a complete dinner. A stock pot on a stovetop works equally as well. You just can't forget about the latter!

Although rice combined with legumes (beans, split peas or lentils) form a complete protein, meat eaters can top the chunky-stew-like-soups with diced smoked ham or smoked turkey. A side of whole grain crackers or crusty bread can complete the meal. Texture is as important as spices in dishes to make food more satisfying. A few sides or condiments of choice are the way to go!

According to Healthline, here are 9 Healthy Legumes to Eat - Be sure to click on the link to read the full nutritional value of each legume. You'll learn that legumes are good sources, not only of protein, but fiber and minerals too. What's more, I'll link you to recipes in how I often eat each legume.

1) Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans - 269 calories per cup with 14.5 grams of protein. I don't make this one homemade but buy it: hummus. When I can't make a dish better or cheaper than readymade, I buy it.

2) Lentils - 230 calories per cup and 17.9 grams of protein. 

Lentil soup recipe here. An alternate recipe is: 16 oz dried lentils, 12 cups water, 4 large chicken bouillon cubes, 1 cup brown rice, 12 oz mixed vegetables, chopped celery, and chopped onion. Spice to taste - garlic, smoked paprika, bay leaf, soy sauce, etc. 

3) Peas - 134 calories per cup with 8.58 grams of protein. Split pea soup. You can also make split peas using the hearty lentil soup recipe in #2. It's as delicious yet creamier.

4)  Kidney beans - 225 calories per cup with 15.3 grams of protein. I like to use kidney beans in chili. 

5) Black beans - 227 calories per cup with 15.2 grams of protein. Here is a no name salad I make. Feel free to name it.:)

6) Soybeans - 298 calories per cup with 31.3 grams of protein. For soybeans, I buy tofu to add to miso soup or another meatless dish. Tofu has no flavor of it's own which makes it versatile.

7) Pinto beans - 245 calories per cup with 15.4 grams of protein. I like pinto beans, but frankly use beans interchangeably: kidney, pink, pinto, roman, or navy. My Mother's bean soup was always navy bean soup, but I'm not faithful to one bean.:) Whatever's in my cupboard goes into the pot. Bean soup. Pasta e Fagioli.

8) Navy beans - 255 calories per cup with 15 grams of protein.

9) Peanuts - 414 calories per cup with 18.9 grams of protein. Sometimes we do eat peanuts as a snack, but more often in the form of peanut butter. Here's how I make peanut sesame noodles, a popular quick dinner in my home.

Additionally, I toss lima beans into beef stew, and I like butter beans. My mom didn't make butter beans for dinner. Country people did. Good with potatoes or cornbread! Cornbread and butter beans are a complete protein. 

Take it from me -- a lazy cook need not turn into an unhealthy cook. Legumes are packed with nutrients and are relatively inexpensive. Add some to your diet with the guaranteed approval of both your doctor and your wallet.

 If you, too, are sometimes a lazy cook, save the meat as a topper for your soup: The payoffs: 1) You won't have to wash a greasy pot; 2) you can serve vegetarians and carnivores from the same batch; 3) leftover meatless dishes have a longer refrigerator life. Of course you can also freeze your leftovers. 4) I like to buy smoked deli ham or turkey to top soups and you save the flavors which don't disperse into your batch of soup.

In the USA our recent tariffs --  extra taxes on all consumer goods -- are driving up the cost of food and everything else not made in the USA. Retailers must now pay an extra tax (or tariff) when goods enter the country then they pass the tax onto customers in the form of higher prices. What? You think merchants are going to absorb extra taxes? Often small businesses can't afford to and will close if customers won't pay more either. Small businesses don't have the capital (or time it takes) to build factories to make the cheaper goods we get from China or Southeast Asia. Moreover the USA doesn't have the climate to grow certain food like bananas or coffee, or cocoa beans (chocolate) -- the reason we import them. Trade is what makes the USA prosperous, and consumers are great at setting prices. It's the cost we are willing to pay at the supermarket or elsewhere.

So my dear peeps, hang in there, and bon appetite on the cheap!😉😋😂

You may also enjoy:

Jambalaya Made Easy

Diet: Safe, Simple And Sustainable

7 Surprising Benefits of Chewing Gum

Building A Cheese Platter On A Budget

I Love My New Bowl Cozy

Despite her busy life, my friend and schoolmate, Teresa, sews Bowl Cozies in her spare time. Recently a group of us classmates had a fun Saturday lunch chatting and catching up in her beautiful home. When we were leaving to return to our homes, she gave us one of her Bowl Cozies. Perhaps I'm the last person on earth who didn't know of their existence, but instantly I fall in love with them! They are so darn cute and useful. In addition to preventing burns while carrying a hot bowl of soup, the cozy keeps the soup warm for a longer period of time. When not in use, bowl cozies look super adorable sitting on your kitchen counter. Your house, co-op, or apartment becomes a home!

In life there are always new things for me to discover, but the knowledge that my friend, Teresa, is a women with many talents and a warm heart, is not one of them! The old saying, "If you want something done, ask a busy person," applies to her.

Our school must have done many things right. My schoolmates are a cool bunch of women. You feel proud to know them!😍😎

🥕🥕🥕My Impromptu Crock-Pot Soup🧅🧅🧅

Ingredients: 

frozen butternut squash, 10 oz 

frozen mixed vegetables, 12 oz

1 large onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 can pinto beans (Use any bean.)

7 cups water

2 large chicken-tomato bouillon cubes (Use any bouillon flavor or stock. If you use bouillon cubes, no need to add salt.)

1 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf
1/4 cup of organic cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
a sprinkle Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cups of brown rice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

This is a forgiving soup, use vegetables and the starch of your choice. Feel free to make the soup with whatever you happen to have, fresh, frozen or leftover. Spice as you like it, and the soup cooks as well on a stovetop.

Directions:

1) Toss everything but the brown rice into a Crockpot and let cook on high for 4 - 5 hours.

2) Add the brown rice and cook for another 2- 3 hours. Although I didn't time it, avoid over cooked rice by tossing it in later. I also thought about diced raw potatoes, but went with the rice. Less work! :)

3) After the green beans, celery and rice are tender, dip some of the liquid out into a cup, let it cool, and mix it with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour to add back into the Crockpot and cook for a final hour.

After thickening, it is ready to eat. You can top the soup with diced smoked ham if you wish. Brown rice with beans are a complete protein if you decide to eat lighter by skipping the meat.

 Bon appètit!

You may also enjoy:

DIY: Cork Bulletin Board

DIY: Drop Cloth Curtains

Ralph Lauren Come Decorate My Apartment

DIY: Bookcase Using Narrow Wooden Crates 

Are You A CrockPot Cook?

Years ago, friends were always telling me to buy a Crockpot, so when I saw a discounted Wolfgang Puck slow cooker on Overstock, I bought it. I learned 2 valuable lessons: 1) Never buy products with celebrity chef names. Mine died soon after the purchase; 2) In Manhattan, I don't need a slow cooker. I can cook everything on my stove/oven with the pots and pans I already own. So when Wolfgang Puck's space hug went kaput I said good riddance and never looked back!

Photo: iStock

That is until recently when ...

I bought a Crockpot for when I cook meals for my mother outside of Manhattan. When not in my well-stocked Manhattan kitchen, it is handy for meals I normally need all 4 stove burners and oven to prepare.

I recommend sticking with the original Crockpot brand. It gets hotter than its competitors, up to 450°F, so you can cook dinner faster than at most slow cooker speeds. Whole chicken, beef, or pork roasts fit better inside the oval-shaped slow cookers.

I think in the suburbs, a Crockpot is great for entertaining friends. You can cook hearty one-pot dinners such as a beef stew, roast chicken with potatoes and carrots, meatloaf, or hearty soups without having to leave your friends sitting on the couch while you spend time in the kitchen tending to the food. Furthermore, you can leave the setting on warm for still moist second portions. Later, the cleanup is a breeze too! The lift-out pot is dishwasher safe.

In Manhattan, we usually don't entertain a lot of people at one time.

Planning is everything. I would never host a party without enough space, food, or seats for everyone invited. I've been to some of those city soirées. As you can imagine, such a gathering isn't a lot of fun! You can't mingle or get over to the food and drink.

With this 7-quart Crockpot, you could have up to 6 people for dinner. I leave the space and a comfortable seating arrangement for you to figure out.😁

So far in the Crock-Pot, I've made my pea soup, adding 1 cup of brown rice, a 12-ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and 4 extra cups of water to the recipe, turning the soup into a one-Crock-Pot meal. I ate my soup vegetarian style and topped my mother's soup with smoked deli ham. With protein, carbs, and vegetables covered, it's lazy cooking that gets the job done!

You may also enjoy:

All Beef Salisbury Steak

Slow Cooker Lasagna Lite 

Stovetop Roast Chicken With Gravy

Hearty Split Pea Soup And Cornbread For Meatless Mondays

6 Canned Produce I Like

Most of us would agree there's no comparison of taste between farm fresh fruits and vegetables and canned or even frozen produce. Living in a city, I buy plenty of frozen vegetables because food experts tell us they are frozen soon after picking and retain their nutrients. It's a compromise I make since frozen is more convenient though less scrumptious than farm fresh.

But guess what? There are canned foods I don't mind or like better than their fresh, or refrigerated, or frozen versions. I'll list 6 of them below.

6 Canned Produce I Like:

1) Sauerkraut - Canned sauerkraut isn't as raw as it is bagged and refrigerated at the supermarket. Still sufficiently sour yet not as intensely sour or crunchy as unblanched bagged sauerkraut.

2) Refried beans - I see little difference in taste or texture between canned beans and dried beans you soak and tenderize yourself. With refried beans, I like the convenience, and unless you cooked a huge amount, the extra cost of buying them canned is minor. For soups or sometimes chili, I will use either canned or dried beans depending on how much I'm making.

3) Pumpkin, puree - Who in their right mind would unseed, clean, cook, and scrape the flesh out of a fresh pumpkin to use in a dish? Oh, the many steps and mess!😳

4) Tomatoes, whole plum, diced, or crushed for cooking - Cheap and you have the same consistency every time when making sauces.

5) Pineapple, diced - Since pineapples don't grow outside of Hawaii or South America, it is doubtful I have ever eaten a fresh one, so I opt for the convenience of canned pineapple. I don't detect enough of a difference after cleaning and cutting up a whole pineapple that may (or may not) be fresh after it arrives at the supermarket.

6) Spinach - This one is debatable. I do prefer fresh spinach and buy it to use as a dip, pizza topping, part of a salad, or to add to soup, but since a 10-ounce bag of fresh spinach cooks down to nothing in seconds, I also buy canned spinach to eat as a side dish. The taste and texture of canned spinach is fine, plus there seems to be more of it in a can than in a bag. In Manhattan you can't buy a bushel of fresh spinach, or grow it sans a plot of soil, so it's another compromise I make.

So there you are, my list of 6 foods I buy and like canned. Often our sense of taste is subjective. Is there any produce you would add or subtract from my list as unedible? Let's discuss... it's all in fun.🌴

You may also enjoy:

Skillet Chili Con Carne

A Dream Pumpkin Cake

9 Ways To Save Money At The Supermarket

Greenmarkets, Community Gardens And CSA's

Inspired By Southern Living's Million Dollar Soup

Let me start by linking you to the photo credits and recipe of the soup 👆 that inspired my recipe. The original is called Million Dollar Soup by Southern Living. Looks delicious, doesn't it? But! It's too many steps and calories to become part of my repertoire. To stay healthy, I consume bacon and cream as occasional treats, but lighter fare most of the time. 

Lighter dishes can be tasty too, and once you form the habit of eating healthy you crave healthily. My inspired recipe is a totally different soup that shares many of the same ingredients as its cream, bacon, and kale inspiration. Make my soup when you have leftovers, such as butternut squash or chicken. Without leftover chicken toss sliced frankfurters into the pot:

Leftover Butternut Squash, Chicken, and Spinach Soup aka, Billion Dollar Soup😉

Ingredients:

2 cups leftover cooked chicken, cubed (or use 3 - 4 grilled chicken or turkey or beef
frankfurters) 

1/2 cup of grilled ham, cubed

1 onion, diced

1 cup celery, sliced

a minced garlic bulb or 1 teaspoon of dried garlic

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups cooked butternut squash, cubed (Take a raw butternut squash, put a slit in it with a knife, and microwave it if you don't have leftovers.)

3/4 cup of dry white wine (if I don't want to open wine, I add a tablespoon of organic cider vinegar for taste)

5 cups water

2 large chicken bouillon cubes

1 teaspoon of black pepper (24 turns of the peppermill)

1 15 oz can of beans (navy, cannellini, pinto, pink, i.e., whatever you have in your cupboard)

a dash of Worcestershire sauce

a dash of soy sauce

3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

2 cups of spinach (or substitute 1 cup of mixed vegetables, if you wish. Feel free to polish off your leftover vegetables. Soup is great for this.)

Optional: I'd add a cup of corn kernels to the soup whenever I had some for the texture. It plays nice with the rest of the ingredients.

Directions:

1) Brown the ham, onions, and celery (and if using, sliced chicken turkey, or beef frankfurters) in a skillet, not to cook, but for 5 - 6 minutes to bring out their flavor. After grilling, toss them into a stockpot.

2) Add the rest of the ingredients (except the spinach) to the stockpot. Season with Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and a tablespoon of cider vinegar (if you skip adding white wine). I like to add a dash of red pepper flakes for a hint of heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1/2 hour.

3) After the vegetables are tender, thicken the soup with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water and pour into the soup while stirring. Let this simmer for another 5 minutes to cook the flour and thicken the soup. {If for any reason, you wish to thicken your soup without adding flour, you can put some of your cooked beans into a blender, then return them to your pot of soup.}

4) You can taste and add more seasoning as needed.

5) Turn off the heat and drop a handful the fresh spinach into the soup. Cover with a lid to sit for another 5 minutes. The spinach will cook in the hot soup. (Frankly, I like spinach better than kale, but feel free to use either. Kale requires more cooking time.)

Dip out into soup bowls, and pair it with hearty, crusty grainy bread and a smear of butter, brie, cream cheese, hummus, teawurst, or whatever you like. Alternatively, you could make buttery-garlic bread crumbs for the soup. The choice is between you and your waistline.

You may also enjoy:

Easy French Onion Soup

Umami: A Sense of Taste

Egg Thread Soup With Asparagus, Plus

Tomato Soup With A grilled Cheese Sandwich

What Are the 11 Herbs and Spices In Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Photo: KFC and YUM

Today the famed 11 herbs and spices at KFC are a closely guarded secret by YUM, the corporation that owns the copywriter to KFC's chicken, but it wasn't always so. According to Colonel Sanders' nephew, the recipe created back in the day by the Colonel was posted in the entryway of the diner he opened. Several years ago the Chicago Tribute published a photograph of what the newspaper called the leaked recipe written in the Colonel's handwriting. In business, if the food is delicious people will come even if they can make it at home IMHO. Because. People do both.

It's more than likely the following is the recipe for Original Kentucky Fried Chicken:

Ingredients:

Photo: The Chicago Tribute

One chicken (or 8 pieces)

1 cup of buttermilk

2 eggs

2/3 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon basil
1/3 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried mustard
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons white pepper

Directions:

1) Mix the buttermilk and eggs in one mixing bowl then soak the chicken pieces in the mixture for 30 minutes or more. Return the chicken to the refrigerator while soaking.

2) In a 2nd bowl stir the 11 herbs, spices, and flour together and coat the chicken pieces by dipping and turning.

3) Instead of frying the coated chicken (which you are free to do in very hot vegetable oil) why not brush oil on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake the spread-out chicken pieces in a 400-degree F oven for about 25 minutes. Test the chicken at 20 minutes to see if it's done and add baking time as needed.

If the above ingredients aren't Colonel Sanders' original recipe, they are close enough. Making the chicken at home lets you adjust the salt to your tastes and needs. Plus you can bake instead of frying it if you wish. When you don't feel like cooking you can still buy a bucket of chicken at KFC.

In college near the end of the school year, one of our professors decided to teach our class outdoors on campus. During the class, I saw a limo pull up and out walked an elderly Colonel Sanders in his signature white suit. He entered our administration building a few yards away. Here's to the memory of the Colonel, who must have given money to our school.🐔

You may also enjoy:

Beer Can Chicken

Chicken Noodle Soup

Stove Top Roast Chicken With Gravy

America's Test Kitchen's Poulet au Vinaigre

Savon De Marseille Beau Terra Soap

One of my favorite T.J. Maxx finds is Savon De Marseille Beau Terra Soap, also the best liquid soap I've ever used. Why do I love it so? Let me count the ways:

1) It has a lovely and potent smell of roses, the fragrance I selected.

2) When I fancy a product whether it is soap, shampoo, condition, moisturizer, or even household cleaners I love big quantities of it so I can use it without soon running out. Savon De Marseille Beau Terra Soap is sold in a 1L (33.8 oz) size. With daily use, it lasts and lasts!

3) Not only does it clean, but it feels gentle and nourishing so never dries my hands. Marseille soup is made from vegetable fats without coloring, perfume, or synthetic additives. True Savon de Marseille soaps are 72% olive oil (whereas Castile soaps are 100% olive oil).

4) It doesn't have the organic seal, though it's enriched with olive oil, botanicals, and super beneficial ingredients.

5) Usually products made in France are expensive, yet this soap is cheap, and the 1L size makes it excellent value for the money.

I hope I find it again at T.J. Maxx because if you wish to buy it for roughly the price I paid, you need a $100 order to get free shipping, and no matter how much I love it, that's a lot of soap!🌹

You may also enjoy:

POP Beauty

Skincare For French Girl Beauty

Best Drugstore Anti-Aging Retinols

Weleda Offers A Century Of Skincare

Skincare At A French Pharmacy

When in a foreign country I love checking out its pharmacy. There are so many unique and fascinating beauty and personal care products inside that are not found in our home country pharmacies.

Let me introduce you to 3 skincare items you'll find in a French pharmacy that you can also buy on Amazon. All 3 are dermatologists' approved!: 

1) A313 Pure Retinol Cream Top image 👆 - A synthetic vitamin A prescription-strength concentrate you apply at night to reverse the signs of aging. No prescription is needed here!

2) Biafine Act Emulsion Cream - It's a healing ointment containing Trolamine and water to treat skin wounds from chapped skin to light burns including sunburns. Rub it on to protect and mend.

3) Bioderma Cicabio Mains Repairing Barrer Balm - A repairing barrier balm to soothe very dry hands and skin. Users say it also smells divine.

Amazingly these used-in-France offerings are sold at reasonable not outlandish prices! 

Essayez l'un de ces produits pharmaceutiques français si vous souhaitez ajouter quelque chose de très spécial à vos soins de la peau.🇫🇷

You may also enjoy:

The French Braider

The French Slip Dress

Easy French Onion Soup

Skincare For French Girl Beauty

Plastic Food Containers To Repurpose

I have a set of Rubbermaid and a European brand of food storage containers, but the plastic containers I grab most often to store leftover food in the refrigerator or freezer I get for free when buying food. Who knew? Also with the free containers, I don't worry about losing them if I take food to a cookout. 

 

 I bought Healthy Choice frozen entrees for my mother and discovered the plastic bowls they come in are non-stick and perfect for microwaving 2-egg omelets. The eggs cook well and slide right out with less cleanup because you can eat the omelet out of the same bowl. If you wish to wash and reuse the bowl, it's easy too because cooked eggs and cheese don't stick!

Gosh, I bought a silicone microwave omelet dish that doesn't work as well. Without greasing, everything sticks to it. 

By the way, Healthy Choice dinners are as close to homemade-tasting meals as you can get readymade at a reasonable price. For seniors who tend to eat less, they are the perfect portion. Not a bad lunch size for hungrier people either. Sometimes I add more meat or vegetables to them, which is also an option.

Another container I repurpose is what you get when buying peanut butter from a Health Food store or Chinese Food. If needed, you can also buy them from Amazon. Bar none, they are my favorite storage containers. Good to store half a cut onion or tomato, cheese, leftover soup or beef stew, etc. They are durable and can be washed to use time and again. The 16 oz size is perfect! Stackable in the freezer also.

The Rubbermaid containers don't get half the use. In a do-over, I would make do with repurposing the free containers which is also good for the planet.

You may also enjoy:

DIY: Drop Cloth Curtains

What Can You Do For Earth Day?

Diamonds Hold The Earth's Secrets

DIY Bookcase Using Narrow Wooden Crates

Oatmeal is Healthy And Versatile

Royalty free photo

As we wind down the days of nippy (and rainy) weather to enter the balmy sunny days of spring and summer, I find myself eating creamy oatmeal for dinner. I toss 1 cup of dry 1-minute oatmeal flakes and water into a bowl and microwave it for 2 minutes. After the microwave cooks the oatmeal, I add 5 to 6 tablespoons of dry powdered milk to the mixture. Sometimes I also sprinkle in Stevia or honey and cinnamon, but often I don't. It's my favorite way to eat oatmeal. The dried powdered milk adds creaminess and light sweetness. Usually, several hours later I'll snack on hummus and saltines, slices of extra sharp cheddar, fruit, baby-cut carrots, peanut butter on crackers, or Misu soup with mixed vegetables. It varies. 

Oddly enough, I don't eat oatmeal for breakfast, but occasionally as a quick dinner. Oatmeal with milk is an easy-peasy comfort food, relatively filling, and a good sometimes meal without much preparation or cleanup. It contains a decent amount of protein and lowers bad cholesterol in the body. My mother was told by her doctor to eat a bowl of oatmeal several times a week to lower her cholesterol, which she followed and after a time her doctor was able to wean her off of Lipitor, a necessary cholesterol-lowering drug. Oatmeal is a good fiber-rich food to work into a diet.

People make the mistake of buying single packages of instant oats when 1-minute or 5-minute oatmeal flakes quickly cook in a microwave just like the more expensive less healthy instant oatmeal. Knockoff brands from Amazon Walmart or supermarkets are great too and cheap. You can then add healthy ingredients like berries or nuts to it if you wish.

Another way I use oatmeal is in most recipes that call for breadcrumbs. Oatmeal comes in a big size while breadcrumbs come in much smaller quantities. I don't tend to stock breadcrumbs.

Next, I'll have to make this YouTube influencer's savory oatmeal dinner. With chopped vegetables, milk, eggs, water, and grated parmesan cheese, it looks easy and scrumptious!

BAKED OATS (makes 6 slices)

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats (180g) 1/4 cup ground oats, or oat flour (25g) 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy (240ml) 1 cup water (240ml) 2 eggs 1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1/2 cup grated melting cheese - gouda or cheddar cheese (50g) 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (20g) 1 medium onion 2 cloves garlic 1 small zucchini (130g) 1/3 cup frozen peas (50g) 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (80g) NUTRITIONAL INFO (per slice): 223 calories, fat 7.9g, carb 27.3g, protein 11.4g Preparation: First, saute onions and garlic over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, then add sliced zucchini and frozen peas and cook for the next 3-4 minutes. Add rolled oats and toast for 5 minutes, to develop a lovely nutty flavor. While it's cooling down, prepare the wet mixture. In a bowl add, eggs, milk, water, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, grated gouda or cheddar cheese, and ground oats combined with baking powder, and mix it well. Now, add the vegetables and toasted oats and stir well together. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Grease your baking dish with some butter and pour the mixture in. Bake at 350F (180C) for 40 minutes. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes, then cut into 6 equal pieces and serve with spoonful of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of hot sauce.

Photo & recipe courtesy of How To Cook Smarter

You may also enjoy:

Eaters Beware

The World's Healthiest Cuisines

Healthy Real Food Is Not Expensive

The Five Second Rule For Food Is Untrue