Slow Oats

This morning was UF Slow Food's first breakfast potluck, conveniently also commemorating the first day of fall! A few members put together some beautiful breakfast treats and met up outside one of the dining halls on campus to tempt the morning rush of students away from fast food and toward us slow pokes. It was rather nice rising a little earlier than usual, enjoying the sun and breeze in a patch of grass before moseying on over to my first class. Taking one's time to enjoy such small moments, I think, is what Slow Food is all about.

Anyway, back to the food! Here's my recipe for, owing to their prep time, what simply must be called...

Slow Oats
serves 1, but easy to double or triple

1 cup gluten free rolled oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup unsulphured apricots, chopped
1 1/2-1 3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl, mix well, then pour the almond milk over top. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, stir in the cinnamon and agave and enjoy. So easy to prep, but every ingredient is thoroughly wholesome. It's actually almost like having rice pudding for breakfast. Who doesn't want that?!?!

Thanks to Nick for posing with the yummies!

Brunch is da best.

It seems like on Sundays and, on long weekends like this one, Mondays, brunch is a welcome inevitability. I lounge around in my jammies until it's just too late in the day for three full meals to be feasible. So on this lovely MLK Day, we made a big ol' skillet of home fries and some quick stove-top ketchup! I am so excited to have found such an easy ketchup alternative, since I really dislike high fructose corn syrup.



Home Fries
serves 4

4 tablespoons canola oil
6-7 medium potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon dried thyme
s&p

Heat the oil in a skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high. Add the onions and saute until slightly softened. Add the potatoes. Keep turning over the layers throughout the next 20 minutes, but do allow the bottom to begin to brown between tosses. Toss in your thyme, s&p. Test a larger chunk of potato for doneness.

Homemade Ketchup!!!
a slight adaptation of Jae Steele's recipe, serves 4

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch

Place all the ingredients but the tomato sauce and arrowroot in a small saucepan on high heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, stir in the sauce and starch, cover and cook for about 8 minutes.

Scoop some ketchup onto a big pile of potatoes, mix 'em up and EAT.