Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

When I first discovered baked oatmeal, I was in college and was immediately excited about the dish. An oatmeal that I actually liked! I went home to my mom’s house and told her about my discovery. As I was explaining it to her, she said, “Sounds a bit like cake. “

I furrowed my brow. Cake? I mean sure, it has some similar ingredients. But it is “better for me.” Right? In truth, that version of baked oatmeal was a lot like cake. I think it called for both sugar and flour. But, it also taught me that I can like oatmeal. Baked, it became something that I enjoyed.

I still make baked oatmeal every now and again, adding in seasonal fruits and nuts (like this cinnamon berry pecan baked oatmeal). These days, the main difference is that I sweeten it with maple syrup, honey, or fruit, and use whole ingredients. And while it is a pretty carb-heavy dish, I find that rolled oats do keep me full through the morning until lunch. The other main advantage? One batch lasts us the better half of a week, so breakfast is squared away in the morning for a few days.

With this recipe, I’ve taken the idea of a cake and folded it in: carrot cake baked oatmeal. (Carrot cake — definitely a cake. But it calls for vegetables!) Along with rolled oats, you fold in carrots, raisins, coconut, fresh ginger and even walnuts (I love the crunch these add. If you do not like walnuts, try pecans). All of those together combined to make a pretty hearty oatmeal — one that’s not really cake, but you can imagine it is, while knowing you’re eating something much more nourishing!

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Published January 3, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 8   |    Active Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup shredded desiccated coconut + 2 tablespoons for topping

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 cup milk

1 cup whole milk yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts + 2 tablespoons for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup coconut.
3. Add egg, honey/maple syrup, melted butter, freshly grated ginger, milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir until everything is incorporated.
4. Fold in shredded carrot, raisins, and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
5. Spread mixture in an even layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons coconut and chopped walnuts.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until edges of oatmeal begin to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Warm Gruyère, Roasted Garlic & Thyme Dip

It is about 21°F this morning. The cold always me makes me crave crave warm, cozy dishes. This gruyère, roasted garlic and thyme dip  is just the thing to take to a New Years Eve cocktail party, or simply enjoy on the sofa after a long day, with your feet kicked up (build a fire in that fireplace, while you’re at it!).

I went to a cocktail party this fall (potluck style), and there were at least three different spinach and artichoke dips! Tasting and comparing them all was fun, but really? Three versions? Seems everyone was on the same page that night. I LOVE spinach artichoke dip, and this dip hits the same craving but mixes it up a bit.

The first step in this recipe is to roast a whole head of garlic. Have you roasted garlic before? YUM. It becomes golden and soft and spreadable. I roasted an extra head of garlic while I was making the one for this dip just so we could have it. It makes the best garlic garlic bread or compound butter. You may as well make the most of having the oven on!

Surprisingly, even with a whole head of garlic in this dip, it’s a subtle flavor — not a “I’m going to be breathing garlic for the rest of the night,” flavor. The gruyère and cream cheese soften it. Thyme adds an herbaceous note. The leftovers (if you have leftovers — in the realm of cheese that’s a rare story) do well as a sandwich spread or tucked inside of an omelette with sautéd mushrooms.

The new year is almost here! Wishing everyone a joyful 2019!

Warm Gruyère, Roasted Garlic & Thyme Dip

Published December 7, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 75 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 head of garlic

1 teaspoon olive oil or avocado oil

8 ounces sour cream, at room temperature

2 ounces cream cheese

2 ounces gruyère, finely grated, plus 2 tablespoons for topping

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon minced parsley for garnish

For serving: crudités, crackers, crusty bread, etc.

Directions:

1. First, roast the garlic: preheat oven to 350° F. Chop the very top off of the head of garlic. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive/avocado oil. Place in oven and roast 45 minutes, until cloves are golden and soft.
2. Allow garlic to cool until you can easily touch it without burning your hands, about 15 minutes. Squeeze garlic cloves into a medium-sized mixing bowl, discarding of the garlic papers. Mash garlic.
3. Add sour cream, cream cheese, 2 ounces gruyère, salt, black pepper, and thyme to bowl. Use a fork to mix until well combined.
4. Spread cheese mixture in a ramekin or cocotte dish. Do not over fill—make sure there is at least 1/4-inch of extra room in the dish to avoid bubbling over. Top with remaining 2 tablespoons gruyère, and place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and just starting to brown in spots on the top.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before sprinkling with minced parsley and serving with crudités, crackers, or crusty bread.
6. Leftovers? Eat them cold as a spread on toast, sandwiches, etc, or re-warm the dip in the microwave for 30-second intervals or in an oven until warmed through.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos

There is a lot of folk lore surrounding the creation of mole poblano — the chocolate chili sauce Mexico is so known for.

One theory is that a convent of nuns invented mole for an archbishop in an effort to impress him, when no other ingredients could be found. Another story says that it was all a mistake, that a monk (rather than a nun) first made the dish for the archbishop when he accidentally knocked several stray spices into the pot. Either way, both versions tie the sauce back to over 300 years ago!

It’s no wonder there is so much speculation over the dish’s origins… mole sauce recipes typically call for a hefty list of seemingly random ingredients. But that’s part of the magic: it may not strike you that raisins and tomatoes and chili powder and cocoa will blend well together, but sure enough, the result is stellar. Spicy, tangy, with a rich backdrop, thanks to the chocolate.

Something else stays consistent across almost every origin story, and that’s that mole is for special occasions. My dad will slave over a batch of mole for Christmas dinner; and me? I usually save it for a day when I know I can sit down and really take the time to enjoy the meal.

Such a complex sauce does not need many frills. Simmer some chicken (or turkey, or pork, or black beans, or whatever you have) until tender, and then serve simply. All you need for a fancy taco is a corn tortilla, some chicken in mole sauce and a sprinkle of cilantro. A few thin slices of red onion certainly brighten it up, and why not — a few pepitas on top for crunch (you have them out from making the sauce, anyhow). Now, this isn’t the traditional way to serve mole, which is over a bed of rice, but it’s easy nonetheless, and everything is delicious as a taco.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos

Published December 18, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6-8   |    Active Time: 60 active minutes

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Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs)

1 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons ancho chili powder

2 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the can (find canned chipotles in adobo in the Mexican section of your grocery store. Most canned have quite a few peppers, use a spoon to scoop out two)

1 16-oz can of diced tomatoes

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground anise

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch ground cloves

1/4 cup pepitas, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons raisins

1 cinnamon stick (about 2-3 inches long)

For serving: corn tortillas, cilantro, finely sliced red onion

Directions:

1. In a skillet, or the bottom of you Instant Pot/Slow Cooker (set to the Sauté setting), heat coconut oil and sauté onion and garlic until onion is transparent. Turn off heat once onions are cooked.
2. Transfer the onion mixture to a blender, and add cocoa, chili powder, chipotles and adobo sauce, canned tomatoes, cumin, coriander, anise, black pepper, salt, ground cloves, pepitas, sesame seeds, and raisins. Place lid on blender and purée until smooth.
3. Place chicken in the bottom of your Instant Pot/Slow Cooker. Pour sauce over top, and add cinnamon stick. Place lid on pot and set to slow cook on “medium” for 6 hours or “high” for 4 hours.
4. When timer goes off, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (should fall apart easily) and serve in warm tortillas topped with fresh cilantro, red onion, and pepitas.