Dr. Lani Nykilchuk

Why does breakfast have to be sweet except when we decide to have an omelet, tofu scramble or sausage and eggs. 

Here is a new spin on your regular oat breakfast - make it savory. Add herbs and spices, olive oil, veggies and greens.

I’ve added quite a few ingredients to this recipe but don’t shy away from it because of this. Use what you have available and be creative. 

I’ve been enjoying this fare all week and I can’t tell you how satisfying it is. I was first introduced to this recipe by a friend of mine and it really blew me away. Hope it does the same for you!

 

 

 

 

Savory Breakfast Oats

Serves one

Ingredients:

1 cup organic rolled oats

1 tsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper- diced

1 green onion- chopped

~1/2 cup arugula

1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

greek yogurt(I suggest pasture fed cow or goat)

~1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 lemon juice

kalamata olives 3-4 chopped

hot pepper sauce to taste

Directions:

Cook oats as per directions ( a quick trick is to boil water, add your oats to a bowl and then add boiling water to just cover the oats. Let sit covered ~ 5 minutes)

While oats are cooking....

sauté - green onion and red pepper in a tsp of olive oil - can add rosemary, thyme, oregano to taste.

toast -seeds ~ 5 minutes low heat in toaster oven.

Place oats in a bowl, top with arugula, add a quick drizzle of olive oil and the juice of a 1/4 lemon, then add the sautéed vegetables, a dollop of yogurt if desired, olives, parsley, toasted seeds and a dash of hot pepper sauce if desired.

ENJOY!

 

I like preparing this dish at the beginning of the week. It makes a nice dinner and can be a great lunch either warm or cold with a side salad. 

It offers lots of flavours and is packed with protein, some slow carbs and lots of veg. What more can you ask for?

 

 

 

Salmon and Oat Bake

Adapted from Alive Magazine (Nov 2012)

Serves 4 - 6

 

Ingredients:

2 cans of wild pink or sockeye salmon (~ 450g)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup rolled oats

1 large carrot grated

1 small red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup parsley- chopped

1/2 cup greens - chards/kale -chopped

1/2 lemon- juiced

1 Tbsp- grated or prepared horseradish

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all ingredients together

flatten into greased 9 x 9 pan

bake for 30-40 minutes or until salmon is crispy.

Serve with side salad or sauerkraut.

 

ENJOY!

The rhubarb in my garden is still growing strong, which has me looking for new ways to use up the stalks that seem to appear over night.

I’ve made some sauces/jams for pancakes and the likes, as well as a few rhubarb crumbles, but this time I decided to go with a square. The lovely thing about fruit squares is that they can easily be made dairy-free, gluten-free and egg-free- making them an option for almost everyone.

If you’re like me and not one to plan out time for baking, here’s my suggestion- choose to bake on a day that you plan to cook with the oven. I will often bake a sweet treat if I am doing pizza or baked yam fries or chicken and pop it in at the end. There is usually some time available while you wait for dinner to bake so this is when you can get your baking set to go in. The best part about planning it this way is that it’s hot-out-of-the-oven just in time for desert.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Squares- Vegan/Gluten-Free

Ingredients

Filling

8 stalks of rhubarb, chopped

1 pint strawberries, chopped

5 dates, pitted

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp flour (I used quinoa flour but any flour will do)

 

Crust

8 Tbsp coconut oil, softened

1 cup flour ( I used brown rice)

1/2 cup almond meal (or an extra 1/2 cup flour)

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it- I did ~ a half cup and it had a nice sweetness to it).

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

 1 Tbsp honey (optional)

 

Directions:

For the filling

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, stir together the rhubarb, strawberry, dates and lemon juice. After letting it cook for about 5 minutes, slowly add 1 tbsp of flour- stirring continuously to avoid clumping. Continue to cook over medium heat for an extra 1-3 minutes, or until the mixture thickens.

Preheat oven to 350

For the crust

In a large mixing bowl, place 8 tbsp coconut oil and let bowl sit over oven to allow the radiant heat to soften the oil. Combine flour, almond meal, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and sea salt.

Lightly coat 9”x3” baking dish with coconut oil and then spread 3/4 of the crumb mixture on the bottom. Evenly spread filling over the crust and then sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture on top. 

Bake for ~ 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Optional, take crumble out at 25 minutes and drizzle 1 tbsp of honey over the top.

Enjoy!