Oat Sausage

Our fourth creative and delicious oat recipe is sausage! Yep! Vegan sausage is delicious, cholesterol free and high in fiber. It's really easy to make and easy to tweak the seasonings to your liking.

Preheat oven to 350.

Place all the following ingredients into a pot:

3 cups water

1/4 cup Tamari

2 Tablespoons granulated onion

1/2 Tablespoon granulated garlic

1/2 - 1 Tablespoon of crushed red pepper (if you don't like spicy you should leave this out or greatly reduce the amount)

1 teaspoon Bakon hickory seasoning or a drop or two of liquid smoke

1 Tablespoon EVOO

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon salt

 (You can change the amounts, eliminate or add other seasonings to your liking.)

Bring to a boil then add:

2 1/2 - 3 cups quick oats

Stir, return to boil then turn off heat and let set until the oats have absorbed all the liquid.

Use a small scoop to spoon out equal amounts on to parchment or spayed cookie sheet. You could also try to shape them into sausage shapes if it has cooled enough to handle.

Mash gently with a fork.

Bake for about 15 minutes on each side.

While they're in the oven I whip up some of Myrna's Healthy Ketchup. The Ketchup you buy in the store has more sugar ounce for ounce than ice cream not to mention all the other harmful things it contains. But, Myrna's ketchup is not only better tasting than the "leading brand" it is totally good for you!

Put in the blender:

1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 1/2 -2 teaspoons salt (to taste)

1/4 cup honey or 1/3 cup Florida Crystals (dried cane sugar)

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Just blend to mix and poor into a squeeze bottle. This recipe usually fills two of my large squeeze bottles so I use one and freeze the other for later use.  Since this is a fresh product and not full of preservatives it will last in you refrigerator for only a couple of weeks. (It is usually eaten long before that.)

Serve your oat sausage as a side dish to the rest of your breakfast or enjoy it alone.

Healthy eating!

Oat Pancakes ~ Fiber, Flavor and Fluff!

Our third recipe featuring amazing oats is one I've used for many years. I had tried many vegan pancake recipes only to be disappointed by the taste or texture. They were usually flat and or gummy instead of light and fluffy ~ the way a pancake should be. We were visiting my husbands cousin and his wife served us these pancakes for breakfast. Wow! I had finally found a delicious vegan pancake recipe.  Not only are these pancakes delicious but they are very nutritious and extremely filling — you won't be eating a full stack of these! Most people feel great after one or two of these yummy pancakes no matter what you top them with.

First, put in a medium mixing bowl:

3 cups of quick oats

4 cups of soy milk

Let soak.

In another bowl put:

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup white whole wheat flour (you can use unbleached white if you want)

2 Tablespoons fructose or Agave (If you use agave add it to the bowl containing the wet ingredients)

1 teaspoon salt

Add wet and dry ingredients together and add:

2 Tablespoons of oil

Mix well into a batter. It will look something like this. If you need it thinner just add a little water to get the right consistency.

Spoon out onto a very hot griddle in the size of pancakes you would like.

When the pancakes rise up and begin to look a little dry around the edge flip them over and cook the other side.

They will rise up nicely. No matter how tempted you are don't pat them down with the flipper — let them be fluffy!

 This recipe will make about 18 -20 pancakes.  Top them with fruit, applesauce, nut butters,  nuts, seeds, pure maple syrup or whatever you like! And enjoy an easy and delicious recipe that will give you energy all morning long.

Delicious Oat Patties

After you taste Phyllis's Oat Patties you are definitely going to ask for the recipe! The bad news is there really isn't one. But in this case that's actually the good news! These patties are easy to make and easy to personalize so that you can even call the recipe your own. You will only be limited my your own taste and creativity.

First, put the amount of quick oats you want in a bowl. This picture shows about three cups. Then add enough soy milk to barely cover the oats. While this sop soaks add any of the following: chopped onion, diced celery, chopped mushrooms, chopped nuts, minced garlic and whatever is your fancy. The patties featured here had diced onion ( about ¼ cup) and chopped pecans (about ½ cup). Season to taste with salt, season salt and any herbs you might like. Phyllis used some onion and herb seasoning and salt. Let the mixture continue to soak for about ten minutes.

After it has soaked for a while you should have a thick batter. Spoon out the size of patties you want onto a hot oiled griddle and let cook until browned on the bottom before turning them to cook the other side.

They should be a "yummy" brown color. Place them in a casserole dish (or if you want to eat them in a sandwich or as-is go right ahead).

When you have all the patties in the casserole then cover with your favorite gravy. Phyllis used a mushroom gravy. You could use a white cashew gravy or even a tomato gravy with equally delicious results.

Bake at 350 F degrees until the gravy bubbles and soaks in to the patties a bit. This will take less than a half hour.

And voila! Delicious!

Oat Waffles

A steaming bowl of oatmeal is the epitome of a healthy breakfast especially when it's topped with raw nuts and fresh fruit and a scatter of raisins or chopped dates and a sprinkle of shredded coconut. The health benefits of oats is so vast that it makes you want to eat them everyday! But seriously, oatmeal everyday? I don't think my family would vote for that and your family probably wouldn't either. For the next few blogs we are going to share ways you CAN enjoy the benefits of oatmeal everyday without eating it in a bowl.
The Health Benefits of Oats

Easy Oat Waffles

Plug in your waffle iron and set it on high.
Put all the following into the blender:

4 cups    Water
3 cups    Oats (rolled or quick)
1 cup      Nuts (raw is best -- I use pecans, walnuts or almonds)
1 tsp.      salt

Blend until creamy smooth.  (If I use almonds I like to drizzle a little olive oil in the blender while blending because almonds don't have as much natural oil as walnuts or pecans, or you can spray your waffle irons with spray oil.)

Optional: For the last couple seconds of blending sometimes I drop it a bunch of different seeds; hemp, sunflower, flax, pumpkin and sesame. Stop the blender soon after adding the seeds so they just get broken up and not blended up.

When irons are ready pour enough batter in the iron leaving room for expansion around the edges, maybe an inch or two.

Close lid and bake until the steam stops rising from the iron. I don't rely on the beeps because this will take a little long than regular flour based waffle recipes. To check for doneness lift the lid of the waffle iron and look; the waffle should be nicely browned.

 This recipe makes about 10 crispy, nutty and delicious waffles.  You can cut the recipe in half or just freeze or refrigerate the leftovers and warm them in the toaster at another time.

A favorite way to serve these is with almond butter or real peanut butter and unsweetened apple sauce.  You can top it with sliced bananas and a variety of berries or even a hot fruit sauce.

Of course you won't resist topping the waffles with real maple syrup... throw some nuts on top for more crunch and flavor.

Yes, there is a waffle underneath the pile of fresh veggies and cashew gravy!  This is actually my families favorite way to eat waffles.  Sprinkle with a little paprika or cayenne too.

I must say that my favorite way to eat waffles is with mashed avocado on top. I could eat this anytime of day.  It's filling, delicious and wholesome!

Be creative!  Whatever you put on toast you could put on a waffle!

Happy eating!