Monday, January 17, 2011

Sweets & Savouries All in a Tizzies

Saturday morning was one of severe indecision. Nothing/everything appealing, something unsettled. I slip into these spaces sometimes where the tiny decisions are really hard to make and the big ones are impossible to even think about. Even breakfast.

I've been wanting to cook and eat more simply lately, but I often have a hard time stopping myself from adding 'just one more thing'. I told myself to buck up and just do something, finally. To pick and to do. I settled on savoury oats after having wanted to try them earlier in the week. I've also been meaning to eat less sweets.

But then I also remembered this delicious sauce that my sweet heart friends make at breakfast when I stay at their house some weekends. And so I went there so swiftly from nothing to two things and rather than racking my brain trying to sway one way or the other I enjoyed a simple and adventurous Saturday breakfast.

Steel-Cut "Egg Sandwich" Oats
-1/4 C. steel cut oats
-~1 C. water (you might need to add more, so keep an eye out)
~1 tbsp butter
Pinch of salt 'n' pepper

>Mix this all together in a small pot. Cook the steel-cuts, uncovered, on med-low. Stir often so they don't burn. They'll take about 15 or 20 minutes.
In the meantime:
-dice 1/2 a tomato
-cut up a little bunch of kale (I'd say 1-or-2-or-so leaves)

When the oats are nearly done: mix in the tomatoes and the greens. Make a small well in the middle of the oats. Break an egg in there. I like to break the yolk, too, because I don't like it runny, even a little bit. Put a lid on the oats and turn the burner down a bit to cook the egg. When the egg was mostly cooked I mixed it all up, let it sit for another minute to make sure all the yolky bits were solid, and then scooped it into a bowl. I topped it with a generous sprinkling of nutritional yeast, also.

Sweet Breakfast Buttnut Sauce (as inspired by my friend Julia as inspired by Jae Steele's "Ripe").
Mix together:
1 tbsp flax oil
1 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

Cut some butternut squash into thin wedges, steam them until soft, and then top them with this sauce. You won't regret it. (It's also really good with sweet potatoes, apples, grapefruits, celery... Mostly anything).

I have been plugging away at the enourmous New York Times Christmas Crossword, which was a gift from Matt from the Syracuse newspaper. Unfortunately, the more I work on it the more spaces get obscured by food slop. I like to have something to do while I eat sometimes, and besides, I ain't got anyone across from me to impress with my table manners.

2 comments:

Lynn said...

HERE'S WHAT YOU GOTTA DO. KEEP IT SIMPLE. CHEESY SCRAMBLED EGGS ON SOME VERSION OF TOAST, WITH BUTTER AND HONEY. SWEET AND SAVOURY. A LITTLE COLUMN A, A LITTLE COLUMB B.

YOURS,
LYNN

PS. THAT'S ONE HECK OF A CROSSWORD.

SA said...

One woman at the farm this summer used to put honey on her fried egg in the morning. I thought this was not OK, but now I see the light.

.. but maybe also because one time, there too, someone tried to make "chocolate omelettes" for evening snack, which is, yes, exactly what it sounds like. And that was real bad.

But, Lynn: Totally Genius.