Steel-Cut Risotto

Risotto is delicious. It's also time consuming and requires an inappropriate amount of attention while cooking. Enter rice's best friend, oats! Subbing steel-cut oats for arborio may seem like a lazy way to avoid the grocery store - but it's really quite brilliant.  Thus far, my efforts at steel-cut oat risotto have yielded better results than the original. Try it, you'll see!

1 c steel cut oats, soak for 1 hour (or all day)
1 T olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c white wine
2 c broth (or water and bouillon)
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 c mushrooms
1/2 c spinach
2 T nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 t salt
pepper to taste
Cheesy substitute to top if desired, although it's pleasantly creamy without.

Soak your oats. Do it. Then, when you're ready:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add oats and lightly toast for another 3 minutes or so.  Add your wine, stir, and bring to a simmer. Add sun-dried tomatoes. After your wine has evaporated, add 1 c of broth, stirring to avoid oat stickage. Drop in your mushrooms. Add the last broth cup after the first dose has been absorbed. add the remaining ingredients. Once all the liquid has disappeared, you're ready to go!

Carrot Fake

Oh hey girl, hey. Been a while. I've been making a lot of random sub-par foodstuffs lately, mostly from unwanted food waste, and nothing worth blogging about.  This recently recurring recipe is a change of pace. So hey, why not put it on the internet. Note that it's not original. Stealz. But tasty.  Most convenient this tasty dessert requires no cooking - because who can wait for sugary goodness?

The Fake Part
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup walnuts
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt


The Top Part
2 cups raw cashews, soaked
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
juice from 1/2 lemon

In a food processor, shred carrots. Switch blades, add the remaining ingredients and smoosh until well chopped and mixed but still identifiable objects. Spread into the bottom of a bread pan or pie dish. Don't wash your food processor. But in all the top part ingredients and mix until its as liquid and smooth as it with get. If you need to add extra water to get it smoother go for it, but the intent is for it to be a self-supported goo so don't go too wild.  Once smooth, spread on top of what is in your pan. Then immediately take it back out of the pan and put it in your mouth.