Household Blog

I love oats. It’s one of those pretty amazingly wonderful perfect foods—delicious, comforting,nourishing both inside and out, can be eaten raw or cooked, chewy, crunchy, gooey, you name it. And affordable, that’s a bonus too, only somewhat more expensive if you have to get gluten free oats. And they grow right here in Virginia. If I had to pick a grain to have a crush on, oats would be the one.

Normally in the colder months I opt for hot oatmeal or granola, but more and more in the hot, humid summer months that we get here in Richmond, I try to stay away from cooking much, especially things that steam. We don’t need any more steam down here, no thank you. So cooking passively has been a thing. But shoot, with oats, there doesn’t even need to be cooking at all!

For the summer months, try muesli for your breakfast. With so many enticing fruits in season, who could resist?

Muesli

• 1/2 c. gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 t. plain yogurt
• Water
• Sweetener of choice, to taste (brown sugar, honey, agave syrup, jam, maple syrup, etc.)
• Dried or fresh fruit of choice
• Raw nuts or seeds

The night before, place your oats in a bowl, add the yogurt, raw nuts, and cover with enough water to just cover it all. Mix the yogurt in, then cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight—this ferments the oats, making it even more healthful and easier to digest. The next morning, add in your sweetener to taste and fruit of choice. You can also add in some more yogurt if you like. Mix and enjoy. Easy as… well, actually, much easier than pie.

Stay cool!

Credit for this simple epitome-of-summer recipe goes to my wonderful grandparents, Buddy and Marie. For as long as I can remember, this (along with their recipe for tomato pie) has been the ultimate summer meal. Fresh in-season ingredients brought in still warm from the garden, chopped, mixed, et voila: perfection. Serve with some fresh corn on the side, and it truly is the quintessential summertime meal. For me anyway. And the amounts are not specific—sorry—the measurements are just sort of till-it-looks/tastes-right.

Tomato Basil Pasta

• Tinkyada gluten free spaghetti or fettucini pasta
• 2 cloves garlic
• sea salt
• 2 or 3 large fresh tomatoes or the equivalent amount of grape or cherry tomatoes, coarsely chopped into bite-sized pieces
• a couple handfuls of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan for garnish, optional

Smash and peel garlic cloves, and put the whole smashed cloves in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Mix in enough sea salt to coat the garlic and press garlic into the salt. Add tomatoes, basil, a drizzle of olive oil (not too much, just a tablespoon or so, max), and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside at room temperature to let the flavors develop.

Cook your pasta per usual and drain, then immediately toss pasta with the tomato mixture. Serve, garnishing with parmesan, if desired. That’s it!

What’s your favorite summertime dish?

This dish is so good I made it two nights in a row, the first night with just eggplant, then again last night I used eggplant, zucchini, sweet bell pepper and onions. I could easily see this being adapted for fall and winter veggies too. So easy. Just chop, stir bake, and serve over rice, millet, quinoa—your grain of choice.

You can substitute your favorite hot sauce for sriracha or use honey instead of agave nectar, just do so to taste as they have different potency.

Spicy Summer Vegetables

• 1.5 pounds vegetables, chopped into largeish bite-sized pieces
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) tomato paste
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. Sriracha (depending on your heat tolerance)
• 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 heaping Tbsp. dried oregano, or 3 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 400. In the bottom of a large bowl, combine everything but the veggies. Add vegetables and mix well. Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake until fork tender. Serve over your grain of choice—rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, etc. Garnish with sesame seeds. Rub your belly for joy.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6—8 as a side dish.