A Light

If you're new to this blog, I should probably tell you now: I've got a huge crush on oats. 

Flavored oatmeal, oat-based cookies, oats in yogurt, anything and everything involving the grain, really.

Just about every morning since starting this foray into gluten-free living, I find myself fiending for a bowl of the heart healthy stuff. I end up begrudgingly resisting the urge, knowing full well that not all oats are technically gluten free.

But the other day, after seeing Ashley's recipe for Pumpkin Muffin Buckwheat Bake, I saw a potential light at the end of my oatless tunnel.

Turns out, buckwheat is gluten free! (despite the word wheat in the name)

The nutrition facts aren't too shabby either:

I got to work on the recipe...

Chia seeds are a requirement, as they keep the mixture from turning out too liquidy.

(Those little sprigs of green are more or less a permanent fixture on all my cutting boards and counter tops. I clean them up and they just keep. re.appearing.)







I brought my decrepit oven out of hibernation and, after the smoke alarm went off five times in 20 minutes (due to the old/ disgusting/ practically useless oven- not my cooking), the muffin was done.

Just in time to serve as dessert to my gigante luncheon salad of the day:

spinach, red bell pepper, cucumber, celery, black eyed peas and vinaigrette

After adding some blueberries and a touch of maple syrup to the lump of goodness, we were talkin'...

Pure delicious.

Be warned, this is not your standard oat-laden treat. If you like things on the sweeter side, I'd suggest adding a little stevia extract to the mix. Also, the final product is extremely dense and fiber-filled (fine by me). Just know you'll be full for a good couple of hours.

Pre-work dinner was a new creation from Crazy, Sexy Diet and something that I crave pretty regularly!

Pesto Pasta.

This gluten-free, vegan version is far too easy to make to be passed up.

All you have to do is gather your FIVE ingredients (olive oil and salt not pictured)

That's:

-2 garlic cloves
-2 cups of tightly packed basil (made me long for my former baby plant)
-1/2 cup of pine nuts
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/2 t of sea salt

dump them into your blender

And within 2 minutes, you've got a [gluten-free] pasta dish fit for a fancy menu (minus the tupperware, of course).

I used quinoa rotelle pasta for its protein content, but any gluten-free option will do.

The taste was a thousand times better than any pre-prepared pesto you might find in store-bought jars or cans. It'd be great on pizza too!

As for that frozen gluten-free veggie patty competition I mentioned the other day, the results were mixed.

The contenders in question:

and a more popular brand we all know and love:

INGREDIENTS : NO TRANS FAT � NO ADDED MSG � NO PRESERVATIVES(VEGAN): ORGANIC MUSHROOMS, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC BROWN RICE, FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC TOFU (FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC SOYBEANS, NIGARI [MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE, A NATURAL FIRMING AGENT]), ORGANIC CELERY, ORGANIC CARROTS, ORGANIC SWEET RICE FLOUR, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC PINTO BEANS, HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, SEA SALT, ORGANIC TOMATO PUREE, ORGANIC TAMARI (WATER, ORGANIC SOYBEANS, SALT), ORGANIC CORNSTARCH, ORGANIC GREEN BELL PEPPERS, ORGANIC GREEN ONIONS, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, ORGANIC GARLIC, ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, ORGANIC BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES, ORGANIC GREEN CHILES, SPICES*, BLACK PEPPER, GRAIN VINEGAR (DISTILLED FROM CORN), MUSTARD SEED, NATURAL HICKORY SMOKE FLAVOR.CONTAINS SOY.

**** This ingredient list was taken from the website, as the side of 

the box was nearly impossible to read when photographed.

They look pretty similar pre-cooked:

Annie on the left, Sunshine on the right

I prepared them both on the stovetop (Annie's required an oiled pan and less time on each side, while Sunshine could go without oil and took about 7 minutes longer overall)

The final spread

(that's brown rice tortillas on the side, along with sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli and a little avocado for good measure)

We bit in, our palates ready to discern good flavor from great, and came up with two different conclusions.

I loved the Indian spice-like flare of the Sunshine breakfast patty, but Alex really dug Annie's bistro version.

Annie's texture was a little grainier and crunchy while Sunshine had a potato, almost samosa-like feel. Note: there are no potatoes in the mix.

You can't really go wrong with either, unless you're watching your soy intake or cash flow, in which case I'd say Sunshine is the way to go since a box of 3 goes for $4.69 and Annie's pack of 4 Bistro burgers is a whopping $7.29.

OR... If you want to try something completely out of the box (pahaha), you can always go the safest, healthiest and most satisfying route possible: homemade veggie burgers.

Yum!

Alright, I'm getting hungry.

As for tomorrow's post: Christian and I finally caught up with the World Series of Food earlier today after a brief hiatus due to our hectic schedules.

On the menu? Burma!

Followed by a solo trip to my newest obsession in town.

Want a hint?

Stay tuned for full disclosure :)