Newest Milk Craze: Oat Milk

We recently introduced our students to the newest milk hype: Oat Milk. 

                                                                                                                                                               Oat milk is a great alternative to cows milk and nut milk. It is rich in beta-glucan, which can help keep cholesterol levels in check. Nutritional benefits aside, oat milk is naturally creamy and sweet, and lots of people are reporting it's the best-tasting milk alternative on the block.

There are plenty of oat milk brands to choose from. But we wanted to share a 5-minute way to make homemade oat milk!
 

Servings:  (1/2-cup servings)

Category: Beverage

Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan

Freezer Friendly 1 month

Does it keep? 5 Days

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 4 cups water
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional to add sweetness)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 Tbsp cocoa or cacao powder for "chocolate milk" (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh berries for "berry milk" (optional)

 

Instructions

1. Add oats, water, salt, and any additional add-ins (optional) to a blender. Top with lid and cover with a towel to ensure it doesn't splash. Blend for about 1 minute or until the mixture seems well combined. It doesn't have to be 100% pulverized. In fact, over-blending can make the oat milk slimy in texture.
2. Scoop out a small sample with a spoon to test flavor/sweetness. If it's not sweet enough, add more sweetener.
3. Pour the mixture over a large mixing bowl or pitcher covered with a very thin towel or a clean T-shirt. In my experience, it benefits from a double strain through a very fine towel to remove any oat remnants. A nut milk bag seemed to let too much residue through.
4. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate. Will keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days (sometimes more). Shake well and enjoy cold. DO NOT HEAT or it will thicken and become gelatinous in texture. It's delicious as is or added to granola, and smoothies.

 

Spring Time Eating

Spring Time Eating:

As we all know, eating seasonally is very important. Food is tastier and fresher and even more nutritious in during the Spring. Foods that are in season are packed with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. It’s time to take advantage of all the fruits and vegetables that spring has to offer.  Here are some of my favorite fruits and vegetables that are now in season. There are so many to choose from:

 Fruits - Apricots, mangos, pineapples, honeydew, cantaloupe, cherries

 Vegetables- Artichoke, Asparagus beans, lettuce greens, carrots, beets

Besides eating seasonal. Here are some other tips to eating for spring:

Lighten up your meals, stay away from heavy carbs such as rice and bread.
Make a seasonal salad day with lettuces like romaine, bib, butter, mesclun, and spring veggies such as carrots, snap peas, asparagus, fennel and radish.

Use herbs like chives, tarragon, scallions, mint and dill and bright, lemony notes with spices like sumac and nigella seeds.

Blend up a springtime pesto with arugula, mint, lemon zest, walnuts and parmesan and use it in salads, on steamed veggies and with lean proteins.

Happy Spring Eating !!!

Chinese New Year

Family is the basis of the Chinese society,  this is seen through the significance placed on the New Year’s Eve dinner or reunion dinner. This feast is extremely important to the Chinese. All family members must come back. Even if they truly can’t, the rest of the family will leave their spot empty and place a spare set of utensils for them. 

F00d is one of the things that the Chinese take the most pride in. And of course, lot of care and thought is put into the menu for the most important holiday of the year. As with Chinese New Year activities and decorations, the dishes are created to give blessings for the next year. Both the names and looks are symbols of wishes for prosperity, happiness and fortune.   Each region may have a different customs but there are some common dishes seen on every table. Such as springs rolls, dumplings,  and noodles.  

 

Check out this easy Chinese Chicken Dumpling:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbl rice vinegar 

1 tbl chives, chopped

1 tbl sesame seeds

1 tbl chile-garlic sauce

1 pound chicken 

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

50 dumpling wrappers

1 cup canola oil for frying

1 quart water, or more as needed

 

Directions:

1. Combine 1/2 cup soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon chives, sesame seeds, and chile sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Mix chicken, garlic, egg, 2 tablespoons chives, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Place a dumpling wrapper on a lightly floured work surface and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the middle. Wet the edge with a little water and crimp together forming small pleats to seal the dumpling. Repeat with remaining dumpling wrappers and filling.
3. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place 8 to 10 dumplings in the pan and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Pour in 1 cup of water, cover and cook until the dumplings are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Repeat for remaining dumplings. Serve with soy sauce mixture for dipping.

10 top foods that will become a trend in 2019

What’s new with food ….
Without a question food is a huge staple in our lives. Food brings us all together – around the table and around the world. Research shows that one of the biggest search engines for recipes and food ideas in 2018 is Pinterest, with more than 23 billon recipes and dining ideas to uncover. Pinterest has anything from breakfast to late night snacks recipes.
Recently, Pinterest released an article discussing 10 top foods that will become a trend in 2019. Are you ready for some new trends?
Here are my top five out of the list.

Grazing tables – These family- style tables are a feast for the eyes. They are an open invitation for everyone to dig in. It has become the perfect table for any special occasion, family gathering and holidays. What would you put on your grazing table?

Bread Making - searches for baking bread have increased by 413 percent since last year. Especially for fermented loaves like sour sourdough. Have you baked bread yet?

Oat milk – The world is going crazy over oat milk. Oat milk consist of steel cut oats that have been soaked. blended and strained with cheese cloth or a special nut bag. It’s become one of the best substitutes for lactose free and nondairy eaters and even be used in recipes as a milk alternative.

Chayote- (pronounced cho-cho)- You can never get bored with this versatile gourd. It can be eaten raw. It’s so versatile your options are limitless. Not only that is complements all kinds of cuisines.

Foil pack dinners- Nothing screams meal prep like these one pan dinners. These meals are perfect for the busy person, that just doesn’t have the time. Less mess, affordable, not much effort needed.