If I had a dollar for all the times I’ve found myself riddled with food-boredom, I’d be rich enough to never cook again. Sadly, since this will never be the case, I turn to inventing some recipes to beat the monotony of the same old thing every day. If you too suffer from chronic food boredom, wait no longer, because I’m here to help.
These recipes are doable for chefs of all levels; it doesn’t matter whether you’re a total newbie, the next Barefoot Contessa, or somewhere in between.
1. Easy Chai-Spiced Oatmeal with Walnuts and Coconut
This oatmeal is one of the easiest breakfasts to make – you can even make it in advance! I like to make a big pot of oatmeal on Sunday nights and eat it for breakfast all week; instead of paying extra for wasteful individual packets of oatmeal, you can get more health benefits and far less sugar. This recipe is extremely quick and can be reheated in either the microwave or on the stove with a little bit of milk stirred in! To make more, just double the recipe but omit the toppings until you serve the oatmeal.
For one:
¼ cup Quick-Cooking Rolled Oats (I used McCann’s brand)
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond, Coconut, Soy, Hemp or Skim Milk + ¼ cup (for serving)
3 tbsp. Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
3 tbsp. Unsweetened Toasted Coconut
1 tsp. Powdered Chai Drink Mix or Chai Spice Mix (I used Big Train’s brand)
Dash of Nutmeg, to taste
Dash of Cinnamon, to taste
1 Split Vanilla Bean, just the seeds scooped out (can substitute w/ ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract)
2 tsp. Organic Brown Sugar
2 tbsp. Hemp Seeds (Optional, but add more protein and omega 3’s)
1. In a small saucepan, add milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla bean seeds and half the coconut. Turn heat to high and add oats slowly so they don’t splash. Mix slowly with wooden spoon.
2. Once all ingredients are incorporated, simmer on medium until oats are cooked to your preference.
3. Add Chai powder and stir.
4. Serve in a bowl and top with the remaining ¼ cup of milk of your choice, walnuts, brown sugar, and hemp seeds.
2. Crock Pot Coconut-Vanilla Brown Rice Pudding
When you really crave sweets but don’t want to feel too guilty about splurging, this dessert is a perfect option; the brown rice is healthier than white rice and the coconut milk and honey cut down the sugar and fat content. The best part is that you make it in a crock pot; so there’s little mess and you basically don’t have to do anything. Win-win. Netflix + Rice Pudding = your next Friday night.
2 cups Cooked Brown Rice, cooled
1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
3 cups Unsweetened Coconut Milk
2 tbsp. Chia Seeds
Nutmeg, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste
Honey, to taste
Toasted Coconut Chips
1. In a separate saucepan, heat the coconut milk with the nutmeg, cinnamon, and honey until warm and the honey is dissolved. Let cool.
2. Add the cooled rice to the crock-pot. Pour contents of saucepan over the rice carefully and sprinkle chia seeds into the pot.
3. Turn on crock-pot and heat on high until the contents are thoroughly heated.
4. Then reduce temperature to low, and let cook for a few hours until pudding has thickened slightly.
5. Once thicker, take inner pot out of crock-pot and let contents cool. Refrigerate overnight
6. Once the pudding has settled, it is ready to serve. You can top the pudding with all kinds of variations including chocolate chips, fresh fruit, nuts, granola, coconut – whatever you like.
3. Sautéed Tofu w/ Veggie Stir Fry
Don’t run, don’t hide – tofu is your friend. This dish is a favorite weeknight staple of mine (and soon to be yours), and the bright green cabbage and snap peas are a vibrant way to start eating healthier this spring.
1/2 package Firm Tofu
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of Rice Wine Vinegar
2 cloves fresh chopped garlic
1/4 cup Diced Onion (Red or White)
2 tbsp. Teriyaki Sauce (I use Soyaki brand, make sure not to get a sauce laden with sugar and avoid high fructose corn syrup)
1 cup chopped Cabbage
Small Handful of Cilantro
Sesame Seeds
10 baby carrots
1 Handful Spinach Leaves
Coconut Oil
1 Handful Sugar Snap Peas
1. Wash and dry all vegetables. In a large pan, heat coconut oil (1-2 tbsp. is fine) and add garlic and onion. Cook until translucent.
2. Meanwhile, heat a separate cast iron pan on medium/high and add coconut oil. When the pan is hot, add sliced tofu and cook until golden brown on each side. When finished, remove from heat and place on top of a plate with a paper towel on top.
3. Add all seasonings to the pan with garlic and onion except for the teriyaki sauce and then chop vegetables. Add all vegetables to the pan with the garlic and onion and sautée until vegetables are cooked but still crunchy.
4. Serve in a bowl with the veggie mixture on the bottom and tofu on top. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and drizzle teriyaki sauce.
4. Bruleed Grapefruit
This is a whole new way to look at fruit; for a long time, I neglected said grapefruit for its bitterness, but this changes everything. The sugar and broiling makes the grapefruit texture and flavor change. This goes well as a side for the oatmeal!
1 Ruby Red or Yellow Grapefruit (Note: This can also be done with other citrus fruits too!)
Organic Cane Sugar
1. Cut grapefruit in half. Using a knife, cut the grapefruit between the fruit and the rind all the way around so it will be easier to eat with a spoon.
2. Sprinkle sugar on each half of the grapefruit. Turn broiler on.
3. Broil grapefruit until top is golden brown.