Sweet Potato + Avo + Sauerkraut

Breakfast.

Breaking the all-night fast.

This breakfast recipe I got from my naturopath....and I've been jazzing it up all summer and fall long.

Why so special? 

It's simple to put together. Cut up a sweet potato very thinly, throw the slices in the oven at 400 degrees, 9 minutes on each side. A couple more minutes maybe if you want to get it really crispy. Mash up one ripe avocado, lather it over the sweet-potato-slices. A forkful of sauerkraut on top. A generous shower of black sesame seeds. That's all. 

It easily allows for real multi-tasking. Throw the sweet potato in the oven. In the first 9 minutes: mash up the avocado; take the remaining ingredients out of the fridge and onto the kitchen counter; make the bed. In the next 9 minutes: wash any leftover dishes from the night before. The oven timer is not off yet, so look around, tidy up and make space for the day to unfold.

Everything happens on the chopping board (save for the time in the oven). Chop, assemble and serve on the board.

It's savory. A deep celebratory howl for savory breakfasts, everyone.

It's light yet wonderfully filling. Break your fast with this...and then face your day, tummy light, body spring’y, and eyes wide open.

Did we forget? It's delicioso.

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Feeds one

Recipe from the Integrative Health Institute in Toronto 

Ingredients:
1/2 of a medium-sized sweet potato; thinly sliced lengthwise (about 15 slices)
1 medium to large avocado; mashed, together with a couple of pinches of sea salt
Sauerkraut; a forkful for each sweet potato slice
A generous sprinkle of black sesame seeds

Creative steps: 
Bake sweet potato slices in the oven at 400 degree Celsius for 9 minutes on each side. For each side, begin checking for readiness at the 5 minute mark to prevent the slices from burning. Add more minutes as needed until the slices are cooked through and slightly crispy. Top sweet potato slices with mashed avocado (a tablespoon or so per slice) and sauerkraut (a forkful per slice). Sprinkle black sesame seeds on top. EnJoy.

Jazzing it up: 
Instead of avo -- hummus. Something creamy.
Instead of sauerkraut -- sliced cucumber or sliced tomatoes or both. Something moist (and veggie).
Instead of sauerkraut -- kimchi. This one I found to be too intense and a bit weird. 

The OATMEAL 2.0

Nothing stays the same, and that is true even to an innocent bowl of oatmeal.

Maybe before, a few slices of banana was the way to go....but now...more banana please.
Maybe before, one tablespoon of maple syrup did the trick....but now....one teaspoon only please.
Maybe before, you didn't have the sense to add shredded coconut...but now....not without it please.
Maybe before, ....

The basic combination of...

- Dried fruits + fresh fruits
- Nuts + seeds

...remains unchanged.

The 2.0, however, is not too sweet, yet far from being bland. Hidden from view - mixed in the oats - is the pumpkin seed butter (or any nut/seed butter of your choice) which gives it a rich, savory-like taste. With the sweetness of the banana, the dried fruit (dried mulberries are gem) and a tad bit of real maple syrup, everything comes to a balance.

A moment of silence for The OATMEAL 2.0.

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Serves one 

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup quick steel-cut oats
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup soy milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
1 tsp pumpkin seed butter (or almond/cashew/peanut butter)
1 tbsp crushed walnuts
1 tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp dried mulberries (or dried figs, prunes, raisins)
1/2 of a medium-sized banana, thinly sliced
1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp pure cacao powder
1 tsp pure maple syrup

Creative steps: 
Put the oats in a small pot, add the water, and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy milk and let it cook until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble slightly, about 1 or 2 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin seed butter and then immediately remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients on top - artfully to your heart's desire. And...enjoy! As mindfully as possible.  

Spicy Tom Yam

What's a Tom Yam? 

One of many Thai soups - and from my limited, but growing, knowledge of Thai cuisine - one that is...simple to make. Boil water. Add flavourings. Add veggies. Pronto.  

It's flavoured by the usual Thai suspects: lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, alliums. It also calls for a fresh red chili, smashed, which...goes a long way in the route of spicy. And this vegan version has all kinds of veggies and fungi...including, in this case, the bat-ear mushroom. 

Crunchy like a liver. And almost strange...

Aside from the small dose of mushroom sauce and soy sauce, it's all...very light. Watery, as opposed to soupy, and yet so flavourful...and loaded with veggies. Paired with fruits, one of the more perfect breakfasts.

Feeds two

Ingredients:

1 lemongrass, cut into 4-inch wide bits

3x3 inch galangal, sliced

2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded from the midrib (to diffuse its most amount of flavour)

1 fresh red chili, smashed

1 small shallot, peeled and crushed

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 bat-ear mushroom, roughly sliced

4 wild mushrooms, shredded

4 Oyster mushrooms, sliced in big chunks 

4x4 inch firm tofu, cubed in big chunks 

1 small tomato, cubed

1 small carrot, sliced horizontally 

1½ cups of water 

1 tb of soy sauce 

1 tb of mushroom sauce 

2 tbs of lime juice 

1 tsp of brown sugar 

A pinch of sea salt 

3 tbs of roughly chopped cilantro

Creative Steps:

Add the water to a pot, bring to a boil and then add the lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallot, kaffir lime leaves and chili. After 2 to 3 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients except for the cilantro. Continue to cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the carrot is soft but slightly crunchy. Remove the pot from the heat and throw in the cilantro. Let cool a bit, eat mindfully...and enjoy! 

Borscht: Slavic-Style Beetroot Soup

When you wake up to a blizzard at 4 in the morning...

You stay in...and make borscht.

Recipe from the Ontario Vipassana Centre in Canada, adapted from one that feeds 150 to one that feeds up to 5 as a side dish

Ingredients: 
1 small-sized yellow onion, sliced
2 medium-sized carrots, grated
2 medium-sized beetroots, grated
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley (or dried dill, or dried oregano, or dried basil)
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 small (smallest) tin of tomato paste - about 1/2 a cup
2 medium-sized yellow potatoes, grated
1/2 of a small green cabbage, sliced thinly OR 2 handfuls of Brussels sprouts, sliced thinly
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper to garnish

Creative steps: 
In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for three minutes, or until the onion starts to soften. Add the carrots and cook for three minutes, or until the carrots start to soften. Add the beetroots, dried parsley and thyme, vinegar, tomato paste, and a cup of water; the resulting consistency should be that of a thick tomato sauce - add more water if needed. Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

In another pot or large pan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add potatoes, cabbage, and bay leaves - if the vegetables are not totally submerged in the water, add more hot water until they are. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Then transfer the potato/cabbage mixture into the other pot, add salt, and then simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft but still retain a bit of texture or crunchiness; check for readiness at the 15 minute mark to ensure that the vegetables do not get overcooked. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, and ta ta enjoy!