Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

A delightful way to eat oatmeal in the heat of the summer.

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Keep Oats in your Diet
Oats have the fiber "beta-glucan" which can help lower bad cholesterol which in turn lowers the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. But when the weather heats up, you may not crave a bowl of hot oatmeal.

Adding uncooked rolled oats to your favorite smoothie is a refreshing way to get those healthy oats into your diet. Here's a simple recipe that uses seasonal strawberries and provides 6 grams of fiber per serving.

In the following recipe, you can substitute the almond butter and water for almond milk or any nondairy milk. 

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Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smooth
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free (see note)
[makes 2 (1 1/2 Cup) Servings]

Requirements
High Speed Blender

Ingredients
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 packet stevia

Directions
Place all the ingredients in your high speed blender and process until smooth.

Nutrition
Per serving: 206 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 124 mg omega-3 and 1498 mg omega-6 fatty acid, 5 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, and 4 mg sodium.

Note
Although oats are naturally gluten free, they are sometimes cross contaminated. So if you have celiac or are extremely sensitive to gluten, use certified gluten free rolled oats.

A Review Of Cashew, Almond And Coconut Yogurts

There are many non-dairy yogurts to choose from.

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In Search of Dairy-Free Yogurt
Quite a few people have given up or reduced their consumption of dairy. Many are either lactose intolerant or allergic to milk proteins, some are vegans who avoid all animal products, and others may be trying to reduce their cholesterol intake. Whatever the reason may be, the downside is giving up this probiotic-rich food. But luckily today there are many non-dairy options.

Two years ago I posted a recipe on how to make Thick, Creamy Vegan Yogurt with an Instant Pot or Yogurt Maker with 5 Minutes Prep Time. This is one of my most popular posts with over 20,000 views! So I know that lots of you enjoy yogurt and understand its importance in our diet. 

My most popular post - making soy yogurt.

But this particular recipe, that includes no thickeners or added sugar, is soy based and some of you do not consume soy. I don't like making yogurt with other non-dairy milks because they usually come out more like Jello as they require added gums and thickeners. Recently, however, I've tried several ready-made, non-dairy yogurts that are soy free that are absolutely delicious. And although they contain some thickeners, they are super creamy. Here are a few that I recommend.

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ORGANIC FORAGER CASHEW YOGURT
This cashew-based yogurt (they call it Cashewgurt) is absolutely divine. 

Forager ProjectCreamy Dairy-free Cashewgurt

Cashew Yogurt Nutrition

One cup provides:

170 calories

11 g total fat

2 g saturated fat

0 mg cholesterol

5 g protein

14 g carbohydrates

2 g sugar

1 g dietary fiber

15 mg sodium

2% calcium

19% iron

Pros
It's organic
Very creamy mouthfeel
Flavorless, so you can add to salad dressing, soups, and other recipes
Low in sugar and sodium
Good source of iron
Dairy, soy, and gluten free - vegan
Has 6 live cultures

Cons
High is calories and fat
Not very tart like some yogurts
Contains "natural flavor" - whatever that means

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KITE HILL ARTISAN ALMOND MILK YOGURT
I love all of Kite Hill's products and this one is no exception.

Kite Hill

 Almond Yogurt Nutrition
(The container serving size is only 5.3 ounces so I've converted it to a cup for consistency.)

One cup provides:
211 calories
6 g total fat
3 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
9 g protein
1.5 g carbohydrates
0 g sugar
0 g dietary fiber
0 mg sodium
0 % calcium
0% iron



Pros
Very creamy mouthfeel
Flavorless, so you can add to salad dressing, soups, and other recipes
Contains zero sugar and sodium
Dairy, soy, and gluten free - vegan
No artificial colorings or preservatives
Good source of protein

Cons
High is calories
Not very tart like some yogurts 
Not organic although the almonds are non-GMO
Only 4 live cultures

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SO DELICIOUS COCONUT MILK YOGURT ALTERNATIVE

You will enjoy this silky yogurt if you enjoy the flavor of coconut.

So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt alternative.

Coconut Yogurt Nutrition

(The container serving size is only 5.3 ounces so I've converted it to a cup for consistency.)

One cup provides:

106 calories

7.5  g total fat

6.8 g saturated fat

0 mg cholesterol

0 g protein

10.6 g carbohydrates

0 g sugar

3 g dietary fiber

45 mg sodium

30% calcium

45% vitamin D

53% vitamin B12

0% iron

Pros
Very creamy 
Dairy and gluten free - vegan
Low in calories
Has 3 g of fiber per cup
Fortified with calcium, vitamin D and B12
Has 8 live cultures
Low in sugar
Contains organic coconut milk

Cons
Plain flavor is not flavorless - tastes like coconut
High in saturated fat from the coconut
Not very tart
Contains zero protein

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SUMMARY
These three plain, unsweetened, non-dairy yogurts are all exceptionally tasting, unlike many I've tried in the past. The only disappointment is that none of them had the tartness that I enjoy in a yogurt. When I make my own soy yogurt, I can control the tartness by leaving it to process a bit longer. Also, they all contain some kind of gum and/or starch to thicken them. Once again, home made soy yogurt only contains soy beans, water, and live culture. But I still highly recommend each of these, especially if you are trying to avoid soy and you want to purchase, rather than make, yogurt. 

Finally, A Ravioli That's Vegan And Dairy-FreeMade by Kite Hill

Kite Hill hits the jackpot with dairy-free, vegan ravioli.

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Ravioli
Over the past few years there has been great progress in vegan cheese products. Miyoko's collection of artisan vegan cheeses are amazing. I serve them every time I entertain. And I absolutely love Go Veggie's Parmesan Style Topping on my pasta. But we are just beginning to see companies use their yummy vegan cheeses in products, like ravioli. You might find a high-calorie, sugar-ladened cheese cake, but not a lot of delicious and relatively healthy products that you feel good about serving for dinner. 

Happily, Kite Hill has come out with several ravioli products using her almond-based ricotta. Last night we enjoyed Mushroom and Ricotta ravioli with a simple tomato sauce that I canned from last summer's tomatoes. It was absolutely wonderful! I am allergic to dairy and haven't been able to eat ravioli in years so I can't tell you how excited I was to see this product on the shelves at my local Whole Foods market. She also makes a spinach and ricotta ravioli which I will be on the lookout for next. 

The filling contains a combination of portobello and shiitake mushrooms whipped together with almond milk ricotta and marsala wine. The pasta is made from durham wheat (sorry guys, it's not gluten free.) But for those of you who are avoiding soy and dairy, you will find no better ravioli. 

Each 1-cup serving is 230 calories (there are 2.5 servings in container) so if you and a guest knock off the whole container (which is about the right amount to eat), you'll be eating about 288 calories. Not bad with a simple tomato sauce topping. Each serving also contains 6 grams of total fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 7 grams of protein, 34 grams of carbs, 2 grams of dietary fiber and 490 mg per serving. 

I can't wait to try the spinach and ricotta!

Kite Hill products are available at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide. Here's a store locator.

Enjoy!

Fruit And Nut Breakfast BowlAn Easy Back To School Breakfast

Healthy breakfast bowl takes advantage of late summer fruit.

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My New Favorite Breakfast
The end of the summer brings us so much wonderful fruit. Sweat peaches are their peak ripeness, the pears are ripening, strawberries are still around, and so much more. A big bowl of fruit may be delicious but it's certainly not filling.This breakfast bowl adds nuts and seeds, cereal, and some probiotic packed, home-made soy yogurt. This provides the protein and healthy fats that will keep you satisfied until lunch time.

I Can't Believe School is Starting!
Although my children are grown, I still get those feelings of disbelief when kids start getting ready to start school in what seems like the middle of the summer. Getting kids fed and ready to leave for school, or even summer day camp for that matter, is one of the hardest thing a parent has to do. Perhaps feeding them this yummy breakfast bowl will get them to eat up without prompting them through ever bite! It's so easy, they can even help you make it.

Feel free to change up the ingredients. Basically you need 3 fruits, 3 nuts/seeds, some healthy cereal for more crunch, and your favorite yogurt. The ingredients below are for two servings but it' easy to double to make it for four.

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Fruit and Nut Breakfast Bowl
Vegan and Dairy Free (if using vegan yogurt) 
Gluten Free (if using GF cereal)
[makes 2 servings]

Ingredients
1 large peach, diced with skin
1 large pear, diced with or without skin
6 large strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup cereal (such as puffed rice or granola)
1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon chopped raw walnuts 
1 tablespoon chopped or sliced almonds
1/2 cup yogurt

Directions
Divide the chopped fruit between two bowls.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cereal over each bowl. I like to use a mixture of puffed rice and puffed kamut because it has a nice crunch and very few calories. Granola would be very yummy and hearty in this recipe too but adds more calories and sugar.

Puffed brown rice and gamut

Divide the nuts and seeds among the two bowls.

Sunflower seeds, almonds and walnuts

Gently stir each bowl to mix the ingredients. Top with your favorite yogurt and serve immediately.