Healthy Oatmeal Bars

I got the template for this recipe from a Food52 entry but made some tweaks to make it healthier and more of what I was craving on a cold Sunday afternoon.

Serves 6

• 3 cups Old fashioned rolled oats
• 2/3 cups Splenda Baking blend (or sugar/brown sugar)
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 2 Tbsp apple butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup egg whites/egg substitute
  
• 1 cup almond milk(I used unsweetened vanilla)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 apple, chopped
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease an 8x8 pan
   
3. In a large bowl mix together the oats, sugar/splenda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
4. In a second bowl mix together the applesauce, vanilla and eggs. Slowly whisk in the milk and then gradually whisk in the apple.
5. Add the wet mixture to the oat mixture until fully incorporated.
6. Stir in the raisins, apple (and any other fruit you want to add!)
7. Spread into the pan and bake for 20-30 minutes.
8. Slice and serve as desired.
   

Winter Root Veggie Pie

I combined two recipes for this, one from the NYT Recipes for Health, and borrowed a general idea from Desert Culinary.

While I'm still coming around on the lemon-y taste of parsnips, long roasting plus the soaking up of coconut milk made them delicious in this dish.

1 1/2 pounds turnips, kohlrabi, rutabaga, large parsnips or a combination, peeled and sliced thin (if the rutabagas are very large, cut them in half and slice in half-moons; slice the turnips and kohlrabi into rounds; quarter and core the parsnips, then slice them)

1 cup diced onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese (3 ounces)

1 1/2 cups low-fat (1 percent or 2 percent) milk (I used silk light coconut milk)

2 cups chopped kale/chard leaves (I used a combo of red kale, curly kale, and swiss chard)

garlic, garlic salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Place the sliced vegetables in a large bowl, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the thyme, and toss together.

2. Arrange the vegetables in the gratin dish. Add the milk, season with more salt and pepper if you wish, and place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake 45 minutes; every 15 minutes, press the vegetables down into the milk with the back of your spoon. After 30min, add in onion and desired amount of minced garlic; continue baking until onions are partly cooked/becoming translucent or lightly brown (depending how you cut them)

3. Add the cheese, and stir in carefully to incorporate. Return to the oven, and b

ake another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring or pressing the vegetables down with the back of your spoon every 10 minutes until the gratin is nicely browned and most of the liquid is absorbed.

4. Line a pie plate with pie crust dough; dump veggie mixture inside. Cover with second pie crust, brush top with egg/milk/salt, continue baking until crust is brown. Let sit for 10-15min before serving.