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baked oats green chile chicken enchiladas chow mein bakery-style butter cookies



copyright jennifer yu © 2004-2022 all rights reserved: no photos or content may
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DOING THE WORK

June 9th, 2022

Recipe: baked oats

Time is doing strange things because of my intense focus on my health, diet, and
exercise of late. I feel as if all the moods of spring have been smashed into
the past few weeks. As we stare an approaching heat wave in the face, it’s hard
not to reminisce about the late May snow just two weeks ago. And then there is
the delirium of morel season, getting buzzed by countless hummingbirds, bright
green new growth popping up at every turn, and all of the baby animals we catch
glimpses of in the woods. It’s dizzyingly wonderful.



emerging sunshine melts snow off our weather station





brilliant crimson columbine in bloom



friends gave us baby asparagus seedlings from feral seeds



never certain if the morels will come up, but always jubilant to see them





As with any first batch of morels, I’m tempted to reserve some for the express
purpose of frying and shoving them in my pie hole. But I’ve worked hard to wean
myself off of sugary, fried, fatty, and refined carb foods the last three months
– so much so that many of these foods have lost some of their once irresistible
appeal. I made a morel bourbon cream sauce for Jeremy to enjoy on steak (his
reward for finding the first morel of the season!) and reserved a dozen morels
to fry. Instead of the usual flour-based breading, I opted for fine cornmeal as
a healthier whole-grain alternative. They were good, but I stopped after a few
when that initial fried deliciousness gave way to mindless consumption.

cornmeal-coated fried morels







Some folks have asked what I’ve been eating since I learned I am diabetic.
That’s a hard question to answer. It was all pretty overwhelming at the start as
I had to educate myself on type 2 diabetes, blood sugar levels and how they are
affected by different foods and exercise, nutrient requirements, and the best
way for *me* to lose weight. I now have a decent set of recipes in my quiver to
get me through a good month of meals and have begun to tinker with new recipes
that don’t require much effort and are hugely convenient for breakfast or a
snack.

baked oats with huckleberries







I came across baked oats in my search for healthier snacks which led me to i am
a food blog’s baked oats. Apparently this recipe was all the rage on TikTok a
million years ago and I was completely unaware because social media is a garbage
hole time suck that I am treating like added sugar: unnecessary and not good for
me. The claim is that this is like having cake for breakfast, but “healthy”
because it is made from rolled oats (or oat flour). I made it healthier by
omitting the sugar, using almond milk, opting for add-ins like fruit instead of
cookies or candy or cream cheese, and reducing the serving size. I really like
that it is highly customizable.

the base recipe: almond milk, vanilla extract, rolled oats, eggs, bananas, salt,
baking powder, cinnamon, oil (for greasing the vessels)







If using rolled oats (don’t use steel cut oats), a high speed blender is needed
to get the batter to a smooth consistency. If you don’t have a high speed
blender, you can use the equivalent weight (not volume) of oat flour and mix
everything together with a food processor or hand mixer. Just be sure to mash
the heck out of those bananas. And if you have no issues adding sweetener to
your baked oats, you can use sugar, honey, maple syrup or other substitutes in
the appropriate amounts, since some are not 1:1 sugar replacements. I don’t have
any experience with sugar replacements like Stevia or monkfruit sugar other than
unknowingly buying an iced tea that was sweetened with Stevia and pouring it out
after one sip. It was disgusting. Not sure if you want to omit the sugar? I
think if you can enjoy unflavored oatmeal with just added fruit and no other
sweeteners, you will be fine with this. The banana does contribute some sugar to
the base recipe.

into the blender it goes





a smooth batter





**Jump for more butter**



posted in baking, brekkie, chocolate, eggs, fruit, gluten-free, grains, health,
recipes, sweet
10 nibbles


TRIALS, GOALS, AND BUCKET LISTS

May 20th, 2022

Recipe: green chile chicken enchiladas




peony tulips for kris on may 1








While it might seem quiet around here, it has been anything but. Three months
ago, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and began medication that sent my GI
system on a 6-week roller coaster ride. I changed my diet, increased my
exercise, and researched how to get my health and blood sugar under control.
There were lots of bonks while navigating energy needs with more intense
workouts and GI distress from the meds. But after weaning myself off of certain
foods (the carbs, I do love them), consulting a nutritionist who specializes in
diabetes, and converting some of my favorite recipes to healthier versions, I am
meeting my health goals and feeling so much better.




last year: mother’s day, may 2021





last week: may 2022






In January 2022, I began planning a trip for my parents that should have
happened in 2020 when my dad turned 80. Yosemite National Park was on my
parents’ bucket list. Jeremy and I have camped, hiked, backpacked, ski toured,
and photographed in Yosemite over the past 30 years. We knew enough to find a
comfortable window for my parents to see the main sights without too much risk
of snow or wildfires outside of the insanely crowded peak season. And because I
had no way of knowing what the pandemic would be doing in May, I booked
stand-alone luxury lodging with en suite dining space (for take out meals).




mother’s day on the lovely deck of our cabin





kicking off happy hour with mother’s day champagne



upper yosemite falls and the merced river



mom and dad at tunnel view






Mom and Dad enjoyed exploring Yosemite Valley, taking in waterfalls full of
spring runoff (Bridalveil, Horsetail, Ribbon, Upper and Lower Yosemite), the
giant sequoias, the great granite monoliths of El Capitan and Half Dome, the
dogwood blossoms, and learning about the geologic history of the region. But the
second half of the trip was what Dad was looking forward to the most: wine
country. Jeremy tasted wines with my dad and I was the designated driver. All of
the tastings were outdoors or open to the outdoors and all of our meals were
either outside or carry out. Ultimately the whole adventure was a success
because my parents were happy.




wine tasting at joseph phelps winery





the stunning entrance at joseph phelps



in the opus one courtyard



the garden outside our cottage in st. helena






I made sure to have healthy snacks on hand, ordered wisely at restaurants, and
got out for hikes or trail runs most days, but it did involve a great deal of
effort and planning to pull it all off and cater to my parents’ wishes while
making sure the itinerary never went sideways. It was exhausting and I could not
have done it without Jeremy’s support (logistical, moral, and otherwise). It’s
good to be home with the pups, getting back to my exercise routine, living a
simpler life, and eating my own food again.




these two have no idea how much we missed them








Knowing how to cook is probably the most important skill I bring to my dietary
pivot. It gives me the ability to turn a generally unhealthy dish into something
more nutritious, but still tasty and satisfying. Sometimes I make the indulgent
recipe for Jeremy and create a diabetic-friendly mini version with substitutions
for myself (because portion control). Other times we both eat the same healthier
adaptation. And there are days when we eat completely different meals. It’s all
fine.

We have been loving these green chile chicken enchiladas since last year. I’m
happy to report that it is still a meal I eat – simply with less cheese,
chicken, and oil – in a smaller portion. The original recipe uses flour
tortillas which Jeremy can vouch for because I ran out of corn tortillas once.
But we both prefer the taste of corn tortillas which are better for me than the
refined carbohydrates in a traditional flour tortilla.

There are many shortcuts you can take to make this an easy weeknight meal like
shredding the meat from a rotisserie chicken. [I buy an organic rotisserie
chicken and use the meat for various soups, salads, sandwiches, nachos, and then
use the carcass to make broth.] Fresh or jarred salsa verde works great here.
And while I draw from my stash of roasted green chiles from my freezer, feel
free to use canned green chiles.




cheese, cilantro, chicken, salsa verde, onions, corn tortillas, green chiles,
oregano, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper (not pictured: canola oil)





add oregano, cumin, and garlic to the sautéed onions



stir in the green chiles



mix the cilantro, chicken, half the cheese, and some of the salsa into the
filling





**Jump for more butter**



posted in baking, cheese, dairy, dinner, fruit, gluten-free, health, lunch,
meat, mexican, mushrooms, recipes, savory, spices, vegetables
11 nibbles


SOLVING MYSTERIES

March 17th, 2022

Recipe: chow mein

How can so much time have passed so quickly? Jeremy and I puzzled over this on
our 25th wedding anniversary earlier this month. We celebrated with a low-key
home-cooked meal. My parents congratulated us. The pups were business as usual.

The past several weeks have been busy and roller coaster-y (and that’s without
considering the insanity of the world). I switched to a new primary care
physician who helped me untangle some nuisance ailments. I’ve changed my diet
and exercise patterns to fast track myself to a healthier me in the last month.
It’s a lot of work, but I’m here for it.



chinese new year’s eve dinner: potstickers, mochi rice, stem and leaf mandarin
oranges, cellophane noodles soup, lucky ten vegetables





chinese new year breakfast: sweet red bean rice balls, sesame balls, oranges,
steamed barbecue pork buns, moon cakes, peanuts



neva and yuki couldn’t be happier



a tired dog is a good dog



the powder, it is fun



yuki test drives her warm coat on a frigid day





At the end of last year, I finally tackled my decades-long mystery of how to
make chow mein. I know there are many interpretations of chow mein out there
because I have ordered them at various restaurants throughout my adult years.
The soft, barely seasoned noodles or crunchy pre-fried crisps from a bag tossed
with gloppy sauce were not what I had in mind. I wanted that plate piled high
with savory thin noodles lightly adorned with slivers of green onion and stray
bean sprouts, trundling past on a dim sum cart.

dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, chow mein (hong kong style noodles)







Turns out, chow mein is rather simple to make once you procure the right
noodles. And look, chow mein literally translates to fried noodles, so it could
be and sometimes is, ANY noodle that is stir fried, deep fried, or pan fried. If
you are like me, you’ve scrutinized the dozens of packaged fresh noodles in the
refrigerated section of the Asian market, scanning for recognizable English
words on the labels while remaining skeptical of the original translator’s
qualifications, and wound up making your best guess. A little time spent on the
internets guided me to the right noodles. In this case, Hong Kong-style or chow
mein is what you seek, but take care because I’ve seen chow mein labels on all
manner of noodles. We want thin egg noodles (thin like angel hair pasta). You
can also purchase them dried, but I have yet to try those.



And while you are at the Asian market to get your Hong Kong-style noodles, you
might as well pick up a bottle of dark soy sauce and a bottle of light soy
sauce. Dark soy sauce is thicker with more soy flavor and deep caramel color.
Light soy sauce is thinner and closer to regular soy sauce. Does combining light
and dark soy sauce equal regular soy sauce? No. If you had to sub regular soy
sauce for light soy sauce, okay – but the dark soy sauce is what gives the
noodles that special umaminess.



sesame oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vegetable oil, mung bean sprouts,
chow mein, green onions, chinese broccoli (gai lan), shiitake mushrooms





always prep your ingredients before you start cooking



mix the soy sauces and sesame oil together





**Jump for more butter**



posted in chinese, dinner, mushrooms, recipes, savory, vegetables
13 nibbles

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