It’s been awhile since I’ve had a bowl of Scottish Oats. These are my favorite type of oats to make. I love how creamy they get but still have a slightly crunchy texture from the chopped up oat groats. I used to buy Scottish oats, but then realized you can make them at home from steel cut or whole oat groats [check the bulk bins]. It is definitely a money saver if you grind your own at home. I use my blender, which works much better than my food processor for this task.

Today I added 1T fresh ground flax meal as well. I’m hooked on grinding anything I can at home. It makes all the difference when you’re using flax-eggs for baking.

This bowl was stellar, but didn’t hold me over as long as my beloved buckwheat bakes.

In the mix:

1/3c Scottish oats

1/2c water

3/4c unsweetened almond milk

1t cinnamon

1t vanilla

1/2 banana, whisked in at the beginning

Topped with:

banana

jelly

walnuts

coconut butter

cocoa-nut almond butter [obsessed!]

Perfection in a bowl!

About an hour after breakfast, is when I started experimenting with socca crackers. The first batch was sweet and the second, savory. I think I slightly prefer the cinnamon sugar, but I still couldn’t stop eating the savory either!

I just love sesame seeds! This dough is awesome for topping with seeds because it’s really wet, unlike typical cracker dough. You just sprinkle on top, bake and they stay in place.

Sesame Socca Crackers [~48 crackers]

1/4c raw buckwheat flour [ground from raw buckwheat groats]

1/4c + 2T garbanzo flour

1/2c water

1T safflower oil

1T tamari [or soy sauce]

1/2t garlic powder

black pepper

sesame seeds [to top batter]

Preheat oven to 375*

Whisk all ingredients together [except sesame seeds], until there are no lumps.

Line an 8×12” jelly roll pan with parchment paper [or grease the pan well – I used the oil/flour combo spray].

Pour batter in pan and spread evenly to the edges of the pan.

Sprinkle on sesame seeds.

Bake for 20min until the top is cracked and edges are browned.

Remove from pan and place on a cutting board.

Cut into desired cracker size.

Place crackers on a larger pan [or cookie sheet], so there is space in between them.

Bake for 3-5min, flip and bake another 3min. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

They will crisp as they cool.

Loving the light, flakey texture.

Loving the slight garlic, sesame, tamari flavor.

Loving the CRunch!!

I thought these crackers would be perfect atop a salad. I made an Asian vinaigrette to go along with it.

Tamari Vinaigrette [serves 1]

1T olive oil

1t tamari [or soy sauce]

1t honey

1T rice vinegar [I use this brand]

1/8t toasted sesame oil

1T fresh lemon juice

black peppter

Whisk together with a fork until combined.

*I used wheat free tamari.

The sweetness + juiciness from the oranges paired really well with the other flavors + textures.

Top with chickpeas or tempeh and avocado for a fabulous, filling salad.

Chris had Monday off, which was really nice. We relaxed a bit and also went appliance shopping. We have our dishwasher, washer/dryer, and gas range all picked out. Guess which appliance I’m most excited for?? hint: it has nothing to do with cleaning ;)

We will hopefully be closing on the house in less than 2 weeks now! So much to do!! I’m still deciding on kitchen design as well. I thought I was set on option #1, but have been refining the look a bit. We’re still going in the same direction color-wise, but I’m looking for a different backsplash and possibly a different counter. The cabinets will still be white and the floor will be some sort of gray/charcoal tile. I was checking photos of the backsplash I picked, and found numerous photos that are making me want to run + hide.

Not the exact color, but the style is the same. [source]

Eeek!