Oatmeal Flax Breakfast Squares

I'm going through a phase of developing a series of Oatmeal Breakfast Squares that I can "grab and go" for a quick breakfast or a nice treat for a coffee break. This recipe is full of oatmeal, oat bran and flax. They are very thick (a lot of batter for the 8x8 pan), very dense, and very filling. I wont say they are 100% healthy but might be somewhere in the middle. They certainly are 100% delicious!

    1 cup melted butter

    1/2 cup maple syrup

    1 tablespoon molasses

    1/4 cup brown sugar

    2 eggs

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

     ½ cup oat bran

    1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

    ½ cup flax meal

    ½ cup Greek Style yogurt

    ½ cup half and half (or buttermilk)

    1 teaspoon vinegar (omit if using Buttermilk)

    2 tablespoons Arrowroot Flour

    1/2 large, tart apple, peeled, cored and finely grated

    In a large saucepan, melt together the butter, molasses, sugar, and maple syrup. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Mix in the grated apple and set aside to cool. Whisk eggs, yogurt, half and half (or buttermilk), and vanilla, mixing well. Add the cooled butter mixture the oats, oat bran, flax meal, cinnamon, flours, baking soda, salt and flour and mix until well combined.

  Spread mixture in a parchment lined 8x8 inch baking dish. Make sure the parchment paper overhangs on all sides. Bake in a 350° oven for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and a tester inserted comes out clean. The finished product should be firm to touch. Cut into 9 squares when cool.

Maple Syrup Oatmeal Breakfast Squares

These are very dense, filling breakfast squares. One of these is an alternative to a bowl of morning oatmeal, and certainly a lot tastier! They are full of oats, oat bran and low glycemic whole wheat flour. For interest, peanut butter morsels, cranberries or walnuts may be added, depending on your taste. The recipe yields only 6 squares but they freeze well if wrapped in foil and stored in a freezer bag. I warm them up by thawing in the fridge overnight, and reheating in a microwave. To reheat, cover with a damp paper towel and warm up in the microwave at about 30% power for 5 minutes. One square keeps you full until lunchtime, and are a lot better than the ones you buy in the store.

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

    ½ cup oat bran

    ½ cup whole wheat flour

    2 tablespoons Arrowroot flour (cornstarch may be substituted in a pinch. I prefer not to do so)

    1 1/4 cup milk or half and half (if diet conscious, use skimmed milk or non-dairy substitute)

    1/2 cup dark brown sugar

    1/4 cup pure maple syrup+ 1 Tablespoon Molasses

    1/4 cup vegetable oil

    1 egg

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    ½ teaspoon allspice

    ½ teaspoon nutmeg

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

    1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped walnuts OR Cranberries OR peanut butter morsels (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Let the paper overhang around the pan edges.

In a medium bowl, mix oats, oat bran, flour, arrowroot flour, (morsels, or cranberries or walnuts, if using), baking powder, salt and spices together.

In a medium saucepan, combine half and half, molasses, maple syrup, vanilla, and brown sugar. Heat over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool

In a large bowl, mix oil, egg, and whisk to combine. Add half and half mixture.

Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and let sit for about 10 minutes so that the oats can soak up some of the liquid.

Bake in oven until edges are golden brown and center has set, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing into squares and serving. I got 6 breakfast size portions. Enjoy!

Easy Oven Baked Jamaican Brown Stew Fish Fillets

This is the easiest way of doing Jamaican Style Brown Stew Fish that I know. All thanks to the Spur Tree brand of seasonings on the market. With the other recipes in which I have used these seasoning sauces, this one requires nothing added to it at all. The secret however is the overnight marinating of the fish fillets with the seasoning sauces.
1 lb firm fish filet (Snapper would be best but I used Orange Roughy)
2 tablespoons Spur Tree Jerk Sauce
2 tablespoons Spur Tree Brown Stew Seasoning
Directions
Cut each filet in half. Mix in an oven proof baking dish with the seasoning sauces. Make sure there is enough sauce mixture to coat and cover the fillets. Rub the sauces all over, cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.
Bake in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15-20 minutes until the fish flakes easily. Eat with white rice or roasted plantain (or both).

Easy Slow Cooker Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

With the addition of some new seasoning sauces on the market by Spur Tree manufacturing, making Jamaican homestyle dishes have become a lot easier. These sauces, available in most Jamaican stores and ethnic markets,  are so well-balanced for flavor that the addition of more spices is not at all necessary. This is an easy recipe for Jamaican Brown Stew or Fricassee Chicken. It uses 2 types of Spur Tree sauces and a few additional ingredients. Once in the slow cooker, you can relax and come back to a cooked meal 4-6 hours later.

2 lbs Chicken meat (thighs are best)

1/4 cup Spur Tree Brown Stew Seasoning

¼ cup Spur Tree Jerk Seasoning (make sure to remove any bits of thyme stems you see in the seasoning)

2 tablespoons oil

1 10 ozs can diced tomatoes and chilis

1 medium yellow onion, cut into large pieces

½ cup Chicken Broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1.      Marinate the chicken pieces overnight, in the fridge, with the Spur Tree seasoning sauces.

2.      Place the marinated chicken and the onions in separate baking dishes and mix in 1 tablespoon oil into each of them. Bake both at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, the onions for about 20 minutes, the chicken for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven.

3.      Puree the onion to a paste.

4.      Mix all ingredients in an 8-quart slow cooker i.e chicken pieces, tinned tomatoes, pureed onions, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Place a Scotch Bonnet pepper on top, if desired, and cook for 4-6 hours on high. Thicken gravy if needed with a little cornstarch mixed with water.