germs in my oats!

Wheat germ that is.  Have you ever used wheat germ?  I used to use it quite a bit and have forgotten about it recently.  Wheat germ is packed with nutrients, healthy fats, protein and fiber.  It has even been considered to be one of the 10 healthiest foods to include in a balanced diet.

Move over ground flax meal, wheat germ is coming back! 

A basic mix of Scottish Oats, including:

• 1/4c scottish oats
• 1 1/4c water
• 1/3c coconut milk
• 1t cinnamon
• 1T chia seeds
• 1/4c unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 banana
• splash of vanilla

Topped with:

• wheat germ
• pnut butter
• crofters jelly
• coconut

I keep my wheat germ in the fridge because it can go rancid pretty easily.  I buy Bob’s Red Mill brand of wheat germ.  You can use it in so many recipes like, granola bars, muffins, oats, sweet breads, granola, etc. 

Ooooooh these were delicious. 

I made a fresh veggie salad for part of lunch.  I sautéed a patty pan squash, 1 carrot, onion, olive oil and balsamic for a few minutes.  I topped it on mixed greens, cucumber, avocado, and toasted fresh sourdough. 

I cannot stop eating this bread.  Dangerous!

Yesterday, with my veggie samich, I mentioned making a raw pesto.  Oh man oh man, this is amazing.  Chris was skeptical but really liked it.  I prefer this much more to the regular oily/parmesan pesto.  Don’t get me wrong, I love parmesan cheese but this was just so good and so fresh.

I saw the idea over on HEAB’s blog the other day.  However, the recipe actually came from Katie at Making Food and Other Stuff.

Raw + Vegan too!

Raw Basil Pesto [adapted from Katie’s Raw Pesto]

• 1/2c raw walnuts
• 1.5c fresh basil
• 1/4c fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2T lemon juice
• 3/4t salt
• ground black pepper [~8 grinds]
• 2-4T water

1. Combine and blend everything until creamy.  Start with 2T of water and slowly add more until desired consistency is met.

*I used my Vita Mix but you could definitely use a food processor or magic bullet, etc.

I subbed walnuts for pine nuts because they are suuuper expensive right now.  I also didn’t soak the nuts, like the original recipe suggests and it turned out fine.  I’m not a huge fan of parsley so I upped the basil and decreased the parsley.  I also added black pepper and took out jalapenos + ginger.

this.was.excellent.

I just couldn’t get over how fresh + creamy this was.  I have been spreading it on EVERYthing [except my oats!].  I’m sure it freezes really well too, as I know many of you have an abundance of fresh basil from your gardens :)

 

A few exciting things to mention before I crash into bed!

Months ago I teased you with “something exciting” that I was doing, involving a food photo shoot.  Well, I can finally reveal what that was because the site is up.  I was contacted by Rush Bowls, a local smoothie company in Boulder, CO, to photograph their products for a new website.  I took all of the photos except the ones that are in the sliding header.  The photos are spread around on all of their different pages.  Yay :)

Thing #2 – I was contacted a week ago, by the company City Sports [a specialty sports retailer on the East coast] to see if I would be interested in contributing to their blog.  Um, yes!  I will be submitting recipes that I have already written [and hopefully eventually new ones], but re-writing them with a little more nutrient information.   I am a HUGE fan of this sports store because they support minimalist footwear.  They are an official retailer for the Vibram 5 Fingers and also have minimalist [transition shoes] like the Nike Frees, plus oodles of other cool stuff.  {{{very excited}}}

Okay, I’m done now ;)

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Night!

~Ashley

Comments

[Lisa]

oooh congrats on your recent news!!! Very exciting indeed!!!

[Jackie (Peaces of Earth)]

Congrats Ashley!!! Superrr exciting! I looked at the Rush website and the photos are amazing (obviously). Such an awesome opportunity for you and now they have some seriously drool worthy pics. Also, yay for City Sports! I'm excited to see your posts. :)

[Hillary]

That raw pesto is calling my name! I love that you sport hats -- they're so underrated :)

Happy weekend, dahhling!

[Freya @ Brit Chick Runs]

Congratulations on the photography/blog contribution stuff!
And YES! I adore wheatgerm!! I have it every day :) I actually did a big old post on my blog about it the other day; before I researched it, I hadn't realised just how healthy it was :P

[Jessica @ How Sweet]

I wish you could come make me breakfast every single day...

[Lindsay @ Summit Sandwiches]

Congrats on these exciting opportunities that are coming your away! You totally deserve it. :) Let us know when some of your posts for the City Sports blog come up.
Also, wheat germ is awesome. I like to switch between flax and wheat germ for oat add-ins.

[Matt]

Congrats on the news! That is awesome!

[Lauren]

I use to use Wheat Germ all the time before flax. I love adding it to smoothies and on top of toast. I think I go back and forth between the two but I wonder which one has the better nutritional stats. I think I'll research that. :)

Congrats on the job! How exciting Ashley!!

[Ann @ Appalachian Appetites]

Congrats on both things...Your pics on the website look great! It's awesome that doors are opening for you and Chris :)

[Teri [a foodie stays fit]]

I have wheat germ in my fridge that I'd totally forgotten about. Thanks for the reminder!

Congrats on the jobs!!! I'm so glad things are finally starting to fall into place for you guys!

xoxo

[teenagehealthfreak]

mm..that pesto looks soooo goood!! your oats do to! :)and way to go with your "something exciting!"...that is exciting!!!...and with the pictures you take you should be doing lots more of it!!!

[Michal]

I love wheat germ! And CONGRATS on the great news :-) It sounds like things are really working out for you guys *keeps fingers crossed*

[Jess]

mmmm... that pesto looks amazing. Congrats! I love the photos on the Rush Bowls site. You are talented!

[Rosey Rebecca]

Congratulations on the awesome news! That's great! Love that pic of you, too.

Your pesto looks delicious, and I LOVE wheat germ. It's soo good! :-)

[Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birth]

Oh I was in City Sports when I went to Boston a few weeks ago and I found Vibrams. I was going to buy them but they didn't have my size :(

[Sarah R]

How exciting! Your pictures on the rush bowls site are wonderful! They sure knew what they were doing when they contacted you. Have you ever thought about doing food styling as a job?

[Daniel]

I made that exact same raw pesto (from the same author that is) subbing soaked walnuts for pine nuts too! I love it so much more than normal pesto, it's a great veggie dip alternative!

Your salad looks killer by the way, love the colors! :D

[Sabina]

That pesto looks delicious! Have you ever tried nutritional yeast ("nooch") before? It's great as a vegan substitute for cheese and I've used it in pesto before with great results. Averie, from http://www.lovesveggiesandyoga.com, has a great informational page about it:

http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2010/03/nutritional-yeast-nooch-info-10-recipes.html

Excellent reminder about keeping wheat germ in the fridge! :-)

[Jen]

Awesome! Congrats! Have you every been to Marathon Sports in the Boston, MA area? I think you would love it. I just went to Michael Sandler's talk there the other night and they completely support the minimalist footwear. Michael said that it is the only running store (completely running store) to fully support minimalist running! I love it!

[Nichole]

OK City Sports and the smoothie gig are friggin amazing. You should be incredibly proud of yourself! I follow City Sports, can't wait to see what you do.

Hope you have celebration plans on your list!

[Stacey @ Tipping the (Kitchen!]

Wow, congrats on the good work you've been doing recently!

[Heather (Heather's Dish)]

congratulations, those are huge opportunities! i looked at the rush bowl site yesterday...GORGEOUS photos :)

[Katie]

Your photos are amazing!!! And I'm glad you liked the pesto. It is so incredibly creamy and addictive, isn't it? I froze some, and yes it freezes wonderfully.

I have been eating patty pan squash all the time lately too. I can't get enough!

[Camille]

Congrats! Such awesome news!

[Kat (Bubble Gum Gym Kat)]

I think I can eat that raw pesto with a spoon and nothing else

[Abby]

AWESOME friend! You are so cool! Look at you all these exciting things for you and Chris!

[Sonja {Active Foodie}]

Congrats on your two jobs! Your pictures on Rush Bowls are absolutely stunning!! YAY! I am SO happy for you :)

[Allie]

I'm starting to get creeped out -- I JUST added wheat germ to granola I made for my husband yesterday. I had a similar thought: "I used to use this all the time? What happened? Sorry, wheat germ, I won't forget you again."
Congratulations on the big news!

[Kaley]

Congratulations! Your blog is superbly photographed (can I even SAY that?) and you totally deserve it.

Someday I will find Scottish oats, make them, and dream sweet, creamy dreams due to you. ;)

[Kristina]

the pesto is so pretty ! green and vibrant and fresh looking !

congrats on your news... thing # 1 - I saw the photos and LOVE them - beautiful - you are VERY talented. ...and I really wish Rush Bowl would open in Portland... *hmm... maybe I should look into a franchise...*

thing # 2 - yaaay - that is great! I have been following you for some time (barefoot runner interest...) and I know how much it means to you - congrats to be working with a company that is so compatible! :)

[April @ Crazy Fabulous Life]

That pesto looks great. The oilyness of some pestos can be pretty overwhelming sometimes.

[Kath]

LOVE that third photo down!!

[Nienke at Revel]

Double congrats!!! I LOVE how your talents are being recognized!