Creamy Chia Pudding

Try this pudding for breakfast and it will keep you full for the morning. It's packed with protein, fiber and omegas.  It's not your typical pudding but its still delicious!  

Chia seeds are, in a way, better than flax seeds because they don't have to be "ground" in order to release the benefits into the body. Further, chia seeds form a "gel" like substance in the stomach (you can see that reaction with this pudding or when mixing chia with water or juice) which helps with preventing cramps and also slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugar (reducing glucose levels).

Chia seeds have a ton more benefits:

- full of fiber (4 tbsp of chia have 14g of fiber - where the daily recommended intake is 25g!)

- omega-3 fatty acids (3 tbsp have as much omega-3s as a medium piece of salmon)

- magnesium

- protein (2 tbps = 4g of protein)

Convinced? This is how to make it: 

You'll need:

• 1/3 cup chia seeds (white or black doesn't matter) 
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (if you don't have it just use almond)
• 1/2 cup almond milk (if you don't have it just use coconut)
• 1-2 tbsp of greek yogurt (optional but it adds creaminess)
• 2 tsp of agave or honey (add more if needed)
• chopped berries of your choice
• granola to top (optional)

Preparation:

Whisk and mix in chia seeds with milks, yogurt (if using) and agave/honey.  Let set in the fridge for at least 45 min-1 hour (preferably over night).

Top with berries, honey and granola.

*Instead of yogurt, you could mash up half a banana and add it to the mix or also add some raw cacao to change up the flavor.

Enjoy!

Pam & Oscar

sesame soba with mushrooms and snow peas

Back with some good recipes to share!

By the way, I know the blog is called "Cooking with Oscar" because of my dog Oscar...but now we have a second dog! Her name is Lima and she's a 6 month old german shepherd mix. We love her and she and Oscar get along pretty well! (thankfully! phew!)

    <----  Meet Lima, sous chef











Anyway...

I love soba noodles and they're so easy to make. If you like asian food then this is a great vegetarian dish to try. It's a quick, easy and healthy option for any weeknight or weekend.

Ingredients

• 1 package Soba noodles (you can use regular or 100% buckwheat)
• 1  cup snow peas (trimmed and peeled)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup mushrooms (white or baby bella)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• juice of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbsp tamari or low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• sesame seeds to taste
• 2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• coconut oil or olive oil for the pan...

Preparation

1. Make noodles according to package direction. [boiling salted water]

2. Make sauce.  Whisk: lime juice, orange juice, tamari/soy sauce, hot sauce, sesame oil, ginger, peanut butter] and set aside in a bowl.

3. Heat a skillet with a couple of teaspoons of olive or coconut oil. Add mushrooms until brown and slightly charred. Add snow peas and green onion for a few more minutes. Set aside.

4. Add sauce to the hot pan. If its too thick, reduce with more fresh OJ or some vegetable stock.

5. Add the soba noodles to the sauce. Mix and add the snow peas, mushrooms and green onions back to the pan. 

6. Mix sauce, vegetables and noodles very well. Adjust seasoning or liquid accordingly.

7. When serving, top with sesame seeds, some more chopped green onion and a couple of squeezes of lime.

Enjoy!!

Pam & Oscar & Lima....