We love oats! Versatile, affordable, highly nutritious and with a little bit of imagination… delicious. Today we’d like to chat about four pantry staples (starting with oats) that can be used to create sweet or savoury dishes. Then there’s chia seeds, whole-wheat flour and of course, chickpeas. Some of these you might know, some of the ideas must surprise you, but trust us, all the recipes are worth trying. Let’s get straight into it…
OATS – sweet
- Cooked oats with a touch of milk and sweet, fresh blueberries, topped with coconut flakes.
- Dry oats soaked overnight in milk. Top up with strawberries and a drizzle of honey in the morning.
- Coat dry oats with egg white and bake in the oven until crisp (about 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius). Use as granola with yoghurt and your favourite seeds and fruit.
OATS – savoury
- Cooked oats (add herbs when cooking), topped with a fried egg and sliced avo/ rocket leaves.
- Cooked oats with garlic and fried mushrooms.
- Cooked oats with sundried tomatoes, peas and corn.
CHIA SEEDS – sweet
- Soak chai seeds overnight in milk and eat with your favourite fruit the next day.
- Add chai seeds to any smoothies or fresh pressed veggie/ fruit juice of your choice.
- For a quick and easy no-bake snack, try chia truffles: soak and chop up dates, add cocoa powder, blended oats and a bit of nut butter. Roll into balls and enjoy.
CHIA SEEDS – savoury
- Add two tablespoons (30ml) of chai seeds to your stir fries.
- Top any salad with some chia seeds.
- Try these yummy chia seed (keto) crackers lower – recipe here.
WHOLE-WHEAT FLOUR
Choose your favourite pancake recipe and substitute white flour for wholewheat flour – low GI and equally tasty in pancake recipes.
WHOLE-WHEAT PANCAKES – sweet
- Topped with chopped banana, walnuts and plain yoghurt.
- Topped with nut butter and apple slices.
Topped with dark chocolate dipped fruit: strawberries, blueberries or mango.
WHOLE-WHEAT PANCAKES – savoury
- Filled with mince and topped with béchamel sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.
- Filled with creamed spinach, baby tomatoes and feta.
- Filled with scrambled egg, lean bacon/ macon, sweetcorn and cream cheese.
CHICKPEAS – sweet
- Roast cooked chickpeas in air fryer: drain canned chickpeas or cook them. Roast at 200 degrees Celsius (12-15 min) and sprinkle afterwards with xylitol and cinnamon.
- Chickpea truffles (consider swapping the coconut sugar with dates)
CHICKPEAS – savoury
- Chickpea curries – of course!
- Mashed cooked chickpeas, spring onion and mayo on toasted sourdough.
We hope we’ve inspired you to look at these four kitchen staples in a new and exciting way. Delicious baking doesn’t need to be expensive or difficult. Chat to any of the Registered Dietitians at Tracy Ugarchund & Associate Dietitians for more guidance and tips.