Leftover Oatmeal Bread

I've played around with several recipes that use up leftover oatmeal, googled it more times than I care to think about, and yet, the whole time I had sitting in my old recipe box the perfect oatmeal bread recipe. I'm pretty sure I got it at some food storage/self-reliance night at church, and apparently it took me more than a decade to actually try the recipe out. First go at it was back in December (and it was a success), but I found it again because I had unearthed in the freezer some leftover oat groats with apples that - let's face it - were never going to be consumed in their original form again.

This recipe makes a nice, fluffy bread and if your oatmeal is already pre-sweetened, you can just cut down on the honey/molasses in the recipe.

Oatmeal Bread (provenance unknown)
Makes 2 loaves

 1/2 cup warm water
2 tbs. dry yeast
3/4 cup water, boiling
3/4 cup rolled oats [or, just 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal]
1 cup buttermilk [or fake buttermilk - i.e. 1 scant cup milk with 1 tbs lemon juice or vinegar]
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey or molasses [I used golden syrup, 'cause that's what they have here in South Africa]
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbs salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In small bowl, stir yeast into 1/2 cup warm water; allow to stand until yeast dissolves and bubbles up (also known as proofing). In medium saucepan bring 3/4 cup water to boiling, stir in oatmeal and cook several minutes (or dig your leftover oatmeal out of the fridge). Remove from heat; add buttermilk, oil, and honey or molasses (in case you're wondering, I did not re-heat my oatmeal and it turned out okay).
Stir flour, salt, and soda into a large mixing bowl. Add yeast mixture and oats mixture and beat with wire whip or spoon (I used my hand mixer with beaters); let stand 65 minutes. Gradually add enough of remaining flour until dough is stiff enough for kneading. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes or until a soft, elastic ball form. Place dough in clean greased bowl, cover and let rise until double. Punch down dough, divide into two portions, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Form into loaves and place in greased 8x4 in pans. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 (or 375 - the recipe says somewhere in that range) for 45 to 50 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and turn out to cool on wire rack.

Thyme

Red Curry and Tilapia Soup

This may be my favorite soup I've ever had. Except for maybe a good Pho. Then it's a tie.

For this particular recipe, I used a time-saving pre-made red curry sauce. If you don't have that on-hand but you do have red curry paste and coconut milk, look to the recipe that inspired me http://www.food.com/recipe/thai-style-tilapia-with-coconut-curry-broth-217245, which was apparently inspired by http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/thai-style-halibut-with-coconut-curry-broth-recipe.html Also, feel free to swap out vegetables and fish as desired and available.

Red Curry and Tilapia Soup

2 5oz tilapia fillets
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2+ bell pepper, preferably yellow, orange, or red, chopped (you could do a hot pepper if you felt adventurous)
1 11 oz. bottle Trader Joe's Red Curry Sauce
1 cup chicken stock
5 cups raw spinach or baby greens such as kale and Swiss chard
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1-2 cups cooked brown rice, quinoa, millet or other similar grain
1/4 to 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro (optional, but delicious)
Salt to taste

1. Heat oil in soup pan or dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add onions and bell pepper and sweat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add tilapia, sauce, and stock. Bring to a low simmer and cook, covered, until tilapia is cooked through. Remove from heat and add half of the cilantro if desired.
3. Meanwhile, in another pan, steam the spinach and set aside. In the same pan, heat up peas to their desired doneness and set aside. (I prefer my peas less cooked so only cooked them for a couple of minutes.)
4. To serve the soup, place greens, peas, rice, and some fish in a bowl and ladle the [crazily delicious] broth over the top. Garnish with remaining cilantro. Alternatively, you could add all ingredients to the soup pot, break up the fish, and serve a ladle full at a time, but the first method is nice since everyone can customize their bowl, components are less likely to overcook, and it feels more fancy.

Enjoy!
Rosemary