Our cookbook of the week is Whole Food Cooking Every Day by teacher and personal chef Amy Chaplin. Over the next three days, we’ll feature more recipes from the book and an interview with its author.
A friend recently described his newly adopted overnight oats regimen as “a real game changer.” I had never been persuaded to try it before, but after making Amy Chaplin’s chia oat Bircher bowl, I now understand how easily it could become a compelling habit.
With minimal planning — the almonds must be soaked overnight, the oats for 25-30 minutes (a longer soak gives them a softer, thicker texture) — it comes together quickly. Make a batch on a Sunday night or Monday morning, portion it into jars or containers and you’ll have a satisfying, grab-and-go breakfast at the ready for days.
In Whole Food Cooking Every Day , Chaplin offers both oat and grain-free base recipes, and five variations including apple-citrus (recipe follows) and matcha. Meant to be eaten at room temperature, it’s an ideal travelling breakfast, but if you’re enjoying it at home, she recommends frothing some nut milk and pouring it over for a warming touch.
“I love making it for breakfast because it gives you such a good beginning to the day,” says Chaplin. “And what I love about (the apple-citrus variation) is that you don’t really need a compote with it. It’s already flavourful enough, and delicious with the raisins and the apple in it.”
APPLE-CITRUS CHIA BIRCHER BOWL
1 recipe Chia Oat Bircher Bowl (recipe follows), using 1 1/2 cups (360 mL) water and 1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup (180 mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup (185 g) thick coconut yogurt or whole-milk yogurt
1 medium-large (230 g) apple, grated (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 cup (35 g) golden raisins (optional)
Step 1
Make the chia bowl following the instructions for the base recipe, adding the orange juice and yogurt to the blender along with the almonds and blending until smooth. Continue as directed, then mix in the apple, orange zest and raisins, if using. Because of the raw apple, this should be stored for no longer than 2 to 3 days.
Makes: about 4 cups | 960 mL | serves 4
CHIA OAT BIRCHER BOWL
1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats
1/4 cup (40 g) chia seeds
1/4 cup (30 g) hemp seeds
2 tbsp (8 g) ground flax seeds
1/2 cup (70 g) whole raw almonds, soaked overnight in 2 cups (480 mL) filtered water
2 3/4 cups (660 mL) filtered water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine sea salt
Step 1
Combine the oats and the chia, hemp and flax seeds in a medium bowl; set aside. Drain and rinse the almonds and transfer them to an upright blender. Add the 2 3/4 cups (660 mL) water, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, and blend until completely smooth, then pour into the oat mixture. Stir well to combine and set aside for 25 to 30 minutes, until thick and creamy. This can be eaten immediately with toppings or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It will thicken further in the fridge.
Makes: about 4 cups | 960 mL | serves 4
Excerpted from Whole Food Cooking Every Day by Amy Chaplin (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2019. Photographs by Anson Smart. Used with permission from the publisher.
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