I was trying to think of a way to get myself to blog more often. My crafting is so intermittant that I didn’t want to rely on a weekly crafty update. But what do I do every day? EAT!

Lunch is my favorite meal of the day. It’s the one meal that I actually sit down to eat and the one meal that actually gets planned ahead, since Jesse and I make food and pack lunches the night before. My lunch paraphenalia is always really bright and cheerful. I’m a sucker for cute lunch boxes and lunch bags and colorful cloth napkins. (Spoiler alert: Been sewing like mad lately. Napkins and lunch bags soon to be added to my Etsy shop! I know, I hear you say, “She has an Etsy shop?” Yes. Just, ahem, never used. But I digress.)

I spend most Sundays cooking dishes that will be used in our lunches throughout the work week. So I thought for this first installment of “Sunday Eats” I’d give you the recipe for one of my new favorites, the Veggie Oat Casserole. (It’s a very loose adaptation from several recipes I saw for veggie haggis.) I tried to think of a more clever name for it, but I’m stumped. If you think of a better one, please leave a comment!

I’ve put up the occasional recipe before, but I’m always such a slacker when people ask for my recipes. I rarely measure things and everything I use is based on what’s in my fridge or pantry at the time. Then I stress out about perfecting the recipe before I put it online. And I never get around to it because it’s never quite ready.

Yeah, then I got over myself. What you get here is basically a running commentary of how I put together this dish. I try to give approximate measurements so you can at least have a starting point before you tweak it for your own tastes. Really, any measurement I give is just a guess after the fact.

Enough babbling! On to the food! I was going to take pictures but I got distracted. I even had things out in little bowls like on those cooking shows! Ah well. Next time.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chopped veggies. Rough chop is fine, as long as they’re in very small pieces. I used onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms.
• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 Tbs veggie bouillon paste
• 1 Tbs miso paste
• Water
• Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 (F). Lightly oil a large casserole dish.

Sautee the veggies with a bit of olive oil in a stock pot. I started with the onions and celery, then when those got a bit translucent I added the carrots and mushrooms. Stir and cook for few minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, throw the kidney beans and the bouillon and miso pastes into a blender. Add water and blend until the whole mess measures about 3 cups. If you can’t find bouillon paste, use veggie broth instead of water. Taste it several times, and add whatever seasonings you want. It should be a bit salty, as it’s going to balance out the plain oats. Once you’ve got it to suit your taste, add the bean mixture to the stock pot. Stir and bring to a boil.

As soon as it starts to bubble, turn the heat down and stir in the oats. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. It will start to thicken up as the oats cook.

Glop everything into the oiled casserole dish and cover. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. It’s done when the liquid is absorbed and the edges around the top start to pull away from the sides. Let it stand for a few minutes so it sets up a bit before serving.

Enjoy!

Next time on Sunday Eats: Crumb Cake! With pictures, I promise.