Blueberry Bran Muffins

I love blueberry muffins, in case you couldn't tell.  These are yet another variation, with plump fresh blueberries and a more rustic muffin base.  Thanks to the use of wheat germ or wheat bran (your choice), these are muffins you can feel pretty good about eating.  They're high in fiber and low in fat.  They also happen to taste great.

You can find fantastic blueberries right now, so it's a great time to give this recipe a try.  The muffins are sweetened with maple syrup, so they have that extra edge that is hard to identify. They'll make an excellent breakfast before all your barbecue-ing on memorial day.  Muffins make an excellent breakfast any time, in my opinion!

*Note:  the original recipe said it makes 12 muffins, but I got 16.  So have a second muffin tin around just in case.

Blueberry Bran Muffins

adapted from Mad Hungry

makes 12-16* muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup wheat bran or wheat germ

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper or reusable liners.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.   In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, maple, sugar, oil, and milk together.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just mixed together.  Stir in blueberries and wheat bran or germ.

3.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 of the way (more if you want your muffins to spill over the top).   You may need to use a second muffin tin for the extra batter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Challah French Toast

Some dishes need no introduction.  Strawberry challah French toast - I think it speaks for itself.  Think fluffy, slightly sweet and cinnamony French toast kissed with super-ripe, juicy strawberries.   Now you can stop drooling and make it for your breakfast.

Challah is by far the best bread for any French toast, in my opinion, but of course you can use whatever you have on hand and see how it goes.  Cut the slices of bread nice and thick, about half an inch, so that it can soak up the egg mixture without getting soggy too fast. 

French toast is good.  Strawberry challah French toast is better.  Welcome to the weekend!

Strawberry Challah French Toast

makes 2 slices

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 medium sized strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinammon

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 thick slices Challah or similar bread

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a medium bowl, sprinkle the sugar over the sliced strawberries and toss gently.  Let sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

2.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon to combine well.  

3.  Place the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and let it melt.  

4.  Dip the slices of bread in the egg mixture to coat both sides and the edges, and transfer to the skillet after the butter has melted.  Don't be tempted to raise the heat from medium.  Let cook for about 3 minutes on the first side, then flip to cook the other side.  If it resists when you try to lift it with a spatula, wait another minute or so before flipping.  Then you can flip back and forth every minute or so until both sides are golden-brown and the bread no longer looks soggy.

5.  Serve the French toast topped with the strawberries.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Banana Snack Cake

This is one of those great in-between treats that isn't quite desserty enough to rule it out for breakfast.  It's a bit more cakey than banana bread, but not as sweet as your typical cake.  You can have a slice with a cup of coffee and feel good that you're starting your day right.

There is no refined sugar or flour in this cake.  There is, however, chocolate.  And banana.  And honey.  It's like a big healthy muffin in the form of a cake.

As you might be able to tell, I'm having a hard time classifying this cake.  Hence the term "snack cake."  I think snack cake is a nebulous category of food, not quite pigeonholing itself in the realm of dessert, breakfast, or after-school snack, so that it can work for any of these three.  The bottom line is, you'll like it.  Your kids will like it.  And the world will be a better place if you make it.

(Okay, I made that last one up.)

Chocolate Chip Banana Snack Cake

makes one 8 x 8 cake

INGREDIENTS:

cooking spray

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1/4 cup honey

1 egg
3 tablespoons canola oil

3/4 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Lightly spray an 8 x 8 cake pan with cooking spray.

2.  Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.

3.  In a separate bowl, mix the banana, milk, honey,  egg, and oil together.

4.  Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet.  Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined.  The mixture should be thick but wet - if it's too dry, add a splash more milk.

5.  Stir in chocolate chips and then transfer batter to the prepared pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool 5 minutes, then serve warm.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Scones

Berry season is well underway.  When I saw that this month's issue of Everyday Food had a whole feature on raspberries, I had to get in on the action. 

These scones are easy.  These scones are flaky and buttery.  These scones are studded with fresh raspberries.  I think that should get you up out of your seat and high-tailing it to the nearest market for fresh berries. 

As with any scone, these make an excellent breakfast pastry, or a nice accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea.  Or you could just have them for dessert.  Or lunch.  Or a midnight snack.  No one has to know.

And a note:  any time you see buttermilk in a recipe and don't feel like buying it, you can substitute the same amount of milk, and add a squirt of lemon juice or a teaspoon of vinegar, let it sit for about five minutes, and then use it.

Raspberry Scones

adapted from Everyday Food

makes 16

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, plus more for work surface

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg yolk

6 oz. fresh raspberries, washed and gently dried

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2.  In a food processor, pulse the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt to combine.  Add butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form.  

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg yolk.  Slowly stream in through the feed tube of the food processor and pulse until the dough just comes together.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

4.  Form the dough into a cohesive piece and flatten into a 1 inch thick square.  Sprinkle the raspberries over the top.  Knead gently, just a few times, to get the raspberries into the dough.  Warning: it will be squishy and messy, and that is okay.

5.  Cut the dough into relatively even pieces - you should easily get 16 fairly small scones.  Place on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart and bake for 15-18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until golden brown.  Let cool a few minutes.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Mmm, yum.

Okay I guess I should say more than just that.  Sweet potatoes are a delightful blend of sweet and savory, starch and veggie, angelic and naughty.  Mash them up and bake them into a biscuit, and suddenly you open up all kinds of possibilities.  Have them with a little butter and jam, or some honey, and you've got a sweet treat.  Have them with some prosciutto or ham, and you have a savory snack.

These came out fairly small, more like a soft little cookie than a biscuit, so if you want a heartier biscuit that you can do a bit more with, you might want to double the size (thereby cutting the number of biscuits in half - yes, I can do basic math!)

As with most baked goods, if not all, these biscuits are best straight out of the oven.  But you can eat them cool, too.  They're versatile like that.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

adapted from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea

makes 12-16, depending on size

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium sized sweet potatoes

2/3 cup milk (I used skim)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 375.  Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife.  Let cool, then peel and coarsely chop.  Mash the sweet potatoes.  You will have a little over a cup of mashed sweet potato.

2.  After the sweet potatoes are cooled and mashed, preheat the oven to 450.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat liner.

3.  In a medium bowl, mix sweet potato, milk, and butter.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Add dry ingredients to wet and stir gently to combine to a soft dough.

4.  Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet (or make them bigger if you like).  You don't need to space them out too much because they won't really spread.  Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden.

Enjoy!

Veggie Hash and Eggs

There is something incredibly satisfying about eggs for meals other than breakfast.  This meal can, of course, be breakfast, but it is so easy to whip up that it's an excellent candidate for a quick after-work supper.  You take whatever veggies happen to be in your fridge, chop them up, saute them in olive oil, and fry up a couple of eggs to put on top.  Voila. 

I had some leftover cooked beets from the other night's salad, so I used those, as well as some spinach and zucchini.  I threw in some feta too, but this meal certainly didn't need cheese to complete it.  It's healthy, easy, and different enough that you can forget it is basically the easiest meal on earth.  Use whatever veggies you like.

It also would be excellent hangover food, if you happen to have had a bit too much to drink the night before.   Just sayin'.

Veggie Hash and Eggs

serves 1

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 cooked and peeled medium-sized beet, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 baby zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

salt to taste

1/4 cup cubed feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped chives

2 large eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the beet, zucchini, and spinach and saute until the spinach is wilted and the zucchini is getting tender.  

2.  Push the veggies to the side of the pan and crack the two eggs into the vacant space.  Fry them up - cook until starting to set, then flip with a spatula and cook on the other side, about 1 minute per side.  Toss the chives and feta with the veggies just before removing from the pan.

3.  Put the veggies in a bowl and top with the eggs.

Enjoy!

Blueberry-Almond Muffins

Blueberries are at full steam ahead here right now, so it's time to take advantage.  I suppose if you really want to fully appreciate a blueberry in all its natural splendor, you should eat it raw.  But when I have blueberries I can't help but want to bake.  Today I decided to try this delicious muffin recipe, incorporating both almond and blueberry flavors in one portable little package.  Yum!

I am a fan of just about anything almond-flavored, and this muffin did not disappoint.  The sweet-tart juice of the blueberries combines beautifully with the luxurious almond extract, punctuated with the occasional crunch of a slivered almond in the mix.  It's so delicious!  And it's low in fat and sugar, too, and packed with whole grains.  I definitely won't feel guilty eating this for breakfast tomorrow!

Blueberry-Almond Muffins

adapted from Eating Well in Season

makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup nonfat buttermilk

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups fresh blueberries (other berries would work too)

1/2 cup chopped toasted sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or use silicon or paper liners.

2.  Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl

3.  Whisk eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until well combined.

4.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Add berries and almonds.  Stir just to combine; do not overmix.  Divide the batter among the muffin cups (an ice cream scoop works well).  

5.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

It's St. Patrick's day tomorrow, and virtually every food blogger out there has posted a recipe for Irish soda bread this week.  I decided to join the herd and make my own.  The twist is that I've never eaten Irish soda bread before in my life.

I come from an English family.  My ancestors have a bit of Welsh on my dad's side, and a lot of eastern European on my mother's side.  But to the best of my knowledge, there is nary a drop of Irish blood in my family tree.  I have married into an Irish (many generations back) family, and thought I ought to live up to my new-ish name and get into the spirit of St. Patrick's day.  Beyond the traditional way of doing so, which is to drink oneself into a stupor. 

So today I tried my hand at baking soda bread.  It is named for its scientific component - the aspect that makes it rise, which is baking soda.  I don't bake a lot of yeast breads because of a completely irrational fear of working with yeast (which I do overcome from time to time), so this bread was right up my alley.  And this recipe for it was perfect - about as easy as it gets.  It did split a bit in the oven, but I rather like the pac-man shape it took on as a result.  It's crusty on the outside, fairly tender yet dense on the inside.  To top it all off, it's delicious!  It's just begging for a smear of butter and apricot jam, or a slice of sharp cheese.

This is easiest in a food processor, but you can mix by hand if you need to.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

makes 1 round loaf

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cup plain nonfat or lowfat yogurt (more if necessary)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Line a baking sheet with a silpat liner, otherwise grease lightly with a neutral oil or baking spray.

2.  Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a food processor (fitted with the dough blade, if you have one, but the regular blade is okay).  Process to combine.  Add the yogurt and process for about 30 seconds, until the dough starts to clump together.  If it is not moist enough, add more yogurt.  You want the dough to be mostly cohesive and soft, but not too sticky.  

3.  Turn out the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and use your hands to form a round loaf.  Slash the top with a knife  (if you don't do this deeply enough, you'll get a split like I did, but that's okay!).  Bake for 40 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump the bottom.  Let cool before cutting into slices or wedges.

Enjoy, and happy St. Patrick's day!

Blueberry Orange Coffee Cake

The words "coffee cake" are generally all I need to hear before I'll grab a fork.  I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of the inside of the cake so you could see the luscious blueberry filling - but take my word for it, it's there and it's delicious.  This is a tender and moist cake that works just as well for breakfast as it would for dessert.   And while I can't claim that it's healthy, it's certainly less sinful than your average coffee cake.

This coffee cake has the cinnamon crumbly topping that makes a coffee cake what it is.  It has a thick ribbon of fresh ready-to-burst blueberries, walnuts and orange zest traveling through its middle.  It's delicious straight out of the oven.  What more can you ask for?

Blueberry Orange Coffee Cake

adapted from Stonewall Kitchen Harvest

serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

the filling:

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

the topping:

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

the cake:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray and flour it lightly.  Set aside.

2.  Make the filling:  mix blueberries, walnuts, sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon in a small bowl, and set aside.

3.  Make the topping:  mix walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon in another small bowl and set aside.

4.  Make the cake:  Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.  In a stand mixer or a bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale yellow, fluffy and soft, about 5 minutes, at medium speed.  Add egg and beat well.  

5.  Reduce speed to low and add half the flour mixture.  Mix until combined, then add half the yogurt and all the orange zest and beat well.  Add remaining flour and then remaining yogurt, using spatula to scrape down the sides and make sure the batter is smooth and fully incorporated.

6.  Pour half the batter into the cake pan and smooth it out with a spoon or spatula to make an even layer.  Sprinkle with all the blueberry filling.  Top with remaining cake batter, using spatula or spoon to smooth slightly.  Don't worry if the batter is thick and difficult to spread; it's supposed to be that way!  Sprinkle with walnut topping.

7.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove cake and let cool 30 minutes before cutting.  Serve.

Enjoy!

Asparagus Breakfast Casserole

The best way I can think to describe this dish is as a savory French toast.  It has a deep, buttery and delicious flavor that highlights the freshness of just-in-season asparagus spears and creamy havarti cheese.  I served this for brunch this morning along with a lovely coffee cake (to be posted another day) and it was definitely a success.

You can substitute any combination of cheese and vegetable here - the recipe that inspired me featured broccoli and cheddar, which is of course a classic combination.  I wanted to go with something spring-y, since we're just starting to get gorgeous spring produce at the farmers market.  Enter crisp and beautiful thin asparagus spears.  I thought havarti would suit asparagus a bit better than cheddar would, but gruyere would also be excellent for a nuttier flavor.  The point is there's a world of variety here.  This comes together very easily and it tastes fantastic.

Asparagus Breakfast Casserole

adapted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices whole wheat bread, cut into bite-size cubes

3 large eggs

1/4 cup skim milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup grated havarti cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 small bunch thin asparagus spears, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 and butter an 8 x 8 baking dish.  Cover the bottom of the dish generously with the bread cubes.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, cheese, salt and sugar.  Mix until combined.  Stir in the asparagus, and pour the mixture over the bread.

3.  Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes until golden brown on top.  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Almond Flour Classic Drop Biscuits

These biscuits are fantastic.  I realize almond flour is not in everyone's refrigerator, but it is worth seeking out just so you can try these.  They are just the right proportion of salty and sweet - they are crunchy on top but incredibly tender inside.  They are, in short, the perfect biscuit.  Only they are much better for you than the average biscuit.

Yes, this recipe involves a couple of ingredients that are not exactly everyday.   But I find it fun to experiment with healthier variations on the norm - not for using all the time, but for occasions like this, when you just feel like a warm, flaky, drop-dead delicious biscuit.  If you don't want to invest in agave nectar, you can use honey or maple syrup, though of course they have less neutral flavors than agave does.  The almond flour is worth the price of admission, though.  It's a superfood, like I'm sure you keep hearing, so this is yet another yummy way to get almonds in your diet.

These biscuits are sitting on the fence between sweet and savory, so you could use them as part of a dessert (strawberry shortcake, perhaps) or alongside a warm and hearty dinner (maybe some rotisserie chicken and veggies - mmm, now I'm hungry.)

Almond Flour Classic Drop Biscuits

from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook

makes 9

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup grapeseed oil (I used canola)

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silpat liner.

2.  Mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.  In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, agave, eggs, and lemon.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until well combined.

3.  Drop biscuits on prepared baking sheet in scant 1/4 cups, 2 inches apart.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of one.  Let cool a few minutes - serve warm.

Enjoy!

Orange and Black Currant Scones

My mother and I started a tradition on the first anniversary of my grandmother's passing.  We decided that everyone in our family, wherever we may be, should have a cup of tea on behalf of Nanny (that's what we call her) every year on January 5.   She loved her nice cups of tea, often to the tune of about four cups a day.  Some of us take the tradition a little farther and go for afternoon tea, which she also loved - my husband and I have been known to race to a local English tea room after we got off work on a January 5, when they were due to close in about 10 minutes.

This year I decided to make scones to have with some tea at home.  I took a recipe for scones and made it even more English, if that's possible, by adding black currants.  Black currants are a severely underrated fruit in the United States.  I don't know why little kids in the U.S. aren't plied with them from an early age.  In England they flavor all sorts of candies, jams, drinks, desserts, and other baked goods.  Black currant has been one of my favorite flavors for as long as I can remember.  And as an added bonus, they are loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants.

In these scones I used dried black currant berries.  These are not to be confused with plain old Zante currants, which are small hard little black things, more like mini raisins.  These are juicy little berries with a rich sweet-tart flavor.  If you have a hard time finding them, you could substitute raisins, dried or fresh blueberries, dried cranberries, or whatever you like.  If you can find them, though, I highly recommend the black currants.  They set these scones over the edge, and even the orange zest alone gets these scones pretty close to that edge.  I'm pretty sure Nanny would have loved them.

Orange and Black Currant Scones

adapted from Gourmet Today

makes 8

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose is okay)

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

1 cup dried black currant berries

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 large egg, separated

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 375.

2.  In food processor, pulse together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse pebbly sand.  Transfer to a large bowl and stir in currants.

3.  Stir together milk, cream, yolk, zest, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Add to flour mixture, stirring just until a cohesive dough starts to form.  Do not overmix.

4.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until it just comes together.  It will be sticky, so prepare to get your hands dirty.  Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet and pat gently into a 7 inch round.

5.  Lightly beat egg white and brush onto the top of the scones.  Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon of sugar.  Cut into eighths, but do not separate.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown all over.  Let cool 15 minutes before separating.  Serve warm.

Enjoy.  Love, Sparkle

Honey Harvest Quinoa

I think everyone knows, whether they like to admit it or not, that breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day.  I am not a licensed nutritionist, but believe me, I've read enough about food and health for all of us.  Save yourself the trouble and take my word for it - if you're trying to eat better, to lose weight, to prolong your life, to boost your immunity, any and all of the above - eat a nutritious breakfast.

Here is a great recipe for you to try this out.  It's different from the same-old cereal or oatmeal (not that there's anything wrong with cereal or oatmeal).  It takes a lovely little under-appreciated seed called quinoa and turns it into a slightly sweet, protein-packed hot cereal.  Yum!

You can play with this as much as you like - maple syrup instead of honey would be great.  Pecans or walnuts or any other nuts instead of the almonds would be great.  The original recipe used dried cranberries, but I had some gorgeous raisins on hand so I used those instead.  The quinoa is your oyster.  Or something like that.  As it is, though, the recipe is nutty and just sweet enough to be a very enjoyable breakfast indeed.

Honey Harvest Quinoa

adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cups quinoa, rinsed in a fine mesh strainer

1 1/4 cups water

1 small Gala apple, cored and cut into small chunks

1/4 cup skim milk

1 tablespoon honey, plus more for serving

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons unsalted butter (optional)

2 tablespoons raisins

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Put the quinoa and water in a small pot over high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cover.  Cook for 5 minutes.

2.  Add apple chunks and continue to cook, covered over low heat, until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes more.

3.  When the quinoa is cooked, stir in the milk, honey and cinnamon, and cook until milk is heated through, about 1 more minute.  Spoon into serving bowls and top with a bit of butter if using, along with the raisins and nuts.  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I have baked many a banana bread in my lifetime, and it's safe to say that this is the best one yet.  The crust is crisp, the innards are soft and tender.  It's loaded with natural banana flavor without being overly intense.  It is, in a word, perfection.

I do a lot of baking with whole wheat flour - in fact, all my baking these days is with whole wheat flour.  My two personal favorites are King Arthur Flour's white whole wheat and their whole wheat pastry flour.  I took a regular white-flour recipe for banana bread and decided to try using half white whole wheat, and half whole wheat pastry flour.  It came out absolutely magnificent.  Now, I'm sure it would be just as good with all of one or the other, so if you don't feel like investing in two different types of whole wheat flour, fear not.

This is a banana bread you can feel pretty good about eating - low fat, whole grains, loads of bananas.  But I promise that if you give it to someone, they won't taste it and say "Oh is this some fancy healthy kind of banana bread?"  It's got that same down-home goodness of traditional banana bread, only even tastier.  It is the mecca of banana bread, people.  Please try it and enjoy.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

adapted from Cooking Light Complete Cookbook

makes one loaf

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

3 medium sized ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt or sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Whisk together flours, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

3.  In a stand mixer or large bowl, beat sugar and butter at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute).  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended.  Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until just moist.

4.  Spoon batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack, then remove from pan and cool completely on the wire rack.

Enjoy!

Berry French Toast Bake (CEIMB)

 

This week's Craving Ellie in my Belly recipe was for Peach French Toast Bake, which sounded lovely.  The recipe uses frozen fruit, so you actually get to enjoy out-of-season fruit on your French toast.  I opted to go for berries, since it's what I happened to have in the freezer.  I also made a few other adaptations to the recipe, including shrinking it down to a single (or double, if you're not that hungry) portion.

The results were good, but I don't know if I'm convinced that I want to switch from my normal French toast method.  The overnight soaking didn't produce anything magical.  But the flavors were nice, and it was somewhat more elegant than your typical French toast.   All in all, a success.

Berry French Toast Bake (CEIMB)

adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave

serves 1-2

INGREDIENTS:

cooking spray

2 slices whole wheat bread

1 egg

1/4 cup nonfat milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup mixed frozen berries

2 tablespoons brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.  Lay the bread slices in the pan.

2.  Whisk egg, milk, and vanilla together in a bowl.  Pour the mixture over the bread slices.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.  Scatter the berries over the bread, and sprinkle the top with brown sugar.  Top with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3.  In the morning, preheat the oven to 350.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until browned and puffed up.  Serve.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (CEIMB)

Any excuse to use pumpkin in a recipe, and I'm there.  This week's Craving Ellie in my Belly recipe was for delicious, moist, delectable, and yet miraculously healthy pumpkin pie muffins.  I made them Wednesday night so we could grab them on our way to work Thursday morning.  It's like eating dessert for breakfast, only without any guilt whatsoever.  The usual magic from Ellie.

These muffins are spicy and fantastic.  Thanks to the pumpkin and yogurt (buttermilk in the original recipe), they maintain their moisture so well.  I made some minor modifications, namely using all whole wheat flour instead of half and half, pumpkin pie spice instead of the assorted spices (which are basically the same thing), reduced the molasses so they wouldn't be too intense, and the aforementioned yogurt instead of buttermilk.  I also omitted the pumpkin seed topping that Ellie recommended, mostly out of laziness.  They came out beautifully.

Above you see them fresh from the oven.  I'm guessing by the end of the day they will be mostly gone...

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave

makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown)

2 tablespoons unsulphered molasses

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Line a muffin tin with re-usable liners, or paper liners if you're not so eco-friendly.  (Otherwise spray with cooking spray).  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spice.  Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, molasses, canola oil, and one egg until well combined.  Whisk in remaining egg until combined.  Add pumpkin and vanilla and whisk thoroughly.

3.  Add half the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined.  Stir in the yogurt (or buttermilk), followed by remaining flour mixture.  Divide batter evenly among muffin cups so each cup is about 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Let cool 15 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Scramble

I haven't posted a lot of breakfast recipes in this blog, and the item that is most notoriously absent thus far is the egg. My husband is not a fan, so I generally only eat eggs when we go out to breakfast. Today I decided to spoil myself and make an utterly selfish breakfast for just little old me. I also wanted to use my brand new Le Creuset skillet, which I am pleased to say performed very well!









The first thing I ever cooked with any regularity was scrambled eggs. As I got better at it, I experimented with adding things, and to this day I still have the same basic formula. First I cook the veggies and meat, if any, then I pour the eggs over them; when the eggs start to set, I add cheese, scramble everything together, and end with seasonings. It's a pretty easy repertoire.

This version has delicious Mediterranean flavors - salty prosciutto, crunchy sweet red bell peppers, melty mozzarella, and grassy flat-leaf parsley. Everything comes together quite simply and makes for a beautiful weekend breakfast. I had it with some fresh baguette slices. Yum.

Mediterranean Scramble
serves 1

INGREDIENTS:

olive oil cooking spray
1 small (or 1/2 large) red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons diced prosciutto
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of water
3 tablespoons part skim shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
pinch of salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Coat skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. When hot, add bell pepper and prosciutto. Cook, stirring only occasionally, for a minute or two, until prosciutto is just starting to brown and bell peppers are crisp-tender.

2. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and let it cook untouched for about a minute, until eggs are starting to set (i.e. the part touching the skillet bottom is solidifying). Add cheese and stir everything up with a spatula.

3. As the eggs become almost cooked through, stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Go easy on the salt; prosciutto is already pretty salty). Serve with bread, pita, or whatever floats your boat.

Enjoy!

Fig Spread

Fig season is still in full swing, and I brought home a beautiful basket of them from my CSA to prove it. The fresh fig is a bit of an oddball, and while it goes beautifully with certain ingredients (arugula, goat cheese, honey, to name a few), I was starting to run out of ideas of what to do with them. I love their flavor, but I don't particularly love eating them straight up. I need them to be an ingredient, not the whole dish.

I found this recipe in Heidi Swanson's beautiful book, Super Natural Cooking, and it seemed like the perfect solution. A jam that is not quite a sweet and not quite a savory, so it can be used in a variety of situations. Perfect for a cheese plate, in a sandwich, or just on toast, this is a sophisticated and delicious spread that you can use in all sorts of ways.

If you haven't experimented much with fresh figs, this might be a good entryway for you. I am already looking forward to using mine up.

Fig Spread
adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking
makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. fresh black mission figs, stemmed and diced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toss figs and lemon juice in a bowl, and stir in honey and black pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes. The mixture will get soupy.

2. Put the fig mixture into a heavy pot over medium heat and bring to a slow, gurgling boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until figs start to reduce and thicken, about 10 to 15 minutes. Mash them up gently with a potato masher if desired. Stir in sesame seeds and remove from heat.

3. Let sit 5 minutes, taste, and add more pepper if needed. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. Will keep in the fridge for about one week.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Scones with Almond Flour

One thing that makes cooking infinitely enjoyable is simple experimentation. When I hear about a new ingredient or method that I haven't tried before, I do a little research, often buy a cookbook (any excuse, am I right?), and then I try it out. And you people get to benefit by reaping the results without any of the hard work. Sounds fair, right?

Well this one can hardly be called hard work, other than having to seek out a relatively expensive and hard-to-find ingredient. That ingredient is almond flour. Most people don't bother with almond flour unless they are gluten intolerant or diabetic, but the bottom line is, it is tasty and good for you. And any ingredient that I can put into a baked good and call healthy, well, I'm a fan.

So yes, almond flour is a bit pricey. But if you're lucky enough to be able to use it as an extra curricular ingredient, as I am doing here, rather than a dietary requirement, then you can splurge once in a while, right? Almond flour is loaded with protein and nutrition without all the carbohydrates of wheat flour. You can make it yourself by grinding up blanched almonds, but realistically it's not going to save you much money, if any. Sadly, almonds are not cheap. But they are a superfood, and they are delicious. So we are slaves to them just the same.

Another rather pricey ingredient featured in this recipe is agave nectar, which has a much lower glycemic index than regular sugar, honey, or maple syrup. So again, it's good for diabetics. But if you don't feel like splurging twice in this recipe, you can substitute honey or maple syrup. Just know that your scones are slightly more sinful than mine!

These scones taste fantastic. Gluten-free (not to mention dairy-free and without any refined sugar) can be a beautiful thing, people. I am all about healthier recipes that don't use anything artificial or chemical. And this recipe rewards you with flavors reminiscent of macaroons and toasted almond goodies, with melty chocolate chips and a hint of cinnamon. Fantastic.

Chocolate Chip Scones with Almond Flour
adapted from Elana Amsterdam's The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook
makes 16 scones

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with silpat liners or parchment.

2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (almond flour through cinnamon). In a small bowl, whisk wet ingredients (oil, agave, and eggs). Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until well combined.

3. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop scant 1/4 cup blobs of batter onto the cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between blobs. Bake for 12 to 17 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets.

Enjoy!

Banana Zucchini Muffins

Here I go with my crazy muffin combinations again. Knowing how delicious both banana bread and zucchini bread are, it seemed only natural that a banana zucchini muffin would be a beautiful thing. I compared multiple muffin recipes and came up with a hybrid that seemed like it would do the trick. And it does, my friends. It does.

This muffin is incredibly moist, with a delicate flavor and a great deal of comfort value. It is not super sweet, so it feels like breakfast rather than dessert. It is also jam-packed with nutrition, and you'd never even know.

Banana Zucchini Muffins
makes 12

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups white whole wheat (or all-purpose) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup shredded zucchini, moisture squeezed out
2 ripe medium bananas, mashed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a muffin tin with reusable (or not) muffin cups or grease and flour the pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Stir until just blended. Then stir in the grated zucchini and mashed banana.

4. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups (an ice cream scoop works well). Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Let cool about 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan and eat!

Enjoy!