Tag Archives: breakfast

December 24, 2012 · 3:23 pm

Orange & Spice (and everything nice) Pumpkin Muffins

IMG_2900

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is having a big breakfast at my parents house. Even though we’re all grown up now and (almost) out of their house (the front door is a revolving one these days, but I think they like it that way…), we spend the night on Christmas Eve and wake up in the home we grew up in. Things aren’t quite the same – I have a husband. And my old room is now an office. So my brother gets bumped to the couch to give us old marrieds his bed (sorry, Michael). But for one night we’re all under one roof again and it makes me smile.

It’s the thought that years ago we were waking up at the crack of dawn, sneaking out to see what Santa had brought us. And now we will be trying our hardest to sleep in as long as possible. And then, instead of going straight for the presents, we’ll go for the coffee (it will be needed after a late night of drinking wine, talking and laughing with aunts, uncles and cousins). And in the morning we’ll have a leisurely breakfast with our traditional foods and some new additions (gluten and dairy free of course).

This year I’m making these gluten and dairy-free pumpkin muffins that are full of holiday spice and fresh orange for Christmas. Oh, and I threw in some chocolate too… They’ll be an addition to our traditional bacon, eggs, waffles, coffee cake and (drum roll) Pilsbury cinnamon rolls. When we were kids, we’d fight to the death for that “middle one.” Ooh, and the extra icing. This year, Ross, I’m tagging you to represent — Don’t be afraid to use those elbows. That warm, gooey center is worth it.

So maybe not that much has changed…

I hope you have a wonderful holiday full of indulgences… but most importantly love, laughter and memories. Merry Christmas to all!

IMG_2892

Orange & Spice (and everything nice) Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch sea salt
1 can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
1 cup milk (cow, almond, coconut, rice…)
2 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1/2 chocolate chips (to keep these dairy-free, you can use vegan, available at Whole Foods) (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Either line muffin pan with liners or grease using coconut oil. This recipe makes about 18 large muffins or 36 mini muffins. Or mix it up like I did with 24 minis and 6 large.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk well. In a separate bowl, large enough to hold all of the wet ingredients, beat the eggs. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture (or vice versa) and stir to combine. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into muffin tins to a little more than 3/4 full. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until golden on the outside and baked through. You should be able to stick a toothpick through the center and pull it out clean.

4 Comments

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

July 29, 2012 · 9:23 pm

Banana, Peach & Peanut Butter Smoothie

It may not sound like your traditional fruit smoothie combo, but just trust me on this one… You’ll take one sip and think “OMG, this is breakfast?!” Banana and peanut butter – there’s no surprise there. And when the classic combo is frozen and blended it’s creamy, rich deliciousness. For breakfast.

As for the peaches, they’re just too good right now to not put them in everything. I’m slicing them up and adding them to salads, salsas and, like here, smoothies. Buy some peaches on sale, slice them up and put them in the freezer to blend up with your other favorite fruits. I like: blueberry + peach…. mango + peach… or peach + peach.

I usually blend in a tablespoon of ground flax seed to add fiber along with antioxidants and a dose of omega-3 fatty acid, which helps to reduce inflammation in the body. The ground flax blends in easily to where I don’t even notice it. All I taste is the next best thing to ice cream… for breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 banana, sliced and frozen
3 slices of frozen peaches
1 tbsp organic peanut butter*
1tbsp ground flaxseed
1½ cup almond milk

*look for organic, fresh-ground peanut butter that’s made just using peanuts – no sugar.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in blender (I use the magic bullet) and blend until smooth. Add almond milk as needed to reach desired consistency.

5 Comments

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , , , ,

July 11, 2012 · 8:43 pm

Homemade Cereal

I’ve always had a serious appreciation for cereal. As a kid, I loved it so much I wouldn’t even put milk in it – I never understood why one would one do such a thing as to dampen that satisfying crunch. Like most kids, I went through stages of favorite boxes. The childhood staple was hands down Frosted Flakes. Then Oh’s – do you remember those? In my more mature high school years I gorged on Raisin Bran Crunch and Honey Bunches of Oats. And in college I rediscovered the greatness of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Mmmmm.

Up until I went gluten and dairy free I still had my cereal just about every morning for breakfast. It’s easy, filling, and goes perfectly with a cup of coffee and/or orange juice. The problem is most out there are loaded with sugar and empty calories that set you up for a spike in blood sugar and energy followed by a just as rapid decline later in the morning. We feel it as adults. So just imagine what that kind of roller coaster does to kids who eat these sugar-laden flakes before heading out the door to sit in a classroom. Um, can you say disaster?

When shopping for a cereal, like all boxed foods, check the labels. Read the ingredient lists closely. A lot of popular cereals list sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) as the second or third ingredient. Ingredients are listed in quantity so that means there’s more sugar in it than just about anything else. If there’s any sugar at all in your cereal of choice, it should be way, way, down on the list. Like, last. What you want to see is “whole-grain” and it should be pretty high up there. The more whole-grains, the more satisfying and filling you’ll find a cereal to be. Whole-grain means the fiber is intact, which happens to the most nutritious part of a whole grain – and it helps to regulate the breakdown and absorption of the starch into your blood stream. That means no more highs and lows and a more sustainable energy to last you through the morning.

As I mentioned, I ate cereal almost daily for breakfast up until going gluten-free. My favorite cereals were some of the harder food items for me to part with. I know there are gluten-free cereals out there, and I’m sure some are quite good, but, oh, those labels. Instead I opted for rice cakes and peanut butter, smoothies, and fruit and nuts in the morning. Until one day I just couldn’t take it anymore. I craved that crunch. So I went to the blogs and sure enough Sarah B. didn’t disappoint. I found her Simple Gourmet Granola and I’ve been keeping my pantry stocked with the stuff ever since.

I remember making the cereal that same morning, popping it in the oven, and feeling frustrated that I had to wait for it bake rather than pouring it from a box. Is this what my life has come to?  I have to make everything?! Ugh. When it was finally ready and I snuck a few flakes to taste, I remember that crunch… I thought, “THANK YOU GOD!” grateful to be reunited with an old go-to. I have the same reaction whenever I discover or make anything gluten/dairy-free that I thought I might never enjoy again. And you know what? Often the new version is even better than the old. Or maybe it just tastes that way when you appreciate it that much more.

Homemade Cereal

Ingredients

4 cups whole rolled oats*
1 cup almonds, chopped
1 cup coconut flakes
4 tbsp coconut oil
¼ cup honey
¼ tsp salt

*If gluten-free, make sure to purchase certified gluten-free oats.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a large baking sheet with coconut oil.

Heat a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add coconut oil and honey to the pan to melt. Stir the two together to combine.

In a large mixing bowl, add oats, almonds, coconut flakes and salt. Stir to combine.

Slowly pour coconut oil-honey mixture over the cereal. You want to cover as much of the cereal as possible so drizzle over the surface to cover, then stir to mix evenly.

Pour cereal mix onto baking sheet and spread evenly across sheet.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Leave a Comment

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 24, 2012 · 8:04 am

Spiced Apple Muffins

I love that you can take anything, make it miniature, and it’s instantly cute. Baby shoes, cute. Little nail polishes, cute. Mini Tobasco, cute. And of course, bite-sized muffins… cute. This is a universal truth. I made these little spiced apple muffins for Easter brunch a few weeks ago. They started out as an experiment with a new gluten-free flour blend, but turned out so well that I thought I’d share.

You’ll notice the recipe calls for a whole-grain flour mix. You can use plain ol’ whole wheat flour or your favorite gluten-free flour blend. There are pre-blended mixes out there, or you can try making your own by combining your gluten-free favorites (almond, buckwheat, brown rice, tapioca, etc.). I’ll post more about gluten-free flour blends soon. G-free folks, stay tuned!

Spiced Apple Muffins

Ingredients:

350 grams whole-grain flour mix (about 1 1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs (or whisk together 2 tbsp ground flax seed + 6 tbsp water = 2 eggs)
300 grams milk (cow, almond, rice, soy…your choice)
1/2 cup applesauce
50 grams coconut oil, melted
1 apple, peeled and diced small

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin pan (12 large or 24 mini).
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom). In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and applesauce. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in diced apple.
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Leave a Comment

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , ,

April 4, 2012 · 10:24 am

Green Pear Smoothie

It’s been awhile since I first shared my obsession with green smoothies. And with the weather warming up and it being spring and all, I thought the topic was worth revisiting. Plus, I’ve picked up a few tricks and techniques along the way that you might find helpful as well. I’ll get to those in a bit…

First though, let me explain the concept for those of you who may not be familiar with this brilliant concoction. Dark leafy greens are probably the most underrated, misunderstood food on the planet. They just might be the healthiest thing you can put in your mouth — jam packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and oxygen. Yet on most dinner tables they are no where to be found. Veggies with leaves get a bad rap. I blame steamers. And restaurants that use kale strictly as a garnish. How could raw kale possibly compete with a quesadilla? Of course it’s going to be the only thing left on the plate. But kale and other dark leafy greens are actually quite tasty when prepared properly. And just adding one serving a day can have a dramatic effect on your health.

If you’re new to the whole eating things that are green thing, don’t fret. You don’t have to suffer through dinner plugging your nose to get that spinach down. Start by slowly sneaking dark leafys into a morning smoothie. It’s almost too easy and delicious to get your daily dose of vital nutrients. Sneaking vitamins into your body hasn’t been this fun since Flintstones chewables came out. But green smoothies are even better because it’s the real deal – real food, real nutrition. You know exactly what you’re getting. I don’t think the same could be said for those mini Freds and Barneys. All you taste here is pear and vanilla (or your fruit combo of choice). But you’re really getting so much more. Woo, what a way to start the day!

Tips and Tricks
I’ve found that the best way to really blend the greens into the smoothie is to do that step first. Tear up the leafy greens into bite-sized pieces and put them in the blender with whatever liquid you’re using. Blend until the greens are totally liquified and the milk has turned bright green (yum). Then add your fruit and/or any add-ins you might be using (nut butters, protein powders, flax, chia seeds, etc.) . For fruit, I always go with frozen first. You can either buy it that way or cut up fresh fruit and store it in the freezer. I’ll do this with bananas. Peel and slice them, then store in plastic baggies in the freezer.

Green Pear Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk
1 handful torn dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, swiss chard, etc.)
1/2 cup sliced pear (preferably frozen)
1 tbsp hemp protein powder
1 date, seeded
1/8 tsp vanilla extract or powder
pinch salt

Directions:

Pour almond milk into blender and add torn greens. Blend until liquified and bright green. Add hemp powder and blend again. Add the pear, date, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, adding almond milk and/or ice as needed to get desired consistency.

3 Comments

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , ,

February 7, 2012 · 9:19 am

Go-Bananas Banana Nut Muffins

Ba. Nanas. That’s all I can say about these unbelievably, crazy, so-delicious-you’ll-go-bananas banana nut muffins. That, and literally, they really are just bananas. It’s pretty easy to make healthy baked goods when the star ingredient is naturally sweet all on it’s own. Plus, all the moisture from the bananas lets you get away with a heck of a lot less fat and zero sugar in this recipe. That’s right, these guys are 100% sugar-free. There’s not an once/bit/speck of sugar in here.  Zilch. Zero. Nada.

The trouble with most baked goods is the combo of sugar (the refined white stuff) and flour (the other refined white stuff) and unhealthy fat. Traditional white flour and sugar has been processed to remove the fiber and virtually all of the nutrition right along with it, leaving not much other than sugar and starch (which to the body might as well be sugar). Whole grain flours (and whole sweeteners too) still have their fiber and nutrition in tact, which helps to slow the absorption of sugar/starch in the blood stream. That, plus the added fiber from the bananas, keeps you from feeling those sugar highs and lows. You get a steadier energy and can finally exit the sugar roller coaster ride.

Once the batter is whipped up, I add chopped walnuts and also dates, which give some extra whole-food, natural sweetness. These little treats are my new favorite breakfast, snack, bread and dessert. Wholesome. Sugar-free. Dairy-free. Gluten-free. Sweet. Dense. And soul-warmingly delicious. Ba. Nanas.

Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:

1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
5 bananas
250 g flour*
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chopped dates

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. In a food processor or blender, combine the almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla and bananas. Blend until smooth.

Put the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour in the banana mixture and stir until evenly mixed. Fold in the nuts and dates.

Pour the batter into a greased or lined 12-muffin pan. Bake at 350F for about one hour. [Note: The toothpick trick doesn't quite work on this one because they're just so dense. You'll have to cut into one halfway to check if they're still gooey in the middle. If so, continue baking 10-15 minutes, until cooked through.]

Makes 12 muffins.

*To make these gluten-free, I started with a homemade combo of gluten-free flours: 150g buckwheat, 150g brown rice, 50g garbanzo bean, 75g white rice, 75g tapioca and 1 tsp arrowroot (note: this yields more flour than what’s needed for recipe). I thought the nutty flavor of the buckwheat was just right for banana nut. By no means do you have to use this exact combo, I just wanted to give you an example. There are so many flours you can work with. Play around, experiment. Pretend you know what you’re doing (full disclosure: I so do not.) and find the combo you like best. Have fun!

8 Comments

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

January 29, 2011 · 4:10 pm

Smoothie Weather

I am loving this 70 degree weather in January! It’s days like these that I’m glad I live in Dallas. There are very few places on the planet where you get a day like today in the middle of winter. I’ve been out running errands and its so warm I broke a sweat! Skinny jeans were a bad idea. And my car’s AC picked the wrong day to go on the fritz. I needed a cold treat when i got home so I mixed this up with our new Bamix immersion blender — the most amazing kitchen tool ever — and it’s so delicious and cooling and satisfying as I’m sitting here in my damp skinny jeans that I just had to share. Yay for smoothie weather!

Mango Banana Orange Smoothie

1 frozen banana

Handful of frozen mango chunks

Orange juice

Blend together until smooth. Enjoy!

If you don’t have frozen fruit you can use fresh and just add ice to make it cold. I find frozen fruit gives the best consistency though. Freeze leftover banana pieces and keep them in the freezer to use in smoothies.

2 Comments

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , ,

August 11, 2010 · 8:16 am

Go Gourmet

I made this raspberry walnut quinoa-meal a few weeks ago for breakfast and since then it’s all I’ve wanted for breakfast. I’ve tried it several ways now reheating leftover quinoa with a little almond milk over the stove or in the microwave and then adding whatever is around that sounds good. I’ll add berries if I’ve got them. Or just stick with the more reliable stuff like walnuts, raisins, unsweetened coconut like in the picture here. Add a little cinnamon. Drizzle some honey over the top and OMG you’ve got something that looks way too fancy for the weekday. But you just made it in about two minutes in your kitchen. It doesn’t get any better than that right there. It’s Wednesday, go for the gourmet! Take the two minutes and splurge. It might be your only shot all day (yikes), so take it. Start it off better than everybody else. And enjoy it.


Now, here’s what you do for the fastest, most delicious, gourmet breakfast in a hurry…

Cook some quinoa early in the week and make enough so you’ll have leftovers.

Spoon some leftovers in a cereal bowl. Add enough almond milk (soy, coconut or cow’s milk works too) to moisten the grains and heat in the microwave for a minute, or until its warm. Add fruit, nuts, raisins, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg… go crazy. Whatever sounds good to you will be delicious. Drizzle honey or agave nectar on top or sprinkle on a little sugar. The one below was with red quinoa. It tastes the same, but the grains turn out a little bigger and less mushy than the white kind.


And there you go. Instant vacation-grade breakfast… but so much better than anything you’d find in a continental buffet.

3 Comments

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , ,

July 14, 2010 · 9:39 am

Raspberry Walnut Quinoa-meal

Any given day it’s a good bet that I have a bowl of cooked quinoa in the fridge. I make it a lot. Like here. And here. And there’s always leftovers. Usually I’ll eat it the next day with some cooked veggies, or I’ll add some to a salad. But now I’m gonna really get crazy here… How about quinoa for breakfast? Just reheat some leftover quinoa with milk (be it from a cow, coconut, almond or soy), add a little cinnamon, fruit, nuts and honey and you’ve got one fancy start to the day. It’s like grown-up oatmeal. Play around and try out your own combo, or follow this recipe…

Raspberry Walnut Quinoa-meal

What you need:

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/3 cup milk (cow, coconut, almond or soy)
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
cinnamon
1 tbsp chopped, toasted walnuts
honey (or agave nectar)

What you do:
Combine leftover quinoa and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow quinoa to absorb the milk. Once the liquid has been absorbed, add raspberries, walnuts and cinnamon. Transfer to bowl and drizzle with honey.

Starting from scratch? Here are the proportions:

1 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed)
1 cup milk (cow, coconut, almond or soy)
1 cup water
2 cups raspberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup copped, toasted walnuts
honey

2 Comments

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , ,

February 27, 2010 · 5:47 pm

So Granola

I never thought I’d be one to make my own granola. And here I am not only making it, but blogging about it. Never say never. I remember when my cousin Laura (it’s her birthday — Happy Birthday Laura!) was moving to Colorado. Her sister Shannon and I would tease her and say it wouldn’t be long before she’d be making granola. Guess the jokes on me. Laura you get the last laugh on that one.

The thing is I used to love my cereal for breakfast. My favorite is Honey Bunches of Oats. It’s a better choice than Froot Loops, but like most breakfast cereals it still has has a lot of sugar and other stuff that you just don’t need (like corn syrup and artificial flavor). So this is my substitute. I’ll have it for breakfast – dry or with milk – or for a mid-afternoon snack.

What you need:
3-4 cups oats
1 cup shaved coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp butter, melted

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine first four ingredients in a greased baking dish. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Mix in melted butter. Drizzle honey over granola. Bake 20-25 minutes.

3 Comments

Filed under recipes

Tagged as , , , ,