Baked Mango Oatmeal

..... because Sunday Brunch is the best meal of the week!

**still to be tried**

2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup Turbinado Sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 TBS chia
1 cup sliced mangos
1 cup coconut milk (I use Trader Joe's unsweetened and reduced fat)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
butter for greasing


Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 11x7" baking dish with butter 

Mix oats, sugar, baking powder, spices, salt, chia and coconut

whisk egg, add sugar, stir in vanilla and then fold in mango and oatmeal mixture

If you see fit, top oatmeal with sliced mango, bananas, walnuts, brown sugar, etc 

Bake 30-40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and set

Berry Oatmeal Yogurt Muffins

I woke up craving blueberry muffins BUT the best/closest thing I had on hand for baking was blueberry greek yogurt and raspberry preserves.  Fear not! I can make this work...

*1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

*1 cup quick-cooking oats

*1/2 cup raw turbinado sugar (or packed brown sugar)

*2 tsps baking powder

*1/2 tsp salt

*1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

*1/2 tsp baking soda

*pinch nutmeg

*pinch or two of cardamom (if you have it)

*1 egg

*1 container (6 oz) blueberry yogurt

*2 TBS coconut oil + extra to prepare in the muffin tin

Combine all the dry ingredients 

Combine wet (egg, yogurt and oil) gently

Fold dry and wet together just until combined (over-mixing=heavy muffins)

Coat muffin pan with coconut oil or cooking spray or butter or paper liners and fill each cup halfway with batter.  Add a dollop of raspberry jam to each and then add more muffin batter.  Overall, each muffin well should be 3/4+ way full 

Bake at 400F for 17-20 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the middle and comes out clean

**Possible additions: chia seeds, walnuts, real berries**

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Quinoa

Breakfast for dinner with a twist!

Breakfast for dinner has become a hump day staple in our house. My farmer's market purchases of thick-cut bacon, asparagus and duck eggs plus this AMAZING food porn photo from The Chive inspired me to kick up our Wednesday breakfast this week...

1 lb asparagus spears, trimmed 
EVOO
sea salt and black pepper
4-8 slices bacon
Chives
Fresh parsley
1 cup quinoa prepared in chicken stock
4-8 duck or chicken eggs
white vinegar (see AB's egg poaching rules below)

Get your quinoa simmering in chicken stock with some garlic or what have you...

Lightly coat asparagus with olive oil, season with black pepper and divide into 4 bunches.  Wrap each bunch with one or two slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks.

You could roast these in the oven at 400F till the bacon is crispy, but it's Summer so toss those suckers on the grill (by toss I mean place gently) for 10-12 mins/till bacon is crispy

For poached eggs, I follow Mr. Alton Brown's how-to...

1) Add 1-inch of water to a non-stick skillet
2) Acidulate water with 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice per each cup of water
3) Boil
4) Deliver eggs to the pan with a custard cup or large spoon 
5) Remove pan from heat and cover
6) For hardly runny yolks cook 4 eggs for 7-8 mins (more eggs will take longer)
7) Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel to absorb extra water

To assemble... plate quinoa, add an asparagus bunch, top with 1 or 2 eggs, sprinkle with chopped chives, parsley and salt/pepper to taste.  

Viola...

Not quite as foodie porn as the inspiring picture but tasted darn good.

Roasted Brussel Sprout and Garbanzo Salad

Just about every healthy ingredient I love so much in one place...

2 handfuls of almonds, toasted and chopped 

1 lb Brussel sprouts, trimmed and quartered

2 TBS olive oil... just eyeball it... 

salt and pepper

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cup stock

2+ TBS Lemon juice (I tossed in a dash of apple cider vinegar for good measure too)

half bunch of fresh Parsley, chopped

1 can garbanzo beans, 

1 clove fresh garlic chopped 

*Toast the almonds for 5-10 minutes at 400F being careful not to burn them. 

*Toss prepared brussel sprouts in olive oil, sprinkle withsalt and pepper and roast for 20-25 mins.  The loose leave may burn a little so shake the pan every once in awhile but don't worry. They still taste good!   

*Cook quinoa in stock as directed on package

*Once everything is done, stir it up and serve warm or chilled

We made this to go with cider BBQ chicken sandwiches with white cheddar, but it is a totally satisfying meal on it's own.... I'm having it for lunch right now! Could toss some craisins in there too now that I think of it. 

Quinoa Granola Bars

Granola bars are expensive and full of sugar/preservatives.  Make them healthier at home and save some $$

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup quinoa
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup pecans
1/2 cup craisins
4 TBS Chia seeds
2 overripe bananas

*you can mix infinite variations- chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, dried cherries, plums, prunes, raisins, flax, almond butter, etc...

You can combine everything in a food processor, but I just stirred all the dry ingredients together, processed the banana and then combined.  If you want to add almond or peanut butter process it with the bananas.

Use a cookie cutter (I used the handle of my cheese grater because I wanted bar shaped bars) and arrange on a baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 mins at 325 F.

Store in the fridge and eat within a week.... not a problem at my house... they're usually gone in 2 days

200 calories with 8 g protein and 6 g of fiber

Mini Apple Pies

No mere cake will do to celebrate the love of my life's birthday! 

A little more labor intensive than making one crust, but they will save time in serving, and they're so darn cute...

Crust
2 cups flour
2/3 cup butter softened
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
(4 tablespoons water)

Filling 
5 medium granny smith apples peeled and chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter 

Directions
Blend all crust ingredients (except water) together until they blend and clump together into little balls. Then, slowly add water and blend until the mixture looks like it's sticking.  Once it reaches a sticky consistency, continue to combine dough with your hands and form a ball. 

Roll crust dough ball out on a lightly floured surface, and cut out 12 x 4 inch circles (you can use a cup or bowl with a 4" diameter). Leftover crust trimmings can be used used for lattice pie tops. 

Press each circle into a well of the muffin tin and roll edges. Mix filling ingredients and spoon into muffin bowls. Decorate them with extra crust or crunch top and a few dots of butter.  

Bake at 425 degrees for 16-18 minutes (until crust is light brown and apples are bubbling). After cooling they loosen easily with a knife or spoon and come right out.  Add vanilla ice cream and good to go!

Kale and Potato Soup

My friend Diana made this last month and sent me the recipe.  She's a genius in the kitchen


3-4 yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch of kale (I used a mix of Red Russian and Lucitano)
1 large container stock
1 C water
1+ cup of wine (Diana used white. I used red.  As long as it's dry, use what ya got)
4 stalks of celery
3 cloves of garlic
1 yellow onion
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
4 sprigs of rosemary
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
olive oil

Toppings

Marscapone!!!

Olive Oil

Bread 

I didn't try the croutons but the Marscapone really really makes it

Dice onion, celery and garlic and add to large stock pot on medium with a drizzle of olive oil, rosemary and thyme with the stems attached (remove them before serving), and wine and cook till veggies are tender 

Add cubed potatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, broth, and water. Season with fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Simmer on medium-low heat for a 1-2 hours stirring occasionally and adding extra seasoning, water, or wine if necessary

Remove herb stems. 15-ish minutes before you are ready to eat, chop and add kale to the mix. I like it better when the kale is bright green and partially firm. If you put in the kale for too long it turns mushy and looses flavor

If you want bread crumbs, cube bread, add to a pan on med-high heat with olive oil. Turning frequently until golden brown. Season with salt and place on paper towels to absorb any extra oil, then crush into course crumbs

SERIOUSLY try the marscapone :)