Quinoa for Breakfast? Yes!!

It has been the busiest fall on record for us!  We have had weddings, weddings, weddings, birthday, birthdays, birthdays, traveling, events, work, and school.  Thus, the blog has been sent to the back burner.  But this morning as I ate my new favorite breakfast, I thought - this has to be shared!

Skinnytaste.com is a recipe blog I have been reading for over a year now.  I love it!  Plus it give weight watcher points and nutritional value to all its recipes which is a huge plus for me.  Earlier this fall I stumbled upon a recipe the includes so many wonderful things, I just had to try it.  And I've been making it ever since.  I love it because it is easy AND makes 4 breakfast meals for me at one time.

Ready to try?  Here it is:
Apple Cinnamon Quinoa - oh wait - what is quinoa you might ask?  Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a gluten free seed that makes a great substitute to rice or couscous.  It is extremely easy to make and is chock full of nutritional value!  It has a slightly nutty flavor.  I find it in my rice aisle for only 2.99 a bag.

Okay, here it is:

APPLE CINNAMON QUINOA
1c. of quinoa
1.5c. of water
cinnamon
2tsp. vanilla
1/2c. apple sauce
1/4c. raisins
1/4c. chopped walnuts
1 apple, chopped
almond milk

Combine the quinoa, water, some cinnamon (I just sprinkle some in - don't you know cinnamon is so good for you too?), and vanilla.  Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.  Take it off the heat and stir in the applesauce, raisins, walnuts and apple.  Divide into 4 sealable containers.  Done!  When you take it out to have in the morning, I warm mine up and then pour a little almond milk in and top with another sprinkle of cinnamon.

A lovely way to start your morning and fill you up till lunch!

Morning Goodness

Oh my.  I've been reading lots of sugar-free, healthy eating blogs  and piling up the new recipes.  I just tried this one out this morning - SO GOOD!  It is great for breakfast  or I imagine for an afternoon snack too!  I know the kids will love it too.  She suggest freezing the extra to make into healthy pops.  Yes!

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Smoothie
(serves 2 big cups or 4 small)

3 c. unsweetened almond milk
2-3 frozen bananas, chopped
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c. unsweetened chocolate chips (70% or higher) or use 3-4 unsweetened choc. baking squares
2 tbsp. honey
1/4 c. flax seed meal (don't worry, you can't taste this in it at all!)
2-3 tbsp. peanut butter


Yum!!!!!

Give me some of that Yum Yum Yum!

I've been loosely following a cleanse and I start off on my New Year Journey of eating healthier.  I've been really impressed and haven't felt deprived at all and actually will continue to make several of the recipes from now on.  Here are some of my favorites:

Snacks:

Dried Fruit and Nut Bites

makes 20; serves 5

2c. mixed dried fruit (i used cranberries, raisins and apricots)

2c. mixed raw nuts and seeds (i used cashews, walnuts, almonds, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds)

Cinnamon

Course Salt

1/3 c. raw Sesame Seeds

In a food processor, pulse dried fruit, move to a bowl then do the same for the nuts.  Add the cinnamon and salt and mix together.  (I had to add a little almond butter to get it to stick well)  Roll into balls and roll in sesame seeds.  Keep in air tight container or stick in freezer.  Yum!

The kids love them too.  1 or 2 when I am feeling like a little something something, does the trick!

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Crispy Roasted Cauliflower

Makes 2 cups; serves 2

1/2 head of cauliflower florets (I used one frozen bag of cauliflower)

1 tbs. of olive oil

Course Salt

Red Pepper Flakes

Oven heated to 425.  Lay cauliflower out on a pan and drizzle w/oil, sprinkle w/salt and pepper flakes.  Roast, stirring around every once in awhile till golden.  About 20 min. or so.  

This is listed as a snack, but I served it as a side to dinner. Sooo good!  We will be having cauliflower a lot more now!

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Cinnamon Poached Apples w/Toasted Walnuts

Serves 2

3 c. apple juice

1/2 cinnamon stick (I was out from christmas, so I just sprinkled cinnamon in)

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced (this adds such a nice touch!)

2 apples, peeled, cored and halved

2 tbs. toasted walnuts

Bring juice, cinnamon and ginger to a boil. Add apples and simmer for about 8 min. till soft.  (I found it depends on the type of apple how quickly they get soft).  Remove and sprinkle w/walnuts.

I LOVED this and have been having it for breakfast.  So good!!

Children's Book Review

Thunder Cakes by Patricia Polacco
We picked up this book at the library today just randomly as I was there to get all apple books...but the cover illustration drew me in and I grabbed it.

Addison picked it for us to read before nap time.  LOVED IT!  It is a beautiful story about a grandma and her grand-daughter who is frightened of thunderstorms (and quite a few other things too).

At first I was worried that Addison, who is not scared of thunderstorms, would allow the book to actually convince him that there is something to fear in those big loud storms as he sometimes takes on other people's fears.  But I pushed through and we learned about how the little girl fought one fear after another all to gather the ingredients for a Thunder Cake.

What is a Thunder Cake?  Why it's a cake you make as the storm is approaching and then enjoy as the lights and noises break loose around you.  The book (based on a true story) includes the recipe at the end.  Addison's eyes lit up - "Mom! Can we make that during the next storm?"  Now he can't wait for a thunderstorm!

Thunder Cake


Cream together, one at a time:
1c. shortening
1 3/4c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs, separated (Blend yolks in.  Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.)
1c. cold water
1/3c. pureed tomatoes

Sift together:
2 1/2c. cake flour
1/2 c. dry cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture.  Bake in two greased and floured 8 1/2 in. round pans at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 min.  Frost with chocolate butter frosting.  Top with strawberries.

Wheat Thins, Anybody?

My kids eat crackers so much - well, Justin and I too.  Crackers with hummus.  Crackers with cheese.  Crackers with peanut butter.  Crackers alone.  Crackers with crackers...  YUM!

So, I've been experimenting for awhile with cracker recipes.  They've all been pretty easy, some with more steps than others, but I've never found one I really loved.  Justin and the kids have liked them all, but I have to love it if I'm going to make them a lot.

Introducing:  the yummy, super easy, tastes just-like-a-nabisco-wheat-thin cracker!  Seriously, this recipe is soooo easy.  The most time consuming part is just rolling them out and cutting them.  One recipe only makes probably what a half a box of nabisco crackers would be, so I double it.  Try them out!  But tell me, do you have a yummy cracker recipe?

HOMEMADE CRACKERS  (from kitchenstewardship.com)

1 ¼ c. whole wheat flour (can use spelt flour, traditional whole wheat or white whole wheat, I use king arthur's whole wheat)

1 ½ Tbs. sugar (or honey, I use sugar)

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. paprika

4 Tbs. butter

¼ c. water

¼ tsp. vanilla

salt for topping (I use kosher salt)

Combine the whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and paprika in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender (or your fingers!) cut the butter thoroughly into the dry mixture until it looks like large crumbs, no bigger than a pea. Combine the water and vanilla in a measuring cup, plus honey if using, and add to the flour mixture. Mix well until combined and dough forms, but only as long as necessary for the most tender crackers.


Use parchment paper, a lightly greased cookie sheet, or an ungreased baking stone. (I roll the dough out directly onto my pampered chef baking stone that is lightly floured so I don't have to worry about moving the ultra thin dough.)


Only use one fourth of the dough at a time. Cover all your surfaces with flour and roll the dough as evenly as you can.  Keep rolling until the dough is as thin as humanly possible without tearing - seriously, I put all my weight on that sucker and roll and roll!  Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife and cut the dough into squares or triangles.  Fork pokes make them look extra authentic. 


Make sure your oven is preheated to 400 F.  Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt.  Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.  Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, 5 to 10 minutes. (If you want to do two trays at once, you can put one on top and one and bottom and switch them halfway through the baking time.) If some of the thinner crackers on the edges brown too quickly, remove them and return the remaining crackers to the oven to finish baking. These crackers bake quickly, so watch them closely.


You want them to be almost crispy, but not totally breakable to deem them “done”, because they will crisp up a bit as they cool.   Remove the crackers from the oven and cool on the pan or on a rack.  These crackers will stay crisp for many days in an airtight container.


Hope you enjoy!!

Oh, Delicious Doughnuts!!!

We had some friends over last week who were talking about doughnuts.  We never eat them, but boy do I like them - especially the "old fashioned" cakey ones -  perfect for dipping in coffee!!!  My mother just made some last week and told me about it and at Christmas, my sister-in-law bought a doughnut cutter at a kitchen store we went to.  So...I thought it was about time to try them out!

Wow!  Soooo easy!  These are not the yeasty light ones so they require no time to rise.  Just mix, cut and fry.  I used heart shaped cutters because it was valentines and also because I have no circle shaped cutters.  I also dipped one side in cinnamon sugar after I took them out of the oil.  SO GOOD!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 dash ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3-4 c. oil for frying

Directions

1. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (I didn't have a thermometer and so I just would take one of the doughnut holes and drop it in.  When it sunk and quickly rose to the top, I knew the temp. was about right.)
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk and egg until smooth. Knead lightly, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a doughnut cutter, or use two round biscuit cutters of different sizes.
3. Carefully drop doughnuts into hot oil, a few at a time. Do not overcrowd pan or oil may overflow. Fry, turning once, for 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels.  Dip in cinnamon sugar.

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for ME!

I wish I had a peach tree - really any fruit tree, but this time of year I just LOVE fresh peaches.  We have a few orchards around here I can pick at, but nothing compared to the huge variety of peach orchards my parents have down south.

When they've gone on sale here, I've tried using them up in new recipes this summer.  We had a delicious peach and blueberry cobbler one night for dessert and have a few other ideas to try out, but tonight's dinner was so easy and good, I just had to share!

I made some grilled peach salsa with tomatoes from our garden.  This was just so good that I think I'll make more and freeze up some jars to have later in the year.  We grilled chicken to serve the salsa over and also had tortilla chips to help eat up the extra salsa.  I grilled an extra peach - grilling a peach really does bring out such a unique flavor to the fruit - that Justin and I had with vanilla icecream later for dessert.  Yum!

GRILLED PEACH SALSA
5 peaches, sliced in half and pitted, grilled and cooled, then chopped
5 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and chopped
1/2 c. honey
2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Grill the peaches, turning occasionally, until the skin puckers and a fork can easily pierce it.  Cool, then chop and add in a bowl to the other ingredients.  Serve over chicken or fish and with chips!  Makes a nice big bowl.