Sunday Penance breakfast

Last night was fun.  I had a girlfriend "date" and we went out for (gluten free/dairy free for me) pizza and plenty of wine.  As I am a bit of a newbie wine drinker, it's possible that I overindulged just a bit.  (My wonderful fellah Buckarooken picked us up and drove us home at the end of the night.  Isn't he a peach!)
My penance- well for starters this is no time for greasy breakfast.  The calories from the wine alone last night!  Oy.  So I began my day with a delicious but low calorie hot breakfast.

Organic Brown Rice flakes cook up in minutes.  I added some delicious fresh pineapple pieces, a few nuts and topped it off with a little brown rice milk.  Hardly penance at all really.

simple omelette

an easy & delicious gluten free breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped and softened in hot water for a few minutes
1 Tbsp fresh chives, cut into small pieces
4 mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in a bit of olive oil.
1 tsp olive oil
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 sweet potato, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions:

1. Boil your sweet potato for 10-20 minutes until cooked.

2. Heat a bit of olive oil in a non-stick pan on med.  Pour in your eggs.  When the omelet begins to cook, lift an edge to allow the liquid on top to move out to the pan.  continue doing this until most of the liquid has been spread to the edges of the pan.

3.  Add a bit of sun dried tomato, the sautéed mushrooms, chives and salt and pepper.  Fold over the edges of your omelette and serve with the sweet potato.

so satisfying yet high in protein and low in fat.

(Tiny) Piccolo Potatoes, Sundried Tomatoes, Sautéed Mushrooms, Chives and Poached Egg Stack

So simple yet very satisfying.

Ingredients:

mini potatoes
olive oil
chives
sundried tomatoes
mushrooms
salt & pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
eggs, for poaching in water


Directions:

1. Boil your baby potatoes until done, set aside.  Sauté your sliced mushrooms in a little oil, set aside. While your egg is poaching, arrange your potatoes on a plate (season to taste) , stack your sundried tomatoes on next. then add your sautéed mushrooms and chives.  When your egg is ready, carefully stack it on top, season again to taste.  Top with more chives and some red pepper flakes.  Voila!  healthy breakfast stack!

Piña Colada Quinoa

For breakfast or a nice sweet snack, serve hot or cold

1 cup quinoa
1 14 oz can light coconut milk
1 14 oz can crushed pineapple
1 Tbsp sucanat
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
salt to taste


Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the quinoa and coconut milk to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and leave standing for 6 more minutes.

2. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice.  Stir 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice into the cooked quinoa.  Add the sucanat and vanilla and mix well. Add a bit of salt to taste.
Stir the crushed pineapple into the mix and serve.  Keeps for 2 days in a sealed container in the fridge.



Like a tropical holiday in a bowl :)

Fried egg, avocado, hash browns & hot sauce

My flickr friend Shutterbean posted this recipe and well, I had to make it myself!  You should too! She has given step by step instructions.  Here is the link to her blog 

grilled plantain

After experimenting with plantain only once before I decided to try again.  And this was delicious! 
Wait until your plantain is ripe.  A ripe plantain is anywhere from yellow with some black spots to mostly black.  I allowed this one to ripen to about 1/2 black.  It can easily take weeks for a plantain to ripen on your counter top, so be patient.  Green plantains are used in savory dinner dishes.

Ingredients:
1 or 2 ripe plantains
canola oil for brushing and grilling
salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Peel your plantain and slice diagonally into 1/2 slices (or smaller if you want them more crisp)

2. Brush canola oil on both sides of your plantain slices and grill on a hot clean grill for about 3 minutes per side.  You want an even yellow color throughout with some nice grill marks. 

3. Season with a pinch of salt and serve. 

Super with brown basmati rice and a poached egg! 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Orange Zest

I was given some rhubarb by my wonderful MIL so a rhubarb crisp went in the oven asap.  I have made this one using some strawberries as well as a few raspberries (because I can).


Ingredients:
Filling-
4 cups rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into 1 inch cubes
handful of raspberries
1/2 cup sucanat
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
juice of 1/2 lime
zest of 1/2 orange

Topping-
1 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
3/4 cup sucanat
3/4 cup brown rice flakes
1/2 cup butter, nearing room temperature, cut into cubes
cinnamon for sprinkling on top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° . Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, sucanat, flour, lime juice and orange zest in a large mixing bowl.
2. In another bowl, mix together your topping flour, sucanat, brown rice flakes, and butter. Combine the topping ingredients with your hands until it is crumbly and lumpy.
3. Transfer your filling mix to a lightly greased 8" casserole, crumble topping mixture over top to cover and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake for 30- 40 minutes until the top is browned and the fruit is cooked through.

Natural No Bake Carrot Cake

Ok so it's not really a cake.  It's pretty darn healthy though and tastes awesome!  

Ingredients:

4 cups grated carrots
1 cup of medjool dates, (pits removed)
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp organic apple butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juice of
1 cup organic shredded coconut
1 cup organic raw walnuts
organic coconut oil for greasing your 9x9 pan

Directions:

1. Use a food processor to grate the carrots, remove carrots and set aside.
2. Place your dates, ground flax seeds, apple butter, cinnamon and lemon juice in a food processor and process until blended.  Add the coconut and walnuts and process until the walnuts are coarsely chopped.
3. Add the carrots back to the food processor, process just enough to blend.
4. Press your finished mixture into a greased 9x9 pan and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. 



Icing Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw whole cashews (soaked)
2 medjool dates (pits removed)
1/2 Tbsp agave nector
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
shredded coconut for topping
lemon zest for topping
walnut pieces for topping

Icing directions:

1.  Process the cashews, dates, agave, lemon juice and vanilla extract  in a food processor until smooth.  Add the water until desired consistency of icing is reached.
2. Spread icing on carrot cake, top with coconut, lemon zest  and walnut pieces.

Peanut Butter and Banana cakes

So easy! Buckarooken likes them too. 

Ingredients:

2 yellow bananas or heading to ripe
1 egg- beaten lightly
1 hugely heaping tablespoon of organic natural peanut butter (crunchy)

Directions:

1. Mash your bananas well in a medium bowl.  you can leave a few little lumps.
2. Heat some vegetable oil on your non stick griddle on medium heat
3. Mix your peanut butter in with the banana and then add the beaten egg and stir that in well.
4. Drop batter onto the griddle, again 3" diameter cakes  work best.
5.  When the underside is medium brown, flip them and cook the other side.
6. Serve with Berries and you can call it a PBJ!

Almond Pancakes

This recipe uses no processed flours.  Just almond flour (you can make your own in a food processor or buy it at a health food store).  It's really delicious.

Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup soda water or sparkling water
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp sucanat (or sugar)
(a bit of oil for the griddle as well)
Directions:

1. Mix your dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs until soft peaks begin to appear.
3. Preheat your non stick griddle on medium with about a teaspoon vegetable oil.
4. Add your oil and water to the eggs and stir to blend just a couple of stirs.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry flour mix and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended.  Don't over mix.
6. Spoon your pancake batter onto the griddle.  These pancakes won't bubble like "regular" pancakes, so you simply flip them when they are browned on the bottom.  If you keep them smallish it is easier to determine if the pancakes are done.  We made about nine- 3" diameter pancakes.
7. Serve with fresh fruit, maple syrup, butter, jam, whichever you prefer.

Hominy & Egg Scram

I happened across this South American style cooking blog and saw this recipe for Mote Pillo.  I was intrigued, so off I went to a local Latino Market to purchase the required ingredients to make my breakfast.  Apparently Mote Pillo is a typical dish from the highlands or Sierra region in Ecuador.  To Laylita it is comfort food.
 For me it was an entirely new experience.  The texture of the Hominy (treated maize kernels) is somewhat similar to a dense pasta.  The flavor is brand new to me.  I liked the dish but of course felt it needed a kick or something.   I tried a bit of cayenne (nope) some hot sauce (better) and finally some maple syrup (always best!) haha -I never tried ketchup though that might have been nice. I enjoyed the dish and ate my entire meal but like most regional comfort food.  It might take me a while to actually crave it.  :)
Here is the recipe as she wrote it with my substitutions in parenthesis (I made a 1/2 batch) -

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked mote or hominy (canned is fine)
2 tbs butter (or organic red palm oil for color)
4 eggs
1 cup chopped leeks (white part only) or white onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp ground achiote
1/4 cup milk (rice milk)
2 tbs chopped chives
1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
salt to taste

serve with cheese slices and black coffee  (or herbal chai tea if you are like me and don't do dairy or caffeine )

Directions:

1. Heat the butter over med. heat in a large sauté pan, add the leeks, crushed garlic, achiote and salt.  Cook until leeks are soft (about 5 min)
2. Add the hominy, stir in well and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the milk (rice milk) and cook until it is almost absorbed by the hominy.
4. Whisk the eggs and add them to the pan, stir well and cook for 3 minutes or so.
5. Stir in the chives and cilantro, season to taste.

note- the achiote powder is what gives the dish it's color.  You can mix together some oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, garlic powder, salt and annatto in a mortar and pestle and make your own.  It is the annatto seeds that dye the mixture red.

Jonnycakes

A traditional jonnycake pancake.  Serve with sausage ("or" bacon for those of you who eat bacon) & fried egg, top with maple syrup & a pat of butter.


Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp sucanat (sugar)
1 tsp. salt (ok a tiny bit less perhaps)
3/4 cup boiling water
3-4 Tbsp rice milk

Directions:

1. Combine the cornmeal, sucanat, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Add the boiling water, stir and add the milk.  You might need to thin additionally with more milk.  The mixture should easily drop from a spoon.

2. Drop by large spoon onto a hot greased non stick griddle (use vegetable oil for the griddle) 

3. Cook 5-6 minutes per side until nicely browned and cooked through. (flatten the jonnycake a bit when you turn it over if you need to spread the cornmeal out)

Note- We use Bob's Red Mill cornmeal which is quite granular, some brands are finer and might require more water. If you were from say, "Rhode Island", this flour (Bob's Red Mill) would be considered entirely wrong!  They use a light stone-ground white flint cornmeal from Rhode Island. We simply used what we had.  :)

Grapefruit, Kiwi & Walnuts for breakfast

After last nights onion rings, I figured it would be for the best to stick to healthy treats today. I segmented a Ruby Red Grapefruit and added Kiwi slices and some fresh Raw Walnuts. (I always squeeze out all the juice from my grapefruit skins and gobble that up as well.)
We plan to make a delicious East Indian Spicy tomato soup for dinner and maybe some flatbread. I promise to post the results!

Apple Butter Baked Acorn Squash

Since I work from home most mornings, it's easy for me to prepare a hot breakfast like this, but even if you don't have that luxury, this dish is so easy you could do it too! Just pop the squash in the oven when you get up and by the time your dressed for work, voila! hot breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash
2 Tbsp organic apple butter
2 pats of butter
salt & Pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut your acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and extra pulp.

2. Place your acorn squash pieces skin side down in a shallow baking dish. Fill each squash with a generous dollop of apple butter, top with a pat of butter and season with salt & pepper. Add some water to the dish (about 1/4 inch). Bake on the middle rack for about an hour (or until nicely caramelized).

3. Serve hot. Use a fork to scoop out your yummy squash.

Red Quinoa Breakfast

It's so easy you can't really call it a recipe , but I figured there are likely plenty of folks who never considered Quinoa as a breakfast choice. So here is a super fast and easy way to enjoy a hot gluten free breakfast of Quinoa.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Red Quinoa
1 cup water
pinch of salt

1/2 apple, thinly sliced
organic raisins
dash of ground cinnamon
honey or sucanat to taste
cold almond milk or rice milk
fresh chopped walnuts if you like


Directions:

1. Combine your Quinoa/water/salt in a lidded sauce pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer on low with lid on for 15 minutes.

2. When your Quinoa is cooked, stir in your raisins and sweetener of choice and top with sliced apples, cold rice milk and a dash of cinnamon

3. Gobble it up.

Maple Walnut & Breakfast Sausage Roasted Acorn Squash

I made my fellah breakfast. Normally I roast my acorn squash and eat it plain, but since it is Valentines day, I made it extra special for him.

Ingredients:

Acorn Squash, sliced in half, seeds removed
walnuts
maple syrup
lean gluten free breakfast sausage
butter
salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place your acorn squash upside down in a shallow baking dish with 1/4 inch water. Bake for about 30 minutes (until tender). Remove squash and baking dish from oven, move rack up and turn on your broiler.

2. Add some salt to your squash halves. Combine some melted butter and maple syrup and spoon it over your baked acorn squash halves. Add some broken raw walnut pieces into the centers. Return your squash to the oven (flesh side up this time) and broil until lightly browned, basting a couple of times with your syrup/butter mixture.

3. While your squash is baking, cook your breakfast sausage in a skillet on med. high, turning frequently. (Our sausage is lean grass fed beef, directly from the family ranch.) When your sausage is nicely browned, remove from heat and slice into small pieces.

4. Add your sausage bits into the center of your baked and broiled maple squash. Serve as is, and while your at it make him a nice poached egg and some toast if he asks for it (he did)

Baked Sweet Potato Breakfast

For breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or anytime! I love sweet potatoes. Luckily sweet potatoes are very good for us! This is one of my favorite ways to prepare them. I always make extra so I can keep some in the fridge for a snack. A sweet potato baked with skin is an excellent source of vitamin A. They are also a very good source of vitamin C and manganese. In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. (you must eat the skin!)

Ingredients:

3-5 small sweet potatoes (I usually buy the yellow flesh variety from my organic market)

2 Tbsp of either quality vegetable oil or olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

butter


Directions:

1. Move oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 400° F.

2. Wash and dry the outer skins of the potatoes. Cut off any small hard bits. Using a fork, stab the potatoes three or four times each.

3. Rub the potatoes with oil to cover and arrange them on a foil lined baking sheet with space in between. Bake for 40-50 minutes (do not turn) or until a knife slips easily into the center.

4. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with a little butter if you are feeling decadent. (they taste really great without I promise!)

The King's Quesadilla

Elvis loved fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. He used to fry up his sandwiches in heaps of butter, using big slabs of soft bread, huge amounts of sticky peanut butter & bananas. My version is considerably healthier and lower in calories. Still, I have to warn you, while these are tasty little treats, one serving is plenty.


Ingredients:

2 small white corn tortillas ( I use Tres Marias white corn tortillas by Pradera Natural Mexican Food Products)
1 Tbsp natural, organic crunchy peanut butter
1 banana, peeled & sliced thinly
1 tsp. organic peanut oil

Directions:

1. Spread a thin amount of peanut butter on one of your corn tortillas. Don't go all the way to the edge or it will just bubble out and burn. Arrange your banana slices on top, cover with the remaining corn tortilla.

2. Heat a small amount of peanut oil in a non stick skillet on med heat. When the oil is hot, place your corn tortilla sandwich on the skillet. Cook each side until lightly browned. Cut into quarters while singing Love me Tender

Arctic Blast Sweet Potato Smash

I loved those little potato smashes so much, I wanted to find a way to make them even healthier.
Sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse compared to regular white potatoes. Actually sweet potatoes are a member of the morning glory family and not potatoes at all. They come in orange flesh and white fleshed varieties. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, loaded with vitamin A and potassium & they are a rich source of antioxidants in the carotenoid family.

I chose the smallest organic sweet potato I could find for this mornings breakfast. The squishing process is a little less pretty than with the whole little potatoes, but the taste is amazing! The sweet potatoes will brown faster than a white potato so keep your eye on them.

Ingredients-

1 small sweet potato- washed and any hard bits cut off (leave skin on)
a generous drizzle of olive oil
course salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste


Directions:

1. Cut your washed sweet potato into quarters (or new potato sized pieces) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the sweet potaoes, boil until fork tender. While they are boiling, pre-heat the oven to 450 with the rack on the top.

2. Generously drizzle a sturdy cookie sheet with olive oil, After draining your cooked sweet potatoes, place them on the oiled cookie sheet with space in between. Score the sweet potatoes lightly with a knife to make little cube-like protrusions. Use a potato masher to gently squish the sweet potatoes. (it works best to squish each on a little, turn the masher a quarter turn and then squish them a little more). Be gentle, you want your sweet potatoes to look about cookie shape at this point. Brush some olive oil onto the squished potatoes, add some salt and fresh ground black pepper.

3. Place the cookie sheet with the squished sweet potatoes on the top rack of your pre- heated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are nicely browned and crispy. Enjoy them on a cold morning.

Kenny's Special Scram & Smashed Baked Baby Potatoes

My friend Jocelyn turned me on to these potatoes. Goodness me, they are like little potato crack bombs really. :)

Smashed Baked Baby Potatoes-

Ingredients-

a few handfuls of new potatoes (we used Piccolo but any smallish boiling potato will do)
a generous drizzle of olive oil
course salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
fresh rosemary, chopped, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the new potatoes, boil until fork tender. While they are boiling, pre-heat the oven to 450 with the rack on the top.

2. Generously drizzle a sturdy cookie sheet with olive oil, After draining your cooked potatoes, place them on the oiled cookie sheet with space in between. Use a potato masher to gently squish the potatoes (it works best to squish each on a little, turn the masher a quarter turn and then squish them a little more). Be gentle, you want your potatoes to look about cookie shape at this point. Brush some olive oil onto the squished potatoes, add some salt and fresh ground black pepper, finish with some fresh rosemary or herb of your choice.

3. Place the cookie sheet with the squished potatoes on the top rack of your pre- heated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely browned and crispy. Be prepared for fights over who gets the last one.


Kenny's Special Scram -

Ingredients-

2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp. red pepper, chopped fine
large handful of fresh baby spinach chopped fine
handful of button mushrooms, sliced
5 eggs
Butter for frying
paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat a sauté pan on med/high and melt some butter into it, sauté your onions and red pepper until lightly brown, add the spinach and sauté everything until soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Re-heat your sauté pan, add a generous amount of butter and sauté your mushrooms until brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the onion, spinach, red pepper, eggs, and salt/ pepper to taste. Beat with a fork until combined. Heat a med. non stick skillet over med/high heat, melt some butter in it and pour in your egg mixture. Add the mushrooms at this point. Use a heat resistant spatula to break up the egg mixture a couple of times as it cooks. Don't over stir it. You want to cook the eggs until they are "just" done and the obvious liquid is cooked.

4. Remove from heat, sprinkle some paprika over top & serve immediately. Serve with Smashed baked baby potato.