Tag Archives: breakfast

Poppy Seed Cake

7 Jan

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I dare you to count the number of poppy seeds in this cake.

1…

2…

671…

…

My grandma used to make us poppy seed cake when we were kids. It was a plain cake, with a subtle crunch from the seeds, usually baked up in a bundt pan. Grandma uses canned poppy seeds, but I made this cake with the regular seeds that you can find by the spices at the grocery store. She says that poppy seed cake tastes even better when it’s a few days old.

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The process of preparing this cake gave me peace of mind. I brought out my Kitchen Aid mixer and whipped my egg whites to soft peaks, a task that gives me great pleasure, and that I do not get to do very often now that I am not cooking in a professional kitchen.

Folding my softly whipped egg whites into the thick yellow batter felt so good. My kitchen was silent; I was alone, soaking in every step.

To get the full recipe, head over to The Wednesday Chef.

A few notes:

Make sure your butter is soft. 

I used 1 cup of 1% lowfat milk + 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar in place of buttermilk. 

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Steel Cut Oats

5 Jan

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After a recent visit to California, I got hooked on steel cut oats.

Steel cut oats take longer to cook than old fashioned rolled oats (about 25 minutes versus 5 minutes), but they offer a nice alternative texture and are a healthy way to enjoy breakfast on the weekends. This morning, I got the oats started on the stove, and by the time I brewed my coffee and washed my face, breakfast was basically ready.

You could also make a bigger batch of the oats and save the leftovers in the refrigerator, reheating them when ready to eat again in the next day or two.

I like to eat my oats with a LOT of toppings. Before I take them off the stove, I will add a little banana, some ground flaxseeds, and a lot of cinnamon. Once I transfer it to my bowl, I top with a drizzle of maple syrup, some milk, and walnuts (I often use nut butters like peanut/almond/sunbutter to mix things up).

When I’m really feeling topping crazy, I add in some jam. In California, I made a stop at Kozlowski farms in Forestville to taste some jams. Their pumpkin butter was irresistible. I’ve been putting it on anything and everything since I’ve been home, including this morning’s steel cut oats.

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Steel Cut Oats

makes 2 servings

2 cups water

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 banana, sliced

1/2 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

2 teaspoons cinnamon

maple syrup, to taste

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

pumpkin butter

milk

Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the oats and stir constantly for about 5 minutes over medium heat, they will begin to thicken. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and let the oats cook for about 20 to 30 minutes more, uncovered. Stir occasionally.

Once at desired consistency, add in the sliced banana, ground flaxseeds, and cinnamon. Divide into 2 bowls. Top with a small drizzle of maple syrup, walnuts, pumpkin butter, and a little milk.

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5 Days of Simple Breakfasts…

31 Aug

Just a little post to show you what I’ve been eating for breakfast lately. It’s easy to get in a breakfast rut, and I’m here to offer you five small simple breakfast ideas that will help get your day started.

I like to exercise in the late morning, and these are all great pre-(or post) workout options for breakfast or a snack. I try to think: carb + a little protein. And it never hurts to keep in mind color and appearance. Even if it’s just a mini-meal, your belly will feel more satisfied if your eyes are entertained as well.

Toast with avocado and low-fat cottage cheese. Lots of fresh ground pepper. I never liked cottage cheese as a kid because I didn’t like the texture. Once I discovered that I could spread it on a crunchy piece of toast or crackers, there was no turning back. I can’t get enough of the stuff now! AND you get 15 grams of protein per serving of cottage cheese.

Almond butter schmeared on toast. With a squeeze of honey (or banana). I recently tried sunflower seed butter, which is another great alternative to add to the peanut/almond butter rotation.

Oatmeal. I like making rolled oats on the stove top. This time around my toppers included: cinnamon, coconut chips, a combo of walnuts/macadamias, frozen berries, plain yogurt, and honey. (you can just barely see the steam coming from my coffee…!!!)

Baby berry smoothie: 1 cup frozen berries, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Whir it up in the blender. Add a frozen banana if you want to bulk this up a bit (I had some whole wheat crackers with nut butter shortly after this to complement the smallness of the smoothie). Pour into an old jam jar and enjoy.

A layered yogurt parfait. Plain yogurt, granola, more yogurt, melon (or whatever fruit you want), finished with more granola. You could even take something like this on the go in a small tupperware container (or a clean container from a previous yogurt).

Note that most of the ingredients for these breakfasts you can always have on hand. Frozen fruit, rolled oats, nut butters, bread (you can even put bread in the freezer and toast off as needed). Even yogurt stays fresh for a long time in the fridge. So much easier to whip up a quick healthy breakfast when your pantry and refrigerator/freezer are stocked with these simple breakfast staples.

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Cast-Iron Skillet Blueberry Pancakes

22 Jul

Fresh blueberry pancakes. All of the best breakfast flavors joined forces and jumped inside these ‘jacks. There’s almond extract in the batter. And oats. And buttermilk. And a touch of OJ.

Let me tell you a little secret. I didn’t really use buttermilk in these pancakes. I faked it. Stir together 1/2 cup of milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar (I used cider vinegar, but white vinegar or even lemon juice work great, too). Let it sit for 2 minutes or so. Now you have ‘buttermilk.’ Easy in a pinch.

Once upon a time, I was afraid of my cast-iron skillet. I wanted one so bad, so then I bought one to be like all the cool kids. BUT, I was never quite sure how to clean it, I never knew if I was using it correctly, I was just confused and scared. Not to worry, we can work through this together.

To start, here are 2 great resources for cast-iron skillet cleaning and care: One. Two.

I believe the more I cook with my skillet, the better it will get. In other words, more cooking means a more “seasoned” skillet, which, in English, basically means more of me cooking like a mad woman will create a lovely non-stick indoor grilling device.

You can grill dogs in the cast-iron skillet. You can make a Dutch Baby come out of the oven. I highly recommend you make a Cherry Clafoutis before cherry season is over. Cast-iron skillet quesadillas? Yes, please.

If it weren’t for my cast-iron skillet, I would have never produced such a perfectly golden seared pancake this morning. Truth.

Pancake Massacre. Warm blueberries exploding in your mouth with every bite you take. Sweet n’ juicy breakfast heaven.

Serve with more blueberries and perfectly ripe peaches. A winning combo.

Blueberry Pancakes

adapted from the JoytheBaker cookbook

serves 2 (4 pancakes each) **if you want more, double the recipe or triple it, etc…

NOTE: If you are making a larger batch of this recipe and want to keep your pancakes warm, heat the oven to 200 degrees F and place finished pancakes onto an ovenproof plate or tray while you cook the remaining batter. 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 medium size egg

1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup regular milk + 1 teaspoon cider vinegar)

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon of butter, divided, for frying the pancakes

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, orange juice, and almond extract.

3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and whisk until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Let the mix sit for 5 minutes while you heat your griddle or cast-iron skillet.

4. Heat the cast-iron skillet for about 5 minutes over medium heat to get it warmed up (I made some coffee while waiting for the skillet to heat). Drop in a small amount of butter, enough to coat the skillet. I used a 1/4 cup measure to portion my pancakes. Drop the batter into the hot buttered skillet (I dropped 2 pancakes at a time). Let them cook for 2 minutes, flip, then cook about 2 minutes more. Re-butter the skillet as needed and cook the remaining pancakes the same way (they will start to cook quicker now that the skillet has been on for a while, just keep an eye out).

I served my pancakes with more blueberries, fresh peach slices, a hearty helping of good-quality pure maple syrup, and strong black coffee. 

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Baked Oatmeal, Revamped for Summer

19 Jun

Last fall I wrote a post about baked oatmeal. It was filled with apples and bananas and was the perfect get-out-of-bed-and-watch-the-leaves-change-color breakfast.

Now that summer is here and things are starting to heat up, I made a summer-ed up version of this oatmeal. A get-out-of-bed-and-treat-your-body-right breakfast (or snack or dessert). There’s raspberries instead of apples, I used coconut oil instead of butter, almond slivers instead of walnuts, and a few pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes that I had hanging around in my pantry to give the oatmeal an extra seedy crunch.

I think that there is no need for butter in oatmeal. A touch of coconut oil lends a really nice warm-weather flavor and is cholesterol-free.

As you will read in the instructions below, “thwack” is a technical kitchen term and has an important purpose in the recipe 😉

P.S. Why are halved raspberries so seductive?

Baked Oatmeal

A revamped version of this recipe, originally from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday

serves 6 generously or 12 as part of a larger brunch spread

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

1-2 tablespoons coconut chips/flakes

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or fine-grain sea salt)

1 large egg

2 cups milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly (if it is hot outside, your coconut oil may already be in a liquid state and therefore you would not need to melt it)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups fresh berries

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Optional: Grease the inside of an 8-inch/ 20 cm square baking dish with coconut oil.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips/flakes, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla.

Arrange the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 2/3 of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the dry oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Gently give the baking dish a couple of thwacks on the counter-top to make sure the milk moves through the oats. Scatter the remaining berries and the slivered almonds across the top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Cut it up and serve.


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