Category: Breakfast

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Rhubarb Muffins

Sarah

Before we joined a CSA this spring, I had never had the opportunity to try rhubarb. Last spring/summer, I looked for it, but must have been too late because I couldn’t find it anywhere–not the farmer’s market or the grocery store, and then I finally found it at a health foods store for about $6.99 a pound. Yikes! So imagine my excitement when I opened up my CSA basket three weeks in a row to find a big bunch of rhubarb. I had several recipes in my rhubarb “to-make” queue and this is the first I’d like to share.

These muffins are a perfect introduction to rhubarb for a newbie. They take typically tart rhubarb and make it sweet and flavorful with citrusy orange and sweet sugar. The soft, fluffy muffin is familiar and the crunch of pecans on top is extra satisfying. These muffins have definitely earned a spot on my “must make” list. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Rhubarb Muffins [slightly altered from The Runner’s Plate]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • dash salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted but not hot
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1-1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners or grease with Crisco/butter, as desired.

In a large bowl, mix together flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and sat. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, oils, orange peel, juice, and milk together. Incorporate wet ingredients into dry until just combined, then fold in rhubarb gently.

Spoon mixture into prepared pans, approximately 2/3 of the way full. Top with pecans and then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes

Sarah

Confession time: I almost didn’t even bother taking pictures of these Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes.

It was a Saturday morning two weeks ago, the first in about six weeks that I was a) home and b) not doing a marathon training run, so I just wanted to eat. my. breakfast. In peace. No photography. [I apologize! Bad blogger attitude. Shame on me!] But… my dear husband thought differently. And for that, you should be eternally grateful. Just kidding… kinda. 🙂 One bite of these delicious dream boat pancakes and I knew that my husband saved me from making a terrible, horrible mistake.

I started out by whipping up a batch of my basic pancake batter, the origin of which is a mystery to me. I’ve been making these pancakes for several years, and the recipe is handwritten in my recipe journal, so I unfortunately cannot take credit for the basic recipe. However, I can take credit for the mix-ins!

After the basic batter was prepared, I perused my refrigerator and cupboards and took inspiration from two of my favorite sweet treats: luscious, fresh strawberries and creamy, rich chocolate. Both flavors are complimented by a hint of tropical coconut in the batter, in the form of coconut oil and coconut flakes.

As I fried these babies up on a hot skillet, I dropped on plenty of chopped strawberries and mini chocolate chips. Once my plate was piled high, I covered the lot with more strawberries, chocolate, and coconut and dug in. It was like a trip to the tropics before 10 a.m., I tell ya!

I’m so glad that my Ben knows a winning recipe when it’s right in front of him. Now, if only a trip to the tropics was right in front of him… I suppose for now I’ll just have to settle for a delicious, indulgent tropical breakfast instead. 🙂 It’s just as good, I promise!

Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • sprinkle of salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups skim milk, at room temperature
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup cut strawberries + more for topping
  • 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips + more for topping
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened dried coconut flakes + more for topping

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients [flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar]. In a small bowl, stir milk, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla until well combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and then pour wet ingredients over top and stir until just moistened. [Lumps are a-okay!] Then, fold in coconut. Spoon out batter onto hot griddle in 1/4-1/3 cup increments and sprinkle on desired amounts of strawberries and chocolate chips. Cook until golden brown and serve topped with more strawberries, coconut, and chocolate. Enjoy! Makes 10-12 medium size pancakes.

Notes:

If the milk and eggs aren’t at room temperature, it’s not the end of the world. I think the consistency is better if they are, but I’m not always that organized [or patient!]. Also, melted butter can be used in place of oil. I haven’t tried this, but for even more of a coconut emphasis, consider using lite coconut milk instead of skim.

Breakfast, Recipes, Waffles

Sweet Potato Waffles

Sarah

Making waffles at home always makes me feel fancy. There’s something special about food that can only be shaped in a mold. They remind me of going out to breakfast when I was growing up since my mom used to always order waffles when we’d eat out. Sometimes I would order a big Belgian waffle too, which is something I haven’t had from a restaurant in years. Nowadays when I go out for breakfast I usually order a fancy omelette or pancakes. And that’s because I now make my waffles at home!

These Sweet Potato Waffles are the newest waffle recipe I’ve tried and I am so glad to say that it’s a keeper! I loved the subtly-sweet flavor of the sweet potato complemented by orange zest, cinnamon, and vanilla. It reminded me of a ligher version of everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole. My husband, like Lindsay’s was initially skeptical of the sweet potato inclusion in a classic breakfast dish, but he turned his frown upside down after a bite of these delicious waffles. We enjoyed them as a quick dinner after a workout last week alongside some orange slices and bacon but I see no reason why they wouldn’t be equally delicious for a lazy Saturday morning. You could also prepare a batch in advance, freeze them, and then defrost as needed during the week. I used to do that all the time and love it… the toaster oven works best for re-heating, though if your toaster is big enough [or the waffles small enough] then that works too. I haven’t done that in awhile, I should definitely jump back on the frozen waffle bandwagon. Move over, Eggos! The Pajama Chef is here. 🙂 Enjoy!

Note: I’ve recently had problems with my FeedBurner email/rss subscriptions. Be sure to sign up again on the right if need be so you don’t miss a post. Thanks!

Sweet Potato Waffles [adapted from The Lean Green Bean]

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • zest of 1 large orange
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Peel and dice sweet potato. Place in a large measuring cup and add a little water then microwave on high for about 4-5 minutes to cook. Add butter and mash [or pre-cook in the oven, I just was pressed for time]. Let cool for a minute or two while you turn on your waffle iron to preheat. Then, add milk, sugar, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla and stir to combine. Fold in flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Scoop by 1/3-1/2 cup increments onto hot waffle iron [I used about 1/3 of a cup while Lindsay used about 1/2 of a cup]. Batter will puff up a lot but don’t worry, these will be well worth the mess! Cook until golden brown and serve with butter and syrup/brown sugar.

Click here for the printable version: Sweet Potato Waffles

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, One Tablespoon Testosterone, Recipes

OTT: Sausage Egg Apple Strata

Sarah
ben
grrr!

This is a guest post from my husband, Ben. Periodically, he has agreed to share some of his favorite recipes with you in a guest post column entitled One Tablespoon Testosterone, or OTT for short. Enjoy!

———-

Hello again.  I’m here to share another recipe with you, man-style.  For this edition, we’ll go the route of “breakfast for dinner.”  This is a concept that my wife really enjoys.  She could eat breakfast every meal of the day and this is not an exaggeration.  We had breakfast food at our wedding reception.  But even before I knew Sarah, I knew about breakfast for dinner.  In college, one of my roommates (one Patrick Hinker) and I used to occasionally splurge and make

good eats, good man

breakfast feasts for dinner.  This occasionally involved making 14 links of sausage, a dozen eggs, and a batch of pancakes…and consuming it entirely ourselves.  Ah yes, those were the days.  Now I have to think of something a bit more…mmm…refined to satisfy my roommate.  [Sarah here… Ben just got kicked for that and said, “but I love you!” All was forgiven. :)] And so this recipe may not have been a hit four or five years ago, but now it’s a hit with my wife.  The other reason I decided to make this recipe is because we’ve had a pound of ground sausage in our freezer for God only knows how long, and I wanted to do something about it.

Sausage Egg Apple Strata [from $5 Dinners]

Ingredients:

  • 6 slices bread (this can be of your choosing; you can pick what type of bread [we used Italian bread] and you can adjust the amounts depending on how bready you want yours [I probably would have cut back just a bit if I made it again]
  • 1 lb sausage (mild or spicy, your preference)
  • 1 chopped apple (I used Jazz)
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 c milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 c cheese (guess what? you can choose the type of cheese too! I used cheddar.)

Directions:

Spray or grease a 9×13 cooking pan.  Vent your frustrations on the bread by tearing into pieces, but don’t get too carried away.  Keep those pieces of bread a halfway decent size.  Put the pieces of bread in the pan.  Brown the sausage on the stove and drain the excess grease.  Put the sausage in the pan with the bread.  Chop the apple and add that to the pan.  Mix the ingredient around in there a little bit.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.  Refrigerate overnight.  The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the casserole for 45-55 minutes.  With about 5 minutes to go in the cooking, remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Put back in the oven to finish cooking.  When it’s done, enjoy thoroughly.

Click here for the printable version: Sausage Egg Apple Strata

Question of the Day:  So if you could only eat five foods for the rest of your life what, what would they be?

Breakfast, Granola, Recipes

Granola Bars, Take Two

Sarah

I’m at it again… making some delicious homemade granola bars! I can’t stop myself. Sorry. 🙂

granola barsWhat I love about these Fruit and Nut Granola Bars is that they are incredibly chewy and packed with raisins, dried cranberries, and dried apricots alongside nuts and chocolate.

While my first run through was of a crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside variety, these fruit and nut bars almost have the consistency of cereal bars… soft but with enough substance to be filling and not crumbly. Where my last batch was incredibly sweet, these boast more natural sweetness and a variety of flavors in every bite.They are great for on the go snacking or a pre/post workout fuel. Hope you enjoy!

Fruit and Nut Granola Bars [inspired by this formula from the Brown Eyed Baker]

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup wheat germ, toasted in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup raisins, soaked in hot water for about 20 minutes and then patted dry
  • 1/3 cup chopped apricots
  • 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup sunflower kernels
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together oats, wheat germ, apricots, chocolate chips, walnuts, sunflower kernels, pecans and pumpkin pie spice. In a small bowl, stir together pumpkin, peanut butter, honey, and maple syrup, then fold into dry ingredients until fully combined. Press into prepared pan, then bake for about 25-27 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack, then cut into bars. Wrap individually in plastic wrap for easy transport, and store in the freezer to keep fresh.

Click here for the printable version: Fruit and Nut Granola Bars

Question of the Day: What snack are you loving lately?