The Most Important Meal of the Day

Cara, this post is dedicated to you, the true lover of breakfast.  When I do take time to make something for breakfast other than cereal or oatmeal, it's usually waffles.  Ryan and I got a waffle maker as a wedding gift, and I LOVE it.  It's just a simple waffle maker like the one found here.  

Now, it shouldn't come as a surprise when I tell you that the best recipe for waffles is the kind made from scratch as written by Mark Bittman in my favorite cookbook How To Cook Everything.  If I may, Bittman says the following about pancake batter, but I feel that the same applies to waffles:

     "Americans must have been sadly alienated from the kitchen for pancake mixes to ever have gained a foothold in the market, for these are ridiculously easy to make."  

Preach on Mark.

Anyway.  Here's the basic recipe.  I always like to add a little something special to the waffles.  Be it some multi-grain flour, fruit, or spice.

2 C all purpose flour 
     (I like to mix 1 C multi-grain or whole wheat flour for a heartier, more        flavorful waffle)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T sugar
     ( I like to use 1 T brown sugar instead)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 C milk
2 eggs
4 T (1/2 stick) butter melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla

suggested add-ins:  1/2 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom
thinly sliced bananas or apples added right before you close the waffle maker
chopped almonds, walnuts

melt the butter first so that it cools back down!
brush waffle iron lightly with oil and pre-heat it.
combine the dry ingredients.
mix together the milk and eggs.
stir in the butter and vanilla.
stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
if the mixture seems to think to pour, add a little more milk.

spread a ladelful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3-5 minutes, depending on your iron.  serve immediately or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

topped with chopped almonds, real maple syrup and butter, of course. 

i like to eat my waffles in sections! 

Pumpkin Comfort Food

So now that Thanksgiving's long gone, you might be wondering what to do with all of those cans of pumpkin that you bought when they went on sale for 39 cents.  Is that just me?  Here are two delicious pumpkin ideas that will stave off those pumpkin pie* cravings once pie season has faded.

*Actual pie.  Made from the Thanksgiving 2012 issue of Bon Appetit.  
Delicious, simple to make and doesn't use canned milk.  

DIY Pumpkin latte or pumpkin chai:
If you'd rather not shell out $4 for a pumpkin spice latte, or it's past the limited time season, make your own!

ingredients:

2 Tbsp. canned pumpkin

1/2 C milk

1/2 C black tea or coffee

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg

1 Tbsp honey

heat milk on the stove or in the microwave.  don't let it boil!  add pumpkin, spices and honey to either a traditional blender or a large enough container to fit an immersion blender. blend and froth for a few seconds until thoroughly mixed.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin oatmeal:  Breakfast that tastes like pumpkin pie... that is actually good for you?  Ok.

ingredients:
1 package instant oatmeal ( I am really enjoying the Mom's Best Chai Spiced or just Mom's Best Plain ) or your favorite hot cereal

2 Tbsp canned pumpkin

1 tsp maple syrup

1-2 Tbsp milk

1/8-1/4 C water

spices* such as :"pumpkin pie seasoning" or your favorite combo of nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cardamom, cinnamon
*I don't use the seasoning when I'm using the Chai Spice oatmeal because it's already seasoned.

Optional:  raisins, nuts, berries, etc.

boil water.
in a bowl, combine oats, pumpkin, maple syrup, milk, and seasoning if using.
slowly add boiling water, pouring over the pumpkin to make it creamy until cereal reaches desired consistency. add optional toppings.  stir then cover for about 3 minutes.
I like to microwave mine for about 20 seconds right before eating it because I like it really hot!  Warning, this is an addicting, sweet and easy breakfast.  I have eaten it several days in a row!

Tastes great with coffee and Bon Appetit magazine!

Creamy Coconut Barley with Peaches and Cardamom

Yipes! Its been such a busy summer for me, photographing weddings and people and my cat, and going to the beach and having visitors and getting outdoors as much as I can!

I promise, I have been cooking, and enjoy the bounty of summer produce. But if I have a free minute I'm usually lingering over heirloom tomatoes with mozzarella on the deck, not blogging about it at my computer!

But here's a delicious breakfast I've been enjoying this week with fresh peaches. Its so good. Healthy and satisfying.

Creamy Coconut Breakfast Barley with Peaches and Cardamom

serves 2

1/2 cup pearled barley

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup of coconut milk

1 peach

2 teaspoons coconut oil

a pinch of cardamom

agave syrup to taste

Rinse the barley in a fine mesh sieve. Cook in a small pot with the water, lid slightly ajar for 25 minutes or until water is absorbed and barley is soft. 

While barley is cooking, heat the coconut oil over low heat in a small heavy-bottomed pan. Slice the peach and saute in the coconut oil with a pinch or two of cardamom, until edges being to slightly brown.

Combine the cooked barley with the coconut milk and enough water to make it blendable with your handstick blender (or in your regular blender - with lid slightly ajar to let steam out while blending!). Barley cereal should be nice and creamy when done, but not too runny.

Pour the barley into two bowls add splash of milk, top with sauteed peaches and a drizzle of agave syrup.

Homemade Cranberry Almond Granola with DIY Yogurt

This is by far the best and easiest homemade granola recipe I have ever made. Its inspired by a recipe I came across a few years ago in Yankee Magazine.

The ingredients are simple enough that I almost always have them on hand in my pantry to bake up a batch of granola. Its great on its own, or with milk or yogurt. In fact, I've recently started making my own homemade yogurt! Its magical. I found a great yogurt tutorial online, I'll share that below as well.

Easy Homemade Granola
makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole, raw almonds
3/4 cup shredded coconut*
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 cup dried cranberries*

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, coconut and sea salt. Add maple syrup and safflower oil and stir until all dry ingredients are evenly coated. Spread out on one large, or two small baking sheets. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes for even browning.

Remove the baking sheets from oven and let cool completely. Scoop granola into large bowl. Add the cranberries and mix well. Store in well sealed bags or large mason jars. Lasts about two weeks.

*Watch out for coconut and dried cranberries which are sweetened with lots of sugar. Go for unsweetened coconut whenever possible. Look for cranberries which have been sweetened with fruit juice rather than sugar.

Homemade Yogurt

Now that you've made your own granola (it wasn't so hard!) it's time to try your hand at yogurt.

I've had the best luck with this homemade yogurt tutorial from The Kitchn. You'll need a big pot, a thermometer that hooks to the side of your pot, milk (so long as it is not ultra-pasteurized) and some yogurt to use as a starter. I always try to use whole, organic dairy products. 

Store bought yogurt often contains pectin to artificially create a smoother, thicker product and to extend shelf life. Your homemade yogurt might appear curdled or clumpy, and this is as it should be! Plus the taste is far superior and so much fresher than anything you buy at the supermarket. If you like it sweet, add your own honey and fruit.

I keep mine in a sterilized mason jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. Save the last half cup to start your next batch!

Now add it all together for your super good homemade breakfast. Yum.

For another homemade breakfast recipe perfect for mornings on the go check out Blueberry Coconut Chia Pudding over on the Bliss Journal.

Blueberry Almond Scones

I just got back home to Boston from my wonderful week in Iowa. I baked these scones at Allison's house on Wednesday morning. I did the baking, but it was a team effort as Allison passed me all of her baking supplies from the pantry cupboard while I mixed up the dough.

Found this photo and thought I'd share the recipe in case you feel like baking up some weekend goodies yourself. These scones are full of fresh blueberries. Lots of fruit means they're a little crumbly when eating, but sometimes messy is good!

Blueberry Almond Scones

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold, unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat over to 400F. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Slice the butter into pieces and drop it into the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives, tossing butter in the flour as you work, until mixture is crumbly and butter pieces are no larger than the size of a pea.

Toast the sliced almonds in a hot pan on the stove, until they just begin to brown. Let cool for a few minutes, then toss the sliced almonds with the flour mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the blueberries. 

Using your hands, gather the dough into a sticky ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat the ball into a circle about 8-inches around, and slice into 8 wedges with a pizza cutter. Place the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, at least 1-inch apart. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until tops are golden. For best results serve warm, fresh out of the oven!

Allison, hope you're having a great weekend. Happy packing and I can't wait to hear of your food adventures in France coming up next week already! Safe travels, thanks for always welcoming me in your kitchen. xoxo Cara

Grown Up Brunch

Do you ever have those moments when you realize, "I'm a grown up."  I had one of those over the weekend when I hosted a baby shower for a coworker of mine.  I made most of the food and cleaned my house and many people came over to enjoy a nice brunch. I was excited to provide most of the food. It was the weekend before finals began so you might be thinking, are you crazy offering to do all that cooking? Yes. And no. I made it easy for myself by prepping two dishes in about an hour and planned it so that they'd be baked the morning of the shower. 

Here's what I made...

overnight baked french toast

ingredients:

1 loaf French bread
6-8 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. fresh nutmeg
butter

slice bread into 1-1.5 inch wide slices.  i cut off the smaller end pieces and saved them for something else.  Ryan ate them with jam. 

next, whisk the eggs, milk and spices in a big bowl.

grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 glass baking dish with butter.  just take the stick of butter and rub it on the pan!

using tongs, dunk each piece of bread in the egg mixture and place it in the pan.  see my photo above of how i layered them so there was enough room.  pour any remaining egg mixture evenly on top of the bread.

cover with foil and let soak in the fridge over night!

the next morning, heat oven to 375 and take the dish out of fridge to let it warm up a little before hitting that hot oven.  i put a dab of butter on each piece of bread before it went into the oven. put the foil back on.

bake for 45-60 minutes.
top with maple syrup, walnuts and raisins!


I also made this...  because, as my good friend Nichole has taught me, it isn't brunch without an egg dish AND a sweet dish.  

baked eggs with veggies

ingredients*:
10-12 eggs
1/2 C milk
zucchini, sliced in thin matchsticks
1/2 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2-3 green onions, diced
salt and pepper

*add whatever ingredients you want to this egg dish.  the vegetables that made it into mine are what I had on hand at the moment.  the possibilities are endless!

chop veggies.
whisk eggs and milk, salt and pepper.
lightly spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with oil
add eggs, add veggies.
cover with foil and store in fridge until time to bake (if you do this, remember to give it a little time to warm up from that cold night in the fridge). or cover with foil and bake right away!
bake at 375 for 45 minutes until eggs are set.

The food at this baby shower brunch didn't stop there.  Catherine contributed a fruit salad and Aimee made pumpkin waffles. That happened to be vegan.  Oh, did I mention that she trekked 1-2 miles to my house on her bike?  Toting waffle batter and her industrial strength Belgian waffle maker?  Oh yes she did.  Read about her adventure here.  Aimee is a devoted cyclist.  What will she tote on her two wheels next? 

If you have to host a brunch soon, say for Mother's day?  Or you just want to treat yourself and a loved one to a nice breakfast without a lot of hassle, make one or both of these overnight/make-ahead dishes.  You will be happy you did, come the next morning.

Rhubarb Walnut Muffins

This is by far my favorite spring rhubarb recipe. Its a perfect blend of tart rhubarb, sweet brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon. I found it a few years ago in my Van Zante family cookbook. The Van Zantes are on the maternal side of my family tree, and a few years ago my cousin gathered together recipes from my grandmother's kitchen as well as my aunt's and lots of cousins. She bound them together in a cookbook, and it is such a special heirloom, a living heirloom really because many of these recipes wind up on my kitchen table again and again.

This recipe for Rhubarb Walnut Muffins comes from my cousin Jenny Van Zante (she's the one who worked so hard to put the whole cookbook together!). She has an adorable blog about raising her 4 children on the farm in Iowa.

I've made a few minor changes to this recipe over the years; I've swapped some of the white flour for whole wheat flour, added a little extra rhubarb, and I like to fill my muffin tins all the way to the top for a big, rounded muffin.

When I see rhubarb appear in the store in May (someday I swear I'll have my own rhubarb patch) I buy it up because it doesn't stay on the shelves long in the city. I make a batch or two of these muffins, maybe make some compote, and dice and freeze the rest for making pies or jam late spring/early summer.

Rhubarb Walnut Muffins
makes 8 muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping cup diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened (do not overmix). Fold in rhubarb and chopped walnuts. Line your muffin tin with paper cases or parchment paper cut into squares and tucked into the cups. Fill paper-lined muffin cups full to the top. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the muffins. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the tin before moving to a wire rack.

*Buttermilk in a pinch tip from Martha Stewart: Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to one cup of milk, stir and let sit for 5 minutes to make you're own buttermilk.

I'm on the lookout for a rhubarb cake recipe, if you know a good one please send it my way!

xx Cara

Three recipe ideas for Barley

I've been cruising on whole grains all week; barley, millet, oats and quinoa (thanks for your previous quinoa post!). The feature grain of my spring pantry is a big jar of pearled barley. Here are three favorite ways I made it this week.

Breakfast Cream of Barley

This is a hot cereal recipe for one serving. Double or triple for a crowd.

1/3 cup pearled barley

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup milk of choice (I prefer rice milk, but could also use almond, soy or dairy here)

plus extra milk for blending

a sprinkle of sweet spices (your choice, any combo cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves)

a small handful of dried fruit, soaked in hot water 10 minutes (raisins, or cranberries, or tart cherries)

maple syrup, to taste

Rinse the barley in a sieve under cold water. Combine barley, 1/2 cup water and 3/4 cup milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, cover partially and let barley simmer until soft 20 to 25 minutes for pearled barley (double the time for hulled barley). Puree the cooked barley with your handstick blender or a regular blender (keep the lid open just a tad for blending hot liquids) adding extra milk to achieve an easy-blending consistency (texture should be similar to cream of wheat). Stir in your soaked fruit, and top with maple syrup.

~

The following two recipes are inspired by the Eating Wisely piece on whole grains in the March Yoga Journal.

Cranberry Herb Barley Salad

1 cup pearled barley

3 cups water

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped chives

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the barley in a sieve under cold water. Place in a medium pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat 20- 25 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together in a medium bowl the olive oil, vinegar, cranberries, chives and parsley. Drain any excess liquid from the cooked barley, fluff with a fork and stir into the cranberry mixture.

Barley Bowl with Asparagus

Note: the original recipe is a soup, called for 6 cups of veggie broth. I prefer this dish thicker, like a rice bowl. Feel free to adjust the broth addition to our preference, more broth to make it more like a soup.

1 cup pearled barley

3 cups water

Sea salt

2 cups veggie broth

1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal in 1/2 inch pieces

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup miso paste

chopped fresh parsley

Rinse barley under cold water. Place in a medium pot with 3 cups water and a pinch of sea salt. Boil for  20 to 25 minutes (twice as long if you are using hulled barley). When barley is cooked through, add the veggie broth to the pot, and spread the asparagus on top. Cover with a lid, bring it all to a boil again and cook long enough for the asparagus to steam and turn a bright green. Remove from heat. Dissolve the miso paste in a bit of warm water, and stir into the pot with the barley and asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Stormy Saturday Morning

I have a lot of homework to do this weekend. So I'm taking this gloomy Saturday morning to lounge around before errands and reading dominate my day.  I don't have real weekend cooking plans, but a few weekly menu meals got pushed out of the week due to busy schedules and an unexpected dinner invitation so I have the soup and the pasta left to make. 

However, last night, I had a flash of inspiration to make scones.  I didn't know it was going to be a gloomy morning, but now, as it rains and thunders, and I catch up on internet browsing (Food Gawker, Pinterest, Facebook, Bon Appetit.com, etc.) they are perfect.  Especially with some homemade strawberry jam and lots of coffee.

My Chia frog, who is trying to grow his seeds, looks a little jealous.

This make the dough ahead trick comes from my dear Kitchen Table Friend, Cara.  One Saturday morning, when I was visiting her in Denver Colorado, she magically produced warm scones (I believe they were lemon and currant!) out of the oven.  When did you make those? I asked, delighted.  She had prepared the dough the night before for a warm, morning breakfast surprise.  Yum.  Cara makes the best scones. 

I am improving, by practicing when the mood strikes, the Joy of Cooking recipe for classic scones with dried cranberries. I leisurely made the recipe last night and stored the dough in the fridge.  Then this morning when I woke up, as the coffee was brewing, I preheated the oven to 450, brushed the top with egg, and 20 minutes later, voila! Breakfast. 

My husband just popped in from working on something in the garage to get one and said "yuuuum!"  so I think I've done a good job this time around. 

Now, as I finish writing this, it seems the rain is clearing up... so that means I should probably get to work!

Gingery Cranberry Breakfast Quinoa

Its spring and while I love hot cereal for breakfast in the morning, I'm so over the same old oatmeal I've been eating all winter long. This morning I switched it up with quinoa with cranberries, spiked with crystallized ginger. It was so nice I thought I'd share it with you.

 Ginger Cranberry Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup crystalized ginger, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
honey, to taste
splash of milk of your choice (almond, soy, rice or dairy)

Bring quinoa and water to a boil. Add ginger and cranberries, lower heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until quinoa is soft and 'splits' open. Serve with a splash of milk (I love it with almond milk) and a drizzle of honey.

Do you have any Easter plans? I'll be spreading my kitchen table with some of my favorite spring foods, rhubarb and asparagus. What are you cooking up for the weekend?

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Cara, I think you're going to like this one. It's about breakfast between friends!

One of the perks of bring in grad school and working irregular hours,  is that I can have friends come over for breakfast before an afternoon class.  Today Aimee rode her bike over so we could make carrot cake pancakes !  What a treat to have a friend over to start the week! I love meeting friends for coffee at Des Moines' wonderful local coffee shops, however, for me there are times when having a friend over so you can cook together cannot be beat.  Especially when that friend is a fellow food enthusiast.  When planning our breakfast, Aimee wrote in an e mail "Do we think about food too much?"  To which I responded,  "Yes and there's nothing wrong with that!" 

We followed the recipe, almost exactly but instead used vanilla almond milk (rather thank plain) and substituted canola oil for a delicious walnut oil.  These pancakes (which happen to be vegan, if you're into that kind of thing) had a spicy, nutty flavor.  They were light and fluffy (perhaps due to a pleasant bubbling that occurred upon adding the wet ingredients to the dry) and not too sweet. 

I do not love carrot cake, the cake version. It's often too dense and too sweet and the cream cheese frosting that is usually on top is just over kill in my opinion (recall... I don't like frosting very much, period.) This was a nice substitute. So, if you're ever thinking of making me a carrot cake, just make me carrot pan-cakes instead. 

Orange Spice French Toast

I had the morning off from yoga teaching, so I slept a bit longer and then made some french toast for breakfast. (You know how much I love breakfast.) I had a 2-day old leftover baguette. It was almost stale so I quick sliced it up and soaked it in this egg batter I mixed up with orange zest and spices. This is one of my favorite easy homemade breakfast dishes.

Orange Spice French Toast Recipe:

1/2 to 1 full day-old baguette

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or any combination cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)

zest of 1/2 a small orange

maple syrup

Slice the baguette into 3/4 inch slices. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, spices and zest. Soak slices of bread in the egg mixture until all is absorbed. Season a skillet lightly with oil, and bring to a medium heat. Lay the bread out in the skillet and cook until the undersides start to brown. Flip the bread slices over and when the other side browns as well remove from heat. Serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

I snapped this last photo of the french toast right before the cat knocked the whole plate off the windowsill! He was very proud of himself.

Allison, I hope you are enjoying your spring break. I hear its springy there in Iowa! It is here too. The daffodils are out and they are glorious.

Be well my friend,

Cara

Frittata

I realized that I post frittata on the weekly menu quite often, but I haven't yet written about how I make it. Today I made one for breakfast.  Here's how I did it.

ingredients:

6 eggs
1-2 Tablespoons (a good splash) of milk
salt and pepper
spices if you like
butter or olive oil
1 leek, mostly white part,  halved lengthwise and chopped into half moon pieces
1 potatoe, cubed
a handful of spinach, chopped
(I would usually add fresh rosemary to this mix-- it is so magical with eggs! but today I had none.)

put whatever you like into your frittata such as:
   tomatoes, basil, mozzarella cheese
   bacon, onions, potatoes, peppers
   tomatoes, zucchini, goat cheese, green onions
   broccoli, zucchini, red peppers
   any veggies you have in the fridge and need to use up!
   etc. etc. etc.

Preheat the oven to 425.
First, prep and chop the ingredients.
Next, whisk the eggs and the milk and season with S&P.
Using a sautee pan that can go in the oven (if you do not have this, use any sautee pan for this first step of cooking and have a greased pie plate at the ready), heat about 1 Tbsp. butter and add the potatoes. I like to do this to crisp them on the outside and to ensure that they get cooked through (about 5 minutes). 
Remove potatoes from the pan, set aside.
Add extra olive oil or butter to the pan to coat the sides. Return pan to stove and turn heat up to high.
Add eggs to heated pan, and allow to cook for a couple minutes to let the bottom "set". 
Then, add potatoes, leeks, spinach.
Transfer to oven for 20-25 minutes.  Remove when eggs are set and begin to brown on top. 
Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, then carefully remove from pan (I transfer it to a cutting board) and serve.

Top with crumbled goat cheese for an extra treat! 

Indian Breakfast!

Allison, your sweet quinoa breakfast snack inspired me to post about Indian breakfast here in Mysore.

Standard breakfast at a "stand-up" cafe is fluffy white pancakes called Dosas. These are made of fermented beans and rice, and served with a spicy coconut chutney and some veg. Idley is also common. I believe it is made of a similar fermented batter, then set in a mold and steamed in a pressure cooker. The result is a hot, cake-like texture, served with the spicy coconut chutney, and a tomato based sambar. These are served savoury and spicy! Eat with your hands, scooping the side dishes as you go. Don't forget the chai tea!

I don't eat this everyday, its a bit too spicy for me to have regularly. I do like to stop in for some pancakes with dates and honey or muesli with curd from one of the more western cafes near the yoga school. But once in awhile, I go all out with an Indian breakfast!

Set Dosa, with coconut chutney and cooked veg (cabbage, perhaps?)

Idley, on a banana leaf. With sambar and coconut chutney.

Chai tea in a little glass. Tea, Milk, spices if you like, and sweetened with Jaggery.

A Sweet Quinoa Snack

As I wrote yesterday, most of what I blog about is dinner.  However, I make lots of other fun stuff too, it's just not as strategic as my weekly dinner preparations.  So here's something different.

I decided to make this quinoa recipe that several of my friends pinned on their Pinterest pages (which I don't use that much for food because I have the blog!).  It looked sooo delicious.  In my kitchen, quinoa is usually cooked in vegetable broth and eaten with savory things like cheese and vegetables.  Making a sweet more breakfasty, or after school snack in my case, version was very intriguing.   I didn't have any of the ingredients the recipe used (she even used a different kind of quinoa), so I made my own version which is basically the same method, just different flavors.

1/3 C quinoa (yellow/white)
1 C vanilla almond milk
half a bananna, sliced
a handfull of walnuts, crumbled
a generous drizzle of honey
several sprinkles of cinnamon to taste

rinse quinoa.
bring almond milk to a low boil (careful not to let it boil over, keep the flame medium and watch it) when milk starts to bubble at the sides, add the quinoa.
add cinnamon.
return to low boil and turn the heat to medium.
cover.
cook for about 10 minutes or until quinoa is done and desired amount of liquid remains.
add to boil and sprinkle with toppings and honey!

I like mine a little soupy.

It tasted like breakfast (and this is very similar to the hot cereal that I eat most mornings for breakfast). Which is ok with me because I like breakfast and don't mind eating breakfast foods as snacks one bit!

Enjoy on a cold winter afternoon. I did....

It was delicious.

Saturday Morning Scones with Apricot & Ginger

After returning from our Christmas travels I have been so busy with work and teaching that I've been on a bit of a kitchen hiatus, making the minimum to get by, or asking Chris to cook. But this morning I woke up late, rested, and ready for some recreational baking! I like to make breakfast treats on Saturday morning for Chris and I, its our time to come together again after our busy weeks. I make scones about once a month, gradually perfecting my dough recipe and experimenting with different add-ins.

This morning it was:

Apricot & Ginger Scones

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold, unsalted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk*
1 egg
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup chopped crystalized ginger

Preheat over to 400F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Slice the butter (be sure its cold!) into pieces and drop it into the flour mixture.

Pastry blender and metal bowl inherited from my grandmother's kitchen.

Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or a fork, tossing butter in the flour as you work, until mixture is crumbly and butter pieces are no larger than the size of a pea. Toss the chopped ginger and apricots with the mixture, separating any pieces that stick together.

Crystallized ginger and dried apricots on the chopping block.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon just until dry ingredients are moistened. Using your hands, knead the dough on the sides of the bowl until it forms a somewhat sticky ball. On a floured surface, pat the ball into a circle about 8-inches around, and slice into 8 wedges with a pizza cutter. Place the wedges on a baking sheet, at least 1-inch apart and brush tops with milk. Bake for 12-15  minutes, or until tops are golden. Serve warm with butter and/or jam.

*Homemade buttermilk tip courtesy of Martha Stewart: I rarely have buttermilk on hand, so I make my own by mixing 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice with 1/2 cup of milk. Let sit for 30 minutes before using.

We enjoyed these at our kitchen table this morning with some strawberry jam and a pot of green tea.

Scones in a basket!