Tag Archive: Breakfast

Strawberry Cashew Granola

Strawberry Cashew Granola

The best thing about Spring so far has been buying produce that’s not potatoes or shipped from the other side of the country at the supermarket. I even got suckered into buying a plant just because it was on sale and comes from a local town; I’m a marketer’s dream.

After a long, exciting weekend outdoors I couldn’t bring myself to do much more on Sunday night other than stay in watching TV and making this granola. Thankfully the recipe is simple enough that you can throw it together whenever. The next morning I slept through my alarm for almost an hour and hastily threw together a breakfast of yogurt, fresh strawberries, and this granola. Even on the run it tasted delicious.

Strawberry Cashew Granola Strawberries

The flavor of this granola is very subtle which is great over plain or vanilla yogurt in the morning before your taste buds really wake up. If you don’t feel like making the strawberry syrup you can also mix 6 Tablespoons of maple syrup with 2 Tablespoons of a good strawberry jam and have the same flavor.

Strawberry Cashew Granola

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 1/2 cups):

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup strawberry syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup roasted salted cashews

Strawberry Cashew Granola Yield

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the oats, syrup, salt, and oil.
  3. Spread the oat mixture over a non-stick baking surface in a thin layer.
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the oats are toasted.
  5. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool.
  6. Break the granola apart and toss the clumps with the cashews.
  7. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Strawberry Cashew Granola Serving

Scrambled Tofu

Scrambled Tofu

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie.

If I had to recommend one dish for someone who wants to eat less animal products it would be scrambled tofu. It looks just like eggs and you can really flavor it however you like. Not to mention it only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.

I started eating less scrambled eggs and more scrambled tofu after watching Vegucated on Netflix. I won’t go into personal ethics on why I made the switch but it’s a good documentary to watch on Netflix in between marathons of Being Human and United States of Tara.

Scrambled Tofu Yield

You can easily change this recipe to make it more flavorful by adding herbs and sautéed vegetables into the mix. I usually use curry powder to make mine a little spicy.

Scrambled Tofu

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Scarmbled Tofu Easy

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, mash the tofu with a fork lightly until it’s textured to resemble scrambled eggs.
  2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
  3. Mix the turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder in with the tofu until it’s evenly coated.
  4. Sauté the tofu in the oil until it’s heated through and takes on a vibrant color.
  5. Remove from the pan and serve hot.

Afterwards I put a big pile of ketchup on the side of the plate. What’re eggs and hash browns without ketchup?

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Have you entered the Blendtec and Stonyfield Blends giveaway yet? There’s still a few days left!

Having a reliable blender has improved my eating habits in a lot of unexpected ways. I’ve started having more fruit smoothies and vegetable juices throughout the day. A lot of the time I enjoy them so much I forget they’re healthy.

By far my favorite is a chocolate peanut butter smoothie; I don’t think there’s any surprise there. It’s similar to having a Reese’s cup but you can have it everyday and still feel good. How does something like that even exist?

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie Cocoa

You can use milk, almond milk, or coconut milk in place of the water; however, I think this is deliciously creamy as is on account of the peanut butter. If you ever need to make peanut or almond milk in a jiffy, you can make it by blending ~1 Tablespoon of nut butter with a cup of water.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

  • 1 banana, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 Tablespoon honey(optional)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2/3 cup ice
  • 1 scoop protein powder(optional)

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie Ingredients

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender.
  2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
  3. Pour and serve cold.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie Yield

Simple and delicious.

Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes


It’s been getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning lately. I’m used to freezing temperatures in New England by now but I’ve never learned to like them and it’s only getting colder from here on out. Blankets are getting thicker, showers are getting longer, and breakfasts are getting tastier because they’re always the best reason to get out of bed.

These pancakes are an older recipe that I wanted to revisit and spend more time on. It’s hard to find good gluten-free pancakes and the more flavors you can get the better. They’re entirely naturally sweetened, too, until you pour the maple syrup on top which is a must. A little pat of cinnamon butter and it’d be heaven.

The recipe only makes about one serving. I would recommend doubling or tripling it and storing the extra pancakes in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator to have extra for another morning.

Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(makes 1 serving):

  • 1/3 cup mashed banana(about a medium-sized banana)
  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4-1/3 cup water

Method:

  1. In a mixing bowl combine the mashed banana, chickpea flour, egg, cinnamon, baking soda and 1/4 cup water and mix.
  2. Add more water if necessary to get the consistency somewhere between thick-runny and runny.
  3. Preheat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
  4. Scoop about 1/4 cup batter into the pan for each pancake. Only cook 1 or 2 at a time to avoid overcrowding.
  5. Cook on one side until the top is bubbly, then flip and cook for about another minute. Repeat until all the batter is used.

Definitely worth waking up for.

Homemade Pumpkin Granola

Homemade Pumpkin Granola

It was really only a matter of time before I combined pumpkin and granola, wasn’t it?

If you like granola and yogurt with a cup of tea on crisp Fall morning, this is definitely a recipe for you. Most of the flavor comes from the pumpkin spice rather than the actual pumpkin. Still it tastes(and smells!) delicious.

Homemade Pumpkin Granola Serving

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, just use a mix of cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to get the same flavor. You can also add in an extra 1/2 cup of raisins or dried apple slices if you want to add a touch of sweetness.

Homemade Pumpkin Granola

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 3 cups):

  • 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
  • 2 Tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup crushed walnuts

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, maple syrup, pumpkin, oil, spice and salt thoroughly.
  3. Lay the wet oats out on a non-stick baking surface in a thin layer.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes, breaking up the oats around 10-15 minutes before taking them out of the oven.
  5. Let the oats cool completely once they’re done.
  6. Mix in the walnuts and store the granola in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Homemade Pumpkin Granola Yield

You can also feel free to add white chocolate chips and candy corn. I can say from experience that that’s a winning combination.

Gluten-Free Carrot Bread

Gluten-Free Carrot Bread

I’m a sucker for sweet breads. So far this Summer we’ve made banana bread and zucchini bread. That got me wondering what other fruits and vegetables you can bake into bread?

As unglamorous as they are, carrot desserts are some of my favorites; I’ve had carrot cakes at multiple birthdays throughout the years. Some people think they sound too healthy to make a good dessert, but if you slap enough cream cheese frosting onto anything it will taste good, right?

Gluten-Free Carrot Bread Loaf

This bread isn’t quite as sweet as a carrot cake or carrot cake muffin would be; I like that because the last thing I need in the morning is a sugar coma. Instead it’s rather spicy with jewels of sweetness from the raisins. You can swap in toasted walnuts for the coconut for a nuttier flavor and added crunch. Of course you can also add white chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting; it’s all about how decadent you want to go.

Gluten-Free Carrot Bread

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 loaf):

  • 1 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup tightly packed shredded carrot
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 6oz container plain yogurt
  • 4 extra large eggs
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Gluten-Free Carrot Bread Shredded Carrot

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the almond flour and brown sugar to make sure there aren’t any clumps.
  3. Add in the carrots, oil, yogurt, and eggs and mix completely.
  4. Toss in the raisins, coconut, salt, baking powder and spices and mix again.
  5. Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch loaf pan.
  6. Bake for 50 minutes or until the center of the loaf has set.
  7. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into slices.

Gluten-Free Carrot Bread Slice

It didn’t take me very long to mix some powdered sugar and cream cheese and spread it onto a hot slice. It didn’t take me long at all.

Coconut Almond Granola

Coconut Almond Granola

I’m not sure how I’d live if I were allergic to nuts. Peanuts, coconuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios—all of them; they’ve become a staple in my diet without gluten or meat. And don’t even get me started on all of the amazing things you can bake with almond flour…

Thankfully, I’m not, so I can go on making granola chockfull of all sorts of nuts packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. I’m not one to always use coconut oil(mostly because of the price), but I love how aromatic it is when I do. You can smell all the flavors in this granola as it bakes, from the earthy cinnamon and vanilla to the fruity coconut. 

Coconut Almond Granola

Toasting the nuts adds a much more vibrant flavor to them. The easiest way to do this is in a large frying pan over low to medium heat. It’s easier and more consistent than throwing the nuts into the oven; just be sure to pay close attention to them as they will burn quickly.

Coconut Almond Granola

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 3 cups):

  • 2 1/4 cups gluten-free oats
  • 1/3 cup liquid sweetener
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips(optional)
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries(optional)

Coconut Almond Granola

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together the oats, sweetener, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Lay the oats out in a 1/2-inch thick layer on a lined baking tray.
  4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, breaking up the oats every 10 minutes or so, until they’re toasted and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  5. While the granola is baking, toast the coconut and almonds together in a large frying pan. Make sure to stop once they’re aromatic and golden and take care not to burn them.
  6. Toss the toasted coconut and almonds in with the granola. Toss in the cherries and chocolate chips as well if using, but make sure that the granola and nuts are completely cool before adding in the chocolate chips or else they’ll melt on touch.
  7. Store in an air-tight container for up to 2-3 weeks

Coconut Almond Granola

I said that the cherries and chocolate chips were optional but… they’re really not optional; you’re only cheating yourself if you leave them out. Between the rich toasted nuts and sweet fruit and chocolate, I’m always going back for more.

Chickpea Flour Pancakes

chickpea-flour-pancakes

I’ve been neglecting a lot lately.

Neglecting writing blog posts this week because I’ve been swamped with finals.

Neglecting eating healthy most of this semester because it’s easier to make excuses than roast vegetables.

Neglecting restarting the 30 day Shred workouts because I don’t like being yelled at through my own TV.

But most significantly I’ve been neglecting this pancake recipe. And that’s the biggest shame of all; no one should go pancake-less for months at a time. I usually eat oatmeal in the morning because that’s quick and I can make it in a microwave. But sometimes breakfast is worth making a fuss over and that’s when a reliable recipe like this comes in handy.

chickpea-flour-pancakes-serving

For the record, chickpea flour does not actually taste like chickpeas at all. It has a really neutral flavor to it. You can find chickpea flour in some specialty markets. The kind I used is by Bob’s Red Mill.

Chickpea Flour Pancakes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 medium-sized pancakes):

  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 (heaping) Tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • Butter or oil for greasing

chickpea-flour-pancakes-over

Method:

  1. Whisk together the flour, water, egg, sugar, baking soda, and salt until all the clumps are gone from the batter.
  2. Heat a pan or skillet over a burner set to medium with some butter or oil.
  3. Scoop about 3 Tablespoons-1/4 cup of batter into the pan.
  4. Cook until the edges firm up and bubbles come through the batter. Flip and cook for another 15-20 seconds until the other side has set. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
  5. Serve while still hot with syrup, sauce, and/or butter.

chickpea-flour-pancakes-pouring

Here’s to a Summer of not neglecting.

Healthy Breakfast Tortillas

healthy-breakfast-tortillas

Some things are almost so easy that they don’t really require a recipe. But I love these so you’re getting one.

My new favorite find at the grocery store is corn tortillas. Everyone and their mother has probably bought these before but I really never had noticed them until last weekend. They’re cheap(perfect for a college student), whole-grain, naturally gluten-free and vegan. That’s an all around win in my book.

healthy-breakfast-tortillas-tortillasj

So now I have these tortillas; but what to do with them? Well, I went the obvious route and stuffed them with piping hot scrambled eggs, a slightly spicy salsa, and cool, ripe avocado. Difficult? No. Delicious? Yes.

Make sure your avocado is ripe for this recipe. A ripe avocado makes all the difference. The skin should be a reddish brown and the flesh should give easily to pressure.

Healthy Breakfast Tortillas

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Enough for 2 people):

  • 4 whole-grain corn tortillas(or whole-wheat if gluten isn’t an issue)
  • 8 medium eggs
  • 1/4 cup salsa
  • 1 large ripe avocado, sliced into thin wedges

healthy-breakfast-tortillas-close-up

Method:

  1. Heat up a frying pan over a burner set to medium-high heat.

  2. Crack and beat the eggs into a large bowl.
  3. Pour the scrambled eggs into a hot pan. Cook for about a minute scraping occasionally until most of the egg is cooked(leave it a little liquidy as the egg will continue to cook once it’s off the heat).
  4. Heat up the tortillas and stuff them each with a quarter of the scrambled eggs.
  5. Top with salsa and sliced avocado. Serve hot.

healthy-breakfast-tortillas-salsa

I found this salsa at Trader Joe’s also over the weekend. I was a little worried I wouldn’t like it since I usually go for really spicy salsas and this one advertises itself as having a medium heat. What it lacks for in spiciness it makes up for in tomato and chili flavor; it’s really good and the bottle is almost half gone. I can’t keep my tortillas out of it.

Hot Pumpkin Breakfast Quinoa

Hot-pumpkin-breakfast-quinoa

I’m glad so many people have liked and tried the hot banana breakfast quinoa recipe. In 2 weeks I don’t think I can count the number of times I’ve eaten that on just my hands. It’s too easy and too tasty not to get in a rut over.

Hot-pumpkin-breakfast-quinoa-bowl

One change I have tried is this pumpkin version of the same breakfast topped with creamy almond butter and crushed raw almonds for a crunchy chew. It’s just as healthy and quick and easy to make. The only difference I noted was that it rises and falls more in the microwave than the banana version, so be careful not to fill the bowl too much.

Hot Pumpkin Breakfast Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Ingredients(Makes one serving):

  • 1/3 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup(optional)
  • Nuts, nut butter, and dried fruit for topping

Hot-pumpkin-breakfast-quinoa-topping

Method:

  1. Mix the pumpkin, quinoa, eggs, salt, spice, and sweetener if using in a small bowl.
  2. Pour into a ramekin or other microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 3 minutes until the center is cooked through.
  3. Remove from the microwave. The top will fall slightly. Top with nuts, nut butter, or dried fruit.

Hot-pumpkin-breakfast-quinoa-bite

The pumpkin breakfast quinoa is slightly denser and less sweet than the banana version without the optional maple syrup. Personally I prefer the banana but this brings a nice seasonal twist to breakfast.