Tag Archive: Microwave

Coconut Flour Breakfast Bake

Written on January 31, 2012 by in Breakfast

coconut-flour-breakfast-bakes

I’ve really come around to loving coconut flour over the past few months. At first I made vanilla cupcakes, then chocolate ones; then at some point I realized I needed to learn to make something else with coconut flour besides cupcakes or else I’m going to be having a lot of dessert. Since coconut flour is so healthy, I thought why not make a breakfast with it?

coconut-flour-breakfast-bakes-bite

2 Tablespoons of coconut flour have 6g of fiber and 3g of protein. That’s already more than most breakfast cereals. Combined with some eggs for extra protein, banana for sweetness(because the thought of starting my day with something savory makes me shudder), and nut butter for healthy fats it’s a really filling way to start the day. Besides, coconut and banana just belong together. And rum. But I’m not quite sure for breakfast.

I don’t actually bake these because I have a microwave that I love and use but if you were to bake these set the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 15 minutes or until the center has set.

Coconut Flour Breakfast Bake

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Ingredients(For one serving):

  • 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
  • 2 or 3 eggs
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract(optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest(optional)

coconut-flour-breakfast-bakes-garnish

Method:

  1. In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients you’re using into a smooth and even batter. If the batter is too thick, slowly add water until it’s mixable.
  2. Pour the batter into a 6oz or 8oz ramekin depending on the number of eggs you used.
  3. Microwave at high for 3 minutes.
  4. Remove from the microwave. Top with dried fruits, nuts, or nut butter. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.

coconut-flour-breakfast-bakes-slice

With 3 eggs and 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter, this has about 30g of protein, 11g of fiber, and plenty of healthy fats to fill up and let you focus on other things throughout your morning.

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Paleo Mug Cakes

Written on December 2, 2011 by in Dessert

You’re going to want to bookmark this one; trust me.

I never understood the appeal of mug cakes before recently. It seemed to me that if you wanted something chocolate and delicious you should put in the time and effort to bake some almond flour brownies and the extra hour would be well worth it. It also didn’t help that most mug cake recipes aren’t gluten-free, or—if they are—come out with a weird starchy taste to them.

But now I’ve seen the light and have come around to mug cakes, partly because the oven I use was 3 floors below where I lived at the time I made this and partly because the recipe is so damn good. When I was trying the recipe, I also wanted something that was sort of healthy. This is healthy enough even to be eaten for breakfast, which I’ve done on a few too many occasions.

The original recipe is only 4 ingredients, but you can add in things like chocolate chips, walnuts, candied ginger, vanilla extract, and anything else to shake things up.

Paleo Mug Cake

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 cake):

  • 1 small ripe banana
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons almond butter(or any nut butter)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons sweetener(optional)
  • Chocolate chips, walnuts, dried fruit, or other mix-ins(optional)

Method:

  1. With a fork, mash the banana into a smooth puree.
  2. Mix the almond butter, egg, cocoa powder, and extra sweetener if using into the banana puree until it forms an even batter.
  3. Fold in any mix-ins into the batter that you’d like. Otherwise, our the batter into a mug or other microwave safe container. Be sure to only fill the container up to 2/3rds the way because it will expand in the microwave.
  4. Microwave on high for 2 and 1/2 minutes until the center is set. Carefully remove the mug from the microwave and enjoy hot, cold, or at room temperature.

I don’t add sweetener to mine and it still tastes delicious. I’ve only ever made it with almond butter but I’m sure peanut butter would be a nice alteration. The banana flavor is definitely prevalent, especially once it cools, but that only reminds me of a chocolate covered banana which I love. The best things about these cakes are that they don’t have any sort of flour flavor to them and are rich and fudgy like a brownie. The worst thing about this recipe is once you make it you’ll never stop.

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Hot Pumpkin Breakfast Quinoa

Written on October 24, 2011 by in Breakfast

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.

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Hot Banana Breakfast Quinoa

Written on October 21, 2011 by in Breakfast

Hot-Banana-Breakfast-Quinoa

Pretty much as soon as I made Banana Breakfast Quinoa I knew I wanted to try a hot, cooked version of it. I really like eggs in the morning so adding them and cooking it in the microwave seemed to be the easiest way to make something tasty. What resulted is a warm, hearty breakfast reminiscent of banana bread that’s both delicious and filling.

Hot-Banana-Breakfast-Quinoa-scoop

This has quickly become my new favorite breakfast, one that I eat most days of the week. It doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to make start to finish so even on my busy mornings I have time to throw it together. And it’s filling and healthy, too. A bowl with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter clocks in at around 25 grams of protein and no added sugar.

Hot Banana Breakfast Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Ingredients(For 1 serving):

  • 1 banana, mashed
  • 1/3 cup cooked quinoa
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Nuts, nut butter, dried fruit, or sweetener for toppings

Hot-Banana-Breakfast-Quinoa-garnish

Method:

  1. Combine the mashed banana, quinoa, eggs, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
  2. Transfer the batter to a ramekin or other microwave-safe bowl, leaving a little room at the top to prevent overflow.
  3. Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until the center is cooked through and set.
  4. Top with nuts, dried fruit, and/or sweetener and eat hot.

Hot-Banana-Breakfast-Quinoa-texture

The texture, as you can see, is soft and spongy almost like a baked bread pudding. You could also try baking it in the oven for 12-15 minutes which would result in a similar texture and flavor.

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Make Your Own Microwave Popcorn

Written on October 3, 2011 by in Snack

I really couldn’t wait to share this one. If you’ve made your own microwave popcorn before, you know why; it’s almost too simple and too good to be true.
My family used to make our own popcorn in an air-popper machine that cost $20 at some department store. While it was nice, it was always a burden to take it out from the cupboards and put it back in. This method eliminates all that fuss. I wish I could remember and credit where I first saw the idea a few months ago; it might have came from the Healthy Eats blog. Anyway, I vaguely remembered what you needed and went from there.

Essentially all you’ll need to buy are popcorn kernels and brown paper bags. I got organic kernels from the bulk bin section of my grocery store for $1.59/lb and the bags from CVS also for pretty cheap. That means for less than $5, maybe enough for 2 boxes of store-brand microwave popcorn bags, I got enough for ~20 servings to make myself. And it’s really not any much more trouble to do.

Make Your Own Microwave Popcorn

You’ll need…

  • Popcorn kernels
  • Brown paper bags
  • A stapler
  • A microwave
  • Oil, salt, butter, or whatever else you want on your popcorn

Measure out the amount of popcorn you’ll need. I’d say about 1/4 cup is a good single snack serving. I wouldn’t put more than 1/3 cup in a bag or there won’t really be enough room.

Pour the kernels in the bag along with a tablespoon of butter or oil(optional) and salt(also optional) to flavor the popcorn. If you’re going to add toppings to your popcorn like parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast or herbs a little oil will help it stick to the popcorn instead of singing to the bottom of the bag.

Staple the bag shut and microwave it for 2-3 minutes until most of the kernels have popped and it only makes sound every second or so—just like you would a store-bought bag of popcorn!

Open the bag up and add any toppings you might want on the popcorn. Close it and shake the bag to move things around before pouring it into a serving bowl.

It’s really that simple! And even better your microwave will smell like popcorn for the next day or so.

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Microwave Chocolate Fudge

Written on July 29, 2011 by in Dessert

Microwave-Fudge

I’m kind of a scatterbrain when it comes to making desserts; there are only a few recipes I can make without having to look at a recipe. Because of that, I usually end up making those same ones again and again like this fudge. It’s hard to forget 4 ingredients and how to use the microwave. You don’t even need to dirty any dishes. On top of that, it tastes just as good as any other fudge I’ve had. That’s probably why I keep making it again and again.

Micrwave-Fudge-Piece

Microwave Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients(Makes 16 servings):

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 4oz stick butter(coconut oil and Earth Balance work, too)
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk(or non-dairy substitute)

Method:

  1. Melt together the chocolate chips and butter.
  2. Sift in the powdered sugar and pour in the milk. Mix until completely uniform.
  3. Pour the hot fudge into a 6 x 6 pan. Refrigerate until set.
  4. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares and serve slightly chilled.

Microwave-Fudge-Close-Up

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