NomNom: Coconut Maple Granola

Happy Saturday!!

I don't know how you're feeling right now but I am so happy the weekend is finally here. It's been a busy past couple of weeks in terms of transition and I don't really see it slowing down anytime soon. So when the weekend rolls around I have been savoring the sleeping in part and having a lax weekend schedule so much more.

I love when I find time to actually be in my kitchen in the morning to cook a proper breakfast of some sort instead of standing in my kitchen with one hand on my cup of coffee while furiously trying to stuff my face with toast or something quick to grab and trying to check neglected email before rushing out the door for work. Life.

This granola recipe has been my go to for a year now and I'm not sure why I haven't posted the recipe yet but I'm excited to share this with you because it is just so darn good. I usually make a huge batch of it so that it will last me for weeks and it's also one of those things that is easily transportable for work and will keep you full. The key players which makes this granola a little special than the rest is the coconut oil mixed with maple syrup. That combination just brings a certain kind of depth to the granola.

Try it out and you'll see what I mean.

HAPPY GAME OF THRONES WEEKEND!!! Xo.


Ingredients (Recipe adapted from Shutterbean: Yields: 6 cups)
3 cups rolled oats 
3/4 cup raw almonds 
1/4 cup cranberries
1/2 cup sweetened coconut shreds 
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted 
1/4 cup maple syrup 
1/8 cup brown sugar 
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, coconut shreds, chia seeds, coconut oil, maple syrup and stir. When thoroughly saturated, add the brown sugar on top and continue to stir. Season with salt and spread the granola in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.

2. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes making sure to stir granola evenly every 10 minutes or so. In the last 5 minutes, add and stir in the cranberries. Let granola cool and transfer to an air tight container. It will last up to two weeks.

NomNom: Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Last week I had this random craving for fresh blueberries (this might have been influenced from me longing for spring/summer weather) so took a trip to the grocery store to buy some.

I decided that one of the most disappointing things in life is when you look forward to eating something what you imagine to be really good and you take a bite and it tastes….flat. ULTIMATE LETDOWN. It's on the same level as when you are looking forward to eating something you know you have in your fridge (leftovers from a delicious meal, a really good slice of cake, etc) and you come home to find out that somebody already ate it. Yea, that's definitely happened to me and no, I'm still not bitter about it…..

So the blueberries I bought ended up being extremely tart and no where close to tasting sweet. I was so disappointed and was thisclose to tossing them in the trash but the practical side of me kicked in and thought why not use these to bake something. Sugar is always involved during baking so that would help these lame blueberries out, right?! Right. Enter my spirit animal, Barefoot Contessa.

These muffins are perfectly moist, light, and have just the right amount of sweetness to them. It has a cake like texture and could be used as the base for any muffins actually. I see chocolate chip muffins or strawberry muffins in the near future. Summer, where are you?

A good cup of coffee along with eating a couple of these blueberry muffins could really jump start you into a good morning so be sure to get on that train.

Hope you're having a great week. Xo.


Ingredients (Adapted from Barefoot Contessa) Yields: 20 muffins
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces (about 1 cup) of sour cream (I used light sour cream because that's all I had)
1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 half-pints blueberries, picked through for stems

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans or lightly spray muffin pans with cooking spray if not using liners.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. In another bowl, lightly coat blueberries with flour. This will prevent the blueberries from sinking.

3. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries carefully with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

4. Scoop the batter into the prepare muffin pans filling each cup just over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.

NomNom: Chia Seed Pudding

I've been having an ongoing love affair with chia pudding for a little over a month now and I see this becoming a long term thing. It started with this recipe and I've now become hooked on chia seeds. I'm not a huge breakfast person during the work week because I'd rather just use that time to sleep in, but I now have a breakfast rhythm going on. This is where chia puddings come in. I just prep it the night before and store it in the fridge so that it's happily waiting for me in the morning. A quick reach and grab. Done and done.

It's hard to say which chia recipe I love more because they're both equally awesome--I think I'm more excited that I discovered another chia recipe option that's just as great as the former...you know, in case my palate gets bored.

This recipe calls for fresh berries and almonds as toppings but it's so yummy just with the simple mix of Greek yogurt, almond milk, and vanilla that I've been eating the pudding as is, unadorned. But if you want to, feel free to go ahead with it. You do you.

Low in calorie, super healthy because chia seeds are crazy packed with nutrients, and really tasty. It's a trifecta of all.good.things. What's not to love about that?

Have a great weekend. Xo.


Ingredients (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis/Food Network Mag Jan/Feb 2014): Yields: 2
1 cup vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk
1 cup plain low-fat (2%) Greek yogurt (I used non-fat)
2 tablespoons maple syrup plus 4 teaspoons for serving (I used agave syrup)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Procedure
1. In a medium bowl, gently whisk the almond milk, yogurt, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and the vanilla until just blended. Whisk in the chia seeds, let stand 30 minutes. Stir to distribute the seeds if they have settled. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. The next day, in a medium bowl, toss the berries with the remaining 4 teaspoons maple syrup. Mix in the almonds.

3. Spoon the pudding into 2 bowls of glasses; mound the berry mixture on top and serve.

NomNom: Cowboy Quiche

I'd like to think I'm somewhat of a good host. I watched my mom go above and beyond when it came to prepping food for her invited guests and have always admired her for that. She told me that one of the ways your can show love towards your friends is through food.

A couple of weeks ago, I invited my good friend over my home for brunch and decided to bake her a quiche. I love quiches because there are so many different ingredients you could incorporate to make variations of a quiche, depending on your liking. She never had quiche before so I decided to keep the ingredients simple and by simple I mean bacon, onion, and cheese. Who doesn't love any of those three glorious key players?

The morning she came over over, she had two slices of my quiche and was debating on a third one so I'm gonna safely assume she loved the quiche. The great thing about quiches is that it can yield many slices to feed at least 4-5 people and since it was just the two of us I had at least half the pie leftover.

This is where having a boy in your life comes in handy. I offered him the leftovers the following morning and he practically finished the entire leftovers. He had three slices and was actually debating on a 4th slice but I had to deny him at that point. It was for his own good. Portion control, honey. Portion control.

A couple of changes I made in this recipe is that I used turkey bacon (that's all I had in the fridge) and I used a store bought pie crust instead of making one from scratch. So what!

Whenever the weekend comes around I like to take time with breakfast food and what better way to impress your significant other/friends this weekend then by presenting them with a warm quiche right out of the oven? Trust me, they'll love you for it and will keep asking you for another slice. That's a good thing. It's their way of saying in between bites that this stuff is legit.

Have a great weekend.

Ingredients (Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook)
8 slices bacon, fried until chewy
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
8 eggs
1 1/2 heavy cream
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven 400 F. Begin by rolling out the pie dough.
2. Gently lay it in a large tart or deep dish pie pan (I used a 9-inch pie pan) and press it in the grooves in the pan. Set aside.
3. Chop up the cooked bacon into bite size pieces.
4. In a heavy skilled over medium low heat, fry fry the onions in the butter until deep golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
5. Mix the eggs, cream and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the bacon, onions and cheese and stir to combine.
6. Pour the filling into the pie shell, cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Removed the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the quiche i set and the crust is golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

NomNom: Cranberry Granola

Happy Friday everyone!

You know what I absolutely love? Simple recipes that turn out to be GREAT. Can you tell by now I love to make easy stuff? It's a good thing to discover recipes like those because they could change your life in a good, stress free way.

Let's talk granola. Let's talk Greece. It's been about a year since I traveled to Greece and I've been yearning to travel again lately to an undiscovered place. I miss the excitement of traveling to a foreign country and even the stress that comes with planning a big trip to an unknown country. It's a detail oriented process but the end result is so worth it.

One of the things I love to discover during my trips obviously deals with food. While vacationing in Greece, I noticed there would be little snack shops that sold Greek yogurt with toppings! It reminded me of ice-cream shops here in the states--same concept, different key player. When I first had my taste of plain Greek yogurt, I was disgusted. It was bland and sour. Not cool.

I was hesitant to try it again during my trip but hey, I believe in second chances. So here's the thing, they love to drizzle HONEY over their Greek yogurt. What da what? I mean I've seen fruit as toppings but honey?? Maybe I'm new to the game but it was a new concept to me. The yogurt shop also had toppings such as granola and fresh fruit which I added as well, and that was pretty much the end of it for me.

Granola is such an easy, delicious, healthy, bulk yielding thing to make that you'll never want to get store bought stuff. To me, the best way to eat granola is to have it as a topping on Greek yogurt, adorned with your favorite fruit and drizzled in glorious, sweet honey. It's a reminder of my travel to Greece and also a healthy breakfast or snack to have.

How is everyone going to enjoy their extra long weekend? I have a couple of birthday BBQs to attend and shopping on the agenda which I'm looking forward to. BBQS, friends, and shopping=weekend to look forward to.

Have a GREAT weekend.

Ingredients (Adapted from www.allrecipe.com)
8 cup Oat
1 1/2 C Wheat germ
1 1/2 C Oat bran
1 1/2 C sunflower seeds
1 C finely chopped almonds
1 C finely chopped pecans
1 C finely chopped walnut
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C maple syrup
3/4 C honey
1 C vegetable oil
1 T cinnamon
1 T vanilla
2 C raisin or dried cranberries

Procedure 
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil. 

2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.

3.  Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

NomNom: Mini Cinnamon Rolls

Several weeks ago, my friend, who currently lives in Arizona emailed me saying that she would be in town and wanted to get together to catch up. She moved to Arizona as soon as we both graduated pharmacy school to take a job position there so those days where we would see each other every.single.day for 4 years turned scarce after graduation. We bounced back ideas on places to eat and I figured why not just invite her over my place (she hasn't seen it since I moved) and cook brunch for her. She was SUPER eager with this idea, go figure.

It's a personal thing when you invite a friend over to your home and cook for them. A lot of thought and love goes into prepping for the menu and obviously much love goes into what you're cooking. I wanted to do this for her because I appreciate her friendship. She's one of the most down to earth, kind, unfussy girls you'll ever meet and this was especially shown when I went to visit her in Arizona last year. 

My flight was over 2 hours delayed and I was starving by the time I had landed. Since I was in mid flight there was no way of letting her know that the first thing I wanted to do was eat something asap. When I landed, she somehow knew (smart girl, I tell ya) that I'd be hungry and greeted me with a hug and sandwich in hand. So thoughtful, right? It's always those acts of kindness from people that makes a mark on me. Always. There are several other acts of kindness that happened during my visit, but I'll leave those stories for my next recipe post.

 

I already had a savory dish in mind to make that morning (a fantastic quiche recipe coming soon) but needed something sweet to add to the menu. I made these extremely easy, moist, and magnificent mini cinnamon rolls before and decided to make these again because it just seemed to fit the part for brunch. Now, when I say easy, I'm talking about using store bought dough! Total time saver! All you have to do is brush the dough with glorious amounts of sugar and cinnamon and roll that baby up.

Roll then cut. Easy.

Bake them in mini muffin pans to help maintain the shape. Brilliant!!!

Eat immediately while warm. Immediately.

So the original recipe called for the icing to be made from maple syrup but when I tried to make the icing based off that recipe, the icing came out too watery. The consistency was way off even though I kept trying to add more sugar to it. So this time, I used Test Kitchen's recipe for cinnamon roll icing and hit the jackpot. Yea, baby.

Ingredients for rolls (Adapted from www.iowagirleats.com) Yields 14

1-8oz tube crescent roll dough
2 Tablespoons butter
cinnamon
brown sugar

For the icing (Adapted from America's Test Kitchen)
2 Tablespoons of buttermilk
2 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 cup of confectioners' sugar

Procedure
1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Layout half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too.

2. Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4″ thick. Brush with half the butter, and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.

3. Place mini cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions. Cool about 5 minutes before glazing.

4. Meanwhile, whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk in a large bowl until thick and smooth (the mixture will look like cottage cheese at first). Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the mixture and whisk until a smooth glaze forms about 30 seconds.

5. Spoon the glaze evenly over the buns; serve immediately.

NomNom: Grilled Cheese With Bacon And Thousand Island Dressing

I remember the first time I discovered that the 'secret sauce' in McDonald's Big Mac sandwich was basically thousand island dressing. I sorta felt cheated. All that time I really had thought they created this special sauce but it is in fact a slight variation (they add garlic and mustard) to a generic salad dressing they used for their burgers. I suppose I can blame that on my unrefined taste buds as a child. I dunno.

I know much better now than to fill my stomach with fast food (minus the once in a blue moon cravings), but as a child, that was probably my favorite burger. When I came across this recipe that uses thousand island dressing in a grilled cheese, I couldn't help but be curious as to what it would taste like.

I'm a cheese lover. In fact, it's very, very, very rare that there is a cheese I don't like. I'm a huge supporter in that I think that cheese makes everything taste better--this is how I feel about bacon. When you add those two components together, well, I mean, what can I say? The idea of a simple grilled cheese sandwich not only conjures up fond childhood memories of my mom making them for my sister and I, but there's also something very comforting about this sandwich. Hmm tomato soup sounds good right about now too...

I made slight variations to the recipe but nonetheless, it was really tasty. Adding thousand island dressing to cheddar cheese and bacon adds another dimension to a simple grilled cheese sandwich that I highly recommend. There are so many variations to a grilled cheese sandwich, so why not start with this one? (It was also noted in the recipe that Greg Morris, owner of Oaks Gourmet in Los Angeles makes it every Wednesday at his shop's Grilled Cheese Night).

I'm off to the Bahamas today--in fact by the time you read this I'll probably be on the way! Posting will be sparse and I hope to resume by later next week, but I wanted to leave you with this recipe because I think it's something worth making.

Have a great weekend.

Ingredients: Yields 4 sandwiches (Adapted from Food Network Magazine, Apr 2011)
8 strips thick-cut maple-glazed bacon (I used turkey bacon)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more as needed
8 slices sourdough bread (I used wheat bread)
12 ounces cotswold cheese (double Gloucester with chives) or cheddar, shredded
4 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing

Procedure
1. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.Wipe out the skillet.

2. Heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add 2 bread slices. Top each with one-quarter of the cheese and 2 strips bacon. Spread 2 bread slices with some of the dressing and press them on top of the sandwiches, dressing-side down. Cook until the cheese melts and the bread is golden, 3-4 minutes per side. Repeat to make 2 mores sandwiches, adding more butter as needed.

NomNom: Egg-in-a-Hole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I'm not a morning person by any means. I'm the person who's mumbling, "5 more minutes" as the snooze button gets hit repeatedly or who's grumpy if I haven't had my cup of coffee. I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but when I weigh the options of eating/making breakfast vs. sleeping in, sleeping in always wins. Always. But then there are those days when I'm off from work (I don't have a conventional work schedule) where I can sleep in and wake up whenever my body tells me to get up and this is when breakfast becomes major.

Can I tell you how much I love runny eggs? When I was younger, my mom would make my eggs sunny side up and on the rare occasions she would overcook the yolk part and thus, no runny eggs. So I refused to eat it. Yes, I was that kid. Whenever I see a recipe involving runny eggs, I'm all over it. Have you tried it on a pizza? A steak? Oh my goodness it is DELICIOUS. I've made egg-in-a hole before but I didn't think to make a grilled cheese sandwich out of it until I came across A Cozy Kitchen's recipe. Like duh, right?

Sometimes the most simplest recipes are the best. To me, this is the perfect grilled cheese sandwich because it includes everything I love (melted cheese and runny eggs) and the saltiness of the prosciutto adds the perfect balance. One thing to note when making this, is to choose a cheese that's a bit bland such as cheddar or provolone otherwise it will taste too salty because of the prosciutto.

The weekend is here so do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this easy, delicious sandwich for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. Have a great weekend.

Recipe (adapted from acozykitchen.com)
2 slices bread of choice (I used wheat)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
2 large eggs
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
3 slices prosciutto

Procedure
1. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut a 2-inch hole from the center of both slices of bread. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. When it’s melted, add the two slices of bread. Let the bread lightly toast for a minute, or until lightly golden brown, and then flip the two slices over. Dab the remaining butter in the middle of the bread circles. We want to ensure the egg doesn’t stick.
2. Crack the eggs into the holes and season with salt and pepper. If you’re using prosciutto, chill with the salt. Just add a little.
3. Cover the pan for a minute, just until the egg whites are sorta set. Next, add the grated cheese to one half and cover for another minute, or until the cheese is practically melted.
4. Using a spatula, gently top the cheese slice with the egg slice. Cook for one more minute, or until the cheese is melted.