Tag Archive for 'Breakfast'

Tuscan Egg Stew

Published on May 4, 2013 in Recipes. 0 Comments Tags: @muirglenorganic, Breakfast, brunch, Dinner, Fire Roasted diced tomatoes, Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes, swiss chard, Tuscan Egg Stew, vegetarian, Vegetarian meal, vegetarian recipe.

In honor of Mother’s Day I am sharing one of my newest creations, Tuscan Egg Stew. It is not a recipe inspired by anything my mother ever made for me but rather it is inspired by her love of breakfast for dinner. She loved to find those little unconventional ways that she could make meals extra fun — like having a BBQ in the rain, dessert before dinner, and breakfast for dinner.

There is something so satisfying about egg dishes, whether for brunch or for dinner. Tuscan Egg Stew makes its mark and scales well for small groups. The combination of flavors reminds me of so many of my days in Florence that it’s easy to close my eyes and be transported back in time.

Three Generations Andy Warhol Style: Since my mother typically hates all pictures of herself, I have made this one a bit more artistic. She is pictured at her baby shower along with my paternal grandmother ‘Ginny’.

Tuscan Egg Stew

Ingredients

3 TBS olive oil

1 clove garlic, pressed

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

8 cups swiss chard, coarsely chopped (if using frozen, substitute 1.5 lbs, defrosted and drained)

1 yellow onion, sliced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed

1 14.5oz can Fire Roasted diced tomatoes (Muir Glen Organic)

1 15oz can white beans

3 cups vegetable broth

6 large eggs

Romano cheese, grated

Directions

Heat 1 TBS of olive oil in cast iron skillet, or heavy bottomed pot, over medium heat. When oil is hot add pressed garlic. Stir quickly until fragrant and lightly brown. Add swiss chard to pot, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Cook until wilted but still bright in color; approximately 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. Wipe out skillet.

In same skillet, over medium heat, add 2 TBS of oil. When oil is warm, turn heat up to medium high, adding onion and sliced garlic; stir 3-4 minutes until onion is softened. Add cumin, paprika and stir another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Lastly, add chickpeas, white beans and tomatoes; cooking until tomatoes start to caramelize and chickpeas begin to brown; approximately 8-10 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a simmer scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, occasionally mashing some of the chickpeas with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Cook stew 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Fold in swiss chard, adding in more broth slowly, 1/4 cup at a time, if sauce seems too thick. A small amount of liquid is necessary to properly cook the eggs.

Make holes in stew and crack eggs one a time into a small bowl and then transfer into one of the premade holes. Once all of the eggs are in place, cover pan with a lid to allow eggs to steam 5-7 minutes. Baste occasionally to ensure eggs are cooking properly. Eggs should be not be hard cooked but left with a small amount of yoke to make this dish take extra buttery when served.

Spoon Tuscan Stew into bowls and transfer egg on top. Lightly dust with Romano cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Disclosure: I received a Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes to cook with; no monetary compensation was received for this post. All opinions are my own.

Hearty (Heart + Healthy) Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Published on February 20, 2013 in Recipes. 0 Comments Tags: @IllinaP, almond coconute milk, almond milk, Breakfast, Diabetic recipe, Dirt & Noise, egg replacer directions, flax seed meal, Illina Ewens, oatmeal banana chocolate chip muffins, Snack, vegan.

Thanks to my friend Illina, banana chocolate chip cakies have become a house hold favorite over the past few years. With the combo of banana and chocolate chips at the top of the ‘regulars’ chart this recipe is a new twist on a family favorite. One of the things I love most about this recipe is that it is diabetic friendly and dairy free.

Hearty Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Muffin Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup Almond Coconut milk (or can substitute vanilla almond milk)

2 eggs** (vegan substitution below)

1 TBS baking powder

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBS sugar, optional

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (vegan variety are dairy free)

Muffin Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then mix in chocolate chips.

Coat muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or use liners.

Fill 12 muffin cups to the brim.

Bake 20-30 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. If using cooking spray, loosen the muffins from the pan by tracing around the edges with a blunt knife to release. Serve warm.

Vegan Egg Substitute Adaptation:

Flax seeds contain properties that are ideal for replacing eggs in vegan baking. It is important to use GOLDEN flax seeds which are the light colored ones as the brown flax seeds will alter the color of baked goods. If you are just looking to mix it up a bit and are not necessarily vegan here are some flax seed 101 facts on this alternative goodness: the seeds contain protein, fiber and are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which makes this binder a healthy alternative to other egg replacers. Below are the ingredients to make the equivalent of 1 egg. (Remember for THIS recipe you will need to double the amounts below.)

Flax Seed Meal Ingredients

3 TBS water

1 TBS golden flax meal (to make meal follow directions given)

Flax Seed Meal Directions

Using a blender, food processor or a spice grinder, grind the flax seeds into meal. If opting to grind a larger amount it can be stored in an air-tight container, in the freezer, for up to one year. Equivalents: 1 cup of flax seeds equals about 1 1/3 cups of flax meal.

Add the water to a small bowl, then add the flax meal combining with a whisk or fork. Let the mixture set-up for 5-10 minutes so it develops a raw egg-like consistency. If trying to expedite the process, warm water will speed things up.

Godfather Apple Turnovers

Published on June 17, 2011 in Recipes. 0 Comments Tags: apple turnover, Breakfast, dessert, godfather apple turnovers, Phyllo Dough.

It’s nearly Father’s Day and while I am looking forward to planning a hearty menu for my Dad and husband, there are a few other fathers I will be missing…my Grandfather Elios, my Grandfather Nunzio, and my Godfather Joey. Every one of these men has played an important role in my life, and I could write volumes about everything that each one of these men has meant to me over the years. But this year I wanted to share a simple recipe, which was the last thing I made for my Godfather/Uncle Joey before he passed away. Sometimes it is the simple things that can put a smile on someone’s face, and knowing that he enjoyed the various textures and flavors of this dessert is something that I have often reflected upon over the last few months.

To all of the wonderful father’s out there- may you be surrounded by those that truly appreciate you and spoiled by the simple things that make you smile.

Godfather Apple Turnovers

* this dessert can easily double as a breakfast treat

Ingredients

4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced small

1 tsp lemon juice

2 TBS butter

2 tsp lemon or orange peel

1/4- 1/3 cup sugar (depends on tartness of apple)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs cornstarch

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 package phyllo sheets

4 TBS butter (1/2 cube)

powdered sugar; for dusting

Directions

Peel and dice apples, place in cold water with lemon juice to keep apples from turning brown. When ready to cook the apples, allow to drain for a few minutes in colander to remove excess water.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, on medium-low heat, add apples, sugar, vanilla, orange/lemon peel, cinnamon and cornstarch. Cook approximately 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the apple mixture thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove phyllo dough from package and have a damp towel ready so you can keep the phyllo sheets covered as you work. They tend to dry out quickly.

In a small pan on low heat, melt butter. Using a pastry brush, brush one phyllo sheet. Position dough so that the longer side faces you. Fold in half (vertical) and brush again. Fold again to form a long strip. Brush again with butter. On one edge, add about 1 1/2 TBS of the apple filling. Fold into the form of a triangle. Brush the outside of the triangle phyllo turnover with extra butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Check after 10 minutes to ensure that the turnovers are not burning as oven temperatures do vary. Allow to cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Best Godparents a child could have!

Get Sconed Hawaiian Style

Published on January 6, 2011 in Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: Breakfast, coconut milk, FoodILY.com, Hawaiian Tropical Fruit & Nut Scones, macadam nuts, Na Hoku Scones, payaya, pineapple.

This post is the equivalent of BBQ-ing in the rain, you can do it but it feels like cheating. As I prepare to build my arc to keep the family safe as we head into an endless number of rain days I am dreaming about days of yore. My fun-filled sun days spent in Kauai’i this past year, gazing at the stars and eating criminal amounts of tropical fruits and nuts. And it is in that spirit that I have created Na Hoku (the stars) Scones; with little glimmers of fruits that catch the eye, somehow I am remind of those beautiful island stars. It is a recipe that leaves you wondering if this is a dessert or a breakfast treat. Either way, it is a treat that can be enjoyed island-side or on the mainland.

(Note: Be sure to read over the entire recipe as there are two ingredients lists and two sets of directions.)

Na Hoku Scones (AKA Hawaiian Tropical Fruit & Nut Scones)

Scone Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar, divided in half
3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed (1-1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (found in Asian section of supermarket in cans)
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp coconut extract or 2 TBS guava or pineapple juice
1 cup candied papaya, finely chopped (about 8 strips)
1 cup pineapple, finely chopped (about 5 rings)
1 cup macadam nuts, whole and unsalted

Scone Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, HALF the sugar (1/8 cup) and coconut. With pastry blender or hand mixer, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles.

In small bowl, whisk the eggs slightly then add in the coconut milk and the coconut extract. Mix until combined.Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Stir just until combined and then add in the candied fruits. The dough will be wet and lumpy.

Scrape the dough out onto the center of the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Using a spoon or spatula, pat and form the dough into a circle approximately 8 inches around and 1-1/2 inches high.

Sprinkle the top with the reserved amount of sugar (or less) and bake in center of oven for 24-30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and use pizza cutter or large knife to gently cut the circle into 8 wedges (like a pizza).

Return pan to oven & bake for an additional 30-45 minutes or until scones are not wet in the center and top is slightly browned. Scones are fully cooked when you insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out dry.

Coconut Glaze

Glaze Ingredients

2 TBS unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 cup powdered sugar

Glaze Directions

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Drizzle over baked scones and allow to dry 10 minutes before serving.

Stay tuned as I plan to tell you more about this fun new website I am working with – www.Foodily.com – where this recipe is also featured. If you haven’t yet seen this site, take a gander, and then imagine a comparative recipe search site (kind of like Kayak but for recipes). FoodILY.com is a website that beautifully, smartly, and thoroughly organizes all of the recipes on the Internet, regardless of the source, whether from chefs, recipe sites, or food blogs. Meet Food, I Love You: FoodILY.com

Get Sconed Hawaiian Style

Published on November 9, 2010 in Recipes. 0 Comments Tags: Breakfast, coconut milk, foodly.com, Hawaiian Tropical Fruit & Nut Scones, macadam nuts, Na Hoku Scones, payaya, pineapple.

(Note: Be sure to read over the entire recipe as there are two ingredients lists and two sets of directions.)

Na Hoku Scones (AKA Hawaiian Tropical Fruit & Nut Scones)

Scone Ingredients

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, HALF the sugar (1/8 cup) and coconut. With pastry blender or hand mixer, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles.

Scrape the dough out onto the center of the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Using a spoon or spatula, pat and form the dough into a circle approximately 8 inches around and 1-1/2 inches high.

Coconut Glaze

Glaze Ingredients

2 TBS unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 cup powdered sugar

Glaze Directions

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Drizzle over baked scones and allow to dry 10 minutes before serving.

Stay tuned as I plan to tell you more about this fun new website I am working with – www.Foodly.com – where this recipe is also featured. If you haven’t yet seen this site, take a gander, and then imagine a comparative recipe search site (kind of like Kayak but for recipes). Foodly.com is a website that beautifully, smartly, and thoroughly organizes all of the recipes on the Internet, regardless of the source, whether from chefs, recipe sites, or food blogs. Meet Food, I Love You: FoodILY.com

Stone Soup

Published on June 12, 2010 in Recipes. 1 Comment Tags: Acai Bowl, Breakfast, Colbi Stone, dessert, Energy drink, Fruit Recipe, Smoothie, Snack, Stone Soup.

When my first child went to pre-school I recall being perplexed when we were told that our children were going to be making Stone Soup. As someone who can typically find their way around the kitchen, and enjoys trying new recipes, I have to confess, this concept did not excite me.

Yet the lore of the story is about making something from nothing. A good-tasting soup, beginning with a stone and boiling water, becomes a fabulous soup with the addition of a little bit of this and that. At heart, the traditional story is a trickster tale. Typically, the person starting the soup is a beggar who is denied the food he requests from someone living in a house. In many versions, including in the American Civil War version, the beggar is a soldier looking for food. For the original version of how to make this soup, you’ll have to read to the end of the post, for those in the hurry I will share with you my very very favorite version of Stone Soup, named such because the person who taught me this recipe is named Colbi Stone. Read on, it will not disappoint you. Try it as a breakfast, snack or dessert and I promise you’ll be hooked before you can say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Acai Bowl Bliss (AKA Stone Soup)

Ingredients

1 100g packet organic acai smoothie packs/original Rio Blend with gurana, frozen
2 ripe bananas
3/4 cup blueberries + 1 TBS, frozen
6 strawberries, frozen
2 strawberries
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup granola
honey

All ingredients can be found at Whole Foods. There are two kinds of Acai smoothie packs, you want the original Rio Blend. The brand I used was Sambazon. They are sold in the freezer section in four packs.

Directions

In a blender add frozen acai berry puree, 1 sliced banana, 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries and soy milk. Mix until well blended. Pour into a bowl. Add granola, layer with remaining banana, strawberries, blue berries and drizzle with honey.

Note: for my version I used granola with chocolate chips- why? Because I love the flavor of chocolate and berries commingled.

Back to my previous story of pre-school Stone Soup cookery….
The day before the big meal, the teachers asked each student to bring in a vegetable to share and the teacher brought in a pot and one very clean, scrubbed, river stone. With the stage set, the story was read.

The Story of Stone Soup

Once upon a time, somewhere in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which people jealously hoarded whatever food they could find, hiding it even from their friends and neighbors. One day a wandering soldier came into a village and began asking questions as if he planned to stay for the night.

“There’s not a bite to eat in the whole province,” he was told. “Better keep moving on.”

“Oh, I have everything I need,” he said. “In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you.” He pulled an iron cauldron from his wagon, filled it with water, and built a fire under it. Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a velvet bag and dropped it into the water.

By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come to the square or watched from their windows. As the soldier sniffed the “broth” and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their skepticism.

“Ahh,” the soldier said to himself rather loudly, “I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage — that’s hard to beat.”

Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage he’d retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot. “Capital!” cried the soldier. “You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king.”

The village butcher managed to find some salt beef . . . and so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for all. The villagers offered the soldier a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell and traveled on the next day. The moral is that by working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.

For those of you who are feeling adventurous, I would HIGHLY recommend this version of Stone Soup.

Tag Archive for 'Breakfast'

Tuscan Egg Stew

Hearty (Heart + Healthy) Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Godfather Apple Turnovers

Get Sconed Hawaiian Style

Get Sconed Hawaiian Style

Stone Soup

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