Breakfast

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

March 15, 2013 by Erica

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Hello Friday! I am so glad to see you.

The first week of daylight savings time has been a little rough. Everyone at work is cranky – myself included! – and I think we all need a few days of sleeping in to remind ourselves that springtime is good, and lighter evenings are worth a few weeks of dark wake-ups in March.

Spring is definitely in the air – you can tell because my morning bowl of oatmeal has been replaced with something cold! A sure sign that things are warming up.

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

I’m really digging the quinoa-for-breakfast thing. It’s a nice little change from oatmeal, while still getting to use all the fun toppings. I was pretty excited when I saw Ashley’s post a few weeks ago with blood orange quinoa parfaits. I didn’t know quinoa parfaits were a “thing” and I had to try them immediately! Did I mention that besides oatmeal, parfaits are my favorite breakfast?

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Anyway, it turns out that quinoa parfaits are indeed a “thing,” and I couldn’t be happier. I just mix up my quinoa with some plain Greek yogurt, agave, and cinnamon, and top with a chopped orange and more cinnamon. Some toasted pecans would be great here too!

If you’d like, you don’t have to mix the quinoa and yogurt together – you could layer the quinoa/agave/cinnamon mixture and yogurt separately. Just another fun little variation!

I topped my parfait with a sumo orange. Have you seen these?

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

They are basically giant tangerines – sweet and easy to peel. They are so funny-looking, and so delicious – I can’t get enough! I am pretty much an unofficial sumo orange ambassador at this point, making everyone at work try them and now posting about them here. You know how some products tend to do that to you? Actually, my bagger at Whole Foods started it – she gave me one for free a few weeks ago when I was buying some other oranges, insisting that I try it. She said they tasted like candy, and she wasn’t wrong! Of course, the whole free sample thing worked out beautifully for Whole Foods, because I returned and bought about $10 of them the next week, and the week after. They are not cheap. But if you get a kick out of funny-looking produce and sweet oranges, you have to try them!

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Such a light but satisfying breakfast. I’m looking forward to enjoying this parfait as spring and summer arrive, and despite my current orange obsession, can’t wait to top it with berries in the warmer weather.

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

5.0 from 1 reviews

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Hands-on time

2 mins

Total time

2 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

1/2 cup cooked quinoa, chilled
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I like Fage)
1 Tbsp agave
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 orange, peeled and chopped
small handful of toasted chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions

Mix together quinoa, yogurt, agave, and cinnamon. Top with oranges, another sprinkle of cinnamon, and optional pecans.

Notes

Inspired by Edible Perspective.

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Quiche

March 13, 2013 by Erica

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

A.K.A. My obsession with sweet potatoes reaches new heights.

I have to warn you about my sweet potato consumption lately. It has been INTENSE. My realization that winter is almost over prompted not only soup panic, but sweet potato panic. I’ve been incorporating them into almost every meal we eat. So, if you read this blog regularly, you can expect to see a lot of sweet potatoes in the next week or two. As in… 66.67% of the posts I have planned for the next week involve sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

I hope you’re OK with that… especially when those sweet potatoes take quiche form.

Now, I’ll be honest, the idea for this quiche was born out of some desperate-looking leftovers on my counter and in my fridge (sweet potatoes and goat cheese). Pantry cooking is not my forte, although I’m trying to be better about it and will hopefully do a post about that soon. But sweet potatoes and goat cheese seemed like a good combo, and so they found their way into this quiche, along with some sage, red onions, and Swiss cheese.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

And let me say that it is taaaaasty. I definitely forgot how much I like quiche.

When I wasn’t eating eggs or dairy, I didn’t think I had too many quiches in my future. Luckily, I was wrong. I had a LOT of quiche in my life on the day that I made this little beauty. Probably too much. It was yummy, but I think I recommend moderation. Do as I say, not as I do.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

I realized after making this quiche that it may slightly resemble my blood orange upside down cake, hah. I guess I’m loving everything round and orange recently!

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

This is one of the most flavorful quiches I’ve ever had. The goat cheese and sweet potatoes really are a great combo, and the sage and red onion add another punch. Mmmm I’m wishing I had some leftovers of this right now. Writing about really good food just isn’t as much fun when you’re not simultaneously stuffing your face with it.

I used my mom’s easy press-in pie crust for this quiche. In my opinion, quiches take long enough to cook; the last thing I need is to be chilling and rolling out a pie crust on top of that. You can even mix this pie crust right in the pie plate and then just press it on in. And if you’re better at working with pie crusts than I an, you might even be able to crimp the edges of yours. Clearly, that didn’t happen with mine. My mom somehow manages to put beautiful crimps in this crust, but I have yet to manage it.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

This quiche would be great for brunch, lunch or dinner. I’ve eaten it for all three! It’s one of the tastiest ways I’ve gotten my sweet potato fix lately :)

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

5.0 from 2 reviews

Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Quiche

Hands-on time

45 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 quiche, about 8 servings

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp milk (I used plain unsweetened almond milk)

For the quiche filling:

1 1/2 medium or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese (or other cheese of your choice)
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese

For the custard:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used plain unsweetened almond milk)
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

First, prepare the vegetables. Preheat oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with foil. Slice half of one sweet potato into 1/4-inch rounds for the top of your quiche. (This is optional. I needed 13 slices to top mine.) Brush with olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Chop the remaining sweet potato into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
To the bowl of chopped sweet potatoes, add the red onion, sage, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss to combine. Spread in an even layer on the other baking sheet. Place both sheets in oven and bake until potatoes are tender and starting to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring/flipping slices once halfway through. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350.
While sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the crust. Add all crust ingredients directly to a pie plate (or to a separate bowl, if you prefer) and stir to combine. Press into an even crust and, if you have enough crust, crimp the edges!
Whisk together all custard ingredients (eggs through nutmeg).
Now you are ready to assemble the quiche. For the bottom layer, sprinkle half of both types of cheese. Top this with the chopped sweet potato mixture, followed by the remaining cheese. Pour the custard mixture over everything, and arrange optional roasted sweet potato slices on top.
Bake quiche at 350 until set in the middle and custard is starting to turn golden brown, 45-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Kitchen in the Yard.

Tropical Oatmeal

March 4, 2013 by Erica

tropical oatmeal

Good morning! I know on Friday I laid out my grand plans for a big weekend of cooking. And it happened! But I just can’t get back to the regularly scheduled program until I stop everything and tell you about this oatmeal.

I’m going through a bit of a coconut phase. I blame the rest of the blog world, which is also in love with coconut.

In the last few weeks alone, I’ve posted lentil, banana bread, and salad recipes containing coconut. What I didn’t tell you is that I’ve been starting every morning with coconut, too!

tropical oatmeal

I’m always thinking about posting my breakfasts here, but let’s face it… they’re not too exciting. Oatmeal in the winter, Cheerios in the summer, with the occasional quinoa thrown in.

In the winter months, I go through phases with my oatmeal toppings (like everyone), and I always end up craving them so much. Some favorites lately: Frozen berries and brown sugar; peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chips; and now, coconut butter and mango. And even if it is just oatmeal, let me tell you that I think this coconut + mango combination is blog-worthy.

tropical oatmeal

Have you tried coconut butter yet? I just bought my first jar a few weeks ago and am loving it. Rather than just extracting the oil from the coconut, coconut butter is the entire flesh of the coconut, ground up. It’s very rich and has amazing coconut flavor. This oatmeal is my favorite use for it, but it’s also amazing spread on toast, and I’m excited to find more ways to use it, too. Whatever you do, let it melt before you eat it. YUM.

I’ll be honest: coconut butter breaks the bank a little. Artisana, the brand I bought, is $11.99 for a 16-oz jar. Yikes – that’s more than Justin’s almond butter! I did just see a 15-oz. Maranatha jar for $7.99 at the grocery store, so I’ll probably try that out next time. The good news is that a little goes a long way. In addition to being rich, it’s pretty brittle, so I usually microwave the whole jar for 15-30 seconds before scraping any out. Having to scrape it out, rather than being able to dip in and come out with a big ol’ scoop, stretches that jar quite a bit. If you like using coconut oil in cooking or baking, I definitely recommend trying out a jar of coconut butter.

tropical oatmeal

It’s still very much wintertime in Utah, and when I wake up on a cold and dark morning, this is my new favorite way of denying reality for 5 more minutes. Now it’s obviously not really a “recipe” – you can make your oatmeal any way you’d like or even use these toppings on any other breakfast cereal. No matter how many times I eat this combo, though, it just feels so luxurious! One more way to trick myself into getting through the winter (and the workweek).

tropical oatmeal

Tropical Oatmeal

Hands-on time

2 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup cold water
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut butter
1 Tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 mango, peeled and chopped (or substitute 1/2 orange or 1/2 cup of fresh chopped pineapple)

Instructions

Combine oats and flax in a microwave-safe bowl. Add water, stir to combine, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Remove from microwave (careful, the bowl might be hot!), sprinkle with cinnamon, and top with remaining ingredients. Wait a minute or two for coconut butter to melt, then dig in!

Pumpernickel Pancake Stacks

February 27, 2013 by Erica

Pumpernickel Pancake Stacks | coffeeandquinoa.com

Sometimes when inspiration strikes, you just have to go with it.

This weekend, I walked in the door from the gym, and out of nowhere, my brain shouted “pumpernickel pancakes!” What? Well, OK.

Unlike Monday’s pasta dish, I didn’t waste any time letting the idea marinate. I rushed out to the store to find some rye flour and caraway seeds, and these pancakes were a reality not long after!

I’m not impatient or anything.

Pumpernickel Pancake Stacks | coffeeandquinoa.com

Actually, just a few hours before, I had been planning on spending the day skiing. But when we got off the highway, the traffic was so bad that we turned around almost immediately. We got a big snowstorm on Saturday, and so we definitely weren’t the only ones with the idea to get up there on Sunday morning.

I was a little bummed, especially since the exact same thing happened last time I tried to go up :( But on the bright side, I had a whole free morning I hadn’t planned on. First on the agenda was a 4 1/2 mile treadmill run, and then when the inspiration for these pancakes struck, I felt like it was serendipity – I had all the time in the world to make them.

Pumpernickel Pancake Stacks | coffeeandquinoa.com

I’ve probably told you guys before that I’m not generally a pancake lover. On your average weekend, there are lots of breakfast foods I would choose before pancakes. But when the craving hits, it hits hard, and I guess that’s what happened this Sunday. If you can’t have skiing, you just have to have pancakes, you know?

Whether you’re a pancake, bagel, or savory breakfast person, these fit the bill. With all the other bagel fixin’s, they’re to die for!

Pumpernickel Pancake Stacks | coffeeandquinoa.com

I think this is the first recipe on this blog that’s not vegetarian (although it certainly could be if you just leave off the lox). And right on the heels of Monday’s recipe using 2 types of cheese, too. Nate is crossing his fingers this is becoming a trend.

Pumpernickel Pancake Stacks | coffeeandquinoa.com

Let’s talk quickly about the ingredients in here. As I mentioned, rye flour and caraway seeds were the two ingredients I didn’t have on hand and wasn’t sure where to buy. They were also the two ingredients necessary to get the pumpernickel flavor in these pancakes. I used Bob’s Red Mill dark rye flour, which I found in a natural foods supermarket (Sprouts, for anyone local – they have a huge selection of Bob’s Red Mill products!). The caraway seeds were super to easy to find in the spice aisle of my Kroger.

Do you like caraway seeds? I know from my days selling sausage in a German deli (story for another time) that they’re a “you love it or you hate it” ingredient. They are the distinctive flavor in pumpernickel bagels, but you can by all means leave them out of these pancakes if you’re not a fan. I personally like caraway and would probably grind up an additional tablespoon of the seeds to add to these pancakes next time.

Pumpernickel Pancake Stacks | coffeeandquinoa.com

5.0 from 1 reviews

Pumpernickel Pancake Stacks

Hands-on time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 9 small pancakes for 3 stacks

Ingredients

For the pancakes:

1/2 cup whole grain rye flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp molasses
1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk (or other unsweetened milk of your choice)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (anything from 0% fat to full fat will work)

For the dill yogurt sauce:

2 cups plain Greek yogurt
juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
2 heaping Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
2 cloves garlic, minced
sprinkle of salt and pepper

For the stacks:

1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
2 oz. smoked salmon (optional)

Instructions

First, make the pancake batter. Mix together all dry ingredients (rye flour through caraway seeds) in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (egg whites through Greek yogurt). Pour wet ingredients on top of the dry mixture and whisk until smooth. Let batter sit for at least 10 minutes and up to overnight. (This will allow the wet ingredients to be absorbed more fully and will give you thicker, fluffier pancakes.)
While the batter sits, prepare the dill yogurt sauce. Whisk together all ingredients (Greek yogurt through salt and pepper). Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat oven to 200 and set a baking sheet on a rack in the oven. (You can skip this, but I like to keep my finished pancakes in a warm oven as I go.)
Now cook the pancakes. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add a small drizzle of oil or butter (I used canola oil) and swirl to coat the skillet. Scoop a scant 1/4 cup of the pancake batter into the skillet. Cook until bubbles rise in the center of the pancake and edges are firm, then flip and cook until browned on both sides. Place on baking sheet in warm oven. Continue until you've used up all the batter!
To serve, layer pancakes, dill yogurt sauce, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and smoked salmon. Devour!

Fat Cherry and Almond Scones

January 30, 2013 by Erica

Fat Cherry Scones | coffeeandquinoa.com

You’ve been so good lately.

Eating your green stuff.

Subbing beans for meat in your favorite dinners.

Even making steaks out of vegetables.

So maybe… just this once… you could be a little bit bad?

Fat Cherry Scones | coffeeandquinoa.com

You won’t regret it, I promise.

Fat Cherry Scones | coffeeandquinoa.com

I’ve been wanting to post a scone recipe on this site for quite some time. I don’t think I’ve ever met a scone I didn’t like.

And homemade scones are way better than bakery scones – trust me if you’ve never made them. At a bakery, the scones have been sitting around for about 6 hours before you get there, and they always seem to have dried out.

These, my friends, are not dry.

Fat Cherry Scones | coffeeandquinoa.com

In fact I got the name for these scones, “fat cherry,” from a kind of cookie my mom makes around Christmastime. Fat raisin cookies are apparently Bill Clinton’s favorite (or at least they were before he was vegan!), and the Boston Globe has shared the recipe for them a few times. They are basically an oatmeal raisin cookie with the raisins soaked in rum, which plumps them up and adds juicy flavor.

And why not do the same thing with tart dried cherries and stuff them in a scone?

Like I said: not dry. In any sense of the word.

Except I don’t much care for rum (or any other liqueur, for that matter), so I plumped up these cherries with tart cherry juice and almond extract. If you want boozy scones… slow down lady, it’s breakfast! Just kidding, I’m sure it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. You can soak your cherries in kirsch or amaretto if that sounds good to you.

What better treat to wake up to on Valentine’s Day morning – or any morning, for that matter – than these luscious cherry and almond scones?

Fat Cherry Scones | coffeeandquinoa.com

Fat Cherry and Almond Scones

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients:

For the scones:
1 cup tart cherry juice
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup dried cherries
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups old-fashioned oats
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
½ cup raw almonds, lightly toasted and chopped
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup cold heavy cream
½ cup maple syrup
1 cold egg

For the glaze (optional):
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 Tbsp tart cherry juice

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, bring cherry juice and almond extract to a boil. Remove from heat, add cherries, and cover. Refrigerate at least an hour, and up to overnight, before proceeding.

Preheat oven to 350 and position a rack in the center of the oven.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle the pieces of butter over the top. With your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour mixture until no large chunks remain.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, maple syrup, and egg. (I like to stick the bowl of dry ingredients and butter in the freezer while I do this, to make sure they don’t start to warm up.) Pour into the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Drain the cherries and stir them into the batter along with the toasted almonds.

If you’ve come this far without licking batter off your fingers or the spoon… well, you have much more self control than I do.

Drop mounded scoops of dough onto a baking sheet (unlined is fine) with at least an inch in between. (The scones won’t spread much, but better safe than sorry!) Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the scones cool, make the tart cherry glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar and cherry juice. Add more cherry juice as necessary to make a smooth glaze. Brush over the tops of the cooled scones. Don’t be afraid to glaze the scones 2, even 3 times, waiting a few minutes for the glaze to dry in between. The cherry glaze gives the scones this beautiful pink color, plus some extra cherry flavor!

The scones taste best on the day they are made, but can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Time:

2 hours

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