Breakfast

Warm Breakfast Quinoa with Agave and Cinnamon

January 2, 2013 by Erica

It probably comes as no surprise (given the name of this blog) that I’ve wanted to post this recipe for quite some time.

The problem was pictures. It’s really hard to take a picture of anything in a bowl with an iPhone, because the lens distorts everything and makes it look like you’re eating out of funhouse dishes.

Not that these are the best pictures ever (still learning… lots), but with my spiffy new camera, they at least accurately portray this meal in all its whole grain glory without making it look like I shot them through a funhouse mirror.

Anyway, about this quinoa. When I was down in Moab with my parents in September, we got breakfast (and lunch) both days from the Love Muffin Cafe, an adorable cafe on Main St. that I had never been to before. If you’re ever in Moab, I highly recommend it! They have the best ever breakfast quinoa (that Mom and I ate both days) and that I just had to recreate when I came home. Actually, in the car on the way home from that Moab trip, Mom and I discussed blog names, and I had this dish in mind when I registered this domain name a few weeks later. :) I intended for this to be my first post! But like I said… the pictures.

I’ve tried making other breakfast quinoa recipes before, but they never turned out well enough to start my day with. Thank goodness the Love Muffin Cafe came along! I would have been stuck in a never-ending cycle of oatmeal and Cheerios. Well actually, I still kinda am, but now I have this to mix it up with.

The recipe is simple: quinoa, agave, cinnamon, nuts and fruit, and a splash of milk.

If you’re wanting to eat healthier, eat more whole grains, or eat better breakfasts this year, this is pretty much the best place you can start! I’ve never tried another grain here, but if you prefer farro, wheat berries, etc. you could definitely try substituting that. I don’t recommend using white quinoa, though… it doesn’t have the same rich nutty flavor as red quinoa. Rainbow or black would probably be OK, though.

Warm Breakfast Quinoa with Agave and Cinnamon

Inspired by the Love Muffin Cafe in Moab, UT

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked red quinoa (this can be prepared ahead of time)

1 Tbsp agave syrup

heavy sprinkle of cinnamon

small handful of chopped walnuts (toasting is optional)

handful of seasonal fruit such as pomegranate arils or strawberries and blueberries

splash (1-2 Tbsp) of milk (I use plain unsweetened almond milk)

Instructions:

If using leftover quinoa, microwave until warm.

Mix warm quinoa with agave and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with walnuts and fruit. Pour a splash of milk over the top and stir – the milk will coat everything with the agave and cinnamon. Serve!

Time:

<5 minutes if quinoa is cooked ahead of time, 20-25 minutes if cooking quinoa

Sweet Potato Pancakes

December 6, 2012 by Erica

Yep, that’s right. It’s The Week of the Sweet Potato over here. Yesterday in sushi bowls, today in pancakes. What can I say? It’s the sweet potato time of year.

Now, about said pancakes. I have a question for you: How would you rank pancakes, waffles, and French toast in order of your favorite?

For some reason this became a big topic of discussion at my last job. In a very scientific study (involving asking everyone whenever it came up), we determined that men almost always liked pancakes the most, while women usually preferred waffles or French toast.

Now, I have to admit that French toast comes first for me, followed by waffles, and pancakes come in last (unless it’s my mom’s German pancakes, which always come in first). Buuuut throw some sweet potato into the mix, and I may have to change my mind. Because these are pretty delicious.

Be warned: I like a lot of spices in my pancakes, baked goods, etc. (and that’s probably why I like these guys). If you prefer more subtly spiced cakey things, you might want to cut down on the cinnamon and nutmeg. Also, the spices don’t really come through in the uncooked batter, soooo no matter how much spice you choose to add, you’re not really going to know how they taste until they’re cooked!

If you have a man in your life, studies show he probably loves pancakes. Maybe make these for him this weekend?

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Makes 10-12 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 medium to large sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and mashed (about 1 ½ cups)
1 cup spelt flour*
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ground clove
pinch of salt
2 ¼ cups regular unsweetened almond milk
vegan butter or coconut oil for the pan

Suggested toppings:
apple sauce and maple syrup mixed in a 4:1 ratio (lower calorie and less sweet!)
toasted chopped pecans
leftover cranberry sauce

*Flour note: This is what I used, but you could use all spelt flour, all whole wheat, or even all white flour. I’m sure whatever you have in the pantry will work!

Instructions:

First, bake your sweet potato at 375 until soft when squeezed, about 45 minutes to an hour. (This is best done ahead of time.) Pull the skin off and mash the potato.

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Whisk in the almond milk and sweet potato.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add a pat of vegan butter or coconut oil and swirl to coat. Ladle a scoop of the pancake batter into the center of the pan. Cook until bubbles start to form in the center of the pancake. Flip only once, and cook on that side until browned.

It’s pretty much a rule that the first pancake is an ugly duckling. See how it looks when you cut into it (then eat it yourself!). The sweet potato adds a lot of moisture, so the middle may still be a bit mushy even though the outsides are nicely browned. If this happens, add more milk to the batter, 1/4 cup at a time. This will make thinner pancakes that cook more quickly on the inside. You may also have to turn the heat down as you go along and the pan heats up more, especially if you have electric burners.

Top with apple sauce, maple syrup, pecans, cranberry sauce, or your favorite pancake toppings.

Enjoy!

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Banana and Carrot

October 18, 2012 by Erica

Muffins! If you didn’t know already, I’m telling you: You need a fall muffin recipe, and this is it.

This definitely falls into the category of “write this recipe down so I don’t forget it myself” blog posts. I wasn’t really setting out to create something new when I baked these muffins this weekend, but they were so good that I just have to share!

I had planned on making pumpkin pancakes for Saturday morning… but woke up feeling decidedly anti-pancake. Nate suggested muffins – sounded much more delicious – so I scanned my breakfast Pinterest board for muffin recipes. I wanted pumpkin (did I get carried away when I bought several huge cans at Smith’s the other day? hmmm) but I couldn’t really find anything that I had the ingredients for and looked tasty. So I mashed up these summery muffins from Eat, Live, Run with what I had in my fridge, and the result was delicious! These are kind of like banana bread meets carrot cake meets pumpkin muffin. And bonus – they’re vegan and you would NEVER know it. I didn’t use any walnuts here, but will probably add a half cup next time!