Category Archives: Breakfast Faire

Recipes for breakfast food.

Strawberry Cashew Milk

October 6, 2015

 

Super Yummy strawberries.

Super Yummy strawberries.

Recently, I have been obsessed with a strawberry cashew nut milk I have been buying from a local juice bar.  It is so incredibly yummy and creamy but also very expensive.  After many days of trying to resist the strawberry nut milk and then giving in to the tune of $8 a whack, I decided to try  making my own.  I had made almond milk before so I figured it had to be a similar process.  Making nut milks is easy but takes a little planning because you have to soak the nuts over night before you can start.  As long as you remember that step, your milk should come together pretty easily!

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This recipe made an incredibly rich, creamy nut milk.  You can manipulate how strong you want the strawberry flavor or how sweet you want the milk by adjusting the number of strawberries or dates you use.  This is an amazing after workout treat because it is packed with protein from the cashews and anti-oxidants from the strawberries.  The dates also offer some carbs to replace all the glucose you burned in your workout.
IMG_1347

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Strawberry Cashew Milk

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of cashews
  • 4 cups of filtered water
  • 10-12 stem removed strawberries
  • 7-10 dates
  • pinch of sea salt

Instructions

  1. Put cashews and dates in 3 cups of water to soak overnight.
  2. Pour cashews, dates, salt and water in high speed blender and pulse until uniform consistency.
  3. Place nut milk bag over a bowl and then pour liquid into the bowl.
  4. Knead bag until all liquid is squeezed out of the bag.
  5. Set aside bowl.
  6. Put 1 cup of water and strawberries in high speed blender and pulse to uniform consistency.
  7. Now put nut milk bag back over the bowl and pour strawberry liquid into bag.
  8. Knead bag again to extract all the liquid.
  9. Stir strawberry liquid into cashew liquid until uniform in color.
  10. Refrigerate and enjoy.
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/strawberry-cashew-milk/

 

Strawberry photo by David Slack on flickr.

Filed Under: Blog, Breakfast Faire

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

November 17, 2014
Finished pancakes about to be slathered with peanut butter.

Finished pancakes about to be slathered with peanut butter.

I love the Fall because it signals to me that I should start eating pumpkin again.  Now, I love just about any squash but there is something so yummy about pumpkin.  I also really love breakfast.  In fact, I think it is my most favorite meal of the day!  Imagine my delight when I can combine two things I love in one sitting- breakfast and pumpkin?  It doesn’t get much better than that!  That is why I love this recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes.  (I made this recipe with butter and eggs but it is really easy to convert to a vegan recipes by substituting coconut oil for the butter and flax eggs for the chicken eggs.)

These pancakes are amazing because they combine tons of different warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg- perfect to warm and nourish the body on these cold winter days.   These spices signal to me that the holidays are right around the corner!

Ground oats.

Ground oats.

I used my food processor to grind my oats to make the oat flour.  As you can see they still had some oat texture to them.  ( I found when I made subsequent batches that my Magic Bullet NutriBullet worked like a dream to produce really fine oat flour.)  You have to decide if you want your pancakes to have more texture to them or if you prefer a more traditional finely ground flour.  Also, if you have someone in your life with gluten issues, be sure your oats say gluten free on the package. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats is an excellent brand.

We Ingredients.

Wet Ingredients.

I love the amazingly vibrant color of the wet ingredients in this photo.  You always hear about “Eating the rainbow” to maximize health.  When I  look at this picture, I can just imagine all the healthy beta carotene headed into my body with every bite of pancake!   Extremely high in fiber and low in calories, pumpkin is loaded with disease-fighting nutrients, including potassium, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and vitamins C and E.

Wet and dry ingredients together.

Wet and dry ingredients together.

Pancakes on the griddle.

Pancakes on the griddle.

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Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Ingredients

  • 1 cups of gluten- free oats
  • zest of half lemon
  • 2 tbs of coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp of baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of ginger
  • 1/4 tsp of cloves
  • 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
  • 1 tbs of flax seed ground
  • 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 1/2 cup of milk (I used almond)
  • 2 tbs of butter or coconut oil
  • 2 eggs (could use flax eggs)

Instructions

  1. Place oats in food processor or NutriBullet to grind to flour.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients together.
  3. In seperate bowl, mix all wet ingredients including pumpkin.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
  5. Stir well.
  6. Cook pancakes on well greased griddle or in a pan. Flipping only after first side is well browned.
  7. These are dense, thick pancakes so they take a little while to cook.
  8. Serve with maple syrup. (In my house, we add a generous dose of nut butter too!)
  9. Enjoy!
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/gluten-free-pumpkin-pie-pancakes/

This recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate.

This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Blog, Breakfast Faire

Chocolate Cherry Chia 24 Hour Oats

June 19, 2014
Cherries.

Cherries.

Healthy Chia Seeds.

Healthy Chia Seeds.

Every Friday morning, I sweat my way through  an amazing boot camp class at The Refinery here in Portland.  Each week features a different series of moves designed to torture us.  While I am usually exhausted by the end of it, I LOVE it!  It is fun, challenging and awesome to see what my body can and can’t do each week.  Before each class, I have to think carefully about how I am going to fuel my body to get through the workout.  I don’t want to be too weighed down but also want to be sure I have enough fuel to finish.  The last few weeks, I have been relying on versions of  24 hour oats.  With cherry season upon us, these Chocolate Cherry Chia Oats are my new favorite.

All the ingredients before adding the almond milk.

All the ingredients before adding the almond milk.

I added a scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder to my oats because I wanted the extra protein with such a hard workout but you can leave it out if you aren’t interested in extra protein.

We use this protein powder Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein, 622 Grams.

Shaken Oats Ready to Go In the Fridge.

Shaken Oats Ready to Go In the Fridge.

These oats are great because you prep them the night before and then just grab them and go in the morning.  They offer healthy omega-3 fats with the chia seeds, fiber filled oats and a dose of Vitamin C from the cherries.  As you can see from the picture below, it is not a pretty breakfast but it sure tastes good.

Oats ready to eat after 24 hours in the fridge.

Oats ready to eat after 24 hours in the fridge.

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Chocolate Cherry Chia 24 Hour Oats

Ingredients

  • 3 tbs of oats
  • 2 tbs of chia seeds
  • 1 tbs of cacao powder
  • 1 tbs of protein powder (optional)
  • shake or two of cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup of pitted and chopped cherries
  • 1 cup of vanilla almond milk or milk of your choice
  • Maple syrup or other sweetener to taste

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a mason jar.
  2. Cover.
  3. Shake until well combined.
  4. (You may have to open and stir with a spoon to be sure everything gets mixed together.)
  5. Place in the fridge overnight.
  6. In the morning, add sweetener of choice and enjoy.
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/chocolate-cherry-chia-24-hour-oats/

I usually add a couple of tablespoons of some sort of nut butter for even more flavor and protein.  You can omit it if you want or use whatever type of nut butter you have on hand.

This post shared with Live, Laugh, Rowe, The Nourishing Gourmet, A Glimpse Inside, Urban Naturale, Rock My Vegan Socks, Fat Tuesday, Mary’s Kitchen, Girl Meets Nourishement and Homespun Oasis.

This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Blog, Breakfast Faire, Health Information

Tiny Tip Tuesday: Eat Breakfast Like a King

April 15, 2014
Photo by Ali Arsh.

Photo by Ali Arsh.

Recent research has offered support to the old adage “Eat breakfast like a king. Lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. ” A study published in  Obesity randomly divided 50 overweight and obese woman into two groups.  Each woman received a total of 1400 calories divided throughout the day.  The first group, the Breakfast group  received the majority of their calories in the morning (700 calories for breakfast, 500 for lunch and 200 for dinner).  The second group, the Dinner group, received the majority of their calories for dinner (200 calories at breakfast, 500 for lunch and 700 for dinner). The only difference between the two groups was the timing of the bulk of their calories.  The results were astounding.  While both groups lost a significant amount of weight, the Breakfast group lost twice as much weight and showed a significantly greater reduction in their insulin levels and fasting glucose levels.  The Breakfast group also had a 33.6% decrease in their  triglyceride levels while the Dinner group’s triglyceride levels increased by almost 15%.  The Breakfast group also reported feeling more satiated throughout the day than the Dinner group.

What can we learn from this study?  Researchers for years have pointed to the importance of eating breakfast.  It is well documented that people who eat breakfast have more energy throughout the day, are better able to stay focused and tend to eat less throughout the day.  Traditional Chinese Medicine believes the body is most focused on digestion during the morning hours so consuming the majority of your nutrients during this period means your body will receive optimal nutrition.  Of course, the quality of the breakfast is important.  Sugary cereals, white bagels with cream cheese or waffles loaded with syrup are going to spike your blood sugar and then lead to a energy crash.  Be sure to add some protein and maybe a healthy fat to the start of your day.  This fat or protein will help anchor your carbs, slowing digestion and keeping you feeling full longer.  Good choices for breakfast include:

  • A whole wheat bagel with nut butter and banana.
  • A bowl of oatmeal, quinoa and other grains with ground flax seeds and berries.
  • Eggs of any kind served with sprouted whole wheat toast and a fresh fruit.
  • Chia seeds combined with almond milk, chopped nuts and fruit.
  • If you are going to have a cereal, try to choose one with the fewest grams of sugar possible.  Mix it with a full fat organic Greek plain yogurt or whole organic milk, chopped nuts and some fresh berries.

All of these options offer a complex carb combined with a healthy fat and a significant source of protein.  These breakfasts will help you have a healthy start to your day and could be one of the first steps to helping you control your eating throughout the day.  Controlled, mindful eating can be an important component of weight control.

This post was shared with She eats and Richly Rooted.

Tell me about your favorite go to breakfast options.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Breakfast Faire, Health Information

Fresh Spring Strawberry Bread

April 10, 2014
Sliced up and ready to eat.

Sliced up and ready to eat.

Every year, when I was a child, my mom would pull out her recipe for strawberry bread.  This sweet, yummy bread was a sure harbinger of Spring.  Even though my mom used frozen strawberries in her bread,  I seem to remember only eating this treat when fresh strawberries were available.  I loved slathering this bread with a tasty strawberry cream cheese she would make and then dunking it in milk.  While I remember loving this bread, when my mom shared the recipe with me, I decided to make a few tweaks to improve it’s nutritional punch.  (I would still qualify this bread as more of a treat then a nutritional powerhouse!)

Photo by Manchester-Monkey of flickr.

Photo by Manchester-Monkey of flickr.

The original recipe called for 2 cups of white sugar, 1 cup of vegetable oil, frozen strawberries and 3 cups of white flour.  I made some adjustments to these ingredients.  Check out the amended recipe.  I think it has much more to offer nutritionally than the original.

Wet and dry ingredients before mixing.

Wet and dry ingredients before mixing.

Batter after mixing wet and dry ingredients.

Batter after mixing wet and dry ingredients.

Some of the major changes I made to this recipe include:

  • Switching the flour from white to whole wheat and adding ground flax seed and almond meal to the recipe
  • Reducing the total sugar from 2 to 1 cup and replacing the white sugar with coconut sugar
  • Reducing the oil from one cup of vegetable oil to 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of applesauce
  • Changing from frozen strawberries packed in sugar to fresh strawberries
Batter awaiting the oven to heat up.

Batter awaiting the oven to heat up.

 

Bread right out of the oven.

Bread right out of the oven.

Print
Fresh Spring Strawberry Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup fresh ground flax seeds
  • 1 cup of almond meal
  • 1 cup of coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp of baking soda
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbs of applesauce
  • 1 lb of strawberries, stemmed and chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix dry ingredients together.
  3. Make hole in middle of dry ingredients and add strawberries, oil, applesauce and eggs.
  4. Pour batter into a greased and floured pan.
  5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, depending on your oven.
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/fresh-spring-strawberry-bread/

I am satisfied with a not very sweet bread.  If you like a sweeter taste, you might experiment with the amount of sugar you use.

Final product.

Final product.\

Fresh strawberry season is a short one.  Take advantage of the bounty nature is offering and whip yourself up some of this tasty bread.

This post was added to the The Idea Room’s, Six Sister’s Stuff, Skip to My Lou Natural Living Monday and Today’s Creative Blog linky party.

Filed Under: Blog, Breakfast Faire, Snacks

Jane’s Chocolaty Gluten Free Granola

April 3, 2014

photo 3 (5) I have been in a bit of a breakfast slump lately.  My normal rotation of chia pudding, warming grain cereal with coconut yogurt and fried egg sandwiches with avocado and hot sauce on sprouted bread is getting a little repetitive.  As I was pondering what new addition I could make to my routine, I remembered an old recipe my friend, Jane, gave me for a super yummy, chocolaty gluten free granola. When I pulled the recipe out of my recipe box, it was covered in peanut butter smears and coconut oil stains- signs of a well used recipe.  I remembered this granola not hanging around long in my household which confirmed I should reintroduce it to my family.  I was excited to have this back as an option for my breakfast routine (or snack or dinner or any other time I had a hankering for chocolaty goodness!).  As I looked at the recipe, I realized there were a few items I wanted to tweak from the original recipe based on the family’s changing eating habits but for the most part I left it as is.  (I also changed a few ingredients based on the

types of dried fruit and nuts I had in my house.)

Dry ingredients all combined.

Dry ingredients all combined.

 

Nut butter, syrup, agave and coconut oil starting to melt.

Nut butter, syrup, agave and coconut oil starting to melt.

 

Melted wet ingredients.

Melted wet ingredients.

I used a combination of maple syrup and agave for my sweeteners but you could substitute honey or brown rice syrup if those are more to your liking.  When you mix in the warm, wet ingredients, your chocolate chips will melt, spreading chocolate throughout the whole mixture.  I like it this way because then I get a hint of chocolate in every bite.  However, if you like granola with solid chunks of chocolate, I would wait to add the chips after the wet and dry ingredients have cooled a little bit.

Wet and dry ingredients all combined.

Wet and dry ingredients all combined.

As you can see from the photo above, everything is lightly coated but not soaked.

Granola ready to go into the oven.

Granola ready to go into the oven.

The recipe calls for only 30 minutes in the oven but mine took much longer (almost 50 minutes).  (My oven runs a little cold so be sure to base your cook time on your own oven.)

Yum! A whole container of granola!

Yum! A whole container of granola!

Print
Chocolaty Gluten Free Granola

Ingredients

  • 3 cups gluten free oats
  • 1/3 cup of amaranth, soaked (This is optional. I had it so I added it for a protein boost.)
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds (1/2 of them ground, 1/2 of them whole)
  • 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup of coconut
  • 1/4 cup of dried blueberries
  • 1/4 cup of dried cherries
  • 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (vegan or regular)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (Any nuts will do. Go with what you have available or what you like.)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup of almond butter (Any nut butter will work in this recipe.)
  • 1/4 cup of agave
  • 1/4 cup of maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp of vanilla
  • 5 tbs of coconut oil

Instructions

  1. If using amaranth, soak for at least six hours and overnight if possible.
  2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  3. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  4. In a sauce pan, over low heat, combine almond butter, vanilla, agave, maple syrup and coconut oil.
  5. Stir until well combined.
  6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
  7. Stir until all dry ingredients covered with almond butter mixture.
  8. Press into a pan.
  9. Place in oven for at least 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. (Mine took over 50 minutes to be fully cooked but you will have to keep checking for when it looks done to you.)
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/janes-chocolaty-gluten-free-granola/

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

This post is part of a Friday Link party of Nap time Creations,  Today’s Creative Blog, Live Laugh Rowe, Gluten Free Homemaker, The Nourishing Gourmet and The Shabby Nest.

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Filed Under: Blog, Breakfast Faire