Breakfast Quinoa

I'm always on the hunt for a healthy breakfast that actually keeps me full throughout the morning.  Smoothies and oatmeal are delicious but I seem to get hungry within an hour or so.  I was recently perusing Pinterest and saw a pin about sweetened quinoa.  It sounded interesting, especially since I had never been a huge fan of it's savory form.  Plus, it's arguably a superfood, so I thought I might as well try it.  

I found a recipe that had the quinoa cooked in milk.  With a bit of sugar and cinnamon, the result is something like a hardy version of rice pudding. It's rich and delicious while still maintaining an element of healthiness. I've been eating it every morning for a couple weeks now and have no complaints.   

Orange Pecan Cream Scones

Holidays at my parents' house are about as food-focused as it gets. The day is occupied with gathering ingredients and preparing meals, the evening spent eating and planning the next day's meals.  On top of all of that, my mother and I somehow manage to squeeze in baking in the mornings.  She is always effortlessly tweaking classic baked goods, either by adding healthier ingredients or by jazzing up the flavor, and I love being a part of the process.

She's been making some form of these scones since I can remember. But it recently occurred to her to try replacing the butter with cream, so we made a batch while I was visiting. The scones were incredibly tender and fluffy.  Also, since you don't have to spend time cutting in butter, these scones take about 5 minutes to make. 

Trench Breakfast (Pan Tumaca)

When our kitchen table was full of plump, ripe tomatoes this summer, I would often ask Dave, "Want to have Trench Breakfast tomorrow?" He would always say "Yes" so I would head to the store and buy a baguette for the next morning. "What's Trench Breakfast," you ask? Well, it is a Spanish breakfast dish of grated tomatoes on toasted bread. An old roommate of Dave's, known as Trench, had lived in Spain for a while and made it for us once or twice. I was impressed.  

I finally did look up the name, and I'm pretty sure that it's called Pan Tumaca (Tomato Bread).  I'd ask Trench to verify, but he's back in Spain, unreachable. Anyway, I still think "Trench Breakfast" is catchier.  

If you need something to do with your last few tomatoes of the season and want to really enjoy their flavor, this is the dish to make.  I know most people, including myself, typically eat a sweeter breakfast.  However, I've found that this breakfast is much more satisfying and filling.  Definitely worth the trouble of picking up a baguette at the store.  For the Trench Breakfast in these photos, I used an amazing loaf of bread that a friend had given me for my birthday.  If you don't know any generous breadmakers, just make sure to buy a quality loaf. 

Oatmeal Almond Belgium Waffles

Besides German Pancakes, my mom also made amazing oatmeal waffles on the weekends for as long as I can remember. Whenever I visit Montana, I can't wait to wake up that first morning and enjoy some of her homemade waffles. I'm not sure when she started adding oat flour, but I love the subtle nutty flavor it adds. Plus, my mom makes her own sour milk which provides a tangy, fluffy texture. Throughout the years, we both have experimented with her waffle recipe and enjoyed exchanging new ideas.  This recipe is very close to my mom's original recipe, though I added some unblended oats and toasted almonds.

Dark Chocolate Sourdough Bread

While I was in college in Eugene, a good friend who worked at a bakery would regularly give my roommates and me delicious day-old bread.  Every once in a while he would bring us this mysterious dark chocolate cherry sourdough bread.  I was very skeptical at first, thinking that mixing chocolate with bread was blasphemy on both ends. Finally I tried it and discovered it to be one of the best ways to eat chocolate. It's an incredible balance between solid chocolate and sweet cake. Immediately I was determined to recreate the bread in my kitchen. It was difficult to find a recipe with a sourdough starter, but I was finally able to take a solid recipe and tweak a few things.

Herb Aioli and Fried Egg Sandwiches

Mayonnaise.  It feels like such a dirty word.  I always feel a little embarrassed whenever I have to say it.  It's so silly because mayonnaise is essentially egg, oil, and lemon juice. What's so dirty about that? I'm not sure why there's a stigma, but I still really like mayonnaise.  I get to call this recipe "aioli," which is mayonnaise + garlic + whatever else you want to cram into it.  I use it primarily for egg sandwiches, but it would be delicious on any type of sandwich.

"Spring" Smoothies

It obviously does not feel like spring yet.  Okay fine.  About once an hour, for maybe three minutes, the sun will peak out and you can feel it's warmth.  Otherwise, it's still gray and gloomy in Portland. Like most people around here, I'm eager for the summer weather to hit. Meanwhile, I'm getting ready for the anticipated delicious summer crops by eating up all of the fruit from last summer that's still storing in Dave's freezer.  So I've been making loads of smoothies -almost- completely made with local ingredients. I was pumped to discover that there is a Tualatin soy milk that I can get at New Seasons along with a few varieties of local yogurt. The hiccup was the honey, which came from British Columbia, but I only used a dab.

Crumpets

Ever had a crumpet? If you so, then you've experienced a beautiful thing.  They're like the rich man's english muffin. Buttery, yet light and springy. My first crumpet was from The Crumpet Shop in Seattle, Washington.  It was served with a warm blueberry compote, and it blew my mind. I've wanted to try making crumpets since then, but thought they would take hours to make it since there's yeast involved. Turns out, you can make delicious crumpets without a long rise. It's great.

Yogurt Cups with Stewed Blueberries

I never seem to eat as much yogurt as I'd like.  I usually buy a quart of plain yogurt but struggle to use all of it. I love yogurt with fruit, but most flavored yogurts are way too sweet and not fruity enough.  Lately I've been eating the Brown Cow Fruit on the Bottom yogurt, but I feel guilty every time a buy one of those tiny plastic containers.  So I resolved to make my own 'fruit on the bottom' yogurt cups. I found that making it at home is super easy and allows you to control the amount of sugar and fruit. In fact, it's so easy that I feel silly posting a recipe for it. I dare you to try it.

German Pancake

Growing up at my house, I was lucky enough to regularly wake up on weekends to the smell of stewed apples and German pancake, thanks to my mother.   When she is in the kitchen, her movements seem choreographed and effortless.  I've always been impressed with how she manages to be so dang casual while cooking.  This recipe is one of the few that I can actually pull off without stressing too much.