Fresh from the oven, turmeric whole wheat buns for 2016 last breakfast 😉
I have already had one 🙂 I couldn’t resist to that crunchy crust …
♥
Category: Brunch
Christmas Morning Pancakes
Makes about 10- 12 pancakes ( about 4 inch pancake )
Every Sunday morning our family will start the day feasting on pancakes. This past Sunday was even more special because it was Christmas day as well. I always get up early to get the batter started so by the time my hubby and daughter come to the kitchen, there will the perfect pancakes awaiting.
Our favorite are those loaded with blueberries but because it was Christmas morning I decided to use chocolate chips instead. 🙂
Right off the bat, my husband piled 6 pancakes onto his plate and devoured them with organic smooth peanut butter. I have to admit I had three as well. Ops! I just loved them simple like that. The chocolate chips did more than enough for my taste buds.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups GO-GO QUINOA Pancake mix ( the ingredients listed on the package were: Organic brown rice flour, organic tapioca flour, organic kaniwa flour, organic pink salt, xanthan gum, Baking soda, baking powder. )
- 1 tbsp peanut butter powder
- 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew milk
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a large bowl add the flour mix, peanut butter powder, sugar and chia seeds. Whisk until all ingredients are combined. Make a well in the flour mixture and add the milk and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter.
Heat a skillet over the medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of a batter for each pancake. Cook until small bubbles form and pop on the surface and the bottom is golden-brown. Flip it over and cook until golden -brown, about 4-5 minutes.
Store the pancakes on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to prevent the steaming.
Enjoy !
Pineapple-Kiwi Smoothie
We are still playing with the Ninja blender. This time we tried a green smoothie just with green and yellow fruits.
Ingredients
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and cut in pieces
- 1 small fresh pineapple, cut in chunks; I used the juice from the container
- 1 large red and green mango, pilled and cut in pieces
- 2 medium ripped bananas
- 2 large ripped kiwi
- 1 cup filtered water
Blend all the ingredients together to the desired consistency and enjoy it.
Green Olives Focaccia
Focaccia is flat bread that is oven-baked. Focaccia dough is pretty similar to pizza doughs.
You can serve Focaccia as an appetizer, snack or just table bread. Focaccia can be topped with herbs, onion, and cheese or even meet. Focaccia with Rosemary is a common focaccia style in Italian cuisine.
The main difference between pizza dough and Focaccia dough is that focaccia contain a higher quantity of yeast causing the dough to rise significantly. Also this higher quantity of yeast permits the dough to absorb a large amount of oil.
After you rolled out the dough, you need to dot the dough by creating multiple wells in the bread just by using your fingers. Spread olive oil on top either by hand or with a pastry brush before rising and baking.
Ingredients for about 10-12 servings
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for
- 5 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt, some extra for the top
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp. active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion (this time I used onion flakes)
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (I had only dry one handy)
- 1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
- 4 tbsp. of green olives (I used stuffed ones)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a medium bowl. Wait a few minutes for the yeast to proofing. Add the yeast mixture and two tbsp. of olive oil to the flour and start working the dough. Add more flour if needed. Work the dough for about 5-10 minutes until is coming off your hands.
Transfer the dough to a oiled bowl. Cover loosely (with plastic wrap) and let stand in a warm area until dough has almost doubled in size. (approximately an hour)
Lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it with 2 Tbsp. oil. Stretch and press dough on sheet into a rectangle slightly smaller than the sheet. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil.
Preheat the oven to 475. Remove plastic wrap and dot the dough with your fingertips. Scatter onion flakes, rosemary, and oregano and stuffed mushrooms over dough; season with salt and pepper.
Bake focaccia until golden brown, 10–15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before slicing it and enjoy it 🙂
Savory muffins
After we ‘overloaded’ on the Overloaded Muffins I was just craving for some savory ones for a change. Personally, I love both. These goodies are called Grab and Go Muffins. I had two for breakfast and two for lunch at work. I could have another two for dinner, no problem if I wouldn’t have to share them 🙂
Ingredients:
- 1/2 chicken breast cooked and chopped
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup frozen spinach, (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 free run eggs
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp Parmesan flakes ( save a few cheese flakes for the muffin’s top )
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup cashew milk ( you can use any milk of your choice )
- 3 strings green onion ( I would say that green onion is highly recommended in savory muffins. However, I had no green onions handy so I substitute them with 1/4 red onion diced )
- Himalayan salt
- pinch of sweet paprika
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Lined a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin papers.
In a on stick skillet saute the onion, spinach and mushrooms for a few minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside to cool down.
In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Not too much as you have already seasoned for salt the veggies.
In a large bowl mix together the eggs and the milk. Add the chicken, red pepper, Parmesan cheese and veggies mix. Stir until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients over the wet ones and stir gently until well combined.
Scoop the mixture in the prepared tray. Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let it cool in the tray for about 5 minutes and than place the muffins of a cooling rack and just enjoy them 😉
Sweet and Savory Bread Puddings
I don’t know what you do when you have too much bread or stale bread in your kitchen but I would always come with a bread pudding version: sweet or savory depending on what else is there in the fridge or cupboards.
Bread pudding is a bread-based dessert popular in many countries’ cuisines . As you might know the main ingredients are stale bread and milk or cream, eggs and some form of fat: butter or suet. If you choose a sweet bread pudding version you also need sugar, dried fruits, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, bourbon or rum extract. If you choose a savory variation you can also add cheese, mushroom, spinach, olives depending on your inspiration.
I think no matter what kind you choose they both are a great choice for brunch.
Savory puddings can also be used as meal.
Sweet bread pudding:
dried prunes, cinnamon and dried prunes bread pudding
apples and cinnamon bread pudding
Savory bread puddings:
cheddar, feta and green olives bread pudding
Spinach and cheese bread pudding:
Spinach and goat cheese whole wheat bread pudding
I hope that whatever your choice will be you enjoy the bread pudding 🙂
Black Olives Wholewheat Buns
Sunday morning breakfast.
Yummy!
Pesto swirls /Black olive pate swirls
Today in Toronto ( and all Southern Ontario ) was a red cold weather alert with temperature that went between minus 30 to minus 40 last night.
So I asked myself…what could I do during such weather? If you know me, by now, I think you already know the answer.
I decided to bake.
I took a peek in the fridge and I saw I have some pesto and black olive pate; I didn’t need more than a few seconds to come to a decision: buns … savory buns !!!
What do you need:
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 1 cup of white flour
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon dry east
- 1 teaspoon organic chia seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon organic golden flex seeds (optional)
- 2 1/2 cups of warm water
- 3 teaspoons of pesto
- 3 teaspoons of black olives pate
Combine the flour ( both types ) turmeric and the seeds if using.
Make a hollow in the flour and add the yeast and one cup of warm water.
When it start to bubble add the olive oil, sprinkle the salt and the rest of the water and
mix all together. Once combined, knead by hand for about 5 to 10 minutes. The dough is
ready when it feels soft, springy and elastic. Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl and set
aside covered in a warm place.
In about an hour and 30 minutes the dough should triple the size and to be ready for the buns.
Line a muffin tray with baking paper liners. The dough is a bit oily so there is no need to oil the tray or the liners.
Oil a work surface and roll the dough in a rectangle shape.
Spread the pesto on half of the dough and the olives pate on the other half.
VARIATION: If you really want and have handy ( I did not ) you can add some more cheese on top; like shredded mozzarella.
Roll the dough in a long sausage and cut it in about about a inch wide buns.
Place them in the muffin tray. If some buns are smaller ( the ends ) you could add two buns in one liner 🙂
Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 to 30 minutes depending on the oven.
What can I say more ??? I couldn’t stop at just one piece ! Delicious !
♥
