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Savory Muffins with Spinach, Roasted Peppers and Feta Recipe

If you read my last post, you know that we haven’t gone out for Mother’s Day in several years and this Sunday will be no different. Truth be told, I couldn’t be happier for several already mentioned reasons. I am, however, definitely not cooking on Sunday, but instead leaving that to the men for this one and only day. But if I were cooking, I would make these fabulous savory muffins and serve them with a very veggie frittata. Can you tell I am pushing a low-glycemic agenda this week?

Have you ever had too much sugar and carbs at brunch that the entire rest of the day you just felt “off?” Done it, hate it. I always have a hard time bouncing back after starting the day with chocolate chip French toast, a blueberry crumb muffin, fruit salad and a mimosa. No, friends, that is not a balanced meal. Instead, I make a concerted effort to balance out the token coffee cake with plenty of protein and hearty, savory fare.

If my husband brings in bagels, I make sure there’s wild smoked salmon and sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Yogurt gets placed next to the homemade granola and there’s always a savory egg dish of some sort. Even if I’m serving a crowd, I’ll double frittata recipes and bake them in large rimmed sheet pans. Yes, you can do that!

Muffins and quick breads are very popular for brunch, and I have several recipes on this site, but I think these with spinach and roasted peppers are so delicious and a fresh change of pace from the ones you would normally expect. They’re also fairly easy to put together. In fact, you can combine your dry ingredients the day before and have your spinach, feta and peppers prepped and ready to go, so that all you really need to do is stir everything together and bake the morning of Mother’s Day. Like most muffins, these are much better fresh out of the oven, but if you have leftovers, just store them in the fridge and warm them in the oven for a few minutes. These are also the perfect match with any egg dish, whether simply scrambled or baked in a fritatta. My most favorite frittata is this one with Swiss chard, but the one I just posted the other day with asparagus and artichokes is a close second. Certainly, these muffins aren’t just for brunch, but make a great little extra something with a bowl of soup or in the next day’s lunchbox.

In the same way I love looking at what’s in people’s grocery carts (is that creepy?), I love hearing about your menus for holidays and special occasions. Do share with me what you’re planning or what you would love someone to make for you!! Happy Mother’s Day to all you beautiful mamas!

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Savory Muffins with Spinach, Roasted Peppers and Feta

Author: Pamela, adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves: makes 12 standard muffins

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour (or a combo)*
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon sea salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
¾ cup whole milk or unsweetened plain, hemp milk
½ cup unrefined olive oil
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 cup thinly sliced spinach leaves
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup chopped roasted red peppers or drained mild Peppadew peppers

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 standard muffin cups with unbleached parchment paper liners (or cut parchment paper squares to fit.)
Whisk flour, baking powder, paprika, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl.
Whisk milk, oil, maple syrup and eggs in a large bowl and combine well.
Add dry mixture to wet and stir until just combined. Fold in spinach, feta and peppers.
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. I use a large ice cream scoop to do this.
Bake muffins until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack or eat warm. Best eaten the same day that they’re made.

Notes

*To make these gluten-free, substitute wheat flour with 2 ¾ cups King Arthur Multi-purpose Gluten-free Flour + 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum.

Asparagus and Artichoke Frittata Recipe

I was talking to some ladies in one of my classes last week about their plans for Mother’s Day. It turned out to be a really funny conversation and rather interesting to hear how everyone spends the “holiday.” I assumed that everyone spends the day, or at least most of the day, with their children and families. Not so! More than one mother in the group takes the day off and goes for a hike with friends or spends the morning at a spa, basically taking mommy time off! I thought that was really cute, although I don’t think I would have the courage to propose that in my house. One woman did confess that her mother-in-law was completely insulted that she didn’t want to spend the day with her!

Of course, going out to eat seems to be a very popular way to give mothers the day off from cooking and to show them how much they are appreciated. Even though I love to cook, it’s always nice to have a break and eat someone else’s food. But I can’t say that going to a restaurant on one of the busiest restaurant days of the year with a large group, including multiple toddlers, is my idea of relaxing. I also don’t love buffets for several reasons — I always eat too much; I don’t like getting up multiple times during my meal; everyone seems to get up at different times and we lose any chance at meaningful togetherness and conversation; the thought of lots of germy children’s fingers contaminating the chocolate fountain makes me skittish. Ewwww.

A couple of years ago, I had enough of that and suggested to my husband and his family that we do what my friend Melissa’s family does — all the guys cook lunch at home for the ladies. How brilliant is that? Seriously, best idea ever. I don’t even care what they make, as long as I don’t have to do any dishes. Although last year they made some delicious bulgur burgers from Maria Speck’s “Ancient Grains” cookbook, as well as some beautiful salads and a peach and blueberry claufouti. So amazing!

Mother’s Day brunch seems to be very popular and I thought it would be a good idea to share a really delicious and easy frittata recipe. When planning a brunch, I always try to incorporate some protein and vegetables to balance out all the ubiquitous carbs and sweets. This one is so perfect because it uses seasonal asparagus and leeks — really spring-y! When I make frittatas for us at home, I will cook it in the same skillet I use to saute the vegetables and serve from the skillet. But if you’d like to serve this as part of a buffet, I would pour everything into a pie plate or tart pan. Looks prettier that way. I don’t have a non-stick skillet, but if you choose to use one, you can also slide it out onto a serving plate from your skillet. You can also make this into little “muffins.” Take a look at the images from my Kale and Brown Rice Bake and you’ll see what I mean — super cute!

What’s so nice about frittatas is that you can serve them hot or room temperature and any leftovers are fantastic as a sandwich. Like later that evening, so you can really have the whole day off!

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Asparagus and Artichoke Frittata

Author: Pamela, inspired by epicurious.com

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unrefined olive oil, ghee or unsalted butter
1 large leek, washed well, white and pale green parts sliced
1 12-ounce medium bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup quartered artichoke hearts (I like frozen, defrosted)
¾ teaspoon sea salt, divided
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
8 large eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheese, such as fontina, gruyere or white cheddar ( I think crumbled goat cheese would also be a nice choice.)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil or butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
Add asparagus and artichokes, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and sauté until asparagus is tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in parsley and turn off the heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard, cheese, ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Add vegetables to egg mixture and combine.
At this point you can pour the mixture back into the skillet or you can use a similar-sized baking dish, such as a pie plate or tart dish. Just be sure to grease it first with oil or butter.
Bake in preheated oven until set, about 45 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, you can cook it at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes.

Notes

I have also added a little ricotta to this recipe which makes the frittata nice and light. If you have any in the fridge, whether a few tablespoons or up to a cup, feel free to whisk it into the egg mixture.

Cilantro-Lime Rice and an Unexpected Rice and Bean Burrito Bowl

We all love to cook, right? Ok, maybe some us just like to cook. And I know that I’m the biggest cheerleader of planning your meals ahead so that dinnertime is stress free and a walk in the park. Yeah. Well, gotta tell you that this week did not go as planned. One day especially was just a doozy. There was a lot of traffic on the way home from work. AND I forgot to defrost the chicken I wanted to make for dinner. AND I had to pick up one daughter who I thought had a ride home. AND my other daughter wanted “to go study at the library, can I please have dinner right now?” AND I had a headache. Can you see my grumpy face?

I had this whole orange chicken thing planned with spicy sweet potatoes and sautéed spinach. Sounds nice, right? Well, the chicken was frozen solid and I had no time to roast sweet potatoes. You know what cooks really fast? White rice. I know, it has nothing going for it. A totally devoid food, nutritionally-speaking. However, white rice is a bit easier to digest than brown and as the well-respected nutritionist Linda Prout claims, you can close the nutritional gap with white rice by eating a few extra forkfuls of spinach. And did I mention my headache? Sold! White rice it is! And with some doctored up black beans out of a (BPA-free can), I would figure something else out so that I wouldn’t need to get take-out.

It’s not that I am completely opposed to take-out once in a while. But where I live, there really aren’t too many good take-out options and what is decent is so expensive. Even with a headache, it doesn’t make me happy to spend $80 on dinner for the five of us when I know I can make something good for under $20. And the meal I put together on this particular night probably cost me under $10. For the five us. And I didn’t have the guilt of throwing away a hundred plastic to-go boxes and bags.

One fast-food restaurant that my family likes is Chipotle, which we never get here at the beach, but I always google when I am traveling for a soccer tournament with Mr. Picky and I’m in the middle of who-knows-where. We all love rice and beans, especially the kids and Chipotle has a yummy cilantro rice that I thought would be perfect with beans and some quick veggies. It ended up being a really satisfying, nutritious and easy meal that the kids asked me to make again. I’ve noticed that anytime the kids get to “assemble” their own dinner, they are very pleased. I put out the cilantro-lime rice, black beans, two fresh salsas that I purchased at the farmer’s market, my cheater guacamole, leftover grilled asparagus and some quick-roasted carrots. Everyone except Mr. Picky made deconstructed burrito bowls which were DELICIOUS. He, of course, can’t have have different food groups touch each other, so 4 bowls and 1 plate, please.

I know a few of you will frown at my white rice, but I also believe in keeping it real. The internet and social media allow people to show the side of themselves that they want to be shown, which is usually only what is positive and perfect and sometimes unrealistic. It can be a bit daunting to think that the grass is always greener on the other side or that every food blogger can seamlessly put together a visually perfect, well-balanced, delicious meal every night. That is certainly not me and I can’t say that I aspire to that level of competence. But rather I hope that whatever curveball life throws me whether it’s in the kitchen or out, I will find a way to roll with it and not worry about the fiber content.

3.0 from 2 reviews

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Cilantro-Lime Rice

Author: Pamela, adapted from Skinnytaste.com

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain rice or basmati rice, brown or white
2 cups water
2 teaspoons unrefined olive oil, coconut oil or unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt
juice of ½ lime
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (chop, then measure)
2 teaspoons unrefined olive oil

Instructions

If you have time, soak the rice in a bowl with lots of water to cover. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1-8 hours. Drain. If you're not sure why you should soak your rice, read this post on arsenic and rice.
In a small saucepan, add drained rice, 2 cups water, 2 teaspoons oil or butter, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes for white rice or 45 minutes for brown rice. (If you didn’t have a chance to soak your rice, cook another few minutes.) Turn off the heat and allow to sit covered for an additional 5 minutes.
In your serving bowl, combine lime juice, cilantro, remaining 2 teaspoons oil and cooked rice. Toss to combine.

cilantro garlic lime oil rice

Tex-Mex Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins Recipe

I know time flies when you’re having fun, but these days I think it flies because everything moves at warp speed, whether you’re having fun or not. And sometimes I think it’s not very fun when life happens so quickly, especially when you’re eating good food! Eating is one of my greatest pleasures in life. Thankfully I get to do it several times a day, every day. But very few things annoy me more than having to rush through a very delicious meal.

That’s what I was thinking the other day when I made these stuffed sweet potato skins. I enjoyed them so much that I didn’t want them to end. Need help with your math homework? No problem! Come back in 20 minutes. Ooops. Forgot to call my mom back. She can wait. I have a sweet potato party on my plate and I’m not ready to leave.

Cinco de Mayo, one of my favorite food holidays, is just around the corner. I know. It’s MAY in like 5 days! I had no plans to include this recipe on the blog but I made it on a whim last week and I knew I had to share it with you. Although I can say with 99% confidence that you will never find this recipe on the menu of any Mexican restaurant, so maybe it’s not Cinco de Mayo fiesta fare if you are having people over. BUT, the flavors here are totally South of the border and it’s such a healthful and satisfying meatless meal, you should make it no matter what day it is.

If you are not a sweet potato fan (stop it! really?), then maybe substitute a baked potato. But sweet potatoes are sooooooo nutritious and I never feel like I need dessert afterwards. They’re the perfect natural antidote to my sweet tooth. The best part of this recipe is the contrast between the creamy sweet potato and the smoky corn and a hint of spice. I made these about as spicy as my family would like them, but you can go as hot as you want. Serve with a green salad or some grilled asparagus and you’re all set. My girls and I loved them, and Mr. Picky ate half of one and said they were “okay.” I think if I had let him eat it with corn tortilla chips, he would have finished the whole thing.

For those of you like me, who very much like to either prep some or all of your meals in advance, it’s your lucky day. You can make this entire thing ahead and bake it just before dinner until it’s nice and hot. Or assemble different parts of this ahead, like baking the sweet potatoes or sauteing the onions. The cheese on top is very optional. I had mine without, as did Mr. Picky, and still loved it. My daughters added extra on top of theirs and asked me to tell you that they don’t think the cheese is optional and that if they were writing the recipe, they would double the cheese. Okay, girls. Have it however way you want. Just don’t rush me.

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Tex-Mex Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins

Author: Pamela, adapted from Pinch of Yum

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 ½ cups cooked black beans or 1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon unrefined olive oil, coconut oil or unsalted butter
½ of an onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon chipotle powder (more if you like it spicy)
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
½ ripe avocado, flesh scooped out
6 Tablespoons shredded cheese, such as Cheddar or Monterey Jack or dairy-free Daiya (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 45-60 minutes.
While sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a medium heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Do not add anything else to the pan and do not stir so that the corn gets a little charred. Then toss a little and cook corn until browned and toasted on the outside. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the black beans to the corn.
You can use the same skillet to sauté the onion and jalapeno. Warm the oil in the skillet and sauté the onion and jalapeno until tender and translucent. Stir in the spices and salt and cook for 1 minute more. Add the cilantro to the pan and turn off the heat. Toss to combine the mixture and transfer to the bowl with the corn and beans.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven. Allow to cool slightly so you can cut them easily or use rubber gloves if you’re in a rush and you don’t want to burn your fingers. Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop most of the flesh out and leave the skins intact. I like to leave a thin layer of sweet potato to help these stay together better. Transfer the scooped out sweet potato to a large bowl and leave the skins on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Add avocado to the sweet potato in the bowl and coarsely mash together, but don’t make a puree. Add the corn, bean and onion mixture to the mashed sweet potatoes and stir gently to combine.
Preheat the broiler in your oven and arrange the oven rack to the second level from the top. Scoop the filling into the skins. It might seem like you have too much, but you should use it all and make them nice and full. Sprinkle each with cheese if desired and broil for a couple minutes or until cheese is melted.

Notes

*If making this in advance, remove prepared sweet potato skins from the refrigerator and bake in a 350 degree oven until heated through, about 15-20 minutes.

avocado black beans cheese chili powder cilantro corn garlic onion smoked chipotle powder sweet potatoes

Banana “ice cream” sundaes recipe

Although I recently became dairy-free, I haven’t been able to eat ice cream for quite some time. It’s a pretty hard-to-digest food even if you make it from scratch, and not one that has agreed with me in many years. But when I got married, I used to eat ice cream every day and for several years afterwards. At any given time, I think we had at least a dozen different pints in our freezer into which we would dip every night after we put the babies to sleep. My mother-in-law thinks I can’t digest ice cream anymore because I OD’d on it all those years. Perhaps.

Last week I needed a little comfort food and I craved a quick, sweet pick-me-up while I watched the television in total disbelief of all that chaos. I was really close to snagging the remains of Mr. Picky’s favorite Three Twins vanilla ice cream, but I know that I would have felt even worse afterwards, for many reasons. Because we make so many acai bowls and smoothies around here, I always have frozen bananas on hand. One thing I’ve never posted is banana “ice cream.” I’ve always figured by now most people have seen this on Foodily or Pinterest. If you haven’t, it’s just frozen pieces of banana, blended in a Vitamix or a food processor with a touch of almond milk or regular milk and maybe a little sweetener to taste. It comes out the consistency of soft serve ice cream and really hits the spot if you’re in the mood for a frozen treat. But it’s really just bananas, so it’s a million times better for you than regular ice cream or (blech) popsicles made with food coloring. I told my mother-in-law about banana ‘ice cream” and she offered to buy me a Yonana machine which basically does the exact same thing. She’s so thoughtful, but you can really do this no problem in your food processor or high powered blender.

So why am I posting this “recipe” when I assume everyone has heard of banana “ice cream?” Because apparently, not everyone has! At least Gwyenth Paltrow doesn’t think so. I am a huge Gwyneth fan and I just received her new book, It’s All Good, which looks fantastic. Low and behold, there’s a recipe in there for banana “ice cream” with roasted almonds. If Gwyneth can put it out there, so can I.

I do want to emphasize that you can’t really follow a recipe here since there are a few variables which can affect the outcome of your ice cream. First of all, you must start with ripe, well-speckled bananas. Ripe bananas are much, much sweeter than pale yellow-skinned ones and will allow you to make this with a minimum amount of added sweetener. That said, the amount of sweetener will vary according to the sweetness of your bananas. I’ve made this many times without any sweetener at all, but sometimes a smidge of raw honey adds just the right amount. So it’s best not to follow a recipe and just “sweeten to taste.” Keep in mind however, that this recipe uses 4 bananas. So don’t eat the whole thing unless eating 4 bananas is a normal thing for you. I always add stuff to it like chopped nuts, raw cacao nibs or granola to make it a little more substantial and keep it healthy. But you can have fun and put out a “sundae” bar with toppings like chocolate sauce, mini-chocolate chips, toasted coconut or honey-roasted peanuts. This is a truly guilt-free treat!

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Banana "Ice Cream" Sundae

Author: Pamela

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, about 2 ½ cups (if you’re using a Vitamix or another high-powered blender, you can cut bananas into larger pieces)
¼ - ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice (you can use the smaller quantity if you’re using a Vitamix)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
sweeten to taste with a few teaspoons (more or less) of raw honey, Grade A maple syrup or a couple drops of stevia
Toppings: granola, raw cacao nibs, mini-chocolate chips, toasted coconut, chopped walnuts, chopped toasted and salted cashews, chopped honey-roasted peanuts, chocolate sauce

Instructions

Arrange the banana pieces on a baking sheet or a plate and freeze until frozen. Click here for a step-by-step on how to freeze fruit. Place individual bowls for the ice cream in the freezer.
When the bananas are frozen, store in a container for later use or place in the bowl of a food processor or Vitamix or other high-powered blender. Add almond milk, vanilla and sweetener to taste. Process until smooth and creamy. I find that the food processor needs a little more liquid and a few more seconds to achieve the desired consistency, which is like soft serve ice cream.
Transfer the ice cream to the frozen bowls and serve immediately with toppings, if desired. You can also store the ice cream in the freezer for another time, but you’ll need to allow it to sit on the countertop to soften up for a few minutes before eating so that it’s scoopable.

Notes

Sweeten to taste with raw honey, Grade A maple syrup or stevia according to how ripe your bananas are. You may not need to add any sweetener at all!

almond milk bananas honey vanilla

Mixed berry cobbler recipe (slow cooker version, too!)

Do you know the difference between a crisp, a cobbler, a slump, a grunt and a brown betty? I hear the terms used interchangeably, when of course, they’re not the same at all. A cobbler has a biscuit topping, a crisp has a crunchy oat and sugar topping, a slump/grunt is like a cobbler, but it is finished on the stovetop so that the biscuits are steamed, rather than browned, and a brown betty is topped with buttered bread crumbs. Just so we’re all on the same page. And just so you don’t go ordering a cobbler at a restaurant thinking you are getting something with a buttery, crunchy, oat topping only to be served a bowl of cooked fruit with a biscuit on top. I hate when that happens.

Not that a cobbler is bad. Oh no, friends. Cobblers are very, very good. Especially when strawberries are in season and they are about as luscious as can be. When strawberries debut at our local farmer’s markets, I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation, like I’m taking a breath of fresh air. It’s spring! Weeeee! I can finally tell Mr. Picky, “Yes, it’s finally strawberry season!” I swear I have been buying strawberries lately like they’re never coming back. They’re in the kids’ lunches several times a week, in breakfast smoothies and acai bowls and chopped into pancakes. I even did a crazy thing and added a little bit of chia seed and water to some mashed up strawberries and let it thicken into a raw jam/spread. I thought it was really good. Then I smeared some in between two slices of whole grain bread and made a stuffed strawberry French toast, if you will. Really tasty!

I was feeling spunky last weekend and thought I would surprise everyone with a special dessert, which I knew had to have strawberries in it. So I started pulling together my favorite cobbler with strawberries as well as whatever berries I had in the freezer. I had this moment of genius when I thought, I bet I could do this in a slow cooker! I bet no one in the world has ever done a cobbler in a slow cooker. I am going to revolutionize the food world with this brilliant idea! Of course, one quick search on Foodily and I saw that 20 other people/websites already came up with that same idea. I hate when that happens. Grumpy face. Although one of the recipes called for a can of apple pie filling and a box of yellow cake mix. I mean, is that even a recipe? That is such a gross idea. Don’t even think about trying it.

Why would you when you can have this wholesome, fresh, clean and YUMMY cobbler for just a little more effort? I have two versions here, one baked in the oven and the other in the slow cooker. The oven cobbler has a much prettier presentation, with the classic, nicely browned “cobbled” texture on top and baked in a dish you can actually bring to the table. But it’s nice to know you can can use your slow cooker for more than just shredded meat. I was thinking it would be great for the summer so you don’t have to turn your oven on to make a fruit dessert. The look wasn’t quite as lovely since I spread the dough on the bottom of the insert and laid the fruit on top. I wanted the fruit to stay intact and not get cooked into a pot of mush. Which it did not.

Either way, the ingredients stay the same for both. I have used whole spelt flour, whole wheat pastry and white whole wheat all with success. I know that you can use gluten-free flour like Kind Arthur with a little added xanthan gum and achieve an equally tasty result. If you’ve made cobbler before, you might think my recipe doesn’t have enough sweetener. But I promise, give this a go and you’ll be surprised how much you enjoy tasting the actual fruit and not just sugar. Of course, a little ice cream on top doesn’t taste bad. Or, I look forward to leftovers the next morning with a dollop of sheep’s yogurt. Unless someone ate it all and left me none when I couldn’t stop dreaming about it all night. Ooooh, I hate when that happens!

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Mixed Berry Cobbler

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

6 cups mixed fresh berries, or frozen, thawed
¼ cup coconut palm sugar organic cane sugar or brown sugar
3 Tablespoons flour, such as spelt or your favorite GF flour such as rice flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest, not packed
1 ½ cups whole spelt flour, whole whet pastry, white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour OR King Arthur Multi-purpose GF Flour + 1 tsp. xanthan gum
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup OR organic cane sugar (if you use maple syrup, add to buttermilk; if you use sugar, add to flour)
¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter or organic Earth Balance, cut in small pieces + more for greasing baking dish
¾ cup buttermilk (or unsweetened non-dairy milk + 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter or organic Earth Balance, melted or 1 Tablespoon buttermilk*
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9–or 10-inch square shallow baking dish or pie plate.
In a medium bowl, gently toss the berries with 3 Tbs. flour, ¼ cup sugar and zest. Transfer berries into the prepared pan. Set aside and reserve the bowl.
To make the cobbler topping, blend the 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, 2 Tbs. sugar (if using), salt and butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender or pulse in a food processor just until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to the same bowl used to mix the berries and stir in the buttermilk and maple syrup (if using) until well combined.
Using your fingertips, rub the buttermilk mixture until it begins to clump together. Take a heaping spoonful of dough and place it on top of the berries. Don’t cover the berries completely. Brush with melted butter or buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden and cooked through.

Notes

*For a golden glaze, brush the biscuits with melted butter. For a more brown crust, brush them with buttermilk.

You can use either maple syrup or cane sugar (not both) in the cobbler topping. Pick one sweetener! Please read the directions carefully since the maple syrup is added with the buttermilk and the cane sugar is added to the dry ingredients.

To increase the recipe to serve 12, multiply all ingredients by 1 ½ and use a 13 x 9–inch baking dish. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

To Make in the Slow Cooker:
Follow all directions for cobbler in the oven except dollop the cobbler topping on the bottom of the slow cooker insert and pour the fruit mixture on top. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until biscuit mixture is cooked through. The time will depend on how wide your slow cooker is.

blackberries blueberries butter coconut sugar lemon zest maple syrup strawberries

Warm coconut millet porridge recipe

I don’t know what has taken me so long to share my favorite breakfast with you. Although I haven’t really been holding out on you since I did snap a picture of this delectable millet porridge a few months ago and posted it on Facebook. But I know most people want a recipe, they want DETAILS. So here it is – my most favorite, comforting, hug of a breakfast, made with a grain (really a seed) that is so underappreciated and low profile that I am ready to shine some more light on it.

I have posted two other millet recipes on this site, a pilaf with mushrooms as well as a mash with cauliflower. Neither of which has received much love in the way of comments even though I promised deliciousness, but I’m back to try again. Coincidentally, Phoebe Lapine posted a lovely millet salad with fennel and tomatoes on her site this week and I thought this is the time. Millet’s got some buzz.

I know it’s a risk to try something new, but millet is easy, non-offensive, as well as super nutritious, gluten-free and alkalizing. And when you make it taste like dulce de leche meets horchata meets chai tea, I know you’re going to love it. LOVE. I actually make a big batch of millet every Sunday so I can have this yumminess every morning no matter how busy or time-crunched I might be. Just like any other grain, you can freeze millet in batches and defrost whenever it strikes your fancy. I have a feeling most of you aren’t big on over-the-top desserts or sweets, but with a little extra sweetener I think this could even pass for a dessert, like rice pudding.

I absolutely must top something creamy with something crunchy, so a nut of sorts is always in the picture. And I am mad crazy for toasted coconut so I’ll add that too, if I have some. I wrote “optional” in the recipe next to the pistachios and toasted coconut so that you wouldn’t freak out over so many ingredients for a breakfast dish, but people, live it up and add them on!

Today’s the day to give millet a shot. No more excuses. If you don’t live near a natural foods store, you can order it from Bob’s Red Mill, Amazon or Vitacost. And if you do try this creamy, dreamy porridge, make my day and let me know about it!

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Warm Coconut Millet Porridge

Author: Pamela

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or if you prefer to use sweetened almond milk, you can lessen the added sweetener)
¾ cup coconut milk (I use full fat Native Forest)
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons – 1 ½ Tablespoons raw honey (optional)
2 teaspoons – 1 ½ Tablespoons Grade A maple syrup (optional)
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (this is amazing here)
2 cups COOKED millet*
3 Tablespoons unsweetened flaked coconut
2 Tablespoons chopped pistachios or almonds or walnuts (optional)
2 Tablespoons toasted unsweetened, flaked coconut (optional)

Instructions

In a medium saucepan whisk together almond milk, coconut milk, vanilla, honey, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir in millet and 3 Tablespoons coconut flakes, breaking up any clumps of millet.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, and lower to simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, breaking up any remaining clumps of millet, until thickened.
Remove from heat and serve with pistachios and toasted coconut flakes, if desired.

Notes

*I cook millet in a ratio of 1 part millet to 2 ½ parts water for about 30 minutes.

You can really adjust the amount and type of sweetener to your liking. For breakfast, I am fine with no sweetener or just a smidge of raw honey and maple syrup. You should try it with a little at first and then increase only if you need it. Or use your sweetener of choice, such as stevia if that suits you. I also very often eat this with goji berries and/or raw cacao nibs!

almond milk cardamom cinnamon coconut coconut milk millet pistachios vanilla

Chicken adobo recipe

Well, dear people, all good things come to an end and our trip to England came and went too quickly. We had such a good time and just as importantly, we traveled there and back in one piece. But there was way too much to see and I am already thinking about when we can go back. Even the food was better than expected! I didn’t say it was the most nutritious fare, but we had very delicious meals. I used to get stressed out about eating on vacation since it isn’t always easy to find kale salads and date-sweetened muffins when you’re away. I have since let that thinking go since I realize that that kind of negative thinking can’t be doing anything good for my body. However, this trip I think I may have “enjoyed” the local cuisine a little too much. It’s one thing to eat a scone and it’s another to eat three. At one time. With clotted cream.

Alas, I eagerly pulled out my juicer as soon as I returned home and got back to a simpler way of eating. It’s a weird feeling for me to not cook at all for 8 days, so I was perfectly happy to get back in the kitchen and make all my familiar staples, quinoa and millet, almond milk, and lots of fresh veggies. For our first dinner home I made chicken adobo, one of the easiest things I can make that everyone likes. It is a traditional Filipino dish where chicken or pork are braised in vinegar and soy sauce with garlic. It’s a little sour, a little salty and a touch of sweet. And the soy really tenderizes the chicken so that it’s super soft. I usually shred it for the kids and serve it over rice with a green vegetable on the side. Simple dimple!

This dish is really only made with thighs and/or drumsticks and there’s a reason for that. Breast meat gets too dried out when simmered. I tried this with breast meat and it just wasn’t as good as the dark meat. What I will say is that because the sauce is dark, no one will know that the thighs are thighs and not white meat. I have made a few variations of chicken adobo and I’m giving you the easiest here with boneless, skinless chicken pieces. If you use pieces with the skin, you’ll end up having to brown the chicken to start in order to render some of the fat from the skin and to make it look more attractive (rubbery chicken skin gives me the creeps.) My family doesn’t eat the skin anyway so it was an easy decision for me to leave it out. This isn’t the most beautiful chicken dish you’ll ever eat, but I make no apologies because it’s very tasty and beyond easy! Also, it’s way more healthful to cook animal protein in a liquid or by steaming. A few carcinogens are created anytime animal protein comes into contact with high heat, like a pan or a grill. Total bummer, but that’s the facts.

I think you could also make a chicken adobo rice “bowl” with a big scoop of rice, shredded chicken and some steamed or roasted vegetables with a few spoonfuls of sauce on top. Believe me, no matter how you make it, this is a no-brainer for a busy weeknight especially if you’ve been on vacation from the kitchen for a bit!

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Chicken Adobo

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

Ingredients

¼ cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
¼ cup naturally brewed soy sauce or shoyu or GF tamari (I like Ohsawa)
4 whole garlic cloves, crushed
4 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
2 pounds skinless chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, bone-in or boneless* (I used 8 boneless thighs)
⅓ cup water

Instructions

Mix vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns in a container just small large enough to hold the chicken, such as a glass mixing bowl or a small Pyrex. Cover and marinate 1 hour to overnight. Longer is better.
Transfer chicken and marinade to a medium or large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and add water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook covered for 30 minutes.
Uncover, raise the heat and gently boil an additional 10 minutes to reduce sauce. Serve hot over steamed rice.

Notes

*Breasts don’t work well here. Skin-on chicken is fine, but the skin doesn’t look attractive unless you broil or brown it after.

bay leaves chicken garlic shoyu vinegar