Apricot, Pecan Energy Bites

You could, of course, make these as bars in a baking dish, but I like the uniform size that comes from baking them in a mini-muffin pan. These bites are great as pre or post workout snacks. Or, if your feeling some between-meal temptation, these will help fight the hunger without making you feel guilty because they are so good for you.

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup milled flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup textured vegetable protein
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini-muffin pan (or a square baking dish).
In a small saucepan, rehydrate textured vegetable protein (TVP) with 1/2 cup water, cook over medium heat. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, flax, wheat germ, brown sugar. Stir to combine. Once the TVP has absorbed the water, add the the mixture; stir to combine. Add honey, pecans, dried apricots and melted butter; stir to combine. Add eggs; stir to combine. Spoon even amounts into pan. Bake about 12 minutes.

Fried Sweet Potato Cakes (or latkes, or hash browns, or potato scallops, or whatever you like to call it) Topped with a Fried Egg and Pepper Bacon

While this recipe is my brainchild, my husband is the one who physically made this delightful brenner (breakfast for dinner). I was going for a late afternoon run, which became an evening run, so our hungry tummies could not wait for me to shower, dress, and then start cooking. You'll notice in the picture that I topped mine with fresh chives and blue cheese. My husband contends that the blue cheese in this dish creates too generic a flavor and overpowers the flavor pairing of the egg and sweet potato cake. I see his point, but I really, really liked the blue cheese.

Note: These are only approximations for the ingredients -- Zach doesn't measure; he just cooks.

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato, shredded (makes about three cakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon dried Cajun seasonings: thyme, mustard, paprika, oregano, rosemary
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs (for the cakes)
1/2 package thick peppered bacon
2 to 4 eggs (for frying -- depends on how many you want to eat)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine shredded potato, seasonings, 2 eggs, sugar. Strain this mixture to get out the excess moisture/liquid.
In a large pan, fry bacon. Set aside bacon, reserve drippings. In a medium pan, heat two to three tablespoons of bacon drippings. Make about three pancake style patties out of the sweet potato mixture. Fry each side until brown. In large pan, fry eggs until desired texture. We prefer ours runny in the middle. Now, plate it, top it with chives and blue cheese, and enjoy!

Sweet and Simple: A Cinnamon and Sugar Irish Soda Bread Toast Breakfast

For St. Patrick's Day, my lovely friend Anne made me a loaf of her oh-so-splendid Irish Soda Bread. She suggested that I eat it toasted with ample butter. So, I decided to take something that was good to begin with and dress it up a bit for an extra-special breakfast that was not too time consuming. All I had to do was cut a slice from the loaf, smear a large pat of butter over it, sprinkle on some cinnamon and sugar, and pop it in the toaster oven. Meanwhile, I whipped up some fresh cream to jazz up my morning coffee, which always has a tablespoon of sugar and some creamer in it (I like my coffee sweet).

The Irish Soda Bread, being more of a cake-like pastry was able to stand the heat of the toaster oven longer than a piece of bread, so I was able to accomplish a nice creme-brulee effect with the sugar . When I saw the sugar bubbling, I knew it was ready. The warmed bread soaked up the butter, making it perfectly moist. This tenderness was delightfully contrasted by the slightly crisped and crystallized topping -- creating a nice complexity of textures. So, if you were lucky enough to have a friend make you a loaf of Irish soda bread, I suggest making some extra-special cinnamon and sugar toast.

When life hands you ripe bananas...

That's right, make chocolate chip banana bread. Now, this is not banana nut bread. Actually, I think of it more as a sheet cake, since I baked mine in a 9x13 inch pan. However, you could certainly bake this recipe in a loaf pan. Anyway, I used some rolled oats and flax in this recipe, which are two things I just love, love, love using. This recipe was a big hit at home, so I hope you enjoy it!

PS
If you guessed that was Nutella that I added as a little garnish in the picture, you guessed right. And, obviously, the green stuff is mint.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup milled flax
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 crushed, ripe bananas
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars; add eggs; beat well. Add flour, rolled oats, flax, soda, powder, cinnamon; beat well. Beat in ripe bananas; stir in chocolate chips. Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake about 30 minutes.

Elegant Quiche

Well, I guess if I had wanted it to be really elegant, I should have used shallots instead of onions. But honestly, isn't a homemade quiche always elegant? Yet, it's also a comfort food, which makes it a creature of complexity. The name in itself bears an impressive aura, but it's really easy to make. It's as comforting as a cheesy casserole, but it's appearance is more sophisticated. In a word, quiche is simply... quiche!

Ingredients:
For the 9-inch crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups spinach
1 cup blue cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
Dash black pepper

Directions:
Make the pie crust and refrigerate at least an hour before before use. In a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to mix. Then, add cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a crumble. Slowly add ice water while pulsing. It will only take about half a minute. Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap and work into a flat disk, wrap and refrigerate.

After dough had chilled for at least one hour, preheat oven to 350 degrees and roll crust out and fit to a 9-inch pie pan.
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove from skillet and set aside on a paper towel. Crumble. Saute onion is bacon drippings. Once the onions have become tender, add mushrooms. Once mushrooms are tender, add spinach to the skillet and cook down.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cheeses, sun dried tomatoes and flour. In a large bowl, beat eggs slightly and add heavy cream; mix well. Add in cheese mixture, ingredients from skillet, bacon and dash of black pepper; mix well. Pour into prepared crust-lined pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until knife comes out clean after being inserted in the middle. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Baby Banana Buttermilk Pancakes

Nothing special here, just delightful simplicity. I have so many recipes that I need to share with you, but I've been somewhat preoccupied as of late. For now, I'll share this altogether wonderful breakfast delight. The one slight twist on these pancakes is that they are were cooked in a little more vegetable oil than usual, which gave then a really nice fried exterior. I think I'll make my pancakes like this from now on. Here in the South, we really love our fried food.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 baby bananas, sliced; or 1 large banana, sliced

Directions:
Heat griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in buttermilk and oil, add remaining dry ingredient and stir.
Pour a couple tablespoons of oil onto griddle or skillet. Pour a 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto griddle or skillet once the oil is hot. Place banana slices on the pancake before the edges begin to brown. After about two minutes, once edges look cooked and bubble break the surface, turn pancakes and cook until golden brown.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Oat Protein Bars

These bars are very similar to my Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Protein Bars; however, the addition of peanut butter and cinnamon add moisture and an extra flavor zing. I'm still playing with ingredients for healthy bars that will make for good running fuel. The first batch gave me plenty of energy for a five mile run. I was definitely happy with those results. Even if you're not running, I still think these bars are great for getting extra protein and Omega 3 in a tasty way!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup textured vegetable protein, rehydrated with 1 cup water
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flax
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 12oz package semi sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.
In a small saucepan combine 1/2 cup textured vegetable protein and 1 cup water; cook on medium heat until TVP absorbs all the water.
Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl; mix well. I suggest using a stiff wooden spoon. Add TVP once it is ready. Make sure all dry ingredients are moistened. Press dough into baking pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.

Cocoa Buttermilk Pancakes

Funny story... actually, not that funny. But, incidentally, my dog is named Cocoa Butter Milk Bulmanski. She's a little French Bulldog. A cute dog, but in the dog house today for nearly destroying one of my new rose bushes. Anyway, I decided to make a little change to my standard buttermilk pancakes this morning in order to celebrate the final chapter of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, which we've been reading the past few weeks at breakfast time. I also added a cup of frozen raspberries to the pancakes, but my boys were not big fans of the raspberries. I guess next time I'll just omit the berries.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in buttermilk and butter. Add all remaining ingredients; stir just until large lumps disappear.
Lightly grease griddle, and pour 1/4 cup of batter onto hot griddle. Cook until edges look cooked and bubble begin to pop up on the surface; flip pancake and cook until done on both sides. Each side only takes a couple of minutes.

Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Protein Bars

Rolled oats! Milled flax! Textured vegetable protein! Whole wheat flour! You can barely contain yourself, right??? Don't you just love the taste of flax and TVP??? Alright, in all seriousness, these bars are pretty tasty. And I have not gone over to the dark side; I very much still love baked goods that provide only one sort of benefit--mental health! I made up this recipe because next month my husband and I are running in the Crescent City Classic, so we thought it would be nice to have some homemade energy boosters. They really are quite tasty (thanks to semi sweet chocolate) and packed with protein and Omega 3. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup milled flax
1/2 cup high protein TVP (textured vegetable protein), rehydrated with 1 cup of water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 package (12 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:
Grease 9x13 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a microwave safe bowl, rehydrate 1/2 cup TVP with 1 cup of water. Be sure that the bowl is covered tightly, or it will boil over. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes, then let set for 5 to 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and TVP; mix well. Lastly, add melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Stir contents of bowl until all dry ingredients are wet. The warmth from the TVP and butter will cause the chocolate chips to partially melt.
Press batter into baking pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.

Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

This smoothie is more tart than sweet. I also use frozen fruit, as opposed to any ice; I find ice to only water down the flavor. I like to liquefy my smoothies to ensure they can be sipped easily through straws by little mouths.

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 cup blueberry pomegranate juice
1 cup plain low fat yogurt
1 small banana, sliced

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the blender, cover, and liquefy until smooth.

Enjoy a healthy treat!

Chocolate Strawberry Jam Muffins

These muffins are delicious with or without the jam. I made them mini (I always seem to make my muffins mini) because they are easier for my little boys to eat, and the mini size makes them bake faster, thus leaving less time for restless waiting. I enjoy baking breakfast goods in the morning because it adds to the ambiance that I try to achieve in the mornings. Breakfast is a special time at my house. We begin with a Bible story, then continue at the at the with some literature. I'm currently reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to my boys. I'm so glad that my eldest has reached an age where he can sit and enjoy a good chapter book.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
Strawberry jam

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tin.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt; mix well.
In a small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, butter and egg; beat well. Add milk mixture to flour mixture all at once; stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Divide batter evenly into greased muffin cups. Place 1/4 teaspoon of jam on each muffin; press into batter. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
If making regular sized muffins, use 1/2 teaspoon of jam, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Eggnog for Breakfast

Holiday travels have kept me from blogging about my eggnog breakfast craze, but, now that I'm home, here are some simple breakfast recipes that incorporate eggnog! I was inspired to put eggnog in my pancakes and muffins one night when I fell in love with eggnog after knocking back a few with bourbon.

The first recipe is really easy: I just put eggnog in my coffee. No cream or sugar necessary! I filled my mug about halfway up with coffee and half way up with eggnog.

The next recipe is eggnog pancakes. Delightful! The about of eggnog I suggest give the pancakes just a hint of eggnog, which really compliments the traditional taste of pancakes. If you want a stronger eggnog flavor, you could add 1/4 cup more eggnog.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup eggnog

2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and eggnog; add to the dry ingredients, stirring until smooth. Stir in melted butter. Using a hot greased skillet, pour a 1/4 cup of batter at a time per pancake. Once the edges are a little dry, flip and cook other side until it is browned. Enjoy!

My final recipe is quick and easy eggnog muffins. They're mini because that's the way I like my muffins!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup eggnog

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin tins. In a medium bowl combine your dry ingredients; mix well. In a small bowl, blend eggnog, oil, and egg; add to flour mixture all at once. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Evenly divide batter between greased muffin cups at bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Enjoy!