Delicious, nutritious! I love the fact that I can put 3 cups of carrots into breakfast and my family will gobble it up. As always, I make a double-batch to freeze for later in the week.
I originally found this recipe on Pinterest, but significantly reduced the sugar and used whole-wheat flour.
Variations:
• Use half grated carrot and half grated apple
• Use grated carrot and grated raw beet
• Use only whole-wheat flour but increase the milk by 1/4 – 1/3 cup
• Serve with vanilla Greek yogurt, or plain Greek yogurt mixed with honey and top with chopped nuts of choice
Mix flour, sugar, baking power, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl whisk eggs. Whisk in milk, vanilla and melted butter (or coconut oil).
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Stir in shredded carrots, chopped nuts, and chia; add coconut if using.
Heat pancake griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat and brush with butter or coconut oil. Scoop about 1/4 cup batter into skillet, turn down heat to medium and cook 3 – 4 minutes per side until golden.
Recipe Notes
Can add half Greek yogurt and half milk for more protein
Always serve with fat from nature (a bit of butter on the pancake and/or protein (a scoop of Greek yogurt, quality sourced breakfast sausage)
Who knew eggplant could be yummy? It’s probably my least favorite vegetable, but this recipe makes an un-favorite veggie into a delicious meal!
I serve it over CMF Quinoa, or if time allows, I make quinoa “cakes”. The quinoa cakes are a great breakfast option, so I make enough go have for dinner and breakfast: topping them with eggplant ragu in the evening and later in the week with defrosted mixed berries I warm up 1 cup berries with 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt and it’s like dessert for breakfast.
The smoked mozzarella gives this dish a unique, gourmet flavor, but it’s delicious with fresh mozzarella as well. Another delicious alternative is fresh Bulgarian-style feta cheese (I add the feta just before serving). I’ve also made this without cheese.
The colors are so pretty, it’s a nice meal for dinner guests. Here are a couple of menu ideas:
Appetizer
White Bean Dip with Rosemary (or other CMF hummus/bean dip) with veggie sticks (carrot, bell pepper, celery etc) and pita or tortilla chips.
Any spinach-based CMF salads. It’s especially nice with the Spinach and Orange Salad giving the meal a Mediterranean flair. Or the Greens Edamame Salad for a more international fusion-style.
Make CMF Quinoa. While quinoa is cooking make eggplant ragu.
Heat olive oil in large heavy skillet until it begins to shimmer. Add eggplant, onion, garlic, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, roasted peppers, and water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender and mixture is thick about 10 minutes.
Carefully mix in the diced mozzarella cheese and let melt for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve over CMF Quinoa. If time allows, I like to make quinoa cakes. I serve the eggplant ragu over the quinoa cakes and use the remainder for breakfast with poached eggs and spinach or defrosted from mixed berries I warm up 1 cup berries with 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt and it’s like dessert for breakfast.
Quinoa Cakes
Toast quinoa in saucepan over medium heat until it starts to make popping sounds. Add water, and bring to a boil.
When it begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Let rest 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
Generously brush a muffin tin with olive oil.
Transfer to a large bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, and then stir in eggs.
Pack muffin cups two-thirds full with quinoa using the back of a spoon or a spatula, dipping in water if it gets too sticky.
Place in oven and bake 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.
Carefully remove from muffin tin with a spatula and place on plate.
To Serve
While quinoa cakes are cooling, stir in parsley and half of mozzarella into eggplant ragù and on low heat simmer just until cheese begins to soften, about 1 minutes.
Spoon over ragu quinoa cakes, sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.
Recipe Notes
*Fresh mozzarella can be used instead of smoked mozzarella. I also use fresh Greek or Bulgarian feta cheese instead of mozzarella. If using feta, I cut into pieces and put on top of ragu just before serving (do not on heat the feta).
Sugar cookies are usually made with white flour and too much sugar. I use whole-wheat flour and reduce the amount of sugar almost half.
I was not a fan of sugar cookies until I had a child. Now I can seem to stop making them! In carrot-shape at Easter, or pumpkin shape in the fall…
I’ve lost count of the number of times we made them in all sorts of shapes for play dates. I blend powdered sugar with just enough water to make “spreadable” icing, and a drop or two of India Tree coloring (no synthetic dyes). Each child gets a portion of icing in a cup and decorates happily away, adding sprinkles on top.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl fitted with an electric whisk cream the butter. Gradually add sugar mixing until it is all blended in. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla until well mixed.
By hand mix in flour about 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface until it's about 1/4-inch thick.
Cut with cookie cutters into desired shapes. Place cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake in oven for 6 – 8 minutes until edges turn golden brown.
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In our garden in Cochabamba is a magical orange tree. Magical because of the astonishing amount of fruit it produces, magical because of the intense vivid flavor of not only the juice but also the peel. These oranges make the most amazing orange marmalade, I can taste the sunshine in every bite.
When I bring back a jar of that marvelous homegrown, home-made orange marmalade to Houston, it is too precious to use in these cookies. But the cookies are also so delicious that I use store bought orange marmalade to make them. When our Cochabamba marmalade is gone, these cookies are a flavor from home.
Variations
For an extra-special treat, I dip the cookies (baked and cooled) in chocolate. I melt about 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tablespoons of butter or cream. Place the cookies on a silpat or well-buttered cookie sheet until the chocolate hardens.
Beat butter until soft, gradually add sugar beating until light and creamy.
Mix in eggs until creamy, add marmalade and mix just until blended together.
Sift flour with baking powder. Stir sifted ingredients into butter mixture.
Drop the batter from a teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake about 8 minutes.
If using chocolate, once the cookies are completely cool, melt chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil. Dip cookies in melted chocolate and place on a silpat until chocolate is solid.
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Here’s a fantastic way to enjoy cauliflower – a rather-tasteless-boring-white vegetable. Ha! Yeah those were my sentiments; I confess I avoided cauliflower until recently. Discovering how powerful it is to our immune system motivated me to find ways to eat it. And as always in my kitchen – nutritious must also be delicious!
So thank you SkinnyTaste for introducing me to Cauliflower “Fried Rice”! I’ve made multiple iterations; consider this a baseline rather than a precise recipe and go creative with what’s seasonal or in your kitchen.
Cauliflower is a cruciferous along with broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.
“ Cruciferous vegetables are among the most powerful weapons in our dietary arsenal against cancer. That alone would elevate it to the status of a SuperFood. Cruciferous vegetables boost the immune system, lowers the incidence of cataracts, supports cardiovascular health, builds bones and fights birth defects. They are some of the most nutrient-dense foods known offering an incredible high level of nutrition for a very low caloric cost. Steven Pratt MD and Kathy Matthews” SuperFoods: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life”
Variations:
Skip the eggs, add edamame or tofu for protein to make it vegan
Or go the other way and add leftover chicken, pork or shrimp
Replace peas with edamame or snap peas (cut diagonally in halves or thirds)
Add mushrooms; wash, trim stems and slice. Cook with the chopped red onion
Coarsely chop cauliflower into large pieces. Put one-third in food processor and pulse just until cauliflower has the texture of rice. Remove from processor and repeat two more times until all cauliflower is “riced. Be careful not to over-process.
Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat with1 tablespoons sesame seed oil Add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally until done. Remove egg from skillet.
Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to pan, saute onions, until they start to become translucent, add red bell pepper and garlic and cook another 3 - 4 minutes, stirring.
Add cauliflower and peas to skillet, mix until combined. Mix in soy sauce. Cover and cook over high heat 5 more minutes, stirring frequently, until cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
Add the egg. Remove skillet from heat and mix in scallions and parsley
By request, this is the third year these cookies are part of my Easter menu; they’re becoming a family tradition.
The instructions seem long-winded and intimidating but don’t let the step-by-step instructions alarm you. They’re so worth it. Or recruit the kids and make it a family project; it will be fun!
I use India Tree food coloring (available on Amazon) made from highly concentrated vegetable colorants; they contain no corn syrup or synthetic dyes.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream, with electric beater (or by hand), butter and sugar together for several minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
Add a few drops of yellow food coloring and one drop of red.
Slowly add flour mixture until well mixed. Adjust food coloring one drop at a time until it has the desired orange shade.
Turn off beater and shape dough into a ball.
Divide in half; roll each half into a log on a silpat or floured surface. If the dough is too soft and sticky, refrigerate for 10 - 15 minutes. Don't let it get too cold or it will be difficult to shape.
Cut into ½” slices
Roll (either on the counter or between your palms) each slice into a cone shape
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
After cookie sheet is full, slightly flatten the “carrots”
Refrigerate a couple of hours or overnight; they hold their shape better if they're really cold before baking
Bake at 350 for 5 – 8 minutes (depending on the size of your “carrots) peeking to make sure the tips don’t get too dark. Cool
Stick a toothpick in the top of each cookie, carefully pushing it almost all the way in. Make an assembly line.
Tie a green ribbon on the tip of toothpick. I use fabric-with-wire ribbon because I can shape them.
Grind Oreo cookies in a food processor or blender. Place the Oreo “dirt” in a serving dish.
Dip bottom half of "carrot" cookie into Dulce de Leche and stick in the Oreo dirt.
Recipe Notes
NOTE: Make ahead so it’s not overwhelming. For example
1 or 2 weeks earlier a) make and freeze the cookies to bake later or b) make AND bake the cookies. If making ahead; I freeze them (baked or unbaked it’s the same process) in a large ziploc bag lined with parchment paper. Place parchment paper between the layers or cookies also so they don’t stick together.
Make the Oreo crumbs by pulsing 6–8 cookies at a time in a blender or food processor. Store in a covered container.
One or two days before, tie green ribbon on toothpicks and insert into baked cookies. I like using fabric ribbons wire to hold the shape)
Day of: recruit your kids to dip the “carrots” in Dulce de Leche and place in Oreo “dirt"
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Frittatas are started in an oven-safe skillet cooked on the stovetop and then finished in a pre-heated oven.
I like making them for brunch, but frittatas are also fabulous way to use leftovers and make a
quick lunch or dinner. Simply beat eggs, mix in leftover cooked vegetables and or meats (I’ve used chicken, sausage, even leftover chili) and pour into a hot oiled skillet, for a few minutes until the outer edges are set. Then transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking.
Cut frittata in slices and serve. They are tasty at room temperature and not just hot-out-of-the-oven.
I used arugula because we had a bunch in our farm share. but I’ve also spinach, baby kale, even chopped beet greens or large leaf (Tuscan or Lacinto) kale – it just depends what greens I have on hand.. If using kale, remove the thick stalks and chop.
The cheese is optional; for special treats or entertaining guests Gruyere or Fontina are my choice.
I sometimes skip the milk also, but the consistency of the frittata is creamier and fluffier with dairy milk — especially whole milk.
Wondering what’s the difference between frittatas and omelets?
The name strata come from layers. Strata is a breakfast dish made from a beaten egg mixture poured over bread (sliced or cubed). There are innumerable variations, omnivore and vegetarian
different varieties of vegetables
breakfast meats (sausage, bacon, ham)
herbs and spices
I like stratas because you can make them the day before and chilled overnight. In the morning bake it in the oven.
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat; add onion and sauté until translucent. Add sausage and chopped poblano pepper and cook stirring occasionally until sausage is cooked through. Remove from heat and cool.
Cut twenty 1-inch slices from baguette and arrange in one layer in baking dish.
Whisk eggs and milk; mix in cooked sausage and all remaining ingredients until blended.
Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake strata uncovered until puffed and golden, about 40 - 45 minutes.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and/or salsa
Pumpkins generally seem to be relegated to Thanksgiving pies. But pumpkins are nutrient-rich and add lovely flavor and texture to food. I’ve learned to keep a can or two of organic pumpkin puree (making sure to check label lists pumpkin as the only ingredient) in my pantry.
Pumpkin gives a nutritious start to the day in breakfast. I use pumpkin puree (homemade or canned) in oatmeal, breakfast breads (muffins and loafs) and pancakes/waffles.
Add some defrosted berries on top for extra yumminess and nutrition.
Or mash fresh fruit (berries, mango, peach) into a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese, sweeten with some honey and make waffle “sammies” (one of my favorite concepts from Weelicious), a waffle sandwich cut into four for little hands to hold. Makes a wonderful breakfast-on-the-go (using frozen waffles popped quickly into the toaster), a fun school lunch or afternoon snack.
6tablespoonsbuttermelted (can use coconut oil instead)
Adjust servings: 4-inch waffles
Units:
Instructions
Preheat waffle iron.
Sift first 7 ingredients into a bowl.
In a separate bowl whisk the remaining ingredients.
Whisk the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture and whisk until smooth.
Pour about 1/2 cup of the pumpkin batter into a waffle iron that’s been buttered or greased and cook according to manufacturer’s directions.
Recipe Notes
Serve with maple syrup or make into sandwiches using cream cheese and whatever other fillings you desire.
Allow to cool, place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, place in toaster oven or oven at 300 and heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.
It’s a great option for making ahead for busy mornings: a) on the weekend to enjoy a couple and freeze the rest b) make the night before.
It’s also a great example of creativity:
Use 1 cup of whole-wheat flour and 1 cup oats instead of 2 cups oats
Substitute another fruit for the strawberries. In the midst of making them one morning I realized someone had eaten all the strawberries, yikes! No worries, I chopped up sliced pineapple I had on hand.
Use frozen strawberries (or other berries).
With or without nuts of any kind. I discovered pistachio and strawberry is a delightful combination!
