Quinoa Nut Pilaf

Variations:
• Use any nut instead of pecans – walnuts, almonds, pistachio
• Use different herbs instead of cilantro – parsley, mint, basil
• Add 1/4 cup of thinly sliced green onions or finely chopped red onion
• Add a 1/2 cup of frozen (or fresh) peas, or corn,or edamame or broccoli

Quinoa Nut Pilaf
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Serves 4
Quinoa Nut Pilaf
Print Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Place quinoa in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until popping sounds begin. Slowly add water, bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, cover and turn heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and place a clean dishtowel (or two paper towels) under the lid to absorb the steam.
  2. Add pecans and cilantro, and mix just until blended
  3. Add salt and pepper to taste .
Recipe Notes

A Color My Food original recipe

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Baked Blueberry French Toast

My sister introduced me to this recipe years ago and it is a big family favorite.

It’s quick and easy to make the night before. In the morning toss the blueberries and pecans on top and bake in a pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.

 

Baked Blueberry French Toast
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Servings Prep Time
8 15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Baked Blueberry French Toast
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
For Blueberry Syrup
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
French toast
  1. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
  2. Cut twenty 1-inch slices from baguette and arrange in one layer in baking dish.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla, and brown sugar. Pour evenly over bread.
  4. Chill mixture, covered, until all liquid is absorbed by bread, at least 8 hours, and up to 1 day.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  6. Sprinkle pecans and blueberries evenly over bread mixture and bake mixture 20 minutes, or until any liquid from blueberries is bubbling.
Syrup
  1. Make syrup while French toast is baking: In a small saucepan cook blueberries and maple syrup over moderate heat until berries burst, about 5 minutes.
  2. Pour syrup through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing on solids, and stir in lemon juice and zest.
  3. Syrup may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat syrup before serving.
  4. Serve French toast with syrup.
Recipe Notes

Modified from

Epicurious: Baked Blueberry French Toast

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Sweet Potato Pancakes

This is one of my favorite pancake recipes, delicious and leaves the belly feeling full and happy. Whenever I have sweet potato on my weekly menu (either to roast or cook stovetop), I add an extra sweet potato to have for these pancakes or for Sweet Potato Oatmeal. If I’m not going to use it immediately, I freeze the puree. You can also use butternut squash or pumpkin puree (canned is fine) instead.

Sweet potatoes
Sweet Potato Pancakes
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Sweet potatoes
Sweet Potato Pancakes
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
  3. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  4. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly coat with butter or oil. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the pancake mixture onto the griddle, making as many pancakes as will fit and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Flip the pancakes and cook for one minute longer.
  6. Top with homemade cranberry sauce, pureed mixed berries or pear compote
Recipe Notes

Serve with maple syrup and chopped nuts on top.

Weelicious: Sweet Potato Pancakes

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Oatmeal with Pear and Pecans

In general I use rolled oats, also known as old-fashioned oats. The difference between rolled oats, steel-cut oats and instant oatmeal is how the oat graots are processed. Oat groats are the inner kernel of the grain. First the outer hull is removed exposing the groat, then the groats are steamed which gives them a longer shelf life (otherwise their natural enzymes make them go rancid). Groats are then either rolled into old-fashioned flakes or chopped into small pieces called steel-cut oats. Instant oatmeal is an extremely thin form of oat flakes. Because they are the most processed, they have a higher glycemic index value meaning that their starch is converted into sugar and released in the bloodstream more quickly. Most instant oatmeal is highly sweetend and laden with artificial flavoring and additives, making it a sweet treat rather than a healthy, satisfying breakfast.

Oats have extensive nutrional benefits, in particular the benefits of oats on blood sugar and cholesterol are well known.

For more about the health benefits of oats: Health Studies on Oats

Oatmeal with Pear and Pecans
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Variations: 1. Replace pear with apple, mango, peach, berries or other fresh or frozen fruit 2. Replace pecans with any other nut, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds,
Servings
2
Servings
2
Oatmeal with Pear and Pecans
Print Recipe
Variations: 1. Replace pear with apple, mango, peach, berries or other fresh or frozen fruit 2. Replace pecans with any other nut, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds,
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom (or cinnamon), ground
  • 1 1/4 cup milk I use almond or soy milk.
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 pear cored and chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1/4 cup pecans (or other nut) chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed ground (optional)
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Mix oats and cardamom in a small saucepan, mix in milk and maple syrup (or honey) and cook over medium heat for 5 –8 minutes until the oats are tender.
  2. Sprinke ground flaxseed over oatmeal and mix in. Gently mix in pear and pecans.
  3. Add more milk or sweetener pending on your personal preference.
Recipe Notes

[su_original_recipe]

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Carrot Apple Muffins

Loaded with carrots, apples, pecans and raisins these muffins fill the belly and get the day off to a good nutritious start.

They can also convert from breakfast food to a teatime delight with cream cheese icing and coconut sprinkled on top. Simply mix 2–4 tablespoons of cream cheese with half that amount (1–2 tablespoons) of plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and just enough sugar to suit your taste.

carrot muffins
Carrot Apple Muffins
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18 muffins
carrot muffins
Carrot Apple Muffins
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18 muffins
Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil eighteen 1/2-cup muffin cups.
  2. Into a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cardamom, and salt and whisk in sugar.
  3. Coarsely shred enough carrots to measure 2 cups and chop pecans. Add shredded carrots and pecans to flour mixture with raisins and coconut and toss well.
  4. In a bowl whisk together eggs, brown sugar, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Core apple and coarsely shred. Stir shredded apple into egg mixture. Add to flour mixture, stirring until batter is just combined well.
  5. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them three-fourths full, and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Instead of spelt flour, use 1 cup whole-wheat flour and 1 cup white flour.

I like using spelt flour because it is more nutritious than white (wheat) flour, but is also light whereas whole-wheat flour makes the muffins dense.

 

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Zesty Green Salad Packs a Healthy Punch

Mixed Green Salad with Oranges, Dried Cranberries and Pecans is one of my favorite salads from Epicurious.com

I was tempted to skip soaking the cranberries in orange juice, but it’s worth that extra step. It take the salad from good to extraordinary. I seriously altered the salad dressing, but I always do—I like my salads to have punch.

Cranberries are high on lists of healthy foods because of their antioxidant content. This combination of cranberries, oranges, greens and nuts provides a significant healthy boost. I’ve also used spinach, and finely sliced kale instead of mixed baby greens. And any nut or seed (sunflower, pumpkin) can replace the pecans.

Mixed Green Salad with Pecans and Cranberries
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Mixed Green Salad with Pecans and Cranberries
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Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Bring 1/2 cup orange juice to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Mix in dried cranberries. Let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain well; reserve juice.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, orange peel and the juice the cranberries soaked in. Mix in cranberries. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
  3. Place greens in large bowl. Toss with 2/3 of dressing. Add orange segments to bowl, reserving a handful of pieces. Add pecans, reserving about 2 tablespoons. Toss with remaining dressing. Top salad reserved orange segments and pecans.
Recipe Notes

Optional: After tossing salad in the bowl, spread it on a platter, arrange reserved orange slices decoratively on top and sprinkle with pecans. The platter makes a prettier presentation.

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