Scallop Challenge

I haven't had a "DANG!" moment in the kitchen like this for a while.  A "DANG!" moment is when I make something that is soooo tasty that I literally say "DANG!" when I take that first bite.  It's usually followed by what one class of former students at Bauman College called "the growl"...... I think it's more like a purr, but who am I to say.

This particular Dang Moment came from a recipe I developed for a book that a nutritionist I work for has coming out later this year.  I was tasked with developing 25 recipes, in specific categories, with specific considerations: no gluten, dairy, soy for one (or three, I guess).

One request was for a seafood recipe, preferably shrimp or scallops.  I'm allergic to shrimp, so if I can't taste it, I don't want to put it in a book.  So I went, lovingly, with scallops.  I DIG scallops, but I usually like to cook them in some kind of a cream sauce.  But I can't use cream for this assignment.  So.....let's use coconut milk.  Oh how I love a challenge!

I must confess I got the idea for the sauce from my friend Francesca when we made a roasted red pepper coconut and pea sauce for a chicken dish we made at The Ceres Community Project. I played around with it a smidge, and made a sauce perfect for delicate scallops.

Let's start with roasting a couple yellow bell peppers....

 

You can do this a few ways.  My favorite is to place them on my gas flame and keep turning them until fully (or as best you can get) blackened.  You can also place them under the broiler, if you don't have a gas stove, and also keep turning until blackened, or you can roast them at 450 degrees for about 25 minutes, turning occasionally until blackened.  Do you get the goal here...."blackened."

Once your peppers are sufficiently roasted, place them in a  bowl and cover with a plate to "sweat" them, or place them in a paper bag and fold the bag down tight to  capture the heat.  Let it sit for at least 20 minutes, and the skin will slide right off.  Take out the seeds , stem and membrane and chop them up.

While the peppers are roasting, cook diced onion in oil until soft and lightly browned.  Then put the onion, chopped peppers and coconut milk in a blender and puree.  Add a little lime juice and salt and you're all set with the sauce.

You want to wait til that's ready before you start cooking your scallops, because scallops cook so quickly....

Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and season with sea salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a large skillet (cast iron gives you the best sear - crispy edges) and wait til oil is good and hot - I wet my hand and spritz a little water in the skillet; if it sizzles, you're good to go.  Place the scallops in skillet, careful not to overcrowd the pan - work in batches or use 2 skillets.  Sear for about 3 minutes, flip and cook an additional 3-5 minutes until crispy outside and soft inside.

Remove scallops to plate and tent with foil to keep warm.  Pour coconut-pepper mixture in the skillet  and along with some basil leaves and cook a few minutes until warm.

Peel one zucchini per person and mound into individual bowls.  Add three scallops and pour some sauce (to your liking) over the whole dish.

I made this the other night when a friend came over who "hates" coconut.  Sorry, but this is what I'm testing.  I offered to make something else for him, but he didn't want me to go to the trouble (got to love that!), so he tried it...... he asked for seconds!!  I think that says it all..... well, plus a "DANG!"

Seared Scallops in Sweet Pepper-Coconut Sauce

Serves 4 

2 yellow bell peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 can coconut milk

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 dozen large sea scallops

Sea salt &freshly cracked pepper

¼ cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

4 zucchini

·         Preheat broiler with a rack in the upper third position (not directly under the broiler, but the next rung down) 

·         Line a baking sheet with foil and broil peppers, turning occasionally, until blackened on all sides, about 20 minutes. (Alternately, if you have a gas stove, you can roast each pepper over the flames, turning occasionally, until blackened on all sides, about 10-12 minutes.

·         Remove peppers and place in a large bowl and cover with a plate to sweat the peppers for 15-20 minutes, or place in a paper bag and fold & tighten the bag to sweat them.

·         Meanwhile heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet – preferable cast iron – over medium meat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and lightly browned, about 4- 5 minutes.  

·         Remove onions from skillet and place in a bowl.  Wipe out skillet, removing all onion pieces.  Set aside.

·         Remove skin, stem and seeds from peppers, chop roughly and add to bowl with onions.

·         Transfer onions and peppers to blender and add coconut milk, lime juice and a pinch of salt.  Blend for about 30-45 seconds or until smooth.   Set aside

·         Pat scallops dry with a paper towel and season one side with salt and pepper.

·         Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium high heat.  When hot enough to make a drop of water sizzle, add half the scallops, seasoned side down, and season the remaining side with salt and pepper.  Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until a crisp, brown crust forms.

·         Transfer cooked scallops to a pate and tent with foil to keep warm

·        Add remaining 6 scallops, adding more oil if necessary.  Remove to tented plate.

·       Add coconut-pepper mixture and basil leaves to skillet to warm, just 2-3 minutes.  Meanwhile peel the zucchini into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler and place in on individual plates or bowls.

·         Place 3 scallops on each of the zucchini “noodles” and top with sauce.

 

 

Cook Happy!

Super Snapper

At least once a year a group of my college friends converge on my house for a get-together.  As the only one without a husband and kids, I've got the quiet zone (until they all get here, of course).... and it's pretty much a guarantee that there'll be good food, and lots of it!

It was a gorgeous Northern California day, so they arrived at 3PM, champagne in hand, and we sat in the backyard, sipping and noshing on sourdough, cheeses, fresh fruit, pistachios, and hot smoked salmon....

I don't recommend testing recipes out on company, but I can suffer from "culinary cockiness" from time to time.  So I tried out a couple new things.  I don't venture too far from my wheelhouse when I do this, so I felt pretty comfortable that I could pull it off.  I would never try cooking a cut of meat that I'm unfamiliar with or use ingredients I've never used before, but this day I tried out a couple dishes that let me remain in my comfort zone and branch out all at the same time.


I turned to one of my favorite new cookbooks, Fresh, Happy, Tasty, by Jane Coxwell.  I hadn't made any of the recipes in it yet, but they all look so tasty and fresh that I knew this was my go-to book for my girlfriends.  I coupled my tried and true Green Papaya Salad and Citrus Roasted Asparagus with Coxwell's Tamarind & Coconut Lentils and Green Quinoa-Crusted Bass (but I used snapper - it's in the bass family and was the freshest fish at the market that morning).


The snapper recipe is my new favorite..... you essentially mix a pesto with cooked quinoa, put it in the fridge for a half hour to firm up, top the fish with it and bake it for just 5-6 minutes.  That's my kind of dinner: fast, easy, and delicious.

Jane's recipe calls for toasted pine nuts, but I used walnuts (like I do in most of my pesto recipes).  You pop those in a blender or mini chopper along with a clove of garlic (use a big, fat one!), lemon zest, olive oil, 2 cups of fresh herbs (I used basil, mint and cilantro) and cooked quinoa.  This makes a lovely "paste."

Spread that onto a board covered with plastic wrap, keeping it about 1/4" thick.  Top it with another sheet of plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes to get nice and firm.

After a half hour in the fridge, it will be easy to cut into pieces and top the fish.  To give a little seasoning to the other side of the fillet, drizzle olive oil on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  This goes into a 450 degree oven for only 5-6 minutes (love that.... cuz there was a lot of laughing an storytelling on the back deck, and I hate missing out!)

Give this one a try, peeps.  It's a keeper.  Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner for the family or to impress your friends at your next dinner party.  The crust will keep in the fridge for a good 24 hours, so you can always make that ahead, and then you've got a healthy 5 minute dinner!  I busted out my new spiralizer (it did take 3 of us to figure it out - thanks Renee and Tish for having more patience than me!) to make noodles out of a daikon radish, to give a nice crunchy addition to the tender snapper.

Here's Jane's recipe from her book:

Green Quinoa-Crusted Bass
Serves 4

1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest of 1/2  lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cups tightly packed fresh green herbs ( a mix of parsley, dill, mint, cilantro and basil)
Maldon or other flaky salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Four 4-ounce boneless, skinless pieces of bass

• Toast the pine nuts in a small dry skillet over low heat for about 2 minutes, until lightly browned. 
• Cook the quinoa in boiling water for about 15 minutes and drain.  Place it back in the dry saucepan over low heat and stir for 1 minute to remove excess water.  Remove from heat and let cool.
• Add the quinoa to a blender with the garlic, pine nuts, lemon zest, 1/4 cup olive oil, herbs and salt & pepper to taste.  Blend until it forms a smooth paste.  Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.
• Lay some plastic wrap flat on a clean work surface and spoon the mixture onto the plastic wrap.  Top with another layer of plastic wrap.  Using a rolling pin, roll the mixture into a rough rectangle that's about 1/4" thick.  This will be your crust.  Place it on a plate in the fridge to stiffen up for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Remove the crust from the fridge and place it on the work surface again.  Peel off the top layer of plastic and discard.  Them using a knife, cut out 4 pieces of the crust to match the size of you fish.  Rub the fish in a bit of olive oil.  Use a spatula to pick up the crust pieces and place them on top of the fish.
• Season the bottom of a baking sheet with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and place the fish on the sheet.
• Bake the fish for about 5 minutes until cooked to your liking.

Cook Happy!

Meatless Meatloaf

I really dig cooking outside the box.... taking something familiar and flipping it on its ear. I get so tickled when I make something like pasta sauce out of cantaloupe, "ravioli" from globe zucchini, and pie crust with just nuts and dates.  It's really fun to look at food in a new, different way.

I'm lucky to spend one day a week with my friend Francesca, who is a fellow graduate of Bauman College's Natural Chef Program - where I learned all about cooking outside the box.  Francesca runs one of the Ceres projects where they teach teens how to cook, and the meals they make are then delivered free of charge to people suffering from life-threatening diseases in the county.  I'm always inspired by the creative dishes we prepare and love the fact that they are both health supportive and out-of-this-world delicious.  Last week we made a walnut loaf for one of the vegetarian clients, and as expected, the kids thought it sounded "weird" and therefore wouldn't be tasty.  Boy, were they wrong! And you KNOW I made them admit it!

 

Instead of ground meat, the base of this loaf is made from whole grain bread and walnuts.  Pulse them up in a food processor and transfer to a large bowl.  Then add onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and lots of herbs and spices.  Once it's well blended, mix in a couple eggs to bind the loaf and you're done (well except for cooking it - don't eat it yet!)

If you've got a loaf pan, lightly grease it with oil and press the mixture into it.  If you don't have a loaf pan (or if you're like me and just don't want to wash one more thing), you can easily form the mixture into a loaf on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Don't make it too thin, be sure to build it up as if it were in a loaf pan.  If you're not sure how big to make it, you can trace the size of a loaf pan on the parchment paper - most are 8" X 4" or so - then flip the parchment over, so the pencil in on the reverse, and mold the loaf into that size.

Pop that into a preheated 375⁰ oven for an hour until the loaf is lightly browned and set.  While it's baking, you can whip up a savory sauce to drizzle (or pour!) on top.  Start with a roux....

A roux is simply equal parts fat and flour, and is used to thicken sauces.  For this sauce, start by melting 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (I like unsalted, so I can control my own level of salt).  When butter is melted, whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until it begins to bubble and thicken, just a couple minutes.

Next, add the broth, wine and tamari.  be sure to stir or whisk constantly when adding the liquid to prevent any flour lumps from forming.  Let it come to a gentle boil, and simmer if for about 3-5 minutes continuing to stir to keep the sauce smooth and creamy.  The sauce should reduce slightly and thicken beautifully. 

You can do this when you pull the loaf out of the oven, because you want the loaf to rest for about 15 minutes before cutting into it.  Plenty of time to make your sauce.  The sauce will coagulate as it cools, so making it right before serving is best.  For leftovers (if there are any!) you can reheat the sauce to loosen it up again.

This is such a tasty treat that I ended up eating the whole thing myself over two days...for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  Trust me..... you want to give this a try.

Walnut Loaf

Serves 6

8 oz. whole wheat bread

8 oz. walnuts

2 cups minced onion

10 oz. canned tomatoes in juice

2/3 cup grated carrot

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 rib celery, minced

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

¾ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 ¾ cup vegetable broth

¼ cup red wine

2 ½ tablespoons tamari

Sea salt and pepper to taste

·         Preheat oven to 375⁰ and grease a loaf pan.

·         Place bread in a food processor and pulse until consistency of bread crumbs.  Place in a large bowl.

·         Place walnuts in food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped.  Add to bread in bowl.

·         Add onion, tomatoes, carrot, parsley, celery, poultry seasoning, thyme and salt.  Mix to combine then blend in the eggs, incorporating them into the mixture.

·         Pack mixture into loaf pan (or form into a loaf on a parchment paper lined baking sheet) and bake 1 hour, until lightly browned and cooked through.  Cool 15 minutes before slicing.

·         Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

·         Add wine, tamari and stock and bring to a low boil, stirring frequently.  Simmer 3-5 minutes until thick and creamy.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

·         Plate loaf slices and top with sauce.

Cook Happy!

Butternut Squash Noodles

I'm not big on kitchen gadgets.  No special garlic skin removers (I have a knife and a good whack gets it right off), no ceramic ginger mincer (again, I have a knife), no little hand choppers (have you heard, I have a knife).  BUT I'm in love with my new shredding peeler!

I bought it for the Green Papaya Salad I make in my Thai cooking class.  Previously I taught people how to make the salad authentically, which means you hold it in your hand, hack the heck out of it with a sharp knife in quick strokes and then peel the shreds into the bowl.  But it took a really long time, and I was always more than a little nervous that someone what going to hurt themselves (I have a great no-cuts track record in my classes, and I'd like to keep it!).  A friend told me about the peeler that easily makes julienne slices, and off I went to Bed Bath & Beyond (with my coupons in hand!)

I've made "noodles" out of zucchini before, but since they're not in season, I started staring at the butternut squash sitting on my counter.  Why not? 

Unlike zucchini (which I've always used raw), butternut squash is much firmer, so I figured I would have to cook them.  I tried it two ways: baked and boiled.  Both worked for me, but boiling them for just a couple minutes gave them a little more texture, and I liked them better prepared that way.  Baking them in a 400 degree oven is faster - cuz it takes a long time for a big pot of water to boil - and it produced a soft noodle.

Boiling the "noodles" for 2 minutes in a pot of salted water, made it more like spaghetti squash - a little bit of crunch to it.  So it's up to you and your preference in texture.  Either way, you'll dig it!

I've been working with clients lately who have a lot of food allergies and intolerances, so it always puts me in the frame of mind to re-create familiar dishes that they think they might never eat again.  So along with the no grain aspect of this dish, I decided to toss it with a non-dairy pesto.

My pesto included basil, of course, but I also had a handful of cilantro and parsley left over from last week's classes (step outside the box on the greens in your pesto - any herbs, spinach, arugula, even kale will make a great pesto).  Pop them into the food processor along with a couple cloves of garlic and nuts (I used walnuts, because I always have a big bag of them in my fridge).  Since I was being "alternative" I decided to add a teaspoon of nutritional yeast to replace the Parmesan and pulsed them all until well blended.  Then I left the motor running and drizzled in a 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice (add more water as needed for desired consistency).  Now you've got a lovely pesto.  I always like to taste it first before I add salt.  I ended up adding a couple of pinches salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and a little pinch of pepper.  Perfect!

Just a bit of sliced Kalamata olives and chopped walnuts.  And that was lunch.

For dinner, I tried the boiled version with the same pesto and served it with Spicy Cornmeal-Crusted Snapper.  Now we're talkin'!

Happy girl....doing the happy dance!

Butternut Squash Noodles with Dairy-Free Pesto
Serves 4

3 lb. butternut squash, halved and peeled
2 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup Italian parsley
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts, divided
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water (or more for desired consistency)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced

• Shred the butternut halves with a shredding peeler or use a mandolin to cut squash into thin ribbons.
• Place basil, cilantro, parsley, garlic, 1/4 cup of the walnuts and nutritional yeast in a food processor and pulse to combine. 
• With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil, then the water, then the lemon juice.  Add more water if needed for desired consistency.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
• Either bake squash noodles in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or boil in a large pot of boiling water for 2 minutes.
• If baked, toss hot noodles with pesto and olives.  Top with walnuts.
• If boiled, drain "noodles" and return to warm pot.  Stir in pesto and olives.  Top with walnuts.

Cook Happy!

Broccoli & Gorgonzola Soup

I have to be honest, there are just some veggies I don't dig so much.  They all seem to fall into the same family of cruciferous vegetables: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli.  I think it may be one of those childhood things - my Irish grandma was a wonderful baker, but when it came to cooking, her one big move was boiling.  She boiled veggies to the point where I wasn't even sure what I was eating.

So it wasn't until recently that I decided to find ways to prepare those veggies in a way that I would enjoy.  Roasting is a great way to do this.  Roasted Brussels sprouts with a little olive oil, salt & pepper is now a fave of mine.  Toss a little pancetta on top and it's hard to resist.  Roasted cauliflower with oil and curry powder takes it to a whole new level.  And then there's this broccoli soup....

I love it because you need very few ingredients - broccoli, onion, potato, garlic, broth and cheese (and many of them you probably already have at home). And they produce such great flavor that when we made it in one of my cooking classes last week, everybody went back for seconds!

Like most of my soups, I start with sautéing onions in olive oil and then add a little garlic once the onions are soft.  With this soup, I also added a chopped Yukon gold potato - this helps make the soup nice and creamy.  The potato helps me avoid adding cream since I'm going to add a big hit of Gorgonzola at the end, but if you're feeling decadent, you can add some cream instead.

Next, I add the broccoli florets - the smaller you cut them, the faster your soup will be ready to puree.  Cover the broccoli with chicken or vegetable broth - if you want to keep it vegetarian, use vegetable broth, but I find that chicken broth give the soup the little bit of fat that makes the flavor pop.

After it simmers for about 15-20 minutes, puree it in a blender. Remember that when you're pureeing something hot, you want to take the little insert out of the top and loosely cover with a clean towel, so the top doesn't explode and you end up with more soup on your ceiling than in your bowl!   Here's my new favorite tip, when you think your soup is smooth enough, keep going; give it another minute.  This is what gives it a velvety smooth texture.  Then return the soup to the pot and stir in your Gorgonzola (or Stilton or blue, whatever you like).  Taste it before seasoning - the cheese adds salt, so you may find that you don't need much more salt.  I usually end up adding a good healthy pinch (about 1/4 teaspoon).  We made wild mushroom crostini to go along with it, but even a warm sourdough for dunking works.  I think you might go back for seconds, too.....

Broccoli & Gorgonzola Soup  

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ cups chopped onion

1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 ½ lbs broccoli, cut into florets

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

4 ounces Gorgonzola

Salt & pepper to taste

·         Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and potato, and sauté 8-10 minutes until softened.

·         Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

·         Add broccoli and cook 5 minutes.

·         Add stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

·         Transfer soup in batches to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

·         Return to pot and stir in cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Leave me a comment and tell me....what is your favorite winter soup????

Cook Happy!

Scallops in Tarragon Cream Sauce

Every once in a while I get a real craving for scallops; not sure why.  And yesterday was one of those days.  They're super tasty, but best of all, they cook up in no time flat, just about 6-8 minutes.  Got to love that.  As I always say, "I love to cook, but I love to eat even more...so I want to get to it as quickly as possible."

I've made scallops in citrus cream before, to great reviews, and now I was ready for a new spin: Tarragon Cream Sauce.

I had a big fat planter box built in my backyard a few months ago, but with our dire drought conditions here in Northern California, I don't want to plant anything until we get some rain.  It breaks my heart to look at that empty 30 foot box, so I decided I could at least grow some herbs in pots - easy to water minimally.  In addition to the usual suspects, I picked a few that I don't use often enough: sage, marjoram and tarragon.

I chose to build my scallop dish around tarragon this time....

 

 

..but I can't start much of anything without onions.  So let's get a little sweet red onion going in some butter, and throw in a couple sprigs of tarragon.

 

 

Then pour in some half and half (or cream if you're extra naughty...and not a girl newly dating - got to keep those skinny jeans happy!) and just let that simmer for about 20-30 minutes on low.

 

 

Meanwhile, heat up some olive oil in a separate skillet, and toss in some sliced cremini mushrooms and chopped tarragon and let it hang out for a few minutes.

 

 

Season your big, fat, juicy scallops with a little sea salt and pepper.  Move the mushrooms to the sides of the skillet, and add the scallops to the middle of the pan.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, getting a nice little browned searing on each side.

 

 

When the scallops are nearly done, give them a little squeeze of lemon, add the tarragon sauce to the pan and continue to cook for one more minute, tossing to coat.

 

You can serve over pasta or rice or nothing at all, but I like to serve it on a bed of baby spinach - I like the look of the added color, but really like not having to fix a salad or a veggie side to go with this!  That makes it a nearly one-pot meal.

 

I promise you, you'll love this one.

Oh yeah...and you can thank me later......

 

Scallops in Tarragon Cream Sauce

Serves 4

 

Tarragon Cream Sauce:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

¼ cup minced red onion

2 sprigs tarragon

1 ¼ cup half & half

Sea salt & pepper to taste

Scallops:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 lb scallops

Pinch sea salt & pepper

Juice of ½ lemon

4 cups baby spinach

·         In a small saucepan, melt butter and add onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3-4 minutes until onions are soft and translucent. 

·         Add tarragon sprigs and continue cooking one minute.

·         Add half & half, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced.

·         Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.

·         Add mushrooms and cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

·         Add chopped tarragon, and continue cooking a couple minutes.

·         Season scallops with salt and pepper.

·         Move mushrooms to sides of skillet and add scallops.  Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until seared and golden brown.  Drizzle with lemon juice.

·         Remove tarragon sprigs from sauce and pour over scallops and mushrooms.

·         Serve on top of baby spinach.

 

Cook Happy!



It's a New Day!

I love January 1st because it offers all kinds of possibilities, promises and hope for the year ahead.  It's a chance for new beginnings...and I intend to take full advantage.

So in keeping with the theme of "beginnings," I'd like to share some of my favorite breakfast ideas with you.  It's no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Eating it revs your metabolism and sets you up for success throughout the day, skipping it leaves you feeling ravenous later on and making poor food decisions.  One of the best things you can do for yourself, your mood and your health is to get a good breakfast into you within an hour of waking.

Here are five of my favorite ways....

Suzanne's Granola
I like to make a big batch of granola on the weekend, so that I have it at the ready when I'm pressed for time in the morning.  Store-bought granola is often chock-a-block with sugar, so I prefer to make it myself and load it up with nuts and seeds.  When berries are in season, I add them to my cooked granola, the rest of the year I add banana chips, raisins and dried cranberries (go easy on them, though, because they are high in sugar.)  You can find my recipe here 

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The Puffy Omelet
I love eggs, and usually I just scramble them with a bunch of veggies, but one day something else happened.  I started out just making my usual veggie scramble, but then I probably got distracted ("shiny, sparkly"), put a lid on the pan, and when I came back I had this beautifully puffy omelet.  My kitchen accident became one of my favorite egg dishes.  Here's the recipe-non-recipe.

 

Huevos Rancheros

When I go out for breakfast or brunch, if I see huevos rancheros on the menu, it's all over.  I don't even  bother looking at the rest of the menu.  The best I've ever had is at Redd in Yountville.  My original recipe has changed because of Redd's dish; now I dip the tortillas into enchilada sauce in a skillet to coat the tortillas...that's the trick.

 

 

Breakfast Pizza

This raised a couple eyebrows (of doubt!) when I suggested it for breakfast, and I couldn't understand why.  Who doesn't love pizza?  And why would it not work for breakfast, silly monkey?  I made my own dough, but you can use a Boboli.  A little sausage, a little gravy made from the fat (OK, this lands in my 80/20 wheelhouse!), some scrambled eggs and scallions. BOOM!  Get the recipe-non-recipe here.

 

 

Soaked Apple Oats

Doesn't get much easier than this twist on oatmeal.  Soak 1/2 cup of rolled oats in a 1/2 cup of apple cider for about 20 minutes (go take a shower and it'll be ready). Stir in a pinch each of cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and salt.  Add chopped nuts and seeds and whatever fresh fruit is in season.  There's no excuse for missing breakfast with this easy option.

 

 

So here's to great beginnings!  Hope you have a healthy, happy, delicious 2014!

 

Cook Happy!