Raspberry Breakfast Bars

The shopping list: rolled oats, oat flour, honey, butter, 1 package frozen raspberries, 1 lemon, sliced almonds, palm sugar (or brown sugar)

Preheat the oven to 350° Butter a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Line with parchment paper making sure that the paper runs up the sides of the pan. Butter the parchment paper.

Crust

In a mixing bowl, combine:
1 cup oat flour
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a small bowl, melt together:
3/4 cup butter
1/3 cup honey

Stir honey and butter into the dry ingredients. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Filling

In a mixing bowl, combine:
1 lb. fresh or thawed raspberries
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup palm sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons oat flour

Spread the filling over the crust. Top with:
1 cup sliced almonds

Melt together:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Drizzle butter mixture over the almonds. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool, cut and serve.

Lemon Raspberry Smoothie

The shopping list: lemon, raspberries, honey, milk

Combine the following in the blender:

3/4 cup milk (alternates: almond milk, coconut milk, yogurt)
1 cup raspberries
1 lemon, peeled, quartered and seeded
3 tablespoons honey
10 icecubes

Makes 2 generous servings

Creme Brulee Oatmeal

The Shopping List: steel-cut oats, butter, granola (or nuts) heavy cream, orange zest, egg yolks, vanilla extract, sugar

For the Oatmeal:

Put a full teakettle of water on to heat.

In a large saucepan, melt:
2 tablespoons butter
Add:
2 cups steel-cut oats
Toast the oats until light brown.

Pour 4 cups of hot water over the oats. Reduce heat to simmer the oats until all of the liquid is absorbed. Divide the oatmeal into 6-8 custard cups (I use 1 pint canning jars with plastic lids) and store in the fridge overnight.

For the Creme Brulee:

Zest 2 oranges

In a medium saucepan, heat: 1 1/4 cups heavy cream orange zest
Simmer very gently for about 15 minutes to infuse the cream with orange flavor. Remove from heat. Strain the cream to remove the zest. (I use a cheese cloth to do this.)

In a medium bowl, whisk:
5 egg yolks
3 tablespoons palm sugar
Continue to whisk for about two minutes until the mixture is thick and pale yellow in color.
Slowly whisk in:
the strained cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Divide the mixture into 4 (4 oz.) ramekins Put the ramekins into a 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Fill the dish 3/4 full of hot water being careful not to splash it into the custard cups. Bake at 300° for about 40 minutes or until the custard is just set around the edges and is still a bit wiggly in the center. Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the custard from the baking dish. Cover and chill for at least two hours. (I make both this and the oatmeal the evening before.)

To assemble:
Remove the custard and the oatmeal from the fridge. Sprinkle the oatmeal with either:
granola or chopped nuts
Divide the custard evenly between the cups of oatmeal. (About two tablespoons per cup) Spread the mixture smoothly over the top.
Sprinkle over the top of each:
1 teaspoon of sugar

Place the cups on a baking sheet and set the sheet 3 inches under the broiler. Broil until the sugar is caramelized. Pay constant attention to keep the sugar from burning.

The original recipe came from Peter Callahan’s book bite by bite. This is a delightful cookbook overflowing with recipes and creative presentation ideas for miniature foods. I “supersized” the original measurements to make this substantial enough to feed my family of seven a hearty breakfast. My oatmeal recipe is a no frills version as I found that all of the ingredients that Peter adds to his really doesn’t make much difference. The goodness is all in the crunchy topping and in the orange infused custard. I use palm sugar in the custard because it is sweet enough but much less sweet than regular sugar. I am still experimenting to see if it can be used in place of plain sugar to caramelize under the broiler. I’ll let you know.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

The Shopping List: cocoa powder, unbleached flour, confectioners’ sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, 2 sticks butter, salt

In a small bowl,combine:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt

Blend with a fork and set aside.

In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to combine:
6 tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. About 2 minutes.

Blend in:
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Add:
The dry ingredients about a 1/3 at a time until fully incorporated. Form the dough into a disc. Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
When the dough is chilled, roll it to ¼” thickness between two sheets of wax paper. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place cut outs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, just until set. Let cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate.

Decorating ideas:

http://annies-eats.com/2011/02/09/chocolate-sugar-cookies-and-how-to-marble-royal-icing/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34555769@N04/with/5535510065/
http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com
http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2012/01/valentines-day-sugar-cookies-heart.html

Dijon Lime Chicken

The Shopping List: 3 limes, Dijon mustard, olive oil, chili powder, salt, pepper, limes

In a small bowl, combine:
½ cup lime juice
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Rinse:
1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts
Pat dry, butterfly, and place open chicken in a 11” x 14” baking dish.

Pour most of the marinade over the chicken breasts. (Reserve a bit for basting when the chicken is on the grill.) Let the breasts marinate in the refrigerator for up to six hours. Heat the grill and cook chicken for 5-7 minutes per side until browned and cooked through in the center.

This recipe comes from the fabulous Elana.

Flavorful Rice

The Shopping List: 1 1/2 cups brown rice, 3 cups broth (chicken or beef), onion, butter, Emeril’s Original Essence Seasoning

Chop:
1 onion

In a sauce pan, melt:
2 tablespoons butter

Add:
Chopped onion
1 ½ cups brown rice
Saute until the rice is brown and the onion is tender

Stir in:
1 tablespoon Emeril’s Original Essence Seasoning

Add:
3 cups beef or chicken broth

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed. This will take about 30 to 40 minutes.

Spicy Rice and Bean Burritos

The Shopping List: brown rice, 2 cloves garlic, 2(15oz.)cans black beans, garlic, chili powder, 1 can Chipotles in Adobo sauce, package 8 inch tortillas, shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey), scallions, sour cream or Greek yogurt, salsa

In a large sauce pan, bring to boil
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
Reduce heat and simmer until the rice is tender and all the rice is absorbed. This will take approximately 30 minutes.

While the rice is cooking…

Mince:
2 cloves garlic
1 pepper from a can of Chipotles in Adobo

In a large skillet, heat:
1 tablespoon olive oil
minced garlic
minced Chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the can of Chipotle peppers
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Cook until fragrant. This will take about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add:
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans or 1 can black beans and 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup water
Bring to a simmer and then cook on low heat for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in:
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup fresh salsa

Assemble this filling into burritos using 8 inch tortillas with any or all of the following ingredients:
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese
Chopped Scallions
Salsa or Salsa Verde
Sour cream or Greek yogurt

This recipe is a slight adaptation of one found on the blog The Tasty Kitchen

Fried Goat Cheese

The Shopping List: goat cheese, egg, seasoned Panko bread crumbs, butter

Freeze:
goat cheese

Pull cheese from the freezer when firm and slice into 1/3 – 1/2 inch slices. Pour a small amount of unbleached flour into a small bowl.

Coat the cheese with:
unbleached flour

Beat:
1-2 eggs (depending on how much fried cheese you are making)

Dip the floured cheese slices into the beaten egg and then into seasoned Panko bread crumbs until they are well coated.

In a skillet, melt:
a few tablespoons butter

Fry:
breaded cheese in the butter until lightly browned on both sides. This will happen very quickly.

Devour!

Knock Your Socks Off Broccoli

Shopping List: lemon juice, kosher salt, 2 heads broccoli, garlic olive oil, freshly grated parmesan cheese, toasted almonds

Preheat oven to 450° and line a baking sheet with tin foil

In a small skillet, lightly toast:
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Set aside.

Chop:
2 heads broccoli
into fairly large florets. Make sure your broccoli is DRY. I do not rinse my broccoli when making this recipe. Place broccoli on the prepared baking sheet.

Coat with:
4-5 tablespoons olive oil

Sprinkle with:
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4-5 minced cloves garlic

Bake broccoli at 450° for about 20 minutes or until the florets begin to brown.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with:
1 1/2-2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted almond.

Serve immediately.

This recipe is from the cookbook Back to Basics by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

Sausage Veggie Egg Casserole

Tags

eggs

The Shopping List: 1 lb. turkey breakfast sausage, 1/2 red onion, 3 cups fresh spinach 1 red pepper, 14 eggs, oregano, butter, mozzarella cheese

Remove the casing from:
1 lb. turkey breakfast sausage
Cook 6-8 minutes in the microwave on high. Place sausage links into food processor and pulse until it crumbles.

Turn the oven onto 350°. Put three tablespoons butter in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. While the oven is preheating place the baking dish in the oven to melt the butter.

Chop:
1/2 red onion
1 red pepper
3 cups fresh spinach

Saute chopped vegetables in a large skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Mix the turkey sausage and the sauted vegetables together and layer the bottom of the baking dish with this mixture.

Crack:
14 eggs

Beat with a fork until blended and add:
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Pour the eggs over the top of the vegetable/ sausage mixture. Sprinkle with:
1 tablespoon oregano

Layer with:
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until eggs are set. Salt and pepper can be added to individual taste at the table.