Breakfast |A Cook At Heart

Strawberry and Cheese Coffee Cake

Posted on Apr 29, 2012 | 0 comments

When my new CSA emailed and said they wanted to give us a share of their early strawberry crop, I was thrilled. I’ve had such bad luck picking strawberries at the grocery store, that I was really excited about getting what I hoped would be juicy, delicious, organically grown berries. I’ve been sucked in too many times by the big red glossy berries at Publix. When I get them home, they’re hard and tasteless and I feel stupid because I fell for it again. I wasn’t disappointed in the berries from Delvin Farms. They weren’t huge like the commercially grown ones but there were tasty and sweet. YAY! Finally.

I ran across this recipe in my new Southern Living cookbook but it was using blueberries. When I found out we were getting strawberries, I knew they would be perfect for this. I swapped some of the butter for applesauce and switched whole wheat pastry flour for half of the all purpose flour. This cake was moist and not too sweet. It’s good with or without the crumb topping.

Strawberry and Cheese Coffee Cake

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1/4 water
2 cup fresh diced strawberries
1 8oz block of reduced fat cream cheese, cut into 1/4 cubes
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat 1/4 butter until creamy. Beat in applesauce until well blended. Add 1 1/4 cup sugar and beat well. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
Combine both cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk and water. Add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter. Alternate adding flour and milk and blend well after each addition.
Gently stir in cream cheese cubes and strawberries. Pour into prepared 9 x9 baking dish. Bake 50 to 60 minutes.
Combine 1/2 cup flour, 2 tbsp butter, and cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle over batter.

Cooking time:

Number of servings (yield): 16

Cinnamon Raisin Oatcakes

Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 0 comments

One of my food goals this year is to eat cleaner. Clean eating isn’t about low fat, low carb, or gluten free. It’s about replacing highly processed, chemical laden foods with natural, whole foods prepared by hand. Author Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food & Food Rules) has a number of pretty funny but insightful food rules. I’ve been a label reader for years but after reading one of his books, I look at what I buy completely differently.

Three of his rules have become our food buying mantras this year.

1. Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third grader can’t pronounce.

3. Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.

Think about how much store bought junk this eliminates. Honestly it knocks out pretty much everything in the cookie and chip aisles as well as a good portion of the bread aisle. It’s a different way of life for two people that grew up eating fried bologna sandwiches, Oreo cookies, and sugary Kool Aid. I’m in the process of finding homemade goodies I can swap for some of more unhealthy processed choices and I want to start sharing those with you.

The first one is my riff on Heidi Swanson’s Oat Cake recipe from Super Natural Everyday. Oat cakes are a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a muffin but denser than either. Regular whole wheat or all purpose flour would also work for these. Becareful not to overcook them or they will turn into cinnamon spiced hockey pucks. When they start to look golden around the edges, they’re done.

Recipe: Cinnamon Raisin Oatcakes

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3/4 real maple syrup
1/2 cup turbinato (raw sugar)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, flax seeds, raisins, and walnuts.
In a saucepan, combine butter, maple syrup, and sugar. Stir until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from heat and let mixture cool for a few minutes.
Combine butter mixture with the flour mixture. Add applesauce and eggs. This dough will be really wet.
Fill muffin tins and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden around the edges.
Let cool for 10 minutes and pop them out onto a cooling rack.

Number of servings (yield): 12

Chorizo and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

Posted on Aug 23, 2011 | 3 comments

I really like eggs. I really really like eggs – boiled, scrambled, or fried. Growing up we ate them alot and now I try to have them a couple of times a week. But what do you do when you’re fixing eggs for more that a couple of people? I always opt for a breakfast casserole. They can be made ahead and put in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them which is always a plus if you’re feeding a crowd. Just about any fillings will work but my personal preference is sausage (the spicier the better) and cheddar cheese. If adding veggies that have alot of liquid, make sure you saute them first. Things like mushrooms or squash that release water when heated will make your cassorole runny otherwise. You can find chorizo in most stores now but if you can’t, feel free to substitue breakfast sausage.

Cheesy Bacon and Potato Frittata for Two

Posted on Mar 22, 2011 | 6 comments

Frittata’s are great any time of day. This one was part of a quick dinner I threw together on a night when cooking a big meal wasn’t an option. The cheese in this is a Tomme de Nena from Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese in Barren Cty, Ky. A group of us food bloggers took a tour of his facility recently and got to taste some of the best cheeses I’ve ever had. Check out Lindsay’s summary of our field trip over at Love and Olive Oil. This tomme de nena is a relatively soft creamy cheese with a great flavor that melts easily. If you can’t find it, you can substitute a Gruyere -but it won’t be the same so go ahead an order it from Kenny’s.

Alot of people won’t admit it but I will: I love my microwave. In fact on days when when time (or energy) are in short supply, my microwave is my BFF. This frittata comes together relatively quickly because I used the microwave to cook the bacon and soften the potatoes. It took about 6 minutes to get them both done. If you don’t have time to slice a potato (which took about 45 seconds), a great cheat is to use Ore Ida O’Brien Potatoes. Thaw them in the microwave for about 1 minute. Use what ever meats you have on hand: left over ham, turkey, or chicken would all be good.

Add potatoes and peas to hot skillet.

Add diced bacon or whatever meat you choose.

Add beaten eggs to skillet.

Cover top with shredded cheese.

Cheesy Bacon and Potato Frittata for Two

Ingredients

3 large eggs beaten
2 strips diced cooked bacon
1/3 cup thawed frozen peas
1 small red potato sliced thin
1/3 cup shredded Tomme de Nena cheese (a Gruyere will do)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives or parsley (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat 7 inch skillet on medium heat.
Add potatoes to hot skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add peas.
Sprinkle with diced bacon and pour eggs evenly around pan.
Top with grated cheese.
Put skillet in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Poke eggs with toothpick. If toothpick comes out clean, eggs are ready. If not, return to oven for 5 more minutes.

Cinnamon Glazed Apple Muffins

Posted on Feb 22, 2011 | 0 comments

Since I have a new found appreciation for muffins, I’ve been contemplating how I can take all of my favorite flavor combinations and put them in a muffin. Apples and cinnamon remind me of fresh baked pies with ice cream on the side so I couldn’t resist making these. They aren’t very sweet by themselves but the glaze ups the sweet factor considerably while adding a hit of spice. It can be adjusted to whatever fits your tastes – a squeeze of lemon, a dash of ginger, or a teaspoon of caramel sauce would all work. I can’t wait for summer so I can try these with some in-season peaches, blueberries, and strawberries. Yum.

Cinnamon Glazed Apple Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

2 Granny Smith Apples diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup applesauce
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup low milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp water

Instructions

Cooking Steel Cut Oats That Rock

Posted on Feb 10, 2011 | 0 comments

Steel cut oats with cranberries, almonds, and maple syrup

When you go down the cereal aisle in your grocery store you’ll likely see 3 or 4 varieties of oats. Quick cooking oats, old fashioned oats, steel cut oats, and those horrible little instant oats. Yes I’m an oatmeal snob. Back in the day before everyone was tauting the health benefits of eating oats, my mom fixed them at least once a week. Usually we had old fashioned oats with butter, sugar, and a little milk to make them creamy. I still love them but now that I’ve found their big brother - steel cut oats, it’s tough to go back. Trust me, they’re additive.

What are steel cut oats?

When oats are harvested, they have a hard inedible husk on the outside. When that husk is removed, what you have left is the oat groat. Steel cut oats are oat groats that have been cut into smaller pieces by a steel blade, hence the name. Once cooked, they have a nutty chewy texture, unlike quick cooking or rolled oats.

How do you cook steel cut oats?

Because steel cut oats still have the bran attached, they take a while to cook. This is my standard cooking method. If you want them a little more creamy, add another half cup of water.

$$$ Money Saving Tip $$$ – Steel cut oats can be a little expensive when you buy them prepackaged. Natural foods stores usually sell them in bulk bins for 1/3 of the grocery store price.