Saint Lucia Buns

If I were a TRUE food blogger, things would look a little bit different around here. Firstly, I would actually be posting about food (minor detail) and, secondly, I would be providing you seasonal recipes PRIOR to pertinent holidays to help you welcome said special day with greater preparedness. But since this has morphed into what my husband tells me is most definitely a “mom blog,” I suppose it is more fitting that I am posting this recipe AFTER the holiday has already passed, because us moms, well, don’t we always feel about three steps behind? But it’s all a matter of perspective! Consider yourselves 363 days ahead of schedule for NEXT year (you’re welcome) and don’t forget to check back about ten days into December 2018 to make sure you have all the essential ingredients for a traditional Saint Lucia Bun.

If American Girls were any part of your childhood, the mention of Saint Lucia might ring a bell in a distant memory. Blast to the past along with me and recall, Kirsten, the blond-haired American Girl doll who immigrated to from Sweden. I loved all the books about Kirsten but it’s “Kirsten’s Surprise” that we are going to focus on today. It’s in the pages of this book that Kirsten, as the oldest daughter in her household, rises in the wee hours of the morning on Saint Lucia Day. Wearing white and adorned with a wreath of candles on her head, she awakens each of her family members by delivering Saint Lucia buns and coffee to each of their beds. Thanks to Kirsten, every little girl who has ever lived has dreamed of dressing as Saint Lucia and delivering buns ever since.

I consider myself one of the lucky kids. My parents didn’t often splurge on trending toys, but for whatever reason, they did eventually break down and buy my sister and I each an American Girl doll after years of pleading.  I’m sure this is where I first learned about Saint Lucia.

Saint Lucia Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Lucia, falls on December 13^th and commemorates a 3^rd-century martyr who, according to legend, supplied food to Christians who had taken refuge in the catacombs. She is believed to have worn a white dress and a wreath of candles on her head to light her way, freeing her arms to carry as much food as they could hold. Calendar reform has since shifted things slightly, but the holiday once fell upon Winter Solstice, the shortest and therefore darkest day of the year. The holiday was often referred to as the “Festival of Light,” representing Christ’s coming to earth as our light. On Saint Lucia Day, girls would honor tradition by dressing in white light Saint Lucia and processing together carrying plates of Saint Lucia Buns and cookies, portraying this “bringing of the light of Christ” to a dark world.

Alright. Enough with the history lesson. Back to my sister and me. She sister was gifted the Kirsten doll (I had a special affinity toward Samantha, the better one, obviously) but I read the books about both all the same.  Over time, my sister and I collected quite the set up for our dolls – clothing (much of it hand-sewn by my mom!), a table and chairs, and a homemade four-poster bed, courtesy of my dad’s woodworking skills. At some point, we also acquired the American Girl Cookbook. It was filled with recipes and pictures of all the dishes mentioned in the books, each with some sort of historical backstory. I guess you could say I was always destined to be a foodie since a cookbook like this excited me to no end, even at the ripe young age of nine years old.

The recipe for Saint Lucia Buns was in that cookbook I received over two decades ago. I never made them but seeing that recipe must have planted a seed in my subconscious. Fast forward to last year when my eight-year-old got her hands on the Kirsten book series. Suddenly that seed sprouted to fruition and I found myself in the kitchen making Saint Lucia Buns so my eldest could emulate Kirsten and dress up as Saint Lucia on Saint Lucia Day, fulfilling the dream she and every girl who had gone before her shared. Donning a white dress, wearing a “wreath” and delivering homemade buns by candlelight in the wee hours of the morn was a hit for my daughter, as well as for every other member of the family (who are we to argue with warm carbs??) And so, despite our lack of Swedish heritage, a new tradition was born.

The making of the buns is straight forward, particularly if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook that does most of the messy work for you. The recipe comes together much faster if you actually have yeast on your person and you don’t have to take a 90-minute break wandering, sans kids, through the aisles of Target in search of some. Such additional steps typically result in excessive “accidental expenditures” on essentials like adorable Christmas mugs and journals because “they make great stocking stuffers.” But I digress.

The original recipe had you measuring the ingredients by weight (how European!) but since most home cooks do not own a kitchen scale, I did some math and some guessing and came up with a version that is American-kitchen-friendly.  

Lastly, since I’m a “mom blogger,” not a REAL food blogger, I will warn you that some of my descriptions might come across as, let’s say, less than scientific. I intend for this recipe to be something you can make WITH your kids which is why I consider phrases like “We’re looking for snakes here, not slugs” to be a perfectly acceptable descriptor for helping them visualize how thin they should be rolling their ropes of dough before shaping them. I made the dough all the way through the first rise before the kids came home from school and then they joined me for the remainder of the steps.

Even if you don’t plan to dress as Saint Lucia, these rolls make a delicious sweet bun to accompany your coffee. Feel free to serve them as a special dinner roll on Christmas or any other fancy occasion. They freeze well and are well served warm. Happy Saint Lucia Day…363 days in advance!

Saint Lucia Buns

(adapted from the New York Times)

12 Tablespoons (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

2 ½ cups lukewarm milk (I warm mine in microwave for ~1 minute)

2 packages dry active yeast (or 4 ½ teaspoons)

¾ teaspoon saffron

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon table salt

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

Black raisins, for garnish

In a glass measuring cup or medium-sized bowl, combine melted butter and warm milk. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the yeast in a small amount of the butter and milk mixture. Once dissolved, add remainder of the butter and milk mixture. Grind saffron in a mortar and pestle if you have one, or by crumbling with your fingertips over the butter, milk and yeast mixture. Add to butter/milk/yeast mixture along with sugar and salt and whisk well.

Add flour, a few cups at a time, beating with the dough hook of your mixer until a soft dough forms. Continue to beat dough with the mixer for about 5 minutes, adding a small amount of flour at a time, as necessary, to keep dough from sticking. Alternatively, if no mixer is available, add flour using a wooden spoon and then knead by hand for about 10 minutes once a soft dough forms. Return dough to bowl.

Cover bowl with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes to one hour. (I usually turn on my oven and leave the door open to allow some of the heat to escape. After a few minutes, I turn the oven off. Voila! The oven top has become a cozy spot where the dough can rise).

Now it’s time to gather the offspring and let them get in on the fun. Taking mandarin orange-sized lumps of dough, roll each into a long rope (here is where you tell them “we’re looking for snakes here, not slugs”), about the circumference of your finger. Form the rope into the shape of an “S” and then continue to curl each end toward the center until they form two pinwheels (see picture). When they rise a second time, the buns uncurl some which is why it’s important to roll out thinner ropes. Place shaped buns onto a greased cookie sheet, cover with a towel and let rise in your cozy place for another 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush each bun with beaten egg and poke a raisin into the center of each pinwheel. Bake buns for 12-15 minutes until golden. Eat warm.

Makes about 2 dozen buns

Yeasted Waffles

I debated heavily on whether to title this post "Yeasted Waffles" or "The Best Waffles Ever" as I wasn't sure which would be most likely to increase my readership. Am I the only one who phrases her Google searches with things like "the best pie crust ever" or "the best  Father's Day gift ever"? I  must confess that this methodology has let me down a time or two but occasionally I get some pretty good hits. Even though I opted for the more vanilla title this time around, I assure you that these waffles are the absolute best. The ratio of butter to dry ingredients should be your first clue. They probably really have no business being on a blog written by a dietitian but I'm a huge fan of all things in moderation (and I also happen to adore my husband who thinks these waffles are otherworldly).

Our foodie friends introduced us to the concept of yeasted waffles a few months back.

They knew well of my love for ice cream as well has my affinity toward carb-laden breakfasts and so they invited our brood over for yeasted waffles sundaes. It was their ingenious play on the waffle cone and let me just say this: it was amazing! The spread included hot-off-the-iron waffles, multiple flavors of ice cream, chocolate sauce, fresh strawberries, sprinkles, and whipped cream.

Our friends had raved about yeasted waffles for quite some time prior to our initial waffle sundae exposure but honestly the idea of yeast in my waffle sounded kind of strange to me. I guess I was expecting they would taste like yeast or something (and that didn't exactly appeal to me). After my first bite, I realized that the yeast was not added for flavor per se (though it did add a nice dimension to the waffle) but rather to provide a light and airy texture that cannot be matched.

Take this recipe for a whirl as a variation from your usual waffle routine. They make the perfect Saturday morning family breakfast (without all the sundae toppings of course). Just remember to whip up the batter the day before and refrigerate it overnight. The only trouble you might run into is the need to make a double batch because they disappear so fast.

Yeasted Waffles
(adapted from Cook's Illustrated Magazine)

1 3/4 cups milk (I used 1%)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until butter is melted (3-5 minutes) and then let mixture cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Gradually stir milk and butter mixture into dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk to combine. Scrape sides of bowl with a spatula and then cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours or at least overnight (batter will be ready when it has grown foamy and doubled in size).

When ready to prepare waffles, preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Heat waffle iron until hot. Remove waffle batter from the refrigerator and whisk batter to recombine (it will deflate). Cook waffles according to manufacturers directions, using about 1 cup batter for a 9 inch waffle iron. Transfer waffle to a cookie sheet and keep warm in preheated oven while preparing remaining waffles.

Makes 4 (9-inch) square waffles

Greek Easter Bread

This isn't really the kind of recipe that you whip together in a matter of hours. But since when has homemade bread ever been? 

I cannot even believe that Easter is around the corner. I always hate it when stores fill their display cases with "seasonal" decor like three decades before the "season" is actually upon us. But I digress. Last week, I was gifted a rare opportunity to pay Target a visit ALONE. You young mama peeps out there know the danger in that statement. I entered the store and was immediately greeted by all the Easter fluff which put the holiday on my radar for the very first time - Easter must be approaching!! Sometime within in the next 3 months at least, if I'm going by the store display as my calendar.

As it turns out, Target was right! Further investigation led me to discover that Easter is a mere three weeks away. How did that happen?! And so, I'm doing the unheard of and giving you a holiday recipe before the actual holiday. You're welcome. 

I'll have you know that I sacrificed the grout on my kitchen floor when I made this recipe for the first time last year. You see, the thing is, when a mugful of red dye spills onto the table and then flows like a rushing river upon to the floor, it is nearly unstoppable. It seeps into the grout, creating little channels of red fluid, like a pathway across your kitchen. Despite your very best efforts, no speed of paper towel grabbage will be quite fast enough to put a halt to it's red permanence. Alas, the table your in-law's loaned you will forever show the signs of The Easter of 2015. As will your floor, of course. The area around your kitchen table may look frightfully similar to a florescent murder scene, but don't be alarmed, Easter egg aftermath is like that sometimes.

BUT, if you, unlike me, can dye eggs successfully without altering the color scheme in your kitchen, I assure you that you are competent enough to make this bread. Making yeast bread does take a little bit of practice but I firmly believe it's a skill every person should learn. My grandma had all of us grandkids with our hands in the cinnamon roll dough as soon as we were out of diapers and I'm forever grateful. 

The two main "tricks" (if you can even call them that) I will impart to you are as follow:

1. Use fresh yeast. If you can't remember when you purchased the yeast resided in the back of your fridge, buy a couple new packets for this recipe, just to be safe. Nothing is more disappointing than putting forth the effort to make homemade bread only to have it not rise properly due to old yeast.

2. Finger test the temperature of your liquid. The beginning of nearly every yeast bread recipe involves dissolving yeast in some sort of warm liquid (usually water or milk). You want the liquid to be warm, NOT hot. For best results, dip your finger in the fluid (or run your finger under the water from the faucet) before you add the yeast. It should feel warmer than the room air around you but it should not feel hot enough to burn. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is too cold, it won't activate the yeast as desired.

Other than these two pointers, if you follow the recipe, you should do well here. This bread recipe is a show stopper and really doesn't take any special skills (unless of course braiding isn't already in your subset). The loaves expand significantly so make sure you form a braid that is slightly tighter than you want as it will grow in the rising and baking process. 

The egg wash brushed onto the bread at the end gives it a beautiful sheen and the impressive presentation makes it a great option to bring to a family gathering. And most importantly, it's mighty tasty too, slightly sweet yet savory all in the same bite. Be sure to check the bread about halfway through the baking process to make sure it isn't browning too quickly. Cover it with foil as needed to slow further coloring and then cool and serve.

Happy Easter!

PS - I just renewed my food worker card yesterday and feel obligated to make this PSA: the dyed egg is for looks only. Please abstain from eating it, unless of course your aim is to add a bout of food borne illness to your festivities. ;)

Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki)

(adapted from Saveur.com)

2 packets (4 ½ tsp) active dry yeast

2 cups warm milk

9-10 cups flour

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup water

8 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled

5 eggs plus 1 lightly beaten

Salt

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 hard-boiled red-dyed eggs

2 tablespoon black cumin seeds

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Stir in 1 cup of the flour and 1⁄2 cup of the sugar, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside for 1 hour. Stir 1⁄2 cup water into yeast mixture. Add butter and 5 of the eggs and mix thoroughly.

Add 8 cups of the flour, salt, the remaining 1 cup of sugar, orange and lemon zests to the mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead (adding more flour if necessary) until smooth, about 10 minutes, then form into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and set aside to rise for 2 hours.

Return dough to floured surface. Divide into 6 parts, rolling into ropes about 15" long. For each loaf, tightly braid 3 ropes, then press 1 dyed egg near the end of each braid. Set the bread aside to rise again for 1 hour on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 350˚. Brush bread with beaten egg, sprinkle with cumin seeds, and bake until golden, 40–50 minutes, checking after about 30 minutes for excess browning. If the loaves are darkening too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the remainder of the baking time.

Makes 2 loaves

Frosted Maple Oat Scones

I find it a bit comical how runners label their races numerically. Like for instance they'll say, "This summer, I am running my first marathon..." It is as if they assume there will most certainly be more than one of these insane endeavors. I mean, what could be better than running 26.2 miles?! Doing it TWICE, I'm sure. Anyway, like I said, this race-speak makes me laugh and yet, until I edited it just now, the first sentence of this post read "Back in October, I ran my second ever half marathon." I guess that makes me officially a runner if I've been caught up in the lingo.

But the point here is, I never thought there would be a second half marathon for me. Running 13.1 excruciating miles after birthing two babies was less than enjoyable. The fact that I peed my pants about 11 miles in was quite possibly a huge part of that. (WHY DID NO ONE EVER TELL ME THIS HAPPENS TO WOMEN?! If you are a new runner, allow me to spare you the trauma and let you in on a little secret: SOMETIMES RUNNERS PEE THEIR PANTS. Not just a little moisture down there, but a full-on-bladder-emptying-fill-up-your-running-shoes kinds of release. Gross, I know. But hey, don't feel bad if it happens to you. Consider yourself officially part of the club!) Anyway, after my first half, which I did actually complete, wet shoes and all, I decided I would actually rather birth a third baby than do that ever again. And so I did. Have that third child, I mean.

Well, as it turns out, running half marathons is a lot like birthing babies in that, you experience this whole amnesia thing and suddenly all you remember are the good parts which makes you want to do the craziness all over again. This might explain why runners preemptively refer to long races as their "first" half marathon (or whatever the distance) because they know they will eventually succumb to similar races again and again because running is just addictive like that. So yeah, that's how I found myself at the starting line of my second half marathon this past October. I'm just a wee bit competitive and something in me kicked into high gear and I was determined to redeem my previous race and make this 13.1 miles "fun." I wanted to walk away from the finish line feeling positive, maybe even with a slight preference toward doing another race over birthing a fourth baby. Let's be honest. I also really walked to walk away with dry pants. I'm happy to report, I achieved both goals.

Following the race, my husband and my three mini fans and I convened at our favorite local coffee shop to re-ingest any and all calories that I burned during my morning run. We were nearing the front of the counter when my eyes fell upon the three huge, frosted maple oat scones displayed in the case before me. They were perfectly golden brown in color, their maple glaze dripping down the sides in the most mouthwatering of fashions. I knew instantly that one of these scones NEEDED to be my breakfast. Nothing else would satisfy the now rather intense hunger pangs that were building in my stomach. I glanced at the single customer in front of us, willing her to hurry up and place her order so I could get my hands on a scone. It was then that I noticed the direction of her gaze. She also was looking at the maple scones! Now she was pointing at them! My eyes widened as I read her lips: "I will take all three please." Noooooooo!!!!! I had to clasps my hand over my mouth to keep from calling out. What on earth is she going to do with THREE maple scones?!? I'll bet you my entire life savings SHE didn't just run 13.1 miles. But it was too late. The scones were history and I was forced to settle on some unmemorable pastry that was second rate at best. Sigh.

I don't know why it never occurred to me to GO HOME AND MAKE MY OWN (umm, maybe because I'd just been running for nearly two straight hours and was just a little tired??) but the thought never even crossed my mind. Until this past Friday, that is. I'd returned to that very same coffee shop for a little time to myself and was delighted to spy one last giant maple scone in the display case. I'd come for a cup of coffee but suddenly I had a scone score to settle. I glanced behind me, almost hopeful I'd spy the Three Scone Lady wistfully watching as I snatched the very last one (yes I'm sick like that) but alas there was no one there. No matter. I could settle the score solo.

You guys, I DEVOURED that scone. It was so good. And suddenly it dawned on me that - hey! I could make these! So make them I did. On Sunday afternoon, I found a recipe online that I altered ever so slightly and pretty soon the scent of maple syrup was wafting through the house. The recipe originally called for whole wheat pastry flour (which I didn't have) so I just used the bag of whole wheat white flour from Trader Joe's that I had on hand. They turned out soft and moist and I don't know that I would have been able to tell they contained whole wheat flour had I not been the one making them. The frosting of course is the best part of the recipe and you can feel free to adjust the ratio of maple syrup to powdered sugar depending on whether more of a glaze-type or frosting consistency is desired. I wish I could say I can 13.1 miles this morning before I stuffed my face with one of these. But I didn't.

Frosted Maple Oat Scones
(adapted from anoregoncottage.com)

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole rolled oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup. buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup, divided
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine the first 5 ingredients (flour through salt) together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter pieces using two knives or a pastry blender until small pea-sized pieces form.

In a separate small bowl, stir together buttermilk and 1/4 cup of the maple syrup and then whisk in the eggs with a fork until beaten. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until blended (the dough will be sticky still).

Turn dough out on lightly floured work surface and gently pat into a 1-inch thick circle with floured hands, being careful not to overwork the dough. Divide into 8 triangles and transfer to prepared baking sheet, placing each a couple inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack with wax paper underneath to catch any frosting drips.

For Frosting: Combine the remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup with the powdered sugar and whisk together until smooth. Divide the frosting evenly among the warm scones, spreading to cover the tops and serve as soon as possible.

Makes 8 large scones

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms

 

As I type this, there are eggs hard-boiling in my kitchen and a large bowl filled with the beginnings of this Greek Easter Bread recipe for all the festivities we will participate in this weekend. Like many home cooks, holidays are always filled with food traditions over here and I enjoy preparing recipes, both new and old to serve to the ones I love. Maybe I'm too late and you already have your Easter menu set, but if you need a last minute egg dish, I've got one to share that is sure to impress. This will be the second year and running that it has been a part of our Easter celebrations and I'm pretty sure it's here to stay. Firstly, it couldn't be easier to throw together and secondly, you can prepare the majority of it ahead of time, making the actual-day that much simpler. Plus, it contains more spinach than any recipe in the history of recipes and you would never even know it. Wilted spinach is certainly God's gift to the veggie-aversive individual who can't fathom the idea of eating a plateful of the fresh stuff. Seriously, this 9 x 13-inch pan contains 2 pounds of spinach and married with the cream and nutmeg, it is simply delicious. 

 

Anyway, the original-original recipe was published in Gourmet Magazine and then adapted by Smitten Kitchen and then lightened ever so slightly by me. So, I'm really not sure who to give the credit too. Like I said before, you can make the spinach and mushroom mixture ahead of time, all the way up until just before you crack the eggs into the 9 x 13-inch dish. Before you get started, just a little cooking tip: follow the directions closely because it is really easy to overcook the eggs and there is no turning back once the yolks have turned hard. Once baked, the eggs in the center are more likely to be a little bit runny while the ones of the edges will be more firm. This variation is to be expected and everyone likes their eggs to a different degree of doneness so don't wait for all the eggs to firm up before you take them out of the oven.

 

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms

(adapted very slightly from Smitten Kitchen)
 

2 pounds (32 ounces) fresh spinach
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 small garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ cup half and half
½ cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
12 large eggs
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
 

Bring 1/2 inch water to a boil in a very large skillet, then add half of spinach and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, about 30 seconds. Add remaining spinach and wilt. Cover and cook over moderately high heat until spinach is tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Gently squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible and then coarsely chop (you should end up with about 2 cups fairly tightly packed cooked spinach).
 

Wipe skillet dry, then melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook onion and garlic until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high, stirring, until mushrooms have softened and any liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in half and half, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and chopped spinach and bring back a simmer. Remove skillet from heat.
 

Transfer the mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Using 2 teaspoons, create 12, evenly-spaced “wells” for the eggs by pressing the back of the spoons together to “pinch” up the spinach mixture to form taller walls so that the eggs will not merge together.
 

Do ahead: You can prepare the dish until this point and then set it aside for a few hours or up to one day in the fridge, covered.
 

When you’re ready to bake the dish, or about 30 minutes before serving, put oven rack in upper third of oven and heat oven to 450°F. Crack an egg into each well. Bake until whites are firm and yolks are still runny. You can check this by inserting a toothpick into various parts of the eggs and seeing whether they’re runny or set, which takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes (the range is long due to different ovens and baking dishes).
 

Remove dish from oven, sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, plus grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.
 

 

Serves 12

Toasted Coconut Waffles

Ummm. YUM! Howdy y'all. I'm finally back on the blogosphere. If it feels like I went MIA for a bit there, well, it's because I did. I'm excited to announce that after much drama, we closed on the purchase of our first real home (on the date of my last post, actually) and then not 12 hours later launched into a major remodel that sucked away every spare second of the past 2 months. Needless to say, we hardly had time to eat or cook let alone photograph our food and write about the recipes. It's so good to finally be home sweet home and back on the cooking band wagon (sort of). 

I have a bit of an obsession with coconut apparently, particularly when it comes to breakfast time. We have been eating a LOT (like really a lot) of cold cereal lately and, though I am so darn tired of it, I seem to have lost my breakfast mojo and so I poor another bowl. I used to be a morning person but lately I'm lucky if I can drag myself out of bed before the troops have helped themselves to their own breakfast. Seriously. The other day my 14 month old came toddling around the corner chowing down on 2 pieces of dry bread. Poor kid. Not a mother in sight to feed him. ANYWAY, yesterday I made an intentional effort to kick my breakfast slump in the patootie and jumped on my good friend Google in search of something yummy.

I had a hankering for waffles and one thing led to another and pretty soon I was pulling these pretty puppies off the iron. (By the way, is it gross that I posted a picture with char and crumbs all over my plate? Too bad!) Well, these were by far the best breakfast I had in a long time which I suppose isn't saying a ton about my little breakfast confession, but seriously - so good! The melted coconut oil added a second dimension of coconut flavor alongside the toasted coconut. As it just so happened, I had some leftover pineapple in the fridge which I would highly recommend as an accompaniment. Bon Appetit!

Toasted Coconut Waffles

(adapted a smidge to make them healthier from Bon Appetit Magazine)

1½ cups shredded coconut

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup milk

⅔ cup virgin coconut oil, melted

¼ cup sugar

Nonstick cooking oil spray

Unsalted butter and pure maple syrup (for serving)

Preheat oven to 400°. Toast coconut on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown,

about 2 minutes. Let cool. 

Whisk flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, milk, oil, and sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk mixture into

dry ingredients (do not overmix). Mix in ¾ cup coconut; set aside remaining coconut.

Heat a waffle iron until very hot. Coat with nonstick spray. Working in batches, cook waffles until golden brown. Serve topped with butter, syrup, and reserved coconut.

Serves 4

Almond Quinoa Breakfast Cookies

I'm on a clean-out-the-pantry kick. And by "pantry" I mean that one cupboard with a few shelves that we cram full of everything from dry goods to kitchen equipment to vitamins. We do live in a townhouse after all. These clear-the-shelves kicks really should happen more than they do based on the number of times I get nailed with something sliding of my - ahem- perfectly organized piles of food in there. I've learned to open the cupboard cautiously. Death from above!

Anyway, back on topic. QUINOA! 

This was the ingredient of the week to get kicked out of my cupboard. I cooked up a large batch earlier in the week to serve with a Black bean, Roasted Corn and Avocado Salad, reserving a cup of it for this breakfast cookie recipe. Ever since Isla started preschool, I'm always in the market for more quick breakfast items I can just pull out of the freezer. I have the best of intentions of waking up earlier someday to nourish her with hot breakfasts but let's be honest, that just isn't happening right now. So enter breakfast cookies. These puppies are so versatile and can be packed with protein and fiber and yummy goodies. I'm collecting a few favorites over here and this here is one of them. The original recipe came from Bon Appetit Magazine, but then I made the absolutely substitution of some of the dried cranberries for chocolate chips. And then I added another secret ingredient, sort of by accident. Ok totally by accident. 

Let's just say when I made the big batch of cooked quinoa from my black bean salad recipe, I was super careful to reserve some for these cookies before adding the olive oil and salt and pepper to the rest. What I didn't remember until this morning when I was mixing up the cookie dough was what I used to cook the quinoa.... Yep, my quinoa was cooked in none other than chicken broth. CHICKEN BROTH! Lol. Some of us aren't getting enough sleep over here! I thought twice about using it (for like 3 seconds) before I decided Oh heck, let's just throw it in there and see how they taste! And to be honest, they actually turned out. They maybe a smidge saltier than the first time I made them but they are still mighty tasty for a reasonably healthful breakfast treat. I think the almond extract saved my bacon. So chicken broth or not, enjoy!

Almond Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
 

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and extracts; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in quinoa, oats, cranberries, chocolate chip, and almonds. Spoon dough in 2-tablespoon portions onto baking sheets greased with cooking spray, spacing 1” apart. Bake cookies until golden, 12–15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. DO AHEAD: Store cooled cookies airtight at room temperature for 1 day, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Makes about 24 cookies

Coconut French Toast with Grilled Pineapple

I love going out to breakfast. In fact, I think I may actually love it more than going out to dinner but I never want to claim this fact with confidence lest my husband decide to eliminate dinners out completely for the sake of saving money. I don't know what it is about breakfast but I adore all things carbohydrate, particularly specialty pancakes and, for some reason, going out somehow gives me the green light to indulge in these richer treasures that I normally wouldn't produce in my own kitchen. Don't get me wrong. I think I've mastered a pretty mean whole wheat buttermilk pancake but there is still something about going out that makes that pancake even better. Maybe it's the globs of butter and mountains of whipped cream? Or maybe it's the fact that I didn't have to do any of the work myself? Whatever the case, I would normally prefer breakfast out....until today....

It's been a busy week here in the Crozier household so I wanted to treat my family to a special Saturday breakfast since it was the first Saturday morning we've been home together in all the month of May. My husband tore this recipe out from my most recent Cooking Light magazine that I thought I'd surprise him with it and give it a try. I'm telling you, it is to die for and french toast usually isn't even my thing.

They came together really quickly and the great thing about the recipe is that it could easily be made dairy-free if needed by eliminating the 1/4 cup milk and replacing it with the same amount of coconut milk. (I've been surrounded by breastfeeding mamas who have had to go dairy and soy free lately and so I thought I'd throw that out there!) Also, I bet the sugar could easily be reduced to 2 Tbsp. Of course, everything is a little better with whipped cream so I made that little addition. I like to do it myself by whipping 1/2 cup of whipping cream with 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla extract until stiff peaks formed. A little dollop will do ya! ENJOY!

Coconut French Toast with Grilled Pineapple
(from Cooking Light Magazine)

1 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fat-free milk
3 large eggs
1 (12-ounce) French baguette, cut into 15 slices
Cooking spray
10 (1/4-inch-thick) slices peeled pineapple
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 200°. Place a baking sheet in the oven.

Combine coconut milk, sugar, fat-free milk, and eggs in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Working in batches, dip bread in the milk mixture, and let stand for 1 minute on each side.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and coat pan with cooking spray. Add 5 coated bread slices to pan, and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place on warm pan in oven to keep warm. Repeat procedure in batches with cooking spray, remaining slices, and milk mixture.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add pineapple, and grill for 2 minutes on each side or until well marked. Chop pineapple. Place 3 slices of French toast on each of 5 plates, and divide the pineapple among servings. Top with coconut.

Serves 5