breakfast Archives - Page 8 of 11 -

January 23, 2015

Meyer Lemon Graham Parfaits

It’s often difficult to find Meyer lemons around here even during the right season, so I am always glad when I stumble upon them unexpectedly. Meyer lemons are still tart, but are also sweeter than regular lemons and have a slight hint of orange. Lemon desserts are always so bright and refreshing, but are also usually loaded with lots of sugar to balance the tartness. Because Meyer lemons are naturally sweeter, I’ve found that it’s possible to use less added sweetener and the dessert will still be well-balanced and delicious. Last year I made this Meyer Lemon Cream with Graham Crackers and Sea Salt from Bon Appetit and decided I wanted to make a healthier lightened up version this year. I started by swapping out the sugar for honey and also decreased the amount of honey to achieve the right consistency in the lemon curd base. This honey lemon curd is still very sweet and is wonderful on its own. Lemon and honey must be one of the most marvelous combinations ever.

Then I swapped out the heavy whipping cream for plain greek yogurt. I used 1/2 cup of lemon curd for every 1 1/2 cups of yogurt, but increase the lemon curd if you’d like a stronger lemon flavor and a more decadent treat. The parfaits are topped off with a sprinkle of crushed grahams, lemon zest, and flaky sea salt. Sweet enough for a dessert, but healthy enough for breakfast.

Meyer Lemon Graham Parfaits

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons meyer lemon juice, from about 3 lemons
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons honey
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Assembly

1½ cups whole milk or 2% greek yogurt
½ cup crushed graham crackers
flaky sea salt
lemon rind from 1 Meyer lemon

Instructions

Lemon Curd

In a small saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, and eggs over medium heat. Whisk continuously until mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Turn off heat and add butter. Whisk until butter is melted and fully incorporated.
Transfer to a glass jar, cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Assembly

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1½ cups greek yogurt with ½ cup lemon curd. If desired, adjust to taste and add more lemon curd a couple tablespoons at a time.
Add a couple tablespoons of yogurt to 4 small glass jars. Sprinkle with crushed grahams. Layer remaining yogurt over the crushed grahams. Top off with a sprinkle of crushed grahams, lemon zest, and flaky sea salt. These are best served immediately as graham crackers will become soft after sitting in the yogurt.

Notes

adapted from Bon Appetit

January 12, 2015

Persimmon Cornmeal Muffins

If I had to choose one favorite fruit during the winter season, it would be persimmons. I personally tend to favor the fuyu variety over hachiyas because I prefer a slighter firmer bite to the fruit. Usually persimmons don’t last long enough around here for me to bake with them, but I recently discovered a sale and came home with enough persimmons to fill our entire fruit bowl. Adding persimmons to these simple cornmeal muffins was the first idea that came to mind. As it is when baking and roasting other types of fruit, the sweetness of the persimmons is pleasantly intensified after baking. These muffins are whole grain, naturally sweetened, and have fragrant citrus undertones. Baking a batch of these muffins is a bright and cheerful way to begin the day, especially on those cold and gray mornings.

Persimmon Cornmeal Muffins

Serves: 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 tablespoons white chia seeds
½ cup whole milk
⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
1½ cups spelt flour
½ cup almond meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
zest of 1 orange
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1-2 oranges)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups peeled and diced fuyu persimmons (about 3 persimmons)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Butter or line a 12-cup muffin pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chia seeds and milk. Allow mixture to stand for 10 minutes to thicken.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, spelt flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt.
Add the orange zest, orange juice, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla to the chia seed mixture and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Gently fold in persimmons.
Divide muffin batter among prepared muffin cups.
Bake 30-33 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

adapted from Amy Chaplin's At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen

December 4, 2014

Chocolate Hazelnut Toaster Pastries

I have faint memories of being a child and envying the kids that packed pop tarts as their on-the-go breakfast for the bus ride. At least in my mind, those looked like the best breakfast treats ever. While my parents were not extreme health enthusiasts during my childhood, they did strive to provide healthy meals and snacks for us and thus pop tarts were not part of the family diet. In my own mission for my children to have a healthy and wholesome way of eating, I try to limit the amount of processed food and sugars that they eat, but I also try to provide a reasonable amount of treats so that they aren’t left feeling deprived. These Chocolate Hazelnut Toaster Pastries are one of our latest treats and are my healthier version of pop tarts. Of course, they are wonderful straight out of the oven, but they conveniently reheat well in the toaster.

Rather than making my own chocolate hazelnut butter this time, I decided to keep things simple and used my favorite store-bought version, Justin’s. It worked beautifully and helped with being able to finish these off fairly quickly. To make this a bit healthier than a traditional pie pastry, I used spelt flour along with ground sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. The seeds add an element of nuttiness to the crust and the oils from the seeds decrease the usual amount of butter necessary for a crust pastry.

I had planned on adding a drizzle of melted chocolate on top, but in the end I decided a simple sprinkle of coarse salt and turbinado sugar was enough for me. Do not skip this step- it makes a surprisingly big difference! Go ahead and add a drizzle of melted chocolate though if you want to be extra fancy. Enjoy!

Chocolate Hazelnut Toaster Pastries

Serves: about 10 pastries

Ingredients

2 cups spelt flour
¼ cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
¼ cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
¼ cup coconut sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
about ½ cup chocolate hazelnut butter
coarse finishing salt and turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor, add the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Process until seeds are finely ground. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl, combine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of ice water. With the food processor running, gradually add the vinegar and water. Process just until mixture begins to clump together. Transfer mixture to a lightly floured surface and finish kneading together by hand. Form dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to make a rectangle approximately 16- inches x 11-inches. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 3-inch x 2½-inch rectangles. You should have 20 rectangles.
Take one rectangle and spread 2 teaspoons chocolate hazelnut butter in the middle, leaving a border around the edges. Top with another rectangle and use a fork to crimp the edges together. Repeat with the remaining 18 rectangles.
Sprinkle tops with a generous pinch coarse salt and turbinado sugar.
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges start to turn light golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on tray and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

[i]pastry crust adapted from Whole Grains Every Day Every Way[/i]