brunch

Matcha Chia Pudding

Matcha Chia Pudding

I live for simple recipes. Being able to throw a few ingredients together to create something special and tasty is my type of cooking, haha. Chia pudding is so incredibly easy to make, and its versatility makes it even more appealing. Check out my Raspberry, and Mint Chocolate Chia Pudding recipes! My favorite version of this pudding is plain chocolate (so awesome with bananas), but you can add virtually any flavor to plain chia pudding to use seasonal fruit, or satisfy your cravings. Mangoes are coming into season, and can't wait to enjoy some juicy, sweet mango pudding. 

Matcha powder is a fine, velvety powder made from high grade green tea leaves. Matcha contains 137 times more antioxidants than green tea, and the flavor shifts from grassy to sweet. Matcha pairs beautifully with dark chocolate, almond, white chocolate, and raspberry. Adding matcha powder to your traditional chia pudding livens it up, bringing a wonderful earthiness to this breakfast/dessert. Watch the video below and let's get cookin! 

Broiled Grapefruit with Honeyed Yogurt and Granola

Broiled Grapefruit with Honeyed Yogurt and Granola

Grapefruit is available year-round, but reaches peak season starting around Christmas, thru April. This zesty citrus has really climbed to the top of my list of favorite fruits. I love them in Palomas, summer salads, or as a simple breakfast or snack. This week's recipe is a really delicious way to enjoy this beautiful citrus - sprinkling a mixture of brown sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt over top halved grapefruits, and putting them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes to achieve golden, caramelized perfection. The sugary topping adds some warmth and spice to this tart fruit. Snack on the broiled grapefruit alone, or with greek yogurt swirled with a drizzle of honey. I love adding Nature's Path Flax Plus Pumpkin Flax Granola on top for some texture :) Watch the video below to find out how! 

Raspberry Chia Pudding

Raspberry Chia Pudding

Chia pudding is one of the easiest ways to work superfoods into your diet - not to mention how incredibly tasty and versatile it is to make! It takes virtually 5 minutes to whip together, and then all you've got to do is have enough patience to let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. I like to make my pudding at night so that there's no waiting ;) Chia pudding works beautifully as an alternative to overnight oats, cereal, or your morning yogurt for breakfast; or really wonderful as dessert. 

The only thing you need to remember when making chia pudding is a simple ratio of 1 cup milk to 4 tbsp chia seeds. You can use any type of milk, such as coconut, almond, rice, soy, or cow :) You can stir in greek yogurt for some more texture and fluff. When it comes to flavoring your pudding, anything goes! Blend up some fresh fruit, use chocolate, mint, peanut butter, nutella... the list goes on and on. 

An easy treat for Valentine's Day is to toss some raspberries into the blender and add them to your pudding. Serve it with fresh mint, or shaved chocolate for a sweet, healthy treat. Watch the video below to find out how :)

Hong Kong Style French Toast

Hong Kong Style French Toast

Happy New Year!! :) Last year was an incredible one for me. Moving abroad in 2015 was the wisest choice I've ever made. I'm incredibly grateful for all of the challenges, growth, travel, work, and fear that has pushed me closer to my authentic Self. I hope you all had a really fantastic year as well :) 

If you're nursing a hangover, I've got the perfect recipe for you. Here in Hong Kong, we have a ton of Cha Chaan Tengs, or tea houses that serve a crazy variety of HK comfort food. Cha Chaan Tengs have super late hours, making it convenient to enjoy French Toast, eggs, baked spaghetti, or even steak at any time of the day. HK style French Toast is a classic. Plain white bread and peanut butter sandwiches, dipped in a simple egg mixture and deep fried. It's then served with butter, condensed milk, and maple syrup - making it a completely decadent breakfast item. Today I'm taking a cue from this HK dish and showing you how to make Hangover French Toast! Let's get cookin :)

Watch the recipe below:  

What You Need: (Serves 2)

  • 4 slices of bread (traditional white bread, or milk bread as I'm using)

  • 2 eggs

  • splash of vanilla extract

  • splash of milk

  • salt

  • peanut butter

  • butter (for cooking and serving)

  • maple syrup or agave

What To Do:

  1. Slice up your favorite bread.

  2. Spread peanut butter on each slice of bread.

  3. Sandwich 2 slices of bread together and put aside.

  4. In a shallow dish, whisk together 2 eggs, a splash of vanilla, a dash of salt, and splash of milk.

  5. Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture. Don't forget the sides!

  6. Pan-fry each sandwich in 1 tbsp butter until both sides are golden brown. I like to stand the sandwich up on its ends to get them nice and crisp, too.

  7. Serve the HK French Toast with butter and maple syrup (You can add condensed milk if you like ;)

Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com
Hong Kong Style French Toast Recipe by Broke and Cooking - www.brokeandcooking.com

Warm, delightfully eggy bread filled with ooey gooey peanut butter is so delicious - you can start your diet tomorrow. :) 

Apple Pie Overnight Hemp Oats

Apple Pie Overnight Hemp Oats

I love Fall!! Hoodie weather, the holidays...and food. Roasted veg, casseroles, pie, roasts, baked fruit...mmm!! Some of my favorite comfort food is made during the Fall and Winter months. Overnight Oats are a Pinterest favorite, and make busy weekday mornings a little easier. Today we're adding a Fall twist to Overnight Oats by adding cinnamon-spiced apples and a nutritional boost from hemp seeds :)

Hemp seeds are a nutritional powerhouse that actually do not cause any psychotropic reaction. They are packed with tons of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, amino acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, and tons of Vitamins. Adding hemp seeds to your diet is a complete bonus. Watch the recipe below! Let's get cookin :) 

Bisquick Crepes

Bisquick Crepes

This recipe came about as a happy accident. One night (I know you love breakfast for dinner!) I was craving pancakes and decided to whip up a quick batch (carbs be damned). I only had skim milk (0% fat milk) that I use with cereal, and didn't think it would really make a difference. You know the saying "The first pancake is always a failure"? I totally thought that was the case when I poured this batter on the hot skillet. The resulting pancake was more like a crepe - thin, fluffy, and beautifully crisp along the edges. I realized I had just created a hack for crepes - until I googled it and discovered it was a thing. Either way, here's a super simple recipe for crepes that can be turned sweet or savory...whatever you like :) 

Today I'm filling them with plain yogurt and fresh strawberries, topping them with toasted coconut, lemon zest for brightness, and a scoop of non-dairy ice cream. I'm using Happy Cow Dairy-Free Ice Cream, which is made from coconut milk and brings tons of creamy decadence to this dish! Let's get cookin!

Crispy Prosciutto Breakfast Sammies

Crispy Prosciutto Breakfast Sammies

Breakfast might seriously be my favorite meal of the day. I love eggs, cereal, oatmeal, crepes, omelettes, blintzes..pancakes...waffles.........and I'm salivating. Breakfast has an endless options and one of the great ones is the almighty breakfast sandwich! Sometimes there is nothing better than hearty, toasted bread holding together savory breakfast goodness. This is a super simple breakfast sandwich - use it as a springboard for ideas to make your own, using what you already have! For me, it's all about texture, so I start with a base of creamy avocado, mixed with lime, cilantro, red onion, salt and pepper, and red onion. Add pan-crisped slices of salty prosciutto, and top it off with a nice, runny egg for the perfect breakfast combination. If you've never had crispy prosciutto, go, now! Baking or gently pan-frying tender, delicate pieces of prosciutto transforms the already delicious treat into intensely flavorful, crisp pieces of heaven. You can add pieces to a salad, toss them in pasta, or eat them like chips like I do ;) Let's get cookin!

Sweet Potato Toast

Sweet Potato Toast

Sweet Potato Toast is amazing!! It's so vibrant and colorful, and is a nutritious alternative to your regular wheat toast - not to mention it's paleo and gluten free! There are endless topping options, and today I'm sharing some yummy ideas with you to get you inspired. Sweet Potato Toast works with sweet or savory ingredients, and is so satisfying that a few of these make a wonderful meal. I'm all about using whatever you've got in the kitchen already, and the hearty, sweet flavor of the sweet potatoes is a great vessel for tons of versatility.

Healthy Banana Oat Pancakes

Healthy Banana Oat Pancakes

Now these are a tall stack that you won't feel guilty about! Who knew that a quick mix of oats, ripe bananas, and eggs would make a satisfying alternative to regular pancakes? These whole grain pancakes are naturally sweetened and flavored with ripe bananas, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. You can keep em simple, or add fruit or chocolate chips to the batter! 

Breakfast Yogurt Bowls

Breakfast Yogurt Bowls

I like to start every morning with a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit. It's a really satisfying way to get the day going. Yogurt has tons of health benefits, including a hefty dose of animal protein, calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, and magnesium. Whenever you hear about yogurt, you hear about probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that are naturally present in the digestive system. Eating yogurt regularly helps to regulate the digestive system, and making yogurt bowls at home is a really great way to cut down on unnecessary sugar that can come with pre-made fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cups. Plus, they're simple to make, since you can use whatever you've got at home! Use your favorite seasonal fruit and granola in a hurry, or add in fun twists like toasted coconut, chia seeds, maca powder, or other nutritional boosts. There's not much to this recipe - I'm here to give you some inspiration (and food porn!) Let's get eating!