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!
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 :)
PSL Season! Are you about that Pumpkin Spice Life? Seemingly everyone becomes obsessed with everything Pumpkin Spice this time of year, and I can't complain. My not-so-secret indulgence is Costco Pumpkin Pie (it's so freaking good), and I really do enjoy certain things with a lil added pumpkin spice. (Check out the easiest Pumpkin French Toast here :)
My girl Tracy roasted off some beautiful Kurobuta Pumpkin this weekend and made me some homemade pumpkin puree! What else to do but make the easiest dessert/snack in the world? Chia pudding! Adding pumpkin spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree (you can absolutely use canned pumpkin!!) makes a wonderful Fall treat that's actually packed with nutrients, dairy-free, and vegan ;) Watch the recipe that takes literally 5 minutes below, and let's get cookin!
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 :)
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!
I'm teaming up Happy Cow HK, Hong Kong's premium dairy-free ice cream company, to develop some delicious recipes that celebrate their coconut based ice cream! These recipes will give you inspiration for using your favorite brand of ice cream, or making your own Nice Cream! Some other fantastic dairy-free brands are SO Delicious, Almond Dream, Amy's, and Coconut Bliss.
Smoothie Bowls are easy to make, pretty to look at, and are a guilt-free way to enjoy the creaminess goodness of ice cream for breakfast, lunch, a snack, or dessert. You can create them with pretty much any combination of flavors that you have on hand. Try out fresh fruit, granola, cereal, nuts, chocolate, even peanut butter!
Today I'm using Happy Cow Mango Ice Cream and almond milk to create my smoothie base. All you've got to do is blend your fav ice cream with your choice of milk, coconut milk, or juice (just enough to loosen it up a bit), and top off your smoothie bowl with all the fruit/toppings you like! You can also throw a banana into the blender instead of milk.
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 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.
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!
I am soo excited for this week's recipe. Yogurt is one of my favorite snacks, and adding fresh, seasonal fruit and granola to it is simple and delicious. Nonfat plain yogurt is a great source of calcium, protein, and probiotics. Adding your own fruit cuts down on excess sugar that comes with fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt from the grocery store. I love using Driscolls's #FinestBerries and Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Seed Granola in mine :)
With summer heating up, Frozen Yogurt Bark is a fun alternative snack for your family. It takes minutes to put together, and once it's frozen, all you've gotta do is break up the yogurt into pieces of 'bark'! This recipe is a great activity for kids to get involved in the kitchen. I love its adaptability - Frozen Yogurt Bark can be made with any combination of fruit and granola, and can be doctored up with extras like chocolate, flax seeds, chia seeds, protein powder, maca powder...the options are endless. I love recipes that can hide nutrition boosters but still taste great!
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!
Mother's Day is just around the corner! For some reason, this holiday always makes me think of French Toast. Maybe it's because Mother's Day feels like one of those mornings you wake up to sneak to the kitchen and surprise Mom with breakfast in bed. Or going out to brunch with family - either way, French Toast is pretty to look at, simple to make, and delicious to eat. Check out my other French Toast recipes for Hot Chocolate French Toast, Pumpkin French Toast, and King's Hawaiian French Toast! :)
One of the most popular items on a brunch menu is often a Lemon Ricotta Stuffed French Toast. The idea of making this at home was intriguing to me - how hard could it be? Turns out, it's super simple and only takes 20 minutes. What I love about this recipe is that you can substitute ricotta for mascarpone or cream cheese like I did :) Adding fresh lemon zest and juice to the filling gives the perfect punch to this sweet breakfast. Top it off with your Mom's favorite fresh fruit and you'll be chalkin up all kinda Brownie points :) Let's get cookin!
I'm going to get this year started with a fun way to empty your fridge. The holidays may have left you with a bunch of leftovers that you don't know what to do with. Breakfast tarts are made from delicate puff pastry and are topped with whatever you like! I love classics like egg, prosciutto, spinach, and cheese; but these babies have infinite possibilities. Pesto, sundried tomatoes, leftover rotisserie chicken, smoked salmon, arugula, asparagus, even good ole ham and cheese.
The smell of hot chocolate is so comforting to me. It reminds me of my childhood. When it comes to breakfast, my family has always been about waffles. What is it about wanting what you don't have, even when it comes to something as simple as breakfast? :) As a kid I always craved French Toast. I imagined the crisp edges and custardy center...while munching on waffles. Now as an adult, I eat French Toast when ever possible ;) Check out my recipes for King's Hawaiian French Toast and Pumpkin Spice French Toast as evidence! For Christmas breakfast, I thought, why not combine these two fantastic flavors? Soaking eggy brioche in a custard mixture spiked with hot chocolate mix is as decadent as you can get. Hot Chocolate French Toast is perfect for the holidays. Let's get cookin :)
#PSL... not Pumpkin Spice Latte, but Pumpkin Spice Life. Are you about it? I personally don't drink coffee but tend to get a kick out of how the food industry rolls out countless Fall twists on our favorite foods; simply by making a Pumpkin Spice version. I decided to give in a little this year, and experiment with pumpkin! I love Pumpkin Pie... the ginormous $5 Pumpkin Pie from Costco is one of my favorite things about the holidays. Adding pumpkin puree and a few spices to a classic French Toast recipe is an easy way to get in the holiday spirit. I love the twist on simple French Toast. The spices are so warming and cozy, and the pumpkin flavor compliments the custard so well! Let's get cookin :)
Food firsts are so memorable. You remember the excitement over trying something new, the first bite, who you were with, and how delicious this new dish was. Whoa. Was that too serious? Is it just me? Well, if it is, I’m totally ok with that because that’s exactly how I feel. There’s something about trying something new that is so special.
While visiting my God Father in Palm Springs, I had my first German Pancake at Elmer’s. It was love at first bite, as cliche as that sounds. I had never had anything like it - slightly crisp and puffy on the edges, soft, warm and almost custardy in the middle. And how could a pancake be so light? It was unbelievable to me. What was even more shocking was how the fluffy batter was perfectly paired with a little butter and squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
I don’t know about you, but I have a TON of corned beef in my fridge. Maybe that’s because I cooked 3 slabs of corned beef last week, but let’s not focus on that :P Naturally, I’m looking for different ways to eat all my leftovers. One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to Seal Rock Inn in SF on the weekends with my cousins. I’d always order Corned Beef Hash & Eggs, and it always came in the cutest little skillet. It made me feel like a grown up :)
There’s something so comforting and delicious about corned beef hash and eggs - the combination of crisp potatoes, salty corned beef, and perfectly runny eggs is just too good. Last week I had an inquiry about canned corned beef, and I am totally the first one to say that I love canned corned beef. It’s what we all grew up on, and let’s face it, not everyone is trying to cook some brisket for 2 ½ hours just so they can have some leftovers to eat with eggs. What I love about this recipe is you can substitute the leftover corned beef with canned corned beef and it’ll all work out the same. This is the perfect hearty meal that isn’t just restricted to breakfast time :) Let’s get cookin!
King’s Hawaiian Rolls make everything better, and the fact that King’s Hawaiian makes a giant round loaf is sheer genius. The sweetness of the Hawaiian bread is perfect for French Toast. In the past I’ve been frustrated by recipes that yield 4-6 servings of French Toast - not everyone is trying to feed a family or have a ton of French Toast sitting around. Sometimes you just want to make a little batch to satisfy your cravings. This recipe is perfect for one or two people to indulge in some delicious breakfast in bed.
The holidays are my favorite time of the year. Despite cold weather and much needed rain, some of my favorite fruits and vegetables are in season, and it’s an overall cozy time :) I love sweet potatoes. They’re sweet, of course, packed with Vitamin A, and are really versatile. They can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, and are actually really easy to deal with in the kitchen.
I’d like to share a few of my favorite sweet potato recipes with you all this winter. I usually have a stash in the pantry year round; I love to cook them in the microwave for the quickest Sweet Potato Mash you’ll ever have. I’ll be sharing that recipe soon!
For today’s recipe, I am sharing a yummy dish that can be eaten at any time of the day: a sweet potato hash, bulked up by tender chicken thighs and seasoned to perfection. You can, of course, top it all off with an egg, as any dish always gets better with the addition of runny yolk. This dish is the perfect comfort food, made healthier. The sweet potatoes become slightly crisp on the outside, filled with steamy sweetness, and the chicken is the perfect partner. Fresh parsley brings brightness and a pan-fried egg melds it all together into the most delicious and satisfying meal. Now let’s get cookin! :)
Before my trip I purchased a gorgeous baby cast iron skillet, with all intentions of creating delicious single serving dishes. For today’s recipe, I wanted to explore a twist on traditional Corned Beef Hash & Eggs. What makes things feel fancier than prosciutto? Yummmm. This recipe is so easy, so delicious, and really pretty for brunch. The flavor combinations are classic, and make for a wonderful and hearty meal.
Baked Egg Cups are a fun twist on portable breakfast! They are quick, simple, and delicious. You can customize them to include whatever ingredients your family enjoys. Today I made a variety of egg cups, with different combinations of toppings. Use whatever you have in the fridge and have fun with them!
By now I’m sure you’ve heard of the amazing health benefits of chia seeds. Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica. In the past few years they have gained popularity because they are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid. They also provide about 10 grams of fiber per oz. They contain protein, antioxidants, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Chia seeds are also gluten free!
This jam is simple.. organic strawberries, a little agave or organic honey, and chia seeds. Normally, when cooking jam, pectin is necessary to enable the jam to gel. In this case, since the chia seeds bulk up and gel naturally, they easily thicken your jam without any additives. It’s really delicious. Not too sweet, and such a fun texture that is great for spreading on any multitude of things. Enough talking, let’s cook
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!