Tag: Breakfast

Check for Chickpea(flour)

IMG_7398The fall might be seem like lightyears away, but we have already started to look at delicious, tasty and inviting cookbooks that we hope to sell at our book fair later this year. As you know, I’m always on the lookout for lesser known authors who put extra thoughts into creating recipes for the home chef that are doable on a weeknight while still being nutritious, delicious and satisfying. One such book I really like is Chickpea Flour Does It All by Lindsey S. Love who is also the creator of Dolly and Oatmeal.

Garbanzo – or chickpea flour – is made from finely ground, dried chickpeas. It has all the characteristics I am looking for in a flour: it’s gluten-free, grain-free, low-glycemic, and exceptionally high in protein. While relatively new in Western Cuisine, it has been used for centuries in Mediterranean, Indian and Southeast Asian cooking. I’ve written about making Farinata with chickpea flour before. The reason I prefer it to other more main-stream gluten free flour options is that it has a taste that reminds me of whole wheat flour, which I love. Many of the flour alternatives are just starchy fillers without much flavor. What do you think of it?
This cookbook contains a collection of recipes that focus entirely on this versatile and nutritious ingredient. I’ve tried the Sweet Crepes, the Mango Poppy Seed Cornmeal Muffins and want to share with you a Dutch Baby that was inspired by a recipe in the book. You can whip it up in a jiffy and it bakes while the kids are still waking up. What a perfect way to start these gorgeous summer days. Come and cook with us!

Whole Lot of Whole Grains

IMG_4708Sure, there is a difference between cooking and baking and while I feel comfortable cooking up pretty much anything, I get a little more hesitant when it comes to baking. Not so with this amazing Seeded Whole Grain Soda Bread. I know it’s way past March 17th, but this version of a soda bread deserves to be baked more than just once a year. Come and cook with us!

Compared to the (gluten and gluten free) sourdough breads I experiment on a regular basis – and to varying success, this whole grain soda bread is really easy and quick to bake. It is packed with lots of whole grains including quinoa, millet, amaranth and oats and is inspired by a recipe I found on Bon Appetit. It’s amazingly moist and chewy and has become an instant favorite at my house. It’s great on its own, with butter and jam for breakfast, but also with scrambled eggs or hummus or smoked salmon. The options are endless.

The whole grains in the recipe are truly whole, with the exception of the oats, that are rolled. To soften their texture ahead of baking, soak the grains in buttermilk for 8-12 hours. Yes, this means that baking this bread needs a little planning on your side, but nothing too serious or time-intensive. We can absolutely do this! It bakes in squares in my favorite cast-iron pan so I usually freeze what we don’t eat on the first turn around to defrost and toast the rest on the following day or later in the week.

If you or someone in your family likes bread, give this Seeded Whole Grain Soda Bread a try and let us know what you think. Come and cook with us!

Seeded Whole Grain Soda Bread

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Chia Seed Muffins Worth Baking

IMG_1350Let’s just say that there are days when I crave these muffins.  They are not just plain old muffins. They are special. When we lived back in New York city, a particularly hard stretch would be rewarded with one of these Chia Seed Muffins from Le Pain Quotidien. They have that dense, flavorful chocolatey and not too sweet taste that is just right for me. After some research – and testing – I finally found what I think are the most divine muffins that there are. Come and cook with us!

I have to preface this week’s recipe with the fact that these delicious muffins are not gluten free. They use whole wheat pastry flour that has less gluten than bread or regular flour, but are still not gluten free. For a GF variety, a ready-to-use GF flour mix such as King Arthur GF Flour or Cup 4 Cup GF flour are all great alternatives that still make this muffins a total success.

Let me know what you think of these Chia Seed Muffins. Finally, I don’t have to bribe my husband to bring me a few whenever he is visiting a city that has a Le Pain Quotidien. Instead, I can bake my own. And now you can, too! Come and cook with us!

Chia Seed Muffins

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An Ode to Oats

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I like a personal challenge, particularly when it involves food. So when my son invited a few friends to a sleep over, I resisted the immediate gratification I would receive from indulging them with a breakfast of pancakes, doused in syrup with a side of bacon. Imagine those happy faces. Instead, I decided to make oatmeal. And guess what? They all loved it! Yes, sure, bacon sells, but so do oats! Come and cook with us! Continue reading “An Ode to Oats”

Simply Sardines

photo 6There are foods that one either loves or hates, and I’m pretty sure that sardines fall into that category for many of us. I happen to love them – it must be my mediterranean upbringing – but I encourage everyone to give them a try as they are high in all the good stuff! This week, we’d like to entice you all to eat a few more sardines, probably one of the healthiest and most convenient foods on the planet! Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Simply Sardines”