French Toast for Two

The weather has been so awful lately- all rainy, foggy, and cold. Its time to snuggle for sure.

What's a quick, easy meal to make for you and your favorite snuggling partner? French toast of course! Warm syrup is seriously the best.

French Toast for Two

1 egg
1 tbsp soymilk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp flaked coconut
4 slices of sandwich sized bread
Topping:
1 apple sliced very thin
1 tsp butter
1 tsp water
+ whipped cream/ cinnamon/ warm maple syrup

Preheat oven to warm.
Mix egg, soy milk, and cinnamon in a flat bowl, like a pasta bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix the coconut and ground flax seeds. Spray a warm skillet with cooking spray.
Dip both sides of the bread slices. Sprinkle both sides of the eggy bread with the coconut/ flax mixture. Place in the warm skillet to cook on both sides until golden brown.
Place the french toast slices on an oven-safe plate and put in the oven to keep warm.
In the same pan, sauté the water, butter, and apples until soft.
Stack two pieces of toast on each plate, top each with half of the apple slices. Add warm syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and whipped cream!
Serve warm snuggled with your favorite person!

xoxo Sam

Best Beet Salad

I love beets and I have loved them for a really long time. There is something about their abilities to taste wild and earthy while being versatile enough to handle all of the cooking methods like pickling, boiling, roasting, sautéing, or raw that really draws me in!

In fact, my most favorite kind of hummus is HUMM! Roasted Beet hummus (which you should try if you like beets too). I was eating this hummus while creating the Best Beet Salad recipe. 

Its a BEET you should seriously try because IT'S A HIT. (I couldn't help myself.)

Best Beet Salad

1/2 cup of brown rice

1 1/4 cup veggie broth

4 medium sized beets, cut in to half inch chunks

1/2 tsp Monteal steak seasoning

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup diced cheese, like fontanella

Dressing:

2 tbsp minced, fresh dill

1 tsp whole grain mustard

juice of 1/2 lemon

4 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Start the rice by lightly toasting the rice in 1 tbsp olive oil, in a small sauce pan. Add the veggie broth, turn the burner to medium low, and cover with a lid. Follow package directions, but mine cooked about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and toss on the beets. Lightly spray them with cooking spray as well and sprinkle with the Montreal steak seasoning. Bake for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Mix the dill, mustard, lemon, 3 tbsp olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste.

Add the tomatoes, warm rice, warm beets, and cheese chunks to the dressing and toss together.

Serve warm or cold! So yummy!

xoxo Sam

Side Stuffed Peppers

I love going to Mexican restaurants. They have some of my favorite things- fresh salsa, tortilla chips, melty cheese, and margaritas. YUM!

I currently live in a part of the city with no Mexican restaurants nearby, so unless I want to have some margs and stumble back to my house on public transit, I have to make Mexican food at home. 

One of my favorite side kicks to a taco or burrito is refried beans with melty cheese on top! So in the spirit of light but hardy wintertime foods, Side Stuffed Peppers were born.

Side Stuffed Peppers

1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/4 cup veggie broth
3 medium sized green peppers, cut in half, seeds/ stems removed
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp taco seasoning
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 can vegetarian refried beans
3 slices of cheese (like provolone or cheddar)
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Start the rice by lightly toasting the rice in 1 tbsp olive oil, in a small sauce pan. Add the veggie broth, turn the burner to medium low, and cover with a lid. Follow package directions, but mine cooked about 30 minutes.
Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and arrange the 6 pepper halves inside. Lightly spray them with cooking spray as well and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake for 20 minutes.
In another small sauce pan, soften the onion and garlic with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the taco seasoning, smoked paprika, and refried beans. Stir until warmed through.
Remove the pepper halves from the oven. Add about 1 tbsp of cooked rice to the bottom of each pepper. Add about 1.5 tbsp of refried beans on top of the rice. Top with 1/2 slice of cheese.
Bake for 5 more minutes. Then place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly.
Serve with your favorite taco toppings, like chopped tomatoes and guacamole. (I bought guacamole instead of making it because I didn't feel like making it- thanks Whole Foods.)

xoxo Sam

Apple Walnut Custards

Happy New Year, friends!!

If you know me, you know that I always have a random apple hanging around, slowly dying on my food shelf. So I wanted to make something that wouldn't scare away the New Year's Resolutioners and wouldn't turn away the peeps out there that also just don't give AF.

Here's a sweet thing that isn't really a sweet thing, its kind of just a lovely custard surprise.

Apple Walnut Custards

3.5 very ripe bananas
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon + extra to sprinkle
1 tbsp ground flax
1 large apple, washed well and diced small, microwaved for 1 minute
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups well.
In a blender, mix the bananas, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and ground flax until smooth.
Evenly distribute the diced apple and walnuts in each muffin cup. Sprinkle with a small amount of cinnamon. Evenly distribute the banana egg batter into each cup.
Bake for 14-16 minutes until the centers don't jiggle. Serve warm or cold!

For the original recipe check out Valerie Bertinelli.

xoxo Sam

Fruit Goo

I love fruity yogurt in individual-sized cups, but the amount of sugar in those little guys is just too much for me!

In order to be less wasteful and to eat less sugar, Fruit Goo to the Rescue! It honestly couldn't be simpler to make and you won't believe how yummy breakfast can be with less sugar!

Fruit Goo

3 cups frozen berries

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp chia seeds

big tub of plain yogurt (Greek or regular)

In a microwave safe bowl, defrost the berries in the microwave for 2 minutes. 

Stir the berries and start to squish them with a fork.

Microwave for 2 more minutes.

Squish the berries with a fork until they are a pulpy texture. Stir in the honey and chia seeds.

Using a tupperware, layer the yogurt and fruit goo in your desired ratio. I do 1 tbsp fruit goo, 2 heaping tbsp Greek yogurt until my container is full. 

I take my fruity yogurt to work with a big container of granola and make a little parfait in a coffee mug or a bowl!

It makes my morning so much better, so pick a fruit you like and try it too!

xoxo Sam

Orange Pom Muffins

As I've mentioned before, I receive a random bunch of fruits and veggies in a box each week.

Last week, I had an orange and a pomegranate and I didn't want to just eat them with yogurt! So naturally, my dear mother suggested that I make muffins with them! (She's a smart cookie.)

Orange Pom Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric (or pumpkin pie spice or ground ginger)
1/2 cup sugar
zest from 1 orange
2 flax eggs (or 2 real ones)
1 tbsp chia seeds
2/3 cup soy milk
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup orange juice pulp (I just peeled the orange, took out the seeds, and blended until smooth in the blender.)
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup oats
+ pomegranate seeds to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your flax eggs in a medium sized bowl + the chia seeds.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, turmeric, and sugar into a large bowl. Add the orange zest and stir.
Add the soy milk, oil, orange pulp to the flax/ chia eggs.
Add the wet guys to the dry guys and stir until combined. Gently fold in the pomegranate seeds and oats.
Spray muffin pans with non-stick spray and spoon the batter into the cups about halfway. Sprinkle 5-6  pomegranate seeds in top of each muffin.
Bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Serve warm or room temp with a smear of butter and a drizzle of honey.

Yay muffins!

To get the original version, check out Food.com!
xoxo Sam

Pizza Zoodle Soup

Yes, you can have pizza in your soup and eat it too.

No bread was used in the making of this recipe. (I know all of the people scared of bread will be so happy, but I was not making this for them.)

After making about 145+ pizza boats over the past few years, it was time to reintroduce the same ingredients in a way that is equally as comforting and palatable.

Pizza Zoodle Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped finely
22ish slices pepperoni, chopped finely
1/2 red pepper, chopped finely
1 pint cherry tomatoes, blended in the blender or food processor
1/2 cup wine (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes (I use the garlic & basil flavor)
4+ cups water
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen greens (I used dandelion)
1 large zucchini or summer squash, shaved into noodles
salt & pepper & Italian seasoning

In your favorite soup pot, warm the olive oil, garlic, and onions for a minute. Then add the pepperoni. Sauté until the fat is rendered. Then add the red pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the cherry tomato puree, and cook for about 5 minutes until some of the water has evaporated.
Add the wine, canned tomatoes, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer.
Add the zucchini noodles, beans, and greens. (If the noodles are not submerged, add more water.) Adjust seasonings to taste.
Simmer until the noodles are just tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Serve with a nice sprinkle of cheese!

YUM! Let me know if you give it a try!

xoxo Sam