Breakfast Quinoa: Also Better Than It Sounds

I'm also trying to cook more new recipes out of GP's It's All Good cookbook so when I had extra quinoa in the fridge, I looked in her book for something to try. I ended up making her breakfast quinoa the last few days. It's so simple - cooked quinoa warmed with almond milk and topped with chopped banana and syrup. I will definitely make this again. It was so satisfying. 

Tofu Tacos: Way Better Than They Sound

I'm trying to cook more out of The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook so last week I tried the recipe for Asian Tofu Tacos with Hoisin Slaw. They were way better than I expected and I was so excited for leftovers the next day. My only change would be to spoon the sauce on rather than mixing with the cabbage. I did it both ways and liked having it separate. Besides, the sauce is what makes these so good. My kids even ate their own versions of this (tofu and pear wrapped in crisp tortilla). Can't wait to make these again.

Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

My friend Julianne got me the beautiful and inspiring cookbook, The Sprouted Kitchen. I love it. My friend Marion cooks out of it all the time so I asked for some recommendations. She said she loved the Roasted Cauliflower Capellini so I made that tonight. It was so good. Better than I would have expected for how simple the ingredients were. 

I served with Heather Christo's Kale Salad with Lemon, Almonds & Pecorino and roasted asparagus. It was such a good dinner. Perfection.

My only changes to the recipe:

I used half whole wheat spaghetti and half regular spaghetti. Marion suggested toasted pine nuts instead of hazelnuts so I made that change too. Other than that I followed the recipe and loved it.

Banana Muffins

One of my very first posts was about my grandma's banana muffins. I love them. Ever since my friend Shannon revised my zucchini bread recipe and made it a bit healthier, I've been thinking I should do the same with these. Not knowing how, I reached out to my friend Marion and she gave me some simple adjustments to make them healthier without sacrificing their great flavor. Just made these and they are delicious. I did 3 versions (of course)... 1/3 plain, 1/3 with chocolate chops and 1/3 with chopped walnuts. The plain ones turned are great so I imagine the others are even better. We'll eat plain or nut for breakfast and chocolate chip for dessert. My kids go crazy for this stuff.

Grandma Tess's Banana Muffins

Adapted by Marion

1/4 c butter

1/4 c coconut oil (or a little less even)
1 c sugar (or a little less even)

1/2 cup apple sauce
2 eggs beaten
1 c white flour

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/4 almond flour/meal
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 c almond milk 

1/2 t lemon juice
1 c mashed over-ripe banana
1 t vanilla
½ c nuts, optional

½ c chocolate chips, optional

Mix in order given. Butter muffin pans or use paper muffin cups. Fill muffin pans 2/3 full (you might end up with extra batter but don’t fill tins too high). Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes.

This batter made 18 muffins for me. 

Serve Well Chilled

Photo Credit: Bogart Loves

My friend Ali introduced me to Lillet and ever since I've been hooked. I order Lillet cocktails everywhere I go and serve them at my house a lot. Everyone who tries them falls in love. Here are a few versions I enjoy. Once you buy a bottle you can find lots of other Lillet cocktails online.

The Lillet Cocktail

Lillet on the rocks, splash of soda and an orange twist

Fiesta Lillet 

Lillet on the rocks, few splashes of prosecco, orange twist

Essex Lillet Cocktail

Rosé Lillet on the rocks, green olive and an orange twist

Two More to Try

My friend Jen told me about two more good recipes from Gwyneth's It's All Good cookbook so I tried them today. The first was the Best Green Juice which I made to go with lunch and it was quite delicious. It is something I could get used to drinking every day. For dinner I made the Braised Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon. It was really good. Jen said to serve with brown rice so you have something for the sauce. I did that and steamed broccoli and it was all so good together. I used four whole chicken legs so I doubled the sauce. Next time I will make sure they are each cut into thighs and drumsticks because I imagine it will cook better. After I took the rest of the meat off the bones, I used the bones for a small batch of chicken stock which always makes me happy.