The Manliest Breakfast… Ever.

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Pinker, nuttier and manlier than your usual breakfast.

While this may not look like something that you could accurately call The Manliest Breakfast… Ever, it totally is (hence the title and boldness). These pink (purple?) steel cut oats might look a bit effeminate, but after eating a batch, you’ll realize that it’s more than just some foo foo breakfast.

This post and recipe were inspired by my new stomping grounds in Denver. I found out last week that this place has a certain, masculine reputation. In my month and a half here, I’ve found that it’s one of those undeniable truisms. And it’s something that a single lady would never want to deny. You see, here in Denver, there are many manly, burly, attractive men and they’re everywhere. As a matter of fact, they have a pretty precious name for the phenomenon: Menver.

I could write a caption comparing these pecans to manly naughty parts, but that would be in poor taste. Nuts.

I feel so at home in this place, where the active, outdoorsy, hippie, yogi, feminine, tomboyish, healthy thing is part of the norm. Everybody here loves to travel, learn, activate and explore. It’s the first place that I really feel like I can completely be myself, no matter who I’m around. Denverites are not only the friendliest people in America, they also seem to be extremely open minded, and are really willing to allow you to let your personality shift and grow. The other great thing about Menver is that all of the chicks drawn to this town are really like minded. And since there’s more than enough to go around, you don’t really get that catty competitive thing that goes on elsewhere.

Enough about how great Denver is though. Let’s talk about this pink vegan breakfast. What makes this stuff so manly isn’t the nuts, or even the steel cut oats (although both of those things scream masculinity). There’s a secret ingredient in this recipe that makes it super filling, and incredibly hardy.

It’s this stuff called Ultra Dense Breakfast Boost made by NudeFood. They’re a company out of Boulder and I’m sooo glad I found this stuff. Should I call it stuff one more time? Stuff!

NudeFood Breakfast Boost

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Steel Cut Oats
  • 3 1/2 Cups H20
  • 1/2 Cup Almond or Rice Milk
  • 3/4 Cup Pecans
  • 1/2 Cup Fresh or Frozen Cherries
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Tsp Cardamom
  • 1 Tblspn Ghee (optional)
  • Honey, Maple Syrup or Agave (optional: to taste)
  • NudeFood Breakfast Boost (see below)

Method:

  • Bring water to boil. Add oats. Stir.
  • Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the oats are tender. Stir continually so the oats don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • When the oats begin to thicken (about 15-20 minutes), add almond milk, pecans, cherries, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and ghee (optional). Stir until combined, and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
  • Remove from heat. If adding the Breakfast Boost, allow the oats to cool a bit before scooping a heaping tablespoon on top. The Breakfast Boost is a living food, and if the oats are too hot, it can kill the enzymes.

Probiotics never tasted so masculine.

Whats your favorite covertly manly breakfast?

Homemade Strawberry “Milk”

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I’ve spend most of my life fighting being a grown up. I’ve developed some rules over the years that have helped me win the fight thus far.

  1. Be your own fun factory: Do at least one activity a day that fills you with joy. This can range from the absolutely silly kind of fun (blowing bubbles, running through the lawn sprinkler, hula hooping) to the healthy kind (yoga, dancing, going for a long walk).
  2. Take the phrase “you’re not the boss of me” to heart: Yeah, be your own boss. It makes things a lot easier to avoid grown up-edness. There’s a difference between having an employer and having a boss. You can be employed, just don’t ever let anyone dictate your life.  It’s easiest to do this if you get a degree, and you don’t have many student loans, so apply for as many easy scholarships as you can before it’s too late.
  3. Drink tons of strawberry milk: Like, TONS. The properties in strawberry milk include anti-aging proponents of… Okay, I’m making that up, but it sure makes you feel like a kid again, especially if you whip out a straw and get bubble blowing crazy on it.

Since I had to go dairy-free due to an intolerance to lactose, I thought I would never again be able to partake in rule number three. But one afternoon, I was standing in the kitchen staring into my crystal ball (that’s what I call the fridge), and had one of those light bulb over the head experiences. I knew at that moment that I could make my own strawberry milk from the contents of my fridge. I knew at that moment that I was a genius. I knew then that I could create my own Neverland in a glass.

So this recipe is dedicated to father time, because he’s going to need all of the help he can get to make me grow up.

Strawberry Almond Milk

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups almond milk
  • 1/2-3/4 cup chopped strawberries
  • 2 teaspoons honey or 1 teaspoon agave
  • fresh mint (optional)
Method:
Blend!
What do you do to keep from growing up?

 

 

 

 

 

Baked Grapefruit With Pizazz

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A few weeks ago, I shared my love of baked grapefruit with you. I let you in on one of the simplest warm breakfast food secrets… You can put grapefruit in the oven and make it awesome. Shhhh. It’s our little secret. And you’re welcome, by the way. But now I’m going to share another secret with you. Baked grapefruit can be soooo much more than just  a simple, warm breakfast. It can be magical, versatile, delicious and complex. The great part is that even though you can make baked grapefruit a fancier affair, it takes virtually the same amount of time as cutting the thing in half and tossing it in your oven or toaster oven.

I just wanted to share one of my favorite recent combos that is inspired by some awesome upcoming life stuff. I’m getting ready to start teaching yoga. While plain baked grapefruit is a great light breakfast coming in at 100 calories for the entire fruit, it would work as a breakfast for tax accountant. But it’s not going to cut it when I’m doing yoga for several hours per day. I’m going to need something a little more substantial. So I’ve been experimenting with different add ons and toppings to bulk it up a little bit.

Enter… The Hearty Baked Grapefruit. With more muscle and flavor than it’s light and airy cousin, the plain baked grapefruit, this heartier version features toasted walnuts and tasty warm chopped figs covered in organic blue agave syrup and cinnamon. It’s by far the tastiest baked grapefruit I’ve ever laid my taste buds on.

Even though this has been my favorite so far, it’s not the only one that made my breakfast loving heart sing. I made a great Spice Girl Baked Grapefruit that was infused with cardamom and cinnamon (by infused, I mean that I rubbed the spices into the top before I baked it). I also made this bomb Jamacan Me Crazay Baked Grapefruit featuring bananas and dried coconut flakes. What can I say? I have fun with names.

What do you add to jazz up your grapefruit?

Quick Snack: Peanut Butter Date Balls

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I guess since the name of this blog is Scratch-N-Cook, I should probably make the peanut butter myself, and go to Tunisia and pick the dates with my own two hands. Then I should probably figure out what part of wheat the oats come from, pluck em off (if that’s possible) and squash them flat with my boot.

Because that, my friends, would be from scratch. But I’m not feeling up to it this week, because I’ve had a severe glitch in my sleep schedule. Perhaps the next time I make these, they’ll be a “slow snack” and I’ll write a post about the continental expedition that was necessary in order to make them.

This week, you’re getting the quick version. I’m just going to head to the grocery store and get whatever they have on the shelves. Then I’m going to spend, like, five minutes mixing them in a bowl, and another five minutes rolling them into little balls. After that, I’ll spend another five minutes eating. them. all.

Should I have said spoiler alert before I told you everything that was going to be in this post? Well… Delayed spoiler alert!

No? It doesn’t work that way?

Oh well. This little mixture is so easy that it doesn’t really deserve to be called a recipe. Then again, I saw a post that someone did about putting grapefruit in the oven. The genius said it was “baked grapefruit” and wrote an entire post about warming up half of a citrus fruit. What has the internet come to?

You’ll only need four ingredients to make these peanut butter snack balls and, in a pinch, you could probably get away with two. You could definitely add tons of other stuff. Nuts, coconut, and cocoa would all make great additions. You could play with variations of dried fruit as well. Man… Why do I keep putting the cart before the horse? I should probably let you know what went into these little bad boys first.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/4 dates
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Method:

  • Soooo easy. Mix it in a bowl.
  • Soooo easy squared. Roll the mixture into balls.
  • Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes

If you’re super busy completing police officer training, or studying for the GRE, these make a perfect morning, afternoon or midnight snack. Dang it. That should have gone at the beginning, shouldn’t it?

What do you put in your peanut butter balls?

National Potato Lover’s Day: Homemade Wedge Fries

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Here ye! Here ye! ‘Tis February 8th, 2012. And ’tis a special and gloooorious day! What? No? You don’t know why today is so special? Hint: read the title of this post. Still no? Check out the picture above… I’ll give you a minute to think about it.

There you go! It’s National Potato Lover’s Day. It’s that fine time of year when we celebrate the mighty spud that has kept this country up and running for centuries. Here are some fun facts about the potato via Foodimentary:

Potato Facts:

A. The word , potato, is derived from a Native American word “Batata”

B. The first cultivated potatoes date back to 500o BC in Peru. Originally, they were purple. When cooked they turn a deep blue color.

C. Most of the nutrients found in potatoes are in the skin.

D. Sweet potatoes are distant relatives of the common potato, while Yams are not potatoes at all, they  botanically are considered lilies.

E. The average American eats 140 pounds of potatoes per year.

F. The word spud actually means “to dig a small hole in the grown, similar to spade, a tool to dig small holes.

G.  The Spanish claim that they first introduced the potato to Europe in 1550 while the Irish say that it was in 1585 when Sir Walter Raleigh introduced the potato to Europe.

 

In honor of the Batata, we threw together some simple homemade wedge fries. They’re one of those great home made crowd pleasers. Even though they’re incredibly simple, people seem to get really impressed that you made french fries from scratch. Plus, it’s something that nearly everyone can eat. This is a gluten free and vegan recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb potatoes
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1/2 t dry italian seasoning
  • 1/2 t salt

Method

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Scrub the spuds and slice them into wedges.
  • Place them in a bowl and drizzle oil over the wedges.
  • Add seasoning and salt and toss to cover all of the potatoes.
  • Spread flat on a baking sheet and throw them in the oven for 10 minutes.
  • Turn them with a spatula.
  • Bake for another 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

How are you celebrating National Potato Lover’s day?

Vegetarian Rainbow Chard Breakfast

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Chard is one of those things that I’ve always loved, but never thought I wanted to cook at home. I really have no idea why. It’s pretty, hearty, versatile and it seems simple enough to prepare. But for some reason, I thought that if I committed to those big leafy greens when I was at the grocery store, they would end up going bad in my fridge for a few weeks because I didn’t know what to do with them.

Do I know myself? Of course I do. I got this giant, beautiful bunch of rainbow chard last week and it sat in the fridge for over a week. I actually think I was a little scared of it. I wanted to do something complicated and fancy with it, but all of my money’s going to a tax accountant this week. I wanted it to be a masterpiece, but I didn’t really have much time to work with. I wanted it to go bad already, so I wouldn’t have to look at it every time I opened the fridge. But alas, the chard held strong for over a week. It wilted a bit, but that’s what chard does when you cook it anyway.

So, I finally got the gumption to make some this morning. Yeah, I know when you think breakfast, you’re thinking chard. It’s a natural thought. I wasn’t in the mood for stirring up any steel cut oats, and I didn’t want to eat a lonely egg (it might get depressed), so I finally grabbed this out of the fridge and gave them a rinse. Then, I set about to winging a vegetarian breakfast recipe.

Ingredients (1 Serving):

  • 1 egg
  • 1 large handful of thickly chopped rainbow chard
  • 5 cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Method:

  • Add one teaspoon of olive oil to pan over medium heat. Toss in a handful of chard and season with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of water and saute for a few more minutes until the chard wilts completely.
  • Remove chard from pan. Use the same pan to fry an egg.
  • Remove egg from pan. Use the same pan to fry the tomatoes.
  • Plate it! Eat it!

Now that I’m all over my fear of chard, what else can I do with it? Any ideas?

Baked Grapefruit

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I’ll admit it. I’ve never been a huge fan of grapefruit. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve avoided the fruit like a big round plague. In order to make it even the least bit edible, I’ve always added a billion tablespoons of sugar. My mother eventually stopped buying them because she realized that Coco Puffs probably had more nutritional value than Grapefruit a la Corinne.

So when I randomly got stuck with a grapefruit this week, I was less than thrilled. Yes, I got stuck with a grapefruit. I can honestly say that I have never had a grapefruit forced into my world, so I’ve never been confronted with how much I dislike it. Alas, I don’t have a food wasting bone in my body, so I shoved it in the fridge and tried to gather the courage to eat the giant ball of sour-yuck (the technical term for grapefruit flavor).

The next day, I was trolling the interwebs for some recipe inspiration and I came across this pretty little blog. I eventually came across this beautiful post about baking grapefruit. Warm and sour sounded better than cold and sour. It also seemed like a great winter recipe. Hey, if I didn’t like it, maybe someone in the blogosphere is a grapefruit fiend. Maybe I would be helping them by giving them the inspiration to try their favorite citrus item in a new way.

This was a good cause. I was doing this for the readers of my vegan recipe blog,  for the world, for the future. Maybe that thought would make it a little easier to swallow.

So I grabbed the fruit from the fridge, sliced it in half and scored it. I dumped two teaspoons of brown sugar on the top (an improvement from the aforementioned billion teaspoons) and broiled it in the toaster oven.

I’ll always admit when I’m wrong, even if it means admitting when something I made didn’t turn out. That definitely wasn’t the case with this one. It’s proabably one of my new favorites for breakfast. The brown sugar seeps in and grapefruit is delightful when it’s warm. I was oh so wrong about you, grapefruit. I’m not to stubborn to admit it.

I thought that maybe my taste buds had changed, so I tried to dive into some raw grapefruit… nope. Still gross. So maybe I was kinda right about you grapefruit.

Have you ever baked your grapefruit? Are you a fan?

A Very Vegan Polenta Breakfast

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If you’re going to be on the run tomorrow morning, whether it be running from  to class, to work, or from the “five oh” (that’s what the kid’s call folks with jobs in criminal justice these days), I’ve got a rather quick breakfast idea for you.  If you haven’t concocted the perfect get away scheme, you should at least consider concocting the perfect get away breakfast. Ammirite?

This actually has more to do with planning ahead than just having a quick and easy breakfast recipe. Allow me to explain.

If you make a large batch of polenta tonight, you can use it as a staple grain in several of your meals this week. You could have creamy polenta tonight, make this breakfast tomorrow, add it to some broth and veggies to make some polenta stew for Monday night dinner, fry it up and top it with fried veggies for an awful-for-you late night snack, fry an egg on it for breakfast on Tuesday… Well, I could go on. And perhaps some day I will.

But for now, let’s talk about this sweet and simple breakfast idea that will warm your heart, fill your belly, and satisfy your morning sweet tooth (everyone has a morning sweet tooth, right?).

I fashioned this after my favorite oatmeal recipe from a vegan recipe blog. The polenta gives the dish an earthier taste. Polenta is granier than grits, heartier than oatmeal and cornier than the Andy Griffith Show. Or I guess it would be more fitting to say that Polenta is cornier than that joke I just made about the Andy Griffith show.

If you have the polenta pre-made this will only take you 5-10 minutes. If you’re making it from scratch, you may want to give yourself about 40 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked polenta
  • 2 apples
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 3 T Honey
  • 2 T Maple Syrup
  • 2 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 t cloves
  • 1/2 t cardemom

Method:

  • Slice the apples and combine them with the almond milk, honey and spices in a medium sized pot over med heat. Cook until the apples are soft, stirring occasionally.
  • Add cooked polenta and turn heat to low. Heat and stir until polenta is smooth and creamy.
  • Top with maple syrup.

 

The Un-disgusting Chili

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My original purpose in wanting to cook foods from scratch was to avoid excessive sodium that goes into many packaged foods.  I actually did not start cooking “real” food until after our first child was born.  Prior to becoming a mother, the extent of my cooking included making toast and cereal.  I have since expanded my kitchen skills.

Robert, my husband, thoroughly disgusted me with his love of canned chili.  I just happened to glance at the sodium content on the can – 1,200 milligrams of sodium per serving – YIKES!  With two servings in each can, that puts your sodium content to at least 2,400 milligrams just for one meal.  Keep in mind that the daily recommended consumption of sodium is around 1,500 milligrams, but should not exceed 2,300 milligrams per day.

My first successful mission was in creating homemade chili without the processed junk, thus eliminating most sodium.

Go grab these ingredients.  No weird food stuffs here – just good vegetables, meat, and some seasonings.

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

3-4 tomatoes – chopped

16 oz. pinto beans – cooked

¼ c. green pepper – chopped

½ c. onion – chopped

½ c. carrots – sliced

½ c. celery – chopped

1 clove garlic – minced

1/8 tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. chili powder

Soak those dried beans overnight then cook them according to the package.  Do not even think about using a can of pre-cooked beans!  You are looking at 350 milligrams of sodium in canned beans versus 15 milligrams in dry beans.  Take the time to soak and simmer those frijoles!

Brown and rinse off the meat.  Mix all of the ingredients together into a large stock pot.  Stir well, cover, and simmer for about an hour.  It will look dry at first, but the juices in the tomatoes will eventually moisten up the rest of the ingredients.  Add a couple tablespoons of water if you are really concerned about the moisture.  Lift the lid occasionally to stir and inhale the amazingly fresh aroma!

We get about 10 decent sized servings out of this recipe.  The total sodium content here is around 450 milligrams.  It’s fresh, delicious, and freezes well also.  Eat up without the potential after effects of excessive sodium.

Whole Wheat Goldfish

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I have recently discovered that many processed snack foods can be made from scratch using fairly common ingredients.  My latest snacking passion – a whole wheat replica of Goldfish crackers.  Get ready for the warm and cheesy goodness to fill your house with these addicting crackers!

Five Simple Ingredients
1 c. whole wheat flour
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 oz. sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Pour whole wheat flour into a food processor.  Cut the butter and cheese into chunks and add them to the flour.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top.  Pulse the food processor until the ingredients look like corn meal.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the mixture and pulse the blades until the dough starts to stick to the sides or form a ball.  Gather all of the dough to form a large ball, enclose it in plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

After the dough has chilled, go ahead and preheat your oven turning it to 350 degrees.  The key to getting crispy crackers is to roll the dough out very thin.  Aim to roll it out until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick.  You can use a very small cookie cutter to give the crackers a distinct shape.  I prefer to use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter.  After the dough is rolled out, simply run the wheel vertically and horizontally through the dough creating small squares.  Now the tedious part – put all of those little squares on a baking stone.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

If your crackers come out soft, bake them for a few more minutes.  If the crackers are still soft or chewy, you will probably have to roll out the dough thinner.  These crackers keep well in a sealed plastic container for a couple weeks.  For another variation of this recipe, add ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder to the dough before processing the ingredients.  This will add a nice zing to the flavor!

Anyone from your toddler to the college student pursuing their master’s degree online can appreciate this healthy and easy-to-make alternative to processed snack foods.  Using whole wheat flour in the recipe can help increase the amount of fiber and magnesium in your diet – just a couple benefits of using 100% whole wheat flour in your cooking.

Crock Pot Yogurt

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Making homemade yogurt is a simple process that produces plentiful results.  Anyone from students to the busy administrative assistant will enjoy this easy recipe.

Start with a clean crock pot.  It is easy to leave dried-on residue in your crock pot from cooking other foods.  However, make sure it is very clean prior to starting the yogurt process.  You will need milk, a small container of store bought yogurt for a starter, and fruit or sweetener to add flavor.

1. Pour ½ gallon (8 cups) of milk into the crock pot.
2. Cook the milk on the low setting for about 2 ½ hours.  Do not lift the lid while the milk is heating.
3. Turn the crock pot off and let the milk set for 3 hours.  Again, keep the lid on.
4. Remove about 2 cups of the heated milk and put it into a separate bowl.  Quickly replace the lid to the crock pot.
5. Add 6 ounces of plain yogurt with active cultures to the milk in the separate bowl and stir until smooth.
6. Pour this mixture back into the crock pot, stir briefly, put the lid back on, and cover the entire crock pot with a heavy towel for insulation.
7. Let the crock pot sit for about 8 hours while the milk and yogurt thicken.
8. Add pureed fruit or sweetener to the finished product.

Start with whole milk if this is your first time making yogurt at home.  This will give the yogurt a thicker consistency as homemade yogurt tends to be somewhat thinner than yogurt purchased from a store.  Avoid using skim milk for this process.  To make a thicker consistency, you can add non-fat dried milk or unflavored gelatin to the crock pot while you are stirring in the store bought yogurt.

Your homemade yogurt will last about a week in the refrigerator.  You can also store it in the freezer and thaw out in the fridge when ready to eat.  The milk will separate, so just stir the yogurt a bit to get it back to its regular consistency.

This has become a staple in our house!  Not only is this a budget friendly way to make a delicious snack, but the health benefits of yogurt are amazing.  Yogurt is filled with helpful bacterial that can support digestive health.