Friday Favorites with Megg Salad

Today's Friday Favorites is with Megan of Megg Salad. I first found her blog through Sarah's recipe contest last December. Megan won the contest with her wholesome cranberry pear tart.  Megan is a health coach, and she shares healthy recipes and tips for eating and living healthy on her blog. Follow Megan or sign up for her spring detox to find that balance you've been looking for.

Megan, what's your favorite food?

Megan: I'd have to say my favorite food hasn't changed since I was a kid—pure and simple strawberries. 

Thanks Megan!

I'm headed to my parents' for the weekend. We're celebrating my younger sister's birthday and my brother's return from a six-month deployment. That gave me the perfect excuse to make this chocolate bundt cake. I used Foothills People's Porter as the beer—a local brewery my sister likes—and made it in a cake pan (I don't own a bundt cake pan). The remaining batter was made into cupcakes, topped with crushed hazelnuts and cinnamon. Hey, someone had to taste them before we cut into the cake tonight! A deep, malty chocolate, not overly sweet. I think it's ok to indulge every now and again, and this is just the occasion for it. Have a great weekend!

Rosemary yogurt biscuits

The past few weeks have been crazy at work. I haven't had much time for anything else, so I was determined to spend most of the weekend in the kitchen away from the computer. I wanted to prep for the week, so I would have healthy snacks and lunches ready to go. I made almond butter, red beans for tacos, beets with ginger & orange, pickled carrots, granola bars, yogurt cheese, and a big veggie stir fry with rice. Whew. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time washing dishes too.

I made these rosemary yogurt biscuits for breakfast yesterday. They were perfect on a cold Sunday morning. I had a few friends (via instagram) ask for the biscuit recipe, so here it is.

This recipe was adapted from Heidi's yogurt biscuits from Super Natural Everyday. I dog-eared the recipe when I received the cookbook last year for my birthday. I had forgotten about it until I was flipping through the book on Saturday night. I decided they were just the comforting breakfast I needed. Being from the South, biscuits are more than just breakfast, they remind me of being a kid. Two older ladies, Grace and Katherine, watched my siblings and I when we were very young. Every meal was homemade and from the garden, and there were always hot biscuits on the table. My biscuits are a little different from what Grace and Katherine would have made, but I think they would approve.

I love adding herbs and spices to savory baked goods and breads. It's a great way to get an extra dose of goodness (vitamins & minerals) in your meals. Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs, especially in the winter months. Plus it has a long shelf-life even when purchased fresh. Rosemary is a warming, culinary and medicinal herb. It's recommended for headaches, fatigue, poor appetite, low blood pressure, and bad circulation. Apparently rosemary tea is a natural alternative to aspirin for treating headaches, fever, and gas. Next time a headache arises, I think I'll try this natural remedy instead.

Rosemary yogurt biscuits
Adapted from Super Natural Everyday
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick of butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
2/3 c plain full fat yogurt (don't use nonfat)
1 tsp rosemary, minced

Preheat oven to 450. Place baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl (or food processor). Add the chilled butter cubes and cut into the dough with a pastry cutter or your hands (or pulse about 8 times). You want pea sized chunks, not fine sand. Add the yogurt and rosemary and stir well (or pulse) until just combined.

Remove the dough from the bowl (or food processor) and roll onto a well-floured surface. Knead a few times and roll out into a square. Cut in half and stack the layers on top of one another. Roll out again (I used my hands). Repeat this a few times. This stacking will help form those flaky layers. Finally roll the dough out about .75 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut into 8 small round biscuits. If you don't have a biscuit cutter, use a glass or just cut into squares.

Place biscuits on the warm baking sheet about half an inch apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bottoms have lightly browned. Remove from heat and eat immediately.

These biscuits were perfect on a cold Sunday morning after a run. We ate them with scrambled eggs and a dash of Siracha.

Source: Wood, Rebecca. The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, 2010. 

An inspiring read and homemade bread

I just wanted to check in and tell you to read this inspiring book (and to make this homemade bread, more below). If you're a runner this book is a must. And if you need some motivation or if you just like great stories, this is for you. I spent 3 days over the holiday devouring this book. It made me want to throw off my shoes, hit the trails, and run for hours and hours.

If you've already read it or maybe you've been looking for an easy, tasty bread recipe, then try Heidi's oat soda bread recipe.

It's excellent right alongside that bowl of soup or smeared with jam for a snack. It's not fussy. It doesn't require a lot of ingredients or mad baking skills, and it can be ready within an hour or so. You probably have all the ingredients on hand already. If you don't have buttermilk, make your own by adding 1 tbsp of lemon or vinegar to 1 cup of milk (non-dairy works too). Oh if you don't have oats, try her similar six-seed soda bread. Your friends will be impressed.

Both book and bread would make excellent Christmas gifts. Who can resist a warm slice of homemade bread?