Breakfast in a jar

Do you like those fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cups? Well this is the homemade version, which makes it superior to the store-bought alternative. You can mix in your favorite granola, add extra fruit or top with sunflower seeds.

A great thing about this breakfast—other than it being healthy & delicious—is it packs well. Simply store in a small mason jar, throw in your bag, and dash to work. It's great for those that bike too.

When I saw this recipe for blueberry chia jam, I knew I had to make it. Angela's right, this stuff is magical. It's sweetened with maple syrup instead of white sugar, which I love.

This is simple. Layer blueberry chia jam, organic plain yogurt, and muesli or granola. Then repeat until full. That's it. Enjoy now or pack for a healthy breakfast or afternoon snack. And if you have any leftover jam, I'm sure it would be magical on toast with cashew butter. Yum.

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. 

The perfect fall lunch

It's amazing how our bodies react to cooler weather. We tend to yearn for warm foods like soups and stews instead of cold salads and raw foods. Warming spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg seem to find their way into our soups, coffees and baked goods. Pumpkin-spiced latte anyone?

This dish is the perfect fall lunch or dinner. Caramelizing the onion not only makes this dish taste better, but also heartier. It also takes advantage of those winter squashes that are popping up all over the market—acorn, butternut, kabocha, spaghetti or pumpkin. Feel free to substitute the acorn squash in this dish for your favorite winter squash.

Kale with squash, chickpeas, caramelized onions and cilantro-yogurt dressing
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 T olive oil
1 bunch kale, washed
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
dash of pepper
dash of red chili flakes
1 acorn squash, cooked and cut into cubes
1 c cooked chickpeas
1 T cilantro, minced
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp tahini

1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped

1/2 c yogurt

In a saute pan over low heat, add 1 T olive oil. Add a dash of sea salt and the onions. Let cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It's best if you walk away from the stove and start prepping the kale, so you won't be tempted to stir. The onions should slowly start to brown and caramelize.

Destem the kale leaves with your hands. Keep the stems and dice small. Take the leaves, roll them, and slice thinly into a chiffonade (very thin slices). Heat remaining 1 T of olive oil over low-to-medium heat. First add the kale stems (since they take longer to cook than the leaves), then add the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, stirring frequently. About five minutes later, add the kale leaves. If the leaves start to stick to the pan, add a little water. Cook for a few minutes or until the kale starts to wilt. Add the garlic cloves, cooking until fragrant and remove from heat. The kale will cook down to about half the size it was, when you put it into the pan.

In a large bowl, add the squash and chickpeas. In a small bowl mix together the cilantro, lemon juice and tahini. Pour over the squash and chickpeas, and mix carefully.

Blend the cilantro and yogurt until smooth.

To assemble, start with a bed of kale. Add the squash and chickpea mixture and top with caramelized onions. Drizzle the dressing around the dish.

Makes about 4 servings

Snack on this: strawberry yogurt

I know what you're thinking. Strawberry yogurt? That's not special. But I think it is.

Stop a minute and think about the yogurt aisle at your local grocery store. How many flavors and types of yogurt do you see? Key lime pie, strawberry cheesecake, banana cream pie, and even chocolate. These processed yogurts are usually high in sugar and the fruit doesn't taste like real fruit. Instead of buying the packaged variety why not make you're own with fresh, whole ingredients?

It's simple. Fill a bowl with organic plain yogurt and add your favorite fresh fruit. I chose strawberries because the farmers' markets are overflowing with them right now (excited for blueberries and peaches next). If you're not a plain yogurt fan, stir in a big drizzle of honey and a dash of cinnamon. You can puree the fruit and mix into the yogurt, if you prefer a smoother texture. This is a great snack packed with protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Enjoy!