Lemon Poppy Seed Quinoa Pancakes

As promised here is the recipe!!! This one is inspired once again from Beatrice Peltre's cookbook La Tartine Gourmande I encourage everyone to get it, it's a wonderful way to dip your toes in the water of fine cooking....it is gourmet, yet not overwhelming as some cookbooks can be. Also feel free to be creative and use alternatives, for example maybe instead of the coconut milk I used in this recipe you could try almond milk or hazelnut milk. Really in the world of cooking the possibilities are endless don't be afraid to explore!
These pancakes utilize quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) which seems to be very popular right now with food savvy people around the world due to its high nutritional content. Quinoa originates from South America in Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru. It adds a wonderful texture to baked goods, but can also be wonderful on its own as a side dish or even in soup or salad. Need some help with how to cook with quinoa? Here are 15 wonderful recipes for quinoa from cooking light

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/cooking-with-quinoa-00412000073996/

ok ok now to the recipe...

Ingredients
1/3 cup of quinoa
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup almond meal
2 tbs blond cane sugar
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt
2 tbs poppy seeds
grated zest of one lemon
2 large eggs
1 cup of coconut milk
t tbs vegetable oil

Directions
In a mixing bowl measure out the quinoa, brown rice flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the coconut milk, and mix in one egg at a time (be careful not to over beat the eggs). Stir in the oil and add poppy seeds and mix until they are dispersed evenly through out the batter. Mix in the lemon zest (finely grated) and save some to garnish.
Heat a frying pan with some nonstick cooking spray, pour 1/4 cup portions of batter. Wait until bubbles form around the edges and then flip and cook 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with the extra lemon zest and serve with warm maple syrup. Bon App!

Quick Weekday Breakfasts

The morning is my personal favorite time of the day, there is something magical about the way the suns first rays light up the sky. A new day is a new start, a chance to try new things, meet new people,explore different places. While most of us are stuck in daily routines, be it school, work, or both chances are that "today" will most likely be like yesterday and the day before and the day before and so on. But the morning is prime time for dreamers like myself because there is always that slight chance that today could be different, no one really knows for certain what the start of each day will bring and perhaps this is why I have come to love mornings so much because there is a certain mystery and excitement to it. It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I am a firm believer of this philosophy. So here's a good question, why do so many people skip it?? Being a university student I completely understand what lack of sleep is, its much easier to stay in bed and hit snooze a few more times than to make the effort to get up and make some oatmeal.  But I assure you if you start to make that effort, over time it will become easier and eventually....enjoyable! Breakfast is a chance for you to set the tone and mood of your day. Instead of hitting snooze how about you treat yourself to one of these delicious quick breakfast options for your busy week day...you deserve it! Let your body and mind have a healthy start to the day as you ponder upon the question "What will today bring?"

Bonjour et Bon App!

Strawberry-Coconut Smoothie 

I found this one in the January issue of Whole Living, smoothies are a great way to start the day. Doesn't get much easier than tossing ingredients into a blender!

Makes 1 Serving

Blend one cup of frozen strawberries, 1 banana  2 Tbsp light coconut milk, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 3/4               cup water until smooth

Chai Steeped Oatmeal with Banana and Walnut

Everyone has had oatmeal, and it can get boring quick so I like to experiment with ways to keep it interesting and palate pleasing.

I like to use old fashioned quick cooking oats because you still get all that delicious texture as steel cut oatmeal, but don't have to cook it as long. Use your favorite brand of chai for this recipe, my personal favorite if mariage freres...but that is the tea snob in me. I realize that not everyone has french tea in their cupboards so any organic brand will work well for this. I say organic because I have found that if artificial ingredients are used in a chai blend it usually ends up tasting like liquid big red gum....yuck!

Steep the chai tea in one cup of water, when finished steeping add 1/2 cup of old fashioned quick cooking oats, a dash of salt and microwave for one minute. Add some fresh chopped bananas and walnuts et voila! Breakfast is served. Enjoy with some fresh juice or coffee, or maybe a side of Chai!

Blueberry Mint Smoothie

Again this one is from the January issue of Whole Living. I really enjoyed the flavor blends of this one, very unique. The mint really comes through making this smoothie extra refreshing and energizing.

Makes 1 Serving

Blend one cup frozen bluberries, 1/2 avocado (small one), 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, 1 tsp lemon juice (don't leave this out, it really brings the flavors together!), and 1/2 cup water until smooth.

My Rustic Apple Oat Muffins

In the winter there is a unique warmth that comes from a well used kitchen. It's hard to pinpoint what it is exactly that creates this aura, maybe the way the oven heats the house,or the circulating aroma of sweetness, or the way it brings my family together all of us eagerly awaiting to try my newest concoctions. These apple oat muffins are my newest invention, also gluten free as I am still experimenting with alternatives to traditional baking flour. I named them "Rustic" because  they taste deliciously earthy, using natural simple ingredients. These muffins are a great way to start your day and will surely lure all your housemates to the kitchen with tantalizing scents of cinnamon, apple, and toasted oats. A great addition to a brunch, or eat them on their own for a quick every day breakfast. After you bake them they are a great snack to have on hand for days after. Packed with protein and complex carbohydrates, I have been taking them with me on all my winter excursions, hiking, skiing, you name it!

View from China Peak ski resort in California, I enjoyed one of my apple muffins as a midday snack in between ski runs, practically had the whole mountain to myself that day! Ahhh the simple joys in life

                                                                                                                

Hiking trail at Squaw Leap (Auberry, CA). The muffins made a great addition to my picnic that day! So nice to bask in the sun and enjoy the fresh mountain air.

Now to the good stuff....The Recipe!

What you will need:

-2 large eggs
-1/2 packed cup of light brown sugar
-6 tbs of butter
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/2 cup Brown rice flour
-1/4 cup almond meal
-1/2 cup rolled oats
-Dash of seas salt
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup finely grated fuji apples (or other pink variety, this comes from two average sized apples)
-2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners (makes 12). 

In a bowl beat the eggs and the sugar, add the melted butter and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Next add in the oats, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda stirring well, but do not over beat the eggs. Finally after everything looks pretty even i.e. no lumps of flour, then add in the grated apple making sure it is evenly distributed throughout the batter. Now distribute the batter evenly among the muffin cases, batter should fill 3/4 of cup. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of oats. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Et voila, easy as that you are ready to enjoy the deliciousness of this tasty treat! Enjoy in the morning with some fresh juice, or maybe some tea. Or maybe as an apres-ski with some chocolat chaud! 

Stay happy, stay healthy, enjoy the small moments in life for those are what contribute to "the big picture"

-Until next time my friends, Bon App!

Chocolate; Je T'aime

It's hard to say when my love affair with chocolate first began. I've had a sweet tooth ever since I was a young girl, never one for craving a hamburger or pizza but always ready for dessert no matter what time of day. I suppose I started to understand the beauty and complexity of chocolate when I lived in France for a semester during college, maybe not just chocolate but food in general. The French take great pride in their gastronomy, they view food as extension of the soul, the heart, an art form that can be shared and enjoyed among friends and companions. For a young American girl this was an entirely new concept for me. In America it seems there are two extremes, over indulging in poor quality cheap food such as"MacDo" as the French call it, or eating cardboard-like substitutes and protein shakes to stay skinny. The French have absolutely no remorse for indulgence, in fact it's seen as the norm to be indulgent in quality foods but of course all with moderation.
One of my fondest memories of my experiences with chocolate would have to be the first time I went to La Maison du Chocolat in Paris. I walked in to an alternate universe where chocolate was treated like gold: granite counter tops above the glass case where the glorious chocolates rested, and OH the selection!! Chocolates with exotic peppers, fresh sea salt and caramels, complex ganaches, perfectly dusted truffles, the list goes on and on. I was in heaven, or at least my version of it anyway. Men in tuxes stood behind the counter delicately selecting the chocolates with their white gloved hands.....tres tres swanky. Only Paris can get away with this over-the-topness. Fifty euros later I had my glorious box of chocolate, I savored every bite...of course I shared as well! (Ok maybe just a little)
When I bake anything chocolate, I always turn to a French recipe for guidance, what can I say? When it comes to chocolate, the French have got it down everything from a tarte au chocolate to a pan au chocolate, it just doesn't get much better!

Buckwheat and Almond Chocolate Cake

This recipe is from one of my favorite cooks Beatirce Peltre, who is of course French! Her cookbook La Tartine Gourmande is a must have, she incorporates simple wholesome ingredients which accumulate to culinary works of art pleasing both the eyes and the taste buds! This cake is pure chocolate deliciousness but perfect for after the holidays because it is not too rich, and gluten free! So now you can have your cake and eat it too...Bon App!

What you need:
-9 inch round cake mold
-7 tablespoons unsalted butter; 100g;3 1/2oz (and more for the pan)
-100g bittersweet chocolate (70% or more cocoa) *don't go cheap on this, get a good quality chocolate such as Valrhona..No Hersheys!
-4 large eggs
-1/2 cup blond cane sugar
-Pinch of sea salt
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1/4 cup (35g;1 1/4 oz) buckwheat flour
-1/4 cup (30g;1oz) almond meal
*I've included weights if you have a cooking scale use that, it is far more precise than cup measurements

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F (180C), butter the cake mold and set aside. Place the butter and chocolate in a bowl and melt it in a bain-marie (this the french word for water bath). This is where you boil a pot of water and place another bowl over that pot so that the steam from the boiling water melts the chocolate and butter evenly. I personally never use this technique....microwaves are always useful. HOWEVER please use caution when using the microwave for every microwave is different and there is nothing worse or more sad than burnt chocolate. My advice is microwave for thirty second intervals and take out to stir the melted chocolate and butter until it has a silky smooth texture with no lumps.
In a mixer beat the eggs and sugar and sea salt, fold in the vanilla and melted chocolate mixture. Gently incorporate the flour and almond meal and work through until smooth. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the blade of a knife inserted into the middle comes out dry. Remove from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy right away for a warm chocolate treat, or save for later!Don't forget to share with family and friends! This cake pairs beautifully with an almond tea if you have it on hand, if not a chamomile blend is nice as well.
*If you want to kick up the chocolate level a notch try using Ghiradelli Twilight Delight (72% cocoa), I've baked with this many times and it never ceases to please

The Journey Begins

A blog about food, we've all heard it before right? Yes I suppose so, people write about dieting fads, "clean eating", victoria's secret model secrets, and so on and so on. Food can be regarded in many ways for example it can be seen as a way to get an end result, maybe some extra maca powder in your protein shake, it can be your best friend such as a bowl of warm tomato soup on a crisp winter day, or maybe an enemy secretly depositing fat in crevices of our body. How do you think of food?

Food for me food is an experience, a drama played out by the taste buds. The glue that holds together memories and sensations, a melody lingering about our daily lives. There is a spiritual warmth that comes from a fresh home cooked meal that cannot be mimicked by restaurants or frozen dinners. Food brings people together, a reason to set aside the stresses of the day what ever they may be.All my fellow bloggers I invite you to relax, indulge,explore,  and appreciate the art of food avec moi.