Tag Archives: breakfast

spelt crepes stuffed with cheese, back bacon and mushrooms

19 Saturday Oct 2013

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spelt crepe

This is what we had for brunch today after our morning hike. I filled the first two crepes with a mixture of sautéed ham and mushrooms then added mozzarella and asiago cheese and a pinch of dried basil. I served these with a side of salad. The remaining crepes were enjoyed sweetened with an assortment of our homemade fruit syrups. Delicious!

spelt crepes

Spelt Crepes

1 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1-1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil for the pan

Stir flour and salt together in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the eggs and a little of the milk. Beat well, working in all of the flour. Gradually add the remaining milk and beat mixture until bubbles form on top of the batter.

Over medium high heat, brush a small amount of oil onto a crepe pan (or nonstick pan). Add three to four tablespoons of the batter and quickly tilt the pan to move the batter around in a circle until it covers the base of the pan thinly and evenly. Turn the crepe over and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Keep crepes in a warm oven under a clean tea towel. Continue until all of the batter is used. Serve with a sweet or savory topping. Makes 8 crepes.

spelt crepes

crepe1crepe3

Resource:

Norwak, M. (1988). The Book of Crepes and Omelettes. New York, NY: HPBooks.

broccoli and cheese quiche with a grated potato crust

30 Monday Sep 2013

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broccoli and cheese quiche

Quiche can be enjoyed anytime of the day… breakfast, brunch, lunch or with a glass of white wine and fresh garden salad for dinner. I enjoy making quiche as there are so many other filling ingredients to experiment with. For example, adding wild mushrooms, dandelion leaves, feta cheese, diced artisan sausage or yellow and orange bell peppers for more color. Here is a great alternative using grated potatoes instead of pastry for the crust.

Broccoli and Cheese Quiche with a Grated Potato Crust

For the Crust:

3 cups grated potato combined with 1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 425*F. Grease a 10-inch pie plate.

Allow the grated potatoes and salt to sit for 10 minutes before squeezing the excess liquid out in a clean tea towel. In a large bowl, combine the dried potatoes, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and melted butter.

Press the mixture in an even layer into the bottom and up the sides of the greased 10-inch pie plate. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before adding the quiche mixture.

quicheFor the Filling:

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups broccoli florets, diced

1/2 large red bell pepper, diced

5 large eggs

1 cup milk

1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large frying pan over medium heat, saute the onion, garlic. broccoli and red pepper in butter until the onion is transparent and the broccoli is bright green, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to the potato crust, making sure that there is an even layer of vegetables.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables in the potato crust.

Bake in a 350*F oven or until golden brown on top and the egg mixture is set. Allow quiche to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

quiche2quiche3Enjoy!

homemade granola- there is no turning back!

18 Thursday Oct 2012

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I have to warn you… Once you make your first batch of homemade granola there is absolutely no turning back. Store-bought will never taste this fresh and good. Your friends and family will gobble this healthy breakfast up in no time and beg you to make more. It really takes very little time to make it and it is cheaper to make it yourself using your own favorite ingredients. I like to make a double batch and store it in a glass gallon jar on the counter. Serve this with milk or yogurt and fresh berries for breakfast or eat it as a snack later in the day.

Granola

4 cups large flake oats

3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds

1 cup raw almonds, walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts (or a mixture of these)

1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1-1/2 cups dried fruits, such as raisons, currants, dried

grated zest of 2 oranges

3/4 cup maple syrup or honey

1/4 coconut oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F). Combine oats, nuts, dried fruit and zest in a large bowl. Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup in a small saucepan on low heat until warm. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Divide mixture between 2 cookie sheets and spread into a thin layer. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow mixture to col completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Yield: about 10 cups of granola

saying goodbye to summer…

21 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in appreciate the seasons, cabin living

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Yesterday was the last day of summer and I thought I’d honor the turning of the wheel and say good bye to the passing season with a few photos:

Goodbye to spontaneous wild flower arrangements in tin cans…

Goodbye to long, luxurious breakfasts on the patio…

Goodbye to butterfly visitors…

…encounters with little brown bats…

…and hard-working bees…

Goodbye to the dramatic storms, hail, tornado watches and booming thunder…

Goodbye to freshly picked herbs and medicinal teas…

…and goodbye to glasses of chilled white wine after a long day’s work in the blazing sun.

This has been another memorable and productive summer at cabinorganic! Thank you for sharing in my adventures and I look forward to many more projects, recipes, moments of wonder and adventures to come!

latkes (potato pancakes)

17 Monday Sep 2012

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I first discovered this recipe in an old Martha Stewart Living magazine 16 years ago and have been making these regularly ever since. A favorite here at cabinorganic, these are easy and quick to make, and can be served with either breakfast, brunch or dinner. Latkes are a great way to enjoy those potatoes freshly dug from the garden!

Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (or 4 small), peeled and coarsely grated

2 large eggs

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 green onions or a handful of fresh chives, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper

canola oil for frying

Mix together the grated potato, eggs, onion, green onion (or chives) and salt and pepper to taste.

In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat about 4 tablespoons of oil until hot. Drop one heaping tablespoon of the mixture into the pan and flatten with spoon. Continue until the pan is full of latkes. Cook until golden brown and then flip over and cook other side until it is also golden brown. Continue with the rest of the potato mixture, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Transfer latkes to a warm baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.

Enjoy with sour cream, apple sauce or ketchup. I always make a full batch because they are just as good warmed up later for a snack!

millet pancakes with wild strawberry jam and wild blueberries

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in cook, preserve, whole grains, wild berries

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I have been busy milling various flours at home, including soy, black bean, spelt, brown rice, jasmine rice and buckwheat and experimenting with each of them. Today I tried millet for the first time and decided to use my classic buttermilk pancake recipe to see how the flour behaves (beautifully) and tastes (quite mild, actually). Served with wild strawberry jam and the blueberries found on the morning walk, it was a lovely way it start the day.

Millet Pancakes

1 egg

1 cup millet flour (or whatever flour you want to try)

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon raw cane sugar (or honey)

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Ladle onto a preheat griddle (medium heat) and flip over when the pancake starts to bubble. Serve with your favorite jams, jellies and syrups. Enjoy!

adventures with whole grains: buckwheat & spelt pancakes

04 Friday May 2012

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I’ve been having so much fun with the new WonderMill! Last weekend I milled some buckwheat and spelt flour and tried out this recipe for breakfast. The pancakes were quite flavorful, especially when served with homemade wild berry jams and jellies. The sausage in the picture below is hormone free, organic bison sausage from a local farm.

Buckwheat & Spelt Pancakes

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat or all-purpose)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons butter

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.

In another bowl, mix together the spelt flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Pour the dry ingredients into the egg-mixture. Stir until the two mixtures are just incorporated. (Add a bit more of the flour if you find that your batter is too runny.)

Heat a griddle or large frying pan to medium heat and place 1 tablespoon of butter or oil into it. Let the butter melt before spooning the batter into the frying pan. Once bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes, flip them over, and cook them on the other side for about 3 minutes. Continue with this process until all of the batter has been made into pancakes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

mushroom and pepper frittata

03 Thursday May 2012

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There are so many flavor combinations and ways to make a frittata! For an extra sizzle of salt, try adding chopped bacon or prosciutto ham. Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano or parsley add a nice tangy layer of flavor. Also, instead of the peppers you can add 1 cup of chopped spinach, Swiss chard or beet greens. A wonderful, heart breakfast or served as an appetizer with a glass of white wine.

Mushroom and Pepper Frittata

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 organic, free-range eggs

half a red onion, diced

half a red pepper, diced

half a yellow pepper, diced

half a small zucchini, diced

8 shitake mushrooms, diced

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven on the broil setting.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, salt and pepper and beat lightly with a fork. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof nonstick skillet and sauté the onions on medium heat until they are translucent. Add the peppers, zucchini and mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Pour the egg mixture over top, cover and cook for 5 minutes, (the top will still be a bit runny and uncooked). Sprinkle the cheese over the frittata and then put the skillet into the oven and broil until the top is fully cooked and the cheese is beginning to brown.

Slide onto a plate, garnish with the chives and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Serves 2 for breakfast or 4 for appetizers.

adventures with whole grains: spelt waffles with Saskatoon berries

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

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I have been busy having fun with the new WonderMill and experimenting with freshly milled spelt flour. As spelt flour is very versatile and can be substituted for most flours, I thought I’d start with my ‘tried and true’ recipes just to observe how it behaves as opposed to the all-purpose flour that I was used to.

I decided to start with waffles. I used the same recipe, as previously posted. The only difference is the substitution of spelt flour for the all-purpose, I used buttermilk (as I was out of almond milk) and I added about 1/2 cup of Saskatoon berries. The waffles turned out beautifully! They were light, fluffy, crisp and flavorful. I served them with my rose hip jelly. I made the full batch as I like to refrigerate (or freeze) the extra waffles and pop them in the toaster for quick breakfasts.

Spelt Waffles

2 eggs (preferable from organic, free-range hens)

2 cups spelt flour

1/2 cup canola oil (or extra virgin olive oil or melted butter)

1-3/4 cup almond or soy milk (I used buttermilk as I was out of almond milk)

1 tablespoon maple syrup (or raw cane sugar, brown sugar or natural sweetener of your choice)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat waffle iron. Beat eggs with a whisk until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. Pour batter from a cup or ladle onto center of waffle iron. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops. Remove waffle carefully and serve immediately, or keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Yield: 12 four-inch waffles

Resource:

Zeman, A. (1991). Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook.  New York: Prentice Hall.

Laurie’s spelt pancakes

02 Friday Mar 2012

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I have been in Winnipeg spending quality time with my family these past three days. It has been action-packed: playing with the children, hanging out with the teens, glasses of wine with the grown ups and getting all caught up on each other’s lives.

One thing I love about spending time with my sister-in-law, Laurie, is that she is an amazing cook and I always leave with recipes and new ideas for ‘natural living’. Yesterday, Laurie shared her spelt pancake recipe. She showed me how she makes it, right from freshly grinding the whole spelt grain just before making it.

Here is the bag of spelt:

Here is Laurie’s flour mill:

Using spelt flour is very easy as you can simply substitute it into your usual flour-based recipes. Here is Laurie’s pancake recipe- use spelt flour instead of the all-purpose flour. Sometimes you need to add a bit more spelt flour so just keep an eye on the consistency you want. You can also substitute almond milk with a bit of apple cider vinegar for the buttermilk.

Another special treat: some very fine maple syrup to make these delicious pancakes even more decadent! After this fun morning seeing how quick and easy it is to bake with spelt, I am looking forward to my own cooking adventures using this healthy grain.