Raspberry Applesauce Popiscles

The days are getting warming, which means it will soon be popsicle weather! 

My children are hit or miss on eating applesauce but they love it in frozen form. This recipe is so easy to make and delicious! While you could use applesauce from a jar to make this in one step, fresh applesauce is worth the little bit of effort that it takes!

 

 

Raspberry Applesauce Popsicle Ingredients

-4 gala apples
-1/2 cup of water
-dash of cinnamon
-handful of raspberries, about a cup (fresh or frozen)

Directions
1. Cut and core the apple (peel if desired)

2.  Place in Instant Pot along with the water and cinnamon. Cook on manual mode high pressure for 10 minutes, use a quick release. Alternatively, simmer on the stovetop until apples are mushy and easy to blend.

3.  Use a blender or immersion blender to mix until smooth. Add the raspberries and mix until they are blended as well.

4. Allow to cool, pour into popsicle molds.

5. Freeze for a few hours if you want it to be slushy or overnight for a hard popsicle.

Chicken Patties (Whole 30 Approved)

These chicken burgers are adapted from the salmon cake recipe that you can find in the book "It Starts With Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. I'm not the biggest salmon fan, but I do like a quick meal that works well for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or best of all: brunch!

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans of chunk chicken breast (I like the ones from Trader Joe's and Wegmans)
• 1 can of pumpkin or about 2 cups of cooked sweet potato (or other squash, butternut works well)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of almond meal or flour
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or 4 teaspoons dried)
• 2 scallions, thinly chopped or 2 tablespoons of onion, chopped
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh dill (or 3 teaspoons dried)  
• 1 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or similar) 
• t teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
• ghee or coconut oil to coat the pan
• optional: mustard, lemon juice, tartar sauce, lettuce

Directions:

 Preheat over to 350F

With a fork, stir the eggs in a large bowl until there is a bit of air mixed in with them. Mix the rest of the ingredients in and combine. Grease cookie sheet with oil or ghee. Scoop out with 1/3 cup measuring spoon onto cookie sheet and shape into patties.


Bake for 20minutes, then rotate pan (flip them if you feel ambitious). Bake for another 10minutes. Serve hot in a lettuce wrap with mustard or stick in your fridge to grab and go throughout the week!

Makes about 8-10 patties.

Fare Restaurant, Philadelphia PA

So I've been slacking here for awhile. Life gets busy! And I haven't had much time to go out to brunch lately. Well, that's not completely true. I did have a lovely brunch at Fare in the Fairmount section of Philly recently.

I ordered a basic scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns --the hash browns were nicely done, not overly fried and almost like a scalloped potato.

A brunchmate ordered the fish tacos, and after a bite I wished I had done the same. They were delicious with a lovely citrus slaw.


It was not an overly crowded spot and the meal and company were delightful.

Apologies for the lack of photos from our meal. You should check it out and post your own photos from Fare in the comments below!


If you go:

• 2028 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130 
• Phone: (215) 763-5500
• They accept credit cards.
• Fare Restaurant
  

Cookies for Breakfast!

Oats + Almond Flour

 So lately I've really been enjoying these super easy, delicious oatmeal cookies.They are mostly pretty healthy ingredients so if you feel like eating cookies for breakfast, I say go for it....it's better than sugar-puffs! 

 

Usually I bake them, but in the summer heat I discovered they are also good simply frozen instead. Since there are no eggs in the batter, it's safe to eat raw!


 This recipe is for a double batch, but feel free to half it.

It's a pretty forgiving recipe so if you want to experiment a bit it will most likely still taste good. Case in point: if you like a fluffier cookie, add 3 eggs to the batter (but don't eat raw then!).

I like to mix up the extracts for a fun variety of cookie flavor!

Ingredients  (for double batch)

• 4 cups of rolled oats (I use Trader Joe's Gluten Free Oats)
• 2 cups of almond meal/flour (Trader Joe's has some that isn't too expensive). You can also use another nut flour, rice flour, or whole wheat flour.
• 1 cup of shredded coconut (OPTIONAL)
• 2 tbs cinnamon
• dash of salt (about 1/4 teaspoon if you want to measure it out)
• 1 cup maple syrup (more or less to taste. Don't cut this too much though or the batter won't stick).
• 1 cup of coconut oil (or a light olive oil or sunflower oil)
• 2 tablespoons of extract. I like vanilla, almond, orange....feel free to mix and match here.
• 1 cup of walnuts (OPTIONAL)
• 1/2-1 cup of chocolate chips or raisins (OPTIONAL) 

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients, add in wet ingredients. Finally add in the nuts & chocolate chips or raisins. 

2. Put the batter in to the fridge for about 20minutes (this allows it to soften and hold together easier).

3. If baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

3. With your fingers or a melon-baller, roll batter into small balls. I like gum-ball sized cookies but you can make them larger if desired. 

4. Grease or line cookie tray with parchment paper. The double batch fills 2 cookie trays.

5. Either:

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes until lightly brown around the edges. Cookies do not expand. You can't really under cook them but if you cook for too long they will dry out a bit so check often.

OR

Put cookie tray into freezer for about 3hours. Remove cookies and store in plastic bag or container.

Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & grits are a total brunch comfort food, perfect for those chilly autumn mornings.

I've had this dish at a number of brunch spots, but decided to try and make my own at home. It's really easy to make and like the best brunch foods, good at any time of the day!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of corn grits (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 4 cups of water
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 clove raw garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil (I used coconut oil)
• 1 cup chopped broccoli (including stalk)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or juice of 1/2 small lemon)
• 2 cups of cooked shrimp (I used Trader Joe's frozen cooked shrimp)
• 1 cup of cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or mix of choice)
• butter to taste --about 4-5 nice big pats

Directions

Add salt & pepper to water and bring to a boil. Add in grits, turn heat to low, and stir to prevent lumps.

While the grits are cooking, heat oil and cook garlic & onion until they start to brown. Add in lemon juice & broccoli. Add in shrimp. Cook over a medium heat until broccoli is tender & shrimp is fully heated.

Once grits are cooked, turn off heat and add in the butter and cheese. Stir to combine. Pour grits into 4 bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Serve at once.

Serves: 4

Duck Egg Scramble

Farmers markets are wonderful things. The produce always lasts longer because it hasn't had to travel across the country and sit on a pallet before reaching you. The produce is always in season. Sometimes you run into a neighbor or friend. But my favorite thing about farmers markets is discovering new foods. 

Today I discovered duck eggs. The stand I was planning to buy chicken eggs from had run out, but they still had some duck eggs. A bit unsure of what to expect, I decided to take the plunge and try them! The people from Canter Hill Farm assured me that they were delicious -- richer than chicken eggs and good for baking.

They were right. I just made the most delicious, rich, amazing duck egg scramble. But don't take my word for it, try the recipe for yourself!

Duck Egg Scramble with pomegranate seeds

 

Duck Egg Scramble

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon of oil (I used coconut)
• 1 small bunch (about 1 cup) of raw broccoli, chopped (including the stock) 
• 1/4 cup raw cranberries, chopped
• 3 duck eggs
• ounce or two of cheddar cheese, crumbled (optional)
• lemon pepper 

 

Directions:

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, and stir until they start to slightly brown. Lower heat a little. Add the broccoli, and continue stirring. Add in cranberries.

Once the broccoli starts to tenderizer, push the veggie mixture to one side of the pan. Crack the 3 duck eggs in the space you created. Stir the eggs until it starts to be cooked. Add lemon pepper to egg mixture. Once eggs are almost cooked, blend with everything else. Once eggs are fully cooked, add the cheese and mix in to melt. Stir everything together over low heat for a few more seconds, and serve immediately with fresh fruit.

Serves: 1

Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup

Caramelized Pear & Carrot Soup

Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup

Before dining at Tapas on Main in Bethlehem, PA, I had never heard of Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup.  But it was so delicious that I had to try to make it myself!

Well I did, and a brunchmate who "doesn't eat soup" just inquired, "is there any more?"

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 ripe Bartlett pear
4-5 carrots
1 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cooked apple-chicken (or faux chicken) sausage, chopped (optional)
ground black pepper & slivered almonds for topping (optional)

Directions

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add in onions and cook until they start to caramelize. If using sausage, add it in now. Chop the pear into large chunks and add to pan.  Cook until pear starts to soften & becomes juicy. Break carrots into smaller pieces and add, turning off heat so they do not really cook yet.

In high speed blender (Vitamix is ideal), pour in vegetable broth. Then add in the pears, carrots, and onions. Retain approximately 1 tablespoon of the onions and the sausage.

If your Vitamix has a soup setting, run it on that. If not, then run mixture until smooth & creamy.

Once done, carefully remove lid and add in a dash more of salt to taste, the remaining onions, and the sausage. Pulse on low for about 10 seconds to combine.

If you've used the soup setting on Vitamix, pour into bowls and serve. Otherwise heat over stove and then serve. Top with ground pepper & almonds.

A sweet springtime soup that's sure to please! For a summertime meal it probably would also taste good as a chilled soup topped with Crème fraîche!