Recipe: Here Comes The (Bagel) Sun

Dear real breakfast food,

I missed you too.

Where I live, there is a bagel shop like no other. For years, people told me that I could find better bagels in somewhere like New York or Philly or Jersey or Washington D.C.. But after trying bagels from all over the county, I can say with confidence that these bagels are the BEST. Of course, I’ll never pass over a good bagel, but I think it’s safe to say that I’ll never find a bagel better than that of “I Love Bagels.” (Yes, that’s the name of the shop.)

The shop opens at the crack of dawn every morning and serves everything from standards like plain bagels and bagel sandwiches to gourmet flavors like spinach-parmesan (the one pictured), french toast, and even pumpkin during the fall months.

Most people tend to order one or two bagels with cream cheese or a bagel sandwich, but my family has always opted to get a “Bakers’ Dozen”—13 bagels in a big, crinkly white bag. Perfect for satisfying your fickle bagel consumers like me who want a bite of every flavor. Perfect for freezing for weekday breakfasts. Perfect for making your own gourmet bagel creation.

Kinda like this one. Here comes the sun doo doo doo doo…and I say, it’s alright!

Simply Perfect Egg & Cheese Bagel Sandwich

I feel almost silly calling this a “recipe,” but I’m typing it out just incase some people have never ventured into the world of sandwichin’ glory. Dress this up with fancy cheese, mushrooms/onions, or perhaps even bacon if that’s your style. Or just eat a simple sunny morning meal, and call it a day. Either way, you’ll be in heaven.

You’re gonna need:

1 bagel (if you’re in Southern California, only I Love Bagels will do), sliced in half

1 egg

1 thin slice cheese (or ~2 tbsp shredded cheese or cheese spread)

butter/margarine (optional)

salt & pepper

Directions:

1) Cut bagel in half through the middle to create two circular halves.

2) (Very) Lightly spread halves with butter/margarine, and lay cheese slices/shreds on top. Place in toaster over for about 2 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan, and cook egg (I did mine over-easy). Remove bagel from oven and egg from pan. Place egg on top of bagel + melted cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Tip: After going to the bagel shop, we freeze all the leftovers instead of leaving them out on the counter or in the fridge. This keeps them fresh longer. When you want the bagel, defrost in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Presto! Good as new

Post-toaster oven:

Just a lil ooey gooey melted cheddar to start the day. Nothing fancy here folks.

Golden deliciousness with a cuppa Santa-adorned coffee.

A perfect lazy morning.

Have a wonderful day

Recipe: Golden Cornmeal & Blueberry Muffins

How can you deny muffins like that, folks? I mean, c'mon, this is serious business.

I've made these muffins a few times in the past few years. My first trial was outstanding--possibly some of the best I've ever made--but I haven't been able to make them the exact same way since. That being said, I've never complained about having to eat a blueberry muffin.

No siree. Actually, I hear punishment for such a crime is pretty gnarly..

More muffins?! Tough life.

You can put butter, margarine, jam, lemon curd, or even walnut butter on these babies.

Come to think of it, if you decided to slather your muffin in all of the above, I wouldn't judge. Because I'm not picky like that.

Or perhaps because I did just that this morning.

Oops.

Golden Cornmeal & Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are perfect for any morning. Subtly sweet, golden tender, and crunchy-crispy, with just enough pop from the blueberries to take these from a "Mmm" to a "Wow!"  A cross between a blueberry muffin and cornbread, these babies are classic and homey in that they'll appeal to mainstream eaters who don't like to think they're stepping out of the box. Classic, however, doesn't mean ordinary. These muffs take things to the next level through the use of cumin and orange zest, which combine to hit an extraordinarily unique high note. 

Yield: 11-12 muffins. Adapted slightly from Baking Bites' Blue Corn Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients - 1 1/4 cup unbleached wheat flour (oat flour might work here as well) - 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal - 2 tsp baking powder - 1/4 tsp baking soda - 1/4 tsp cumin - 1/4 tsp salt - 1/3 cup sugar - 1 egg - 1 egg white - 2 tsp fresh orange zest - 2 tsp vegetable oil - 3/4 cup almond milk + 2 tsp vinegar (or buttermilk) - 1 1/3 cups fresh* blueberries

(*You could use frozen blueberries if desired, but fresh seem to  work better here. For whatever reason, they make it easier for the muffins to rise, instead of keeping dense.)

Directions

1) Preheat oven to convection bake at 400 degrees F. (or 425 degrees if you don't have convection). Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cumin, and sugar. Whisk until smooth.

3) In another medium bowl, beat egg and egg white until foamy (this is KEY in getting your muffs light and poofy!!). Add orange zest, vegetable oil, almond milk + vinegar, and beat again until well-combined and foamy. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently stir until the mix is smooth and...lump-less..? Let's go with smooth.

4) Fold the blueberries into the mixture, being careful not to break and bleed them.

5) Divide batter into muffin tin. Bake on convection bake at 400 degrees F (or 425 non-convection bake) for 5 minutes. Then, turn off the convection setting and bake for 7-10 more minutes at 400 degrees.

6) Slather with butter, margarine, jam, fruit spreads, or nut butters. Bite into your nugget of golden blueberry goodness. Don't worry, be happy!

The Day 1 Recap for the cookbook challenge should be coming tonight :)

In the mean time, enjoy the rest of your Monday Funday!

Recipe: The Best Single Serving Pancakes...EVER

OMG.

If nothing else, there's one thing you should know about me: I love pancakes.

Like, we're talking some serious, head-over-heels "L-O-V-E." I can eat them for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner--all day, everyday. No shame, I tell you.

There is, however, one condition. They have to be really good pancakes.

So let's talk qualifications.

To me, really good pancakes don't come out of a box or a yellow jug (Shake 'n Pour, I'm looking at you). They aren't found in the freezer section of the grocery store or at Denny's. And they aren't slathered in "maple syrup," in which maple syrup isn't even an ingredient. Nope. For pancakes to qualify as really good, they need to made with real ingredients. Oh, and love--lots of love :)  Simple as that.

Prior to this batch, I've made some good pancakes. Sometimes with white flour and lots of butter but usually with whole grain flour of some sort, baking powder, water, milk, cinnamon. Whatever works.

But after returning from the family vacation, I wanted to make something better than just "good." I don't mess around when it comes to pancakes. (Okay, maybe that's a lie...).

Anyways, the requirements:

1) Taste - I've tasted some fairly delicious pancakes made with white, all-purpose flour, but I really wanted a whole grain pancake recipe that wouldn't be labeled as "good, but healthy-tasting." I decided to use a combination of oat and whole wheat flours to keep the flavor light and creamy.

2) Texture - I actually love pancakes that are still a little doughy in the center, but I know most people don't. The way I see it, pancakes are like steak. Most people tend to like them cooked medium, as uncooked middles scare people as much as tough, burned edges. Moving on, then. Using 100% whole wheat flour can result in gummy, doughy pancakes. To make them soft and fluffy, I used egg whites and yogurt.

3) Size - Thanks to my good friend Jetlag, I woke up at noon. ASOS Mom, Dad, and brother had already finished breakfast, but I still wanted pancakes. I made this batch a single-serving to accommodate. Sometimes, however, I find that a single-serving of pancakes doesn't really fill me up. I wanted hearty and stick-to-the-ribs without feeling weighed down, so I made sure to include whole grains, protein, and a bit of fat. Though I made one serving, this recipe could easily be made into a family-size.

These were delicious. Probably the best pancakes I've ever made. I would recommend you make them. Don't question it; just do it.

The Best Single-Serving (and Healthy!) Pancakes Ever

These pancakes are everything pancakes should be: light, fluffy, hearty, and utterly delicious. I made two HUGE pancakes the size of my face, but you could make them silver-dollars or medium-sized  'cakes, if that's what floats your boat. I also added a few dark chocolate chips to the second pancake for kicks--fan-freaking-tastic. Dress them up or keep 'em plain Jane. That's what freedom is all about ;)

Yield: 2 gigantic pancakes or 5-6 (?) normal-people, silver dollars. Adapted from Kittencal's Best Pancakes on the Planet

Ingredients

Dry: - 1/4 cup oat flour (I just ground oats to a flour consistency in the food processor) - 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour - 1/4 tsp baking soda - 1/2 tsp baking powder - 1/4 tsp salt

Wet: - 1/8 cup egg whites - 1/8 cup nonfat yogurt - 2-3 tsp of honey (or other sweetener of choice) - 1/4 tsp vanilla extract - Additional 1.5 tbsp nonfat yogurt PLUS enough water to make a 1/2 cup total* - Fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, coconut (optional)

Directions:

1) In a medium-large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then, in a small bowl, beat together egg whites, 1/8 cup nonfat yogurt, vanilla extract, and the 1/2 cup yogurt + water mixture. (You want the wet mix very smooth and airy.)

2) Add wet mixture to dry mixture, and stir gently until all ingredients are well incorporated and no lumps remain. If using fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, or coconut, fold into batter now. Do not overmix batter. Flat, fluff-less pancakes are not your friend!

3) Heat a griddle or nonstick pan. Grease with a wee bit of butter or oil. Pour batter on the griddle to cook your pancakes (1/4 cup for silver dollars; 1/2 cup+ for ginormous 'cakes).

4) Smile like a goofy five-year-old, and enjoy your pancakes!