Banana chip protein muffins

bananachipproteinmuffins

Originally uploaded by mosli

I like to eat (eat, eat) apples and bananas! But for some reason I never get a bunch of bananas finished before they start to go soft. Sad for my lunch box, but very happy for my baking! These banana muffins had a few reasons for being, not the least of which being a grab-and-go breakfast. I used some soy protein powder to up the nutrition. I try to do this when I can, because D likes to lift weights, and as a veggie I could always use more.

 

Banana Oat Chip Protein Muffins

• 3 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 5 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup protein powder
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Mash bananas well in a large bowl, then beat in eggs and oil. Mix in dry ingredients one at a time. Fold in chocolate chips. Grease muffin tin or use papers. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 16-20 minutes until golden. mmm…. bananas and chocolate

Curry noodle breakfast

currynoodlebreakfast

Originally uploaded by mosli

Are you sick of the same soggy cereal? Tired of toast? Bagels becomming blah? D and I were tired of our breakfast items and decided to branch out and try some options unusual for this part of the world. Last week we tried a vegetarian version of Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup that’s all about the condiments. It was excellent, so we thought we’d try another version. This is a Thai curry noodle soup that we had this morning. The warmth and spice really wakes you up, and definately puts freezer waffles to shame.

 

Curry Noodle Soup (for breakfast or anytime!)

• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 2 heaping tbsp thai red curry paste
• Rice noodles (I used pad thai style)
• nappa cabbage cut in strips
• shreaded carrot

Prepare noodles according to directions on package. In a medium saucepan, heat veggie broth. Dissolve in red curry paste, then add coconut milk.  In bowls, place desired amount of rice noodles, cabbage, and carrots. Ladle curry broth over the top. Serve with condiments like chili sauce, fish sauce, gingerpaste, etc, that can be added for each person’s taste.

Challah for the win!

challah

Originally uploaded by mosli

ok, I lamented over my disasterous attempts to make yeast breads when I made whole wheat beer bread a few months ago. My report card in that area of baking is resounding “F.” Well, maybe Independence day left me feeling free to explore areas of past failure (hey, sounds like a fortune cookie I once got), or maybe the serenity of the approaching shabbat got to me, but i decided to make another attempt.

Using the recipe for classic challah out of The Gourmet Jewish Cook, I started the 4 hour process.  This time, something happened that had never happened in any of my previous attempts: the dough rose! So by Friday night’s shabbat dinner, there were these two lovely loaves of rich, yeasty goodness. Is my curse broken? we shall see.

No leftovers! I used one of the loaves for excellent french toast on Sunday morning. My trick: flavour extract in the egg mixture. It makes a big difference, and keeps the man happy.

Feta and onion scone

fetaonionscone

Originally uploaded by mosli

I love scones with coffee. Then again, I love nearly anything with coffee. Alright, I just love coffee. But this isn’t about my favourite caffeine beverage, its about scones. For many people in America scones are an oddly shaped, slightly dry version of a muffin. I think that this misrepresentation of an English classic is nearly criminal.

There is such a wide variety of scones and things you can do with them.  The scones I made this weekend were a nice feta and onion savory scone that I copied from Farm Girl Susan.  The only difference were that I made mine a whole wheat version.  These were so good with eggs for breakfast that I think i’ll have them all week!

Ginger fig scones

gingerfigscones

Originally uploaded by mosli

 

After making morroccan veggie stew, I still had a full bag of dried figs hanging around, wondering what I was going to do with them. Honestly, i was wondering too. I use dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries, currants, and raisons pretty regularly in oatmeal and salads, but my experience with figs is painfully limited. So I pulled out my recipe binders and started leafing through the pages. And inspiration hit… scones!

 

Whole Wheat Ginger Fig Scones

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup diced dried figs
• 3 tbsp finely chopped crystalized ginger

Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk, fig and ginger and mix until dough ball forms. Flatten into a 1/2 inch thick circle and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cut into 6 wedges, but leave in circle form. Top with mixture of cinnamon sugar and bake 20-25 minutes. Break wedges apart and cool.