Poha

This recipe is quick, vegetable-heavy, and quite adaptable based on what you have in your fridge. Poha is commonly served for breakfast, but also makes a nice snack. 

1 Tbsp neutral oil or coconut oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves (optional)
pinch asafetida
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 c)
1" piece ginger, peeled & coarsely grated
2 green chiles (to taste), minced
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
3 c red poha
1/2 tsp turmeric
2-3 carrots, diced
1 c veg of your choice: seeded/diced poblano pepper, small cauliflower florets, cut green beans, etc.
1 c peas
1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 tsp Morton kosher salt, or 3/4 tsp table salt 
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice (to taste)
1/3 c minced cilantro 

Have all vegetables chopped and ready. 

In a wide skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mustard seeds; immediately cover. When popping subsides, add cumin seeds. When beginning to brown, add curry leaves (they will crackle) and asafetida. Almost immediately, add onion; stir to coat with oil and spices. Turn heat down to medium. When onion is softened and beginning to brown, add ginger and green chiles. Stir, then add potatoes. Stir to coat, then shake pan so vegetables settle into a single layer. Cover and cook a few minutes. 

While vegetables cook, place poha in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse under running water, tossing poha with your hand, until thoroughly coated. Set strainer with poha aside over a bowl. 

Uncover vegetables; add turmeric, stir in, then add carrots. Cook a few minutes, then add veg of your choice. Cook a couple of minutes, add peas, and cook 2 minutes. Salt vegetables to taste and stir. 

Add poha, stirring to break up. Poha will turn yellow and visibly change texture, becoming fluffy. When fully cooked, season with lemon juice and cilantro. Remove from heat; serve with plain Greek yogurt. 

Coconut-Cardamom Baked Doughnuts

Recipe: Hetal Vasavada in Bon Appetit magazine. Makes 12.

DOUGHNUTS:
1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar
3 Tbsp plus 1.5 tsp (44 g) brown sugar
3 Tbsp (42 g) avocado or other neutral vegetable oil
2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/3 c canned unsweetened coconut milk 
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 c plus 5 tsp (233 g) all-purpose flour

GLAZE:
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/3 c (147 g) powdered sugar
1/4 c canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly grease doughnut pans with butter wrappers (or coat with nonstick spray).

Whisk sugars, vegetable oil and butter in a large bowl. Add eggs, coconut milk and vanilla; whisk again to combine. Add flour; top with baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and nutmeg. Mix with a rubber spatula until no lumps or dry streaks remain.

Spoon into prepared pan, filling each well about three-quarters full. Tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until tester comes out clean, 9–11 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

While doughnuts bake, toast coconut in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden, 3–5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl; set aside. 

Whisk powdered sugar, coconut milk and cardamom in a shallow bowl until no lumps remain. Add water by tablespoonfuls if glaze is too thick.

While doughnuts are still slightly warm, dip into glaze, then shredded coconut, to coat one side. Return to rack as you go. Let sit 10–15 minutes before serving.

Doughnuts can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.  

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

1 small onion, diced
1/2 each poblano pepper and red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
16 ozs tater tots
3/4 c shredded pepper jack cheese
12 eggs, beaten
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Bake covered at 375° for 25-30 minutes, then uncovered another 5 minutes or until browned on top

Peach Streusel Coffeecake

For the streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter
pinch salt

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp almond extract
2-3 firm-ripe peaches (about 1 pound), peeled, pitted and sliced

For streusel: Stir together flour and sugar. Add butter; using a pastry cutter, work in butter until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.

For cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9" baking pan. Separately mix dry and wet ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry mixture; beat until just evenly moistened. Spoon batter into pan, spreading evenly. Arrange peach slices in concentric circles from sides to center (if a square pan, in rows). Gently press slices into batter. Sprinkle evenly with streusel.

Bake at 350° until topping is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pear Cardamom Streusel Coffeecake

Sweden is one of the world's top consumers of cardamom. This fragrant coffeecake is an homage to Nordic baking.

1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 1/4 c flour
1 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/3 c sour cream
2 eggs
2 large pears, cored, peeled and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9" square baking pan.

In a small mixing bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Add butter, mixing until combined, then work in flour until mixture is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. Add additional flour by tablespoons as necessary, taking care not to let the mixture get too dry. Set streusel aside.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom, ginger and salt. Mix briefly to combine. Add butter; mix until crumbly. Add sour cream and eggs; beat on medium speed until mixture comes together into a batter. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds or until batter looks cohesive.

Scrape batter into prepared pan. Fan pears evenly over batter, leaving a small margin around edges. Sprinkle streusel atop cake, shaking pan gently to distribute into corners. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 35-45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Coconut Pancakes

These are not just good with qualifiers, such as if you are grain-free or on a celiac diet... they are just plain good, period! My kids prefer them with chocolate, I like crystallized ginger, you may prefer nuts... feel free to customize them with your own add-ins to taste. Do keep the pancakes small as they will cook better. 

1/4 c pumpkin puree
1/4 c buttermilk
1 Tbsp Sucanat
3 eggs or 3/4 c egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c coconut flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips (optional)
1 Tbsp crystallized ginger bits (optional)

Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat.

While griddle heats, whisk together coconut flour, spices, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl (I use a 2-cup Pyrex pouring measure), whisk together pumpkin puree, buttermilk, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Whisk until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and/or ginger bits as desired. 

Spray pan with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto skillet by tablespoonfuls to make about 12 smaller pancakes. Cook, serve warm and enjoy.

Mushroom Cheddar Breakfast Bake

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bunch scallions, greens only, or 3/4 c chopped arugula
12 eggs
2/3 c white whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 c nonfat cottage cheese
3 ozs sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms; cook over high heat without stirring until mushrooms give up their liquid. Stir; add soy sauce and thyme. Cook until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are browned. Stir in scallion greens or arugula. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with balloon whisk attachment, beat eggs until lemon-colored and tripled in volume, about 3 minutes. Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix until smooth. Stir in cottage cheese.

Butter a 9"x13" casserole dish. Spread mushroom mixture evenly over bottom of pan. Top with cheddar cheese. Pour egg mixture atop. Bake in a preheated 350 oven, covered, 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked through. 

Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins

These easy muffins bake up extremely tender, buttery and sweet.

1/2 c coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 large eggs
6 Tbsp butter, melted
6 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 c frozen blueberries

clear sanding sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease wells of a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or line with lightly greased muffin papers. Rinse blueberries; pat dry on paper towels. Sift together coconut flour and baking powder; mix until well blended. 

Melt butter in microwave. Stir  in honey. Add eggs, salt, and vanilla and almond extracts; beat until smooth.

Using a whisk, mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until batter is free of lumps. Gently fold in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups. Top with sanding sugar. Bake 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a rack to cool. Makes 12.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Now that she is in middle school, and has to leave the house at 6:55 AM (!) to get to school on time, my older daughter drinks a smoothie for breakfast every morning. She says it makes "dark o'clock" much more pleasant.

1/4 c canned pumpkin
1/4 c rolled oats
1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
1 dash ground cinnamon

1 dash ground ginger

1 smidgen ground cloves

1 smidgen ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 c milk

1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 banana, peeled, cut into chunks and frozen

The night before, put all ingredients except banana in blender jar. Cover and refrigerate. The oats will soften, making the smoothie thicker (and simplifying your morning).

When ready to drink, add frozen banana. Puree. Serves 1 hungry 11-year-old.

Single Serving Protein Pumpkin Pancakes

This recipe makes a single serving of pancakes, and contains more protein than the typical pancake breakfast, which will keep you going longer.

1/2 c rolled oats
1 Tbsp Sucanat
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp each cinnamon and ginger
Pinch cloves
1/2 c boxed egg whites
1/3 c canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp butter for frying

Heat a griddle to medium.

Grind rolled oats to flour consistency. Mix with remainder of dry ingredients. Mix egg whites, pumpkin and vanilla together until mostly smooth. Combine wet and dry ingredients; stir until just mixed.

Drop butter onto points on griddle where pancakes will fry. When butter melts and begins to sizzle, pour batter onto pools of butter and cook as with normal pancakes. Makes 5-6 pancakes, serving 1.

Roasted Chile Frittata with Hash Brown Crust

I roasted several big trays of bell peppers and poblano chiles earlier in the week, making tonight's dinner very easy.

3 c peeled and shredded leftover baked potatoes
olive oil spray
salt
2 tsp olive oil
1 c chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp crushed dried oregano
salt and pepper
1 roasted bell pepper, chopped
1 roasted poblano pepper, chopped
2 ozs cotija cheese
3 slices veggie bacon, crumbled
4 eggs
1/2 c milk

Preheat oven to 425.

Spray a 9" pie pan with cooking spray. Press potatoes into pan and up sides to make a crust. Spray again with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-20 minutes or until beginning to brown.

Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add spices; saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in bell peppers; remove from heat. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Set aside.

Sprinkle cheese over baked crust. Top with bacon, then sauteed vegetables. Pour egg-milk mixture atop. Reduce heat to 375; bake 20-25 minutes or until set and beginning to brown.

Cream Scones with Dark Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger

I needed a good scone recipe for a potluck breakfast I attended this morning, but wasn't sure where to start. Meanwhile, my mind kept heading back to a favorite biscuit recipe I've been making for years. I kept thinking, "I wish I could make scones as good as those biscuits." Finally I decided to just alter the biscuit recipe and see what happened. The results were delectable, providing a rich and tender crumb with virtually no work. I had nothing to take home but an empty container.

Please note that I made mine two-bite-size for the potluck; if you make yours larger, increase the cooking time accordingly.



1 c whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
3/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp double-acting baking powder (I prefer Rumford)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c good-quality miniature chocolate chips
1/3 c finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp coarse sparkling sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). Stir to combine. Add chocolate chips and ginger; stir briefly to incorporate. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour in cream. Stir until just combined, handling as little as possible.

Turn dough out onto a clean countertop. Pat into a square about 3/4" thick. Cut square into 16 pieces, then cut each piece diagonally to form small triangles. Brush tops of scones with egg wash; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Using a flexible metal spatula or bench knife, transfer scones to a half-sheet pan, placing them at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 11 minutes or until golden and puffed. Serve warm.

Southwest Breakfast Flatbread

Many of my favorite neighborhood restaurants have jumped aboard the trend of fancy flatbread offerings. This morning I found myself hankering for one, but also felt like eating an egg. I bridged the gap with the below recipe - come to think of it, less a recipe than an instructional manual, as I used what I had in my refrigerator. Feel free to customize it according to your specifications.

2 eggs
1 lavosh flatbread, approx. 8"x12"
1/2 c non-chunky salsa of your choice
3 Tbsp cooked black beans
1/4 c breakfast sausage of your choice (my family likes Morningstar)
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 handful heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 c grated Mexican cheese blend
1 Tbsp cotija cheese
1 Tbsp shredded fresh cilantro

Scramble the eggs. Spread salsa on lavosh to within 1/2" of edges. Sprinkle on scrambled eggs. Add black beans, sausage, green onion, tomatoes and cheeses.

Broil until cheese is melted and edges of lavosh are browned. Sprinkle with cilantro. Cut in wedges or squares (I like to use my kitchen scissors for this). Serve with fruit. Serves 2.

Amazing Overnight Waffles, Chocolate Style

This recipe, adapted from Mollie Katzen, lives up to its billing. Better yet, it's easy. The majority of the work is done the night before, allowing even the most bleary-eyed of cooks to produce a showstopping breakfast. This past weekend I had waffles on the table in the morning for my daughters and their sleepover guests before my coffee was even ready. A recipe like that? Keeper.

Go ahead... lick the screen

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 c milk
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 c Guittard miniature chocolate chips
1/3 c Nutella
1/3 c half-and-half
Powdered sugar
Whipped cream (optional)

The night before: Stir together flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk; whisk to blend. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

In the morning: Preheat waffle iron. Heat butter until just melted. Crack egg into melted butter; beat to combine. Stir into batter. Add chocolate chips. Ladle batter into waffle iron. Cook until browned.

While the waffles cook, stir together Nutella and half-and-half until mixture reaches the consistency of a sauce. Top each waffle with a drizzle of sauce, a dusting of powdered sugar, and a dollop of whipped cream if desired. Serve immediately.

Leftovers (if any) can be cooled completely on a rack, then frozen in a zip-top bag for later reheating in a toaster or toaster oven.

Berries with Honey Ricotta Cream

A delectable springtime dessert. Please don't try to use the waxy and flavorless "chocolaty" sprinkles you can find in supermarkets. Substitute miniature chocolate chips instead, or simply go without.

I'm sorry there's no picture. This dish got eaten before it could get photographed. Some things are too good to last, I guess...

1/3 cup ricotta cheese
2-3 Tbsp cream, to taste
2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
a dusting of Guittard chocolate sprinkles

Place ricotta in a small bowl. Add cream, honey and almond extract. Stir to mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Place strawberries and blueberries in a serving bowl. Dollop ricotta cream atop berries. Top with sprinkles and serve.

Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

While still definitely a treat, these doughnuts are baked, not fried, elevating them a notch on the healthfulness scale. Do they still taste good? My children – self-proclaimed experts on all things sweet – praised them as the best doughnuts they'd ever eaten.

This recipe makes 18 doughnuts, requiring the special equipment of 3 doughnut pans (or 1 used in heavy rotation).

1 3/4 c white whole wheat flour (or 2 c pastry flour)
1 c plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon, or 1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional)
6 Tbsp butter
4 large eggs
6 Tbsp buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

Melt butter in a small bowl. Beat in eggs until thoroughly incorporated. Add buttermilk and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients all at once into dry ingredients; stir just until combined. Batter will be thick.

Scrape batter into a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Cut off one corner, making an opening about 3/4" in size. Squirt the batter into the openings in the doughnut pans to fill each doughnut form half full.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 12 to 14 minutes. When done, they'll spring back when touched lightly. Remove pans from oven, remove doughnuts from pan (mine lifted straight out with a slender silicone spatula), and allow finished product to cool slightly before glazing.

Pumpkin-Crystallized Ginger Drop Scones

I intended to make pumpkin muffins this morning, but decided scones sounded better. Of course these had to have chocolate chips in them too since I'm making them for kids (as well as chocoholics). I used mini chips and chopped my ginger into bits roughly the same size. The subtle heat of the ginger bits complemented the smooth creaminess of the chocolate beautifully - so much so, in fact, that we ended up in the Land of No Leftover Scones. Recipe adapted from the King Arthur Flour blog.

2 3/4 c white whole wheat flour
1/3 c Sucanat
1 Tbsp aluminum-free baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 stick cold butter, cut into smallish cubes
1/2 c finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 c miniature chocolate chips
1 15-oz can pumpkin
2 eggs
coarse sugar or cinnamon-sugar blend

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Work in butter with a pastry cutter (or in a food processor) just until mixture is unevenly crumbly (some larger chunks of butter may remain unincorporated). Stir in ginger and chocolate.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin. Pour atop dry ingredients; stir to combine.

Scoop in 1/4-cup dollops onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between scoops to allow for rise. Sprinkle tops with coarse sugar. If time allows, place baking sheet in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm butter and create a higher rise. Bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Pumpkin Muffins

I heard the weather is supposed to drop out of the high 90s this weekend (finally). Perhaps it's pumpkin time...

1 1/2 c white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp baking powder
6 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 c dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c pumpkin puree
1/3 c water or milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Combine dry ingredients; whisk thoroughly. Beat butter until creamy, about 30 seconds. Beat in sugar gradually until lightened in color and texture, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat eggs in 1 at a time. Add pumpkin; beat on low speed just until blended. Add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with milk/vanilla mixture in 2 parts, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Stir in chocolate chips if using. Bake in muffin pans at 350 for 25 minutes or until muffins test done.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Adapted from the 1997 edition of Joy of Cooking. Sadly, this recipe did not make it to the most recent edition. But everything they said about it was right; the centers are soft, almost puddinglike, right off the griddle. The fluffiness abates when allows to stand, so eat them immediately.

These are so good they don't need accoutrements like butter and syrup. Eat plain, or with some fresh fruit.

1 1/3 c whole wheat pastry flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp non-aluminum baking powder (such as Rumford)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c milk
1 c cottage cheese
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat pancake griddle or skillet on medium.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Combine milk, cottage cheese, egg yolks and vanilla. Beat to combine. Pour onto dry ingredients, stirring to mix.

Whip egg whites to stiff but not dry peaks. Fold into batter. Drop by quarter-cup portions onto buttered griddle.