Artichoke, Chive and Goat Cheese Fritatta

Thanks to these gals,  I can get my hands on super fresh, (as in, still warm), beautiful eggs.  They're not mine, but I love them like they were and will one day have chickens of my own.  In the mean time, I'm happy helping my neighbor with her ever-abundant eggs whenever I can.  So this morning, I made great use of ten of these precious gems and made a lovely breakfast.  Fritattas are easy and completely limitless in ingredients.  I used what I had on hand.  I steamed 2 artichokes last night and since we didn't get around to eating them,  they were a perfect addition to the goat cheese and chives.  Always great accompanied by a simple herbed salad.

Orange and Oat Scones

Tomorrow marks the day when I (try to) learn how to tickle the keys of my Quickbooks program (bleh), as I have hired an actual real-life book-keeper to come over and show me the ropes. Now, let me tell you, there is a reason I veered towards a career in food rather than one involving addition and subtraction, so this should be interesting! In an effort to woo my teacher, I decided to make these scones to offer her while she shows me where the plus and minus keys are on located on this very keyboard. So I paid a visit to one of my most favorite food blogs, 101cookbooks, to see what Heidi had to offer. Low and behold, these Orange and Oat scones appeared right before my eyes. And now they have appeared on my kitchen counter! If only accounting was so easy! A simple, easy recipe - give it a try.

The original recipe calls for currants, I substituted raisins.

Orange and Oat Scones

From Heidi Swanson, 101cookbooks.com

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose, or half of each)

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch or two of salt

1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cubed

2 cups rolled oats

zest of one orange

2/3 cups dried currants, or raisins

sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt and pulse to combine.

Add butter and pulse about 20 times, until mixture looks like sandy pearls.

Transfer the dough into a bowl and add oats and zest. Stir to combine.

Add buttermilk and currants - stir until just moistened.

Bring the dough together with your hands - add a splash of buttermilk if too dry- avoid over mixing.

Form roundish balls and place on baking sheet.

Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until just turning golden.

Makes about 1 dozen

Mark Bittman's Granola

Granola, is deceptively unhealthy, as it is generally very high in fat and sometimes sugar. Usually, the better it tastes, the worse it is for you. Mark Bittman has a simple, low fat recipe which is easy to make and as soon as it is in the oven, the cinnamon, nuts and honey will get everyone asking (hovering), what are you making?? Once cooled, add your favorite dried fruit, seal in a air tight container and have your granola, guilt-free.

(Should I mention that this also makes a great gift!)

Mark Bittman's Granola

6 cups rolled oats, not quick cooking

2 cups mixed nuts or seeds. (almonds, cashews, sunflower, walnut, pecan...)

1 cup dried, shredded unsweetened coconut, optional

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 to 1 cup honey, agave, or maple syrup

1 cup raisins, or any dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350

Combine everything in a mixing bowl, except dried fruit, and place on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch for burning! Remove from heat, add dried fruit. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Yummy honey from Traverse City, MI, a gift from Cheryl and Ian! Delicious!! Love it!!

Move over, oatmeal...

On this cold, overcast morning, I had oatmeal on my mind.  In the way of my McCann's canister, was my forgotten jar of amaranth.  If you have never tried this darling of a grain (actually it's a seed), I would like to introduce you to the wonderfully tiny and delicious ancient food.  Used in cultures all over the world, amaranth, (an herb technically), is a powerhouse of nutrition, first used by the Aztecs, who believed it had supernatural powers and incorporated it into religious ceremonies.

The amaranth plant grows between 5 - 7 feet and has beautiful magenta flowers, or plumes.  It's an easy plant to grow - drought and heat tolerant - and the leaves are similar to spinach in both flavor and nutrition values.  

The seed, smaller than quinoa, is high in protein and iron as well as vitamin A and C.  It contains two amino acids, (lysine and methionine), rarely found in grains.  It is also high in calcium, five times more than milk, and is gluten - free.  

Cooked amaranth is 90% digestible, therefore a great food option for people recovering from illness.  For those with high blood pressure, amaranth can lower cholesterol and is high in linoleic acid.

Preparing amaranth is simple, I like it as a breakfast alternative to oatmeal and I fix it up the same way, with (almond) milk, fruit and honey.  But you could also use it in place of quinoa or brown rice, or add it to other grains for a added punch of texture and flavor.  It's sweet and malty, with a firm texture.  With a distinctive "pop", amaranth has a unique texture as it holds it's integrity after it's cooked.

You can find amaranth seed in a natural food store - as far as the leaves, check your local farmer's market.  Or even better,  grow it yourself!

Breakfast cereal:

1 cup amaranth seed

2 1/2 cups water or apple juice

pinch of sea salt

Bring liquid to boil, slowly add seeds, stirring as you pour, add salt.  Lower to simmer and cover for 18-20 minutes.  Be careful not to over cook, as seeds will become gummy.

Egg-Static!

I am lucky enough to work for a family that happens to have a second home a few hours away from Los Angeles. Well, not just a home, a vineyard. Complete with a pair of sheep and lamb and lots of chickens (plus an organic garden). But it's the chickens that lay dozens of eggs that I get to bring home occasionally, when there is an over abundance. And these eggs are beautiful. They taste unlike any egg available at the market. These yolks are golden yellow, robust, just delicious.

If you happen to have a chance to buy farm fresh, local organic eggs, I beg you to bring a dozen home. You may not ever buy another egg from a supermarket again. Now, there are millions of ways to use eggs - but I want to offer you a simple breakfast. It takes longer than scrambling, or frying, but the pay off is huge and so yummy with an herb salad and piece of crusty bread.

BAKED EGGS

Serves 2

4 farm fresh organic eggs

1 tbls butter

water

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease 2 ramekins with butter. Carefully break 2 eggs in each ramekin and place in an oven - proof dish. Fill dish with water to half the height of ramekin. Salt and pepper the eggs and place in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the whites are just set. Be careful not to over cook.

Serve in ramekin with simple herb salad and some crusty bread.

Photos by Yvette Roman Photography, 2009.