Friendly Food Snobs

breakfast

mango coconut almond granola

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I love to shop for food. Fruits and vegetables. Salt. Wine. Cheese. Meat. If we are travelling and I spy a spice store I will run to it.

This week I was shopping at my local health food store Evergreen. I was about to throw a box of granola in my cart when I glanced at the price, and then the price of a bag of organic rolled oats. Show’s over. Time to try making granola.

One bite of this and I was a convert. Except for the dried mango, I had all the other ingredients in my pantry. Great tossed over plain yogurt. Or eaten by the handful. You could easily swap out the mango for some raisins or any dried fruit you have on hand.

mango coconut almond granola

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup rolled oats
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds (optional)
½ cup unsalted pepita seeds (optional)
¾ cup shredded coconut
½ cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 – 1/2 cup maple syrup (depending on how sweet you prefer)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt + tiny pinch nutmeg
1 cup chopped dried mango

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except for the mango. Tumble onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet or large glass baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Stirring every 10 minutes to ensure it browns evenly. In the last 5 minutes add the dried mango. Let granola cool for at least at hour before packaging. The texture crunches up as it cools. Store in airtight container for 10 days or freezes well.

Savory cheese and chive scones

savory-cheese-and-chive-sconessavory-cheese-and-chive-scones

Chive and cheddar…best friends forever.

This recipe was born out of wanting to make a birthday surprise for Matt. Matt moved to Toronto from rainy London to marry sunny Kate years ago. When it’s his birthday I try to bake something I tell myself is British. These are lovely on their own, or with scrambled eggs for breakfast, or beside a bowl of soup for lunch.

Savory cheese and chive scones

Ingredients:
2 heaping tablespoons chopped chives
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
5 turns of fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup almond milk (or any milk you like)
2 eggs
½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
One stick of butter or 8 tablespoons
1 and ½ cups grated aged white cheddar cheese (cheddar mixed with a ½ cup of asiago or parmesan is also delicious)
Smidge of fleur de sal for sprinkling on top or any good coarse salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and throw the stick of butter in the freezer. Hot meets cold here. And get a muffin pan ready. Mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, mustard and pepper.

Wisk the eggs and milk with the chives. Grate the butter over top of the flour bowl. Once you get near the end of the stick use it to grease the muffin pan. Stir the milk into the dry mixture and then add the grated cheese. Taking care to touch it as little as possible. Minimal mixing means the butter stays cold. And that means the scones get fluffy.

Once everything is combined, using a tablespoon in each hand, spoon out a large dollop of batter into each muffin cup. Add a little sprinkle of good salt on top if you like.

Get the scones into the middle rack of the oven quick. After 12-13 minutes the tops will be puffed up and golden brown and you won’t be able to resist the smell. Makes 12.

Green smoothie for green smoothie newbies

green-smoothie-for-green-smoothie-newbies

Don’t knock it till you try it. I rolled my eyes at the green smoothie fanatics for a long time. That is, until I decided to try it for myself. Then BAM. I converted too. They made me feel good, satiated and energized all morning long. This smoothie is a great re-set if you’re feeling sluggish on Monday morning or maybe overindulged the day before. I use only organic fruits and veggies. Grab your blender, throw this all in and I promise you will be riding high all morning long.

Green smoothie for green smoothie newbies

Ingredients:
2 handfuls of washed and chopped kale or spinach
1 avocado
1 heaping tablespoon shredded coconut
1 scoop of brown rice protein powder
1 cup of almond milk
½ cup water
1 banana
Juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in blender and off you go. Feel free to add more or less water and milk depending on the consistency you prefer. Serves two hungry morning bellies.

coconut peanut butter protein balls

coconut peanut butter protein balls
Coconut Peanut Butter Power Balls
Coconut Peanut Butter Power Balls

Small, raw and delicious. These little balls are packed with goodness, flavour and protein. I like to store them in the freezer to nibble on when craving something sweet. They take 15 minutes to make from start to finish…the hardest part is waiting for them to set in the fridge or freezer. These are a staple made at least twice a month in our house. Hope you like them as much as we do.

coconut peanut butter protein balls

Ingredients:
6 medjool dates chopped
½ cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips
pinch sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup (feel free to omit to make less sweet/sugar)
3 heaping tablespoons peanut butter or any nut butter
1 heaping tablespoon goji berries
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut for rolling

Combine everything in a bowl, except for the coconut. Wet your hands and form small balls. Roll in the shredded coconut. Let set in the fridge or freezer for 1 hour before eating. Makes 12.

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