Recipes: Breakfast « ForkBytes

Gluten-Free Lemon Scones

Note: this piece first appeared in the June 2008 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

by Chef Andrea Boje (please read Andrea’s explanation of gluten-free flours)

Makes 6 to 8 scones

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup millet flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup almond milk
orange juice
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, millet flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until dough forms coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whip eggs and then stir in honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond milk. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to mix.

Knead dough with hands. Sprinkle with additional flour if dough is too wet to handle. Form dough into a round shape about 1 inch thick. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges and place on baking sheet. Brush each wedge with orange or lemon juice and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through baking time.

Scones will store in the refrigerator or in an airtight container for 1 week.

Super Simple Miso Soup

Note: this piece first appeared as the October 2007 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 2

This preparation method for miso soup is not traditional, but it’s an easy, quick way to enjoy this healthful and delicious dish. Try making Super Simple Miso Soup for breakfast, especially in cooler weather! You can substitute other vegetables and use whichever variety of miso you prefer. Nori and dulse granules (made from the sea vegetables nori and dulse) are available in the macrobiotic section of health food stores. Miso paste is also available in health food stores (in the refrigerated section).

1 carrot, grated
1 3-inch piece of daikon radish, grated
1 cup thinly sliced collard greens
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons nori or dulse granules
3 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon sliced scallions
1 tablespoon brown rice or mellow white miso

Place carrots, daikon, collards, garlic, ginger, and sea vegetable granules in a large bowl or medium soup pot. Pour the boiling water over the vegetables and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the scallions and miso and serve immediately.

Brown Rice Hot Cereal

Note: this piece first appeared in the October 2007 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Serves 2

1/2 cup brown rice, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut oil or organic, unsalted butter
2 cups water
dark agave nectar or pure maple syrup to taste

Place the rice in a blender and process to a coarse meal (do not grind into flour). Add the rice to a small saucepan along with sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla, oil or butter, and water, and place over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wire whisk. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn down the heat and continue to whisk constantly until the mixture is incorporated and slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and allow to sit about 10 minutes or until rice is tender and mixture is thick. Serve topped with dark agave nectar or pure maple syrup to taste.

Ginger-Coconut Brown Rice

Note: this piece first appeared as the September 2007 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 4

This simple dish is warm, comforting, and absolutely delicious. It makes a great breakfast on a cool morning — and it is a fantastic, simple dessert!

2 teaspoons coconut oil or organic, unsalted butter
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 cup brown rice, rinsed
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
generous pinch sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat the oil or butter in a medium saucepan. Add the ginger and cook briefly, then add rice and toast for about 1 minute. Add the water, coconut milk, salt, and cinnamon, and mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, covered, until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 50 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Melon-Lime Smoothie

Note: this piece first appeared as the May 2007 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 1 to 2

This cool, refreshing, cleansing smoothie is a perfect quick and easy breakfast. It also makes a great 3pm pick-me-up — especially on warm afternoons!

2 cups frozen watermelon, cantaloupe, and/or honeydew melon chunks
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons agave nectar
15 to 20 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until completely smooth. Serve immediately.

Cinnamon Cacao Smoothie

Note: this piece first appeared as the February 2006 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 1 to 2

This delicious, energizing smoothie is better than any cup of coffee! It’s smooth, creamy, and sweet, but it’s completely dairy- and refined sugar–free. A perfect dessert, afternoon pick-me-up, or breakfast! A high-speed blender is best for this recipe, but a regular blender will work as long as it can crush ice.

Raw cacao nibs are seeds from the actual cacao tree. Larger natural foods markets carry them, or you can buy them online at rawfood.com. Agave nectar, a delicious alternative sweetener from the agave cactus, is also available at natural foods stores in the baking section with other sweeteners. Nut milks are available in natural foods stores and many larger grocery stores.

2/3 to 3/4 cup plain hazelnut or almond milk
3 tablespoons cacao nibs
1 to 2 tablespoons agave nectar
pinch sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 a frozen banana
15 to 20 ice cubes
fresh mint and/or whole cinnamon sticks for garnish

Combine nut milk, cacao, agave, sea salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and banana in a blender and process until completely smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients as necessary. Add ice and blend again until smooth and frosty. Pour into glasses and garnish with mint and/or cinnamon sticks. Serve immediately.

See step-by-step photos of this dish!

Mexican Cacao Smoothie

Step-By-Step: Cinnamon Cacao Smoothie

For written instructions, see the original post: Cinnamon Cacao Smoothie

This delectable and healthful recipe was inspired by raw foods chef extraordinaire Claudine Stone — although my version is not 100% raw. Feel free to experiment and adjust to your tastes and needs!

Start with 2/3 to 3/4 cup nut milk (I’m currently really into this hazelnut milk, but almond milk is also very delicious!). You can use rice or soy milk if you prefer — just be sure to use a plain version without refined sugar. Place your nut milk in a blender. A high-speed blender (such as a Vita-Mix, K-Tec, or Blendtec) is preferable, but a regular blender will work, too, as long as it can crush ice.

nut_milk

Next, add about 3 tablespoons raw cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are pieces of the chocolate bean or seed from the cacao tree. You can buy them at rawfood.com. These things are amazing — a real chocolate experience like no other! Real cacao will really satisfy your chocolate cravings without any commercial dairy, sugar, or other undesirables found in standard candy bars. Now, if you really don’t want to get some cacao nibs, you can also try some grain-sweetened chocolate chips, such as Sunspire. But trust me on this one… the cacao is worth it!

cacaonibs

My favorite sweetner for this smoothie is agave nectar. Agave has the consistency and sweetness of honey, but it’s much lower on the Glycemic Index and therefore causes less of a blood sugar rush (translation: no sugar crash an hour or two after eating agave!). Sweeten to taste (for me, this is about one to two tablespoons agave).

agave_nectar

If you’d like, you can add some maca powder (I use about 1/2 a teaspoon). Maca is actually a root vegetable — very strengthening and grounding and wonderful for stamina. It’s available as a supplement in powdered form in your health food store or from rawfood.com, so you can pick some up to try when you get your cacao nibs!

maca_powder

Add a pinch of sea salt, 1/2 a frozen banana, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (my secret ingredient!) to the blender and process until completely smooth. Observe as the mixture turns a deep chocolate brown! Taste and adjust as necessary (not sweet enough? Add more agave. Not chocolatey enough? Add more cacao. Can’t taste the cinnamon? You need a little more!).

blending

Add about 15 to 20 ice cubes and blend again until smooth and frosty. Keep adding ice and blending until you reach your desired consistency.

iceblending

Garnish with mint leaves and/or cinnamon sticks and serve immediately! Enjoy!

smoothie

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