Warm wheat with almonds & fleur d'oranger

Versiunea in limba romana: Mic dejun sanatos si delicios: grau aromat cu fleur d'oranger si migdale

Ever since Yolanda posted on her  blog the Creamy whole grain wheat with caramelised orange peels & coconut chips recipe, I've been thinking about this delicious breakfast. Friday I finally bought whole grain wheat. My cupboard was stuffed with all kind of seeds, coconut, walnuts, almonds and fleur d'oranger.  In the evening I put the wheat in water. I fell asleep thinking of my delicious, healthy breakfast next morning...

I woke up and happy entered my kitchen. My kids welcomed me so warmly, that I started to think something happened... Actually, they made a surprize. They squeezed all the oranges and made lots and lots of fresh orange juice. All the oranges..."It's fresh, mom. It's pure vitamin C" :) 

I could not give up. The wheat was waiting nicely, but I had no oranges. My kids love citrus taste, so I replaced the oranges with lemons. Yum and fresh! 

I followed all the steps in Yolanda's recipe, but, again, my kids stepped in. They wanted to chose the seeds and nuts for their porridge, so they played with walnuts, grated apple, almonds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes and sun flower seeds. Breakfast was delicious, fresh, a bit lemony... A lot lemony :)

Full of energy, we went outside and played in the snow. Great snow fight  ♥

I'll repeat Yolanda's recipe as she posted it, with oranges. I keep thinking of caramelized orange peel... I have wheat now... I'll hide 3 oranges :)

1 cup whole grain wheat

2 lemons (juice + thinly grated zest) + 4 tbsp brown sugar + half a glass of water
3/4 cup of milk 
2 tbsp sweet cream + 1 tbsp honey + 2-3 tbsp fleur d'oranger water
1 grated apples
2-3 tbsp raw almonds (put it for 15 minutes in hot water, then take the soft brown shell of and crush it with the knife) 
Your choice of:  walnut, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, sun flower seeds, raisins, etc.
In the evening put the wheat in cold water. In the morning, change the water and let it stand for 1-2 hours more.

Mix the following ingredients: lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, water. Bring to boil, then let it simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the wheat, add it to the lemon syrup. Add also the milk. Let it simmer  for 10 minutes, until the wheat absorbs most of the liquid. Add the honey, fleur d'oranger water, sweet cream, almonds and grated apple. Add your choice (or all): walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, sun flower seeds, raisins, etc.

Delicious, lemony, wonderful breakfast!

Delicious apple pancakes

 Versiunea in limba romana: Clatite americane cu mere si zahar cu mirodenii

 

It's been a while since we prepared our Sunday morning pancakes.  We could not give up our family tradition so easily, so Sunday we played "pancakes". I made our favorite American pancakes batter and enriched it with delicious spicy sugar flavored apples. We eat the yumminess with butter and maple syrup. A dream <3

American pancakes

3 big eggs, separated egg yolks and egg whites  + 115 g flour, sieved + 1 tsp baking powder + 3 x 125g Greek yogurt + a pinch of salt
 

For spiced sugar apples
3 apples, sliced in rounds  + spiced sugar (brown sugar mixed with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, vanilla, etc and kept in an air tight container) + 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
To serve: butter & maple syrup or mascarpone cream cheese
Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt until you obtain a firm cream. In another bowl mix the flour, egg yolks and yogurt, until you get a smooth cream. Heat the pancake pan, brush a slice of apple with the melted butter and spread it with spiced sugar and put the apple slice in the pan.

After 45-60 seconds, turn the apples on the other side and pour the batter for one pancake. When you see bubbles  appear through the batter, then it is time to carefully turn the pancake on the other side. When the pancake is golden colored, then transfer it to the plate.

Repeat the steps for every pancake.

Delicious with butter & maple syrup or with mascarpone cream cheese.

Healthy breakfast: raspberries quinoa porridge

Versiunea in limba romana: Mic dejun sanatos - Porridge cu quinoa

I love quinoa! I discovered it earlier and prepared quinoa with chickpeas, dried fruits and spices.  It is the ideal food for a healthy diet. The aztecs consumed quinoa 5000 years ago and it was considered the source of their power. The Mother Grain!

Advantages:

♥ significantly more protein than any other cereal

♥ the quality of quinoa's protein is better than the meat protein

♥ technically speaking, quinoa is not a cereal, but a fruit 

♥ very rich in minerals & vitamins

♥ contains 4 times more calcium than wheat 

♥ contains iron, vitamin B & vitamin E 

♥ contains a reduced amount of fat

♥ contains essential fat acids.

I discovered another friendly way to introduce this wonder food in my kids meals. Next step: quinoa muffins.

500 ml soya milk + 400 g quinoa + 3 tbsp brown sugar + 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Serve with: raspberries, strawberries, more milk, if necessary.
Wash thoroughly the quinoa grains under a lot of running cold water, and drain well. Bring the soya milk to boil, add the quinoa and boil again. Simmer for 15 minutes, covered. Add the sugar & cinnamon and boil for 5 more minutes. Serve with red fruits, more milk, if necessary and a pinch of cinnamon. 

Light & healthy breakfast ♥

Perfect chocolate ricotta muffins

Versiunea in limba romana: Muffins cu ciocolata si ricotta

 

Chocolate cravings... Joy of baking's chocolate ricotta muffins seemed so perfect that I just had to try. I switched for dark chocolate (75% cocoa) instead of milk chocolate. Early in the morning I baked the ricotta muffins. Meanwhile, I prepared the coffee. A wonderful chocolaty aroma filled the house... A delicious breakfast. There's a reason why specialists keep on saying that dark chocolate is good for women... I feel good ♥ ( thanks God nobody hears me singing :)

250 g ricotta
2 big eggs, at room temperature 
320 ml milk
1 tbsp vanilla essence 
57 g unsalted butter, melted and returned to room temperature
260 g flour, sieved
250 g white sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
60 g good quality cocoa, sieved
170 g dark chocolate 75 % cocoa, chopped
Heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Prepare a muffin tray. 24 little muffins or 12 big ones.
Mix well ricotta, then add the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition.  Make sure you add also the mixture on the sides and bottom of the bowl, by removing it with a silicone spatula. Add milk, vanilla essence and melted&cooled butter and mix well.

In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa. Add the liquid part and mix a little, only until it's smooth. Add the chocolate chips and mix with a wooden tablespoon. Pour the batter in the prepared muffin papers and bake for 20 minute. When a toothpick is inserted in the muffin, it should come out clean.

Delicious! I love chocolate ♥

Thanks, Joy of baking