Peanut butter, banana and Goji berries granola

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a health nut by any means.

However, I like to think that I'm taking care of my body as much as possible (a mid-30s body is a temple one should respect!): I exercise, I have a thorough skin care routine and when it comes to what I eat I try to think in terms of nutritious fueling - as well as papillary satisfaction, of course.

I've grown a little tired of my regular boiled oatmeal, however delicious it is sprinkled with a little salt and a few shavings of aged cheddar or Parmesan. So when I bought a bag of Goji berries on a whim last week (never heard of them before), I decided to hop on the homemade granola train and satisfy my craving for a healthy delicious breakfast that doubles as a sweet nutritious snack.

Here's my recipe for peanut butter, banana and Goji berries homemade granola. Enjoy!



INGREDIENTS (yields about 3 cups of granola):
- 2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- 1/2 cup of banana chips
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/3 cup Goji berries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- a pinch of salt


RECIPE:
- preheat your oven to 350F
- in a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until well blended

- spread evenly in a non-stick baking dish (you can use a little oil-spray if you want to prevent sticking)

- bake for 10 minutes at 350F, stir once and bake for another 10 minutes at 350F

- let cool completely before storing in an air-tight container
Note: it was my first time making granola and I did not think that the dried berries would crisp up after baking (granola-rookie mistake, I guess). For chewier, softer berries, bake the granola without the berries and add them after the granola has cooled.
- delicious as is for a snack, or sprinkled over yoghurt and drizzled with a little maple syrup, agave syrup or honey for breakfast
- enjoy!

Gorgonzola and caramelized pear scones

I've been on a breakfast kick as of late. After the crepes, waffles and muffins, I decided to try my hand at scones.

I wanted a savory scone.

Since my favorite cheese of all time is gorgonzola (ok maybe not of ALL time, but very close) and I had a lonely pear in my fridge, I decided that this was going to be it. Chunky, ooey-gooey, blue cheesy nuggets contrasting nicely with soft, juicy, sweet bursts of pear flavor. Yes.

Plus, they look awesome on your table!

Here is how I made them.



INGREDIENTS (for 8 scones):
- 1 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup milk, cold
- 1/4 cup sour cream, cold
- 1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cold
- 1/2 cup gorgonzola
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 pear


RECIPE:
- preheat your oven at 400F
- melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a pan, add the peeled and finely diced pear with the sugar and cook until caramelized (about 5 minutes over medium-high heat), then reserve on the side

- in a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, pepper, baking powder) and the diced cold butter and incorporate the butter with a dough cutter or your fingers as quick as possible until it ressembles fresh breadcrumbs

- add the rest of the ingredients (milk, sour cream, gorgonzola, pear and eggs) and mix until just combined

Note: the dough will be very wet. Don't worry, just make sure you work on a well floured surface when you shape the scones later
- transfer the dough on a floured surface, shape into a flat disc, cut into eighths and place in a floured cast iron skillet (or just place on a floured cookie sheet)

- bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes until golden

- the scones will be soft when they come out of the oven, let them cool down before handling or they will crumble
- enjoy!

Banana walnut Nutella muffins

You like banana bread? You like Nutella? You don't like to share? Look no further: those muffins are for you :)

These are super easy to whip up, and the swirls of Nutella in the moist banana bread are scrumptious.

A great breakfast on the go or post-workout snack, those banana muffins should be in your belly now!



INGREDIENTS (yields 16-18 muffins):
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cups shelled walnuts
- 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract (vanilla is fine too)
- 1/2 cup Nutella


RECIPE:
- preheat your oven at 375F
- in a large bowl, mix the eggs, bananas and sugar until well combined

- add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well

- mix in the walnuts then gently fold in the Nutella

Note: thorough mixing will give a subtle homogeneous hazelnut taste, whereas a quick fold will result in delicious swirls of pure Nutella throughout the muffin 
- line a muffin pan with paper cups, fill them to 2/3 and bake for 18 minutes at 375F

- Enjoy!

Earl Grey Waffles

I'm really more of a savory breakfast person. But there's something about fresh waffles that just makes it for me. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The taste of butter… hmmm…. But I digress.

I'd been craving Earl Grey goodies for a couple of weeks, and I figured it would totally work as a waffle concept. I'm not going to lie: this recipe was a success! I'm very happy with the subtle tea flavor of the waffle, which could even be enhanced by adding ground leaves in the batter. I didn't have any on hand, but maple syrup would totally kill on top of those babies!

So easy, few ingredients, very quick and absolutely divine with a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and orange slices.

Oh, and if you don't have a waffle-maker, just make pancakes! ;)

Bon appetit!!


INGREDIENTS (yields 6 waffles):
- 1 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup brewed Earl Grey (very concentrated)
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 2 eggs, separated


RECIPE:
- put all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and add all the wet ingredients (except the egg whites) progressively until blended smooth

- gently fold in the whipped egg whites until just combined


- ladle in a waffle-maker or if you don't have one, cook like pancakes

- seve freshly cooked, hot with a little square of butter and a light sprinkle of confectionner sugar
- Enjoy!