Breakfast Quinoa

I made a batch of quinoa for an appetizer I made and thought I would look on Pinterest to see what other ideas I could make with it. As a new mommy, breakfast is a hard thing thing to make/eat every morning. I saw a bunch of overnight oatmeal recipes on Pinterest and thought I could do something similar with my quinoa. The best part about this quick dish is that you can top it with anything you like! I basically went into my pantry picked out my toppings below and it turned out to be so good! I really had to hold myself back from adding chocolate morsels…

Breakfast Quinoa

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 quinoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon of any nut butter (I used maple almond butter)
Toppings:
Sliced almonds
Shredded coconut
Cinnamon
Honey
1 sliced banana

Directions
Cook the quinoa per instructions on the box, substituting the water for the coconut milk. After the quinoa cooks, mix in the vanilla extract, nut butter and cinnamon. (You can melt the nut butter in the microwave to incorporate it easier). Add any toppings you’d like, I added the ones listed above. Drizzle with honey, and enjoy! You can serve warm and it will keep well in the refrigerator to heat up the next day too!

Recipe source: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/04/breakfast-quinoa/

Sweet Waffle: Cinnamon Waffle with Blackberry & Basil Sauce

After an impromptu waffle iron buy last night, we decided to make waffles this morning! This sweet waffle is delectable with the blackberry and basil sauce. And the best part is, it is so easy to make!

Cinnamon Waffles with Blackberry & Basil Sauce

Ingredients (Makes 4-6 waffles, or 1 Belgium waffle)
Waffles:
1 cup flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 egg
3/4 cup of milk
3/4 of 1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
1 tbsp of cinnamon

Blackberry and Basil Sauce:
6oz fresh blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp of basil, chopped

Directions
Waffles:
1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the milk, the cooled melted butter, and egg in a separate bowl until combined; pour into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. (A few small lumps are fine.)
3. Preheat a waffle iron; lightly brush with vegetable oil, then fill with batter three-quarters full and cook until the waffles are golden and crisp.

Blackberry and Basil sauce:
1. Combine the blackberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and cook at a boil for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom as needed to keep from burning.
3. Reduce heat to low; simmer the mixture until thick, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Drizzle the sauce over the waffles to serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/top-notch-waffles.html and http://allrecipes.com/recipe/214834/blueberry-and-raspberry-pancake-topping/

Spicy Cinnamon-Chocolate Brownies

These no-fuss chocolate brownies get a subtle kick of spice that brings this all-time favorite dessert to the next level.

Spicy Cinnamon-Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray, for greasing pan
One 21-ounce box brownie mix, such as Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the dish with a 15-inch-square piece of parchment paper, allowing the excess paper to overhang the sides. Spray the parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Blend together the brownie mix, eggs, vegetable oil, 1/4 cup water, cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Beat the mixture for 1 minute using an electric hand mixer on medium speed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted about 1-inch from the edge of the baking dish comes out clean, 25 to 27 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.

Lift the brownie layer from the pan, using the excess paper for handles. Run a thin spatula underneath the brownie layer to loosen it from the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.

Recipe source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/spicy-cinnamon-chocolate-brownies-recipe.html

Chicken Tikka Masala {Crockpot}

I am not a huge fan of ethnic food but I crave chicken tikka masala all the time! When I found this crockpot recipe I was more than excited to try it! This is, by far, the best crockpot recipe I have made so far considering I got a crockpot as a wedding present back in October. I haven’t used my crockpot nearly enough as I should, but this recipe makes me want to search for more great crockpot recipes!

Remember: Spices marinating for hours on end intensifies the flavor so be careful when adding the cayenne.

You may think 2 tsp of cayenne isn’t that much, but combining it with the cumin, and the masala, and the cinnamon, the flavor gets intense. As much as my husband and I love spicy food, 2 tsp of cayenne was a little overbearing (which is why I adjusted the ingredients accordingly).

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, or about 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 lbs.) – cut into 1.5″ cubes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 (29 oz.) can of tomato puree
• 1½ cups plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. Garam masala
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• ½ tbsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. salt, or to taste
• ¾ tsp. cinnamon
• ¾ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 0-2 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on your heat preference)

• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp. cornstarch
• Chopped parsley or cilantro, for topping

Directions

1. Place everything up to the bay leaves in a large bowl. With a spatula, stir to combine everything and make sure the chicken is coated well.
2. Gently place the mixture in the insert of the crockpot and add the two bay leaves.
3. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high).
4. When done, in a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream and corn starch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot and gently stir. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up.
5. Serve hot over a bed of white (or brown) rice, or as usual I put mine over couscous. I think a little thicker grain will be better with this though, like rice, to really soak up the great sauce.
6. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Recipe source: http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2012/10/19/chicken-tikka-masala-crockpot