Did you say Biscuits?

They weren't kidding..."the most achievable morning biscuit." I'm in love with Sunday Suppers and their magnificently beautiful cookbook. I woke up knowing I wanted to flour my hands and have a lazy Sunday morning in the kitchen and what better way than a soul-satifying, comforting and SIMPLE recipe of sausage and gravy over homemade biscuits.  It's not the sort of breakfast you'll have every day, but it's all about balance and enjoying the simple pleasures, right?  Couple that with a long, slow roast of coffee...that's how we do it in our house (as long as an adventure is not awaiting us). 

Homemade Biscuits with sausage and gravy

INGREDIENTS:

• Homemade Biscuits (recipe in the Sunday Suppers Cookbook)

• 1 lb organic pork breakfast sausage

• 1 tbsp Irish butter

• 1/4 c all-purpose flour, plus more

• 1 c heavy cream

• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and break into a few large chunks. Brown each side of the pieces and then using a spatula, continue to break up the pieces as it cooks until meat is browned all over, thoroughly cooked and broken into smaller pieces. Remove meat from pan and set aside on a plate.

2. Melt butter in pan and add flour, whisking continuously, until a thick paste forms. Slowly whisk in half of the cream until it thickens and is a smooth consistency. Add more cream or flour until desired consistency and amount is achieved (you can also use additional water as a thinner).

3. Fold sausage back into pan to combine with the gravy. Season with salt and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper.

4. Halve the biscuits and arrange desired amount of sausage and gravy over bottom half of biscuit. Add another twist of fresh cracked pepper and finish with the biscuit top. BON appetit!

A Green Breakfast

This is probably a top favorite and request of a favorite little lady I have been cooking and creating menus for over the last six years.  You've got to know that this green breakfast is jam packed with nutrients that will most definitely get you stepping out the front door with your best self shining. And the best part, you can make a big batch and keep them loaded and ready in the fridge for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack the next day! 

A GREEN BREAKFAST

Prep time: 5 mins | Total time: 7 mins  | Serves: 1-2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 an avocado

• 1/2 a small fennel bulb

• 1 large handful spinach

• 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

• 1 apple, cored and chopped

• 1/2 c pineapple, chopped

• 1 tbsp flax seeds

• 1 c nut milk

• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp almonds, chopped

• 1 tbsp walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. In Vitamix or high powered blender, combine all ingredients through the nut milk and blend on high until smooth. Adjust taste if desired.

2. Pour into a bowl or mason jars and top with remaining nuts and seeds when ready to eat.

 

 

Recipe: A simple lunch.

Sometimes all you need is a few simple ingredients to feel completely satisfied.  I made this lunch a couple of weeks ago with inspiration from Sunday Suppers.  It was super simple, super delicious and super satisfying.  I'm craving it right now, for my lunch that's about to happen, and decided that I should share it. Simple and easy.  Go for it. 

Apple - Celery Root - Prosciutto - Parsley - Lemon - Maldon - Peppercorn

Prep time:  10 mins   | Assembly time:  5 mins   | Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 apple, cored and julienned

• 1 small celeriac, peeled and julienned

• 5 pieces of thinly sliced prosciutto, torn

• 1 small handful parsley, leaves only, torn

• 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• juice of 1 small lemon

• sea salt, to taste

• fresh cracked pepper, to taste

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• maldon sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk yogurt, lemon, chopped fresh parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil. Adjust to taste.

2. In a medium bowl, combine apple, celeriac, parsley, half of the prosciutto and toss with dressing. Top with the remaining torn prosciutto and fresh cracked peppercorns and of course, maldon sea salt.

Toast Obsession

Yep, it's official... I. AM. OBSESSED. WITH. TOAST. There aren't enough places around this town with good ol' toast.  I'm going to change that and you can quote me on that.  But, in the meantime, while you're waiting, I'll just be making it at home, for myself and for anyone else who wants to sit down with me and indulge in the many possible creations for this brilliant and simple idea we call toast.  Did you know that toast was created to make stale bread more palatable, and at one point, Streetband/Q-Tip even had a song named 'Toast' where they used toast as an instrument and the sound of toast being scraped later in the track...ummm....yeah, that happened. 

While living in Venice, I frequently (when I say "frequently", I mean "daily") walked down with Chloe to the little local joint GTA (Gjelina Take-Away) and it was almost a certainty that I'd order a toast. Sometimes the granola, sometimes the spicy breakfast sandwich with kale, but most likely...toast...and a cortado.  God, I miss that place. And with that nostalgia and longing for a good local spot where everyone knows my name and the toast that I want, I have to settle for toast at home.

Above, my favorite, salmon toast (wild alaskan smoked salmon, cream cheese, pickled cucumber, capers, radish, dill) and pear toast (winter red pear, whipped cream cheese and yogurt, maldon sea salt, thyme).

Salmon Toast

INGREDIENTS:

• Artisan bread, sliced (and optional: lightly toasted)

• 4oz Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon

• 2 oz Organic Cream Cheese

• 1 Pickled Cucumber, thinly sliced/shaved

• 1 Tbsp Capers

• 1 Radish, thinly sliced

• 2 sprigs fresh dill

• Maldon sea salt

• fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Arrange your mise en place of ingredients.

2. Spread cream cheese onto slice of artisan bread.

3. Layer with salmon, cucumber and capers. Top with radish and dill sprigs and a pinch of maldon sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Voila!

Winter Pear Toast

INGREDIENTS:

• Artisan bread, sliced (and optional: lightly toasted)

• 2 oz cream cheese

• 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

• 1 red or asian pear, thinly sliced

• maldon sea salt

• 1 sprig thyme

• optional: drizzle of honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Arrange your mise en place of ingredients.

2. In a small bowl, whip together cream cheese and yogurt. Adjust amount of yogurt for desired taste and consistency. Spread cream cheese onto slice of artisan bread.

3. Layer pear on top of cream cheese/yogurt and top with maldon sea salt, a sprig of thyme and optional honey drizzle for added sweetness. Done!

Juice Up!

I forgot to put this one up yesterday, pre-wonton exploration, but I had a few requests for this bright little guy of inspiration.  I recommend getting super creative and inspired with what's in your refrigerator (if you keep seasonal veggies on hand that is). No worries if you don't have a juicer!  A strong blender and a sieve will do the trick here!

A few things to think about when making a good green juice:

• add variety - try and use a few different vegetables or herbs that are green (kale, swiss chard, spinach, celery, cucumber, parsley, mint, etc)

• add a bit of sweetness if desired - I used pear and golden beets for this one (try an apple or a carrot or a red beet, but note that color might turn a bit brownish)

• add an acid to cut the bitterness of the greens (half a lemon will do the trick, but you can get creative

• optional to add fat, but i like to add a little finisher of flax oil or fish oil for some healthy omegas

GREEN JUICE

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 c swiss chard, roughly chopped

• 1 handful of parsley, leaves and stems

• 3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

• 1 small golden beet, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1/2 a pear, cored and roughly chopped

• 1/2 a lemon, *juice only

• 1 tsp flax oil or fish oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a Vitamix or strong blender, add chard, parsley, celery, beet and pear and a splash of water. Blend on high, using vitamin accelerator tool to assist in blending, until a smooth puree consistency. (add more water if too thick)

2. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain juice into a bowl, leaving pulp behind, and pour into your favorite glass. (save the pulp and add it to your pup's food! Chloe loves her greens!) Enjoy!