Peachy Crepes

I wanted to wait to share more recipes until I have a camera.

But it's peach season, man. And...dude..one's just gotta share.

So yeah...you can find the wheat free crepe recipe here. It's the peachy part I wanted to share today.

If your peaches aren't as good as mine (cuz I live in peach growing heaven here) or are over or underripe, you can cook them up. Just peel, then slice them. Put them in a pan with butter and a bit of lemon juice (so they don't get all brown if that's an issue for you). Put in some salt, a bit of stevia or some syrup and lots of cinnamon. Cook the peaches but watch that you don't overdo them. I've tried cooking them with coconut oil, but there's some sort of reaction with the pectin that grosses some people out. I thought it OK, but whatever.

Put the peaches in a crepe, top with plain Greek or regular yogurt and some roasted pecans. Might want to add some syrup if you didn't in the cooking phase as it adds a nice flavor.

If you have perfectly tree ripened peaches like I do you won't want to cook them. Why mess with perfection?

But I do like to add a bit o' further pizazz with my uncooked peach crepes (the ones I had this very morning, in fact).

Instead of just plain pecans to top the fresh peaches and yogurt, I toast pecan pieces until brown (well...they end up kinda black in some places just about every time, but that's OK by me). I then add butter, vanilla and syrup. Cook until the syrup is warmed and gets kinda gooey. I've decided to call these Southern Pecans because they remind me of pecan pralines, which reminds me of plantations around New Orleans.

But whatever you wanna call them, try them cuz they're yummy.

Bon appetite on a perfect Sunday morning made even more so with Peach Crepes.

peach pic from here.

Savory, Spicy Yams

Years ago, I used to make a huge, every Sunday I would make an elaborate Sunday Brunch for my family. Eggs Benedict, breakfast souffle, crepes, German Apple Pancakes, coffee cakes, omelettes...loved trying all sorts of different things. I'd crank up the classical music, put on a pot of really strong coffee and be in heaven.

I learned last year that my sister loves to do the same thing. When she told me, we looked into each others' eyes and said "Dad" simultaneously. I remember waking up (often with a splitting hangover headache in high school) to him blaring Capriccio Italiano, the smells of bacon and coffee wafting up into my bedroom. Then coming down to find him pustying around, having fun making us breakfast.

Safety. Comfort. Home.

I looooove Sunday Brunch in any form. Sometimes it's fun to go out. Some of my fondest foodie experiences are Sunday Brunches, outdoors, sipping champagne, lolling and chatting with close friends. Mother's Day brunch at the Ritz in Palm Springs...seeing The Grand Damme with her hat, gloves and retinue. Eating on a balcony in St. Thomas with simple pineapple and coffee, looking out over the blue Carribean Sea. My very favorite was in New Orleans at Commander's Palace. The food (watermelon, fennel, shrimp salad...OMG, to DIE for!!!), the jazz, the snake dancing through the restaurant, the characters that New Orleans is home to...I will remember that glorious morning forever!

Sweet memories...and there are more...but being home, with "my music," the sun shining and stuff cooked exactly as I love it...that's where it's at for me right now.

When I make 'taters for breakfast, I generally do my world famous Breakfast Potatoes. But this morning I wanted something with more kick. I decided on yams with my favorite breakfast scramble.

As I'm the only one in the house that likes yams, I only used one small one. Slice it about a 1/4 of an inch thick.

Coursely chop lots of garlic (I use a whole clove, even though it's only one yam).

Put the yams in a bowl. Drizzle them with olive oil, the garlic; about a 1/2 ts. of thyme; salt, pepper and chili peppers to taste.

Stir to evenly disperse oil and herbies all over the orange moons. After all is evenly coated, lay in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Broil or bake in oven until soft with a bit of a chewy outside. Be sure to watch them as they can cook quickly. Might also want to turn them over after a five minutes, although I don't always do that.

As my body isn't too happy when it eats gluten, I had a piece of Essene Bread toast. Made myself a cup of strong, mudlike coffee and all come together to = Sunday Brunch Perfect.

These yams are also excellent for dinners with salmon (or probably lots of stuff). In fact, I usually eat them for dinner. But they hit the spot in the morning, when I'm not in "traditional" breakfast mode.

image from here.

Wheat Free Crepe And Strawberry Breakfast Delight

Strawberries are in season here the Northern California. And I'm not talking about those anemic or orangey pink blobs that pass for an excuse of strawberry in stores. I'm talkin' bout blood red, luminescent, perfectly balanced sweet/tart vine ripened, picked the same day strawberries. I had never tasted a real one until I moved to California. Oh. My. God.

Now, some may herald the strawberry season with ideas of shortcake. Or on a piece of shortbread with custard underneath for a tart. But not me. For me it's all about the Strawberry Crepes.

...which I had for breakfast this morning, and for which I've been salivating about now for a couple of weeks, waiting for the strawberry vendors at the Farmer's Market to appear. I missed the week before, but not this last Saturday. I knew they'd be there. I wasn't disappointed.

I went to each strawberry stall and taste-tested them. I've discovered that it's actually the smaller varieties that tend to be sweeter. I looked around and only saw big ones. While a bit attituded at first, I kept on keeping on. I finally chose the first booth I had gone to. One has to try them all (just in case), but ultimately theirs had that perfect balance of sweet tanginess that I was searching for. Got my three baskets and away I went.

I'm not much of a savory crepe person. I'm actually not much of a dessert crepe person, either. Although these could work for dessert, I'm kinda odd in that if crepes are the after dinner option, I'll just take the guts. An exception might be Chocolate Mousse With Banana Crepes. But for the most part, I'd rather have the innards without the roll.

I also try to avoid wheat as much as possible as I've found that the cost/benefit ratio of eating it usually isn't worth it. While I intend on getting that fixed some day, I have a reaction to the wheat. Not totally over the edge into gluten intolerance, but I do get bloated for about three days. In addition, over time I've also lost the taste for most wheat concoctions. But that's for another post.

But Strawberries (soon Peach) Crepes for breakfast beckon...so what to do? The call me like sirens. L'il boogers.

So this morning, for the first time since last summer I got to make my crepes. Oh, yum.

Wheat Free Crepe And Strawberry Breakfast Delight Recipe
(complete with the appropriate mindset, included)

I reverently got out the eggs, the cream (milk works, too), the stevia the cinnamon, the Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt, the almonds and syrup.

I said a prayer as I chunked almonds, tossed them into a dry pan, put them over medium heat to toast, then let them cool while doing the rest.

I meditated on the eggs as I cracked them open, thanking them for giving their little lives for my nourishment. Figure one egg per crepe. Put how many ever eggs into a bowl, add lots of milk/cream. Then a dash of salt. Put in tons of stevia and cinnamon.* I use about a half tsp. of both the stevia and cinnamon per egg. This sounds like(and is) lots (especially for the cinnamon), but it's not overpowering when cooked and all the elements are combined. Both will glump. This is OK, just combine it all as much as you can. Get out your crepe pan and cook it like you would any crepe. You'll find that they actually fluff up like actual crepes...no eggy/omlettey consistency or overpowering taste.

I felt myself salivating as I topped the crepes with sliced strawberries, the toasted nuts, the yogurt and a small amount of syrup.

I then sat down, cut a piece, closed my eyes, took my first bite and reveled in the symphony my tastebuds were experiecing. Tart, sweet, creamy, fluffy, fresh, springy goodness. What a way to start the day smiling. Enjoy!

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*More on the stevia and cinnamon:

I use Trader Darwin's (Joe's) stevia, not the pure stuff but the stuff that has added milk powder. Raw stevia is tricksy as it's so strong. Using a filler makes it more like measuring for sugar and it has less of the tinny taste. If you use the straight stuff, adjust.

The cinnamon does more than just give the whole a wonderful flavor. I am in the early (maybe not so early any more :) ) stages of insulin resistance syndrome. Cinnamon helps this tremendously. So adding tons of it helps control the insulin response/load of the strawberries and syrup. Also...making the crepes with only eggs helps in this, too. I don't think any of the taste is sacrificed, but, again, I don't like wheat much so that's pretty much a no brainer.

And, actually, as I was looking for stock photos, I realized that in the spirit of full discloser, I should share that I don't actually fold my crepes. I just leave 'em open. I'm lazy, I can have more guts to crepe ratio and they taste just as good.

pic from here.

Breakfast Hash

Noooo, silly goosies...not THAT kind of hash!!! The food kind (and no, not the food kind that comes from that kind of hash butter, either).

The kind of hash you used to (and probably still) get at Greasy Spoons but all dolled up and spiffified into healthy eats. Almost the same thing as a Breakfast Scramble, I delineate the two as follows: Scrambles always have eggs (or tofu if you don't eat them). I may or may not include eggs in a hash, but always include a sort of starch (regular or sweet potato) or grain. They are, in fact, great for using up those small bits of leftover grains or taters.

Rice and quinoa are both good. I'm sure barley, rye, millet or any of the other wonderful grasses of the earth would work really well, too. But barley and rye affect me the same way wheat does and while millet is OK, it does not give me orgasms. The grain that does is Steel Cut Oats. I cook them on the "al dente" chewy side so they fluff instead of goo. Plus, we know me and chewy. Vital stuff.

This morning's version:

Sautee leeks, kale, garlic, mushrooms in olive oil. I steamed them a bit so they wouldn't stick.
Add the precooked oats (if cooking fresh, I usually make a fair amount so they are handydandy for other meals) and stir until all combined.
Turn off stove. Add tamari/soy sauce, lots of fresh dill and cilantro. Add sprouts (my mix was home sprouted garbanzos, azukis, black beans, lentils). Mix up so all is coated and hashy.
Put in bowl. Add avocado slices, chilies, and chunked almonds.

Although I didn't have an egg this morning, I often do an over-medium egg and lay it on top so that the gooey goodness of the yolk flows over the hash.

Yum.

Grapefruit, Avocado, Yogurt Delight

Combo always triggers a wrinkled brow when suggested, but always a smile once tasted (well, if you like the ingredients to begin with).

I learned to make it like this:

Peel and section the grapefruit like an orange. Peel off the skins so you have the tender inside bits bare naked, in their full slice form = Very Pretty.
Slice avocado
Place both on a plate in a pretty arrangement
Add some honey to yogurt to make it a bit saucy, then pour over the avo and GF in a perty artful fasion.
Sprinkle with nutmeg


I'm lazy. Plus I am addicted to nuts, adding them to lots of things for the crunch factor. Over time, the recipe and execution morphed into:

Slice GF in half. I lurve the Red variety. Get GF spoon (one of those little suckers with the knife-y edges on it). Take out the tender morsels in whatever way you can get them...if intact, great, if not, it works, too.
Slice avo (I usually use a half per person)
Put GF, avo, and a handful of almonds in a bowl.
Slop on yogurt (Nancy's is best....good tang)
Put a dab of maple syrup on (not too much...just a dab)
Sprinkle tons of cinnamon on top (helps with that glycemic stuff)
Stir so all sludged up.

Divine. Had it, this morning. Yum.

photo from here

The Fine Art Of Yogurt Pairing

I don't make yogurt from scratch. I've tried it, but found that the cost/benefit ratio of making it, given the varieties easily available to me, isn't worth it. Plus, somehow mine does not taste as good as the stuff I can buy.

Let me be clear...I don't mean Dannon yogurt. In nosying around google search, I found documents where Dannon says it's only gluten free yogurt is the plain. While not a consideration for everyone...I gotta ask...why the hell put gluten in yogurt...or any of the other crap that's not needed?

ANY yogurt eaten should contain...and ONLY contain...milk and bacteria. One kind I eat regularly has milk powder, too, but I count that as milk without the water. But that's it. No sugar. No corn syrup. No aspartame. No cornstarch, fructose, gelatin, malic acid, phosphates (are you kidding me??? phosphates???) and other stuff that's derived from other real food that are whole...but the stuff isn't. It's chemically processed. It's not nessary. And, the biggest affront of all: it makes for an inferior tasting product. What the heck is wrong with these cheaterly thickened, sweet milk, fake, yogurtlike stuff producers?

Rant over.

The bacteria that digest the milk into yogurt for us are our friends. They break down the unhappier elements of dairy that so many want to avoid and help us grow a happy intestinal tract with all their little lactobacillus glory. I love the way my daughter put it..."Mom..I love eating my bacteria poo every morning." ...the circle of life....

Anyway...

There are tons of different kinds of (non-Dannon) yogurts. I only buy nonsweetened, plain yogurt. Why? Because the sweetened kinds, even the healthy ones, are too sweet for me. Definitely too sweet for my morning meal.

Over the years, I've learned a lot about yogurt, eventually figuring out and discovering the Art Of Yogurt Pairing. These days I always have three kinds of plain yogurt in my fridge, available for different kinds of dishes.

Nancy's Organic Plain Non-Fat Yogurt

I tend to buy non-fat yogurt, not because of the fat content issue, but of the protein content one. If you look at the labels, you'll find that buying nonfat amps the protein by a factor of two, usually more. It's also tangier, if you want that. I, obviously, do.

You'll notice that Nancy only sells plain, vanilla and a honey yogurt. If she offers fruit, it's in a separate container on top. Nancy is the one who adds the milk powder.

I've been buying her product for over two decades. It used to be the only kind of yogurt I ate. My kids devoured it.

We consumed it in all sorts of ways in addition to simply adding fruits.

Indian food- I find it the best for raita because it's pretty tangy and not too thick. It makes outrageous lassi's. These are yogurt drinks. Put yogurt (1/4 cup or so), water, a drop of honey or maple syrup into a blender. Blend until the consistency you want it, adding more yogurt or water as the case may be for you. Indian restaurants usually add a drop of rose water. Quite yummy, if you ask me, but be careful how much you add. My kids usually put in way too much for my tastes.

Sour Cream replacement...if you are one who thinks the fats in sour cream are not what you want to put in your body but love the taste, adding yogurt instead totally changes that for you. You can still have the taste of the cream but instead of adding tons of fat, you are adding indesputable goodness. I have used it in my Gillette's Grandma's World Famous Sour Cream Coffee Cake (which has been dubbed the best coffee cake in the world by more than one person fortunate enough to have tasted/gluttoned on it and which may or may not be shared here as it's a closely guarded family secret ).

It is great for breakfast with puffed corn or rice, almonds and honey. Just add ingredients and sludgify.

It sill remains my favorite pairing for bananas, coconut and almonds. Or pineapple, coconut and almonds. The tangies complement the sweetnesses. No additional sugars are needed.

Nancy's is the ONLY variety to perfectly pair with my absolutely favorite way to eat yogurt these days: Grapefruit And Avocado Salad. Will share that recipe tomorrow.

So, as I mentioned that I used to only eat Nancy's. This was until the arrival of Trader's Joes in my life. We lurve Trader's Joe's for all sorts of reasons, one of which is these products:

Trader Joe's Plain Organic Non-Fat Yogurt

It's the best one for berries and berries are why I buy it. It's actually in a white container with the same cow, but I could not find an online pic. It's pretty bland, without the tang of Nancy's. It's runnier than I tend to like my yogurt, kind of like Pavel's Russian Yogurt, which I like but is not available at TJ's. But it's perfection for Blueberries and/or any other sort of berries. I always add nuts to my fruit/yogurt mixes. Because it's yummy-er. And because of the health benefits of adding a fat to counteract the sugars of the dairy and fruit high glycemic response. I find walnuts to be the best nut pairing for the berries. If I want things sweeter, for some reason I always use Stevia as the sweetener of choice for these berry/yogurt concoctions. And always cinnamon (again...aside from the yum factor it helps with the insulin response).

It's a good one for the raita, too, especially if you want it more saucy.

Trader Joe's Non-Fat Greek Yogurt

I got introduced to Greek Yogurt in Greece. It was Fage. OMG!!! Heaven...peaches and full fat fage on a boat at harbor in the Medterranian. It was sublime, creamy goodness.

I got home and Good Ole Fage wasn't around much in these parts, yet. It also costs an arm and a leg...like $5+ for a small container.

Then when TJ's came to town, I saw that they carried not only it, but their own, expensive-but-still-relatively-cheap-to-the-Fage Greek Yogurt. The picture on the right was pilfered from this blog. And the price is still pretty steep as you can see. But to this hedonist, it's money well spent.

This stuff is amazing. Greeks definitely have their yogurt down. If you put it on a fork, it sticks to it. Plus, if you buy the non-fat, it's got tons of protein.

I use this for treats. Like on top of my non-wheat crepes with fruits. And my Cooked Fruit Desserts. It's not as tangy as Nancy's, not as bland as TJ's cow stuff above. A dab is amazing on black beans, rice and salsa as a sour cream replacement. In fact, these days, if I use yogurt as a sour cream replacement, I use this stuff as it's more like sour cream than the Nancy's.

I usually have at least two containers in my fridge at all times for yogurt emergencies. Beyond yum.

And it's also fantatic all by its lonesome right outa the container. Or with peaches on a sailboat in any lake close to where you are.


I'm sure there are tons of new yogurt pairings to be discovered and explored. Would love anyone who comes by to share their favorite yogurt experiences.

Be well and give great thanks for the little bacteria.

Kale, Feta and Sun Dried Tomato Scramble

The current favorite incarnation of the Sublime Scramble. If you've never made a scramble before or want some new tricks, see about the basics here.

I generally make this for one (that would be me. There is usually a bit left over for a mid-morning snack the next day...it's good cold, too):

Eggs- 2
Kale- 1 1/2 c raw...my current favorite is the curly variety. Dino is good, too....well...actually they're all good
Leeks- 1/2-3/4 c raw
Mushrooms- three large crimini or any other sort
Garlic- as much or little as the mood strikes you
Sun Dried Tomatoes-about 2 TBS...the best I've tasted are the Julienne Strip ones from Trader Joe's. Yum.
Feta- about 2-3TBS
Fresh basil leaves or pesto to taste
Walnuts- to taste...I generally do about 1/4 c
Hot chili peppers (if'n you like yer food spicy)- to taste
Oil- preferably olive or grapeseed..1-2 TB

Chop all veggies. Mince garlic if you use it. Put oil in pan. I put all the veg in at the same time for this one. Stir and cook, watching that the kale doesn't stick and burn...might want to add a couple of TB of water after a few minutes of sauteeing to steam it.

When veggies are cooked to your liking, add the eggs, the cheese and the tomatoes. Scramble until thickened to your desired tastey doneness.

Top with basil, walnuts, and chilis if you desire.

Great with green tea or a cup of good, strong coffee. Also goes great with a piece of Essene bread toasted, with almond butter.

Put on some nice classical music in the background, sit by a window looking out over the great Earth and enjoy this most wonderful way to start the day with all senses aglow and happy healthy food in your belly.

Picture of curly Kale from here This site looks great for gardeners!

The Sublime Scramble

Ah, breakfast. If we believe Jack and others, it's the most important meal of the day.

Scrambles. My favorite.

One of the things I like about them is that they can be the repository for that little bit of leftovers all mishmashed together with a bit of cheese and seasonings to create an endless variety of tasty breakfast meals. The end result is that they end up more than the sum of their pieces and parts. And what better way to get in a bunch of veggies?

In fact, mine are generally mostly veggies, with the egg barely holding them together. Since crunch is one of my favorite flavors, I almost always put in some sort of nut. Always a cheese. Usually an herb or two...when possible, sprinkled fresh over the top. Sometimes I even put in leftover grains. They truly do taste yummy with the egg, even though they don't sound like they would. I'll be sharing different combos I've developed, but would love to suggest that you be bold and give things a try. You might be really surprised at what you come up with.

Basic cooking directions-

Most of mine have some sort of allium- onion, shallot, garlic, scallion, etc. These days my allium of choice is leeks. I'm addicted. I know the most American's are most familiar with them in soups. But they're great sauteed. Just cut the greenest stem off and mince, cooking like you would any onion.

Chop other veggies. For a single serving, I generally use 1-2 eggs (two ends up being too much food for me, but they're good cold, for a healthy snack). Veggie amounts? Raw, I usually have 2-3 cups with every thing combined. They cook down. If you want meats, then get them together- cook your bacon and crumble, get your ham in bite-able hunks, whatever. Get out your nuts, cheese and herbs. Lightly whisk the eggs. Everything is now eager and happy to be combined to sublimeness.

Put oil in your pan (butter, olive, grapeseed, etc.). You want enough to give it some oomph, but you don't want overly oily scrambles. I usually use about a TB of oil for a single serving. I'm not that worried if there's a bit more because healthy oils are GOOD for me. But I want it to taste good. It's all about the taste.

Heat the oil...medium heat is OK, but watch it. Put in the allium(s) for a minute. Then add the other veggies. If you have veggies that take varying amounts of time to cook, put the more hardy ones in first and cook for awhile, like you would do with a stir fry. If I have kale (which I generally do), then I will often put in some water (2-3 TBS) for it to steam as I don't want it to stick and burn.

You want the veggies to be slightly undercooked, still having substance and taste. You can tell when they're ready when they are bright colored and/or you take out a piece and it's a little less cooked than you would normally like it. (If you aren't a cook, ultimately all this stuff becomes second nature, but everything takes time to learn.)

When the veggies are in their perfect state of delicious doneness, add your whisked eggs and the cheese. Cooking the cheese with the eggs( instead of adding it at the end to melt) renders a different quality to the dish. It's these subtle differences which all add up to something being amazing vs. good. These things are Important.

We all have our preferences in eggs. Some are quite passionate about it and will send their eggs back if a restaurant over or under cooks them. I, myself, prefer my scrambled eggs a bit on the side of overdoneness. Just watch them. When they are your verson of perfect, happy eggy goodness, serve, adding nuts either at the end in the pan or simply on top. I usually add my herbs after serving.

Voila...protein, veg, vitamin goodness all rolled up into a far better breakfast scramble than you can find at any high end restaurant. And oooh...the endless possibilities for discovering new, uncharted tasty combos...!!! Makes me very happy.

(And darn I wish I had a camera. Not much in the stock photo department with egg scrambles. Will post one when I get one)