Life is Like a Sandwich…the More You Add to it the Better it Becomes!

In my personal opinion, there is nothing better than a good sandwich.  Although I am not a fan of eating them cold, a hot sandwich can really make a perfect day even better! Since sandwiches come in all different shapes, forms and sizes they can be served anytime of the day!

Perhaps one of my all-time favorite sandwiches is a BLT.  There is something about the way the three ingredients come together that make me crave it all of the time.  The crispiness of the bacon with the sweet juiciness of a tomato is what I live for and often times put a new twist on it to make it more exciting than it already is.

For this blog post, I opted to make an open faced BLT with jalapeño chimichurri, avocado and a fried egg.  I substituted the lettuce for avocado because I wanted the added nutrients.  Below is my recipe!

Open faced BLT with Jalapeño Chimichurri, Avocado and a Fried Egg

1 slice of artisan bread, toasted

1 avocado, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

3 pieces of bacon, cooked

1 egg, fried

2 jalapeños, seeded

2 cups fresh cilantro

2 cups fresh parsley

3 tablespoon garlic, minced

3 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Add the jalapeños, cilantro, parsely, and garlic in a food processor and blend until reduced almost half in size.  Then add the lime juice and olive oil in slowly until it becomes a nice smooth texture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Take a piece of toast and put a nice little helping of the chimichurri sauce on the toast and top with some tomato slices.  Add a little bit more salt to taste.  Then top with avocados, and then bacon slices.  Last but not least, add your fried egg (I like mine to be sunny side up) and drizzle a little bit more chimichurri sauce to taste.  Enjoy!

Cook’s Notes: I chose to make this dish an open faced sandwich because I have a phobia of eating an egg sandwich and having egg yolk run down my fingers.  However, if you are a traditionalist go ahead and make a classic sandwich with two pieces of toast!

xoxo Sarah

January 4, 2016 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Avocado, Bacon, blt, Breakfast, Brunch, chimichurri, Cilantro, Easy, Eggs, FoodTags: Avocado, Bacon, blt, Breakfast, Brunch, chimichurri, Cilantro, egg, fried egg, Homemade, jalapenos, open faced sandwich, parsley, sandwich, spicy, Tomato Leave a comment

Make Brunch, Not War

Brunch is a necessary meal. I find that I want brunch almost every single day of the week and when I am able, I make sure that I have brunch.  Because it is a meal that everyone should love, it is important to switch the dishes up.

The dish that I am sharing with you today is huevos rancheros.  Now I am hoping that most of you already know what huevos rancheros are, but if you do not huevos rancheros is a popular breakfast dish comprising eggs served in the style of the traditional large mid-morning fare on rural Mexican farms.The basic dish is composed of fried eggs served upon lightly fried corn tortillas topped with a tomato-chili sauce. Refried beans, Mexican-style rice, and slices of avocado or guacamole are common accompaniments.

However, I do not like to follow recipes and often times like to use the same components or ingredients and switch the dish up a little bit.  Because I did not have any tortillas, I decided that I would make a “Southern” huevos rancheros and use grits instead.  In addition, I also wanted to use my mother’s homemade roasted tomato salsa that she made with tomatoes from her garden.  I also did not want to use refried beans and chose to use Goya Black Bean Soup beans because it is super flavorful and yummy! Below is my take on huevos rancheros, hope you love it!

“Southern” Huevos Rancheros

1 cup grits, cooked

1 can Goya Black Bean Soup, heated on the stove

1 can chopped green chilis

2 avocados

1 lime, juiced

1 tablespoon jalapeno, seeded and chopped

salsa of your choosing

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 egg, sunny side up

Take you avocado and mash it up in a bowl.  Add the green chilis, jalapeño, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.

Start with platting you grits on a wide rimmed bowl. Top with a few spoonfuls of black beans, you might want to strain them so they are so soupy.  Then you take your egg and place it on top of the grits and beans.  Add a few spoonfuls of salsa and top with the guacamole.  Finish off with some chopped cilantro and shredded cheese if you would like.

Cook’s Notes: Because this is such a soft dish, I enjoyed mine with some tortillas chips to add some crunch.  In addition, I also added some hot sauce to the top because I love some heat!

xoxo Sarah

December 28, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Avocado, beans, Breakfast, Brunch, Cheese, Cilantro, Easy, Eggs, Gluten Free, Grits, guacamole, Homemade, Huevos rancheros, jalapeno, Mexican, quick, Recipes, salsa, Simple, UncategorizedTags: Avocado, Breakfast, Brunch, Easy, Eggs, Gluten Free, grits, guacamole, huevos rancheros, jalapeno, Mexican, Recipe, Salsa, Simple, southern Leave a comment

You Have to Eat Oatmeal or You’ll Dry Up

For the most part, I am generally anti-oatmeal.  I suppose this is the case because I genuinely do not like to eat sweet foods for breakfast and I associate oatmeal with sweet toppings.

My brother, David, is one of those guys that likes to bulk and then cut. During one of his cutting phases, he performed a lot of research on healthy and lean foods to eat.  One of them was oatmeal.  Even though I have always known that oatmeal is a healthy option because it is great at keeping your cholesterol low and full of dietary fiber, I was completely confused because it is not exactly healthy to add toppings like sugar and honey.  However, the toppings that he was putting on his oatmeal was quite different and caused me to want to write this blog post.

David was choosing to top his oatmeal with toppings like cheddar cheese, turkey bacon, green onions and greek yogurt, toppings that completely caught me off guard.  Yet, once I asked to try his oatmeal, my mind was blown away! THIS is how I was going to now eat my oatmeal.  There are so many options toppings that one could put on their oatmeal, thus this recipe is just one of MANY examples! Check it out.

Avocado, Bacon and Fried Egg Topped Oatmeal with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa

1 cup cooked oatmeal

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

4 slices of cooked bacon, chopped

1 avocado

1 fried egg

2 tablespoons Cucina & Amore Salsa Fire Roasted Red Pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Once your oatmeal is cooked, mix in the greek yogurt and place in a bowl.  Top with toppings and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Cook’s notes: Because oatmeal is so soft, adding something crunchy like chopped bacon was a really nice textural difference!

November 2, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Avocado, Bacon, Breakfast, Easy, Eggs, greek yogurt, Healthy, Oatmeal, Recipes, salsa, Simple, Vegetarian, YogurtTags: Avocado, Bacon, Breakfast, Easy, Eggs, greek yogurt, Healthy, oatmeal, Recipe, Salsa, Simple, Vegetarian, Yogurt Leave a comment

“Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee”

I am SO excited about this post because I have finally found bee pollen!! Yes, bee pollen. As in the pollen that collects on the bodies of a bee and sometimes contains bee saliva.  Now before you are totally grossed out by this, bee pollen is a holistic remedy that is used throughout the world.  Most bee pollen that I have come across has been relatively costly, however, I came across some local bee pollen at one of the farmers markets in Asheville.  Because it was local (and decently priced) I had to buy some.

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Bee pollen is more rich in proteins than any animal source, thus it is great for vegetarians and vegans! In addition to this, it is an energy enhancer, skin soother, great for the respiratory and digestive system, treating allergies, it is an immune system booster, treats addictions, supports cardiovascular system functions, and great for fertility aid. Because it comes from bees, it is a common misconception that bee pollen will be sweet like honey. However, it is not sweet at all and can be used as a topping for yogurt or a smoothie bowl. Below is my recipe for a morning smoothie bowl that is packed with great nutrients that is not too sweet and will keep you feeling full throughout the morning.

Green Smoothie Bowl with Freeze Dried Raspberries and Bee Pollen

1 banana

2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt

1 handful of raw spinach

1 cored green apple

4 ice cubes

1/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries

1 teaspoon bee pollen

In a blender, blend all ingredients together.  If it is too runny, go ahead and add some more fruit (half of a banana).  Once it is smooth, put in a bowl and top with freeze dried raspberries and bee pollen. Enjoy!

This is by far one of my favorite smoothie bowls to make in the morning because it is not too sweet.  I am not the biggest fan of smoothies that are packed with sweetness, but I am also not a fan of smoothies that just taste like vegetables.  This recipe is the perfect combination of both and it incorporates the bee pollen in a really simple and easy way! Of course this is just one of the MANY ways you can incorporate bee pollen into your diet, so just start getting creative and use this recipe as a base for all different sorts of smoothies! I hope you enjoy this just as much as I did and that I have opened your eyes up to a new ingredient.

xoxo Sarah

September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Banana, Bee Pollen, Breakfast, Easy, Gluten Free, Healthy, Raspberry, Recipes, Simple, Smoothies, Spinach, Spinah, Vegan, Vegetables, VegetarianTags: Banana, Bee Pollen, Breakfast, Easy, Gluten Free, Healthy, Raspberry, Recipe, Simple, Smoothies, Spinach, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian 2 Comments

Breakfast Before Boys…or Anything Really

For those of you that are consistent readers of my blog, you should have probably figured out by now that breakfast if my FAVORITE meal and since I have this glorious Friday off from work, I am going to treat myself to one of my favorite dishes.  Eggs Benedict.  Now a traditional Eggs Benedict consists of an english muffin, topped with ham or bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, except we all know that I like to think outside of the box to create a dish that is a little bit more memorable.  Thus, my Eggs Benedict will consist of locally made bread that is beautifully toasted, topped with Taylor Ham, avocado, a poached egg and homemade hollandaise sauce.

Taylor Ham, just in case you were wondering, is a pork-based processed meat originating and commonly available in New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland. It was developed in 1856 by John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey, and sold as “Taylor Ham”. I have it sliced paper thin which I will then crisp up before adding to my Eggs Benedict.  It will be a nice variation to the typical ham or Canadian bacon that is used in traditional Eggs Benedict. Another wonderful component to this dish is the homemade hollandaise sauce that comes from The Joy of Cooking.  While this is very labor intensive, it is completely worth the time.  If you do not have the time to homemake your own, I would highly recommend using Knorr Hollandaise Sauce.

Taylor Ham Eggs Benedict with Avocado

Hollandaise sauce

Melt slowly and keep warm:
1/2 cup butter

Barely heat:
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
dry sherry or tarragon vinegar

Have ready a small saucepan of boiling water & a tb. with which to measure it when ready. Place in the top of a double boiler over-not in-hot water:
3 egg yolks
Beat the yolks with a wire whisk until they begin to thicken. Add:
1 tbsp boiling water

Beat again until the eggs begin to thicken. Repeat this process until you have added:
3 more tbsp water

Then beat in the warm lemon juice. Remove the double boiler from the heat. Beat the sauce well with a wire whisk. Beat constantly while adding the melted butter slowly and:
1/4 tsp salt
a few grains of cayenne

Beat until the sauce is thick. Serve at once.

Two slices of nice bread, toasted

One avocado, sliced

4 slices of Taylor Ham, heated on a skillet

2 eggs, poached

Take the two pieces of toast and divide the sliced avocados between the slices of toast.  Take a fork and smoosh the avocado like you would when making guacamole.  Then take the slices of taylor ham, cut them in half and top the avocado.  Once you have poached the eggs, place one egg on each toast on top of the ham and then top with hollandaise sauce! Enjoy!

I have to admit, this was one of the best Eggs Benedicts that I have ever made! I started my Labor Day Weekend off on the right foot and am ready to see what this weekend has in store for me! I hope you enjoy this just as much as I did 🙂

xoxo Sarah

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Avocado, Breakfast, Brunch, Easy, Eggs, eggs benedict, ham, hollandaise, poached eggs, Recipes, Simple, taylor hamTags: Avocado, Breakfast, Brunch, Easy, Eggs, eggs benedict, ham, hollandaise, poached eggs, Recipe, Simple, taylor ham 4 Comments

Cheat Day Eats

I’m an impulse shopper, especially when I am walking around the grocery store and I am hangry.  When my tummy is a rumblin’ I find myself buying anything and almost everything that my normal self would not allow me to buy.  Because of this, I came home with four different types of coconut granola bars, 2 boxes of popsicles and a tube of Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls.  While I definitely do not recommend buying or even eating these types of food on the regular, especially cinnamon rolls, however I luckily allow myself one cheat day a week where I eat one meal that I normally would not eat.  So forewarning, unless you are a high carb and calorie diet, I would just stay away from this dish that I am about to share with you.

For any of you who have ever had Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, you probably know just how easy they are to make.  However, I wanted to do something outside of the box that would be just as easy but also a little inventive at the same time.  Because of this, I wanted to cook my cinnamon rolls in a waffle iron and spruce up the frosting.  Below is my recipe!

Cinnamon Bun Waffles with Cream Cheese and Bacon Frosting

1 tube of Pillsbury Cinnamon buns, whatever type you like

2 tablespoons cream cheese

2 slices of bacon, chopped

1/4 cup of cream

waffle iron

Go ahead and get your waffle iron heated up and ready, I would recommend using a low setting.  While you iron is heating up, in a small skillet add bacon over medium high heat and cook until browned and crispy.  Once your bacon is ready, drain the bacon and grease into a paper towel lined plate.  Wipe off the skillet and heat over low heat.  Add the little can of frosting that comes with the cinnamon buns and add the cream cheese and bacon.  Heat up until smooth and blended.  Once your frosting is ready, go ahead and add cinnamon buns to iron.  My waffle iron only makes two square waffles, thus I only cooked cinnamon buns.  Once cinnamon buns are ready, plate and frost.  If the frosting becomes a little too thick, go ahead and add a little bit more cream to thin out. Enjoy!

Like I said, this is definitely a very high calorie dish, but it was completely worth it.  Life is all about moderation.  It is okay to eat foods like this only every once in a while and as long as you try and live a relatively active lifestyle. Like one of my Instagram followers said, this is a #noBSfood! Now get frosting and enjoy 🙂

xoxo Sarah

August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Bacon, Breakfast, Brunch, Cheat Day, Cinnamon Buns, Easy, Recipes, Simple, WafflesTags: Bacon, Breakfast, Brunch, Cheat Day, Cinnamon Buns, Easy, Recipe, Simple, waffles 2 Comments

Sunday, Funday

I’m just going to be honest, these past couple of days have been pretty rough for me.  Not only have I not felt myself for a while now, but I also feel just really down about a few things.  Because of this I will admit that my blog posts probably have not been the best and most certainly not THAT exciting as they probably once were, but I am trying to get back into the swing of things.  I have been spending a lot of my time doing things that don’t particularly make ME feel that good.  I spend a lot of my time working and the moment I get off I just sit around instead of doing something like laying out by the pool or spending time with my family.

Since today is Sunday and I have been feeling down, its time to feed my soul a little and indulge in some sugary goodness, aka Nutella. I generally try and stay away from Nutella because it contains palm oil.  There are many environmental concerns about how palm oil is produced as well as palm oil being very high in saturated fat.  Yet, I will be willing to overlook these concerns for this one dish, but just keep it mind that foods with palm oil should be used sparingly.

Because this dish is carb loaded, cinnamon french toast topped with Nutella and chopped pistachios, I chose to throw in the cinnamon because it is loaded with antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, it may cut the risk of heart disease, can improve the sensitivity to hormone insulin,  and it lowers the blood sugar levels and has a power anti-diabetic effect. 

This dish is definitely a wonderful Sunday treat that will cause you to end your weekend on a high note! That and a Bloody Mary, this is the most perfect meal for anyone to enjoy! Below is the recipe! 

Cinnamon French Toast topped with Nutella and Pistachios 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons butter

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 slices challah, brioche, or white bread

1 cup chopped pistachios

Nutella 

In a small bowl, combine, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar and set aside briefly.

In a 10-inch or 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk together cinnamon mixture, eggs, milk, and vanilla and pour into a shallow container such as a pie plate. Dip bread in egg mixture. Fry slices until golden brown, then flip to cook the other side. Top one side of the bread with Nutella and 1/4 cup of pistachios. Enjoy! 
I hope you enjoy this ooey-gooey dish that tastes just as good as it looks! Now get cooking and enjoy 🙂 

xoxo Sarah 

August 23, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Easy, Food, French toast, Nutella, Recipes, Simple, Toast, Uncategorized, VegetarianTags: Breakfast, Brunch, Easy, french toast, nutella, pistachios, Simple, Vegetarian Leave a comment

Bizarre Eats

I will admit it, I am completely addicted to watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  I can binge watch the show nonstop and every time I finish watching an episode, I have the urge to try something that I have never eaten before.  So I guess we can say that this show is my guilty pleasure.  Due to my need to try something new, I decided I would buy spam and try to make a dish that would complement the already very salty canned meat.

For those of you who do not know much about Spam, Spam was created in 1937 by Hormel and became an ubiquitous part of the U.S. Solder’s diet in World War II.  During this time, it was introduced to islands such as Guam and Hawaii and eventually became absorbed into native diets.  Thus a popular Hawaiian dish, Spam Musubi, was born.  Spam Musubi is a popular lunch or snack food that consists of a slice of grilled spam on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with nori dried seaweed in the tradition of Japanese omusubi.  With this traditional food in mind, I wanted to make a dish that was inspired by these flavors.  By incorporating some of my favorite ingredients like avocado, Sriracha, and eggs, I created a rice bowl that makes Spam seem a little less intimidating to those who find it to be rather eerie.  Below is the recipe!

Spam Musubi Rice Bowl with a Fried Egg, Avocado, and Sriracha

1 can of Spam, rinsed and sliced into 1/4 inch slices

1 egg

1 avocado, sliced

1 cup jasmine rice

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

2 tablespoons Liquid Aminos

1 tablespoon Mirin

Sriracha

1 teaspoon Nori Komi Furikake Rice Seasoning

Cook Jasmine rice according to the packaging.  Remove Spam from the can and rinse the Spam to remove some of the salt.  Slice the Spam into 1/4 inch slices.  In a medium skillet, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat.  Add the Spam and brown on both sides.  Once browned, turn heat onto low and add the Mirin (sweet cooking sake) and Liquid Aminos.  Cook until there is a nice sticky glaze on the Spam.  Remove from heat. In a small skillet, fry the egg to your liking.   Add 1/3 cup of rice into a boll and top with Spam, sliced avocado and fried egg.  Then season with Sriracha and top with Nori Komi Furikake Rice Seasoning. Enjoy!

Before eating this dish, I was completely intimidated by eating the Spam.   I did some research on it and knew that it was either something that you love or hated.  Thus I created a recipe that would somewhat disguise the flavor of the Spam.  However, I found that the flavors that I paired actually complemented the meat.  The runniness of the egg yolk mixed in with the rice created a dish that could be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Overall, I really enjoyed this dish and is definitely something that I would make again after binge watching “Bizarre Foods.” I hope you build up enough courage and have the ability to enjoy this dish just like I did. And for those of you that are already Spam believers, I hope you feel inspired by this recipe!

xoxo Sarah

July 27, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Asian, Avocado, Breakfast, Dinner, Easy, Eggs, Gluten Free, Hawaiian, Spam, SrirachaTags: Asian, Avocado, Breakfast, Dinner, Easy, Eggs, food, Gluten Free, Hawaiian, Spam, Sriracha Leave a comment

Papaya Nation

The other day I was walking around Whole Foods feeling uninspired.  I already had my usual purchases in my cart like coconuts, goji berries, avocados, and flowers, but I wasn’t feeling very satisfied with what I had.  But then, I saw some papayas.  As most of us probably know, papayas are big green tropical fruits.  Papayas are spherical or pear-shaped fruits that can be as long as 20 inches. When seen in grocery stores they are usually a very nice green hue, however, they are not actually ripe until the outside skin is a yellow color.  They are one of the only fruits that continues to ripen after being picked!

Papayas offer not only the luscious taste and sunlit color of the tropics, but they are rich sources of antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium, copper, and magnesium; and fiber. They promote digestive health, protect against macular degeneration, promote immune support  as well as protect against rheumatoid arthritis.

Now that I had my papayas, I already gathered some ideas in my head as to how I was going to serve them.  I wanted to make a breakfast fruit salad that not only I would love to eat, but also my brother, who sometimes really hates fruits that he is not familiar with. I have fresh blueberries growing in the garden, so with the addition of the berries, I already had a great basis for one of my recipes.  Below are two different recipes that I created that will satisfy almost anyone!

Papaya and Avocado Salad

1/2 large papaya, seeded and cut into cubes

1 ripe avocado, sliced

1/2 lime, juiced

1 tablespoon honey

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cut the papaya into cubes and place in a bowl.  Add the sliced avocados and top with the lime juice, honey and cayenne pepper.  Enjoy!

Papaya and Freshly Picked Blueberries 

1/2 large papaya, seeded and cubed

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons goji berries

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 lime, juiced

Add the papaya, blueberries and goji jetties into a bowl.  Topped with lime juice and honey and enjoy!

These are extremely easy recipes that do not take up much time! I added the lime juice because it enhances the natural flavor of the papaya, as well as the honey to give it some sweetness.  These are just a few combinations that go really well with this tropical fruit! I promise that with a little imagination you can create a papaya salad that you will love! Now go get creative and make a dish that you will love!

xoxo Sarah

July 17, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Avocado, Breakfast, Garden, Gluten Free, Goji Berries, Healthy, Honey, Papaya, Vegan, VegetablesTags: Avocado, Blueberries, Breakfast, Garden, Gluten Free, Goji Berries, Healthy, Honey, Papaya, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian Leave a comment

Please sir, may I have some more?

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal. While I find that there is nothing better than a poached egg, sometimes I need to switch things up and eat oatmeal. The best part is that oats come in all different shapes and sizes and can be topped with all different sorts of ingredients, thus you never get the opportunity to get bored.

As a child, I grew up eating McCann’s Irish Steel Cut Oats.  Steel cut oats are whole grain groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) which have been cut into two or three pieces using steel discs.  These oats are full of nutritional value; high in fiber while containing no sodium or cholesterol. Soluble fiber from oatmeal, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.  Because I have a fond memory of making steel cut oats in the morning with my mom, this is my preferred kind of oatmeal to make.  Although steel cut oats take a while to cook, I decided to put a twist on my favorite classic.  By incorporating steel cut oats with rolled oats, this recipe ended up having a more substantial texture than your average rolled oats.  The recipe is as follows!

Matcha Oats 

1 cup of McCann’s Irish Steel Cut Oats

1/2 cup of standard rolled oats

2 scoops of Trader Joe’s Matcha Green Tea Mix

Blueberries

Granny Smith Apple, sliced

Chia Seeds

Cook the Irish Steel Cut Oats to the instructions in the back.  Because they have to be cooked for 30 min, add the rolled oats at the last 5 min as well as the Matcha Green Tea.  Keep in mind that the steel cut oats will be more al dente than the rolled oats.  Once the oats are cooked, top with blueberries, apples and chia seeds.  Enjoy!

The blueberries are right out of my dad’s garden and were relatively tart along with the apples.  Because the Matcha is sweet, the fruit is a nice contrast to the delightful oatmeal.

One of my other favorite “oatmeals” is made with cinnamon scented quinoa.  I say “cinnamon scented” because I added cinnamon sticks to the boiling water that the quinoa is being cooked with. Even though it’s actually a seed, quinoa is cooked like a grain.  One of quinoa’s main nutritional advantages is its high protein content, containing more protein per serving than oatmeal.  Below is one of my all-time favorite breakfast quinoa recipes that is a nice twist on a normal oatmeal!

Cinnamon Scented Quinoa

1 cup of Trader Joe’s Tricolor Quinoa

1 cinnamon stick

1 packet of Trader Joe’s Omega Trek Mix Handful

1/2 of a banana, sliced

blueberries

chia seeds

maple syrup

Cook the quinoa according to directions on the back.  Make sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking.  While cooking, add the cinnamon stick.  Once cooked, discard cinnamon stick and top with the listed ingredients or whatever type of ingredients you may like.  Enjoy!

The best part about these recipes is that you really have the freedom to top the oats and quinoa with whatever topping you may prefer! I like to add almond milk occasionally as well as honey.  Use these recipes as a base for toppings of your choice and enjoy! Remember, starting your day off with oats will keep you full and help reduce your risk of heart disease.  Keep your heart healthy and happy and enjoy!

xoxo Sarah

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Breakfast, Fruit, Healthy, Oatmeal, Organic, Trader Joe's, Vegan, VegetarianTags: Breakfast, Chia, Fruit, Healthy, Organic, Trader Joe's, Vegan, Vegetarian 2 Comments