Grains, Greens and Scrambled Eggs

Since I have been on my farro kick all summer, I have made this greens and grains dish many times for breakfast throughout the summer.  It started out to be a cooler summer, so a nice warm dish which comes together so quickly was just what I was craving many times this summer.  It is a filling dish with the protein and grains, but also gives that boost of greens which I often crave.  This is another recipe adapted from Whole Grain Mornings, but there are so many grains to try that you can easily substitute whatever you have been cooking recently as long as you have some leftover!

Greens and Grains
1-2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1-2 pinches salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup (or as much as desired) packed greens (I like arugula or spinach)
1/4 cup cooked whole grains (I used farro, but barley or wheat berries would be good)
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, salt and egg(s).  Heat about 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the green onion and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil then the grains and greens.  Cook until warmed throughout, about 3-5 minutes.  Decrease heat to low and add the egg mixture.  Stir until they are cooked, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat, add pepper and salt to taste.  Add the chopped chives.

Serves 1, but can easily doubled to serve two.

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

I love fruit, but one of the most versatile fruits that I love are blueberries.  They are sweet and are easy to freeze.  In fact, I stock up in summer so I can use them all winter long.  This recipe using blueberries is adapted from Whole Grain Mornings.  It combines my love of blueberries with my love of eating breakfast.  Sometimes I want something sweet, but sometimes I want something savory.  There are both here.  These particular blueberry breakfast bars remind me of the not so great bars you can buy in the store, except these are much better for you and just taste that much better!

Blueberry Breakfast Bars
3 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons from 1/2 a fresh squeezed lemon
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon water
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
8 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
3-4 tablespoon ice water

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter an 8 inch pan.

For the filling: In a saucepan, combine the berries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.  Stir over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer.  Continue stirring until berries begin to break down and sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat.



For the crust: In a food processor pulse together rolled oats, almonds, sesame seeds until they are chunky, about 30 seconds.  Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder and pulse a few times more.  Add the egg and butter and pulse until the mixture is the consistency of large crumbs.

To assemble: Press half the crust mixture into the prepared pan.  Pour the berry filling on top and spread evenly.  Scatter the remainder of the crust mixture across the top.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Let cool completely in the pan.  Slice into bars.

Scrambled Eggs with Greens and Grains

My husband and I have been traveling a number of weekends in a row.  When we get home I am not very inspired to cook until I have had a day of rest, so I asked him what he wanted for dinner the next night.  We had just eaten pasta, which is one of the only things that he cooks, when I asked him what he wanted.  He replied with grains.  I asked for more information and he said that he used to be satisfied with just pasta, pasta and more pasta, but that I have introduced a lot of variety into his diet and now he wanted some of that variety.  So as I was looking through recipes with grains, I remembered Whole Grain Mornings and was determined to have a hot breakfast this morning which would warm me from the inside out.  This is really an easy recipe to throw together especially if you have just a little bit of grains left over from some other recipe.  I didn't, so I cooked up just 1/3 cup of farro, which is one of my most favorite grains.  That 1/3 cup cooked up to quite a bit more than I wanted for just one serving, so I will be eating these scrambled eggs again very soon.

Scrambled Eggs with Greens and Grains
Serves 1 (easily doubled to serve 2)

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup (or two handfuls) greens (I used arugula, but you can also use spinach, Swiss chard, etc.)
1/4 cup cooked grains (I used farro, but you can use wheat berries or barley too)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
pepper and salt to taste

Whisk together eggs, milk and salt.  Heat the tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Saute the green onion and garlic until soft, about 1 minute (as it will continue to cook with the greens).  Add the greens and grain and saute.  (You can add a little more olive oil if you need to.)  When the greens are wilted and grains warm, decrease the heat to low and pour in the egg mixture.  Stir eggs until they are lightly scrambled, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat, sprinkle on the chives, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve right away with crusty bread if desired.

Denver Omelette with Coucous

I previously mentioned trying to increase my consumption of grains.  I have been experimenting with Whole Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon.  I have made quite a lot of her recipes and have a bunch more tagged to make.  This recipe is based off one from her book.  Since I love omelettes I thought this would be a different and yet similar dish.    I do miss the eggs a little, but this really turned out well with all the flavors, but yet different.  Next time I will probably scramble up an egg and add it to the end result to give me the same, but more filling Denver omelette.  Add more vegetables if you feel you want a more vegetable heavy omelette which is usually what I crave in summer when all the veggies are fresh.


Denver Omelette Coucous
2 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup finely diced bell pepper (I used a red one)
5 ounces cooked ham, diced into small cubes
2 1/2 cups cooked couscous
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
shredded sharp cheddar cheese (for sprinkling on top, so to taste)
2-3 green onions, chopped

In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering.  Saute the onion and pepper until soft.  Stir in the ham and cooked until thoroughly warm.  Fold in the cooked couscous and reduce the heat to low. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and still in the parsley.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.  It will start to melt.  Scoop the mixture into a bowl and top with green onions.

Apple Pancakes

I have a hard time going out for breakfast.  Many might ask why, but the answer is simple.  I like to stay at home and eat good food.  Breakfast is one of those meals which is very easy to make as long as you keep certain staples on hand.  My staples include buttermilk, flour, sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, and eggs.  If you have these things there are endless things you can make with them.  This one I found in the Penzey's magazine. Penzey's, for those of you who are unfamiliar with them, is a wonderful spice shop.  They used to be walking distance from my apartment in St. Paul.  I used to go there to buy even just one spice if I ran out because it just smelled so good.  Once I moved to Colorado and they appeared in my city, I was happy to go there.  Plus, they kept giving out spices when I would get their catalog, so how could I say no to be able to try even more good things?


This pancake recipe is in their most recent catalog catalog.  It is called German pancakes, but in a way I disagree with the name as I didn't see a pancake such as this when I lived in Germany.  However, this does remind me of the Scandinavian pancakes which puff.  I don't really like baked or cooked apples and this pancake is one which they don't bother me.  Extra bonus it is really easy to make.  The longest part was cutting the apple to put in the pancake.

Apple Pancakes
2 eggs
3/8 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon butter
1 medium granny smith apple, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400F while you prepare the pancake.  Place a 9 inch pie plate into the oven to heat.  Beat eggs, flour, milk and salt.  Remove the pie plate from the oven and place 1 tablespoon of butter into it to melt.  Spread apple slices into the bottom of the pie plate.  Pour in the batter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes until the pancake is golden brown and puffy.  Serve immediately.

Serves two, but can be doubled if more if desired.

Homemade Granola - Chocolate, Cherry and Pecan

This is another wonderful recipe from Cook This Now by Melissa Clark.  Not only do the flavors go well together, but the granola ends up crunchy, with a slight taste of salt and sweet to it all.  Since I have made this granola even my fiance has been eating it and not eating his usual cereal.  I have a desire to change up some of the items to experiment and try other flavor combinations, but it will just have to wait.  I have already made a second batch and we still cannot stop eating it by the handful.

 It is sweet and savory at the same time and you too will not be able to stop munching on these delicious treats for breakfast...or snacking....or anytime really.  Who really can resist chocolate and cherry together?

Homemade Chocolate, Cherry and Pecan Granola
3 cups oats (not quick cooking)
1 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
1 cup chocolate chips (more if you like it very chocolately)
1/2 pure maple syrup
1/2 virgin coconut oil
1/3 packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped

Preheat oven to 300F.  Mix all of the ingredients, except cherries.  Pour onto a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 40- 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Removed from oven and let cool.  Add a few more chocolate chips if desired.  When cool add the chopped cherries and mix.

I have made this with hazelnuts, almonds and apricots as well.  Mix it up depending on your tastes.

Rhubarb Muffins

Since I started growing my own rhubarb, I have collected many recipes to try out.  I have only made a few of them because the few recipes I made went over so well, I didn't need to experiment further.  I had an urge to make muffins one weekend and pulled out a Minnesota cookbook and found this recipe for rhubarb muffins with a crackly topping.  They were cooling on the counter when a friend came over for dinner.  Drawn not only to my cooking, but baking as well, he asked if he could have one on his way out the door.  The answer of course was yes!  They were also shared with my coworkers as they too benefit from my overcooking for a two person household.

Rhubarb Muffins

(adapted from Always Superb by the Junior League of Minneapolis and St. Paul)

Yield: 16 muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together.  Combine 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, egg and vanilla in a separate bowl and mix well.  Stir in the flour mixture just until moist.  Fold in the rhubarb.  Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 cup full.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar over the tops of the muffin batter.  Bake at 325 F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from pan to rake for cooling.

Oven Pancakes - Scandinavian Style

When I was in high school, two of my friends worked for a restaurant called Pannenkoeken Huis, which basically meant Pancake House.  They had to wear uniforms which made they look like Dutch girls, and anytime anyone ordered a pannenkoeken they had to call it out while they were delivering it to the table.

At any rate, I don't think these pancake restaurants are around any longer, but when I saw the recipe in my Scandinavia cookbook, I knew I needed to make it.  I invited some friends over for breakfast and as I pulled it from the oven, everyone was shocked at the pancake I had produced.  None of them had seen a puffy oven pancake before, so it was to great acclaim when I served the pancake.

This recipe is adapted from Scandinavian Feasts by Beatrice Ojakangas.  It has a great presentation and it is best served hot from the oven, so be prepared and have your toppings ready!

Oven Pancake

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick butter (or 1/4 cup)

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk , flour, sugar and salt.  Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes before baking.  Preheat oven to 500 F.  Melt the butter in an oven safe skillet as the oven preheats.  Remove just when butter is nearly melted.  Make sure to coat the sides of the pan with the butter.  Pour in the pancake batter and bake for about 15 minutes or until puffed up with a set center.  Serve immediately.  I served with lemons and powdered sugar as one option.  Another option was fresh blueberries and strawberries with vanilla whipped cream.  (Do not mix the two.)

Serves 4.