Sourdough French Toast with Kefir

Made this a while ago, so don't remember exactly all of the modifications I did.

Didn't have milk, but we had some kefir and it worked out!

Modified recipe from marcellinaincucina.com

I halved the recipe because sourdough slices were thin, and it was still too much sauce - maybe half it again?

Ingredients:

-4 slices sourdough bread

-2 eggs 

-1/2 cup whole milk (I used kefir)

-1/8 cup brown sugar

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (used a shake)

-pinch salt

-1/2 TBSP unsalted butter (used ghee)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 195 degrees (I think it did more)

2. Heat up pan

3. Whisk ingredients and put in shallow pan

4. Add bread both sides

5. Add butter to pan (almost brown - didn't do that)

6. Add bread to pan and cook for about 3 min

7. Flip bread - may have to decrease heat

8. Transfer French toast to baking sheet and keep in oven to warm while do the other slices

Rabanadas*

*WARNING HAVE NOT MADE YET

Another delish.com recipe that I have to "save"

Ingredients

-3.5 cups milk

-1/4 cup granulated sugar

-2 tbsp. honey

-1 cinnamon stick

-lemon peel from half a lemon

-5 large eggs, beaten

-1  baguette, preferably day old, cut into 1" thick slices

-vegetable oil, for frying

-1 cup cinnamon sugar

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat - milk, sugar, honey, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel together. 

2. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and let simmer for 5 min or until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly

3. Place beaten eggs into a shallow dish.  Working one at a time, dip sliced bread into milk, then into eggs, turning to coat well in each.

4. In a large skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to come 1/2" up the sides of the pan.

5. Working in batches, fry soaked bread until golden, 2-3 min per side

6.  Remove from pan and place n a paper towel lined cooling rack

7.  Toss in cinnamon sugar immediately

8.  Serve warm with extra honey, if desired

*breakfast

*dessert

Sweet Potato Waffles

Wanted to christen my new mini waffle maker that I got for my birthday. So made a recipe from Feel Good Foodie the 1st night and A Mind Full Mom the 2nd night.  I think I liked the latter better, but they are both very similar except 1st one used all purpose flour.  Modified a little to make it simpler for me. 

Ingredients:

-1 cup (almond) milk

-2 cups sweet potato puree (1 large sweet potato)

-2 eggs

-2 cups (rolled) oats

-2 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp nutmeg

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-zest of an orange (optional)

Directions:

1. Microwave sweet potato for 5 min total, turning halfway through

2. In large Cuisinart, add all dry ingredients and blend a little

3. Add sweet potato and blend

4. Add egg and milk and blend

5. Preheat waffle iron and spray waffle iron with cooking spray (didn't seem to need it, at least later)

6. Put about 3 Tbsp batter each time

7. Cook for 7 min

8. Let waffles cool on baking rack - forgot to do this and just put on plate

9. Reheat in toaster when ready

Note:

-Made 6 total waffles.  2 for the sausage sandwich + 1 for just maple syrup and pecans for each of us

-I only used 1 sweet potato for recipe, but seemed too dry, so likely needs more milk or less oats.  When I looked up how many sweet potatoes 1 cup mashed is, it turned out to be 2 sweet potatoes, so 4 sweet potatoes???

-They were too soft to use as buns for my sausage sandwiches, so had to reheat in toaster.

-Served with maple syrup and sriracha sauce made by Eric

-Sausage sandwich tasted SOOO much better with avocado slices. Should add red onion and tomato next time.

-Took a long time to make the waffles, but just washed dishes while I was waiting

-sprayed with olive oil spray each time, but then forgot and didn't seem to need me to spray, so maybe just spray the first time?

-Original recipe called for ingredients to be added to blender in order listed, but I didn't want whole oat pieces for Eric, so did the way I wanted in directions.

*Breakfast

Breakfast sausage

Easier recipe I modifiedfrom littlespoonfarm.com

I'm using it for breakfast for Eric since once a week, we are eating at home savory oatmeal or sourdough toast. Eric wanted it spicer.

NEXT TIME MAKE BIGGER BATCHES WITH 93 AND 99% COMBINED

Ingredients:

-1 lb ground turkey 93%

-1 TBSP maple syrup

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp fennel seeds (added as not in recipe)

-1/2 tsp garlic powder (I used more)

-1/2 tsp dried thyme

-1/2 tsp dried sage

-1/4 tsp black pepper (eyeballed it)

-1/4 tsp cracked red pepper (eyeballed chili flakes, and Eric said not spicy enough)

-1/8 tsp or more of cayenne (add next time for more spice per Eric)

-1/8 tsp nutmeg (in previous recipe, but I didn't add this time)

Directions:

1. Mix spices and turkey

2. Cook on pan - didn't make patties

3. Divided into silicone molds and froze.

-------------------------------------------

OLD RECIPE

Modified from Damndelicious.net - used 93% ground turkey instead of pork.  Didn't used sliced bacon. Made for 2 nights (4 servings) as was making with sweet potato waffles as like a sandwich.

Ingredients:

-1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves

-2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

-1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

-1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

-1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

-1 pound ground turkey

-3 slices (uncooked) bacon, diced (didn't use)

-2 Tbsp maple syrup (forgot)

Directions

1. SAGE MIXTURE: Combine sage, thyme, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, salt, pepper

2. Combine sage mixture with ground turkey (+maple syrup, +bacon)

3. Form patties and cook until browned.

Hash browns

Mainly from Chef John at allrecipes.com
I had to make these fresh every day for 3 days over the Labor Day Weekend. (I can't cook on weekdays when I work.) So I adjusted a little bit each time. The first time I cooked in the cast iron skillet, and then transferred to oven, and then broiler.  Wasn't as good as just cooking on the stovetop with nonstick pan, although it takes more work (slaving over a stove).  I used a 5 lb bag of russet potatoes and divided the potatoes by 3 to make serving size.

Ingredients:
-Russet potatoes 
-Clarified butter or olive oil (I used butter because I thought it would taste more breakfast-y)

-Garlic - cuisinarted
-salt, pepper, more garlic powder, onion powder, +/- cayenne pepper

Potato prep directions:
1. Peel potatoes
2. Grate potatoes in a bowl with water + ice

3. Empty water out a few times to get starch out (put strainer in sink)

4. Let potatoes soak in fridge for a few hours or overnight

5. Strain potatoes in strainer

6. Put potatoes in cheesecloth and squeeze water out (Eric did this for me)

7. Put potatoes back in bowl and mix with seasonings

Cooking hash brown directions:

1. Cook butter and garlic for a minute

2. Add potatoes

3. Let cook and flip occasionally until crispy brown

I served with chopped bell peppers and onions and bad sausage I tried to make.  Eric said it was best when everything was mixed in and not separated.

*Breakfast

*Sides

French Toast....a work in progress

So, I stopped eating sandwiches and have a lot of bread right now.  Over the weekend, I decided to make French Toast for dinner for Eric, Thomas, and me.  Used a few different websites including addapinch.com and the Almond Breeze website.

The problem was that I wanted to use 12 slices of bread (4 each). In the first batch of 4 slices, I was quick with the dipping.  The 2nd batch, I was more generous with soaking the bread.  The 3rd batch, I ran out of mixture for the last piece of bread.

Overall, I thought it was dry and definitely needed the maple syrup.  But I like more eggy tasting, Eric does not.
I think the below mixture would be good for 9 slices of bread with good soaking, so 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk per 3 slices of bread. So if I needed to do 12 slices again, would do 4 eggs + 1 1/3 cup of milk.  Add in a little extra of everything else.

Ingredients:
-3 eggs 
-1 cup of almond milk 
-1 tablespoon of coconut sugar (alt. honey, maple syrup, monk fruit)
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract (consider doing a full 1 tsp)
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 pinch of salt
-1 T butter (melted in bowl and used to grease pan before each batch)
-above mixture good for 9 slices of bread

Directions:
1. Leave bread out for a couple of hours to get dry
2. Whisk ingredients in dish (used the 9x9 glass dish)
3. Use butter to grease pan
4. Dip bread on both sides
5. Cook in pan - seemed to take a while, so make sure pan is hot around 7 setting
6. Put finished pieces in the oven at 200 to keep warm - recipe also considered baking for 15 min at 400 afterwards to prevent soggy centers

*Breakfast

Overnight oats - Bulking series

Because I read a post on how healthy oatmeal is, I did try it a few months ago, but didn't take.  However, now that I got almond milk, I think it is definitely tastier.  I did think about almond milk using too much water, but technically, so do cows. 
Also, last week I stopped doing intermittent fasting.  Basically, I would just skip breakfast and not eat until 12:30.  However, I want to try and gain weight to build muscle, see if I can do a lean bulk or "body recomposition" because I don't want to do the classic bulk and cut.  I'm no body builder, but I just want to get stronger.  My goal is to do a 50 lb weighted pull up.  Currently, I'm at 48 lbs. 
Anyways, I have also been using myfitnesspal to count calories, and I have been consistently over 2000 (3000 yesterday).  And now, I have had oatmeal 2 days in a row now this weekend for breakfast. :)

Original recipe referenced from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup rolled oats
-1/2 cup of milk
-1 tsp chia seeds
-frozen blueberries

Extra add ons: bananas, other fruit, peanut butter, nuts, vanilla extract
Hmm - try protein powder?
Hmm - try greek yogurt? (1/2 cup per recipe)

Directions:
1. Add oats, milk, chia seeds, (yogurt) and stir
2. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 5 hours
3. Add the add-ons if needed

Will last for 4 days supposedly.

*Breakfast

*Snack

*Lunch

Peanut butter banana muffins - Coronavirus Cooking Series

Getting my pre-workout bananas on Fridays and getting a little extra, so I tried a different banana recipe at Broma Bakery. A lot tastier than the pancakes, but this had more ingredients including honey.

Ingredients:
-3 large ripe bananas
-1/2 cup peanut butter
-4 TBSP honey
-2 eggs
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 1/4 cup oatmeal flour (cuisinart-ed rolled oats)
-1 TBSP baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup dark chocolate chips (used probably 1/2 cup)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 425 degrees. Line muffin tin with 12 cups and spray with oil.
2. Mash bananas in a bowl. Add peanut butter, honey, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix.
3. Cuisinart-ed oatmeal. Add baking powder, salt.
4. Add in the oatmeal mix, and fold in with spatula.
5. Add in the chocolate chips. Don’t overmix.
6. Add into muffin cups.
7. Bake for 5 min at 425. Then turn down to 375 and bake for another 14 min.
8. Take out and cool for 10 min.

*Snacks

*Dessert

*Breakfast

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes - Coronavirus Cooking Series

Taken from meaningfuleats.com
Surprisingly good and was able to use things I already had. Eric used pecan apple butter on top. Could spread more peanut butter or jelly. I ate plain. Eric said it was a good change up, but peanut butter and toast and honey still tastes better.

Ingredients:
-1 ripe banana
-2 eggs
-1/3 cup of oats
-cinnamon (could have used more)
-salt
-peanuts (about 1/8 cup) - or other nuts like pecans or walnuts 
-1 spoonful of peanut butter
-coconut oil or butter for cooking 

Directions:
1. Mash banana with a fork
2. Add 2 eggs and whisk with fork
3. Cuisinart oats, cinnamon, salt / separately cuisinart nuts
4. Add oats
5. Add peanut butter dollop
6. Add nuts
6. Add coconut oil or butter to pan and heat up
7. Use 1/4 cup to scoop onto pan to cook
7. Will need to use 2 spatulas to flip over bc top is runny

Note:

I made it the next day again without peanut butter inside because I spread it on the outside. However, it seemed more mushy inside. Was also thinking it was more banana-y, maybe because the banana was riper than the day before.

*Breakfast