Super Cereal - with Signature Spiced Sugar

Let's talk trash. What we eat for breakfast often qualifies!  No matter what they claim about fiber and this and that, pre-packaged breakfast foods are generally loaded with preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors...yuck. Here is a recipe for an all-natural, protein and nutrition packed breakfast superfood that you can make at home with all your favorite flavors!

What you will need:
1 lb oats (not instant oatmeal)
1 C of your favorite nuts and seeds (raw and unsalted)
1 C of your favorite dried fruits (unsweetened)
1/3 C Signature Spiced Sugar (or any of our other flavors!)

Directions:
Toast the oats and nuts/seeds on a baking sheet in a 350 F degree oven for 10 minutes.
Add the spiced sugar and dried fruit.
Pulse it all together in a food processor until it is as finely textured as you want it. I like mine ground up somewhere between granola and cornmeal. This way you still get some texture with the nuts and fruits but the oats are pretty well pulverized.

Um...you're done. Yep! That's it.  Now you can save it in a big container and eat it with hot or cold milk, sprinkle it on yogurt, or add it to oatmeal for a protein and flavor boost.  I like using Signature Spiced Sugar in this recipe for the orange, but you really could use whichever sugar blend you like best.  

Try mixing it up - half Mayan Mocha and half Canela Latte would be amazing!  Spice Cake and Gingerbread!  Vanilla Chai! Whichever sugar you have and like will work (except for Peppermint).

As for nuts, seeds, and dried fruits - same goes. This time I used walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, dates, raisins, and cherries.  But anything you have in the pantry, or can find for cheap in the bulk bins, will be fine.  Pistachios, pumpkin seeds, dried mango, coconut...whatever you do with it, it's going to be a tasty and nutritious start to your day!

Spiced Root Vegetable Soup - with Havana spice mix

Fall is here! Time to bring out the hearty recipes we have been missing all summer. Even though we rarely actually get cold here in Houston, who can resist a warm bowl of bisque-like soup when the temps begin to drop?
This recipe is delicious and full of the root vegetable vitamins we need to gear up for winter. Any root vegetables you have and like will do: carrots, fennel bulb, parsnips, cauliflower, golden beets, yams, potatoes...you name it.  Whatever combo you use, just make sure they taste good together and that you adjust cooking times on the roasting if needed to make them tender. Use 3-4 lbs total veg.

For this recipe, I used carrots and celery root!  Why? I like them! Celery root is basically the ugliest of all vegetables, and it's a minor pain to clean, but it's delicious! If you've never tried one, imagine a celery stalk meets a potato. Just trim and scrub it up.

What you will need:

1 celery root - cleaned and cut into 1-2" cubes

2 lbs carrots - pealed and cut into chunks

1 large shallot or small yellow onion - pealed and cut into chunks

2 large garlic cloves - skin on

6 C vegetable broth

1-2 T Moroccan Tagine or Havana spice mix

1/2 C cream, creme fraise, or sour cream (coconut milk for vegan!)

olive oil

additional salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degree F.
Throw all of your cut up veg into a baking pan except the garlic.  Toss veg with a splash of olive oil and 1 T of spice mix.  Roast veg in the oven for 20 minutes. Add the garlic and roast another 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Squeeze the garlic right out of its skins into the other roasted veg. careful - it's hot!  

Could you eat them just like this?  Oh ya. Right here you already have a wonderful side dish! But hey - we want soup....

Blend all your roasted veg with 6 C of vegetable stock. I used an emersion blender, but whatever gets the job done is fine.  You could use water or chicken broth, but you may need to adjust your seasoning. Taste it. Add salt or more spice mix if desired. 

Before you serve, stir in 1/2 C cream and garnish with something pretty: fennel fronds, chopped parsley, crusty croutons, toasted cashews...
You won't be disappointed. This one will hit the spot when you need to cozy up with something hearty and healthy. We served ours for dinner with loaded baked potatoes.  In a bigger bowl you'd have a meal all by itself with a nice crusty piece of bread.  Bon appetit!

Introducing for Fall: Canela Latte Sugar!

Canela is the name for Mexican cinnamon! Sweet and smooth with a kiss of anise and rounded out with vanilla, this sugar is easy to love.  Try it in coffee, cocoa, fruit compote, cinnamon toast, and all sorts of baking.

Contains: sugar, cinnamon, espresso powder, vanilla bean, star anise.

Lemon-Lavender Welch Cakes

These delicious, summery shortbreads are really not that hard to make and are well worth the little effort they require.  They are fancy, quick, and very, very tasty! 

What you will need:

2 C self-rising flour (or 2 C AP flour + 1 tsp salt + 1 T baking powder)

1 stick of cold, unsalted butter (cut into cubes)

2/3 C lemon-lavender sugar

1 large egg

2 T sour cream (or a few splashes of milk)

Heat a cast-iron skillet over med heat.  Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the cold butter cubes and crumble it all together with your hands until it reaches a fine breadcrumbs consistency.  Make a well in your flour mixture and add the egg and sour cream/milk.  Combine with a fork until it starts to come together. Now use your hands to bring it together into a shortbread-type dough. Don't over work it - just get it together into a ball.  Roll your dough out onto a floured surface to a thickness of 1 cm. Cut the dough into circles with a biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or mason jar lid. Add a bit of oil or butter to your pan and cook the rounds on both sides in batches for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Flip several times in the process to make sure they aren't burning and adjust your heat if needed. Now dust them with powdered sugar, plop some jam on them, or sandwich them with berries and cream! Any way you serve them, they are great for tea time, snacks, breakfast, or dessert.

Havana Quinoa Salad

 Did you know quinoa is loaded with protein? It's actually a seed that is jam-packed with all of the amino acids of meat, but cooks up super fluffy like rice. That was news to me! Since I learned that awesome info, I've been looking for ways to use quinoa in tasty family meals.  Here is a quinoa-chicken salad that tastes something like a punchy tabouli or pasta salad. It is super fresh and summery and your family won't have a clue how many healthy veggies you just snuck in on them!

What you will need: (serves 4)

1 chicken breast

1 T Havana Cuban Inspired Seasoning

1 C quinoa (uncooked)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

4 C fresh baby spinach and/or kale

1 C cilantro

1 C mint leaves

3 green onions (sliced)

1/3 C black olives - halved

1 yellow bell pepper - cut into small pieces

1/2 C cherry tomatoes - halved

juice from 2 limes

1 T red wine vinegar

1/3 C olive oil

1/2 C crumbled queso fresco

salt/pepper to taste

Get the quinoa cooking. It cooks just like rice. 1 C quinoa + 2 C water in a rice cooker or pot with a lid. Gently boil for 20 minutes until the water has absorbed.

Meanwhile, cut the chicken into slices and coat with Havana Seasoning.  Saute' in a little oil until cooked - shred or cut it up a bit and set it aside.

Throw your spinach, cilantro, mint, and red pepper flakes into a food processor and pulse until it is all finely chopped together. Toss this mixture into a large bowl along with the lime juice, vinegar, and olive oil. Add the chicken, olives, peppers, onions, and tomatoes to the bowl. 

Put the cooked quinoa in a strainer and rinse it under cold water.  Drain it well and add it to the bowl. 

Now give it all a good toss together and add salt/black pepper to taste.  Top it with the crumbled queso fresco and enjoy!

*To make this dish deliciously vegetarian, omit the chicken and add 1 T of Havana Seasoning to the lime juice instead!

Super yummy, frenchy, easy chicken -pot-pie

Super yummy, frenchy, easy chicken -pot-pie

Ma oui! Country french cuisine is not as fussy and difficult as they would have you believe.  Here's a recipe for a very elegant chicken pie that will come together in a snap.

What you will need:

2 C cooked chicken (I use what's left over of a roasted chicken from the night before)

5 green onions or 1 leek

2 C sliced button mushrooms (par-boiled potatoes can also be used if your crew isn't fond of mushrooms)

2 T sour cream

1 T flour

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 T 'the bird' spice mix

1 C chicken or vegetable broth

salt/pepper

olive oil/butter

roll-out pie crust

Saute' the chicken, green onions, mushrooms, and seasoning in a few tablespoons of butter and/or olive oil over medium heat.

Stir in the sour cream, flour, mustard.

Add the broth and simmer together for about 5 minutes.

Check the taste for salt/pepper and add more if you'd like.

Pour the mixture into an oven-safe baking dish and cover with a rolled out, pre-made pie crust.

Cut a few vents into the top of the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

I like to stuff a few fresh herbs into the vent for added aromatics, but that's totally optional. I also never, ever do an egg wash on the crust, but it does make the crust nice and shiny if you want to take that extra step.

Voila! 

If you want to bump up the veg, you can add some thawed, frozen veggies of your liking to the pie at the saute' stage, or replace the meat with them altogether!

Spiced Shakerato

Spiced Shakerato

I love watching Italian cooking shows. Their kitchen and food philosophies are so similar to my own, and I primarily learned to cook from Italian chefs. Here's a Tuscan favorite I learned for a summer time heat-beater and afternoon pick-me-up with my spicy twist. 

What you will need per person:

6 oz brewed espresso

1 tsp of your favorite spiced sugar (try Mayan Mocha!)

2 bowls, a whisk, ice, and a cocktail shaker

Stir the sugar into the warm espresso in a small bowl.

Place the small bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice and whisk the espresso until it cools completely.

Pour the cooled espresso into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Now make your kid shake it -

- and shake it.

Pour the cold, spiced coffee down the side of a small glass, preserving the foam. Buon divertimento!