sweet miscellany

I seem to be rather fond of making desserts into breakfast lately (see here). I think part of it is that I want to see if I can make a dessert healthy enough to eat for breakfast. The other part, if I can be honest, is that I get excited about being able to eat a “dessert” for breakfast. I typically eat the same thing during the week (granola, overnight oats, more granola, etc.) so it’s nice to change it up on the weekends when I have more time to invest in what I can make.

These crumbles came about when I brought home a large box of local blackberries from the farmers market. I really wanted to enjoy some for breakfast but not in the “throw them on top of some granola” way that I normally do during the week. For some reason I really wanted to use some quinoa flakes, so I figured I could make a topping with them for the berries, sort of like a crumble. I couldn’t leave well enough alone so I ended up adding some almond meal, shredded coconut, and chia seeds to the quinoa flakes. And, I ended up making a maple-spiked yogurt to top it off. The yogurt gives you some added protein and healthy bacteria and creates a nice contrast both in texture and flavor. It only took one bite for me to realize this was the perfect Sunday morning breakfast, and I hope you’ll agree. Oh, and in case you have some leftovers, the crumble makes a lovely dessert as well 🙂
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What the heck summer temperatures? Where did you come from all of the sudden?! One day I’m enjoying warm breezes and the next I’m sweating before I make it the 20 feet to my car. I have lived in Texas all of my life but summer always seems to blindside me. We went from pleasant to 95 overnight and I was not prepared. The only good thing the weather brought is a growing abundance and diversity at the farmers market.

I mentioned in the last post about starting a series of posts showing what I do with the produce I get at the market. I originally wasn’t going to start it this week since I knew I had a 25lb box of peaches to get through and not much spare time, but I was able to pull it off. Below you will find a list of what I got from the market as well as how I’ve been using it throughout the week. I’ve included the recipe for the quick pickles below.

Market Finds, 6/8/2013:

– Sweet Corn, Leeks, & Basil — After cleaning the leeks really well, I sauteed them until the edges were just caramelized, then tossed in the corn and sauteed it briefly (for about a minute). I tossed in some cooked brown rice pasta and a pesto made from the basil, fresh lemon zest and juice, toasted almonds, and olive oil. I ended up tossing in some spinach when eating the leftovers to get some extra greens.
– Romaine Lettuce — The romaine became a lovely bed for a veggie burger on a hectic evening. I sliced the romaine into ribbons, drizzled on a bit of tahini and lemon juice, then topped it with a veggie burger and a couple of pickle slices. I always keep some veggie burgers in my freezer for hectic evenings when I don’t have much time to cook. The ones I use are gluten free/vegan/soy free and are made from veggies and sunflower seeds with no yucky fillers.
– Cucumbers & Dill — Quick pickles! See the recipe below.
– Peaches — The majority of the peaches went into peach jam and peach butter for the market. What was left I enjoyed along with my granola in the morning or as a sweet treat in the evening. If you are in the mood for baking, try these mini peach breakfast cobblers or these cardamom peach muffins. Or, if you don’t feel like turning on your stove, try these rosy peach fools.

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Blackberry Breakfast Crumble with Maple Yogurt

Quick Pickles & Using Farmers Market Produce