Breakfast Fun

Peanut Butter Cocoa Crunch Cereal

2 cup crispy brown rice cereal

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats or gluten free oats

1/2 cup softened peanut butter or other nut or seed butter,

plus more as needed

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup brown rice syrup or agave nectar

dash of salt

cinnamon to taste

Add in:

coconut

hemp seeds

chia seeds

chopped nuts

sunflower or pumpkin seeds

etc.

In a large bowl mix together crispy brown rice cereal, oatmeal, and cocoa powder.

Mix in the peanut butter and the agave nectar until well combined.

Sprinkle on the salt and cinnamon and mix. Now add anything else that you would like.

Mix together and press into a lined baking dish. Refrigerate until set, then take a fork or

knife and crumble the cereal into pieces. Store in a air tight container in the fridge.

Serve with milk or eat it without as a snack.

I chose to add in coconut and some hemp seeds, but you can really add anything to

this mix. I also did not add enough peanut butter, so my cereal did not create

clusters. If you would like clusters, I would add more than a half a cup of peanut butter.

On another note, I made Manifest Vegan's Yeasted Mocha Muffins (minus the mocha).

They are gluten free and use sorghum flour which I have never used before. The flour

really added a sweet richness to these muffins. Sorry about the lack of light in the picture.

This was the last of the natural light for the day.

Enjoy your Sunday! Anyone watching The Academy Awards tonight?

Bananarama Bread

This bread has got it, yeah baby, she's got it. What is it that she has? A caramelized banana topping that's what. So grab your favorite banana bread recipe and preheat that oven. I tend to gravitate towards Babycakes gluten free Banana Bread. Light and airy and delicious. I love that it uses a liquid sweetener in the recipe so that it is easy to choose a healthier option than cane sugar. I like to use brown rice syrup or coconut nectar. Regardless of the recipe you use, this caramelized banana topping will enhance it to the max.

Mash up one banana with 1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons of Earth Balance or coconut oil (I have not tried the coconut oil, but I'm assuming it would work well). Stir in 2 tablespoons of your sweetener of choice. I used evaporated cane juice as the bread was a low sugar recipe.

Pour over the bread halfway through the cooking process. The gluten free recipe I use always takes longer to bake than the time given, so I baked the topping for about 30 minutes. If your recipe takes about that long or a little longer to bake, I would just pour on the topping before you put the bread in the oven.

The result is a chewy, flavorful topping that melds with the bread beautifully. I stored my baked bread in the fridge and found that the topping got a little gooey, so I just reheated it when I enjoyed the leftovers. That way the topping would be crispy each time.

Enjoy your weekend!

A Breakfast Post

Breakfast for me usually is just a green smoothie, and if I'm feeling especially hungry, some gluten free toast (Sami's Bakery Millet & Flax bread is so good). On my days off of work, I like to switch it up a bit. This morning I was inspired by Sarma's chia pudding recipe

from Living Raw Food, and made a chia porridge of sorts.

Chia seeds are quite amazing. When you soak them in any liquid, they become softer and create a tapioca like consistency. They are a complete protein, contain omega fatty acids, are an ancient energy food, and yes they are used for chia pets. Here is some more information if you are interested.

This is more of a base for a breakfast with some suggestions rather than a recipe, but here is what I did. Mix 1/4 cup of chia seeds with 3/4 cup of almond milk. You could make your own almond milk and keep this dish a raw one, or you can just use a non dairy milk of your choice. I used Almond Breeze original. Add a drop of vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, and a bit of your sweetener of choice, be it stevia, agave, or brown rice syrup. Let the seeds and milk set for 15 - 20 min or longer. This will allow the seeds to soak up the liquid and become like a gel or tapioca. Sprinkle in some nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and fresh fruit. I opted for raw pumpkin seeds and raisins, and topped it off with a banana.

You could mix up the base ahead of time and leave it in the fridge for a quick breakfast in the morning. The chia base will keep for a couple days.

Enjoy with a cup of Teeccino.

Recently I've been on a knitting kick and have been making mug cozies. Matt thinks it's funny that I'm making sweaters for my mugs. I like to think that it keeps my drink warmer for a longer amount of time, but that's probably just wishful thinking. Oh well, at least my mug looks cute.