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overnight steel cut oats

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overnight steel cut oats

brunchpants_overnightsteelcutoats

I ALWAYS need quick breakfast options in the am.  This recipe is so easy and a wonderful thing to wake up to! My friend Stella recently introduced me to this delicious breakfast and I am addicted.

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EASY OVERNIGHT STEEL CUT OATS  // makes 4

by Elisabeth Srur

prep time: 10 minutes // cook time: 15 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup steel cut oats

  • 4 cups filtered water ( filtered water prevents a film from forming ) 

  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt

  • 1/4 cup frozen or fresh strawberries ( blueberries or raspberries also work ) 

  • 1 cup fresh fruit for topping

METHOD:

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a rapid boil.

  2. Pour in the oats and salt.

  3. Stir and let boil for 1 minute.

  4. Turn off the heat, cover and let stand overnight.

  5. The next morning, on medium heat, stir the oats until heated through.

  6. Add fruit and serve! ( store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week ) 

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raspberry mini-donuts with pistachio and grey sea salt caramel

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raspberry mini-donuts with pistachio and grey sea salt caramel

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A gluten-free indulgence, these miniature sized cake donuts use grey sea salt caramel from CCmade, a small batch artisanal caramel company based in Berkeley, California.  I was introduced to this sugary heaven through Hatchery, a subscription service that sends you a monthly "tasting box" with interesting and delicious artisan made food products.   

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RASPBERRY MINI-DONUTS WITH PISTACHIO AND CARAMEL  // serves 12

by brunchpants

prep time: 20 minutes // cook time: 15 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. xantham gum
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas ( about three small ) 
  • 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
  • coconut oil spray
  • CCmade grey sea salt caramel
  • 1/2 cup shelled pistachio

METHOD:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. In a small food processor, pulse the pistachio's until they are evenly broken into smaller pieces.  Make sure to not over process or the nuts will be too powdery. Set aside.

  3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together gluten-free flour, almond flour baking powder, baking soda, xantham gum, salt and cinnamon.

  4. In a separate large mixing bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to whip together butter and coconut sugar until cream and fluffy.

  5. Mix in eggs one at a time into the butter mixture, until well combined.

  6. Add mashed bananas and raspberries to the butter mixture, mixing until well combined. 

  7. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until well blended.

  8. Pour the batter into a gallon-size, freezer bag.

  9. Snip of a small corner of the freezer bag, creating a piping bag that will help you easily squeeze the batter into a donut pan. 

  10. Generously spray your donut pan with coconut oil.

  11. Fill each donut 3/4 of the way to the top.

  12. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

  13. Allow the donuts to cool slightly before you add the topping.

  14. While the donuts are cooling, add the caramel to a small pot and gently heat on low until the caramel becomes soft and liquid.  If you would like your topping to be more liquid, you can add a small amount of milk and stir to get the consistency you want. 

  15. Generously pour the caramel sauce in a circular motion over the top of the donuts, allowing the sauce to drip down the sides.

  16. Sprinkle the pistachio topping while the caramel is still warm.

NOTES:

  • I used a 3" donut pan, however any size will work as long as you adjust the cooking time accordingly.

  • Store the donuts in an airtight container.

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ratatouille recipe

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ratatouille recipe

ratatoillerecipebybrunchpants

My dad used to make ratatouille from his collection of French cookbooks when I was growing up.  The aroma from the kitchen of making this recipe is almost as comforting as the food for me. I particularly love making Ratatouille in the colder months and use the leftovers for breakfast dishes. I have tried a few different ratatouille recipes in the past, however my Dad's adaptation uses anchovy paste which puts the end result in a class of its own. 


RATATOUILLE  // serves 8-10

by brunchpant's dad Marcel

prep time: 30 minutes // cook time: 25 - 30 minutes plus 2 hours for reducing sauce // TOTAL TIME: 3 hours


INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 tbsp. olive oil

  • 1 tbsp. anchovy paste

  • 1 large yellow onion - cut into "Rondelle" ( large circles )

  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped

  • eggplant - 1 kilo ( about 2.2 lbs. ) preferably the longer Italian variety, cut into 1.5 inch pieces or rounds ( depending on the size of zuchinni you are using ) 

  • zucchini - 1 kilo ( about 2.2 lbs. ) - cut into round pieces

  • 3 - 16oz canned organic peeled tomatoes - roughly chopped

  • 1 red pepper - sliced into strips, lengthwise, about 1 cm thick

  • 1 yellow pepper - sliced into strips, lengthwise, about 1 cm thick

  • 1 green pepper - sliced into strips, lengthwise, about 1 cm thick

  • 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme and/or optional herbes de provence

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 4 whole cloves

  • 1/4 tsp. clove powder

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • handful fresh basil leaves - roughly chopped ( save a small amount for garnish )

  • handful fresh flat leaf parsley - roughly chopped ( save a small amount for garnish )

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Use a medium size stock pot and over medium heat, start by "perfuming" the olive oil with Anchovy Paste" ( in french called huile d'olive parfumée ). Be sure not to overheat the olive oil.

  2. Add the onions, cut into “Rondelle” ( big circles ) and sauté them until translucent.

  3. Add the chopped garlic and stir for a few minutes until fragrant.

  4. Add the eggplant first so it soaks up some of the olive oil and continually stir for about 1 minute.

  5. Add the peppers and zucchini in alternating layers, stacking them on top of each other.

  6. Pour in the tomatoes with the juice, covering all of the vegetables.  ( note - If you need more liquid to cover the vegetables, add a little no-sodium chicken stock or water ) 

  7. Add the remaining herbs and spices - thyme, cloves, clove powder, bay leaves, basil and parsley and lightly stir to cover all the ingredients in liquid.

  8. Cover and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.  Use a knife to pierce through the zucchini and eggplant to test, if it slides in easily, you know it is finished. 

  9. Strain out the vegetables and set aside, saving the liquid to reduce. ( cover with foil and set aside in the oven if you want to serve this dish hot, otherwise leave uncovered )

  10. Reduce the sauce by boiling over medium-high heat. You want the sauce to reduce to a glaze-like consistency.  The time this will take depends on the type of pot you are using, but expect at least 1.5 hours.  Stir frequently to avoid burning.

  11. Once sauce is reduced to a glaze, pour over the strained vegetables and garnish with leftover basil, parsley and thyme.

NOTES:

  • You can serve this dish hot or at room temperature.  

  • glaze the dish with the reduced vegetable sauce right before you serve and sprinkle with some of the leftover basil and parsley.

  • do not use the long Chinese zucchini for this recipe as it doesn't have the right flavor.

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grapes arrangement for centerpieces

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grapes arrangement for centerpieces

This arrangement will show you how to make a flower centerpiece using grapes.   (I recently posted a similar flower arrangement for small tables, which can be used together) 

In this post, I used champagne grapes and small half cup size glass dishes. I suggest using small shorter bowls or cups so the flowers in the centerpiece don't get too high, making it difficult to see over them.  

Note: use different color grapes & flowers depending on the event and the season

Materials:

  • 3 small clear glass cups - 1/3 filled with water

  • scissors

  • large bunch of grapes

  • 8 - 9 flowers with the stems cut down

  • 4 green leaves ( I used asplenium crispy wave leaves )

  • extra greenery as needed - I used some ferns and leaves that I found outside 

brunchpants_grapescenterpiece_1.jpg

Materials

brunchpants_grapescenterpiece_2.jpg

asplenium crispy wave leaves

place the outside leaves first, making sure the leaves are not angled out too wide on your table

place the outside leaves first, making sure the leaves are not angled out too wide on your table

fill the cups half full with water

fill the cups half full with water

drape the grapes over the glass dishes, letting some of the branches fall outside 

drape the grapes over the glass dishes, letting some of the branches fall outside 

keep draping until you have covered most of the dishes and a "cage" is in place to start placing flowers

keep draping until you have covered most of the dishes and a "cage" is in place to start placing flowers

place the main white flowers into the grapes, making sure they stay in place where you want them

place the main white flowers into the grapes, making sure they stay in place where you want them

brunchpants_grapescenterpiece_8.jpg
after the main flowers are in place, fill in with smaller flowers and green accents 

after the main flowers are in place, fill in with smaller flowers and green accents 

finish

finish

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