A Stack of Dishes

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Whole Grain Waffles with Baked in Fruit

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Whole Grain Waffles with Baked-in Fruit

Though I am the queen of the sweet tooth, when it comes to breakfast I am not a fan of maple syrup dripping pancakes and waffles. I need something more wholesome and sustaining (all that sugar makes me hungry by 11am- am I alone in this??). These nutty whole grain waffles have just a hint of sweetness, tons of fiber, and who doesn’t love the taste of roasted caramelized fruits? All that goodness can keep me going for a good long time.

Like a lot of us I am up and out the door to exercise in the morning. My appetite doesn’t really kick in until I am well into my workout, and often by then feeling faded and struggling to ramp up. So my game plan is to have foods in the fridge or freezer that I can grab and eat between home and the gym, or tennis court. And that is the beauty of these waffles. Either made full sized and divided, or hand sized minis, I can be toasting them as I suit up, and grab them in a napkin as I head out the door to my workout.

Whole Grain Waffles- A Stack of Dishes

Whole Grain Waffles with Grated Apple- A Stack of Dishes

Whole Grain waffles- A Stack of Dishes

When I set to making whole grain waffles I usually make at least a double batch. In this case I did just that, and created several different versions using different fruits and nuts I had in the kitchen. The batter is made with coconut oil, which gives it a beautiful scent to begin with, but grated and sliced apples made their way in, along with blueberries, walnuts, pear slices, coconut, poppy seeds and lemon zest. It was great fun! And always a moment of surprise and delight when I lifted the waffle iron top. [Read more…] about Whole Grain Waffles with Baked in Fruit

Dark Chocolate Popcorn with Sea Salt and Peanuts

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Dark Chocolate Popcorn with Sea Salt and Peanuts - A Stack of Dishes

In anticipation of next weekend’s big game I decided to get my groove on and make some dark chocolate popcorn with sea salt and peanuts. As you can imagine, watching the game is more of a social event than a die hard fan thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love to watch football. In fact, I was Captain of my cheerleading squad in high school- so I’m pretty sure I have the rules down. I’m just not much of a sports chick- I’m interested, just not involved.

So my “game on” is what ends up on the cocktail table in front of the TV. So why not some jazzed up popcorn? All that game day food is usually pretty cheesey, greasy and heavy on the gut. Who doesn’t love it- I just want some fresh ideas out there. 

Making popcorn certainly is not the same as when I was a kid. There was real reverence and hard core focus when it came to making popcorn. It was a bit of right of passage for us kids. We had a certain pot we used only for popcorn making. We knew just how much oil to put in, how high the flame, and a capful of kernels was the perfect amount for the pot. Standing on a chair it was sacred duty to shake the pan relentlessly during the furious popping stage, and then came the fine art of knowing when to remove the pan from the heat to get all the kernels popped without scorching the pan. Ain’t nothing worse than burnt popcorn. Not Pleasant.

Dark Chocolate Popcorn- A Stack of Dishes [Read more…] about Dark Chocolate Popcorn with Sea Salt and Peanuts

Hot Days | Cold Soba Noodles

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It’s not surprising to have hot days in August, but man oh man!, has it been brutal lately here in NYC. On top of this, lately my days are filled stomping up and down the concrete canyons of the city. This means that if not prepared I’m catching meals on the go. Often this translates into wasted time searching expensive tasteless food, which I often regret. These cold soba noodles are quick to make, easy to transport, and fantastically soul satisfying. 

soba noodles-165

 

Preparing fresh soba noodles- A Stack of Dishes

I purchase my noodles fresh, which oddly I find are less costly than the dried versions. Even better is the fact that they cook up in just a few minutes. So pot on, water to boil, toss in for 3, and boom! Good to go. How how cool is that?

At first I thought I would make a peanuty version of cold noodles. You know the kind, with the cucumber chunks added [Read more…] about Hot Days | Cold Soba Noodles