breakfast

Slow Cooker Maple Spiced Steel Cut Oats and Quinoa

November 21, 2016 by Asharae Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving Week! Anyone traveling this week? Or welcoming family into your home? Anyone preparing to feed lots of friends and family? If you’re in need of a super simple homemade breakfast option for feeding lots of people this week, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you. And if you’re making this recipe for just one or two, I’ve got instructions for freezing any leftovers to have later!

This Maple Spiced Oats and Quinoa dish is healthy-ish, hearty, so delicious and can be customized to suit each person you’ll be hosting this Thanksgiving. When you’re worried about getting the turkey in the oven, all the pies made on time, and getting Grandma’s stuffing just right, you really don’t need to be thinking about anything complicated for breakfast! Just get up early and throw all these ingredients in your slow cooker (try doubling it and adding some time if you have more than 8 of guests.) You can set out lots of topping options so everyone can customize their own bowl, and this dish is hearty enough that it’ll give everyone energy to help out with all your Thanksgiving dinner prep!

This recipe is adapted from two I found online – this Pumpkin Overnight Oats recipe from Well Plated and this Slow Cooker Overnight Quinoa and Oats by Chelsea’s Messy Apron. Feel free to adapt and adjust to fit your preferences!

Slow Cooker Maple Spiced Steel Cut Oats and Quinoa

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 10 mins

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 c steel cut oats (do not use old fashioned or quick cook oats)
1/2 c quinoa rinsed (or purchase pre-rinsed)
3-4 c water depending on how thick you want your oatmeal to be
2 c milk
2 Tbs chia seeds
2 Tbs ground flaxseed
1/4 c brown sugar
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs cinammon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice

Garnishes

Sliced almonds
Dried cranberries
Additional brown sugar
Chopped apples
Additional cinnamon nutmeg, or allspice

Instructions

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
Rinse quinoa well, using a fine mesh sieve. (Skip this step if you bought pre-rinsed quinoa)
Combine all ingredients except garnishes in slow cooker, stir well to combine.
Set on high for 2-3 hours, stirring after an hour and a half so you know how much longer to cook it. This will depend on how hot your slow cooker gets. (See note below.)
Oats are finished when they reach the consistency you desire - I like mine to still be slightly chewy, so I cooked mine for just over 2 hours.
Turn off heat and serve topped with dried cranberries, sliced almonds, extra brown sugar, or whatever you like!

Notes

The recipe I adapted this from said to cook it on low for 7 hours or high for 4, but mine would have been burnt to a crisp if I let it go that long. Use your best judgement depending on how quickly your particular slow cooker operates.

If you want to make this recipe to save for later, use a muffin tin to divide the remaining cooked oats and quinoa. Let cool completely on the counter, then place in the freezer for a few hours. Remove oats from muffin tin once frozen, store in a freezer safe ziplock bag, and keep in freezer until ready to eat. Reheat in microwave, top with garnishes, and enjoy!

Strawberry Streusel Muffins

May 23, 2016 by Asharae 2 Comments

Lately I’ve been on a baking kick which is actually really unusual for me. Not sure if it’s the pregnancy talking as I’m still riding the high of my second trimester energy. Or if it’s my unusual craving for sweets that’s pushing me to bake more than normal. Either way we’re all benefiting from it!

Just the other week Tim and I had a sweet in-home maternity session with our dear friend Alicia White (check out her work! It’s amazing!) We decided to go strawberry picking early in the morning, come back to the house and make breakfast, drink coffee on the porch, listen to big band music on the record player, and play in the garden. Basically all our favorite things. It was really special to set aside some time to have Alicia capture this fleeting season of our lives. I’m a photographer as well, so I’m biased, but I highly recommend documenting each life season not just for having the photographs, but to practice slowing down and noticing the here and now.

I decided to experiment with this recipe for our photo shoot as the original is actually made with blueberries instead of strawberries. We couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out! These muffins are delicious and oh-so-pretty! If you haven’t already made a date with your local strawberry patch, hurry up and go berry picking before they’re all gone!

Strawberry Streusel Muffins

Adapted from Honestly Yum

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Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups strawberries hulled and sliced
1 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
2 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
4 Tbs butter melted and cooled
1/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 c plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

1 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 Tbs brown sugar
A pinch of salt
1/4 c flour
2 1/2 Tbs warm melted butter

Instructions

Make the streusel topping by combining the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Slowly add the melted butter, stirring with a fork until mixture is combined and reaches a crumbly consistency.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Make the filling for your muffins by placing 1 c sliced strawberries and 1 tsp sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened and the strawberries begin to break down. Set aside and let cool to room temperature. (Place in the fridge for a few minutes to hurry the process along if need be.)
In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and remaining sugar until thickened. Slowly add the butter and oil to the egg mixture, whisking as you go. Whisk in the Greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla.
Fold this egg mixture into your flour mixture. Fold in the remaining c of strawberries, being careful not to over-mix your batter. It's okay for it to be a little lumpy.
Prepare your muffin pan, either by greasing the pan or using paper muffin cups.
Use a spoon to divide the batter between muffin cups. The batter should completely fill the cups.
Evenly divide the cooled strawberry filling mixture between the muffins, using a chopstick or skewer (or your finger) to poke the filling down into the strawberries. This part doesn't have to be perfect - any berries left showing through will make the muffins look pretty!
Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of your strawberry-filled muffin cups.
Bake in your preheated oven for about 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Recipe Roundup for a Springtime Brunch

May 8, 2015 by Asharae 2 Comments

You guys! Spring is here! Around our house that means planting the garden, drinking our coffee on the porch in the morning, going strawberry picking just down the road, looking forward to fresh produce and summertime meals, and preparing for a hefty wedding season this year. We’ve already got four under our belts and can hardly believe how fortunate we are that we get to celebrate with so many extraordinary couples this year.

While we’re preparing for a full season of celebrating some of the best around, we’re also trying to make time to slow down and savor each day. Over the weekend we found a fantastic collection of big band music on old records. We got 10 records for $2. Seriously. I was cracking up at ourselves yesterday morning as we got up and opened the windows, made coffee, put on a record, and played big band music out onto our front yard as we weeded and watered our little garden. It sounds so ridiculous and idyllic, but starting the day in this way forced us to slow down rather than rushing straight into emails and editing.

On the increasingly rare occasion that we’re home with no plans on a weekend, we love to savor our time by waking up slowly and making a delicious breakfast or brunch together. Since Mother’s Day is this weekend and all manner of bridal showers and baby showers are just around the corner, I figured it was the perfect time to round up a few of my favorite brunch recipes and ideas! Perhaps this weekend you could treat someone (or a whole lot of someones) to a delicious brunch! Whatever you do, I encourage you to slow down and savor it all.

Strawberry Banana Peach Smoothie – Who doesn’t love having a smoothie with breakfast? Make a big batch of these for your guests, and serve them in pretty glasses with fun striped straws if you want to fancy-up your meal.

Simple Granola – This granola would be a perfect addition to a make-your-own breakfast parfait station! It’s perfect served alongside Greek yogurt, fresh or dried fruit, and local honey. I can already picture this parfait station – it’s a pretty little table all dressed up for a bridal shower, baby shower, or Mother’s day, of course! Use cute little parfait glasses and serve all the fruit, granola, and extra add-ins in pretty bowls on the side!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Icing – These overnight cinnamon rolls are perfect if you want your guests to think you got up in the wee hours of the morning to make cinnamon rolls for them! You and I will know that you actually got to sleep in! Make these the night before, place them in the fridge, let them warm up and rise a bit in the morning, pop them in the oven and you’re good to go!

Simple Breakfast Tacos – Instead of a sweet brunch, take a savory route! Create a breakfast taco bar – whip up some scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage, and serve with tortillas and your favorite taco fixings. Let your guests assemble their own breakfast tacos and everyone will be happy!

What are some of your favorite things to make for brunch? Have any favorite recipes or good tips? Share with me in the comments below!