The Nourishing Gourmet

Nourishing. Satisfying. Gourmet.

Breakfast

Pumpkin Maple Baked Oatmeal

by 23 Comments

What about starting your day with a spiced pumpkin oatmeal bake, delicately laced with maple syrup and served warm? I don’t know about you, but that would help brace me for the upcoming day.

Breakfast is commonly a haste-driven affair of cold cereal, pre-bought baked goods, or frozen waffles. But breakfast can both treat your body – and your wallet – better. We like to enjoy soaked oatmeal, quinoa porridge, and  congee for breakfast, for example. I hosted an “Oatmeal Challenge” several years ago on this blog where my family ate oatmeal everyday for a week for breakfast to save us money!

I found that by starting our day with a very frugal food, we were able to save some needed money from our food budget. So for this week’s 52 tips for saving money on a healthy diet, consider your breakfast! When priced out, you just may be surprised at how well you can eat and how much you can save. And the following recipe is  yet another example of a delicious, nourishing breakfast. -Kimi 

My family loves a good baked oatmeal. It’s a frugal, hearty & nourishing way to start off our day… plus, the leftovers make great snacks, warm & cold. Baked oatmeal is awesome for making my mornings easy, especially on busy days or when I need a little extra sleep.

I typically like to prep it the night before and my hubby just pops it in the oven early in the morning (wondering how I plan ahead to accomplish that? Read my notes below in the recipe!). This is a great way for my husband to get the kids fed without needing to wake me up. Ahem, yeah, I’m not a morning person!  To make this a truly nourishing breakfast… I always soak the rolled oats for 12-24 hours and use nuts or seeds that have been soaked & dehydrated. With everything properly prepared, we can start off our day feeling good instead of feeling like bricks are sitting in our tummies.

I like to make baked oatmeal at least once a week and have created a variety of flavors. Our favorites right now are Spiced Cranberry Apple and Strawberry Pineapple. Now, we are adding Pumpkin Maple onto the list of favorites! The comforting combination of fresh pumpkin, maple syrup, pumpkin seeds & cinnamon truly reflect the flavors of Autumn. You will find this baked oatmeal lightly sweet with a kick of  cinnamon and vanilla along with a nice hint of pumpkin. …

Read More

Spring Green Frittata

by 2 Comments

Lindsey brings us a flavorful, simple breakfast that is sure to nourish and satisfy you from her farm. -Kimi 
Eggs and greens are a classic breakfast or brunch dish, and the combination is one I turn to often for a quick, nourishing meal. Frittatas are a good choice, especially when you want to “fancy up” a meal, To me, they are quicker and easier than omelets, but they’re just as versatile, plus they can be a great way to give new life to leftovers! This dish is naturally gluten-free, and can easily be made dairy-free as well by omitting the milk and cheese.

Here on the farm, spring brings an abundance of milk from the newly-freshened goats, increased egg production from the chickens as the hours of daylight increase, and, provided we’ve done some early planting, lots of spring greens such as spinach, Swiss chard, and arugula. A dish such as this is a great way for us to use up some of the extras!

…

Read More

Creamy Quinoa Porridge with Coconut Milk and Spices

by 21 Comments

 

Quinoa is cooked gently with coconut milk and spices, and sweetened with coconut sugar. Topped with currants, nuts, or berries, this hot cereal makes a great start to the day.

I’ve been rethinking oatmeal lately. As many of you know, I like to soak, sprout, or ferment all of my grains for better digestibility and nutrient absorption. But oatmeal is definitely harder to soak effectively since it is generally heat-treated. (If you are going to soak it, this may be the best method to use, except now I use a splash of kombucha, or kefir or something with live cultures instead of the lemon juice). Plus, half of our family is gluten-free, and while we do buy gluten-free oats, even these are somewhat suspect, as many gluten-free people find they cannot tolerate them.

While oatmeal hasn’t played a major breakfast role the last couple years of our lives, sometimes sitting down to hot cereal in the morning is just a wonderful way to welcome the day.

So, I made a quinoa porridge. Quinoa can be bitter if it isn’t rinsed really well. So take care (this is the brand I’ve been using #affiliate link). I am sure that homemade almond milk would be a great substitution for the coconut milk, and really, spice it how you like. My six-year-old has taken an odd recent dislike to spices –even cinnamon, so this wasn’t her favorite. But I loved the cardamom and cinnamon paired with the coconut milk. That is not surprising since I am the one in the family who adores Cardamon and Honey Milk.
…

Read More

Sweet Potato Crusted Spinach Frittata

by 16 Comments


A sweet potato crust is laced with turmeric, then layered with spinach, cheese, topped with whisked fresh spring eggs, and baked until golden brown. It’s like spring time in a pan. The turmeric and sweet potato almost give off a fruity flavor, that works surprisingly well with the eggs. The earthy tones of the spinach are off set by the crust, and the custardy eggs give the perfect consistency.

This is a perfect springtime dish as the chickens have started to lay spring eggs again. Those real eggs that only come from chickens that live a farm life. The yolks have a almost saffron color in them, there is absolutely no comparison to the eggs you buy in the store. I am lucky enough to have access to farm fresh eggs. I wanted to harness and enhance those fresh eggs, create a dish that showcased the coming of spring though a fresh and light egg dish.

The idea of baking eggs in a rustic cast iron skillet sounded like a meal worthy of a morning at a cabin in the woods, with vases of fresh blooming cherry blossoms gracing the dining room table. This frittata has spring written all over it.

The first, and only, time I had a frittata before was on an airplane headed to Ireland. I loved the idea of baking eggs that wasn’t a quiche. But as you can imagine, the “frittata” that the flight attendant tossed onto my tray table was anything but appealing. What came out of my kitchen was much different experience then my first encounter with a frittata, rather then a slimy, prepackaged, flavorless dinner, we have here a complex mixture of flavors and ingredients.

There are minimum dishes involved in this recipe, and it would be very easy to make 2 or even 3 of these. This would be a superb dish for entertaining at breakfast or accompanied by a green salad at brunch. The unexpected flavor combinations are divine, everything works in this recipe. The great thing about frittata is that you can add almost anything. Toss is some chopped ham to make it a little heartier, or leftover roast veggies would be great here as well. Frittatas are practically begging to be improvised.
…

Read More