Monday Mixin's & a Breakfast Idea

Happy Monday!  My post is a little delayed because I was still in weekend mode and I hate to say, my blog got put on the back burner!  Did you have a good, relaxing weekend?  Catch a little bit of the football playoffs or a movie?  I hope you had healthy munchies while you enjoyed whatever it was that you did.  I tried a few things, experimented with a couple baked goods and had clean-out-the refrigerator (COTR) night.  That's what my mom called eating leftovers for dinner.  Now that I'm older, fix meals for a family and grocery shop only once or twice a week, I totally understand COTR night.  "We need to eat up what is in there to make room for the new stuff and I'm not fixing a huge meal only to create more leftovers night" is much harder to say than clean-out-the-refrigerator night.  A friend of mine calls those dinners OYO (On Your Own).  I think I like that too.

I really enjoyed the breakfasts I made both Saturday and Sunday.  They were similar, only Saturday's had Mrs. Dash added to it. 

 

 

It started out like this.

Start with some extra firm tofu.  For two people I used 1/2 a block.  Cut into cubes.  Pan fry it in about 1 tsp of oil for about 3 minutes.  I know I'm pretty strict on the no oil, thing, but you need it to make the tofu crispy on the outside.  Remove tofu from pan and set aside.

Your tofu will look like this.

In the pan with the leftover oil, add rinsed greens (I used three Swiss chard leaves, chopped) and mushrooms.  There will be enough moisture from the greens to get the mushroom sweating and when they are looking pretty nice, toss in your peppers and other veggies -- of course, you can add onions too.  Add a little water if you need, and whatever seasonings you'd like. 

Saute for about 3 more minutes and serve.  On Saturday we topped ours with fresh tomato and a couple of olives.  On Sunday it was sliced avocado that made for a perfect breakfast!

Yummy!

Grocery shopping netted a FULL refrigerator.  This week I picked up a couple of portobella mushrooms.  I'd forgotten how much we enjoyed these last summer as a burger replacement.  Now, you'll have to excuse me, because I was so excited to have a hearty, healthy dinner Saturday night that I forgot to take pictures of the final tower of goodness!  You'll just have to use your imagination.

I marinated the mushrooms in some black fig vinegar for about 20 minutes and cooked them on the grill just as you would a burger.  Our grill took about 20 minutes on the first side and about 10 minutes on the second side.  We have learned to make sure they are very tender when done; otherwise, they get rather stringy and tough to eat.  On toasted 100% whole wheat buns (a treat for us) we added the usual condiments that you'd have on a burger... lettuce, tomato, avocado, mustard.  I added a slice of soy mozzarella cheese!  What a dinner!  Like I say, I dove in and munched away before I remembered to take a picture.  Next time I make them I'll try to remember to snap a shot!

Sunday I spent a few hours experimenting with a couple of baked goods.  I was successful with one and notsomuch with another one.  Well, the granola bars weren't a total flop, they just need some tweaking before I can add a recipe here.

The chai clusters, however, were a hit!  I will post the recipe below.  This recipe needs a little adjustment, but it is quite tasty just the way it is.  It's just that I was looking more for the flavor that I would get with my chai tea, but these lack a little pop!  Next time I will add more of the stronger spices to see if I can achieve my goal.

RECIPE:
CHAI CLUSTERS

1/2 c. almond flour
1/4 c. raw sunflower seeds, chopped
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cardamom
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut
1/4 c. currants
2 T oat flour   (made by grinding raw oats into a powder)
2 T almond butter
2 T maple syrup
2 T applesauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Combine all ingredients except the almond butter, maple syrup and applesauce in a bowl.  
Combine almond butter, maple syrup and applesauce in a glass bowl and microwave for 1 min, stirring after 30 seconds.  Add to dry ingredients and mix well.  Drop by teaspoonful onto baking sheet.  Bake for 7 minutes or until just turning brown around the edges.

Chai Clusters

I enjoyed my Monday holiday by getting some retail therapy and having lunch out with my dad and his wife at a Mongolian Grill restaurant.  That type of place is one of the few that I can eat at (and eat a TON for a good value) and feel like my food is not drowning in oil.  I control what flavors go in.  I love it!

The downside of eating this way is the fact that I do find that I'm shopping a little more often because it seems that my waist is still shrinking.  A girl needs new clothes every few months, right?!  It's good for the soul.

Anyway, I hear a cup of hot tea calling my name.  It was an enjoyable three-day weekend and tomorrow I'm back to work.  Check back on Wednesday when I will share a new soup recipe!  Until then, I wish you well!