I am really excited to share this orange scented Coconut Cashew Granola with you today. We’ve been enjoying it so much for breakfast, an anytime snack and sometimes for dessert with a few mini chocolate chips thrown in. It’s slightly sweet, perfectly crisp, nutty in just the right amount and delicately scented with bright citrus-y notes. And if all that wasn’t tempting enough, the good-for-you factor should seal the deal. Now let’s talk about how to make this insanely delicious recipe…..
Ready to start your week off on a healthy note? This smoothie should do the trick. Not only does it taste delicious, but has two big bonuses. The beautiful purple shade is hard to resist and definitely resembles more of a treat than something healthy. And what the color doesn’t show, is the hefty amount of ripe summer squash included in this. That means a nice serving of veggies to start the day on the right foot and the munchkins are none the wiser. Big plus for sure, right?
It seems crazy to me that I’ve only recently begun making lentil bread. But, I’m so glad I discovered this recipe a few months back and have been experimenting with it so I can share it with you today. This Easy Lentil Bread is life changing. That might sound a little nuts. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. While all bets are kind of off these days, in pre-pandemic life, I didn’t eat bread during the week. It was a choice. (A silly one you may think.) But since, there’s no way I have the willpower to give up a treat (particularly ice cream,) I decided I could save my other big food love, bread, for the weekends. I gotta say it wasn’ that hard and if we happened to be out dining somewhere on a weeknight, then obviously I indulged. And of course, when it comes to simit, that doesn’t count. It’s not bread anyways. It’s a tradition. See this post. …
Not sure where to even start here. This last week I’ve taken a break from posting to stop and pay attention to what’s going on back in my home country, and now all around the world. It’s been hard to be so far from it all here in Istanbul. But I’m listening, I’m learning, I’m reflecting and I’m feeling a lot. And while I have no idea what to say right now, and probably won’t say the right thing, I know that staying silent is not the answer either. My voice is small and my following tiny, but I’m here and pledging to continue to actively educate myself and especially my little ones, who are the voices of tomorrow, on how we can do better for our brothers and sisters, our friends and members of our own family who battle injustices everyday. I will continue to follow through not just with words or Instagram posts but in everyday life to be an active, loving ally to those facing this ugly monster that is racism.
And in a small gesture of admiration and love, today I thought I’d share a recipe from one of my favorite sites, Britney Breaks Bread. She has a great following and for good reason, her recipes and food photos are stunning and drool worthy. You can take a look here and here and see what I’m talking about. Britney definitely has raised the bar for me, inspiring big-time food blog goals. For that, I’m grateful. And very happy she shares the recipes too.
Today’s particular recipe, her Orange Poppy Seed Pancakes, are no exception. Her photo of the pancake stack paired with the oranges, whipped ricotta and chocolate shavings had me at first glance. I had never made anything with this combo before and I don’t know why not. They are so delicious. I only made the slightest of changes either due to ingredient necessity or to assist those using weighted measurements. The two things I absolutely didn’t touch are the star ingredients- the orange and poppy seeds. The orange is really something special in these and is brought out perfectly with the use of the zest plus the juice. Just wait till you smell them cooking on the pan. And the poppy seeds add a fun little pop of color and texture.
Please don’t let the name of these Strawberry Quinoa Bars turn you off if you think it sounds too healthy or don’t like quinoa. Because these are really delicious and a) don’t taste bland or chocked full of so many healthy ingredients that they don’t resemble anything close to a treat and b) if you tasted them without knowing what they consist of, you’d never guess it’s quinoa. These are lightly sweet. bursting with spring strawberry flavor, perfectly soft and all too easy to gobble up more than one at a time.
