Hot right now for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between, are the quickly trending gourmet toasts! Chefs are getting extremely inventive with a new spin on what was mainly a traditional totally boring breakfast staple.
Started in 2012, the toast trend is picking up momentum and is showing up in big city hotspots like The Shakespeare in New York City! They offer an afternoon toasts menu!
Consider it the melting pot of appetizer and small plate chic, you cannot go wrong with a meal on a piece of toast. Call it portion control! For breakfast, indulge in almond butter on top of toasted whole grain bread smothered in bananas, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of coarse salt!
Julia Turshen, chef and coauthor of Gwyneth Paltrow’s “It’s All Good” cookbook shared her faves in People magazine’s April 28 issue!
BUFFALO
Toast country bread
Spread blue cheese
Top with celery
Drizzle with hot sauce
TAPAS
Toast country bread
Rub with garlic and a halved
tomato
Add slices of Manchego cheese
Top with a slice of prosciutto
Serve toasts as an appetizer or small plates for dinner while entertaining. Have kids? There are so many endless ideas with Nutella, peanut butter, almond butter, veggies, raisins, etc. Maybe even cookie cutter the bread into cool themes or seasonal shapes!!
Yes, I am a wife, mom, nanny, cook, maid, journalist, fashionista, and old school rap sponge!!! Do you get started and just can’t stop? (I hope it is not just me! Well, I know Kevin does it, too! Ha!)
Of course I pair it with pursed lips, the perfect shoulder bounce maybe even a hammer dance ; )
I forgot to add tomato snob to the mix. The distinction between San Marzano tomatoes versus a can of whole peeled tomatoes is one of taste. The San Marzano tomatoes are sweeter, picked only when ripe, and grown in the richest of soil in Campania, Italy. Once you start cooking with San Marzano tomatoes and taste the difference you will NEVER use plain, old, sour whole peeled tomatoes in a can ever again. Pay the extra buck! So what is DOP?
DOP Approved!
DOP is a further designation that stands for Denominazione d’Origine Protetta from the European Union for the processed product. These tomatoes are grown at the base of Mount Vesuvious in rich soil blended with volcanic ash. This soil produces DOP certified tomatoes that have few seeds and cook down perfectly! DOP is written on the label and means completely legit by the European powers that be. So now you know what DOP means on your San Marzano can AND you know what to look for next time! My faves right now are Ciao brand! You can crush them with a potato masher and use them for pizza sauce…naked!!! Just add your toppings and seasonings!
Easiest pizza sauce ever! Spinach, tomato, mozzarella, salt and pepper! Try it! San Marzano DOP!
Pittsburgh’s own Prantl’s Bakery’s Burnt Almond Torte has been named “The Greatest Cake America Has Ever Made” today by Huffington Post! I spoke with co-owner Lara Bruhn at Prantl’s downtown store located in Market Square!! She was absolutely beaming amidst the super sweet news!
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5133580
Prantl’s Downtown location shares a space with Mancini’s Bread! One stop baked goods!
A Pittsburgh institution for over 40 years, Prantl’s flagship bakery in Shadyside has been a bakery for over 100 years!
A traditional German bakery, they can’t help but get excited about their new offerings like the most buttery, light and fluffy croissant you have ever put in your mouth!
Photo courtesy of Huffington Post! Perfectly Pittsburgh Burnt Almond Torte!
Don’t live in Pittsburgh? No plans to visit? No problem!
Prantl’s will ship their famous Burnt Almond Torte!!
Auricchio Provolone has an unmatched taste and texture! Super easy to cube for my pasta salad! I find the largest selection and most cheese knowledge in town at Pennsylvania Macaroni in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
Auricchio is very sharp and aromatic! Brush before kissing for sure with this one!
According to Pennsylvania Macaroni’s website,
“Auricchio Provolone is an aged Italian Provolone that is particularly sharp. It is often regarded as one of the best-tasting Provolones in the world. In Italian grocery stores, this cheese is often seen dangling by rope from the rafters, which makes it a very well known cheese throughout Italy. The aging process allows for the flavor of the cheese to develop over time, which ultimately adds character to its eventual taste.”
My kids love cheese! They love the cheese counter and taste testing! Bella’s favorite is Havarti!
Dear Heart will gladly give you a taste when you visit Penn Mac in the Strip! Or buy online!
http://www.pennmac.com/items/236//aged-italian-auricchio-provolone
Auricchio Artichoke and Tomato Pasta Salad!
Feeds a party as a side dish!
Ingredients:
2 lb. auricchino provolone, cubed
1 15oz. jar artichoke hearts in water, chopped
5-6 Roma tomatoes chopped
4 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup Salad Supreme pasta salad seasoning
1 1/2 lb. cavatappi pasta cooked
Only add two or three ingredients into your pasta salad. It is easy to get carried away!
Directions:
Mix it all together and refrigerate!
I make my pasta salad the night before a party! The flavors will have time to mix and it is perfectly chilled through when served!
This recipe will serve 25+ as a side dish. Feel free to half it! It is great to make ahead and chill overnight! Just add a few tsp. of lemon juice and stir!
Always top with freshly grated Parmesan!
It’s party time!
Ciao!
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic,pressed
1 15.5 oz. can of garbanzo beans
1 35oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. rosemary(chopped fresh or flakes)
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1 cup curly kale, washed and chopped off stems
1 lb. of your favorite pasta
Directions:
Warm olive oil in a frying pan on low/medium heat.
Add pressed garlic. (Be careful not to burn!) If the garlic burns, throw it away!
Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, all spices and simmer.
Want a little more spice? Add extra red pepper flakes!
Boil 6 quarters of water and cook pasta.
When pasta is strained, turn heat off and add kale to frying pan. It will wilt but you don’t want it to cook.
Mix well.
Pour over pasta serving.
Always top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
If you like greens and beans, you will love this dish! Enjoy!
Ciao!
Healthy. Superfood! Delicious. Superfood! Bonus, Kid friendly! Superfood!
Kale chips can be a healthy snack or a side dish served with paninis for lunch! Whether dressed up or dressed down, kale chips can be accessorized with salt, garlic salt, freshly grated cheeses, hot pepper, hot sauce, taco seasoning…their styling possibilities are endless!! Experiment!
Garlic Parmesan Kale Chips
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Separate kale leaves from thick stems.
I buy bunches of curly kale! Wash well!
Rinse and dry well.
Rip kale into chip size.
I have found that the kale chips bake the best on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet!
Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Brush or spray with olive oil.
Use any flavors you like! Sea salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, etc!
Shake on freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
Bake for 10 minutes or until chips are brown around the edges.
(There is a fine line between crispy and crumbling. You might need to experiment!
10 minutes seems to be perfect!
My name is Terri and I am a breakfast skipper. BSA- Breakfast Skippers Anonymous, anyone? We need meetings! We all do it! Coffee only in the early AM and by 11 we are shoving anything and everything into our mouths. On my quest for health and anti-aging, I have incorporated oatmeal 4-5 mornings into our family’s breakfasts. Boring yucky oatmeal? No way! You should know me better than that by now!
Sidenote, the kids are eating it and loving it, too!
I have adapted my mason jar oatmeal recipes from this I found on Pinterest-
http://www.grocerybudget101.com/content.php/611-Easy-Refrigerator-Oatmeal
Photo from grocerybudget101.com. The flavors are endless!!
Basic Mason Jar Fruit Oatmeal Recipe: Ingredients:
1/4 cup old fashion rolled oats,uncooked.
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tsp. chia seeds
Additions based on flavor-
1/3 cup fresh fruit/nuts
1 tbsp. honey
Directions:
Add oats, chia seeds, yogurt and almond milk to a mason jar and shake well.
Add fruit and other additions.
Add plastic lid. (Get these on amazon)
Refrigerate overnight and use in 3-4 days.
Here is our favorite right now!
Berry Burst!! So delicious!
After shaking, we add strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and 1tsp. honey! Mix! Refrigerate! Use within 3-4 days!
Please visit their page- many, many flavors to try!!
I get my jars and lids on Amazon! $8.00/12 pack! Grab plastic lids, too- easy to work with!
Superfoods that taste super good?? Yes! Incorporate quinoa as a substitute for meat, rice, and pasta to come up with your own fun new recipes! Shhhh! They will never know!
Twofer Tuesday!!! Two meals in one!
Quinoa Black Bean and Lentil Chili
Ingredients:
1 15.5oz.can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup lentils,washed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 35oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
4 carrots peeled, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked according to package. (2 cups water for 1 cup uncooked quinoa)
4 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. paprika
Salt/pepper
Red lentils! Add a splash of color to your meals!
Directions:
Heat a frying pan on low/medium heat.
Add olive oil, garlic, onions, carrots and celery.
Don’t burn your garlic! No brown! No snap crackle pop! If it burns throw it out and start over!
Season with spices-chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
Cook until the carrots begin to tenderize.
Add tomatoes, lentils and ingredients from pan to a stock pot.
Let lentils cook in tomatoes for a few minutes. Stir well.
Cook on low covered for 45 minutes.
Add cooked quinoa and heat through. (5-10 minutes)
The smell is amazing!! Spice it up with some red pepper flakes and hot sauce if you need a kick!
Twofer Tuesday! This dish becomes your Mexican tostada base for another meal! Toast your tostada shells. Heat your chili. Add toppings of your choice like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese and avocado!
Why not add superfoods to our breakfast? Whether it is a quick healthy smoothie, a super muffin or a grab and go breakfast bar, the addition of superfoods gives us more energy for the day! This super breakfast gets us going!! Especially on Mondays!
Start healthy Monday mornings!! No excuses!
Chia Kale Egg White Super Muffins
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. egg whites per muffin
(3 egg whites for 6)
1/2 cup chopped kale
Don’t have kale? Use broccoli, spinach, green pepper or any other veggies you have!
2 tbsp. chia seeds
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella/cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven 350*
Spray muffin tins with Pam.
My kids love to help! Let them add the veggies, cheese and chia seeds! Are your kids not big on veggies? When kids get involved they will eat their masterpieces!!
Add kale, cheese and chia seeds to each.
Pour egg whites over top!
Pour 2 tbsp. of egg whites on top of each tin.
Bake 20 mins or until egg is cooked.
20 mins was perfect for my 6 tins! Watch as soon as the egg muffin forms and the edges turn golden!
Of course we sprinkle ours with freshly grated Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!
Make a whole pan and refrigerate for quick, healthy grab and go breakfasts for the week! Slice a super egg white muffin in half and enjoy between wheat toast! Add hot sauce for a little kick!
Want more superfood breakfast recipes? www.parmesanprincess.com
Blog Posts:
No Bake Health Bars
Chia Blueberry Muffins
Ch Ch Ch Chia!!!
