Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Going along with the pumpkin theme this week (and to use up the rest of the can of pureed pumpkin that I opened for the cookies) I made this delicious pumpkin oatmeal this morning. It’s so tasty and warming, definitely not any boring old oatmeal!

{serves 1}

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp Vega Protein Powder (vanilla)
  • 1/2 tbsp almond butter
  1. bring 1/2 cup oats and 3/4 cups water to a boil then turn down to a simmer, let oats soak up some liquid then add pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and protein powder and stir to combine
  2. top with a blob of almond butter and maybe a little more cinnamon and dig in!

© 2018, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Pumpkin Pie Protein Smoothie

Making Pumpkin Spice stuff always reminds me of college. Not just because PSL are so often associated with college girls but because it was in my college years at Cal Poly that I started experimenting with pumpkin pie spice in recipes. There’s something about it that’s just soo comforting. It reminds me of Fall, the start of the new school year, and being so inspired in such a fun time of my life. What memories does it bring up for you? This smoothie is pretty healthy and not too sweet.

{makes 1 smoothie}

  • 1 scoop Vega Vanilla Protein Powder (a little less)
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tbsp almond butter
  • sprinkle hemp seeds (optional)
  1. blend first 6 ingredients in a blender
  2. pour into a cup and top with hemp seeds and maybe a little more cinnamon
  3. enjoy!

© 2018, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Matcha Spinach Protein Bowl

I love making smoothie bowls for breakfast because they’re so versatile and tasty! They also pack a ton of nutrients and don’t make me feel heavy or gross throughout the first half of my day. I always use Vega Vegan Protein Powder as a base. I’ve tried whey based ones and my stomach does not agree with them and they are usually way too sweet.  Vega also has antioxidants and greens and no artificial additives or sweeteners, so basically it’s the best! I get the vanilla one at Costco and it’s super high quality and not too expensive. I usually use matcha and frozen bananas as well but from there the recipe varies day to day! It’s always nice to add a seed or nut on top to make them crunchy and the ginger is a nice touch.

{serves one}

      • 1 scoop Vega Vanilla Protein Powder (I usually don’t fill it up all the way because the scoops are HUUUGE)
      • 1/4 tsp matcha powder (heaping)
      • 1/4 tsp ground dried ginger
      • 1/2 frozen banana
      • 1 handful frozen spinach

to top:

  • drizzle almond butter
  • 1/4 tsp crushed hemp seeds (or chia or flax)
  •  fresh fruit (whatever you have, I used raspberries, blueberries, passionfruit and melon)
  1. blend first 5 ingredients, you may need to add a little water if it’s too dry, you can add ice or more frozen banana to thicken it up if it gets too runny
  2. pour into a bowl, top with last three ingredients

© 2018, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Easy Peasy Blueberry Scones

I used bon appetit’s blueberry scone recipe with a few tweaks. I used buttermilk instead of heavy cream and I think if anything it made them fluffier and less sweet which I love! I also added nutmeg for a little more depth of flavor and used fresh blueberries from our garden. We’ve been trying to grow blueberries for years without much luck but this year we have quite the crop so I had to showcase them in a recipe. I love this recipe because there are very few ingredients (no butter!), it’s simple and quick, and the result is comforting and beautiful. Enjoy!

  • 1 lemon
  • 1/3 cup + 2tbsp sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour + some for dusting
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp old fashioned oats
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 1 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 lg egg yolk

{makes about 8 BIG scones}

  1. pre-heat oven to 400º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. zest the lemon on a microplane into a big bowl, add 1/3 cup sugar and rub these two ingredients together with your fingertips until they smell very lemony
  3. add in 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of the oats, all of the baking powder, salt and nutmeg and whisk to combine
  4. in another small bowl whisk together 1 1/3 cups buttermilk and the honey, this is a bit tricky but it will come together
  5. then add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined
  6. using a plastic spatula gently fold in the blueberries
  7. liberally flour your work surface, I used a big cutting board but you can use your countertop too; flour your hands as well
  8. transfer the dough to your work surface and from a square that’s about an inch thick
  9. using a sharp knife (rinse under hot water before each slice for cleaner cutting) cut an X then a + shape into the square so you have eight triangles
  10. using a slotted spatula transfer each scone onto the baking sheet
  11. in a small bowl whisk together then egg yolk and remaining 1 tbsp of buttermilk; brush this onto each scone
  12. sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp of both oats and sugar onto the scones

© 2018, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Ginger, Hazelnut, Cherry Granola

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My mom’s been making iterations of this granola for as long as I can remember. The oats-oil-honey ratio is the same but she likes to mix up the dried fruits and nut combinations. Crystalized ginger is one of my favorite add ins. Hazelnuts and dried cherries are also super yummy and go well together but you can play with your own combos.

  • 5 tbsp coconut oil
  • 6 cups oats
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 crystalized ginger
  • 1/4 cup coconut flakes
  • dried cherries
  • 1 cup slivered almonds (raw)
  • 1 cup hazelnuts
  1. pre-heat oven to 350º F
  2. in a big bowl mix oats, melted coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
  3. spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes
  4. meanwhile, slice crystalized ginger and halve or quarter cherries
  5. after 15 minutes, pull the granola out of the oven and stir a bit then return to oven to bake for another 15 minutes
  6. remove from oven, stir again then spread slivered almonds and whole hazelnuts on top and continue baking for 8 minutes to toast up the nuts
  7. remove from oven again and add coconut on top and bake again for 1 minute or until the coconut starts to brown
  8. remove from oven and cool, add fruit in when it’s cool enough

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Overnight Oats w/ Rosemary and Vanilla

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I like to make a big batch of overnight oats to have through the week for fast and easy post-yoga breakfasts. For this one I used vanilla and rosemary to flavor it. I love rosemary in almost anything, most people think of it as a seasoning reserved for savory dishes but I think it’s great incorporated into breakfasts and desserts too. Not to mention its many health benefits; it’s rich in iron, calcium and vitamin B6. According to some studies it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, improves digestion and prevents brain aging.  But more importantly it just tastes good! Our rosemary plant has TONS of flowers right now, which the bees love, but I also think are very pretty so I picked some for a garnish on my oats. They are edible and taste pretty much like rosemary but a bit more flowery- go figure.

{4 servings}

  • 2 cups of rolled oats
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • dash of salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • dash of ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 1/2 tbsp flax seeds
  • 1 tbsp hemp seeds
  • 4 rosemary sprigs

toppings ideas:

  • granola
  • almond butter
  • crystallized ginger
  • pomegranate seeds
  • tangerine slices
  • toasted coconut
  1. in a medium sized tupperware, combine oats, water and spices then put in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight
  2. use a blender or food processor to blend part of the oats to make a smoother consistency, I blended about 3/4 of the soaked oats to make it on the more creamy side
  3. return it to the tupperware and add chia, flax and hemp seeds and stir to incorporate- these will thicken it up overnight and give it more texture
  4. return to fridge overnight, in the morning serve some up and top with your choice of goodies!

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Chocolatey Date and Banana Breakfast Bowl

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This one goes out to the late Beach City Burrito. Which closed a long time ago and has been many things since but still haunts my memory with its date shakes. When I was learning to surf as a youngin with my dad, the mention of a date shake was a sure fire way of getting me out there even in the worst conditions. They came in big styrofoam cups and were so creamy! What was their secret? We’ll never know. And I’m sure they were nowhere near healthy.

Well, life goes on so I guess I’ll just work on perfecting my rendition. This really wasn’t anything like ye old BCB date shake but it had dates and bananas and tasted really really good so.. there’s a connection.

  • 3 dates
  • 1 1/2 frozen bananas + a couple slices of a non-frozen one for garnish (optional)
  • 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
  • a few dashes cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter (or your nut butter of choice)
  • a splash water
  • chia seeds/ flax seeds
  1. pit dates and cut one in quarters for garnish (optional)
  2. in a blender blend frozen bananas, yogurt, sunflower seed butter, cocoa powder and some cinnamon and some water
  3. add water as needed for your desired consistency
  4. pour into a bowl (or cup, whatever floats your boat) and top with more cinnamon, seeds, banana slices and the last date

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

The Mean Green Smoothie Bowl

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So I’ve never been too much of a smoothie lover (wild, I know) but lately I’ve been getting into experimenting with different ingredients and things. I try to find ways to pack as many nutrients into my morning smoothies and that usually (*usually) translates to a pretty tasty way to start the day!

Looking to my parent’s freezer for inspiration, I found huge amounts of frozen spinach and thought I’d go for it. Spinach is pretty interesting. It has protein, fiber and tons of vitamins. It also blends in (literally ha!) with other flavors really well.

  • 1/2 banana
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter- or your nut butter of preference
  • a couple of handfuls of frozen spinach
  • 1/2 cup frozen mango
  • splash of water
  • 1 green tea bag
  • flaxseeds/ chia seeds/ blueberries or whatever goodies you want to sprinkle on top
  1. basically just blend everything together… oh yeah, cut open the tea bag and pour contents in the blender. add water as needed, break apart spinach if it’s clumpy.

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Avocado Tahini Smoothie

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Savory Spring Oatmeal

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This savory oatmeal is super simple and so tasty. It’s also kind of healthy comfort food (!)

[serves 1]

  • 1/2 cup oats (dry)
  • a couple of ounces of smoked salmon
  • 5 asparagus
  • salt/pepper
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 2 spoons yogurt sauce
  1. preheat oven to 350º F
  2. drizzle asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until they’re starting to brown
  3. cook oatmeal according to direction
  4. top with asparagus, salmon, yogurt sauce and capers

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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