New Shop Listing: Kitchen Sink Granola

I've just added some delicious and healthy granola to my shop, so click here to check it out!  I call it my kitchen sink granola because it's an assortment of things I like, and when I first made it, I felt like I was puting everything in it but the kitchen sink.  The lineup includes oats, pepitas, sunflower kernels, sliced almonds, coconut flakes, spices, agave, coconut oil, dried pineapple, dried blueberries, and a smidge of fine grain sea salt. 

Sweet Lime & Mint Granita

The inspiration for this post came from the same Central Market trip discussed in my last post.  Since it's winter and citrus is in season, they had a huge section devoted to it.  Meyer lemons, cara cara oranges, blood oranges, pummelos, buddha's hand, and sweet limes were just a few of the myriad of beautiful orange, yellow, and green orbs.  Since I had never tried sweet limes before, I decided to get a pound and then see what direction they led me in the kitchen. 

In shape, sweet limes look like limes, but they have a yellowish color.  The inside flesh is a light yellowish green and the taste is somewhere in between an orange and a lime.  You could peel one and eat it like an orange as the flesh isn't all that tart.  After tasting one, I originally wanted to make a sweet lime and yogurt tart or a small batch of sweet lime marmalade.  But, I got busy and several days went by before I realized I needed to do something with them before they went bad.  Since we had some unseasonably warm weather this past week, my mind went towards something cool and refreshing (and easy).  I had some leftover mint in my fridge so I figured I could combine it with the sweet limes into a slightly tart and sweet granita.

The resulting granita was quite lovely.  It was refreshing and light and the leftovers made a tasty cocktail when mixed with a bit of whiskey and lemon soda.  If you can't find sweet limes, feel free to sub in a 1/2 cup of any citrus and adjust the amount of simple syrup to your liking. 

Sweet Lime & Mint Granita
serves 2

3 sweet limes, juiced
1 regular limes, juiced
large handful of fresh mint
1/4 cup organic raw cane sugar
1/4 cup water plus about 2 tbsp

Make the simple syrup: In a small sauce pan, combine 1/4 cup of the water, the sugar, and most of the mint leaves (reserve a few leaves for the granita mixture).  Using a wooden spoon, bruise the mint so it will release its oils into the syrup.  Warm the mixture over medium low heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.  Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and set aside so the mint can infuse the syrup as it cools.  When the syrup has cooled, strain out the mint and discard it. 

Make the granita: Combine the sweet lime juice and lime juice in a bowl.  For me, this was about a 1/2 cup of juice, but this will vary depending on how juicy your fruit is.  Add 2 tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of the mint simple syrup to the juice.  Taste the mixture and then add more simple syrup if you would like it sweeter.  With your remaining mint leaves, julienne them into very fine strips and then add them to the granita mixture.  Pour the mixture into a flat ceramic or glass dish and place it in the freezer.  Leave it there at least 3 hours or overnight, then remove it and scrape the surface with a fork to fluff the granita.  Place it back in the freezer for at least one more hour.  Right before you serve it, fluff it with a fork once more, then serve and eat it immediately.  Enjoy!

  

Banana Pumpkin Breakfast Loaf with Cacao Nibs

I treated myself to a bit of a shopping spree this weekend.  I drove in to Dallas to spend a little time (and money...) at anthropologie and a local boutique called Milk + Honey.  Of course I didn't leave without stopping by Central Market and loading up on some interesting things for my kitchen and belly.

For me, walking into Central Market is like walking into Willy Wonka's room where everything was edible.  You know, the one with the gigantic edible mushrooms, tea cups, and the chocolate river?  Yeah, that's what this place is for me.  I go into this sort of sensory overload and I want to touch and smell everything.  I actually want to eat things too but of course it's not allowed to walk through the store taking bites out of things.  I usually try to go with someone else because it keeps me from spending hours upon hours just looking at everything and thinking about what I would make with it.  It's best for me to make a list before hand and try to stick with it, or else I spend a crazy amount of money and get home with a small number of things that I can't really make a meal out of.

While walking around the honeys and syrups, I spotted a display that caught my eye.  It was a display for a brand called Navitas and they had an assortment of super-foods like ground maca powder and ground goji powder.  As I stood there browsing, I spied some bags of organic raw cacao nibs.  Having been thinking about buying some for oh, I don't know, several years, I put them in my cart.  I didn't know exactly what I was going to make with them, but at the time I didn't care.

In case you may not know, cacao nibs come from the bean of the cacao plant that is used to make chocolate.  The cacao beans are ground down into nibs and roasted before they are made into chocolate.  The nibs are essentially the raw chocolate before anything like sugar or milk is added to it.  Aside from having a lovely nutty and bitter chocolate flavor, they are a superfood rich in antioxidants that contains a wonderful source of dietary fiber!  

Sooooo, to make a long story short and quit preaching health facts, I ended up using some of the cacao nibs in a banana bread turned healthy breakfast loaf.  It's wheat-free and vegan and has a healthy combination of whole grains, fruit, veggies, cacao nibs, and just a touch of sweetness from some brown rice syrup. This is not your typical sweet banana bread but if you would prefer it a bit sweeter, use all banana puree.  I've been munching on this at breakfast every morning with some fresh carrot-grapefruit juice and it fills me up until lunch.  Try it and let me know how you like it :)

Banana-Pumpkin Breakfast Loaf with Cacao Nibs
If you don't have access to cacao nibs you can either leave them out or sub in an equal amount of chopped dark chocolate. 

1 1/2 cups spelt flour (or whole wheat pastry flour if you can have wheat)
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup rice milk
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup banana puree
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup brown rice syrup (or pure maple syrup if you don't have it)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp whole rolled oats
1/4 cup raw cacao nibs

Preheat your oven to 375F and line a loaf pan or 8x8 pan with parchment paper.  Whisk together the rice milk, vinegar, banana puree, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, brown rice syrup, and chia seeds.  Set the mixture aside to thicken for about 10 or 15 minutes. 

In another bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cacao nibs, and 1/4 cup of the oats until combined.  When the wet ingredients have thickened, add the dry ingredients and stir to combine, making sure not to over-mix.  Pour the dough into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining oats.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Enjoy!

Spelt & Flax Crackers with a Lemon Dill Sunflower Pâté

It's been a mild (and disappointing) winter where I am.  Last year by this time, we already had a rather sizable snow and the highs were definitely not reaching upwards of 80 degrees.  I guess we aren't allowed much of a reprieve after the terrible draught-stricken summer we endured.  Instead of sulking about it, I have been making things with light and summer-inspired flavors to bide the time.  The stuffed avocados in the previous post are definitely proof of this.

To continue the light and summer-inspired flavors, I made a sunflower seed pâté flavored with a bit of fresh lemon and dill.  The pâté is basically a really thick nut spread that can be enjoyed on a cracker, veggies, or sandwiched between 2 slices of your favorite bread.  When I made it, it was so good that I had to stop myself from eating it out of my food processor with a spoon so I could snap some photos.  To go along with it, I made some basic flax and spelt crackers.  Because it's your lucky day and because I'm feeling generous, both of the recipes are included below. 

The pâté is raw, vegan, gluten free, and sugar free.  I enjoyed the leftovers on some toasted whole grain bread with avocado and field greens after my crackers were gone.  The crackers are wheat-free and vegan.  If you can't find flaxmeal, but have whole flax seeds, you can grind them up in a coffee grinder to make flaxmeal. 

Spelt & Flax Crackers

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp spelt flour
1/2 cup flaxmeal (I used golden flaxmeal)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
2 tsp raw sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp water

Preheat your oven to 400F.  Get either a silpat or sheet of parchment ready (you will roll the cracker dough out on this before placing it on your sheet pan). 

Whisk together the dry ingredients until combined.  Make a well in the center, then add the water and oil.  Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until the dough comes together.  Dust your hands with some spelt flour, then knead the dough a few times until it is smooth.  Lightly dust your silpat or parchment with some spelt flour.  Place the dough on the sheet and roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/16" thick, making sure to keep it on the sheet.  Using a pastry or pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares, then use a fork to prick the crackers.  Transfer the sheet to your baking sheet and bake the crackers for 8-12 minutes until they are golden and crisp at the edges.  Remove from the oven and check to see if you need to re-cut any of the crackers (the dough should pull away as it bakes, making this unnecessary).  Cool for about 10 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.  Enjoy! 

Makes 15-18 large crackers

Lemon & Dill Sunflower Pâté
take note that the sunflower kernels for this recipe must be soaked overnight or for 6-8 hours so plan accordingly

1 cup raw sunflower kernels, soaked for at least 6 hours
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp roasted garlic powder
pinch of sea salt

To soak the sunflower seeds: put them in a medium sized bowl, cover them with water, and let them soak overnight or for at least 6-8 hours.  Strain and rinse them before using. 

In a food processor or high speed blender, process the ingredients until a thick, creamy pâté forms.  If you are using a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix, you will have to be careful that it doesn't start turning into sunflower butter.  Once the pâté is thick and creamy, taste it and adjust for seasoning.  Serve immediately with the spelt & flax crackers or anything of your choosing.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.  Enjoy! 

makes about 1 1/2 cups

Avocados with Quinoa and Fresh Veggie Stuffing

I know a lot of people out there made new years resolutions and goals concerning their health (me included), so here's a little meal to help you along the way.  Not only is it healthy, it's pretty dang tasty.  It is also gluten free, vegan, sugar-free, and high in protein and healthy fats!  Woo hoo! 

From the pictures you can see that this dish is quite colorful.  I've heard that this is what helps us to enjoy foods.  The more colorful and, well, prettier they are, the more we want to eat them.  So get out there and enjoy some colorful fruits and veggies!  Your eyes, mind, and most importantly, your body will thank you for it!

And, in case anyone is wondering where the baked goods went, don't fret!  I'll be posting some delicious and healthy crackers in the next post.

Avocados with Quinoa Stuffing
if raw food is your thing, simply remove the quinoa and replace it with another form of protein such as walnuts or almonds

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed (any color will work)
1 cup water
3 ripe avocados (1 avocado per person)
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp raw sunflower kernels
half of a lemon
about 1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt, to taste
finely chopped mint to serve (optional)

Cook the quinoa: put the quinoa and water in a sauce pan.  Bring it to a boil, then drop to a simmer, cover, and cook about 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a bit.

In a bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, tomatoes, bell pepper, sunflower kernels, a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice, the olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt.  Toss everything together, then taste the stuffing and adjust the lemon juice or salt to your liking. 

Halve each avocado, remove the pits, and remove the skin, being careful to keep each half intact.  Put 2 halves on each plate, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over them, and season with just a touch of sea salt.  Spoon the stuffing onto the avocado halves, making sure to divide it up evenly.  Sprinkle the mint over the top and then serve immediately.  Enjoy!

**this serves 3 as a main dish, but will serve 6 as a side dish with each person getting half of an avocado

4 New Additions to the Etsy Shop

Hello all!  I have added three new cookies and a syrup to my etsy shop.  Take a look below and if you see something you like, head on over to the shop. 

chai-spiced apple syrup (gluten free & vegan)

cashew butter cookies (gluten free & can be made vegan)



pink grapefruit macaroons (gluten free)




vanilla spelt shortbread clouds (wheat free)

 Have a lovely Tuesday!

Juicy Juice & A New Design

First order of business: a new layout!  I simplified and streamlined the look of the blog so it focuses more on the pictures.  Let me know how you like it!

Second order of business: juice!  I figured I would lighten things up around here after the muffins and cake and share one of my favorite juices to make with my new juicer.  It's refreshing and perfect for any time of day.  All I do is combine 2 apples (I'm loving honeycrisp or pink lady at the moment), 1/3 of a lemon, and a some ginger.  That's it!  It makes the most wonderful combination of sweet, tart, and spicy.  If you don't have a juicer, not to worry!  Simply spruce up your favorite apple juice with a bit of fresh lemon and ginger, or make it more of a smoothie in a blender with some ice. 

Apple-Lemon-Ginger Juice
makes 1 glass

2 apples, cut in quarters
1/3 of a large lemon, peel and pith removed
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, outer skin removed

Juice the apples first, followed by the lemon and the ginger.  Give it a stir and enjoy the simple pleasure of a fresh cup of juice!

A Birthday Cake

So it's my berfday and I made myself a cake.  Yes, I made my own birthday cake.  I haven't actually tried it yet (I will be enjoying it tonight), but based on the fact that I stood in my kitchen for 10 minutes licking every last bit of the batter out of the bowl and off of my fingers, I'm betting that it will be delicious.

It has whole grains, and cocoa, and beets.  Beets??!!!???!?  Yes, beets.  My fingers (and kitchen) were stained pink temporarily for the sake of this cake and I didn't even care.  What's life without a little color, right? 

To make it fancy, I baked it in a bundt pan I got for Christmas, and then made a thick glaze out of organic coconut milk and organic powdered sugar.  If you have a birthday coming up, or a hankering for cake, make this and tell me how you like it :)

Chocolate Beet Cake with Coconut Milk Glaze
this cake works well in a bundt pan, but if you don't have one, divide the batter between two regular round cake pans and decrease your baking time to about 30 minutes

for the cake:
1 cup organic unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup organic spelt flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 cup grapeseed oil, safflower oil, or extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup wildflower honey
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 medium-sized beets

for the glaze:
1 cup organic powdered sugar
about 3 to 4 tbsp organic coconut milk

Preheat your oven to 350F and grease/flour your pans.  Scrub the beets, slice them into halves, and steam them until just tender.  This took me around 10 or 15 minutes.  Once they are tender, remove them and let them cool until they can be handled.  Grate the beets into a colander, making sure to discard the skin.  Leave the beets in the colander to drain some of their juices while you prepare the rest of the cake.  Right before adding them to the batter, gently squeeze the beets with a paper towel to release more of their juices.   

In a large bowl, sift the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk to combine all of the dry ingredients and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the oil, honey, and maple syrup until combined.  Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until they are completely incorporated.  Add the vanilla extract and beat until everything is combined.  With the mixer on low, gradually beat in the dry ingredients until everything is just combined (make sure not to over-beat!!).  Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold the beets in by hand until evenly distributed in the batter.  Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s) and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until the cake springs back when touched and a tested inserted in the middle comes out clean.  If you are using 2 regular round cake pans, start testing for doneness around 30 minutes.

Once you remove the cake from the oven, let it cool in the bundt pan for about 30 minutes, then invert it onto a plate or platter and let it cool completely before serving.

To make the glaze, whisk together the coconut milk and powdered sugar until it comes to a thick, glaze consistency.  If it is too thick, add more coconut milk.  If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.  You want the glaze to be thick, but still pourable.  Pour the glaze over the cooled cake.  Enjoy!

Gluten Free/Vegan Meyer Lemon & Lavender Scented Muffins

Let me start this post by saying last year at this time, I was just starting to explore gluten free/vegan baking.  It was around the time I seriously starting thinking about opening my etsy shop (and eventually a brick & mortar bakery).  I also became serious about eating healthier, not just as a fad or a diet, but for life.  Since then I have created gluten free, vegan, and sometimes both gluten free & vegan cookies and treats for my shop.  In my opinion, it's become rather easy for me to make a gluten free/vegan cookie.  I cannot really say the same for cakes.

Cakes are a whole different beast altogether.  Gluten gives baked goods the proper viscosity and rise they need.  When you remove this, along with eggs from a cake, you have to make up for it elsewhere.  It can be done and is done all the time, however; most recipes call for large amounts of starch or not-so-appealing gluten free flours like white rice and garbanzo bean.  The reason for this is that starches (and bean flours) bind well just like gluten.  My problem with this is starches in large quantities freak me out.  The thought of eating a starch cake doesn't really make my mouth water.  So, I had to figure out a way to make a gluten free/vegan cake without a large amount of starch.  This involved a lot of research and recipe reading.   And, for this recipe, it involved 3 failed attempts, with sunken in tops and weird oily and crumbly textures.  It wasn't until I finally tried using ratios and measuring out ingredients by weight that I had success.  I literally did a happy dance when these came out of the oven merely because they had lovely puffed tops instead of ugly craters.  I have this link to thank for the ratios/weights and a great starting point for any cakes/muffins/cupcakes in the future. 

The wonderful thing about these muffins is that you can use any combination of gluten free flours and starches that you want and still produce a lovely muffin.  As long as it's 70% flour by weight and 30% starches by weight, your muffin will be lovely.  As much as I passed right by weighted recipes in the past, they really are more accurate.  To make a long story short, although it may be too late for that already, buy an inexpensive kitchen scale and make these muffins.  You won't be sorry and your tummy will thank you for it :)

                                                                                             

Gluten Free/Vegan Meyer Lemon & Lavender Scented Muffins

Makes 6 to 7 muffins, depending on the size of your muffin or cupcake tins.  The easiest way to measure the flour is to put a bowl on the scale, hit tare to bring it down to zero, then add the flours/starches. 

175 grams gluten free flour mix (I did 50 grams millet flour, 50 grams sorghum flour, 22 grams amaranth flour, and 53 grams arrowroot)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
90 grams organic raw sugar
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
2 good pinches of dried, culinary grade lavender
the zest of 1 meyer lemon
1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water
100 grams rice milk (you can use any type of milk here)
50 grams coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin/cupcake tin with 6 liners.  Mix the ground flax seed and water together in a small bowl and set aside to thicken. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, starches, baking soda, baking powder, raw sugar, sea salt, lavender, and lemon zest until well combined.  Set aside. 

In another bowl, whisk together the thickened flax mixture, the rice milk, and the coconut oil until very well combined and uniform.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until everything is mixed in and no flour remains.  Fill the lined cups about 3/4 of the way (you may end up have 7 muffins, depending on the size of your tin).  Do not overfill the cups or the batter will spill onto the tin and your muffins won't be too attractive.  Bake the muffins at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes until the top springs back when touched and a tester comes out clean.  Enjoy! 

*Serving Ideas:  these are quite delicious plain, but if you want to make them a bit more elegant, you can serve them with a dusting of organic powdered sugar or make a glaze out of about 1/4 cup organic powdered sugar and a couple of teaspoons of meyer lemon juice. 



Recipe Update: Stuffed Portobellos

I made stuffed portobellos the other night for dinner and thought I would share an update that is fitting for the winter weather.  I posted the original recipe back in August and it can be found here.  The portobello part of the recipe is obviously the same, but the filling has been re-worked.  Lovely strips of red chard are sauteed with garlic, pecans, and a bit of herbes de provence before being tossed with plump wheat berries and piled onto a roasted portobello cap.  To finish it off, I topped it with a bit of salty feta, but if you wan't to keep it vegan, you could use a nice coarse sea salt or omit any toppings all together.  And, for the gluten free peeps, you can use quinoa or brown rice instead of wheat berries for equally delicious results.

Stuffed Portobello Caps with Red Chard and Wheat Berry Stuffing
I used red chard because I have been finding particularly beautiful bunches of it at the store, but feel free to use any type of chard you like.  If you don't have herbes de provence, it will be just as delicious without it.    

2 large portobello mushroom caps, gills and stems removed
1 medium bunch of red chard, ribs removed and sliced into strips
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp herbes de provences
1 cup of cooked wheat berries (or 1 cup of cooked GF grains)
about 2 tbsp of feta cheese, crumbled (or coarse sea salt if making it vegan)
sea salt
olive oil (or ghee)

Preheat your oven (or toaster oven) to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.  Brush a bit of olive oil on each mushroom cap, season with salt and pepper, and place on the baking sheet with the gill side facing up.  Roast at 350 for 8-10 minutes until tender and juices are present.   While mushrooms are roasting, heat a skillet to just below medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Once the oil is heated, add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.  Next, add the chard, a bit of salt, and the herbes de provence and saute for about 3-4 minutes or until the chard begins to wilt.  At this point, turn the heat down to low and add the wheat berries, pecans, and a bit more salt.  Toss everything together and heat over low until everything is warmed through.  Pile half of the filling in each mushroom cap and then top with the feta.  Enjoy!

serves 2

Honeyed Pears with Fresh Ginger & Toasted Pecans

First off, let me wish a very happy birthday to my sister Michelle!  I wish I could send you a lovely gluten free layer cake with a lovely ganache dripping down the sides, but maybe this will suffice in the meantime (or at least give you a laugh):



My brother in law Steve, my sister Michelle, and my other sister Dawn trying on my
Great Aunt's furs on Christmas


I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to make a list of resolutions for this year, but the R word seems to make things a bit daunting so I'm going to call them goals.  I have three different sheets of paper with random goals and ideas scribbled on them.  I am hoping I can combine them into one list and somehow do it in a way where I wouldn't mind having it displayed above my desk.  That will be a project perfect for this coming weekend.  I'll post some pictures if it ends up looking anything like the jumble of pictures in my head.

In keeping with my goals of being overall healthier and posting more gluten free and vegan foods, I give you honeyed pears with fresh ginger and toasted pecans over greek yogurt.  In case you vegans out there were saying, "But that's not vegan!", I've got the substitutions for you, and they are rather simple.  Instead of honey, use a smaller amount of agave or maple syrup.  And, instead of greek yogurt, use your favorite dairy-free version.  Voila.  Or, if you don't eat any kind of yogurt, you can serve this over oatmeal, ice cream, and anything you can think of because these pears are delicious. 

I added some ground flax seed to my yogurt, which is a great source of omega 3s , but you can omit it if you want.  And, if you don't have fresh ginger lying around, you can use a bit of ground ginger (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) or some crystallized ginger (about 1/2 tbsp finely chopped).  Any way you make it, the combination of pears, ginger, a bit of lemon, and honey is amazing.  It will wake you up in the morning or give you a much needed pick-me-up in the afternoon. 

Honeyed Pears with Ginger and Toasted Pecans Over Greek Yogurt
this will serve 2 as a breakfast portion, but you can easily adjust the measurements to make it for 1 or for a full house

about 1/2 of a large red pear, sliced
about 2 1/2 tbsp of honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (I used a meyer lemon since they are in season)
about 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger (I used a microplane)
handful of pecans, chopped and toasted
2 tbsp ground flax seed
2 cups (2 servings) greek yogurt

Mix the flax into the yogurt, divide into 2 bowls, and set aside.  In a small sauce pan over low heat, warm the honey, lemon juice, and ginger until combined.  Add the pears and continue to cook over low heat, gently tossing the pears to coat them in the honey.  Cook for 5 to 10 minutes (this will depend on how ripe your pears are) until the pears soften just a bit but still retain some bite.  Put half of the pears in each bowl on top of the yogurt, then drizzle the sauce over both.  Sprinkle each with half of the toasted pecans.  Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Here's to a healthy and happy new year!  My brain has been buzzing with new ideas and goals not only for myself, but for sweet miscellany.  Thanks for reading and keeping up thus far, and I hope you will continue to in the future.  And, just because I loved the colors in this photo, here's an instagram of my breakfast the other day.  Enjoy your week wherever you may be :)