Apple Granola 蘋果烤燕麥

This autumn is the first time that we have our own back yard. As nice as it is, I learned that it takes quite a lot of work at this time of the year to keep everything looking orderly and alive. Apparently, you have to trim most of the plants, so they will start setting new buds as soon as the old ones have fallen off. And then, as some of you already know, you have to rake all the falling leaves that cover the yard, so they won't interrupt the growth of the plants and grass. All this needs to be done before the winter arrives. Since our house is surrounded by quite a few big maple trees, picking up the leaves can feel like an endless job. With the large amount of physical work ahead of me, having a good breakfast has become especially important, as it gives me the energy to start off the day and last several hours without having to snack on much else.

Breakfast Taco with Avocado and Chipotle Bean Salsa + Que Pasa Foods GIVEAWAY 墨西哥(Taco)塔克餅早餐

Every once in a while, I like to have some fun with different ethnic foods, and since Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, I thought I'd make an easy and tasty breakfast taco recipe. Besides, I really want to share my new favourite organic products with you - Que Pasa tortilla chips and salsas, and when I say share with you, I mean you'll have a chance to win a yummy prize pack that's filled with Que Pasa goodies! (See details below!) This is a great recipe for your weekend breakfast, brunch, or weekday lunch. Even though it's vegetarian, there is plenty of protein in this delicious taco, thanks to the beans, egg, cheese, and avocado! (In case you'd like to know all the health benefits of avocado, check out this great and useful article here from Health & Fitness Shops.) Be sure to read the giveaway details below. With the prize, you can easily make this delicious breakfast, like I did, in no time!

Gluten-Free Cheddar-Scallion Potato Scones 巧達起司蘇格蘭馬鈴薯煎餅

When I think of Irish food, besides the cabbage, the beef stew, the Guinness beer, I think of potatoes. For St-Patrick's Day last year, I made some potato scones for my Instagram that were adapted from a recipe at Martha Stewart. I added some parsley and extra cheddar cheese in the recipe. Since the scones were so yummy, I thought I'd make them again this year with a different twist.

Spiced Pumpkin & Apple Overnight Oat Smoothie 肉桂南瓜蘋果隔夜燕麥粥奶昔

My latest must-have has got to be overnight oat smoothies! I've been making overnight oats for many years now, but only recently did I think about blending it into a smoothie! The result is this luscious, thick texture, which I love, and it's much easier to eat and digest for your first meal of the day. For these reasons, it's great for both elderlies and kids, too. Besides the apple and pumpkin, there are plenty of other healthy ingredients such as turmeric, allspice, and nut butter. In addition, it's naturally sweetened by the apples, pumpkin, and dates without any sugar or sweeteners! If that weren't good enough, I also find that by using the combination of allspice and other spices, it almost achieves the taste of chai tea! Bringing more spices into our diet can be very beneficial for our health, too. So start your morning off with this yummy, nutritious smoothie, and taste all the comforting flavours of Fall!

Strawberry Yogurt Chia Pudding with Toasted Almonds 草莓優酪乳奇亞籽布丁

One of the things I really missed during my travels was my chia pudding, and with the strawberry season in Quebec, I just had to make this after my return!

Paleo Banana Bread 無奶油無糖香蕉蛋糕

I recently came across this popular paleo banana bread recipe from Civilized Cavemen Cooking. Even though I'm not paleo (nor do I follow any other diet), I generally try to avoid using sugar and highly processed foods. I noticed in the recipe that you could replace the grass-fed butter with coconut oil (which I often like to do when baking), and instead of regular flour it calls for coconut flour, which I'd never used before. But these aren't the only good things about this recipe. There's no use of sugar or any sweeteners at all! I mean anywhere. Right away, I knew this was my kind of recipe, and I was determined to make it and eat it! (*≧▽≦) Since it's less sweet than regular banana bread, plus it's high in fiber and protein, it makes a perfect nutritious breakfast for your everyday morning! Though the texture is slightly different than the banana bread we're used to, it's really similar, and each bite is moist and full of rich banana-y flavour! Check out the recipe here, I hope you'll like it!

Soft-Boiled Eggs (法式水煮蛋)

*This was a post that first appeared in my prior blog, 2 Sisters et 1 Cat

I'm an eggy person, you might call me an egg freak. Therefore, I'm very particular about my eggs! If you've ever had a brunch at a French restaurant, you probably have had some soft-boiled eggs before. I don't know about you, but I love having my eggs underdone most of the time. It is fairly easy to prepare; the trick is just the timing. The creamy runny yolk makes it a perfect accompaniment for salads, vegetables, on toasted English muffins, or any breakfast dish.

Asparagus & Zucchini Tartine with Poached Egg, Cheese, and Basil 法式蘿勒櫛瓜蘆筍烤麵包(tartine)與水波蛋

Have you ever tried the combination of asparagus and zucchini together? I was so delighted to see a lovely image on Karolane Rondeau's Instagram feed - "Œuf poché avec des asperges et zucchinis hachés sur un croûton. (Check out her beautiful feed on Instagram that has lots of wonderful breakfast/brunch ideas!) I would never have thought of enjoying them together chopped on a piece of bread, until I saw her photo, which looked really delectable and inspired me to make this recipe! It's sweet, mild, and you can easily pair it with just about anything - if not an egg, perhaps with your favourite cheese, or with a piece of prosciutto or smoked salmon. It'll all work, and would make a perfect Sunday brunch!

Avocado Toast with Red cabbage, Microgreens, and Hazelnut Oil 紫色高麗菜與野菜苗酪梨醬土司

I started out making this avocado toast more than a month ago. It was just a quick thing to make and I happened to have the ingredients on hand. But then it became one of my favourite avocado toasts! With three super food ingredients: avocado, red cabbage, and microgreens, you'll be getting plenty of vitamin A, C, K, E, fibre, minerals, and antioxidants! As simple as it is, it has all the textures that you'd want - the delicateness of the microgreens, the crunchiness of the red cabbage, and the smooth texture of mashed ripe avocado. What makes it really special are the subtle flavours from the red chilli peppers and the hazelnut oil! It makes a perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch, or snack, and I know it'll become one of your favourite avocado toasts as well!

Coconut-Banana Chia Pudding with Lime 香蕉椰奶奇亞籽布丁

For a while, I've been waiting to make this delicious-looking super creamy coconut banana chia pudding from Fedelicioso, and I finally have some ripened bananas on hand! I love anything with banana or coconut, and when I saw her recipe on Instagram, I just knew that I'd have to try it. The end result was indeed very creamy as she described! 

Matzo Brei Scallion Pancakes with Sriracha Sour Cream 猶太馬佐蔥油煎餅與拉差酸奶油

Having married a Jewish man, I had to learn a thing or two about Jewish cooking. It was all very new to me, from the meaning of kosher, the religious rules, the big Jewish holidays, the challah bread, the blintzes, to the non-rising bread, matzo, etc. The funny thing is my hubby isn't actually kosher, and he isn't the biggest fan of traditional Jewish cooking either. It was I, on the other hand, who took a liking to a lot of the traditional Jewish food, including gefilte fish - which my hubby referred to as one of the most disgusting Jewish foods (>_<), and that was what got me into learning about Jewish cooking in the first place!

Asparagus, Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Oeufs en Cocottes (Eggs inPots) 法式燻鮭魚蘆筍烤蛋杯

 

When I first saw the name, œufs en cocotte (Eggs in Pots), I was thinking, is this some kind of fancy French classic egg dish? Only after I looked it up did I realize that it's actually quite simple, yet also a very elegant dish that is perfect for either your weekly or holiday brunch. You basically crack the egg in a ramekin, then bake it with your favourite vegetables or cheese. Not so difficult, right? Since it's (finally) the beginning of spring, I thought I'd use some asparagus here, as it goes so well with the smoked salmon and goat cheese. It'll be perfect for your spring Sunday brunch!

Black Sesame-Oat Porridge 燕麥芝麻糊

This porridge is actually based on a traditional Chinese sweet dessert porridge that is normally a mixture of blended black sesame seeds and rice. Here, I'm using oats instead of rice, and I make it less sweet than the traditional one. Black sesame seeds are extremely nourishing, and contain a great amount of protein, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, and more. By blending the two together with a little bit of soy milk, you get this really creamy and thick texture with a rich sesame flavour, just like the traditional one, plus more health benefits from the oats, walnuts, and goji berries!

 

Whole Wheat Cranberry-Oat Scones with Almonds 全麥蔓越莓杏仁司康餅

I love cranberries in breakfasty things, whether it's a muffin, a scone, bread, pancakes, or waffles, you name it! For Valentine's Day last year, I did a cranberry heart swirled cheesecake for Foodie in Quebec City, so I wanted to do something different this year but still with cranberries. I thought, why not start the romance right from the morning?! I love surprising my hubbie with a nice homemade breakfast in bed, even when it's not Valentine's Day. You can easily make this dough the day before and refrigerate it until use. It'll give you the perfect scone texture you're looking for: crisp on the outside, moist and flaky inside. I love the texture of the oats and almonds mixed together, plus a little tartness from the cranberries. It"s so delicious, you wouldn't believe it contains no butter! So what do you say?

Dark Velvet Hot Chocolate Overnight Oatmeal with Toasted Pecans 濃純黑巧克力熱可可燕麥粥

For all you chocolate lovers, this is the "it" recipe for your morning! I originally started out making this breakfast for my hubby (a hopeless chocoholic), but I confess, I even ended up loving this myself. I know you might be thinking that this looks like a dessert, and how can it be healthy?! Well, that's exactly what I wanted it to look like, but did you know that cocoa powder is one of those super foods? It's packed with fiber, iron, magnesium, and antioxidants. It can be beneficial for high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and also acts as an anti-depressant. If you're able to find raw cocoa powder, it would be even more nutritious.

Cheese Fried Egg, Mushroom, and Avocado Sandwich 起司煎蛋、酪梨與蘑菇三明治

 

Even though I've been on Instagram for about a year, I hadn't been very active until recently. I must say that it wasn't the easiest thing for me in the beginning. Normally when I finish cooking,   taking photos of my daily meals is the last thing on my mind. Instead, I would rather rush to the table and eat.（≧▼≦；) Seriously, I love my food fresh and hot. Having to take those few extra minutes for the photo, and watching my hot plate get cold in my 10C kitchen in the winter is not my thing.

Overnight Quinoa and Oat Porridge with Apple Pecan Pie Topping - hot method 蘋果派免煮燕麥粥

I love cold cereals, but on freezing cold days like we have in Quebec (when it starts to go below -5C), it's no fun to wake up shivering and then have to swallow a big bowl of cold cereal first thing in the morning! I'd say it's time to make some adjustments in our habits to fit the winter. What do you say? As we all know, a good breakfast is an important start to the day. Especially when the weather is cold, my body often screams for hot food in the morning. Growing up in Taiwan, I was always given warm or hot food by my mom in the winter. There's something comforting about that, and further, I was told that eating cold food would only make your body work harder to stay warm.

Blueberry Earl Grey Tea Jam 藍莓伯爵茶果醬

Making many different varieties of jam during the summer with fresh berries can be a lot of fun, but without any special flavour, it can be a little boring to me. I especially love trying out flavours that I don't often see from the stores. Since I'm a tea lover, I thought I'd try to make my blueberry jam this year with Earl Grey tea. I've never seen a blueberry and Earl grey tea jam before, so I was a bit skepticle first but as I was cooking the mixture and with the wonderful smell coming out, I knew that my decision was a good one (“⌒∇⌒”) It's a perfect accompaniment for a simple piece of bread, crossiant, or scone, plus you can also make a delicious blueberry Earl grey iced tea from this recipe!

Poached Eggs 水波蛋

*This was a post that first appeared in my prior blog, 2 Sisters et 1 Cat

This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggs, and I'm about to share with you a quick way to impress someone on this Valentine's Day! Those of you who are easily intimidated by those two words - poached eggs, don't let yourself believe that you can only enjoy it in restaurants. You just need to know a few things before you start. 

Coconut Pumpkin Granola 椰香南瓜Granola

 

When I first went to the supermarkets here, I was surprised to find all these American cereal/granola boxes on the shelves (since I thought bread and jam was more of the traditional breakfast in Quebec)! It didn't matter if it was in the regular supermarkets or in health food stores, I was able to find all those familiar brands and packages that I used to see in NY. That tells me how many people rely on box cereals/granola for their breakfast!