Plum Crumble for One

The problem with desserts is that it can be difficult to find baked desserts that serve just one or two instead of a dozen. It is almost as difficult to find desserts that are low sugar without resorting to fake sugar. This crumble satisfies both of those needs. It is single serving (but can easily be doubled) and only contains a teaspoon of sugar to cut the tartness of the plums. Also, unlike recipes making larger amounts, it only requires a couple pieces of fruit instead of a whole bag.

If you don't like or don't have plums, any other stone fruit can be substituted. You can also substitute the almond butter with peanut butter, or another nut or seed butter.

I confess I had this for breakfast instead of dessert, but since it is mostly fruit and oatmeal, I don't need to feel guilty about that.

Sorry on the blurriness! I didn't realize the focus was off until I uploaded it. By then, I had already eaten the crumble.

Plum Crumble for One

3 plums, sliced
1 Tbsp water
1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp sugar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp almond butter
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place sliced plums and water in a small baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the oatmeal, flour, sugar, almond butter, and coconut oil. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the plums.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned.

Maple-Chia Granola

I have a difficult time figuring out what to do with chia seeds. I don't like their texture in drinks and I'm usually not in the mood for pudding. This granola is a good, non-threatening way to introduce chia to your diet. It's especially good sprinkled over some plain or vanilla non-dairy yogurt and fresh fruit.

Maple-Chia Granola

4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Spread the granola evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from heat and stir well, then bake for another 15 minutes. Allow granola to cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to an air-tight container. The oats will become crunchier as they cool.

Fiddleheads for One

Sometimes you come across odd seasonal produce, lovely little things that are only available a week or two a year. Morels, fiddleheads, and ramps come to mind. If you are lucky enough to find them in a store, they are incredibly expensive. However, a little can go a long way, especially when you know the kids will have no interest in your little culinary treasures.

I found fiddlehead ferns last night. They were nearly $20 a pound, but I decided to try them anyway. I grabbed a handful and they rang up at under $2. So, what do I do with a handful of scroll-like ferns? Saute them with tempeh and mushrooms!

If you want to try fiddleheads, make sure you thoroughly cook them before eating them because they are only edible when cooked. The method I used blanched them and then sauteed them. They are quite good, a gustatory cross between asparagus and green beans. I served this saute over steel cut oats for breakfast, but it would also be good with brown rice or another cooked grain. You can also This recipe is for a single serving, but it can easily be doubled.

Fiddlehead ferns and crimini mushrooms

Flax tempeh, crimini mushrooms, dried thyme, and fiddlehead ferns - washed, sliced, and trimmed

Blanching the fiddleheads - only boil them until they float. It takes less than 30 seconds.

Tempeh, lightly coated in soy sauce and coriander and sauteed in olive oil.

Add in fiddlehead ferns.

Add in mushrooms and seasonings once ferns are cooked thoroughly.

Served over steel-cut oats.

Fiddleheads and Tempeh Saute for One

1 small handful of fiddlehead ferns (12-14 fiddleheads)
1 handful crimini mushrooms, sliced.
4oz tempeh, sliced
1 tsp tamari
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh thyme)
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Trim the browned ends from the fiddleheads. Blanch the fiddleheads by tossing them into the boiling water for about 30 seconds, until they float. Quickly remove them from the boiling water and douse them with cold water.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Toss the sliced tempeh with the tamari and coriander to coat, then saute them in the olive oil until they just begin to brown.

Add the fiddlehead ferns to the pan and saute with the tempeh until they begin to soften and brown. Add a little more olive oil if the pan becomes too dry. Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked.

Remove from heat and serve over steel-cut oats, brown rice, or quinoa.

Coconut Oatmeal Pancakes

Turbokid decided he needed "cancakes" for breakfast, so I made up these. They are sweet without added sugar and delicate, so it may take some practice to flip the pancakes without them falling apart. The coconut flavor is subtle. The pancakes are wheat, soy, and nut-free. They are good served with Earth Balance butter and maple syrup or with fresh fruit and toasted coconut.

Coconut Oatmeal Pancakes

1/2 cup coconut flour (pulse unsweetened flaked coconut in a food processor until it turns into a powder)
3/4 cup oat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened sunflower)
1 Tbsp oil (I used sunflower)

Mix together coconut flour, oat flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl. Stir in applesauce, non-dairy milk, and oil.

Preheat a lightly oiled skillet on medium-low heat. Spoon batter onto the skillet (about 1-2 Tbsp per pancake) and cook for a few minutes on each side, until pancake is golden.

Kumquat Cashew Bran Muffins

A local grocery store had kumquats for $2 a pint, so I picked some up. I had no idea what to do with the odd little citrus fruits. They are entirely edible except for the seeds. The skins are sweet and the pulp is tart.

In my respiratory infection-induced delirium, I decided muffins would be a good way to use some of these mystery fruits. If you don't have kumquats available, try chopped apples instead. I wasn't sure how these would turn out, but they are quite good and Turbokid loves them.

Kumquat Cashew Bran Muffins

1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran (alternatively, you can use all germ or bran totaling 1 cup. I only had 1/2 cup germ left, so I used both)
1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed into 3 Tbsp water
1 cup almond milk (I used vanilla)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped and seeded kumquats
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix wheat germ and wheat bran together in a mixing bowl. Stir in flax mixture and almond milk and let sit briefly until some of the moisture is absorbed. Mix in sugar, molasses, baking powder, salt, and oil, then mix in the white whole wheat flour. Fold in chopped kumquats and cashews.

Fill lined or greased muffin cups with the batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Breakfast Stir Fry

Caring for a toddler and a preschooler doesn't leave me much time for a breakfast that doesn't involve bread, so I'm always looking for something that is quick, high protein, filling, and healthful. It also helps if it tastes good.

I used Tofurky Italian Sausage for this stir fry, but you can also use a different product or use beans and Italian herbs instead. The Tofurky sausage has 29g of protein, 8g of fiber, and 15% daily value of iron, so it's not a bad thing to occasionally add into your diet if you're trying to up your protein consumption and have no problems with soy or wheat.

Broiled Grapefruit is a nice complement to this dish.

Breakfast Stir Fry

1 Tofurky Italian Sausage, cut into 1/4" slices (or other type of faux sausage)
1 tsp coconut oil
3 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup sugar snap peas
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup baby spinach
pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saute pan or skillet. Add meatless sausage and saute until it begins to brown. Add sliced mushrooms, snap peas, and garlic, and stir fry until the peas are bright green and the mushrooms begin to soften. Mix in the baby spinach and stir fry for another minute, or until spinach begins to wilt. Remove from heat and pepper to taste.

Serves 1

Variation: If you're not into fake meats, substitute 1/2 cup cooked beans of your choice for the meatless sausage. Mix in 1/4 tsp Italian herbs and add to the stir fry after the mushrooms and snap peas.

Cranberry-Orange Coffee Cake

Do you still have cranberries left over in your freezer from the winter holidays? I always freeze a bag or two for use later in the year. This sweet and tart coffee cake is a tasty way to use some of those leftover cranberries. If you don't have fresh or frozen cranberries, dried will also work, but you'll want to reduce the sugar a bit.

Cranberry-Orange Coffee Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup sugar (1 cup if using dried cranberries with added sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 cup orange juice
2 cups fresh/frozen cranberries or 1 cup dried cranberries

Topping
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 Tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, coconut oil, and zest with a fork or your fingers until a coarse meal forms (no clumps of flour or coconut oil). Stir in orange juice until well mixed and then fold in cranberries. Pour batter into a 9x9 cake pan and smooth the top.

In a small bowl, stir together topping ingredients until well combined. Sprinkle topping over batter.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Messy Mouse's Scrambled Tofu

My thirteen-month-old daughter will eat just about anything. She especially likes brightly-colored foods, so she loved this multi-hued scrambled tofu. Even the spinach was gobbled down before she asked for more. The smoked sea salt isn't necessary if you can't find it, but it does add a nice dimension to the simple dish.

Messy Mouse's Scrambled Tofu

1 lb firm tofu, drained and mashed with a fork
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 of a red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 cup baby spinach
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 1/2 tsp fresh basil, minced
fresh ground pepper to taste
sprinkle of smoked sea salt (optional)

Heat oil in a skillet. Add tofu, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and salt and stir well to combine. Scramble for 7-8 minutes, then stir in red bell pepper. Continue to scramble until the bell pepper begins to soften. Stir in nutritional yeast, spinach, and basil. Scramble for about 1 minute, until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and add pepper and smoked salt to taste.

Serve over a bed of fresh baby spinach with toast on the side.

Butternut French Toast

I made my daughter's baby foods, so I had some leftover purees in the freezer to use up. Purees can be a good way to sneak more vegetables into your meals. I add them to soups, pasta sauces, and even desserts. This time, I'm sneaking them into a breakfast-for-dinner. My kids loved it... Turbokid devoured three slices of toast before I had time to sit down!

The omelet is a half-recipe of the Vital Ital Green Banana Omelet from Vegan World Fusion Cuisine. I substituted basil, cherry tomatoes, and Swiss chard for the cilantro, carrots, and green onions. I also learned I am terrible at flipping omelets.

Butternut French Toast and Vital Ital Green Banana Omelet (from Vegan World Fusion Cuisine)

Butternut French Toast

1/2 cup pureed, cooked butternut squash (4oz)
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut oil
6-8 slices whole grain bread (I used an ancient grain bread from a local bakery)

In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the squash puree, non-dairy milk, sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Dip a slice of bread in the squash mixture, coating both sides, and then place in the skillet. Cook each side until crispy and golden. Remove from heat and cover with a clean dish towel to keep warm while cooking remaining slices. Serve with applesauce or maple syrup.

Broiled Grapefruit

Looking for a quick, light, hot breakfast without all the grains or a fruit to compliment a heartier meal? I had one lonely grapefruit left so I made this. Broiling the grapefruit mellows the tartness, so even people who don't normally like grapefruit may like it this way.

Broiled Grapefruit

1 red grapefruit
1 tsp coconut oil or Earth Balance
3/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the broiler on your oven. Cut the grapefruit in half. With a small knife or grapefruit knife, score the fruit along the membranes and rind. This will make it easier to scoop out after cooking.

In a small bowl, stir together the coconut oil or Earth Balance, sugar, and cinnamon until well combined. Spread the mixture over the grapefruit halves and place the halves on a cookie sheet.

Broil for 3-5 minutes. Serves one, but the recipe can easily be multiplied to serve more.