3 posts tagged “breakfast”

Avocado is no stranger to the sweet side of the culinary world. I've seen this fruit popping up in ice creams and mousses lending its silky smooth consistency (think back to Top Chef's ice cream challenge). They, like bacon, make everything just a bit more special! Tacos, chips, sandwiches and (drum roll, please) now smoothies.
These breakfast smoothies were inspired by the urgency of quickly ripening fruit, but turned out to be quite a lovely surprise.  Creamy avocados, sweetly acidic blood oranges and fresh blueberries all brought together with a splash of soy milk. Perfect wake up call with a slight twist. Enjoy.

I can never resist indulging in the strawberries at the FM. Big, red, juicy and oozing with sweetness. Yum. This weekend I found three, I repeat three, whole baskets of organic strawberries for $8.00... come on... how can you beat a deal like that? The only downfall to these sweet treats, are their rapid deterioration. Once they reach the fridge they only have a short shelf life of a few days before reaching Mushville, USA. Not that they usually last that long with a berry-monster like myself lurking around. :)
Since we had a special visitor in town for the week (B's baby bro), I decided to lay off the Go Lean Crunch for one morning and serve up something special. What a perfect opportunity to enjoy my FM acquisition. A fresh strawberry syrup with a swirl of balsamic vinegar for depth and sweetness would make my whole wheat pain perdu (aka French Toast) decadently special. A basket of chopped berries, a scant cup of sugar and a few teaspoons of balsamic vinegar simmered down as I prepared my custard for the French toast. I used a traditional custard of eggs and milk, but made sure to add extra vanilla extract and cinnamon. The cinnamon makes the kitchen smell so good. The smell that wakes up taste buds and piques the curiosity. Suddenly people are hovering around the kitchen like flies. And they're just in time. Golden brown on the outside, topped with the sweet, summery syrup, fresh cut strawberries and powdered sugar. All that's left for us to do now is... eat up.

My friend K has the best backyard ever. She's got tons of fruit trees and her own little organic farm going on there. That's totally my dream, too bad I have an anti-green thumb. :( Never had much luck with the whole gardening thing, but definitely admire those that do. Last night, was my lucky night. She dropped off a whole bag of goodies including these beautiful figs. Figs have a sweet earthiness that I absolutely adore. They're very versatile, being excellent in both savory and sweet dishes. This morning I decided to go the sweet route by making myself a pre-yoga smoothie. A perfectly light meal full of vitamins, protein and anti-oxidants. The perfect way to start your day.
Fig and Banana Smoothies
2 frozen bananas
6 figs
3/4 cup of Vanilla Soy Milk 
3/4 cup of fresh squeezed Orange Juice
 
Give it all a whirl in the blender. Pour and serve.
Serves 2