I’ll keep things short and sweet for this post. This Olive Oil + Cherry Coffee Cake is a cinch to pull together once you pit your cherries, which takes forever and makes a huge mess. I wouldn’t be mad at you if you used frozen pitted cherries, even though fresh are way better tasting.

The reason it’s so effortless if because I used baking mix. Specifically Trader Joe’s Multigrain Baking & Pancake Mix. It makes terrible pancakes, but awesome coffee cake and biscuits. I suggest picking some up, or another brand if you don’t have Trader Joe’s where you live.

Olive Oil + Cherry Coffee Cake

1 egg
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2.5 cups baking mix (I used Trader Joe’s Multigrain Baking Mix)
1/4 cup + 2tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted, and sliced in half

Preheat your oven to 350. Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray. Set aside.

Measure the milk in a glass measuring cup and add the vinegar. Stir briefly and set aside to “sour.” The milk will curdle slightly, that’s what you want to happen.

In a mixing bowl lightly beat the egg. Add the oil and the milk. Mix well.

Add the sugar and baking mix. Stir until just combined. Fold in the cherries.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool slightly and then cut into squares and serve!

This post is [sadly] not a coffee drink recipe, but rather a sweet treat to go along with your morning coffee. It’s no secret that I have a serious sweet tooth and I am especially fond of dark chocolate. When I think of muffins, I don’t usually think of rich chocolatey flavor, but these muffins deliver just what I want in a treat. They are not exactly healthy, but they aren’t cupcakes either, so I don’t feel bad about starting my day with one. I wouldn’t feel bad about starting my day with a cupcake either, just to be clear.

Enjoy these super chocolatey muffins along with your daily cappuccino or latte and I’m willing to bet you’ll have a great morning.

The recipe is super simple, as almost all muffins are. I make them even easier by making them in the toaster oven like I do most of my baked goods, because it takes no time at all to preheat and it doesn’t heat up the kitchen too much. Regular 6 cup muffin pans fit in most toasters just fine!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s recipe on Food Network’s website.  Nigella is a goddess. I want to live in her house and talk like her and eat all of her creations.

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I don’t know why I haven’t blogged about this sooner. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I made it a couple of months ago.

Mex had gone out of town for a couple of days, I was as stressed as I could be about studying for the bar exam (again) and I was ready to pull my hair and everyone elses hair out.  I needed a break, to slow down and just be quiet for a bit.  So instead of just eating cold cereal while taking practice tests, I decided to go all out and treat myself to something spectacular: Spiced Ricotta and Cinnamon Apple Stuffed Flaxy French Toast.

It’s a mouthful.

It’s a delicious mouthful, though.

First I made flaxy french toast batter. A beaten egg, splash of milk, about a teaspoon or so of ground flax seeds, and a splash of vanilla extract.

Then I soaked some soft whole wheat bread in the batter for a few minutes while I got working on the “stuffing.”

I heated a skillet over medium heat, then threw in a nub of butter to melt. I thinly sliced a gala apple and added that to the pan to soften.  A sprinkling of brown sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon were added and I let it hang out and do its thing while I worked on the other components.

The other component of my stuffing was sweetened and spiced ricotta. A couple of spoonfuls of ricotta went into a bowl, with a spoonful of sugar, a splash of milk, and a tiny bit of vanilla extract. Sprinkles of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger finished it off.

I heated another skillet with butter and cooked to french toast until it was golden brown on each side.

To assemble, I set one piece of french toast on the plate, topped it with a generous spoonful of the sweetened spiced ricotta, half of the cinnamon apples, another spoonful of ricotta, the other piece of french toast, and the rest of the apples and ricotta on top.

Then a drizzle of maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar finished it off.

Oh wow was it decadent. And gorgeous. Just what I needed to relax and remember that not everything in life is stressful and difficult.

It’s impressive looking (and sounding) but it doesn’t take long to put together, and it’s calming to go through the steps of making it.

You should make this for overnight guests. You should make this for the people you love. But more importantly you should make this for yourself, on a Sunday morning, when life has got you down.

I’ve blogged about this several times before, but I love making my own granola.  It’s so so much cheaper than store-bought, and is much lower in sugar and added fat.  The amount of oil and butter in those packages can be astounding, for something that is supposed to be healthy.

My basic recipe for granola is here.

You’ll notice that it isn’t so much a recipe, but more of a method.  There are 4parts to the method.

Step 1:  The Glaze*

Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter, maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener), vanilla extract and a splash of non-dairy milk.  Microwave it for about 30 seconds, so the sugar dissolves. Then mix in spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, whatever you like.  A dash of salt really brings out the flavors.  You should have a pourable mixture that is neither runny nor clumpy.  The consistency of honey is what you’re going for.  (Sorry, can’t think of a vegan comparison here!)

Step 2: The Oats

Add rolled oats to the glaze mixture.  Just grab a 1/4 cup measure and stir after each addition.  You want the oats to be nicely coated with the glaze mixture, but not soaked.  If you’d like to toast any nuts or coconut you are adding to the granola, add that in now.  I also like to add some ground flax seeds at this point.

Step 3:  Baking

Preheat your oven to 350 and bake for about 20 minutes or so.  Stir every 5 minutes and keep a close eye on it, as it tends to go from golden brown to black in a relatively short period of time.

Once it is golden, take it out of the oven and let it cool.  At this point, I refrain from stirring it because I like the granola to be chunky, but if you like more individual pieces of oats in your granola, by all means stir away.

Step 4:  Mix-Ins

After the granola is cooled, add any dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, dates) or nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts) to the mix.

Done!

Eat it as cereal, sprinkle over vegan ice cream or yogurt, or eat it by the handful.  Throw in some pretzel sticks and chocolate chips and you have homemade trail mix for hikes.  It’s a very versatile recipe

–
A note about the glaze: You’ll notice that I use nut butter in my granola recipes.  This is so that I can cut down on added fat in the granola.  Yes, nut butters are still high in fats, but I prefer them to oil or butter because they also add flavor to the granola.  If I’m going to be adding something high in fat, I want to be able to taste it and enjoy it at least.  I don’t get any flavor from oil or butter in granola.

Vegan Apple Pie Oatmeal

(Serves 2)

• 1 tsp Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine)
• 1 small apple, chopped (I used a Jazz apple)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• salt
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• ginger
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)

In a medium pot over moderate heat, melt the Earth Balance.  Add the chopped apple and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes, or until the apple softens.  If the apple begins to brown, turn down the heat, you just want to soften the apple.

Add the oats and stir frequently for 3 minutes, until the oats begin to toast and turn a bit golden brown and start to smell nutty.  Add the water and almond milk.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Add a small pinch of salt and each of the spices.

Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the oatmeal is cooked.  At the last minute, stir in the brown sugar and the vanilla extract, stirring to combine.  Divide between 2 bowls and serve immediately, topped with ground flax seeds, if desired.