Tag: brunch

Eggnog French Toast

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I haven’t posted a Sinful recipe in a while, or any recipe really in a while! New Years Resolution/goal: BLOG MORE!!

Yes I try to stick to a healthy diet and avoid processed foods, BUT it’s the holiday season. And holidays to me bring back memories of me and my siblings are the breakfast/lunch/dinner table chatting, catching up, and enjoying my Mom’s delicious food. We’re a chaotic loud bunch but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I’m hooked on smoothies, stir fries and hefty salads as seen on my Instagram and encourage a balanced lifestyle, but I think we have allow ourselves to enjoy the festive period and indulge here and there! I’m bringing you an easy recipe to enjoy with your loved ones this festive season-EGGNOG FRENCH TOAST! It’s pretty decadent and filling!

Tis the season to be merry and full of comfort food!

I do believe brioche bread works best for the recipe. For the eggnog I use Costco’s Kirkland brand, and it has the flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla mixed into it. So if your eggnog doesn’t include spices and vanilla, add a teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.

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Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1 loaf of brioche bread, 2 slices per person

3 eggs

1 cup of  eggnog (I used Kirkloand Signature which comes with the spice and vanilla flavors-if your eggnog doesn’t

Method:

In a mixing bowl, or dish, whisk well together your eggs and eggnogs. Put your slices of brioche bread into the eggnog mix and let soak. I fit about 3-4 slice in my bowl. Let soak. While brioche is soaking, melt a teaspoon of butter in a frying pan. When the butter is melted and pan is hot, add your brioche.  was able to fit three to four slices on my pan, and in between each batch add a teaspoon to the pan. Yes, lots of butter but it makes it so delicious(especially if using KerryGold)! Flip when golden brown. Repeat process until everyone has a full plate!

To serve: Sieve over some powdered sugar and drizzle on some Maple Syrup! E

Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season!

 

How-to: Whipped Ricotta Two Ways

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Fancy toasts have been on blogs, in cafes, and pictured on Insta for quite some time. Personally I can’t get enough avocado toasts-smashed avocado with a good sprinkle of chili flakes and squeeze of lemon juice. Another variation of these faWncy(pish-posh accent) toasts is using ricotta cheese. It’s my go-to snack as of lately. Sweet or savory, you’ll be making these for yourself for breakfast or lunch on the go, or for the wee ones after school.

I use the Sweet Ricotta on toast or pancakes! I use the Savory mix on toast, bagels, crostini, even as a dip for carrot and celery sticks!

For the photo pictured, I used Irish Soda Bread(my go-to recipe is the one I learned at Ballymaloe!), Irish honey, and wild blackberries that I foraged down in West Cork.

Here is my quick ‘How-to’ for Whipped Ricotta:

 

Ingredients:

All you need is about a cup of ricotta cheese

 

For Sweet Ricotta:

A teaspoon of vanilla (I like to also scrape a tiny bit of the beans out of the pod to add an extra punch of flavor)

Drizzle of honey, agave nectar

Toppings: Berries, coconut shavings, or almond slivers

 

For Savory Ricotta:

A teaspoon of lemon juice

A teaspoon of thyme leaves (dried is totally fine, but fresh is that bit nicer!)

Sea salt and pepper

Toppings: Tomatoes, green olives, smoked salmon

 

What to do:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the ricotta until fluffy (just about 4-5 minutes). Remove the bowl from mixer and add either your Sweet or Savory ingredients.

It’s that easy! And there are so many ways to mix up the flavors. I even sometimes smash berries into the Sweet Mix, it creates a cool color effect.

 

Enjoy!

Paleo Dutch Baby

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Dutch Dutch Baby!

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I had one of my pancake cravings this morning, but was also feeling a little bit lazy. This is just a simple recipe, which I’m sorta feeling this week, after a couple of days…well more like, weeks…of indulgent eating between it being the Regatta Festival in West Cork, my birthday, and taste testing for the eBook. I would also consider this on the healthier side, using all natural fresh ingredients. I see my blog’s recipes taking a healthier, cleaner route,  and my eBook certainly reflects that!

This is definitely a great recipe idea for a brunch with family and friends, served sliced and alongside coffee mimosas and you are pretty much guaranteed a good morning. The little amount of washing up is an added bonus! It’s another recipe of mine that is a great easy go-to.

Paleo Dutch Baby:

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut flour

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Heaping tablespoon of coconut oil

Small handful of berries

Method:

Preheat oven to about 220C. In a medium frying pan, melt the coconut oil over a medium heat. While it’s melting, beat the eggs then add the other ingredients. Pour into pan, and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle on a couple of berries, and cook for another 3 minutes. It’ll look pale, and almost like it’s curdling. Then pop it in the oven for another 5-6 minutes, and cook through.

Serve with a splash of maple syrup, berries, coconut slivers, or yogurt!

AVAILABLE NOW, my EBook!

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I’m so excited! My recipe EBook is available now!!

It’s full of my most popular recipes from my blog, as well as two exclusive recipes just for the EBook. All the recipes are more from my ‘Saintly’ category.

It was challenging at times, but I love a challenge. It also made me tweak current recipes, tasting and testing my skills even more.

This will be the first of several!

Purchase here:

https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Easy-Cookin-Carmel-Recipes-ebook/dp/B01KG4VN6O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471868893&sr=8-1&keywords=Quick+and+Easy+Cookin%27+with+Carmel

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Raw Cacao Toasted Hazelnut Milk

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A glass of this washed away any Monday blues I had! I also had to to have a little glass to celebrate I only have ONE more physio session for my ankle to attend YYAAYYY, and I can start pilates…this is huge!! Not being able to run has had a huge impact on me physically and mentally, more than I thought. But before I broke my ankle, I was getting back into my fitness; I found running was such a stress buster, it just felt good.

This tastes like Nutella, and I can’t wait to put a big splash in my morning coffee! Toasting the nuts adds that extra element of flavor. And it was a bit of an experiment toasting the hazelnuts but it came out really nicely! IT’S JUST DIVINE!

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Raw Cacao Toasted Hazelnut Milk

Ingredients:

1 cup of hazelnuts

water for soaking AS WELL AS 3 cups of water(the three cups you’ll be putting in blender)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder

pinch of sea salt

Optional: teaspoon or two of agave nectar if you want it sweetened

Method:

I suggest turning this recipe into a two-day project!

Preheat the oven to 180C (360F). On a baking tray, toast the hazelnuts until the skins are blistered(about 12 minutes). Wrap the nuts in a tea towel, and rub until the skin falls off. Let the hazelnuts cool. Once the nuts are cool, in a large bowl, cover the nuts with water. Leave to sit for about 8 hours, or overnight.

Drain the hazelnuts the next day, or after the 8 hours. You can toss the water, as you won’t want to use this in the milk. Give the hazelnuts a little rinse.

Put ALL ingredients (soaked hazelnuts, cacao, 3 cups of water, sea salt and vanilla) in a blender and blitz on high until the hazelnuts are minced!

Strain milk and blitz again if you want it even smoother. To strain: use a VERY fine sieve or cheesecloth. Tip: You can use the leftover pulverized hazelnuts in smoothies or baking! Avoid food waste if you can!

Store milk in sealed container in fridge, and enjoy!

 

 

Coming soon…RECIPE EBOOK

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One of my goals is to have my own cookbook. I’ve just started a baby/junior cookbook…well a RECIPE EBOOK! AAHHH! I’m a little scared, excited!

It will be available for your Kindle come August!

I’m really excited, and have been working on it quietly the last while.

More details to follow in the coming weeks, so if you aren’t already subscribed, GO DO IT NOW…and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Tahini Banana Bread

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If you haven’t tried tahini, you should, just don’t take a big tablespoon and plop it on your porridge! I learned that the pretty hard way as it’s quite bitter on it’s own, but mixed into a cake batter or some bread dough, it takes desserts and other sweet recipes to another level. I also use it in stir fries, but I love experimenting with  contrasting and unexpected flavors.

Bananas usually don’t last very long with me. I’m sure I eat two a day. But I had a real hankering for banana bread, and have way too many jars of tahini. This came out nicely, and it will for sure be a regular thing I make! It’s quick and easy. It’s a twist on the classic banana bread!

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Here’s what you’ll need:

4 very rip bananas

About 1/4 cup veggie oil

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2  eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour (I used gluten free)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 155C. Oil or butter a bread loaf tin. In a bowl, sieve the flour, then add the baking powder, sugar and cinnamon. In a larger mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add the veggie oil, yogurt eggs and vanilla and whisk well. Then add the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the tin. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then pop it out of the tin. Slather with almond butter and enjoy with a cup of coffee!

 

 

Spirulina Buckwheat Pancakes, Coconut Cream and Date Caramel Sauce

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There’s no hiding my love for pancakes! These Spirulina Buckwheat Pancakes are something I’ve been tweaking, due to the spirulina. Spirulina has so many benefits, but doesn’t taste the greatest! After last weekend’s binge on Chocolate Easter eggs, this stack of pancakes was just what my body needed. Doing the Parkrun(ora bootcamp or yoga class) on Saturday? Cook off this prior to a run, and you have a delicious and wholesome meal to put all the vitamins lost back into your body.

You’ll want to put a can of coconut milk in the fridge the night before. Coconut cream is something I’ve become a little obsessed with lately, it’s a great and natural alternative to dairy whipped cream, or even frosting for cupcakes.

These pancakes are highly nutritious, low cal, and just overall delicious!

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 soy or almond milk

1/2 a teaspoon spirulina

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toppings: 1 can of coconut milk

Date caramel sauce

 

For the pancakes: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, spirulina, and cinnamon. In a jug mix the soy milk and vanilla extract. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry, all while whisking. Once mixed thorough, set the batter to the side to rest.

For the coconut cream: After putting the can of coconut cream in the fridge overnight. Open it up, and what you’ll want to scoop into  mixing bowl is the solidified/chunky part at the top of the can. With your mixer, just whip until the consistency of whipped cream. I folded in vanilla beans from the pod, but you can fold in vanilla extract or just leave on it’s own.

Now to make the pancakes! Melt a teaspoon of coconut oil up in a pan. Pour in the batter-just about half of a ladel. Repeat until batter is all gone. This batter should make about 5-6 depending on size. Top with coconut cream and a good lashing of date caramel sauce, and enjoy a guilt-free brunch!

 

Easy Like Sunday Morni…French Toast Simplified

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FINALLY! A new(well new-ish recipe!)post. I’m so excited for tomorrow: I’ve enrolled in a cake decorating/sugar craft class and it starts tomorrow night!! Sugar craft is something I’m very interested in, and can’t wait to play with it more. Wish me luck!

 

This recipe is a super easy, and classic, brunch idea: French toast. And sometimes, you just can’t beat, and need, a classic!

I’m big into my breakfasts, especially pancakes and French toast. Growing up, it was such a treat! And when I was younger I had such a a sweet-tooth, so French toast hit all the right notes( and it still does!). And the smell of the cinnamon batter is just DIVINE!

The secret to getting French toast right: melting LOTS of butter in the pan.

For your next super easy breakfast treat:

4 eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/4 milk

About 4-5 slices of white bread-sourdough is also a great choice! Slice diagonally for presentation!

Melt 3 HEAPED tablespoons in a saucepan (I did say A LOT!). In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, cinnamon, and milk. Soak slices of bread for about 30-45 seconds in the mixture. Then add to the pan. Flip when golden brown.

Serve with a heaping pour of maple syrup. Add a side fruit salad of grapefruit and pomegranate seeds- they add a a cut to the sweetness of the French toast.

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Porridge oat pancakes

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c.hall 2015
c.hall 2015

So I know I have a post about pancakes already, but thought I’d share another recipe-just as healthy and filling, and this one happens to be flour free! Porridge Oat Pancakes:

About 30 gf grams oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

I use almond milk, but you can use hot water or choice of milk

1 egg (*If you aren’t eating eggs, 1 mashed banana will do the job!)

In a mixing bowl, stir the oats and cinnamon. Pour the milk or water over the oats, and mix. Then whisk in egg. On a lightly oiled pan, drop two servings (I used an ice cream scooper to divide the mix). Cook until the edges are a little brown , and bubbles start to form, then flip! Once cooked, enjoy with maple syrup and you choice of berries!