Recipes to Inspire: Volume 4
Hi blog buds!
Wow, it feels like summer today in colorful Colorado! Tomorrow will be a different picture altogether, with rain and 50s. So I hope to get outside late this evening and enjoy some of the warmth before the rain moves in.
It’s time for another recipes to inspire post! I have been doing so much recipe testing of work-related dishes (i.e. freezable dinners) that I haven’t spent much time keeping an eye out for other stuff. Today a recipe caught my eye and I instantly thought of Mothers’ Day. Do any of you have fun plans for Mothers’ Day? Something about it always makes me think of brunch. Both my mom and my mother-in-law live over 1000 miles away, so I won’t get to see them in person on the actual day (but there are plans in the works for visits with each of them over the summer) so maybe I’ll have to tuck a few of these ideas away for then!
note: Click on the recipe names to visit the actual recipes.
I love crepes. I’ll take them sweet or savory. Our last two visits to Vegas we made sure to visit the Espressement Illy for dessert crepes. But often you see plain crepes filled with the good stuff or drizzled with chocolate. What I like about this idea is you are making the crepes themselves chocolate by adding cocoa powder. The neat thing about using crepes if you make a mom’s day breakfast is that they can be made ahead of time and gently reheated. You could also do a ‘build your own crepe’ bar by having a variety of things to top it with.
Shari Tweaks: This particular recipe looks like a fair amount of work by adding two sauces and a filling, so if I make these I’ll just go with the crepe portion of the recipe and do my own thing for the rest. I think it would be fun to just fold them in half or quarters, top it with freshly sliced strawberries, maybe drizzle a bit of honey or maple syrup over the top and some chopped raw almonds or pistachios. As far as ingredients that I’d substitute on this recipe (for the crepe part), I would use almond milk in lieu of regular milk and melted coconut oil in lieu of canola. I might even consider using carob powder and coconut sugar as subs as well. For some color on a mom’s special plate, I would garnish with a bright, edible flower. If you have a Whole Foods Market nearby, they often have edible flowers in the ‘clamshell’ packaging right next to the herbs.
Dark Chocolate Banana PaniniOhh-emm-gee. This look amazing and SO EASY. I must be craving chocolate today or something! But what a fun and simple breakfast idea to make for a mom! Or if you want to surprise your significant other with breakfast in bed!
Shari Tweaks: I love that this recipe has only 4 simple ingredients and especially love that they are using sprouted grain bread. I think I would choose the cinnamon raisin flavor of sprouted grain bread for added flavor – Food for Life makes one. I do think the bread will need a little Earth Balance (or butter if you prefer) spread on the outside of the pieces of bread that will touch the panini press or pan in order to provide some crispness and caramelization. I also think that I would add a small smear of raw almond butter on the insides to give the bananas something to grab on to. And you can’t go wrong with a tiny pinch of sea salt!
OK, since I’ve been oogling the chocolate, let’s switch it up to something savory.
Little Lasagnas from the blog Proud Italian Cook (gorgeous photos – definitely take at peek at this blog!)
I pinned this to my personal Pinterest board a while back and have yet to make them, but I’m getting close! I love the idea of this freeform style lasagna. In the raw food segment of culinary school there was a ‘raw ravioli’ made with paper thin slices of turnips that reminds me of this as well. You can go so many different directions with this as your inspiration. If you are dairy-free you could make a cashew cheese to use in lieu of mozzarella or you could use tofu to make a dairy-free ricotta. If you are gluten-free you could use Tinkyada brown rice lasagne noodles. If you are having a brunch or breakfast for mom’s day and want to include eggs, you could fill one of the layers with some scrambled eggs or maybe lay a beautifully poached egg on top.
Shari Tweaks: I’ll likely use either the brown rice noodles or a whole wheat noodle (or maybe I’ll be wild and crazy and use strips of eggplant or zucchini instead!. And I’ll have to sub in some soft herbed goat cheese in lieu of the mozzarella. But I love the small roasted tomatoes on their vine and the fresh basil just as they are. Looks absolutely delicious!
***
Share with us what you’d love to include on your own brunch table!
– Shari B. =)
Previous Recipes to Inspire Posts: