Fruit and Nut Quinoatmeal

I thought I had posted this one a while ago... oops! Anyhow, I'm starting to realize just how versatile quinoa really is. It's like the chameleon of foods, it can disguise itself as almost anything, including oatmeal! If you never thought of quinoa as a breakfast food before, then try a bowl of Fruit and Nut Quinoatmeal, it might just blow your mind.

My version was inspired by this recipe, however you can use almost any combination of fruits and nuts that you heart desires, and I'm sure it would be delicious. My bowl consists of...
- quinoa
- milk
- water
- blackberries
- walnuts
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- honey

How to make it:
1. Put equal parts quinoa, water, and milk into a big pot, and bring it to a boil. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed (for this recipe you want it to be a little moist).
2. Stir in your blackberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg (or whatever you choose to use).
3. Top with a drizzle of honey.

So simple, yet so genius.

Parmesan Kale Chips

I've always been a little weary of these in the past, convinced that they just could not be good. But now that I've actually tried kale (and have a bit of a surplus of it) I thought why not give these a shot? They could not have been easier to make and were surprisingly good! They're light and airy and have a satisfying crunch to them, making them the perfect guilt-free snack for mindless munching. And let's be honest, everything is better with cheese!

The original recipe can be found here. It consists of...
- kale
- olive oil
- grated or shredded parmesan cheese (I used shredded)
- salt
- pepper

How to make it:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and wash and chop (or rip) up your kale.
2. In a bowl, combine kale, a splash of olive oil, and salt and pepper to preference.
3. Spread out kale on a baking sheet and sprinkle some parmesan over it as evenly as you can. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Feel free to try with your own combination of spices and please do share if you come up with any winners!

Kale Noodle Bowl with Avocado Miso Dressing

I finally went grocery shopping, hooray! I've been wanting to try a recipe involving kale, but as I am still fairly unfamiliar with this particular super-food, I wasn't quite sure how to use it. I came across this recipe (on Pinterest) and thought it sounded quite intriguing, yet simple enough for me to actually make, I thought I'd go for it. The only thing holding me back was that some of the ingredients it called for were not staples in my regular fridge/pantry stock, and I had been a little lazy on the grocery shopping as of late. But lo and behold, I finally bit the bullet and went so that I could actually make some of the recipes that I'd been hoarding on Pinterest for some time now.

This recipe was fairly simple to make but definitely packs a nutritional punch! And the dressing is quite tasty, I found myself wondering what it might taste like on a salad... perhaps I'll dabble with that later. The original recipe can be found here, or you can follow my own version! It consists of...
- kale
- buckwheat soba noodles (or feel free to experiment with a noodle of your choice)
- a medium avocado
- garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- miso paste
- sesame seeds
- water

How to make it:
1. (Check the cooking instructions for your noodles, but if you want to know what I did...) Bring a pot of water to a boil, add noodles and boil for about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with warm water.
2. Cut up kale into ribbons (or just chop up if you don't have the patience).
3. In a blender, add your avocado, a clove or 2 of garlic, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 3 tbsp of miso paste and 3/4 cup of water and blend until smooth.
4. Combine everything in a bowl and garnish with sesame seeds.

A Variation:
Try making it into a salad by using crunchy noodles instead (and if you do, please tell me how it turned out!)