BREAKFAST POWER COOKIE
yield: 12-15 cookies

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 Tbsp almond paste
1 Tbsp olive or flaxseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup sugar (or 10 packets of stevia)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup vanilla whey powder
2 cups oats
1 cup dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, or chopped prunes)
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together applesauce, almond paste (might have to break up with fingers), oil, sugar, and agave nectar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix well. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and whey powder and add to applesauce mixture. Add oats, fruit, and almonds and mix well.

Drop cookies onto baking sheet covered in parchment paper or a silpat. The size is up to you. I made mine a little larger than a tablespoon.  Flatten each cookie a bit with your hand or the back of a spoon. Bake about 10-12 minutes; time can vary depending on your oven. Bake until tops are light brown and a bit crispy. Cool and eat. Great for breakfast or a healthy snack.

a new favorite egg sandwich {inspired by Saltie in Brooklyn}:
Hard boil an egg. I place an egg in a pot of cold water, then boil for 7 minutes. Immediately remove and put in an ice water bath. 

Toast an english muffin. I toast mine in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil.

Make a mixture of spicy mustard and mayonnaise. Add a few capers.

Top english muffin with mayo mixture and then add your favorite toppings. I added the hard boiled egg, fresh spinach, thin sliced red onion, pepper and maldon sea salt. SO GOOD!

And, Kinfolk Volume III is now out. See some of my photos {and outtakes} of a lunch at the Mucca office.

apples + eggs? YES! not pretty, but delicious.

APPLES + EGGS
 yield: 1 serving


1/2 apple, thinly sliced
2 eggs (or can use egg whites)
butter or olive oil
ginger
cardamom
vanilla
cinnamon

Saute apple slices in cast iron skillet (or your favorite non-stick variety) in butter or olive oil. Sprinkle with ginger, cinnamon, or cardamom to your liking (these amounts are not exact, and you can add any spices that you like). Allow apples to soften, cooking for about 8-10 minutes. Beat eggs in a bowl with a 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Pour over apples. Stir, allowing eggs to cook. Serve and enjoy. If you want, you can top with maple syrup.

I was recently given the book, Healthy Breakfast Recipes, from the author, Alissa Carter. It's the perfect cookbook for me-- there are a lot of different options, including sweet and savory.  I made these quick and delicious muffins, which I adapted from a loaf recipe in the book. If you like coconut, these are the muffins for you. Here's the recipe:

BLUEBERRRY COCONUT MUFFINS
yield: 5-6 muffins

1/2 cup coconut oil (can also use melted butter)
2/3 cup (65 g) desiccated coconut
1/4 cup (30 g) ground flaxseed
3/4 cup egg whites (can also use 4 eggs)
1 Tbsp greek yogurt
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 tsp jam (I used apricot)
handful of frozen blueberries

Grind the coconut in a food processor until fine.

Combine coconut, egg whites, ground flaxseed, yogurt, baking powder, salt, and jam in a bowl until well mixed. Pour in the coconut oil (or butter).

Let batter thicken for about 10 minutes.

Grease muffin tin (or use liners) and pour in mixture. Top each muffin with a few frozen blueberries (or fresh, if it's summer).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until golden.

Beyond Breakfast.

some of my favorite new recipes from this holiday season:
beer and pretzel caramels {i also added sea salt to the top}

chai shortbread {i used this recipe, but used Bellocq Hindu Holiday tea, finely ground, and then dipped them in semi-sweet chocolate + topped with sea salt}

a gift from Gilt Taste:
use the code simplybreakfast to save 20% on their site, from now until December 22nd.

some links to start off your week:

TO MAKE
these cranberry almond upside down cakes look amazing!

can't wait to make some preserved lemons,

and these salt and pepper gingerbread cookies.

TO LOOK AT
winter beauty.

gorgeous photos from Sarah Maingot.

Kinfolk Vol. II is now on sale in print and ipad versions {I am excited to be a contributor!}

also, later this week I have a very exciting announcement!