Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

 

These chewy and fiber-rich cherry chocolate breakfast cookies are the perfect start to your day! Each cookie is full of protein, antioxidants and old-fashioned oats for a satisfying grab-and-go breakfast. 

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals although I typically start my day with a strong cup of coffee. Whether it’s a skillet full of eggs and homestyle potatoes or a stack of pancakes, breakfast food just covers all of the bases to feed any craving. To earn the title  of “Breakfast Cookie”, this recipe adds only a little bit of pure maple syrup to sweeten, relying on the natural sweetness of ripe banana, dark chocolate chips and dried cherries. Feel free to omit the maple syrup though if you want a less sweet cookie. You’ll notice even with the maple syrup, these are not an overly sweet cookie. These cookies aren’t just great for breakfast; keep them handy for a quick afternoon snack or post workout fuel.

The ripe banana also takes the place of added fat, making for a super moist and chewy cookie. I have nothing against fat and I’m a big proponent of healthy fats, from grass-fed ghee and avocado oil. But sometimes it’s fun to play around with using bananas, applesauce, zucchini and even avocado in place of fats in recipes.

One of the best parts about this recipe is there’s no need to use a hand-mixer or standing mixer. Just one medium mixing bowl. Once all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, the dough is refrigerated. This allows the oats to absorb the moisture and create a sticky texture that will help the cookies hold together. Next, 1/4 cup scoops of the oat dough are scooped onto a baking sheet and formed into round cookies. This eliminates the worry of the cookies spreading. Enjoy cookies with a big glass of your favorite milk or coffee for dunking!

Tip: I used slightly damp fingertips to form the cookies to help prevent the oats from sticking to my hands and shape easier. 

Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

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Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups + 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large ripe banana, mashed
  • 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats to a food processor and pulse until ground like flour. Set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg, mashed banana, maple syrup and vanilla bean paste. Stir oat flour, 2 cups of oats, cinnamon, sea salt and baking powder into mixture until moist. Stir in chocolate chips and dried cherries. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  3. Scoop out 1/4 cup mounds of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Use fingertips to shape into cookies. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes. Store in a airtight container for up to 1 week.
http://freshandfit.org/cherry-chocolate-breakfast-cookies/

Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

If you love the flavor of a Caesar salad, then you’ll adore this pasta version, served chilled with roasted herb chickpeas and crunchy sliced almonds.

We are being blessed with another weekend of warm weather here in the Chicago suburbs. So I came up with this kale caesar pasta salad to enjoy because I know cooler temps are one their way and soon my kitchen will be filled with stick-to-your-ribs comfort food meals (healthy, of course) like chili, roasted vegetables and braised beef recipes. But until then, I am satisfying my pasta salad craving by bulking it up with hearty kale and roasted chickpeas. Roasting chickpeas makes them the perfect stand in for croutons, amping up the protein in recipes and adding a delicate crunch. Roasted chickpeas lose their crunch quickly, but still taste great and add texture to salads.

The dressing is a light, salty Caesar make with almond milk. 2% milk would also work. This is not a super creamy dressing but it can be made thicker by adding 1/2 cup mayonnaise or greek yogurt to the other ingredients instead of the almond milk. I opted to keep it light since this is a pasta salad and already quite the meal in itself. Grilled chicken or steak can also be added for the carnivores in your family.

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Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

10 minutes

40 minutes

50 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

Ingredients

  • 3 cups dry whole wheat fusilli pasta
  • 4 cups chopped kale
  • 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • For Roasted Chickpeas
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/4 t dried dill
  • 1/8 t paprika
  • 1/8 t onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • For Caesar Dressing
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp anchovy paste
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients for dressing in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass jar. Preheat oven to 350F. Blot chickpeas dry with a paper towel and place in a small bowl along with other ingredients. Toss and pour onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes, rotating chickpeas halfway through roasting with a spatula. Remove from oven and set aside.
  2. While chickpeas cook, boil pasta according to package directions. During the last minute of cooking, add kale to pasta water.
  3. Strain and run cold water over pasta. Pour into a large bowl and add olives. Pour dressing over and toss to coat. Chill 1 hour. Top with parmesan cheese, almonds and chickpeas. Serve chilled.
http://freshandfit.org/kale-caesar-pasta-salad/

Honey Pistachio Overnight Oats and Granola

Chewy oats and crunchy granola combine in this chilled breakfast fit for a summer morning. I usually tend to skip breakfast in the morning in favor of a big mug of coffee. However, breakfast dishes are among some of my very favorite things to eat. Living alone, I will happily enjoy an oven-baked frittata for dinner or a big bowl of oats with berries as an evening snack, while watching guilty pleasures like the bachelorette or the real housewives of anywhere.

My favorite thing about oats is that you can bring them to life by adding unique toppings, from sweet with dried fruit to savory with a runny egg and bacon on top. In this honey pistachio overnight oats and granola you’ll find plenty of toppings to feed your sweet tooth. You can use any preferred toppings you may have on hand. Pecans, walnuts or almonds can be subbed for pistachios. Sliced bananas, strawberries and  blackberries can be used. Pure maple syrup or coconut sugar make delicious alternatives to honey.  Overnight oats make great meal prep recipes for busy mornings. Simply add the dry oats along with your favorite dairy or dairy-free milk and allow the oats to soak overnight. This recipe serves two, but feel free to keep it all to yourself!

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Honey Pistachio Overnight Oats and Granola

10 minutes

10 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Honey Pistachio Overnight Oats and Granola

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 cup granola
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 tbsp dried cranberries
  • 2 black mission figs, halved
  • 2 tbsp pure honey or maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Soak oats and almond milk in a small jar or bowl for 6-8 hours.
  2. Pour soaked oats into serving bowl and stir. Top with granola and suggested toppings. Drizzle honey on top. Serve with additional milk, if desired.
http://freshandfit.org/honey-pistachio-overnight-oats-granola/

Jerk Chicken and Plantain Bowl

Summer is the perfect time to make this tropical inspired jerk chicken and plantain bowl! Chicken is coated in a spicy jerk seasoning before being cooked, sealing in caribbean flavor, minus the plane ticket. The best thing about the nourish and buddha bowl craze is that you can make them your own and swap your favorite ingredients for a bowl that is never the same twice. In this recipe, every bite has a different flavor, from juicy mango to sweet and crisp pan-fried plantains.

You can treat this recipe as a salad and serve it over greens, pile the ingredients over rice (cauliflower rice for grain-free) or fill tortillas with the toppings for a taco night meal. The cilantro sauce adds just the right amount of herb brightness with the tangy zip of lime. You can skip the sauce altogether and simply scatter chopped cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime over the dish right before serving. There are so many flavors going on that the sauce is just the icing on the cake so to speak, but not mandatory.

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Jerk Chicken and Plantain Bowl

10 minutes

14 minutes

24 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Jerk Chicken and Plantain Bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 (5 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 large plantain, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup avocado, diced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup mango, diced
  • 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • optional toppings: sliced jalapeños, cilantro, lime wedges
    • For Cilantro Pesto Sauce
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 a small jalapeño
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • For Jerk Seasoning
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle powder
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp chili flakes
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 4 tbsp olive oil, divided

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients for cilantro sauce in a blender or food processor and blend until thoroughly combined. Pour into a small jar. Refrigerate until serving.
  2. Mix together jerk seasonings in a small bowl. Add diced chicken to a mixing bowl and sprinkle jerk seasoning over. Use hands to mix.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium/high heat for 1 minute. Add chicken. Cook 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally for even cooking.
  4. While chicken cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a separate medium skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add plantain slices and cook 3 minutes. Use tongs to turn and cook an additional 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Arrange remaining ingredients in a serving bowl and add chicken and plantains. Serve with cilantro sauce.
http://freshandfit.org/jerk-chicken-plantain-bowl/