Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 79
January 15, 2024
Satisfying Winter Breakfast Quinoa.
This winter breakfast quinoa is super satisfying and delicious! Made with blood oranges, coconut milk, pistachios and pomegranate, it’s cozy, very filling and tastes wonderful.
I’ve got the most satisfying breakfast for you today!
If you’re looking for the perfect meal that’s filling, delicious and easy to throw together, this breakfast quinoa is your best bet. Toasted spiced vanilla quinoa with creamy coconut milk, pistachios, blood oranges and pomegranate make the ultimate filling, flavorful breakfast.
I adore breakfast quinoa and want to scream it from the rooftops! I first started enjoying this over a decade ago. It was my go-to morning breakfast before a long work day or a hot yoga class. I couldn’t believe how filling it was and I was instantly hooked.
It checks all the boxes for me!
It’s super satisfying.
Can be made ahead of time.
Is very customizable and versatile.
Tastes amazing!
That’s really all I need to know when it comes to breakfast. Give me something good that I can prepare ahead of time and I am SOLD. Bonus points if it holds me over until lunch, only because I’d prefer to work and not stop to eat.
P.S. can you tell I’m going through my blood orange hoard right now? This pop of pink makes a cold, gloomy January exciting and bright. Love it!
The only real key to having breakfast quinoa on hand in the morning? Making sure you have cooked quinoa.
It can even be cooked quinoa leftover from dinner the night before, as long as it hasn’t been cooked in broth or tossed with other vegetables or anything.
First, I toast the quinoa in butter before boiling it. This adds an excellent depth of flavor and gives it a little warmth.
I like to use coconut milk for this too. Mostly because I love the flavor. Also because I already have a good amount of dairy because I love a yogurt bowl for lunch and also will probably have cheese at dinner. Surprise surprise.
Coconut milk is so creamy and wonderful, it’s easily one of my favorite ingredients. The good stuff in the can!
Next, I stir in lots of spices and vanilla. So off the bat, the base is spiced, warm and filled with vanilla flavor. Deeeeelish.
To make a breakfast quinoa bowl. I simply add the cooked quinoa to a bowl. Top it with more milk, cream or whatever your preference is. Then I add the toppings!
You know me – the more toppings the better. Fruit and nuts always make an appearance. But you can also add in nut butter, honey or maple syrup, dried fruit or seeds. The options are endless depending on what you love.
And that’s IT. It doesn’t seem like much, but because the quinoa is so packed with protein, this is incredible filling. I love the texture of the quinoa in the milk – it’s almost like a version of cereal.
And the toppings just make it perfect. (more…)
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January 14, 2024
A Week In The Life, Vol 3.
Another week of January in the books!
With this cute baby in a bathrobe!
Poinsettia still going strong.
Guess who started piano lessons this week!
Bedtime birthday parties for doggy, obviously.
We had the craziest weather this week! After going through the tollbooth I had to stop and take this picture because the kids were BEGGING for a picture for Eddie.
Gorgeous winter sunsets!
Love the deep baby squat. Can I still call him a baby… ?!
Her outfits give me life!!! Picked this out herself.
Max and Eddie were away at a hockey tournament this weekend. Love him!!
Which meant Emilia wanted every night to be a popcorn night.
I made some sourdough sandwich bread!
While Max and Eddie explored.
We got snow and the wind has been insane.
My little hockey baby!
We had a popcorn taste test. We made regular popcorn, then cake batter, then cinnamon toast.
And I wanted to feel like the movies so I made diet coke with cherry syrup. Ha.
And then we have the sweetest boy in his sister’s old robe.
He also insisted on putting on these shoes. I love him!
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This Week’s Menu Plan: 1/14/24.
We’ve got the most delicious lineup!
What’s on your menu this week?!
This Week’s Menu
20 minute basil chickpea curry
Blood orange winter kale salad
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January 13, 2024
Currently Crushing On.
Hello hello!
This week on the blog, I shared my favorite kale pesto pasta with roasted chickpeas. I also shared this winter blood orange kale salad, a bunch of other recipes to make with blood oranges and this roasted red pepper soup.
There’s a new weekly menu up and a peek at a week in our life!
You can join The Everyday Dinners cookbook club right here! If you have a copy of the book, request to join the group. If not, get one here! Ready to start on fall! It is such a wonderful community and an amazing place for recipe ideas.
xoxoxo
WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEKThese oreo bars… oh my gosh!
Crispy baked chicken wings look so good.
I want to make this salsa mexicana.
White bolognese sounds fabulous.
Beautiful blood orange upside down cake.
Beet hummus is also stunning.
Love this old fashioned cherry cake!
Taco breakfast scramble. I love this.
This lemon shortbread sounds wonderful.
Cheesecake cookie cups are cute.
The perfect bowl of chili.
Orange arugula salad! Delicious.
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January 12, 2024
What I Read In December 2023.
A million years late, but here are all the books I read in December! Lots of good ones and they aren’t only holiday specific!
You can find my reading lists here and previous what I read posts here.
And you can follow me on goodreads here.
I do have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. I get so many of my new releases and debut author books there. You can sign up for one here.
All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.
WHAT I READ IN DECEMBER 2023
I loved this one so much! This was a great holiday read, but isn’t all Christmas-y so you could totally read it now! This story follows a girl who comes home for the holidays to her family cabin. Once she is there, her brother shows up with his coworker who had no where to go for the holiday season – and this person used to be the love of her life. Super cute and I really enjoyed all these characters. I didn’t think I liked the main character at first, but I ended up really loving her. And everyone else.
Another cute Christmasy read! This is like Christmas romance meets HGTV for a town. This story is about a small town that was wrecked in a hurricane. They have the chance to get it fixed up to be the ultimate Christmas town, but the man is charge is uninterested. Again it’s super cute and festive and very Hallmark-y – with a lot more spice than Hallmark, of course.
This was a cute quick little read. It’s a novella, so it’s light and easy and it’s typical Tessa Bailey which = lots of spice. As long as I know that going in, I’m good! This story is about a girl working at a bar who enters a relationship with a hockey player, faking a marriage so he can stay in the US. It’s easy and quick! I read it on New Year’s Eve as my final book of the year.
I absolutely love this author, even if all of her books make me cry. This is such an NYC-love fest so if you love NYC like I do, you’ll love it. This story follows a girl who has a secret gelato recipe, but it’s not just HER secret recipe. There is some romance and drama here and she ends up falling for the owner of a gelato shop when she moves to NYC. It is so insightful and definitely emotional. And good!
Oh my gosh. This is another sort of sad but so lovable book! This is so emotional and deals with the loss of a spouse. The author’s note at the end is heartbreaking. A widow ends up stuck with her boss on a trip and he is the most wonderful character ever. There’s a little twist in here and while predictable, I still loved it. I love this book so much, even if it had me in tears multiple times.
This was another one of my book of the month books! Super cute, especially for the holiday season. But you can read this any time of year! The story follows a girl who wants to redo her entire year – and she gets the chance to do that, but not before something big happens RIGHT BEFORE the year switches back. Eeeep! This was a good one, a quick read for me and I couldn’t wait to see what happened.
(This is not sponsored but there are a few bookshop and/or affiliate links above! Thank you for reading!)
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Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Fontina Grilled Cheese.
This roasted red pepper soup is silky smooth, full of fire roasted flavor and absolutely delicious. Topped with fresh basil and melty fontina grilled cheese bites, it is super satisfying and the ultimate comfort food.
Soup season is going strong!
This silky roasted red pepper soup is vibrant, filled with flavor, super satisfying and best of all – topped with melty fontina grilled cheese bites/
Oh
My
Gosh.
The best flavor profile does exist!
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love tomato soup and grilled cheese. But roasted red pepper soup and grilled cheese? It’s like tomato soup’s cooler, more modern cousin. Of course, there are still tomatoes inside the red pepper soup, but they aren’t the main ingredient.
They let the roasted red peppers shine and do the talking.
Roasted red peppers rank up there are one of my favorite pantry ingredients to use in my recipes. If you do a search through all my recipes, they are a staple. Their sweetness, that extra charred flavor – they just can’t be beat. I like them a million times more than fresh red bell peppers.
And so do my kids! So that’s always a win.
My first exposure was probably on pizza. When I was a kid, my parents’ go-to order for the “adult” pizza was pepperoni and roasted red peppers. Now, that’s OUR “adult” pizza order often. Roasted red peppers add so much to every dish.
This soup is full of vegetables, which makes it a nice way to load up on them. We have onions, carrots and celery, plus a lot of spices and a touch of tomato paste. I like to cook the tomato paste in the pot with the vegetables until it gets all caramely and toasty. This adds an incredible depth of flavor to the soup!
Fire roasted tomatoes are also in this soup. That’s my other favorite pantry ingredient! In fact, I pretty much use fire roasted tomatoes exclusively. Any time a recipe calls for diced or crushed tomatoes, here I am running in with my fire roasted ones.
And I blend this soup. I am not a fan of immersion blenders – it never gets the soup smooth enough. I want a soup that is SILKY. Not a touch of texture and no chunks. Give me a blender and I’ll pour the soup right in there. Puree it is until smooth as silk. (more…)
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January 11, 2024
11 Recipes To Make With Blood Oranges This Season.
These blood orange recipes are so perfect for the winter season. You can find breakfast, dessert, easy weeknight dinner ideas, cocktails and mocktails and more!
I live for blood orange season.
I mean, citrus is amazing in general, but blood orange is on another level. And it’s not just because it tends to be hot pink! Though for me, that’s a bonus.
I’m sharing 9 of my favorite recipes below! There’s a little something for everyone – dinner, weekend treats, salad, cocktails and mocktails. Which one would you pick?!
11 Blood Orange RecipesIf you need a weekend treat…
Make this Blood Orange Coffee Cake. I will NEVER get over how good this is. It’s one of our favorite things to have in the winter. (more…)
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January 10, 2024
Winter Kale Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette.
This blood orange kale salad is the perfect savory, nutty salad to make during the winter months. Vibrant blood orange pairs with pistachio and pomegranate to bring a lovely salad that works with soups, sandwiches and more.
Blood orange season thrills me!
I love these vibrant, stunning citrus fruits in all their stain-your-hands-pink glory. This salad is filled with tuscan kale, segmented blood oranges, pomegranate arils, roasted pistachios and parmesan cheese. It’s easy and flavorful and so, so pretty!
And yes, more kale today!
Kale in pesto, kale in salad. I’m in a kale mood this month and I love how incredibly versatile it is.
Plus, finally some blood oranges. It has taken me forever to find them in my area this year and I’m so excited that I finally did. Sure, I love using them for beautiful recipes like this. But we also really like to juice them. This juicer gets a workout this time of year and makes for the most gorgeous glass of blood orange elixir.
This is such a simple yet flavorful salad. It has so many winter ingredients that I love to eat. We have:
Tuscan kale. It’s definitely my preferred version of kale and I love it in salads.
Blood oranges. I will eat anything that is hot pink! Not to mention, it tastes incredible.
Pomegranate arils. You already know how much I adore these little winter jewels.
Pistachios. Chopped pistachios are my go-to in salad. So buttery.
Shaved parmesan. For some extra savory and rich cheesy flavor.
The entire salad is drizzled with a blood orange vinaigrette. But honestly, it’s such a versatile dish that you could throw any dressing on top.
This can be a light lunch salad. It’s filling thanks to the kale, pistachios and parmesan.
It could also be a starter salad – one you have before a full meal, a soup or heck, even fondue.
And it is a fabulous base salad! I love to add crispy chicken to this, grilled salmon and even beans.
The blood orange vinaigrette is just as delicious as the gorgeous juice. It’s easily one of my favorite vinaigrettes of all time. Tangy, briney and bright, this is sweet and savory with that perfect hit of vinegar. I like to use a few tablespoons to massage the kale first, then add the toppings, then finish with more dressing.
This is one of those salads that I CRAVE. The texture is fabulous, the citrusy dressing is so wonderful with the rich parmesan and roasted pistachios. I love to shred the kale into small bits so this almost acts like a chopped salad, which we all know is the best kind of salad. (more…)
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January 9, 2024
Tuesday Things.
1. Things I did not expect to google at this age: how do you feed a tamagotchi?
2. This cajun chicken caesar is exactly what I want to eat.
3. I always take the first week or two to ease into the new year (I’m talking mindset/goals, not work!), mostly because I’m so tired after the holiday magic + fun with the kids! I highly recommend this and think it’s wonderful.
4. TV things!! I watched Saltburn. I don’t know
5. I could not get over Oprah’s stunning purple dress at the golden globes!! And Margot Robbie’s hot pink one! And J Lo!
6. Decluttering myths debunked! Makes it’s easier.
7. I am a marketer’s dream so I love everything for valentine’s day. Like, everything. Double walled heart mugs!
8. See the above. Will I ever grow out of this? Probably not.
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January 8, 2024
Kale Pesto Pasta with Roasted Chickpeas.
This kale pesto pasta is deliciously vibrant and cozy. Kale pesto made with lots of parmesan and garlic is twirled into hot pasta, served with crunchy chickpeas on top and a handful of extra cheese. Delish!
Going into the second week of January looking green!
This super simple kale pesto pasta is served with lots of parmesan cheese and a big handful of crispy chickpeas on top. Don’t forget the pile of parmesan.
It’s so satisfying!
And vibrant and pretty.
And easy!
I can’t believe I am sharing this with you guys because I have been eating a version of this recipe for… maybe, 15 years? Or close to 15 years.
I’ve never quite deemed it recipe-worthy, because it’s simple. And frankly, it happens most often based on the leftovers in my fridge.
Pesto-y pasta, topped with crispy roasted chickpeas and are one of my-go to meals. I LOVE this. It is super satisfying and filling. The components can be made ahead of time so it’s easy to have to for lunch or dinner in a pinch.
And you can switch up the flavors too! Different pesto, different cuts of pasta, different seasonings on the chickpeas.
Love a dish like this so much.
I came about this when I had roasted too many chickpeas one week. And I had a ton of leftover chickpeas by Friday, and, well… they aren’t they great and crispy after more than a week. I wanted to use them up and I didn’t have kids yet, so I couldn’t really pawn them off on to other plates in the house.
Enter a big bowl of pasta! I threw some on top and the rest is history.
It’s true – I make crispy chickpeas almost every week. I love to eat them for a snack, on salads, in pasta and more. I’ve converted many people I know to the wonders of this little treat. The texture is so incredible and I adore how satisfying the chickpeas can be.
They are a major staple here, and so is pesto.
I tend to stockpile a ton of basil pesto in my freezer for the winter months. But there is something about a hearty kale pesto in the winter. I love the mix of kale and parmesan, mixed in hot pasta with some crushed red pepper, lots of garlic and a touch of lemon.
Add that pasta and it’s dinner gold. (more…)
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