Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa

In the early morning hours, when the sun is low in the sky and my eyes aren't quite ready to open and let the light into my world, a good breakfast wraps itself around me like a blanket and softly whispers that it's time to face the day. Breakfast is a comfort in a tired, caffeine driven world. It's a simple routine that fills an empty stomach and brings warmth and energy into a sleepy frame.

I've found an appreciation for breakfast.

There was a period in my life when I didn't appreciate breakfast. After entering university for the first time, with the nearest microwave fifty feet down the hall and an alarm clock that went off fifteen minutes before class, breakfast seemed a trivial part of the morning. I was born on the foundation of hot breakfasts. I like my breakfasts steaming from the stove top, with a sprinkling of sugar, and a splash of milk. If I couldn't have a piping hot bowl in front of me, I wanted nothing at all. For four years, I snubbed my nose at breakfast, welcoming lunch as my first meal of the day.

I was a fool.

Amid the hustle and bustle of stepping into clothes, fixing hair, and rushing to gather belongings before running out the door, breakfast is the calm in the storm of morning. A quiet reminder to take a moment to sit down and introduce myself to the aromas and flavors of a new day. I revel in the feeling of breakfast. It's a fresh start; a chance to replace yesterday with a new today. Some mornings I wake up early just so I can hold a steaming bowl of cereal in my hands and welcome the day in my own way.

I sincerely hope you've discovered the joy hidden in the depths of your cupboards. There is so much to love in that cereal box.

I've more or less eaten the same breakfast for the last twenty years. However, after trying out a bowl of this Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa, I may have discovered a replacement. Every morning this the past week, I've sat down to this sweet, nutty breakfast and I can't get enough. The quinoa cooks up in milk and absorbs the creamy flavor deep within its seeds. With a splash of milk and a handful of almonds and blueberries, I feel at home. The texture of the quinoa is such an interesting contrast to the warm, bursting juice of the blueberries—it's a texture of which I could never grow tired.

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Cherry Almond Granola

There was a heatwave this past weekend. Temperatures neared one hundred degrees and the air was as still as the calm before a storm. It was an unexpected appearance in a typically mild June. The sun and I have always had a healthy relationship, but the heat began putting a strain on it. For the better part of three days, the sun shined directly into my apartment with nary a cloud to provide blessed temporary relief. With the blinds closed and the air conditioning unit running on full blast, I managed to cool the apartment down to a balmy 90 degrees F.

This was a small improvement over the temperature of the surface of the sun.

At first, I ignored the rising temperature, pretending that is was perfectly normal to sweat while watching television. I held strong through the unbearable heat, pretending I didn't mind the sticky, humid clouds forming in my apartment. I fought the heat as I cursed the leather couch when I laid across it, too exhausted from the temperatures to pry myself off of it. I gave into the heat, running the oven to bake cookies because I couldn't imagine the oven could do more damage than the sun had already afflicted. I managed the heat with the most style and grace that I could muster.

Then, I snapped.

Ten minutes later I found myself in the refrigerated section of the local grocery store, carrying around a red basket to give the impression I was there for any reason other than to beat the heat. I reveled in the chill of the dairy aisle, staying far past my welcome as I pretended to compare butter labels to avoid pointed questions. Though I didn't intend to buy anything (I had done my grocery shopping just that morning), with the rows of yogurt directly in my vision I could scarcely think of anything other than how much I wanted to eat it—all of it—sprinkled with granola.

Some recipes are born out of love and tender growth, while others are created out of overheated desperation in the dairy aisle of a supermarket at precisely 9:23 pm on a Saturday evening.

Honestly, I don't think you can't taste the difference.

Cherry Almond Granola has varied textures and fabulous flavors that will steal your heart. Oats, almonds, and coconut flakes are sweetened with brown sugar and maple sugar before toasting in the oven. The granola is rounded out with tart dried cherries and a pinch of nutmeg which bring all of the flavors together in a unique, but delicate manner. I've experimented with several granola recipes before, but this recipe has made a little imprint on my heart. I'm in love.

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Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the month of June, I've decided to go vegan. It's more of a personal challenge to myself than a moral or ethical decision. Growing up in meat and potatoes country, I've never struck issue with eating meat. Both sets of my grandparents were farmers and ranchers, raising crops and cattle and working off the land. The farm was my second home when I was younger. Rooting around the big red barn and watching cattle through barbed wire fences was a regular pastime. I was raised on meat from my uncle's farm. He made a homemade sausage so good that my family would freeze it so we could enjoy it every month of the year.

You could say, in a way, that farm life is in my blood—that meat is in my blood.

Even so, I've always been curious about veganism. It's intimidating to me, honestly. I rely so heavily on dairy and egg products in my everyday life, typically grabbing a yogurt and an egg sandwich for a meal. Part of the reason I wanted to challenge myself with a month of veganism was to force myself to explore new foods, eat more fruits and vegetables, and get cooking in the kitchen. I wonder how my body will feel after a month without consuming any animal products. I fear I will have a hard time eating enough protein.

A year and a half ago, I was a vegetarian for a few months. It wasn't necessarily a conscious decision so much as it was a necessary one. Living in Montreal, Quebec, was expensive and I simply couldn't afford the high price of meat as a poor college student. However, becoming a vegetarian in a big city was almost effortless. Becoming a vegan in North Dakota, where grocery stores only hold three packages (not brands or types) of tofu will be an entirely different story. Vegans are few and far between in meat and potatoes country. I'll certainly be out of my element, but that is just another difficult part of the challenge.

Over the last week I've slowly been emptying my cupboards of "forbidden foods." I've finished the milk, eaten the yogurt, consumed the cans of soups, and said my goodbyes to my dear friend, butter. Despite my best efforts to clean out the cupboards, I still had a shelf of soon-to-be banned baking supplies. These cookies were born out of the last of the forbidden foods, featuring toffee pieces and chocolate chips.

As I experiment with this new lifestyle over the next month, I have a promise I want to make to you. I am going to do my best to continue to keep my foods approachable, delicious, and to use familiar, everyday ingredients you already have in your kitchen. My baking and recipes may be vegan, but they don't need to shout it from the rooftops. I'll keep you updated on this journey of mine—I can only wonder how it will play out.

These toffee chocolate chip cookies are an "everything but the kitchen sink" cookie, featuring a little bit of this and that. Oatmeal, chocolate chips, toffee pieces, and chopped almonds come together to create a crunchy, hearty cookie that just begs to be dunked in a glass of milk. These cookies are dangerous when lying around the house. You might find yourself sneaking three or four in a day's time.

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