Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Gluten free!)

An easy recipe for soft, chewy, and healthy oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip breakfast cookies. Gluten free, low carb, and just one simple substitution to make them Paleo too!  Skip to recipe.

Close up of Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies by www.smokeandvanilla.com - An easy recipe for soft, chewy, and healthy oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip breakfast cookies. Gluten free, low carb, and just one simple substitution to make them Paleo too! http://bit.ly/2q1ZZjC

I have been trying to get my husband to eat breakfast before work for years. I've tried to emphasize the importance of starting off your day with a quick nutritious meal, but it has always fallen on deaf ears. There are plenty of quick breakfast options on the market (e.x. granola bars), but they are all packed with sugar and carbs and don't offer much in the way of actual nutrition (fiber, protein, etc). This gave me the idea to investigate breakfast cookies. I mean, who wouldn't want to start their day off with a few chocolate chips?

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Easy Tex-Mex Grilled Chicken

A quick and easy marinade recipe for delicious, Tex-Mex grilled chicken breasts perfect for tacos, nachos, salads, burritos... you name it! Skip to recipe.

Easy Tex-Mex Grilled Chicken by www.smokeandvanilla.com - A quick and easy marinade recipe for delicious, Tex-Mex grilled chicken breasts perfect for tacos, nachos, salads, burritos... you name it! http://bit.ly/2qGn3SS

Glance over our recipe index and, given the relatively young age of our blog, you might get the idea that my husband and I have an affinity for Mexican food. This is absolutely true. I don't think you can live in Southern California (or California in general) without developing an appreciation for the delicious flavors from our southern neighbors. I am fully convinced that good street tacos are a gateway drug to a lifelong addiction to light and spicy Latin flavors.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Maple Oat Scones

An easy recipe for soft breakfast scones featuring oatmeal, walnuts, and a sweet maple glaze. The perfect accompaniment to your morning cup of coffee or tea. Skip to recipe.

Scone Close Up with Walnuts from Maple Oat Scones by www.smokeandvanilla.com - An easy recipe for soft breakfast scones featuring oatmeal, walnuts, and a sweet maple glaze. The perfect accompaniment to your morning cup of coffee or tea. http://bit.ly/2oXG9px
Maple oat scone with walnuts

In college I worked in several different independent coffee shops. One of them sold these amazing maple oat scones with a light and sweet maple glaze and I probably averaged one scone for every morning shift I worked. I would have eaten them during afternoon shifts, but they always sold out. Yes, a similar product is (was?) available at everyone's favorite corporate coffee giant, but these were fresh baked daily and infinitely superior in every way (not that I'm biased).

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Better-Than-Chipotle Corn Salsa

A healthy, fresh, and easy recipe featuring jalapeño, red bell pepper, red onion, and a hint of lime juice. Better than a copycat and delicious served as a dip with tortilla chips, on its own as a side dish, or on top of tacos. Skip to recipe.

Veggies before chopping from Better-Than-Chipotle Corn Salsa by www.smokeandvanilla.com - A healthy, fresh, and easy recipe featuring jalapeño, red bell pepper, red onion, and a hint of lime juice. Better than a copycat and delicious served as a dip with tortilla chips, on its own as a side dish, or on top of tacos. http://bit.ly/2olfujf
Veggies before chopping and dicing.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about my strong affinity for all things corn and while we were planning out which recipes to post over the next few weeks, we instantly decided this one needed to be included. I used to frequent Chipotle in college and grad school, but came to realize that my favorite thing about eating there was the corn 'salsa'. (I know this isn't technically a salsa and you probably know it isn't technically a salsa, but since that's what Chipotle calls theirs I'm going to go with it for continuity and clarity purposes).