Quick and Easy Fall Breakfast Idea - Maple Spiced Museli
Along with being the official month of back-to-school, tweed, apple picking and the first day of fall, September is also "Better Breakfast Month!" Given this recognition, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share one of my favorite quick and easy fall breakfast ideas with you. This recipe takes under 5 minutes to prepare and the flavors of maple and cinnamon make it perfect dish for a crisp fall morning.
Maple Spiced Museli
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of Museli
- 1 cup of Almond Milk
- 1 sprinkle of cinnamon
- 2 tbsp of pure maple syrup
- 1 sprinkle of allspice
Directions:
First, pour 1/2 cup of your favorite museli into a microwave safe dish. I personally love Bob's Red Mill Old Country Style Museli but any kind you have will work perfectly well. Next, pour 1 cup of almond milk over the dry cereal and add 2 tbsp of pure maple syrup. Stir and place in the microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Remove, sprinkle with cinnamon and allspice, stir once more and enjoy!
Bonus Recipe: English Muffins with Pumpkin Butter
This recipe is almost too simple to call a recipe, but it's so delicious that I had to include it as a bonus. To start, pick up some English muffins, butter and pumpkin butter from your favorite grocery store. Trader Joe's carries an excellent pumpkin butter or you can pick some up while apple picking for extra points ;). Cut your English muffin in half and lightly butter both sides before toasting them in the toaster oven until light brown. While the muffin is still hot, spread an even layer of pumpkin butter on each side, let cool slightly and enjoy.
Heirloom Tomato Tuna Melt with Fall Harvest Side Salad and Honey Mustard Dressing
Tuna melts are quite possibly my favorite food. Over the years, my love affair with this easy-to-make, versatile dish has evolved and I slowly developed my own recipe with a few twists. The first of these twists is that I prefer my sandwich open-faced. The next, is that I always need to include tomatoes - either cherry, grape or heriloom. The final twist is in the tuna. I never use your standard run of the mill canned tuna. Instead, I opt for the BEST canned tuna ever - Genova Tonno Solid Light Tuna in Olive Oil. While pricier than standard canned tuna, this little 5 oz. wonder seriously makes all the difference in an OK sandwich and an EXCELLENT sandwich that you'll want over and over again. Without further ado, here we go!
Ingredients
- Trader Joe's Tuscan Pane Bread
- 1 can of tuna
- 1 handful of cherry tomatoes or 1 medium tomato
- Olive oil
- Cheddar cheese
- Mesclun salad mix
- 2 tbs toasted sunflower seeds
- 1 carrot shaved
- Finely sliced cabbage (optional)
- Honey mustard dressing
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Place 4 slices of Tuscan Pain on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil
- Evenly distribute a spoonful of tuna onto each slice, then add either halved cherry tomatoes or tomato slices
- Next, slice the cheddar into even chunks and place over the tuna and tomatoes
- Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool before slicing each piece of bread in half
- While the sandwiches cool, mix the mesclun mix, sunflower seeds, carrot and cabbage. Add a few tablespoons of your favorite honey mustard dressing. Toss and enjoy!
Pumpkin Walnut Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Now that fall is finally here (AHHH!!!!) I couldn't wait to whip up this Pumpkin Walnut Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. This cake is perfectly fall-themed with notes of pumpkin and spice running throughout it. Plus, it's pretty simple to make and will leave your house smelling delicious! Before we jump into the recipe, I want to call out that I borrowed and modified this recipe from the ever perfect Martha Stewart. Am I the only one who can't help but read every Martha Stewart cook book, craft book and holiday entertaining book available this time of year?!? Anyway, get your aprons and mixing bowls ready and lets do this.
Cake Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs and 1 egg white
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Rub a stick of butter along the sides and bottom of the pan until completely covered. Coat the pan with flour and gently tap to remove the excess.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Place the mixture to the side.
Next, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. This should take about 2 minutes with the aid of an electric mixer. Add the eggs and egg white and beat they are combined. Now, add the pumpkin puree and buttermilk and beat until everything is combined. Slowly add the flour mixture and walnuts, and mix gently until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the buttered pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool and let it rest for about 20 minutes while you make the frosting.
To make the frosting simply mix all of the ingredients listed above until smooth.
Delicately frost the cake as desired and enjoy with tea or coffee.
