♥ Saturday morning banana pancakes ! ♥ topped with coconut butter & blueberries! 

Blueberry streusel muffins, fresh baked baguettes and cinnamon rolls (later glazed with icing) 

~I'm going to school for Culinary Arts/Culinary Nutrition, but i just finished a mandatory baking and pastry lab that i really enjoyed! Baking is so much fun, but very tedious, you have to be an extremely patient person, which i'm not! Making baguettes was an amazing learning experience, probably my favorite thing we made in class, so much time goes into the process, it's really an art.  

My favorite breakfast lately has been green smoothies! I actually never tried making one till a few weeks ago, I've seen recipes for years, but always stayed away from drinking my veggies other than in the form of carrot juice! Now i'm hooked! There are so many different recipes I've made some favorites are, unsweetened cocoa powder and banana or peanut butter + frozen banana and blueberries! A great way to easily get in a lot of antioxidants and vitamins early in the day so you can eat breads, muffins and cinnamon rolls later, of course, haha just kidding ;)
~ This particular one pictured above  had 1/2 a small fresh papaya, a few chunks of frozen pineapple, 1 cup of almond milk, 2-3 handfuls of kale, fresh grated ginger, 1-2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 tsp maca powder and 1 tsp chia seeds...Also i like adding a packet of truvia for extra sweetness!

check out my Four Sixty page and see what I've been up to :) this website is so cool, y'all should go make a profile too!

http://www.foursixty.com/ekoplowitz/

I'm making it my mission to post more on my blog, definitely some exciting posts to come soon with creations from school and such! 

xo

hazelnut summer fruit crisp

 

This morning i went to the farmers market here in Montauk, where the produce is so fresh and amazing and there are tons of interesting vendors selling specialty products such as breads and pastries, chutney's and jams, pickles, wine, coffee, cheeses, pesto's and sauces! Really interesting and inspiring to walk through, plus fun to sample all these local artisan products. I've been staying out at my family's summer house enjoying the beach and just relaxing, waiting to move into my apartment in Rhode Island to start school in only 10 days! I better appreciate this peace and leisure now before things get super busy and stressful soon.

Well, at the market this morning i bought some ripe, fresh peaches and plums, so i came home and made a crisp including some blueberries i already had in the fridge. It came out so delicious, and smelled heavenly while baking! I can't wait to serve it tonight for dessert, since my grandpa and dad are driving in from the city later and i know they will both love it! My dad loves hazelnuts and my grandpa's favorite fruits are plums and peaches! Perfect way to enjoy the end of the summer with the beautiful, fresh fruits of the season. 

recipe

3 large ripe peaches (sliced)

2 large plums (sliced) 

2 cups fresh blueberries 

1-2 tbsp lemon juice 

1 tsp lemon zest 

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

dash of nutmeg

1/4 cup oat flour 

1/4 cup hazelnut flour (or grind raw hazelnuts until flour consistency) 

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup rolled oats 

2 tbsp coconut oil (cold)

2 tbsp cold butter 

instructions

prepare your fruit by coring and slicing them, add blueberries. Place in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg, lemon zest and 2 tbsp brown sugar . Set aside while preparing the crisp topping.

Place oat flour and ground hazelnuts in bowl and mix in the rolled oats, salt and cinnamon and stir until all dry ingredients are combined. Next, add the coconut oil and butter by using your fingers to mix in the coconut oil and the butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar in with the dry ingredients and mix well unto crumbly. 

To assemble the crisp, spray pan with cooking spray and add the fruit to the bottom of the pan. Evenly spread the crisp topping over the fruit. bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes,  Let cool and enjoy or cover and reheat when ready to enjoy! :) 

xo

Montauk

Hello!

 This week I've been out at my family's summer house in Montauk! It's so beautiful here, so peaceful like a little piece of heaven! I feel so lucky to have this house to come to. Maya and i stayed while my dad, grandpa, uncle and brother went back to the city a few days ago..I am so glad i decided to stay longer with Maya, i seriously can't think of a good enough reason to leave! :) We are having such a lovely time together and soaking up the summer weather, shopping in the hamptons, walking barefoot on the beaches, eating fresh seafood, relaxing on the deck, playing scrabble and watching movies! So excited that i will probably be spending most of my summer days here, considering my parents are selling our house soon and i am moving to Rhode Island for school in September!! Ah i can't wait! 

Anyway, these macarons, or should i say 'Smacarons' :) turned out absolutely delicious, although they looked more like sandwich cookies rather than French Macarons...I think i made them too round or flat or something? Oh well ^_^ ha I don't quite know? I followed a classic French macaron recipe and filled them with raspberry jam and some Italian chocolate hazelnut spread that my dad had.

I am way more confident when it comes to cooking rather than baking, but I plan on attempting this recipe again soon and perfection is my goal! ;) Nevertheless it was very fun to make these and my family and i devoured them in a day! 

Anyone have any experience making macarons, any tips? 

xo

Bircher Muesli

A few years ago i discovered Bircher Muesli and ever since then it's become a favorite summer breakfast! I actually haven't made it in a while but then a few weeks ago i remembered and since then I've been having this almost every morning for breakfast. I love waking up knowing i have a delicious breakfast waiting for me that involves barely any work!  This is such a versatile recipe and perfect for the warmer months, you can add any fruits and nuts you like. I love dried fruits and grated apple in mine with a variety of raw nuts and seeds...I never thought of grating apple before making this recipe, but it's so good and once the apple is mixed into the creamy oats the crunchiness, juiciness and tartness of the apple is just so good and refreshing. 

I find it's just the right amount of carbohydrates, fats, sugar and protein for breakfast...keeps me full for hours and gives me a good amount of energy to get my day going . Bircher Muesli was actually invented by a doctor in Switzerland named Maximilian Bircher-benner. He found that soaking oats was highly beneficial to your health,. By soaking oats the grain becomes more digestible and soft which aids the absorption of vitamins and minerals...what a smart man!

Bircher Muesli

1/2 cup old fashioned oats 

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

1/4 tsp cinnamon

sweetener of choice, i used truvia 

1 tbsp lemon juice 

pinch of sea salt

choice of dried fruits (I used raisins and a dried apricot)

1/2 an apple grated

handful of chopped nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut etc) 

Simply combine the oats, yogurt, milk, cinnamon, lemon and raisins, mix well and let in sit in fridge overnight. In the morning grate the apple in a food processor and mix into the oats. Top with nuts and seeds!
Enjoy ! :) 

I discovered this recipe for yogurt maple balls and decided to get a cheese cloth to make them. I made some changed to the recipe, but they turned out incredibly delicious. I was surprised with how the yogurt transformed after 3 days and became super thick, if you can even imagine a thicker Greek yogurt than usual...The yogurt tasted kinda like cream cheese or cream-on-top yogurt! Stained yogurt which is called Labneh is used in Mediterranean cooking, Labneh can served sweet with honey, fruit and nuts or savory with pita bread, za'atar or dukkah and olive oil, like this recipe. Anyway i enjoyed making them, and definitely will be experimenting more.

Sweet Labneh balls 

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (i used 0% Fage)

1 tbsp honey 

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

granola, cereal, nuts, chocolate, coconut to coat

Combine the yogurt, vanilla, cinnamon and the honey. Place onto the cheese cloth and gather together tightly with string. allow to suspend over a bowl to excrete the water for a few days. After a few days (2-4) the yogurt will be sort of dry and thick! Form into 4 balls with wet hands and coat in nuts and granola!

xo

citrus

 Blood orange ricotta pancakes with coconut and ginger (recipe here)

Homemade dried cara cara orange segments 

Hello! Happy Spring! I know, i know it's been quite a while, i kinda forgot about this little blog and life has been busy  ^_^ But i promise i'll try to post more regularly. I really enjoy posting and sharing my recipes and other things.

It's been so beautiful here in NY lately, although one day it will be 70 degrees and perfect out while the next day it will go down to 30 degrees and rain, like today it's so dreary and cold! Well, despite the beautiful weather lately i've been sick with a bad cold for almost a week now, so citrus fruits have been what i''ve been craving, so refreshing! Blood oranges, grapefruits, oranges, lemon water...

 The pancakes pictured above were pretty amazing. This was my first time making ricotta pancakes and i loved how fluffy they were compared to regular pancakes! The addition of the blood orange compote, ginger, coconut and salty/sweet sunflower seed butter all went perfectly!

What are some of your favorite recipes with citrus? 

xo Eliza 

just a little something

❤ Salted caramel and pistachio macarons  ❤

Hello, hello! This week so far has been super hectic…I don't know why i decided to make a blog at such a busy time in my life? ^_^ Hopefully later this week i'll have some free time. Although life is a bit stressful right now, i do feel very productive and like my life is starting to actually move forward!
Anyway i managed to stop off at a little french bakery in my town this afternoon to pick up some macarons! A little something to brighten this rainy and not so fun day.
xo

some favorites

Yesterday I started classes, i am taking a few psychology courses and one history class which is called psychohistory, it's a history credit but it's the psychology of history, seems like a really cool class so far! The professor seems really good too, plus he is quite cute. ;) Also the meditation thing is going great, if anyone was wondering. Before i went to bed the other night i followed this article and it was so calming and actually helped me sleep. 

Anyway, above i have some of my recent favorite things! Apartamento magazine, which is Maya's - it's amazing and full of amazing articles and designs. The sweater pictured was a Christmas present from a dear friend. The sweater is from Uniqlo, if anyone isn't familiar with Uniqlo, it's a Japanese casual wear store, with really great and affordable high quality items.  My new favorite snack pictured on the bottom are Thunderbird Energetica bars. I recently discovered these bars at my local health food store and they are without a doubt the best tasting and most unique product I've ever came across, and I've tried A LOT over these past years, so trust me they are good. Not only is the packaging awesome and the flavors are exquisite, but the ingredients are highly nutritious and pure. I've tried all of the flavors, but i think my two favorites are the Cherry Walnut Crunch and the Cocao Hemp Walnut. If you can't find these near you, i highly suggest ordering them, because they are worth it! 

My favorite recipe is socca. A socca is a flat bread made from garbanzo bean flour (or besan at an Indian market). It's fantastic as a base for pretty much anything, a pizza crust, an appetizer, or as a sandwich (as i had above). Ever since i came across this recipe about a year ago, I've been making socca multiple times a week for lunch or dinner. The recipe is unbelievably simple, and today i made a great sandwich. I had some fennel sitting in the fridge so i roasted that with some red onion and bell pepper, wilted some baby spinach and adding that along with fresh avocado, sliced turkey and goat cheese.

Socca (serves 1)

1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour 

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. dried or fresh rosemary

salt and black pepper to taste

 olive oil cooking spray

*preheat oven to 420º and combine all the ingredients and mix very well. Spray a cast iron pan with cooking spray and pour socca batter into the hot pan. let cook for 15-20 minutes! 

Raw cocoa nibs. favorite way to get my daily dose of chocolate. 

This is seriously the best almond butter on earth. It contains raw sprouted almonds, coconut and lacuma fruit and cardamom. The flavor is so exotic and sweet from the coconut and lacuma, while the texture is "silky-smooth" unlike your normal almond butter. I usually have a spoonful in my oatmeal or spread on a banana for a snack...but it's probably good on anything! :)