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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Breakfast Empanadas and a PB&J Smoothie!


Hi friends!

First off, some exciting news….Gourmet Rooster will be introducing five new products over the next couple of weeks.  The labels are being printed as we speak, and they will go into production at the end of this week.  Once I receive the products, I just need to take their pictures and have them added to my website.  So yeah, a couple of weeks;)  The five new products are Strawberry Champagne Spread, Cherry Amaretto Spread, Grandma’s Celery Seed Dressing, Strawberry Balsamic Dressing (fat free!) and finally….Spicy Lime Catsup!  I am so freakin’ excited!  I can’t wait for you guys to try all of them!  I will totally run a special for all of my FB friends.

So Addy is back to school, as of yesterday.  Paisley starts Tuesday.  Do you have trouble feeding your little lovelies in the morning?  My girls don’t even start school until 9:30, so it isn’t like they have to get up at the crack of dawn…yet I still struggle to get food in them in the am.  Addy prefers a hot meal, diva that she is, and Peepers is happy with a smoothie.  Today, I am going to show you a quick and easy Breakfast Empanada that can made on the weekends and re-heated on weekday mornings and a PB&J Smoothie that Paisley loves.  Let’s start with the smoothie.

This smoothie is protein packed.  Paisley is a lot like me and needs protein to get her through the day.  This smoothie is jam packed with Greek yogurt and peanut butter which are both kick-ass sources of protein.

 

I used a 5.3 ounce of light, non-fat Greek yogurt, vanilla flavored.  I also used reduced fat peanut butter and strawberry jelly.

 

In my Magic Bullet, I have ½ a cup of 1% milk and ¾ a cup of crushed ice.

This smoothie will make enough for one adult or two wee ones……

 

I scooped my yogurt into the bullet, right on top of the ice and milk.  Then, I added 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.  A banana would be amazing in this, but Paisley prefers her sans banana.

I blended this until smooth.  I feel like the crushed ice helps this process a long, but that might be all in my head.

 

I top the smoothie off with a swirl of strawberry jelly.  It will pretty much “melt” right in to the smoothie.  I used a jelly which is smooth.  If you use a preserve or jam, it won’t be as smooth.

 

Peepers loves it! The peanut butter is salty and delicious and the yogurt gives this smoothie sweetness and tang.  Yum!

Isn’t she pretty??  She is growing out her bangs….Such a fashion plate!

As for the empanadas….Do you know what an empanada is?  An empanada is a typically Spanish/Portuguese thing….It is a pastry stuffed with meats or sweet fillings.  They are usually pretty small, you know, hand-held.  I like “stuffed” anything, so I decided to give it a go, for Addy.

 

I used a canned biscuit for my pastry.  I used big ones…..”Grands”.  They will be rolled out later, so the bigger, the better.

I also used bulk breakfast sausage, diced potatoes, hard boiled eggs, onion and golden raisins which are a typical empanada filling.  For some reason golden raisins are a hit with empanada lovers….they do add a really yummy sweetness that works well in these.

Like I said above, these can easily be made ahead of time, and frozen for easy weekday morning breakfasts.  I will let you know which point to pop these in the freezer.

 

I started by sautéing the onion and potatoes in a bit of oil. 

I chose potatoes that you get in the fridge section of the grocery store.  They are typically used for hash browns…..you get them by the eggs.  This means I didn’t have to peel or chop any potatoes.  Score.

I sautéed these together for a few minutes, over medium heat.  I also added some salt and smidge of pepper.

 

Next, I added my sausage and cooked this until the sausage was browned, about 7 more minutes.

 

Once my sausage mixture cooled a bit, I added it to a bowl that already contained the raisins and hard boiled eggs.  I had smooshed the eggs up with my hands as opposed to chopping them.  I feel that I get the same result with boiled eggs whether I chop of smoosh.  They fall apart no matter what.

I mixed this all up gently.  The filling is ready!  Taste it to check for salt and pepper though.

 

As for the biscuits, I popped open the can and rolled out each biscuit on a floured board.  I wanted each biscuit about 4 inches across and ¼ an inch in thickness.

 

I added a rounded tablespoon of filling to one side of the flattened biscuit.  Then, I folded it over and pinched to seal.

 

I used a fork to crimp my edges and really make sure they are sealed.

At this point, go ahead and wrap these up individually and freeze them if you are making them ahead of time.  Take one out to defrost in the fridge the night before you want it.  In the am, let it sit on the counter while your oven preheats to let the filling come to room temperature.  Bake as directed below.

 

Right before I baked these, I cut a slit in the top to let the steam escape.

I baked these according to the biscuit package directions, which was 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

This was as I was pulling them out of the oven.  They smelled so good!  And they are the perfect size for a kid.  They are packed with protein and carbs for energy!

 

These are such a yummy weekday quick breakfast!  The sausage and eggs work so well together and the raisins are the best part!  They are an unexpected sweet little treat in there!  These are super filling and hearty……An am must!

Addy wouldn’t let me take a picture of her eating it because she wasn’t dressed yet.  Total teenaged girl.  Too bad she is only 7.

PB&J Smoothie

¾ cup crushed ice

½ cup 1% milk

5 ounces vanilla Greek yogurt, light and fat free

2 tablespoons peanut butter, reduced fat

2 tablespoons strawberry jelly

In a blender, blend together ice, milk, yogurt and peanut butter.  Pour into serving glass and swirl in jelly.

Serves 2 kids.

 

Breakfast Empanadas

1 can “Grands” Biscuits, canned

1/3 cup onion, chopped

1/3 cup potato, peeled and chopped (bagged is best)

½ pound breakfast sausage

1/3 cup golden raisins

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Sauté onions and potatoes over medium heat for about 5 minutes, over medium heat.  Add sausage and cook until sausage is browned, about 7 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add cooled sausage mixture to a bowl containing raisins and chopped eggs.  Mix gently.

On a floured board, roll out each biscuit until it is about 4 inches in diameter.  Add 1 tablespoon filling to each biscuit, fold in half and press to seal.  Use a fork to crimp the edges.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Makes 10.

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