A Good Morning, Indeed!

Hiya & hello – and happy Wednesday! Today we’re bringing you all a shiny new review. We know it can sometimes be a little tough be’n xgfx and we’re here to suss out lots of products and publications that you all might enjoy and find to be quite awesome. Today’s review is Ricki Heller’s new ebook, Good Morning! Breakfasts Without Gluten, Sugar, Eggs or Dairy.

Ricki is a fellow xgfxer (a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), cookbook author, a mom to two lovely girls, and fellow blogger!) and in March of 2009 she “began a much more serious (and much more restrictive) candida diet after suffering from myriad candida symptoms for more than 6 months.” Today Ricki’s 90% better and feels absolutely amazing! She discusses the Anti-Candida Diet in her ebook and has an entire page dedicated to Candida FAQ on her website, Diet Dessert, and Dogs. Alrighty – now on to the review!

Good Morning! Breakfasts Without Gluten, Sugar, Eggs or Dairy

eBook Reviewed: Good Morning! Breakfasts Without Gluten, Sugar, Eggs or Dairy
Ricki Heller
Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Being a big fan of Ricki’s Anti-Candida Feast ebook I was most excitedfaced to have the opportunity to review her breakfast based ebook, Good Morning! Breakfasts Without Gluten, Sugar, Eggs or Dairy. I’m not overly creative in the mornings and my usual breakfasts consist of either leftovers or a big green smoothie, but after trying many recipes from Ricki’s ebook I have a feeling things are going to change a lot around here.

First up, Ricki’s African-Inspired Spicy Beans over Cheaters’ Injera. Wowzers! What a delicious ‘n savory way to wake up your tastebuds and say good morning! I went into this recipe giving myself a bit of time to throw it all together, but it pulled together very quickly. While the perfectly spicy beans were simmering, Dan whipped up the injera and made the rest of the meal happen. The injera was awesome – we both really, really loved it – especially smothered in all the spicy goodness that were the african-inspired beans. The beans were awesome because the recipe didn’t call for a dozen different spices and yet there was tons of flavor and kick. Not only is this a delightful breakfast, but it would make for a fanastasical lunch or dinner. So versatile and so super delicious.

On a lazy Saturday I had a little time on my hands and wanted to surprise Dan with something other than his usual Saturday morning breakfast which consists of a bagel with tofutti cream cheeze and tempeh bacon. Frittata with Zucchini and Chard fit the bill for something fun ‘n new, and I took Ricki’s suggestion to play around with the veggies, as Dan isn’t the biggest fan of zucchini or chard. A mushroom-bell pepper-spinach-asparagus-cherry tomato frittata came to be and downright fantastical it was! Oh-sooooo mmmmmmmm!

Well balanced, full of awesomeness, it didn’t taste tofuish, was simple to make, and we had leftovers through the weekend and into the early part of the week. Tasty, tasty leftovers! One of the many things Ricki constantly impresses me with is her creativity regarding the ingredients she chooses. She uses flavor combinations I wouldn’t think to try and ingredients I would never have guessed might work well with one another. I won’t lie, there was a time when I’d be making a few recipes and I’d tilt my head to the side with a “really?”, shrug my shoulders and continue on with the recipe – a tad bit confused by the combinations and hoping they really would work together. And every single time I was delighted with the gloriously tasty results. I should no by now, never doubt Ricki. :) Next time we’re invited to a potluck or party I’ll be making Ricki’s frittata again, only I’d like to try and make individual frittatas using muffin tins. Fun!

Next up, Socca Rollups with Sweet Potato Spread and a side of Ricki’s Veggie-Full Breakfast Hash. I’m not one for combining fruit with other yummies, so I subbed in black beans & spinach for the apple called for stuffing inside the socca, having decided upon black beans with the few leftover from the veggie-full hash. Not only was the socca rollup an absolute snap to make, but it kept me full for hours and my tastebuds were most happyfaced. The socca was the perfect wrap for her sweet potato mash and the black beans I subbed in totally worked with it all. The veggie-full breakfast hash was spicy and full of colorful veggies and lots of flavor. I don’t know that I can go back to traditional hash now, it just seems so plain in comparison.

These little guys are the Easy “Sausage” Patties and they truly are easy to make (and gloriously good)! We loved the flavor of the smoked paprika and the fact that these little gems are soy-free as well – perfect for just about everyone! Their flavor is smoky & nutty, the texture is lovely, and you’ll want to eat them with everything! I used my easy “sausage” patties to top bowls of greens and drizzled on the tahini, we also enjoyed them on xgfx bagels and alongside slices of frittata. So versatile and scrumdilliumptious!

I loved every recipe I tried and I would recommend Ricki’s ebook to anyone looking to brighten up their mornings with lots of flavor and variety. Every recipe is well written & clear, there’s a lovely photo to accompany each one, and I found Ricki’s notes about the recipes most helpful. Breakfasts will forever be different for me, now that I have so many more delicious, healthful options that rock some serious socks!

Pros:

• Ricki offers lots of recipe variations & many helpful notes to her readers.
• Many recipes are soy-free.
• The recipes I made were not only easy to make, but downright awesome!

Cons:

• A few pricier ingredients such as chia seeds, nut butters, and stevia are sometimes called for; there are substitutions listed for a few of these items and it’s easy to make modifications.

Reviewed by Jessy Farrell