Bright Beet Pancakes

Since Thursday was Valentine's day, and we can't all have breakfast together on Thursdays due to preschool, I decided that we'd have our 'Valentine's Breakfast' on Friday instead... and we made these bright pancakes together.  They turned out rather well, and although more work than my usual pancake recipe, the kids loved them and I would probably make them again... as long as I already had beet puree prepared before hand.  This recipe was once again adapted from Parenting magazine... see page 54 on the Feb 2013 issue for more fun things to do with beets.

 

Bright Beet Pancakes

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar (I omitted this and used a bit less than 1/4 cup date paste*)
1 Tbsp baking powder
dash salt
3/4 cup beet puree** (enough from one beet)
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1 large egg
3 Tbsp melted butter (if salted, omit the salt from the recipe)
1 tsp vanilla.

Sift together flours, sugar (if using this.  If using date paste, put that in with the wet ingredients), baking powder and salt into a medium bowl
Whisk together the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.  Once blended, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Drop about 2 Tbsp of batter onto a greased pan (or pancake griddle) over medium heat.  Cook 3 minutes per side.  Serve with raspberry sauce, honey, or syrup.

We just buttered ours and added fruit to the top.  We also added thawed strawberries and raspberries to the batter to stretch it a bit, and that fruit tasted great in there!

* To make date paste, take as many dates as you can manage and pack them tightly into a large measuring cup. Add water just to fill in the spaces to let them soak and soften (if they are soft enough already, I believe you can skip this step). Soak for 1-4 hours, depending (some say 1hr, some say overnight... I just do whatever until they feel soft enough to process alright). Drain and reserve liquid, and put the dates into the food processor. Process until smooth. If very thick, add some of the reserved liquid. Put in the fridge for up to 3 months. It probably won't last that long though, if you are like me. :) Use as a substitute for sugar in recipes!

**Basic roasted beets: Preheat oven to 375F. Wrap the beets in tinfoil and bake 45-60 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from the foil and set aside until cool to touch. Wear disposable plastic food gloves (or use Ziploc baggies over your hands) to avoid staining your skin, and rub the skins off the beets. Puree in food processor until smooth.

Pancake Day

Tuesday was pancake day, and I'm sorry I didn't post this then... oops. Anyway, I have this 'from scratch' pancake recipe memorized and thought, why not put it on my blog? So here it is!

Pancakes

serves 2-4

Ingredients
1 cup flour (I use whole grain)
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
dash salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Drop onto frying pan, flip when bubbly on top. Serve with butter and syrup (maple is the best).

For variations, try the following:

• Add one mashed banana to the batter for banana pancakes.
• Add chocolate chips (1/2 cup should do) and a mashed banana for banana chocolate chip pancakes.
• Add 1 or 2 peeled and chopped apples and some cinnamon (to taste) for Apple cinnamon pancakes.
• Add blueberries or strawberries or a mix of both for berry pancakes. Blueberries will turn the batter blue... it looks pretty cool. Maybe have some fun with it and add some food coloring for the kids.
• Get creative in adding different fruits and other things from the pantry to your pancakes to make them all your own. You can even serve them with ice cream, whipped cream, or just sprinkle some sugar on top.

Pomegranate Banana Bread

Apparently, November is national Pomegranate Month in the USA. I didn't know that before, but thought it interesting. I love pomegranates, a friend I met in university introduced the fruit to me... I had never actually seen one before. Anyway, we bought one for Christmas and with the hustle and bustle of the month, completely forgot about it. Not one to let a fruit that good go bad, I thought it best to try to bake it (otherwise we wouldn't eat it fast enough). Lo and behold, my hubby finds this recipe on POM Wonderful, and since we also had 2 over-ripe bananas, I thought it would be the perfect thing to try!


POM, Banana & Pistachio Bread
20min prep
1 1/2 hours baking and cooling
makes 1 loaf



Ingredients
1 cup arils from 1 large Pomegranate
2 cups flour (I did 1 white and 1 whole wheat)
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
dash salt
2-3 bananas, mashed (1 cup)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup shelled pistachios or slivered almonds, chopped (I didn't have these so I omitted them)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Grease one 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

3. Score pomegranate, place in a bowl of water. Break open the pom under the water to free the arils or seed sacs. They will sink while the membranes will float (I didn't know this until reading this recipe... would have saved me lots of time pulling those seeds out like I usually do!). Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup to put aside (snack on the rest... yummers).

4. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a smaller bowl, stir together bananas, oil, milk, and egg. Add liquids to flour (and arils and pistachios if used) until just moistened. Don't over mix.

5. Spoon batter into prepared pan. You can sprinkle leftover nuts/arils over top if you like. I didn't bother (didn't have any left over... oops...).

6. Bake 50-60minutes until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove onto a rack and cool completely. To store, wrap it tightly or you can freeze for up to 1 month by wrapping tightly in foil.



Nutrients per serving (1 slice... don't ask how big the slice is because it doesn't say)

162 calories
3g protein
24g carbs
6g total fat (1g saturated)
12mg cholesterol
139g sodium (if you do 1/2 tsp salt... I always do less)

Pumpkin Waffles

I've made this recipe once last year, and decided it would be a good one to make this year to welcome autumn... yes, I love fall! I don't remember where I got this one from unfortunetly.

Pumpkin Waffles

Makes 16 4inch waffles
Prep 15min

Ingrediants
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
dash salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 3/4 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin (or mashed cooked pumpkin)
2 eggs, seperate yolks and whites
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.

2. In medium bowl combine milk, pumpkin, egg yolks, and butter. Add pumpkin mixture all at once to flour mixture and stir until just combined (will be lumpy)

3. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter, leaving a few puffs of white.

4. Heat a lightly greased waffle baker. Pour some batter onto waffle grid (be careful not to overfill as cleanup will be ... ahem... fun). Cook as per waffle grill directions.

5. Serve waffles immediately. Can also be frozen.

Cider-Honey Syrup: In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup apple cider or juice and 1 cup honey. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes or til slightly thickened. Serve warm. Can be stored in fridge up to 1 week. Makes about 1 cup.

Note: To use an entire 14oz can of pumpkin, multiply recipe above by 1.5

New Measures
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
dash salt
3/8 tsp baking soda
3/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3/8 tsp ground ginger
2 2/3 cup milk
1 can pumpkin
3 eggs, seperate yolks and whites
1/4 cup butter, melted

Leftover Burritoes

Sorry, once again I forgot to take a picture. That's ok though, right? They are burritoes after all.

Leftover Burritoes

Scramble one egg per person, add leftover meat of your choice (we used chicken), and add leftover brown/wild rice (about 1/2 cup to 1 cup per person). Add salsa (however much you like). Cook till warmed up. Spread into burrito (whole wheat is best) and top with cheese. Tastes great served with veggie sticks (celery, carrots, etc).

Whole Wheat Buns

This recipe I got from my mom. It is really good, but I do still find mixing the bun dough to be a challenge.

Whole Wheat Buns

Mix the following:
4 cups warm water
1 cup oil
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs

Mix the following (in seperate bowl):
3 cups white flour
2 Tbsp fast rising yeast
2 tsp salt (usually, I do 1/2 this or less)

Throw dry mixture into wet mixture and mix. Add whole wheat flour (about 7 cups) until right consistancy (not "sticky", rollable). Roll into buns and let rise under a towel until "light" (looking double the size... or more). Bake in 350F oven for 15-20minutes. If doing bread, do 45 minutes.

Versatile Biscuit Dough

So, today for supper I decided to make some pigs in a blanket... using biscuit dough. Along for the ride came these quick little cinnamon rolls. So, you get an appetizer and dessert (or tomorrows breakfast) all in one little handy dandy recipe. Want to try? (biscuit dough recipe from my mom)

Versatile Biscuits



Ingrediants

• 3 cups flour (I used 2 whole wheat and 1 white)
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• dash salt
• 2 Tbsp lard
• 1 1/4 cup milk

Mix all dry ingrediants. Cut in lard until small 'crumbs' appear. Add milk, stir. Knead on floured surface (or in the bowl, whatever works for you) 10-20 times or until even consistancy. Roll out 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1 1/2" squares. Bake 10-12 minutes at 425F until lightly browned on top.

Pigs in a Blanket
Cut weiners/sausages (if sausage, cook a little first) in half, roll into dough (thinner dough is better... I did mine a bit thick). Basically, 1"x2" pieces. Bake 10-15 minutes (or until browned on top).

Cinnamon Rolls
If doing all dough as cinnamon rolls, roll in a 16" x 10" square. Mix 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and 2 tsp cinnamon together. Spread on dough leaving 1" along the long side. Roll from the empty side to the other (if you wish to add raisins, do so before rolling). Cut roll into 20-24 pieces. Place together in a parchment covered pan, or put in muffin tins. Bake until browned in center (10-12 minutes).  Alternately, you can wrap the roll in cling wrap and refrigerate overnight before baking the next morning.

Wraps
Make them like you would the cinnamon rolls, only instead of making the cinnamon mixture, place mayonnaise on the biscuit, and then add shredded cheese, thin sliced ham, and spinach/lettuce before rolling.  Slice into 1/2 inch sections, lay on a parchment covered cookie sheet, and bake 10-12 minutes.

Healthy Recipes

Here is a list of recipes that make my "healthy" list. Not necessarily diet, but a healthier version of something we could otherwise eat.

Adding more fiber
Black Bean Soup and Greek Salad
Bran muffins
Granola Bars
Whole Wheat Buns
Whole Wheat Waffles

Fish
Salmon with Brown Rice Pilaf
Shrimp Pasta

Adding more veggies/fruits
Banana Blueberry Muffins
Black Bean Soup and Greek Salad
Bright Beet Pancakes
Cabbage Diet Soup
Carrot Coconut Cookies
Cheesy Burritos
Chocolate Velvet Beet Cupcakes
No Sugar Pear Cardamom Muffins
Meatless Lasagna
Speggheti Squash and Meatballs
Zucchini bread/cake

Whole Wheat Waffles

I got this recipe off the Homestead Happenings website. It is so good I had to post it. We've made it many times before, and decided to make it for breakfast this morning. I find them light and fluffy fresh, and when we're done we freeze the rest and use them like eggos in the morning... just they are so much tastier (yes, I've had eggos... can't stand them as they taste very fake).

Whole Wheat Waffles
Ingredients
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 beaten egg yolks
3 1/2 cups milk
1 cup melted butter
4 stiffly beaten egg whites

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine egg yolks, milk, and butter. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently fold in your egg whites. The whites do not need to be well mixed, it is fine to see a few fluffy bits in the batter. Bake in your waffle iron until golden brown.

These freeze well. Package them in between wax paper into your freezer bags so you can grab as many as you need.

We like to make a strawberry sauce for them. Take 2 cups of strawberries (we use frozen), mash them in a small saucepan and add 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and cook 5 minutes. Cool slightly. You can add whipped cream on top of that yet if you wish.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

I made this "new" recipe today because it looked good with two types of fruit in there... and I needed to use up my two overripe bananas. It turned out great! I got it from my "Favorite Brand Name Cookbook".

Banana Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients
2 extra ripe bananas, peeled
2 eggs
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup melted butter
1 cup blueberries
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cup flour (I did half white, half whole wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon dash salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Puree bananas (I just used the electric mixer in the bowl till done). In medium bowl, combine bananas, eggs, sugar, and butter until well blended. Stir in blueberries and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until evenly moistened.
4. Spoon into 12 muffin cups. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Recipes Part XV: Bran Muffins (may5, 2008)

Today I made Bran Muffins for our trip (great on the go breakfast), and decided to post the recipe. I think I got it off of a package of bran years ago.

Bran Muffins

Ingredients
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup raisins or blueberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and eggs, beat well. Add milk and bran. Add flour mixture. Add raisins or blueberries if desired. Bake 18-20 minutes.
Makes 1 dozen large muffins.

And my fave, serve with chopped fruit and yogurt. Mmmmm.

Recipes Part XI: Hamburger Biscuit Bake (feb 28, 2008)

I know, it's been awhile since I "published" any recipes. I decided to put up one of my faves which I just made 2 nights ago.

Hamburger Biscuit Bake

Ingredients
- 1lb lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozza cheese
- 1/4 cup mayo (I like to add a little more... last time I doubled it
- 2 Tbsp parsley
- Biscuit dough

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cook beef and onion. Stir in cheese, mayo, & parsley.
Make biscuit dough (see recipe following). Roll out into two circles. Put one in a round casserole dish (should come up sides of dish, like a crust), place meat inside it, and place the second circle over top (smaller circle usually).
Bake 20-25 minutes. Serve with Sauce (recipe below)

Biscuit Dough
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp lard
- salt
- 1 1/4 cup milk

Cut lard into dry ingredients (till resebling fine crumbs). Stir in milk so that dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a ball. Knead dough on slightly floured surface. Roll out 1/2 inch thick. (continue with recipe above. To bake on their own, cut, place on pan and bake at 425F for 10-12 minutes)

Sauce
- 1 tin cream of mushroom soup
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk (depends how thick you like it)
- 1 cup (or more) frozen veggies.

Boil soup and milk. Add veggies (you can cook them seperate. I microwave them for 5 minutes in a plastic container).

Recipes Part VII: Zucchini Bread and cake (aug 6, 2007)

Today's recipe is Zucchini bread. Really good stuff too. The recipe I got that I modified is from the internet somewhere. It called for more oil and double the sugar, but I like things with a bit less sugar, and quite honestly didn't think the recipe needed 1 cup per loaf. So, here you go.



Zucchini Bread

Ingrediants
- 1 cup walnuts/pecans, chopped (I omitted these, as I didn't have any)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
- 1/3 cup veggie oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder. With a hand mixer on medium speed, beat till ingredients are blended (30 seconds).
Add flour; mix till moistened. Stir in nuts and zucchini. Pour batter into a greased and floured (I didn't bother flouring mine) loaf pan.
Bake 65-75 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Here is another recipe. I didn't make it this time, but I've made it before.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup cocoa
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla

Combine flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and cocoa. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth. add zucchini. mix in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Mix well. Pour into bundt cake pan or tube pan (greased and floured or sprayed with cooking spray).
Bake at 350 F for 60 min or until firm on top. Frost with melted chocolate.

Recipes Part VI: Salmon with Brown Rice Pilaf (jul 27)

Today's recipe is salmon and brown rice. It is really good, and since I didn't think there was enough veggies, I served it with some mixed veggies, about 1/2 cup. It tasted REALLY good, mostly due to the garlic and ginger in the salmon, and the peppers and onion in the rice.

Asian Salmon with Brown Rice Pilaf

Brown Rice:

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- 1/2 red or green bell pepper, chopped

- 2 cups water

- 1 cup short grain brown rice (I used brown long grain mixed with wild rice)

- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Salmon Ingredients:

- 2 skinless salmon fillets (about 4 ounces each)

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

- 1 teaspoon soy sauce

- 1 teaspoon maple syrup

- 2 green onions, chopped (I omitted this because I had none)

For rice, heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 3 minutes. Add water and rice; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer 50 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed (or, if you have a steamer, follow the directions on the steamer for 1 cup dry rice, and add the cooked rice and bell pepper).

Fluff with fork; stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Meanwhile, place salmon in a pie plate or shallow dish. Combine remaining salmon ingredients; mix well. Pour marinade over salmon; let stand 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat a ridged grill pan over medium heat until hot. Add salmon, discarding marinade; cook 3 to 4 minutes per side or until salmon is opaque and firm to the touch. Serve with brown rice.

Makes 4 servings, takes 1 hour

Nutritional Information

Calories - 467

Fat - 20 g

Fiber - 2.7 g

Carbs - 42.5 g

Sugar - 2.4 g

Protein - 27.25 g

Sodium - 155 mg

Calcium - 48.6 mg

Magnesium - 49.2 mg

Potassium - 613.7 mg

Recipes Part III: Granola Bars (Jul 18, 2007)

Today I decided to add a recipe for something sweet... granola bars. These are pretty adaptable, as you can add almost anything you want as extras. This recipe has been adapted from a website, as I've added less than half the sugar, omit the salt, and change what I add into the bars.

Granola Bars
Ingrediants
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup butter
-2 Tbsp honey
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-1 egg
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 1/2 cups rolled oats
-1 1/4 cups rice krispies

Add ins (add as many or few as you want)
1/2 cup choc chips
3/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup nuts
1/2-1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup all bran

1. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add honey, vanilla, and egg. Mix well.

2. Blend in flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir in remaining ingrediants.

3. Press firmly into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Or, in the microwave, nuke on medium power for 7-9 minutes, and rotate dish every 3 minutes (unless, your microwave does that for you).

4. Cool, and cut into 24 bars.

Nutritional Information per bar
This info is based on the addition of the all bran, peanut butter, coconut, and chocolate chips.
Calories - 182
Fiber - 2g
Fat - 10g
Protein - 4g
Carbs - 22.5

Note: A large amount of carbs and calories (about 40 calories per piece) is due to the chocolate chips alone. The peanut butter is a great source of protein... although also a large source of fat (but it's all the good kind), and contributes about 35 calories per peice. Butter... another38 calories per piece... due solely to fat. I'm thinking of seeing how apple butter works...

Enjoy!