Category Archives: Breakfast

by | February 4, 2015 · 12:13 pm

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

I’ve seen plenty of recipes and pins around the web for “pancakes” made with just eggs and bananas. I’ve tried this. It’s not bad. I’ve also tried “pancakes” that are eggs and oatmeal. Also not bad. But I don’t want not bad. I want good! I want delicious! I want to feel like I’m really eating a pancake darn it! I’ve decided to combine the two ideas with a few other extra additions for a healthy version of a pancake that is super fast to whip up and healthy for the whole family. This version resembles more of a pancake to me. My little man gobbled them up with the addition of a few blueberries and some maple syrup. Sliced almonds and a drizzle of honey for me and it was a great sweet and healthy way to start the day. Oatmeal Banana Pancakes Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes Makes 10-12 3 eggs 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 1/4 plain non-fat Greek yogurt 1 ripe banana 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp vanilla Honey and sliced almonds if desired Preheat a skillet. Add all ingredients (minus honey and almonds) to a blend or food processor. Blend until smooth. Grease skillet and pour batter into circles. Flip when top becomes bubbly. Cook for another minute or two – until cooked all the way through. Remove from skillet. Drizzle with honey and top with sliced almonds. Enjoy!

Here are some more great pancake recipes from around the web with our friends from Food Network!

The Lemon Bowl: Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes
Dishing with Divya: Grain Free Pancake Muffins
Taste with the Eyes: Savory Korean Breakfast Pancake
The Mom 100: Pumpkin Pancakes
Dishin & Dishes: Red Velvet Pancakes
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Sweet Potato Pancakes with Chipotle Drizzle
Red or Green: Cornmeal Pancakes with Gingered Berries
Weelicious: Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Mix
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Spinach & Garlic Chickpea Pancakes with Sriracha Yogurt
Domesticate Me: Ricotta Pancakes with Maple-Bourbon Whipped Cream
Creative Culinary: The Best Buttermilk Pancakes
FN Dish: A Short Stack of Perfect Pancake Recipes

stef

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by | June 2, 2014 · 7:28 am

Balsamic Strawberry Mascarpone Crepes

Le Creuset Crepe PanMy husband and I recently celebrated our sixth “iron” anniversary and he surprised me with a beautiful Le Creuset crepe pan. I’ve always wanted to delve into the art of crepe making and now I have my chance. I have yet to sink in to the savory – which I do plan to do and share! – but my first test run with making a sweet breakfast or dessert crepe was extraordinary.

Crepes are a really simple batter and easy to make as long as you have a good pan, good utensils and a  good eye for flipping. These are best made to order or keep the crepes warm in an oven warmer while you make the rest.

This mixture of the balsamic vinegar and strawberries is one of my favorites and paired with the creamy sweetness of the mascarpone and whipped cream filling, it tasted just like a small gift from heaven. This will be a great recipe in a few weeks after we pick strawberries!

Balsamic Strawberry Mascarpone Crepes

Balsamic Strawberry Mascarpone Crepes
Makes 5-6 large crepes, or 8-10 small crepes

Batter
1 C milk
1 C AP Flour
2 eggs
6 TBSP water
3 TBSP butter melted, cooled
1/2 tsp salt
butter for crepe pan

Filling
1 C heavy whipping cream
1 C mascarpone cheese, softened
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 C sliced strawberries
1/3 C balsamic vinegar

For crepe:
Preheat crepe pan on medium high heat.

Add all ingredients and beat with electric mixer or hand blender for 4-5 minutes until smooth.

Add small pat of butter to pan and melt. Pour batter into center of pan, making a circle about half the size of the pan. Using crepe utensil, spread batter in a circular motion and allow to fill toward the edges. Cook crepe for about 2-3 minutes (depends on temperature of pan) and flip when edges become firm. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

For filling:
In a cold bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

With a paddle attachment, beat mascarpone, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream and set aside.

For strawberries:
In a heated saute pan, add strawberries and balsamic vinegar. Cook until vinegar reduces to a syrup consistency and strawberries soften. About 10-15 minutes.

Assemble:
Spoon mascarpone mixture down center of crepe and add strawberries. Roll to fold and add more strawberries and balsamic syrup to the top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

stef

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by | March 23, 2014 · 8:29 pm

Healthy Mini Muffins for Kids (or Anyone!)

Back in the fall when I was looking for more ways to use up the overload of squash from my CSA, I started baking with it. Using an old recipe of my mom’s for Pumpkin Apple Streusel muffins as a base, I thought I would swap the pumpkin for squash. But why stop there? So I started subbing ingredients to see how I could sneak in more veggies and make the muffins healthier. Some carrots here, some flax seeds there, some raisins for even more texture.

mini-muffins2
Every time I made them my 2 1/2 year old, who can be hit-or-miss on squash and carrots, gobbled them up. This weekend, he told me he wanted to make muffins so I took on the final frontier – reducing the amount of refined sugar. In my first attempt at messing with a staple baking ingredient, I cut the original amount of sugar in half and replaced the other cup with unsweetened applesauce and added an extra 1/2 C of flour to balance out the extra moisture.

Results? Success. The texture was exactly the same as the original version and although the muffins themselves are less sweet, I actually prefer it that way. Plus, it still passed the toddler test of requesting seconds.
mini-muffins3

Fruit & Veggie Packed Mini Muffins
makes 4 1/2 dozen mini muffins
2 eggs
1 C sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C applesauce (unsweetened/no sugar added kind)
1 C steamed and pureed winter squash (butternut or acorn work well)
3 C flour
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1 C shredded carrots
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded
2/3 C raisins

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, beat together oil, eggs and pureed squash until combined. Beat in sugar and applesauce. Beat in pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and flax seeds. Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing well for even texture. Fold in carrots, apples and raisins.

Lightly spray mini muffin baking tin with cooking spray. Spoon batter into baking tin so that each cup is 3/4 or slightly more full of batter. Bake for 12 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.

mini-muffins
katie

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by | August 15, 2013 · 8:12 am

Almond Peach Butter

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Sweet Preservation.com and the Washington State Fruit Commission, a large, gorgeous box of fuzzy, juicy peaches showed up at our doorstep. These peaches had us drooling and ready to can. We decided to use these Northwestern grown beauties to create an Almond Peach Butter. Pure in its peach form, a peach butter does not, in fact, include butter. Peaches are cooked down to a smooth form and lightly sweetened, preserving the delicate flavors of the fruit.

Washington State Peaches

This butter is a great concoction to can. For canning and preserving tips, click to our Preserving and Canning 101 link. If you do not have the resources, space or time to can, you can shrink this recipe down and toss the butter in a jar or container. It will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

Almond Peach Butter

Almond Peach Butter
Makes about 5-6 cups

14-16 medium-large sized peaches (about 4 lbs)
1 C water
1 3/4 C sugar
2 TBSP pure almond extract

Wash, peel and cut peaches into chunks. Put in large stock pot and add water. Heat until peaches are very soft, about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or a food processor or blender if you don’t have an immersion blender), blend the peaches to a smooth consistency.

Add sugar and almond extract and simmer for 50-60 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. When the mixture is done, it will remain rounded on top of the spoon for a minute. You can also drizzle a line of the peach butter across the top of the pot. The line of mixture should keep it’s form. You can choose the thickness depending upon your liking.

If you are canning, immediately divide the peach butter amongst the jars and follow your canning instructions. If you are not preserving, allow to cool before placing in a jar or container and refrigerate.

Almond Peach Butter via Haute Apple Pie

This Almond Peach Butter is delicious on toast, an english muffin or a scone. It is a great addition to oatmeal, making it taste like a little bowl of peach cobbler. It is also a great J for a PBJ. We are also experimenting with sandwich spread, bars and other treats!

theLadies

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by | November 7, 2012 · 8:49 pm

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

With the holidays just around the corner, I’m still hanging onto the last little bits of fall. Let’s face it, as soon as it slips away it’s going to be awhile before us cold climate people see signs of outdoor life again without freezing our fingers off.

As an homage to all the best fall flavors, I’m sharing these Pumpkin Apple Streusel muffins that my mom used to make for us as kids. Consider them tasty little bites of autumn that you can bust out when the winter blues set in…or just for every weekend prior.

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins
2 1/2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 C pumpkin
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 C peeled, finely chopped apples

Preheat over to 350. In a large bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and oil. Beat in dry ingredients, working in flour and sugar one cup at a time. Stir until batter is fully mixed. Using a spatula, fold in apples. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.

Streusel Topping
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp butter

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of batter in each muffin cup. Bake for 25-30 minutes.


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by | November 5, 2012 · 2:04 pm

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

It is no secret that I love to bake muffins. Who doesn’t love a fresh warm muffin with their morning coffee? Adding veggies to muffins is a great way to get those required veggies into your diet (or your toddler).

I decided to mix it up this time and make it an inside out piece of carrot cake. It is a lightened up recipe, using a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, golden raisins, oats, carrots, yogurt and applesauce. Using substitutes like applesauce and yogurt creates gives the muffins a nice, sweetened taste and moist texture. However, the consistency of these muffins will be a little chewier than a fluffy oil, flour and butter muffin.

These muffins would be just fine without the frosting middle, but for a little extra fun and a tiny bit of effort (and calories) it is well worth it!

Carrot Cake Muffins
1 C shredded carrot (about 2-3 medium-sized carrots)
1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 golden raisins, chopped
1/2 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 C applesauce
1/2 C plain yogurt (regular or Greek-style)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest
1 8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
2/3 C powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add oats and raisins until combined. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla. By hand, add carrots and lemon zest. Mix until combined.

Fold wet mixture into dry mixture until just combined.

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy.

In a greased muffin pan, add one tablespoon of batter to each cup. Top with about one teaspoon of cream cheese frosting. Top with another tablespoon of batter. You will likely have a little bit of frosting left over.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes, turning pan half way through. Remove from oven and cool slightly on cooling rack.

Go ahead and sneak one right out of the oven, they are delicious warm!

Enjoy some more sweet and savory carrot recipes from these fabulous bloggers as part of Food Network’s Fall Fest!

Feed Me Phoebe: Root Vegetable and Black Bean Chili
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Carrots With Chile and Agave
And Love It Too: Vegan Carrot Cake Coconut Macaroons
Virtually Homemade: The Silver Palate’s Carrot Orange Soup
From My Corner of Saratoga: Copper Pennies aka Glazed Carrots
The Heritage Cook: Maple Roasted Carrots, Apples and Onions
Made By Michelle: Carrots and Caramelized Onions
Thursday Night Dinner: Braised Carrots
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Carrots
FN Dish: Best Carrot Sides for Thanksgiving

 

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by | October 11, 2012 · 8:00 am

Pumpkin Pancakes with Creamy Cinnamon Maple Syrup

I found over the years that there are many dishes, be they breakfast, dinner or dessert, where pumpkin can be snuck in to give it a little fall kick. One of my favorites are these easy pumpkin pancakes. With a little extra doctoring on a boxed pancake mix (or make your own pancake mix if you are feeling up to it), you can create a savory and sweet, warm fall breakfast. You can use a boxed mix that just adds water or one where you add milk and eggs. Whatever you have on hand will work just great.

Regular syrup tastes just fine on these fall flapjacks, but this extra trick with maple syrup takes them up a notch. The syrup was inspired by a creamy maple syrup I had at the most delicious Pancake Pantry in Nashville this past spring. I tried it once and had to have it again!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Creamy Cinnamon Maple Syrup
1 C boxed pancake mix
Mix-ins for pancake mix (see box for instructions, they all vary)
3-4 TBSP extra liquid (water or milk)
1/2 C pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
Cinnamon and powdered sugar for dusting.

Preheat griddle to high heat.

In a spouted mixing bowl, mix pancake mix and other mix-ins according to box directions. Add pumpkin and spices, whisk until smooth. Most likely, your batter may look a little too thick. Add 3-4 TBSP of liquid (water or milk, depending on what you started with).

Spray griddle with cooking spray. Pour batter onto griddle, varying in size depending on the size you desire. When the pancakes start to crisp at the edge and little bubbles form over the top, flip over. When heated through, remove from heat.

Creamy Cinnamon Maple Syrup
1/2 C maple syrup
2 TBSP heavy cream
dash of cinnamon

In a small saucepan, heat syrup over medium high heat. Once heated through (not boiling), add cream and whisk. Heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through about 4-5 minutes. Add a dash of cinnamon and whisk. Serve warm over pancakes.

With a little extra dash of cinnamon, if desired, and a dash of powdered sugar, there is no better way to wake up on a crisp and cool fall morning.

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by | July 31, 2012 · 9:03 pm

Smoked Salmon & Egg Baguettes

Ok so I promise this will be my last salmon post for a little while but when the gettin’ is good it’s just too hard to not experiment. My brother-in-law spent an afternoon smoking some of his fresh catch and passed a little our way so I put it together with some equally bold flavors and texture for a super fast and hearty weeknight meal. I especially love the way the gooey egg yolk binds it all together.


Smoked Salmon Baguettes
1/3 C cream cheese
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 bunch asparagus
Drizzle olive oil
1/2 Tbsp butter
2 C smoked salmon
4 eggs, cooked sunny side up
1 large baguette or loaf of french bread, cut into 4 large chunks
cracked black pepper
Kosher salt

In a small bowl, use a spoon to mix together the cream cheese, dill and garlic powder until well blended. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan on medium and place asparagus on the pan. Lightly coat with olive oil just enough to not burn. Cook asparagus for about 4-6 minutes depending on thickness, turning with a tongs until each side is slightly seared and asparagus becomes tender. Season lightly with salt.

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium. Once pan is hot, crack eggs and cook sunny side up (or over easy if you prefer) for approximately 4 minutes. Egg whites should be opaque and the yolk should be just beginning to cook.

While eggs and asparagus are cooking, slice the baguettes and spread the inside generously with cream cheese mixture. Top with several piece of salmon. Once asparagus and eggs are cooked, place asparagus,then the egg on top of the salmon. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt.

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by | April 20, 2012 · 8:00 am

The Perfect Bacon

For my meat-loving readers:

A few years ago, my mother-in-law gave me a tip for cooking bacon that has literally changed my kitchen life. I passed this tip along to family and friends who have, in turn, told me it has changed their lives as well. You may know this or already practice this wonderfully kept secret. If so, feel free to drool over the photos of bacon and move on. If not, pay close attention. Bacon will never be the same.

In the past, I would heat up the old skillet and toss raw bacon into the pan. On most occasions, I would either burn myself on the hot grease, get impatient and end up with soggy bacon and/or spend fifteen minutes scrubbing my stove top and countertop down. Not anymore.

Oven-Cooked Bacon

One package of thick sliced bacon
Aluminum foil

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place 6-8 pieces of thick sliced bacon on the baking sheet. Set your oven to 400 degrees and place the bacon in the oven while it is preheating. Cook for 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and place bacon on a paper towel to remove excess grease.

The bacon will cook as the oven preheats. The grease stays right on the foil which can just be balled up and thrown away. The bacon turns out perfectly crispy, heated evenly throughout. Since you don’t have to wait for the oven to preheat, the bacon will be done before you know it!

Happy bacon eating!

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by | April 16, 2012 · 7:35 am

Almond Poppyseed Quick Bread

My family has somewhat of an obsession with almond flavored foods. Breads, cheesecake, cookies…we find a way to sneak into all sorts of baked goods. This easy quick bread recipe lets almond be the star and can satisfy a morning sweet tooth or could even be served as a simple dessert. The mini loaves make a great gift for friends as well.

Almond Poppyseed Quick Bread
3 C flour
2 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 C milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tbsp poppyseeds

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and poppyseeds with a whisk. Beat in milk, almond and vanilla. Beat in vegetable oil. Beat in eggs and mix well, for approximately 2 minutes. Pour batter into two greased loaf pans or 4-5 mini loaf pans. Bake regular loaves for 60-65 min or mini loaves for about 45 min. Let cool.

Glaze (optional)
1 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 C orange juice

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Drizzle glaze over top of loaves and let set for at least 1 hour before cutting.

Loaves can be wrapped in foil and placed in a zipper freezer bag and frozen if you don’t plan on eating them within a day or so.

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