Sunday Morning Breakfasts: Cinnamon Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Sauce

December 28, 2012 4 Comments

From last weekend’s breakfast…..

Kirk is my pancake maker! Pancakes and me just don’t get along well. I always burn them or make them too big, but Kirk? He effortlessly makes them. Correctly. So we worked together on this recipe. I whipped up the ingredients, he cooked and I washed the dishes. That worked nicely ;-)

I found the recipes in this years Costco’s Simply Delicious cookbook on page 16 (the free holiday one that is handed out), I changed the flour and used organic for most everything. Served with the last of my honey spiced pears…oh, I am going to have to make 6X as many next year! Walker loves them….

pancakes2

Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups white whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, preferably organic
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 1½ cups low-fat milk, preferably organic
  • 2 large eggs, preferably organic
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cooled, preferably organic + more for cooking

Directions:

Preheat a non-stick griddle over medium (about 350°).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk wet together, add to dry, stir till just mixed.

Lightly grease the griddle with a stick of butter, add ladles of batter, cook till bubbles form, start popping and underside is golden. Flip and cook until golden on bottom. Repeat till done.

Serve with sauce drizzled over.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen, depending on size, serving at least 4 hungry folks.

Maple Cream Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces lower-fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¼ cup low-fat milk, preferably organic
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup, preferably organic
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar, preferably organic

Directions:

Add everything to a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, process on low, then slowly turn up the speed till smooth.

~Sarah

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Filed Under: breakfast, cooking, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Book Review: The Breakfast Taco Book

December 6, 2012 9 Comments

Awhile back I picked up the Kindle version of The Breakfast Taco Book, but it took me way too long to get to it! Hello Sarah, don’t be so busy ;-)

breakfasttacobook

Her taco book is more a weaving of local history and her awesome humor than a “standard” cookbook, but that is what makes Hilah fun to follow. Fair warning – her potty-mouth/humor is present in this book. I snorted at the reviews on Amazon of “shocked” readers. I have a feeling they hadn’t heard of Hilah before and only grabbed it because it had been a freebie for a few days. Sheesh, don’t be so sensitive! Enjoy the book for what it is – and for me…well breakfast tacos are not very common here. So it got me thinking and wanting to try it. She lays out the basic ingredients one might find in the tacos and easy recipes to make those items. As for putting the tacos together? No, that is up to the reader to get creative with – a good thing I say! As a bonus, if you are reading the book on a computer, you can click-through to see her related videos on each topic in the book.

Anyhow, I kept ours vegetarian – each of us had 2 tortillas worth:

BreakfastTacos

  • taco flour tortillas (heated in a dry skillet until puffy and smelling great)
  • vegetarian refried beans (a bit smeared on each tortilla)
  • scrambled organic eggs (2 each)
  • queso fresco cheese (cojita cheese) (as much as everyone wanted)
  • salsa (liberally applied)
  • home fries with onion & garlic, served on the side

Verdict? De-l-i-cious.

We need to have this more often! Thanks Hilah!

~Sarah

Filed Under: Book Reviews, breakfast, Cookbooks, cooking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday Mornings: Sweet Potato Scramble

November 11, 2012 7 Comments

In the saga of my week, Kirk got my iMac fixed today, after it was out of commission for the past week. The hard drive died. I limped along using Ford’s computer and my iPad (first world problem, I know) but it wasn’t the same. It sounds snobbish, but dangit, I have gotten used to having two monitors!! Kirk, being the tech geek he is, could fix it but we had to source the industrial strength suction cups. A few years back he had moved me up to the iMac. The dirty secret? They are not user-fixable without being a major pain the rear. To get into the computer we had to lift the glass off with the suction cups, then remove the LCD monitor and unhook everything. But hey, I got a great solid state hard drive now….and we got it all back together. With a hack or two and back in business.

And here is where I drill something home: BACKUPS. Kirk is a stickler on that. Onsite and offsite. Due to them he was able to move me onto Ford’s computer easily and then to restore my computer once the new drive was in. Nothing lost. I cannot imagine losing 10K of photos of my kids and of past hiking trips! Nor losing book manuscripts, documents and more. A hard drive failure can and does happen at some point.

Had I not had “in-house” tech support I don’t want to think how much it would have cost to restore the computer. I am grateful for having married a talented man ;-)

On a positive note…we had sun this week! Walker had so much fun outside, in the leaves, raking them with Ford (who didn’t find it nearly as fun…hah!)

 

The Backyard Squirrel kept burying his nuts and seed pockets in the leaves. Sigh…..time to rake them up it seemed.

 

 

Two happy boys at Costco this week with me. Walker only had eyes for the grapes…..

 

 

To get the boys out of Kirk’s hair, we ran to town and did a little grocery shopping. Walker wasn’t very happy about sharing the sweet race car with his brother, who was having a blast “driving”. Tough luck kiddo, your baby brother is a big boy now! And…Alistaire turned 9 months this past week. At his Doctor appointment he was 100% percentile for height, 93% for head size. o_O He is over 30″ tall and nearly 23 pounds.

 

 

This mornings breakfast came out of my having/finding 4 sweet potatoes in a box on top of the pantry. To save time, I parboiled them Saturday night. I served the scramble with half a bean burrito each (although Walker ate my half as well…..). It was a great way to use leftovers up!

Sweet Potato Scramble

Ingredients:

  • 4 sweet potatoes
  • 1 Tbsp neutral vegetable oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 14 to 16 ounce extra firm tofu, preferably organic and non-GMO
  • Ground black pepper
  • Fine sea salt
  • Seasonings
  • Salsa

Directions:

Drain the tofu, place in a fine mesh strainer and let drain overnight, in the refrigerator.

Peel the sweet potatoes, chop into bite size pieces. Add to a pot, cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cook until just fork tender, drain and shake dry. It will only take a few minutes for them to cook, keep an eye on them. If making the night before, stash in a large bowl in the refrigerator.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high, add in the sweet potatoes, onion and bell pepper, then crumble tofu on top. Cook, stirring often, until crispy and golden. Season to taste while cooking, I added in a dry cajun-style seasoning blend as well (a mix of spices, no salt).

Serve with salsa on top, peach mango is a fantastic choice. On the side I served half a bean burrito, where I heated flour tortillas in a dry skillet, then spread hot beans and vegan queso sauce, rolled up.

Serves 4.

~Sarah

Up this coming week? Cookbook reviews galore! :-)

Filed Under: breakfast, cooking, Plant Based Diet Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Sunday Morning: Vegan Sausages and Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

November 4, 2012 5 Comments

Saturday night I was feeling inspired to have a laid back “Sunday Morning” breakfast, so after dinner I made the sausages and chilled them overnight, saving the frying of them for the last-minute. Easy way to enjoy a hearty breakfast and still be plant-based. As for the rice in the sausages? You can use whatever you have on hand, leftovers from dinner work well. Use brown, or white or black.

Vegan Breakfast Sausages

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal
  • 3 Tbsp water
  • 1½ Tbsp soy sauce or tamari sauce
  • 1 Tbsp neutral vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp molasses
  • 1 cup brown rice (measured after being cooked)
  • ¾ cup old-fashioned oats
  • 2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 Tbsp ground sage
  • ½-1 tsp ground black pepper (more for spicier)
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • Neutral vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

In a small bowl whisk the flaxseed, water, soy sauce and oil together, let hydrate for 10 minutes.

Pulse the oats in a food processor until finely chopped, add in cooled rice and the flour through red pepper flakes. Drizzle the wet ingredients on top, process until just mixed.

Make 1 Tablespoon balls (a 1 Tablespoon Disher works well), pack firmly in your hands, then flatten. Place on a plastic or parchment paper lined plate, cover tightly and refrigerate till needed.

When ready to cook, remove from the refrigerator a half hour before to warm up a bit. Heat a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium. Drizzle in a little oil, fry half the patties till browned, then flip over and fry till the other side is browned. Remove to a plate, drizzle in a little more oil and repeat with the second batch.

Makes about 17.

I was inspired by a recipe I saw in the October 2012 issue of Fitness Magazine, on page 144. The recipe is from the author of Vegan Cooking for Carnivores: Over 125 Recipes So Tasty You Won’t Miss the Meat. I did adapt them. Using almond milk and white whole wheat flour over soy milk and all-purpose flour. Hearty pancakes and a breeze to make. Always reading my $1 a year or free magazine subscriptions for new ideas….

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • ½ cup white whole wheat flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

Directions:

Add almond milk and oats to a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix), run on high for a few seconds to blend. Add in the remaining ingredients, put on lid and quickly process on high until smooth, using the tamper as needed. Set aside for 10 minutes.

During the rest time, heat a large skillet over medium. Spritz the hot skillet with a few bursts of neutral vegetable oil, drop shy ¼ cups of the batter on the skillet. Cook until bubbles form, the edges are dry and the the bottom is golden, flip over and cook until golden as well.

Repeat till all are cooked. To avoid soggy pancakes stash on a wire cooling rack and store in a 200° oven until done.

Serve with pure maple syrup and more bananas chopped on top.

Makes about 12.

~Sarah

Filed Under: breakfast, cooking, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Book Review: Vegan Baking Classics – With Recipes

October 29, 2012 5 Comments

A few times a week I peruse Amazon for the newest in freebie Kindle downloads – there are often quite a few, although one must wade through a lot of junk to find gems (Lets just say that Amazon has an ample supply of ‘Mommy-Porn’ it seems). They are there though, Vegan Baking Classics: Delicious, Easy-to-Make Traditional Favorites is one of them. The print book came out a few years ago and is now available via Kindle. The free books change often, so don’t hesitate to “buy”, if you wait you could miss it. And you don’t need a Kindle either. You can read via a computer, laptop, iPad and many phones (I have reading apps on my iPad and Nokia Lumia 800 Windows phone + I read via Amazon Cloud on my Mac). This is one to grab!

BTW, I post links to the free books on our Facebook Page, so if you haven’t checked our page out, you should! I often post things there that don’t make it here, such as freebies and coupon deals.

I was reading the book on my phone while making dinner last night and it was good enough to get me to start baking muffins for dessert and lay out the ingredients for pancakes in the morning. What truly got me pulled in was the simplicity of the recipes. Easy to follow, easy ingredients. Lots of choices, from savory to sweet, breakfast to dessert.

I adapted the two recipes a bit, using almond milk versus soy. Use what you prefer. As well, I used high-end foil muffin liners. I hate cleaning muffin tins, paper liners are horrid and stick. The Reynolds StayBrite® ones that are foil inside paper on the outside are worth the cost, they peel right off.

Something else? I caved recently and let Kirk get me a package of Misto oil sprayers from Costco. Years ago we had an oil sprayer that was awful. The Misto one seems better and works nicely – I had hated that old one so much it kept me from buying a new one for many years. Having said all this, the Costco deal was good. A pack of two for $19.99 and then on sale with a ‘no-coupon’ needed. It was $16 I think for two? And should it break I can always take it back to Costco…..but for now it worked nicely in spritzing the griddle when making my pancakes!

Apple Muffins

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup Earth Balance Buttery stick (or butter for non-vegan), melted
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, preferably organic
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1½ cups apple, peeled, cored and diced (about 3 apples)

Topping -

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar, preferably organic
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°, line a 12 count muffin tin with foil liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour through nutmeg together.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk, ‘butter’ and applesauce together. Add the dry to wet, stir till just mixed. Add in 1 cup of the apples, gently fold in.

Divide between the muffin cups (they will be full). Sprinkle the remaining apples on top, gently pushing down.

Stir the topping together, sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, till golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let rest for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. These freeze well and make a great breakfast for toddlers…..

Makes 12 muffins

Heart-Healthy Oat Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tbsp baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, preferably organic
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup neutral vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the wet together, add to dry and stir till just mixed.

Spritz a little oil on your skillet, drop ¼ cup of batter, cook until bubbles are breaking on top and bottom is golden, flip over and cook other side.

Repeat as needed till you run out of batter.

Makes about 9 pancakes. Mine were um…on the “healthy” side of large. Yours might get more pancakes with a less heavy-handed dumping of batter. They do freeze well – also a bonus for a toddler in the morning.

~Sarah

 

Filed Under: baking, Book Reviews, breakfast, Cookbooks, Dessert Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday Mornings: Gourmet Breakfast & Cornfields

October 22, 2012 8 Comments

Perusing through the November 2012 issue of Whole Living Magazine, I saw a recipe for Baked Sweet Potato with Maple-Oat Crumble and I knew I had to try them out.

I adapted the recipe a bit, first off my potatoes took 30 minutes longer to bake than listed, then I doubled the granola topping. Good thing I got all crazy and got up early, way before everyone else. They all came down to a hot breakfast, an unusual one, but delicious. Cinnamon apples are a wonderful treat, they can be made with a lot less fat and sugar than most recipes call for. (Yeah, I am calling out Cracker Barrel and its ilk here…and bonus is no modified corn starch!)

Baked Sweet Potato with Maple-Oat Crumble

Ingredients:

  • 4 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • ½ cup raw almonds, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp fine sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°, line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Scrub the potatoes and poke holes in them Place on baking sheet, roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until soft when touched and oozing a bit. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, toss the oats, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon and slat together. Spread on a small rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 12 or until golden brown, stirring halfway through.

Split sweet potatoes down the center, mix the potatoes until smooth. Add a drizzle of favorite melty or oil, if desired, then sprinkle granola liberally on top.

Serves 4.

Sautéed Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients:

  • 6 apples, a crispy variety, such as Gala
  • 1 large lemon, juiced
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter or Earth Balance buttery stick (for vegan)
  • 1 Tbsp arrowroot (or corn starch)
  • ½ cup cold water
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

Add the lemon juice to a large bowl. Peel, core and thinly slice apples, toss in juice.

Heat a large skillet over medium. Melt butter and add drained apples. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Whisk cornstarch and water smooth, add to apples and stir, along with the sugar and spices. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Serves 4.

After cleaning up breakfast I noticed the sun was out. Which hadn’t been in the weather forecast. Looking at the WunderMap on Weather Underground we could see we had a few hours before the next storm came in, so we quickly loaded up the van with the kids and drove over to the corn maze/pumpkin patch at Mosby Farms, along the Green River. The farm had repeated their “Family Deal” on Amazon Local again (we did it last year as well), of which I had happily snagged the deal again (2 adults+2 kids=$12+free gourds and coloring books!). I like Mosby Farms, because while they are not the biggest or flashiest (no petting zoo for example), it is the perfect length for small kids. Last year Walker was exhausted by the end of the maze, this year he was running circles around us. Ford set off on his own and had a blast. And carrying Alistaire in his carrier was a lot easier than last fall, when I was pregnant with him, waddling in the boot sucking mud.

This year they put down a lot of wood chips so the mud wasn’t bad at all – even though it had been dumping for days. This little Ladybug caught my eye -

Blue skies? Sigh – wonderful.

With my three boys – Ford, Walker and Alistaire (Kirk does a great job of hiding from the photos!) -

Walker in the pumpkins -

And “driving” a vintage Ford tractor -

A plane went over. Walker is very fascinated by planes -

“Outta my way!”

Love the old logo -

We had a nice afternoon. As we drove home we were pacing a large train that was heading to the hills – Walker hadn’t been that close to one before and was very enthralled. It was honking loudly. Yeah, he is easy to please!

And then when we got home? The rain came back. A perfect clearing of time….

~Sarah

Filed Under: baking, breakfast, cooking, Family Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Choco-Chip Banana Frappes and September Vegan Food Swap Reveal

September 28, 2012 14 Comments

Months into it, I think I have found a recipe for our morning frappes I am finally happy with. The key?

Frozen bananas. The milk doesn’t matter. As I played with the formula at first I using coconut creamer to give the drink a thick texture. Others use pectin or guar gum to achieve this. Bananas though do all this and give a great taste, and offer nutritional bonus. How does it work? Same way it does when making frozen banana ‘ice cream’. The minor amount of fat and the starchy nature of them turn smooth and creamy when blended. Of late I buy a couple of huge bunches every week, let them ripen, then slice up two on a sheet of parchment paper, fold over and freeze. A weeks worth of drinks is prepped in a few minutes.

And as I dialed in the recipe I lowered the amount of sugar, then swapped in maple syrup. Unprocessed, thick and creamy and low in fat. We got off commercial frappe mixes and now? I can’t imagine going back. I have included an updated version of our cold-brewed espresso, I am making it stronger now.

The drink was important for me to get right, it was still a stickler in my quest to go unprocessed. Which have you considered signing up and taking the October 2012 Unprocessed Challenge?

I am signed up. Who knows if I can make the final jump from 90% to 100%. We will see. Certain things are still my crutches. I at least hope to not buy anything processed during the 31 days. If it is in the house…I am OK with that. And Halloween? Errr……that might be an issue ;-) Maybe 98%…hehheh.

Choco-Chip Banana Frappe

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
  • ½ cup cold-brewed espresso
  • 2 Tbsp chocolate chips
  • 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 bananas, sliced and frozen
  • 8 ice cubes

Directions:

Add everything to a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix). Process on high, tamping as needed, until smooth (about a minute). Serve immediately with wide straws.

Serves 2, filling 2 grande  (16 ounce) cold cups.

Updated Cold-Brewed Espresso

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup medium-grind ground coffee, preferably 100% Arabica beans
  • Filtered water

Directions:

Add the coffee to a quart mason jar, fill with cold filtered water. Cover tightly and let sit on the counter for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Strain through a Jelly Strainer Bags, into a second quart mason jar. Fill to the top with more cold filtered water.

See here for the original post.

Makes 4 cups.

Now onto the September Vegan Food Swap Reveal. My friend Cat, of Verdant Life, runs the swap. I have participated since she started it. I love putting together themes if I can. This month I was paired with Rachel, who doesn’t have a blog. I sent her a goodie box of sweet and salty/savory snacks. I received a package from Phyllis at galfriday4hire.

Included were 4 bags of freeze-dried edamame that I hadn’t seen before, including one variety that is packed with freeze-dried vegetables. The brand is Cruncha ma-me:

Gerbs Pumpkin Seeds? I haven’t had these or seen them before. I really, really love getting items that are new to me. Also included is the one flavor of Go Raw cookies I haven’t had!

 

I can’t wait to try everything. Alas, this month I can’t try any of the goodies till my temporary crown comes out and I get my real crown – less than a week till I have it done. Then crunchy-crunchy time!

~Sarah

PS: Have you entered the Yogurt Giveaway yet? Last chance is the 30th!

Filed Under: breakfast, Drinks, Vitamix Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Pumpkin Latte Pancakes

September 25, 2012 10 Comments

Pumpkin overload yet? Maybe. I don’t think I am quite there yet. I am sure I will roast a few more pumpkins before winter arrives. And in my quest to use up the roasted pumpkin I have we had pancakes for breakfast today.

You don’t have to use Pumpkin VIA in the pancakes, I happened to have a packet in my pantry, it adds a nice punch to the pancakes. Feel free to use instant espresso or instant coffee (my favorite brand of is Medaglia D’Oro.) And unlike many parents…I have no issue with letting my kiddos have a share. Not like coffee has stunted their growth ;-)

Pumpkin Latte Pancakes

Ingredients:

Dry -

  • 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, preferably organic
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed, preferably organic
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 packet Pumpkin VIA or 1 tsp instant espresso (see above)

Wet -

  • 3 egg whites, preferably local
  • 1¼ cups unsweetened almond milk, or favorite milk
  • ¾ cup pumpkin purée
  • ¼ cup cold brewed espresso
  • 1 Tbsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Whisk the wet ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, add the dry and mix.

Drizzle a bit of neutral oil over the skillet, roll to coat. Add the batter by ¼ cup to the skillet. Let cook until bubbles have formed and are breaking, gently flip over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes on the back. Repeat, adding a small drizzle of oil as needed.

Notes:

I found sunflower oil and cooking 1 pancake at a time worked best for us.

Makes about 14 pancakes. Serve with fruit and plenty of pure maple syrup - the darker the better.

~Sarah

PS: Don’t forget to check out our upcoming give-away of Redwood Hill Farm & Green Valley Organics products! Visit the post to leave a comment for a chance to win!

 

Filed Under: breakfast, cooking Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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