Buttermilk (or yogurt) Blueberry Pancakes

 I've been making pancakes for years, but this is the first recipe my family has raved over. I am a bit surprised because it's not radically different than other pancakes I have made. BUT I will blog it so I don't lose it. We never have buttermilk but we always have yogurt so I always substitute 1/2 yogurt and 1/2 milk for the buttermilk. 

 

Buttermilk (or yogurt) Blueberry Pancakes

 From Fox and Briar

 

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs large
• 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt and 3/4 cup milk for this)
  
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen (the frozen tiny wild blueberries from Costco are the best) 

Instructions

• 1. Heat a large frying pan over medium-low to medium heat . Grease the pan with oil or butter. When it's hot enough, a drop of water will skitter across the surface, evaporating immediately.
  2. whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar, set aside.
  3. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until light and foamy.  Whisk in the melted butter.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just to combine.  Don't over mix, a few lumps are fine.
  5. Pour the batter in 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared pan. sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of berries on top. 
  6. Cook the pancakes until bubbles start to form on top and the sides start to set, 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
  7. Serve right away, or keep on a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack in a 200 degree oven. Serve with more blueberries, butter, maple syrup, and whip cream, if you have it.
     

  Notes

  Batter will be thick, that's ok!  If it is too thick to pour, thin with 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
   

Waffles

 I got a new waffle maker! We have tried a total of 2 waffle batters, predictably, we prefer the one called "All-American Waffles."

All-American Waffles

From a photo from a book my mom sent me

Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated, room temperature

1 3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 cups flour

2 T. sugar

4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt (I did not add this)

Beat egg yolks, stir in milk and oil. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt (if using). Stir only until large lumps disappear. Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into batter.

Overnight cinnamon buns

Making homemade cinnamon buns from scratch is way easier than I thought it would be, although it does take a lot of passive time for the dough to rise, etc. Prepping these buns the night before so you can have them in the morning is genius.

Here is the recipe:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-cinnamon-rolls-recipe-2014250

A few notes:

-- Make sure to dissolve the yeast in a little water before adding to the dough.
-- I didn't use the final 3/4 cup of flour at all.
-- I added 1/2 cup (maybe 3/4 cup?) of chopped walnuts to the brown sugar mixture and it was great! 
-- Don't dump all the frosting on the buns, just drizzle a little and serve the rest on the side since they are quite sweet!
-- Make sure the buns are in the middle of the oven when you cook them, mine were too close to the top and the top of the buns got a little too brown

the best banana bread

This one is it

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

Banana-jam muffins

We don't typically eat a lot of cold cereal, but lately both Mahesh and I have been on a frosted mini-wheats kick. One downside to this is the bottom of the bag has so many crumbs. I hate wasting food, but I also do not want to eat them as cold cereal. So I found this muffin recipe that uses up the crumbs. It is incredibly variable, and tastes great! Here are the modifications I would like to use next time we have extra mini-wheats crumbs to use up:

Banana-jam Muffins (or Banana fruit muffins)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar (can use less than this because those crumbs are sugary! maybe 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Frosted Mini-Wheats (crushed to 3/4 cup)
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 small bananas)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons Jam or preserves (or 3/4 cup frozen blueberries or other chopped fruit)

Direction:

1. Butter or spray one 12-cup muffin pan, or use liners.

2. In medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In large bowl stir together Frosted Mini-Wheats crumbs, banana and milk. Let stand about 5 minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg, oil and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Here is where you add in the fruit if you are using it, and fill the muffin pans evenly.

IF you are using jam, portion half of the batter evenly into muffin pan. Top each muffin with scant teaspoon preserves. Portion remaining batter evenly on top of preserves.

4. Bake at 375°F about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm.

Health Nut Blueberry Muffins

As I have ranted about previously, muffins are one of the most sneaky foods out there. They look all yummy, handheld, breadlike and fruit-and-oaty, when really most recipes are repositories of so much oil and sugar they are nothing close to as healthy as they seem. Most muffins are basically handheld cake -- not appropriate for an everyday breakfast or casual snack. So for the last several years I have been on the hunt for a healthier muffin. I had to make many terrible healthy muffins before I came upon this version, which is very good and very healthy! Adapted slightly from this version.

 

Like almost everything I make, this recipe is extremely variable. I have substituted cherries and plums for the blueberries with good results. Enjoy!

 

Health Nut Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup oat bran (sometimes I substitute flax meal for oat bran or wheat germ)
• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup blueberries (or any fruit you like, chopped small)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or any kind of nuts, or no nuts)
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 cup yogurt (or buttermilk)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, or line with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, oat bran, quick-cooking oats, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir in the blueberries and walnuts. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed banana, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. If you overmix the batter, the muffins will be tough.
4. Spoon into muffin cups, filling all the way to the top. Sprinkle a bit more sugar on the top of the batter.
5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly touched or toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.

hot cereal for breakfast -- seven grain cereal

I am mostly an eggs-for-breakfast (and lunch, and dinner) type, but every once in a while I go on an oatmeal kick. I bought this seven grain cereal from our local co-op, and it does not come with cooking instructions on the bag, so in between kicks I always forget how to cook it. So, for future reference, here is the recipe:

-- 1 cup dried seven grain cereal (the one I buy is steel-cut and takes a long time to cook)
-- 4 cups water
-- dash salt

Put ingredients in pot, bring to boil, simmer for 25 minutes on low, or until cooked through, stirring every few minutes. Eat immediately, with any of the following toppings:

-- brown sugar and milk
-- chopped apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, a little sugar microwaved for 1 minute until cooked
-- berries, microwaved with a little sugar or raw
-- savory oatmeal
-- anything else your brain can think up!

Makes 3 servings, leftovers can be refrigerated and re-heated throughout the week, mix up the toppings for variety.

-----------------------------------

For future reference, here are ingredients and nutrition information for a similar product,

Ingredients: organic whole grain cracked wheat, organic steel cut oats, organic whole grain barley grits, organic soybean grits, organic wheat bran, organic whole grain buckwheat grits, organic yellow corn grits, organic whole grain hulled millet.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/3 cup (44g)
Servings Per Container: 14
Amount Per Serving
Calories 140			Calories from Fat 10
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g							2%
	Saturated Fat 0g						0%
	Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg							0%
Sodium 0mg							0%
Potassium 290mg							8%
Total Carb. 28g							9%
	Dietary Fiber 6g						25%
	Sugars 0g
Protein 8g
Vitamin A		0%	•	Vitamin C			0%
Calcium		2%	•	Iron			10%
Thiamin		20%

Why did I not think of this before: Oatmeal with hummus flavors

Each week I've been cooking up a big pot of steel-cut oatmeal on Monday, so all I have to do is heat some up in the mornings. I've added in berry and apple flavors, but today I had the brainstorm of adding in hummus flavorings to my oatmeal -- a delicious change for someone like me who prefers savory breakfasts to sweet.

The recipe, roughly:

-- 1 cup cooked steel-cut oatmeal, re-heated
-- 1 1/2 tsp. tahini
-- good squeeze lemon juice
-- salt

You could also add minced garlic, but I felt it would be too strong this morning. This would be good with a few sprouts, or maybe oniony greens sprinkled on top.

Mona's Chilaquiles

I have no idea if this recipe is authentic in any way, but it is my new favorite breakfast/brunch dish so I wanted to share:

Mona's Chilaquiles
(amounts for one person)

2 eggs
2 taco-sized corn tortillas (maybe 5 inches across)
2/3 cup black beans (I use my black beans from below, but canned would be just fine)
2/3 cup salsa
2 Tablespoons avocado
1 Teaspoon canned Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, if desired (Mahesh likes the smokiness of this, I don't like it as much so I leave it out of mine)

IF YOU LIKE POACHED EGGS WITH RUNNY CENTERS (like me!):

1. Toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet until they start to crisp up a bit, be careful not to burn
2. Remove tortillas from skillet, chop or tear up the tortillas into strips
3. Put black beans, salsa, tortillas, and chipotle if desired into skillet. Mix up and cook until bubbly.
4. Make two wells in the mixture, crack an egg into each well. Add salt and pepper onto each egg. Cover with glass lid and let the eggs steam/poach until done to your liking. You may need to add a bit of extra water if the bean mixture looks like it's drying out. I like my yolks totally runny for this dish.
5. As smoothly as possible, pour the bean mixture and eggs out onto your plate. Try to keep the eggs on top of the bean mixture. Top with avocado and salt and pepper the avocado a bit.
6. Enjoy!

IF YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS COOKED THROUGH (like Mahesh)

1. Toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet until they start to crisp up a bit, be careful not to burn, remove from skillet.
3. Add a bit of butter or oil into skillet, when hot crack eggs into pan, add salt and pepper, and fry eggs over medium heat until hard throughout, flipping once.
2. Meanwhile, chop or tear up the tortillas into strips
3. When the eggs are fried to your liking, remove to your serving plate.
4. Put black beans, salsa, tortillas, and chipotle if desired into skillet. Mix up and cook until bubbly.
5. Add your fried eggs back on top of mixture and cover with lid until everything's heated through. Nothing's worse than cold eggs.
6. As smoothly as possible, pour the bean mixture and eggs out onto your plate. Try to keep the eggs on top of the bean mixture. Top with avocado and salt and pepper the avocado a bit.
7. Enjoy!

BLACK BEAN RECIPE HERE:
http://monasrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/11/these-are-few-of-my-favorite-things.html