Imitation Pumpkin Pancakes

My daughter, being eleven, is angry with me. I believe this is her natural, at rest state these days. 

Couple this with the sour milk lurking in the back of the fridge, and I decided to make pancakes.

Specifically pumpkin pancakes because they have lots of vitamin A. 

But I looked in the cupboard and had crazy amounts of yams in heavy syrup and one can of pumpkin purée. So it made sense to get rid of some of the yams.

Ingredients:

- about 1 1/2 cups sour skim milk

- 2 cups organic flour

- about 3 tablespoons brown sugar, which I did not pack, I merely tossed it in the bowl

- 2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt, which I never measure only eyeball

- some ground cloves (about 1/2 teaspoon)

- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

- about 1/2 teaspoon ginger

-1 tablespoon chia seeds

- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats

- 2 eggs

- about 1 3/4 cups yams (with about 1/4 cup of the syrup)

- 2 tablespoons PB2 powdered peanut butter with chocolate 

Serve with real maple syrup and powdered sugar 

Special delivery pancakes

My mother-in-law called as I was drinking the first sip of my coffee. My father-in-law was going for gas so she made blueberry pancakes, put them in a thermal bag and had him drive them the 12 miles to our house.

She even included a bottle of real maple syrup.

Yes, they were still warm.

Last night we had dinner of chicken noodle soup at her house.

Cherry pancakes

My husband tricked me into making vegan pancakes. Or at least mixing a batter. I don't handle the holidays well and this year has left us with fairly empty cupboards since my daughter had a double ear infection and some unexpected medical expenses.

This batter was fairly pasty and we're still adding almond milk to thin it out.

- about 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup organic white flour
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup sourgum flour
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- about 3 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- pinch salt
- about 2 cups vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup cherries

The flavor is delicious!

Dark chocolate chip pancakes

We've low on groceries, so my meal plans for this week need to be creative. I whipped up these incredible pancakes for lunch. They are dairy-free, and the eggs came from a local farm.

Mix until moistened and fry 'em up:
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1/4 cup Bolthouse farms berry smoothie
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground sea salt
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips, 60% bittersweet

STRAWBERRY SAUCE
Boil:
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1/4 cup strawberry preserves
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon marmalade

Pumpkin pancakes

Adapted from:
http://www.howto-simplify.com/2010/10/pumpkin-pancakes.html?m=1

My husband, a Virgo and mellow by nature, slammed some cereal boxes on the table this morning and bellowed, "Why is breakfast always my responsibility?"

Because I'm not functional in the early morning.

So I'm making pumpkin pancakes to freeze, heat and eat.

DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 cups unbleached white flour
- 1 cup stoneground wheat flour
- 1 heaping heaping tablespoon baking powder
- about 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground sea salt
- about 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- about 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger

Combine. Mix wet ingredients and then blend two together.

WET INGREDIENTS
- 2 eggs
- about eight ounces pumpkin/ half a can/ half a cup
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 cup vanilla almond milk
- about 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 2 tablespoons melted butter

I got a yield of 18 pancakes, with a batter thick enough that I had to spread it onto the griddle with a rubber spatula.

Almond pancakes

Tonight I made dairy-free almond pancakes with hot strawberries. For dinner.

Honestly, the jury's still out on whether or not the sliced almonds in the pancakes worked or whether I should have placed them on top with the strawberries.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Very Vanilla Silk
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons walnut oil
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons baking powder
About 3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat eggs and add other ingredients. Fry up on hot griddle or frying pan in butter.

About 15 pancakes.

Strawberry topping
16 ounces frozen strawberries
1/8 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons strawberry preserves

Heat strawberries in microwave or thaw in fridge. Combine water & sugar in saucepan and stir well. Add strawberries, their juice and preserves. Heat to boiling.

Let boil about five minutes.

Rag Tag Meals

tortellini

I made peach muffins yesterday which I thought were mediocre, but my daughter ate six of them so I could be wrong. I didn't post the recipe because I ran out of flour, brown sugar, baking soda and baking powder. I ended up mixing half flour and half oats.

For dinner last night, I made cheese tortellini with a butter/olive oil sauce, with fresh parsley, kielbasa, and peas.

For dinner tonight, we had breakfast. Pancakes my husband made over the weekend and froze. Strawberry ones with real maple syrup. Veggie sausage. Smoothie of raspberry Chobani yogurt, coconut milk, unsweetened soy milk and vanilla carnation instant breakfast. And hot generic grape nuts, with raw local honey, dried blueberries, vanilla almond milk and a touch of blackstrap molasses.

Strawberry pancakes

Yesterday my daughter requested pancakes, so we whipped up possibly the fluffiest pancake batter ever, courtesy of the Betty Crocker recipe, adapted. I love "her" opening to this recipe: "Pancakes are easy to personalize..."

Ingredients
- a ridiculous amount of sliced fresh strawberries (probably 3 cups)
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons no sugar added applesauce
- 1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour
- 3/4 cups oats
- 1.5 cups sour milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- about 1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat egg until fluffy. Add applesauce and whisk thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients, folding in strawberries last.

I ate this weekend

I ate this weekend.
After what I feared would be never-ending torment of liquid diet options, I ate.

It was wonderful.

And, of course, even the small meals I make for myself make me feel very heavy and gross.

It’s been a week since I posted. Part of that was the fall out from disappointment. I went to the dentist Thursday and she reconstructed my one tooth in only a few moments. The second tooth refused to numb. I received so many chemical shots that my mouth wouldn’t open for two days. Yet, the tooth was not numb. So, I left the dentist with only one tooth repaired.

And that night while eating a french fry, a chunk of filling (I think) came out of my mouth.

I almost wept.

But once that jaw eased open again, I had a salad of iceberg lettuce. And thin sliced radishes. Then a small plate of pancakes.

Which reminds me: my husband, at my request, substituted peach yogurt for the milk in the pancakes. Yum.

Had dinner at the Mexican restaurant. Burritoes con mole.

And then last night, I ate a hamburger with a fork. My husband, again at my suggestion, got basil and sorrel from the backyard herb garden and added them to the meat. Turned out very nice.

I meant to take pictures, but every time I had a meal in front of me, I forgot. I was too intent on eating!

My birthday dinner

For my birthday, I wanted pancakes. I chose Perkins for two reasons: 1. They have several flavors of syrup to liven up my soft food diet and 2. My husband and I hung out at Perkins a lot when we were dating in college. Not much else was open in the middle of the night.

I ordered a ham and bacon omelette, knowing they diced their ham tiny. The bacon was rather large and caused issues. Even though my extraction has healed nicely, I keep forgetting I have broken teeth yet and every time I try to chew I hit one of them. Argh!

The pancakes very much hit the spot and I washed it down with Cherry Coke. It was my birthday after all. Just having plates in front of me was sooooo emotionally soothing.

Breakfast for school lunch

Today my daughter has a strawberry pancake in her thermal bowl with real maple syrup and a morningstar vegetarian breakfast patty. Beverage is some unsweetened Silk soymilk. A side of grapes. Simple lunch that should thrill the little one.

Monday I'm packing nachos. Seriously.

Blueberry pancakes

The other day I thawed out the last of the bluberries I had in the freezer. I intended for them to be a snack, or topping for yogurt, but it didn't work that way.

Since daughter and I went for a bike ride with friends in Jim Thorpe. My husband made bluberry pancakes with real maple syrup and scrambled eggs! They were yummy!

We use the pancake recipe from Betty Crocker.

Blueberry pancakes for dinner

We're making blueberry pancakes for dinner.

Here's all my pancake variants:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/search/label/pancakes

Apple Pancake Wraps with sausage

It's a rainy day. I love hot food on a rainy day. I love comfort food on a rainy day.

I love yummy, easy food any day. And I have to keep a small child occupied on a rainy day.

Enter Apple Pancake Wraps with "sausage."

I got this recipe from Parenting, and will attempt to recall the process from memory. Prepare pancakes (or use prepared pancakes from the frozen food aisle). Slice apples, sprinkle with cinnamon if desire, and warm in microwave until apples soften. Put prepared sausage link (I use Morningstar vegetarian sausage) in the middle of a pancake, surround with apples and wrap like a burrito. Top with real maple syrup and serve.

My previous entry on pancakes:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/2009/09/banana-pancakes.html

So, this should come as no surprise to my regular readers, but I can't follow a recipe, nor can I make the same meal twice. I made pumpkin oat pancakes, and the yield was only six, but the contents were hearty enough that I was happy serving one with filling to each person for lunch.

Mix:

• one egg, whisked (preferably by a five-year-old)
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

For the 'filling' (my pancakes weren't big enough to roll) cook in a skillet until the apples are soft:

• 2 apples sliced (again, put the child to work)
• sprinkle liberally with cinnamon
• 2 Morningstar sausage patties cooked and broken into bits (to make them go farther)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon real maple syrup

I was almost out of maple syrup so I added the syrup, butter and the sugar to the apple mix so I could avoid serving with syrup.

Banana Pancakes

I made a double batch of pancakes using Betty's Crocker's 25th anniversary cookbook.

The basic recipe for pancakes is this:
1 egg, beaten until fluffy
1 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
(combine ingredients and fry on griddle)

The Betty Crocker oat variant is this:
substitute 1/2 cup oats for 1/2 cup of the flour. Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. (This actually makes the calorie content go down from 100 to 85 calories a pancake)

Now, they claim the yield is nine four-inch pancakes.

So, this is what I did:
Angel's banana-oat pancakes
2 eggs, beaten until fluffy
1 cup oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1.5 cups soymilk
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons canola oil
6 teaspoons baking powder (which isn't that 2 tablespoons?)
pinch idiozed sea salt
2 extra ripe small bananas mixed thoroughly into batter
1 banana, perfect eating condition, sliced to stir into batter

Leftovers get frozen for quick, yummy breakfasts later.

Crêpes with strawberry-banana filling

I decided to make crêpes with strawberry filling.

That may sound unremarkable, but somewhere I stumbled off the tried and true path and started experimenting.

Ingredients for Strawberry-Banana Crêpes
Butter
Lots of fresh strawberries, sliced
2 to 3 bananas
powdered sugar (for dusting)
1/2 cup flour
canola oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons Chambord
4 teaspoons organic raspberry jam
4 teaspoons organic sugar
water
sea salt
3/4 cup milk (or in my case, soy milk)

I had my husband slice about a quart of fresh strawberries. While he did that, my daughter and I poured two tablespoons Chambord and the jam into the bottom of a one-cup pyrex measuring glass. We added water so it would hit the one cup mark. We put it in a small saucepan and boiled. Then we added the strawberries and the four teaspoons sugar. We ended up adding some corn starch later to thicken the mix, and we boiled it so long the strawberries were reduced to a lumpy syrup, but oh, well, lesson for next time.

For the crêpe batter, we put the flour and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a mixing bowl. We stirred in the milk and the egg. And then a drizzle of canola oil, about half a teaspoon. We stirred until smooth and then I whisked until my arm got sore. Crêpes cannot be lumpy. This batter ended up my smoothest yet.

I rinsed out the glass measuring cup and poured the batter inside, for two reasons: 1. to make sure there were no lumps and 2. for better control pouring the batter into the pan.

I took a sliver of real butter and heated it in the skillet over medium high. Once the pan was hot, I swirled the butter in the skillet and, preferably with the skillet not on the heat, poured about 1/8 of a cup batter. I eye-balled it, aiming for a pot about the size of my palm and thinner than a pancake. Then I swirl the pan so I can get it as thin as paper. I returned the pan to the heat. It only takes about 30 seconds for the crêpe to cook. It won't exactly bubble like a pancake, but it will solidfy. I have heard that a crêpe that is appropriately thin will not need to be flipped. But mine need to be flipped for about ten seconds.

Add new butter every third crêpe or so.

When all the crêpes are done, arranged those to serve on plates. Arrange sliced bananas in a line down the center. Add some syrup (because that's what the strawberries became). Roll. Add more syrup and sprinkled powdered sugar.