Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

After our sugar cleanse all I wanted to eat was pancakes. I actually had a dream about eating pancakes on day seven of ten. This recipe is amazing. I love it and so does my family. Wallace likes them the very most. They are very filling. I can eat one maybe one and a half depending on how hungry I am. The recipe comes from Sally’s Baking Addiction. If you haven’t been to this blog before then go and look around today. The fact that she loves funfetti so much makes me love her. But more importantly everything I’ve made from her blog has been fabulous.  When I make these for my family we  have maybe one left. Bigger families might want to double the recipe. They are best fresh. The next morning they aren’t as good as fresh off the griddle. The directions say to not over mix, and that is an important step. Lightly stir ladies. Yesterday I made the recipe with vanilla greek yogurt. Since that has quite a bit of sugar I omitted the brown sugar in the recipe. I still think they tasted great. My kids didn’t notice a difference. Try the recipe like it's written first so you know what they're supposed to taste like, and then you can try out different yogurt options. I hope you like them!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (123g) whole wheat flour (or white whole-wheat)
• 1/2 cup (40g) quick oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg (or 2 egg whites)
• 1 cup (240ml) milk
• 2 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar (or light brown)
• 1/4 cup (63g) Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup add-ins like chocolate chips or fruit, optional

Directions:

Toss the flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Whisk in the brown sugar and yogurt until no lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla until combined.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in. Stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix the batter or your pancakes will be tough and very dense. Add any mix-ins you prefer, but again - do not overmix the batter.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with cooking spray, oil, or butter.  Once hot, drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. Cook until the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form on the center or sides, about 1 minute. Flip and cook on the other side until cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Coat griddle/skillet again with nonstick spray for each pancake or batch of pancakes.

Keep pancakes warm in a preheated 200F degree oven until all pancakes are cooked. Serve immediately. Pancakes taste best right after they are made. Pancakes freeze well, up to 2 months.

Sweet Potato Curry Soup

I have welcomed soup season with open arms. If only Andrew felt the same way… I try to make one soup or stew a week and it has been hugely successful. I love this recipe for three reasons.

1)    It is easy

2)    It is inexpensive

3)    Not only did I love it Andrew and Annie loved it. I made it for the second time the other night and Annie had three servings of it.

The recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens. I thank my client that showed up late one day so I could peruse the magazines we have in the waiting room. I hope you like it!

Sweet Potato Curry Soup

2 lb. Sweet potato

3 green onions

1 14 oz can chicken broth

1 cup whipping cream

3/4-1 tsp. Curry powder

1)    Pierce potatoes in several places with a knife. Microwave on high for ten minutes or until tender, turning once. Halve the potatoes length wise. Hold with oven mitt; scoop flesh into food processor. Add onions and half the broth and process until smooth. I added the green onions in the middle of  my potatoes. That way all of the onion got cut/blended correctly. The first time I made this soup I added them to the top and found it hard to get them cut and blended in like I wanted.

2)    Transfer potatoes, cream, and remaining broth to large saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. Stir in curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. Start off with half a teaspoon of curry. Andrew and I (and apparently Annie) really love curry. I added even more than a teaspoon. However the soup is still very tasty without the curry if you’re worried your kids won’t eat it. I also used half a cup of milk and half a cup of cream this last time and it still tasted really good. Next time I may try all milk, however I’m afraid it will be a lot less creamy without it. If you get rid of the cream all together let me know how you liked it. 

I Heart Hummus

I couldn’t bring myself to only give this post the title “Hummus” for two reasons. First, because I love hummus so much. Second, because I really love this recipe. It is easy, fast, and tastes delicious! Hummus is fairly cheap to make except for the tahini. Remember when you buy the jar that it will last for at least a couple of recipes. That is how I make myself feel better for spending so much money on one item. When you make this DO NOT USE YOUR MAGIC BULLET!! The bullet does not have the power you need to fully blend the garbanzo beans/chickpeas. If you try to use your bullet you will subsequently want to throw out all of your almost made hummus and your entire magic bullet. Been there almost did that. Pull out your more powerful blender for this recipe. 

Hummus

3 tbsp. juice from 1-2 lemons

1/4 cup water

6 tbsp. tahini, stirred well

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 tsp.)

1/2tsp. table salt

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions:

Combine lemon juice and water in a small bowl or measuring cup.  Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup.  Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.

Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds.  Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through food tube.  Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute.  With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through food tube, continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro over surface, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

My mouth is watering just thinking about this. I am making some tonight. Here are my three favorite things to do with hummus.

1)    Eat with fresh veggies or cut up pita bread

2)    Greek Seven-Layer Dip. I had this at a Christmas party last year. Let’s just say I parked myself next to it and ate at least a fourth of it. It’s really good. Here’s a link for one recipe. I know this is breaking the rules because I haven’t tried this recipe but the dip I had was just like this except the bottom cream cheese layer. And lets face it who doesn’t like cream cheese?

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/12/7-layer-greek-dip/

3)    Last but not least I love hummus in a healthy wrap for lunch or light dinner. Simply get a spinach tortilla, spread with humus, and layer some veggies. I like to do spinach, tomatoes,  cucumber, shredded carrots, and banana peppers. The banana peppers are a must have in this wrap because they add a sweetness that is to die for.  Drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the top and wrap it up. To make it a little more filling add a layer of quinoa and top with some crumbled feta cheese. (More to come about quinoa so just wait!)

Enjoy!!!