Blueberry and Banana Buttermilk Pancakes

Two recipes today! Both use buttermilk as I had to buy a small container to make my husband's birthday cake last week, and needed ways to use it up. Hence, my first recipe: blueberry and banana buttermilk pancakes.

I used Joy of Cooking's basic pancake recipe, and followed their instructions for substitutions and additions for buttermilk pancakes.

Pancakes for dinner is a treat, and to make them taste even better, I added a lot of good for you fruit that we had around the apartment. This made about eight pancakes, and they were just as light and fluffy as promised. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1.) Whisk all the above ingredients together in a large bowl.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional) - I always put in vanilla!

2.) Whisk the wet ingredients in another bowl.

3.) Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently mix them together until just incorporated. (You will have a very thick batter.)

4.) Heat up your pan or griddle, add butter or spray to prevent sticking, and spoon about 1/3 cup batter for each pancake.

5.) Once you have poured the batter, add as many slices of banana and blueberries to each pancake as you wish. I found it to be easier to just add them to the batter as I went because I could then make sure each pancake got plenty of fruit.

6.) Serve with quality maple syrup and enjoy!

Huevos Rancheros My Way

My take on huevos rancheros!

Ingredients:

whole wheat tortillas
refried black beans
your favorite salsa
eggs
shredded cheddar cheese
avocado (optional)

Take a whole wheat tortilla and put it in a hot pan with a bit of oil to prevent it from sticking. Let it brown and crisp up a bit on both sides, then place it to the side. Scramble eggs. While those are cooking, heat up your refried black beans and dice your avocado. To assemble, put a tortilla on a plate, spread a layer of refried black beans, salsa, and then top with scrambled eggs. Put the shredded cheddar on top of the eggs and let the cheese melt. Top with diced avocado if desired, and serve!

Potato, Zucchini, and Carrot Pancakes

My aunt sent me this recipe from April 2009's Better Homes and Gardens. I had tried making potato pancakes once before- learned the hard way that you don't want a lot of oil in the pan or else everything will break apart. So after that important lesson, I wanted to try making potato pancakes (with the addition of veggies this time) again.

I was also very happy to use the shredding disc for my food processor. I've always used my blade in the processor for cookie dough or pesto, and had fun watching all the veggies I stuck in the feed tube become shreds in the bowl below.

I've also never baked eggs before- or eaten sunny side up, so this was another new experience. Hubby and I (mostly me) were a bit worried about the eggs not being fully cooked, so I stuck them in longer then the recipe directed and the yolk became almost hard boiled. Still delicious though!

I had fun with this recipe, but found that the pancakes cooked quick, so next time would cook on lower heat and watch them more carefully.

This recipe suggest serving the pancakes alongside spring greens.

Ingredients:

nonstick cooking spray
1 medium zucchini, shredded (about 1 11/4 cups)
1 1/2 lb baking potatoes, peeled and shredded (about 4 cups)
1 large carrot, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat two small baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2.) Drain zucchini in a colander; press to squeeze out excess liquid. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, potatoes, carrot, flour, 1 of the eggs, thyme, salt, and pepper.

3.) In extra-large nonstick skillet over heat half of the oil over medium heat. To make a pancake, spoon about a 1-cup portion of potato mixture into skillet; evenly press and round edges with back of spatula to form a pancake. Cook two pancakes at a time, 4 to 5 minutes each side or until golden brown, turning once. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining oil and potato mixture.
4.)With the back of a wooden spoon or a 1/4-cup measure gently press each pancake, slightly off-center, to make a 3-inch-diameter depression, deep enough to hold an egg. Pour one egg in each nest. (Crack the egg into a cup first, then pour it into the nest, just in case you have a bad egg.) Place pancakes with eggs in oven, being careful not to tilt baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. Transfer pancakes to serving plates.

Makes 4 servings.

"Healthy" Chocolate Chip Muffins

I have many fond memories of chocolate chip muffins: getting them while living in the dorms at Illinois State University, hot from the oven, and stopping by Einstein's bagels in uptown Park Ridge to get one for breakfast before leaving with my family on our summer trips to Glen Arbor, Michigan.

So a few days ago I had a sudden craving for a good chocolate chip muffin. But as I'm trying to eat healthier, I added 'healthy' in front of my recipe search for these delicious muffins. I'm not sure how healthy you can actually get with a muffin (unless you are eating bran, which I've never had, and don't ever want to have,) but decided it was worth a try.
So, here is recipezaar's take on "healthy" chocolate chip muffins.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder1 banana
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips1/4 cup almonds

*A quick note before I continue: our milk went bad this morning, and as I didn't feel like rushing to the grocery store and was halfway through mixing ingredients, I substituted half and half. I'm sure this added to the caloric intake, but I didn't taste a difference. I also didn't have almonds on hand, so omitted those. But I do think they'd make an excellent addition.

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2.) In a small bowl, sift together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder. Set aside.

3.) Mash together the banana and brown sugar. Mix well.

4.) Add the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla into a bowl. Beat together until well blended.

5.) Stir the flour into the wet ingredients, including the banana and brown sugar mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds.

6.) Pour the batter into the muffin cups, about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until done.

Here they are:
They were very good- they seemed more filling then a regular muffin, I think because of the addition of whole wheat flour. There was also a nice banana flavor, which was a sweet surprise. I know that tomorrow I will be enjoying one of these with my morning cup of coffee.