Red Beet Pancakes

I found this recipe on weelicious.com and made a batch this afternoon. My toddler will not eat very many veggies...so I have to try to sneak them in where I can. I don't like beets very much but I thought the pancakes were tasty...and a really beautiful shade of pink :)
















Red Beet Pancakes (Serves 6)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
3 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
*2 Medium Beets, roasted & pureed (about 3/4 Cups)
1 1/4 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Large Egg
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
1 Tsp Vanilla extract

Accompaniments: honey, maple syrup, butter, raspberry sauce

1. Wisk the first 5 ingredients ina bowl.
2. Place the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined (you don’t want to overstir the batter — some lumps are good).
4. Drop about 2 tbsp of the pancake mixture onto a greased griddle or pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
5. Serve with desired accompaniments.

To freeze: Place the pancakes in labeled zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

*Rinse beets and wrap in parchment and then in foil. Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Strawberry Baked French Toast

This is a recipe I've made a few times for my MOPS brunch. The recipe is from Sherri, one of the ladies who was in my MOPS group. This recipe is really easy and I love that you can prep it the night before. It's also great with fresh or frozen mixed berries or blueberries too....oh I bet PEACHES would be yummy too...

1 loaf of French Bread, cut into 1 inch slices
3 Eggs
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 1/4 Cups of Milk

Struesel Topping:
1/2 Cup Flour
6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/4 Melted Butter

1-2 cups of Fresh or Frozen Berries of your choice (defrost berries if frozen)


-Spray 9"x13" pan with cooking spray
-Place bread in pan.
-Combine Eggs, Sugar, Vanilla and Milk in a bowl and pour over bread. Make sure all the bread slices get coated with the milk mixture.
-Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, up to one or two nights prior to baking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Place berries on top of bread.
-Combine Flour, Brown Sugar, and Cinnamon in a bowl and stir in butter to make the crumb/struesel topping. (I've prepped this the night before and refridgerated it...it's nice and crumbly in the morning).
-Sprinkle topping on bread.
-Bake uncovered for approximately 45 minutes.

Breakfast Taquitos

 As a native Texan, half-hispanic, and especially having been raised in South Texas, a good breakfast taquito is a must-have in my recipe book.  When I lived in Arkansas, breakfast taquitos were unheard of, so this was our little taste of "home" when we needed it. Keep in mind there are many variations, but I will give you my basic recipe, and a list of suggestions to make your own style.  The possibilities are endless!  Comment your own ideas, if you'd like.  The ingredients & measurements listed here are mere approximations, and I don't even use measuring tools when cooking these.

~Leah

The Breakfast Taquito

You will need:

1) a medium or large skillet for the eggs/taquito mix, and another skillet/griddle for heating the tortillas (a microwave is okay too)

2) a bit of oil or cooking spray

3) a medium potato, peeled and diced quite small --optional

4) salt and pepper to taste- Sometimes I use Lawry's seasoning salt in place of regular salt.

5) tortillas (your favorite kind - homemade is best.  I use HEB tortilla-factory-made-in-store tortillas, whole wheat)

6) about 1/4 to 1/2 of a small red bell pepper, seeded & diced very small. Can substitute green, but I like the color & taste of red. You could also add a mixture different peppers.

7) about 2-3 green onions, cut very small (may substitute regular onion, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)

8) about 5 to 7 eggs

Other ideas to add:

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, pressed

comino (ground cumin) to taste (about 1/4 to 1 teaspoon)

1/2 of a diced/seeded serrano pepper

tomato, diced

Chorizo- cook it in a separate pan first, drain the grease, and add to the eggs.

How to make them:

Begin by putting the oil/cooking spray in the skillet and warming it to a medium or medium-high heat. Add your potatoes (salt and pepper them to taste), stirring occasionally & cook until they are soft and lightly browned all over, about 7-15 minutes. While they are cooking you can heat your other griddle/skillet at low to medium heat and one by one heat your tortillas until just right (keep them warm in a towel or a tortilla warmer).

Once the potatoes are ready, turn the heat down a bit (to medium or medium-low), then add your other vegetables - peppers, onions, garlic, etc.  Also add any additional spices here. Now, with the eggs - I think most people lightly beat them in a bowl before adding them, that's fine to do, but I don't do it that way. For me, I enjoy cracking them right into the pan, and slowly stirring so that it creates swirls of color and still mixes nicely. Be careful not to overcook the eggs - turn down the heat if necessary, but take your time to cook them until just right, then immediately take the pan off the heat when they are done.

Your skillet should look beautiful! Great colors and balanced all over.

Serve hot, in a tortilla & topped with your favorite toppings - I used shredded cheddar cheese, others like salsa too.

Green Smoothie

I know once you read the ingredient list, you may be very skeptical that this is palatable...much less tasty... trust me, it is! My very picky 20 month old LOVES these, and I do too. This particular one isn't very "green" because of the frozen berries, but there's still spinach in there. I took a before and after pic for proof.




Here's the "foundation" recipe I use:
One banana
One cup of organic fresh, spinach
1/4-1/2 cup of yogurt or milk (My favorite yogurt is Stonyfield Farms Low-Fat French Vanilla)
1/2 cup ice cubes (I subbed frozen mixed berries for the ice cubes this time)
1/4 tsp Almond extract

Makes one large smoothie.

Mix in ideas:
1 T Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
1 T Flax Seeds
Orange Juice instead of milk/yogurt


~Abby



adapted from:
http://greenmonstermovement.com/

Brown Sugar - Pecan Coffee Cake

I made this coffee cake for brunch at MOPS today. It was really easy and yummy. I subbed walnuts for pecans because I didn't have any pecans on hand...they were good, but I think pecans would be even better.

2 cups all-purpose Flour
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, cubed
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp baking soda
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

*Stir together flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut the butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender, 2 forks until crumbly. Press 2 3/4 cups cremb mixture evenly on the bottom of a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch pan.

* Stir together sour cream, egg, and baking soda; add to remaining crumb mixture stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour over crumb crust in pan.

*Stir together sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle over the cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutews or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yield: 12 servings.

Recipe from: Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

~Abby

Baking Powder Biscuits

This is an old family breakfast favorite.  We grew up eating biscuits similar to these (but not the same recipe).  I got this recipe from the back of the Clabber Girl Baking Powder.  I will share it not for personal credit, but simply because it makes the fluffiest, tastiest biscuits ever!  They are NOT healthy.  But they are sooo good!  My daughter LOVES to help me make these, especially when she gets to choose her own "animal shape" cookie cutter to use in lieu of a biscuit cutter.

~Leah

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tblsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened (I put the stick still in the wrapper in the microwave on high for 15sec.)

2/3 cup milk

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, Baking Powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.  Using a pastry blender (I use my bare clean hands), cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Make a well in the center; add milk all at once.  Using a fork, stir just till moistened.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 10-12 strokes or till the dough is nearly smooth.  Pat or lightly roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness.  Cut dough with a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter (we use animal shapes too!), dipping the cutter into flour between cuts. 

Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in a 450F oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden. Serve warm (with jelly!)

NOTE:  I notice flakier biscuits can be acheived by handling the dough as little as possible. This means do not over-stir the dough, do not over-knead the dough, do not roll it out perfectly smooth.  Just as long as it holds together fairly well - THEN the biscuits will be perfect. 

Oh, and HERE  is the original link for the recipe.  They also give some "variations" to try.

Leah's (Wholesome) Pancakes

I think it's only fitting that our first recipe should be a pancake recipe; and although this isn't the same recipe that Mom made for us as little girls, this has become a good one for me.  Mom used to make them into "turtles," which is why I still make "turtle pancakes" for my daughter.

I could eat pancakes every morning for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. I love pancakes so much – I usually spread natural peanut butter on them and drizzle a bit of syrup or honey, but you can eat these however you like.

This recipe has morphed into my own thing.  For several years I tested many different pancake recipes, never finding one that I thought was perfect.  I wanted: fluffy, tasty, wholesome.  The wholesome recipes usually ended up too dense or bland.  The tasty & fluffy ones had too much butter and sugar.  I tested and tried different ingredients & amounts to eventually come up with this one...

Perhaps you'll do some tweaking of your own ;-)  It is still a very versatile recipe.

~Leah

Ingredients:
½ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 to 4 teaspoons flax seed (ground or whole)
1 cup rice milk, or more for slightly thinner pancakes (I use rice milk because it makes the pancakes fluffier, but cow’s milk works fine as well. You may also use any other non-dairy milk to your preference.)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce or fat-free vanilla yogurt (may use canola oil or melted butter if you don’t have either of these on hand)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon honey (or agave nectar, if you prefer)

Directions:
1) Mix the flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the flax seed and stir.
2) In a smaller bowl (or 2-cup measure), mix the milk, beaten egg, and vanilla. Stir gently.
3) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into it.
4) Add the honey and applesauce (or yogurt or oil),
5) Stir until moistened and mixed. It may still be a little lumpy, but that’s okay. Let it sit in the bowl for just a few minutes, if you have time. In the meantime, heat a griddle at medium heat.
6) Pour your pancakes onto the griddle one at a time, and let them cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until a deep golden brown color. They should be thick (½”) and fluffy. 

I have one tip, which may seem like a no-brainer for you, but it took me the hard way to figure this out:  Cook the pancakes on a low-medium heat.  Do not make the griddle too hot or they will burn on the outside but still be uncooked on the inside.  I think this is a valid secret to perfect pancakes - lower heat.

Yields: 6-7 pancakes (4”diameter). If you have extras, they keep well in the refrigerator for about a week. Just store them in a resealable bag and pop them in the toaster when you’re ready.

Good luck!