Oatmeal Pancakes

Saturday = Pancakes
Okay, today I was creative. I made my own oat flour by taking quick oats and grinding them in my blender. The pancakes were not as light and fluffy as when you use white flour, but they were just pretty good!

1/4 cup oat flour (1/4 oats ground in the blender)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
dash salt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 egg white
1/8 cup water
1/8 cup skim milk

Mix all ingredients and fry on hot griddle. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes

Well, it's not Saturday, but it's pancakes nonetheless. To enjoy these, you really have to like cinnamon, as they are very spicy. You can't tell very well from the picture, but the pancakes are a nice brown color from the cinnamon.
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg white
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix all ingredients and fry on hot griddle.

Chicken Pita Pockets

I have recently discovered Kraft's Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. It is wonderful on salads, used as a marinade, and as a dressing in salads. The bottle touts that it is free of preservatives etc., and has only 60 calories in 2 Tablespoons, so it is guilt free as well as flavorful. I used the dressing in the chicken salad for these pita pockets, but you could sub any of your favorite dressings in its place.
2 pita pockets
3 oz chicken, chopped
2 Tablespoons Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
finely chopped broccoli
shredded carrot
finely chopped onion
salt and pepper

Combine chicken, broccoli, carrot, onion and vinaigrette in a bowl. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture chill for a few hours. When ready to enjoy, stuff chicken salad into warmed pita pockets.

Banana Pancakes

Yay! It's Saturday and that means.....pancakes!!!! Today I tried banana pancakes. They turned out beautifully!1/4 cup wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoons salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon oil
1 banana
1/4 vanilla pod, scraped
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and fry on a hot griddle.

Variation: (7/01/08) Tried subbing 1/4 cup buttermilk instead of milk. Really Good!

Experimenting with Corn Cakes

If you have been reading any of the recipes on this blog, you will know how much I love pancakes. I got to thinking about playing with my pancake recipe again, and this time I decided to make corn cakes. I substituted corn grits for the flour, and added chopped jalapenos and corn to the batter. After the corn cake cooked (I made one big one), I topped it with a mixture of taco meat, peppers, onions, mushrooms and corn seasoned with cumin and chili pepper. On top of all of this I added salsa. It was delicious, and the corn cake had a nice crunch to it.

1/4 cup corn grits
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup corn
jalapenos, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour mixture onto a hot griddle to create a corn cake. Let the corn cake cook well before flipping....be gentle with it as it will fall apart. After the cake has cooked on both sides, top with taco meat etc.
Meat mixture:
taco meat
onions
green peppers
mushrooms
canned corn
jalapenos
cumin
chili pepper
salt and pepper

Combine in a frying pan, and brown in a little olive oil.
After I put the meat mixture on top of the corn cake, I topped it with salsa and a little sour cream.

Peanut Butter Pancakes

Ah, if it is Saturday, it must be pancake day! Today, I decided to play a little with my pancake recipe. I substituted a Tablespoon of peanut butter, added 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and increased the sugar by 1/4 teaspoon. Delicious pancakes!

1/4 cup wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all ingredients. Fry on griddle. Enjoy!

Couscous Salad

This made for a quick lunch today. The idea came from a recipe posted on allrecipes.com . I followed it pretty closely, but didn't add the cucumber, and only used 1/4 cup of cranberries instead of 1/3 cup.

1/3 cup couscous
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
salt to taste

Add couscous and dried cranberries to a bowl. Pour hot water over the ingredients. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for 5 - 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork, and add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Enjoy!

Note added June 19, 2008-- Today I fixed this for lunch and added half a cucumber, diced. Wonderful! Try it- it's good!

Note added June 22, 2008--Added some chopped onion today. I combined couscous, cranberries, and finely chopped onion in the bowl, then poured the hot water over and followed the rest of the recipe (I also had the cucumber in the salad). Very delicous!

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I'm beginning to think that I need to rethink the premise of my blog....I have again another post on pancakes....maybe that should be the focus :)
Anyway, I went to a movie this evening, and had too much cola and too much buttery popcorn. When I got home, I thought perhaps eating something more substantial then greasy and sugary movie theater fare would help settle my stomach. So of course, I turned to: pancakes. This evening, chocolate chips seemed to fit the bill perfectly, adding a nice gooey sweetness to the plain bread of the pancake. I also added a pinch of cinnamon to the pancake batter while mixing the dry ingredients. After ladling spoonfuls of the batter onto my griddle, I sprinkled the semi-sweet chocolate chips on each pancake. And yes, it did help my stomach.

Butterbur's Grape and Pomegranate Fizz

1/2 cup grape juice
1/2 cup carbonated water (seltzer water)
1/4 cup pomegranate juice

Measure out ingredients into glass and stir. Add ice and enjoy!

Blueberry Day!

Ah, I've decided that Saturdays are pancake days. There is something indulgent and comforting about starting a leisurely Saturday with warm pancakes and syrup. This morning, I used my basic pancake recipe, and dumped some frozen blueberries into the batter. Technically, this is not Kosher because it makes the batter turn an interesting purple/grey color. I love to mix all the juice etc. into the batter when I'm making pancakes though, so the color is just a bonus! I have to have my cup of coffee in the morning, and Saturday is no exception. This morning, I made a strong cup of coffee and added 1 Tablespoon of blueberry syrup and a little skim milk. The coffee complimented the pancakes beautifully. What a way to start the morning!

Butterbur's Taco Salad

1/4 cup taco meat
1/4 cup canned beans (black beans, pinto beans etc.)
1 garlic clove
lettuce
tomato
onion
salsa
grated cheese
sour cream or yogurt cheese
green onion

1. In a pan, heat taco meat, beans, and garlic together, mixing well.
2. Toss lettuce, wedges of tomato, and sliced onion in a bowl. Add salsa, and using a spatula, work it into the salad.
3. Top lettuce with meat and bean mixture, and sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Top with sour cream and chopped green onion.
4. Enjoy!
Makes 1 serving.

Butterbur's Open Faced Tomato Sandwiches

Ah, tonight I had a veritable feast of foods! A bowl of left-over corn chowder, romaine salad tossed with balsamic vinegar, and open faced tomato sandwiches. Pure contentment!

1 serving
1 English Muffin
1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese
fresh Basil
fresh Oregano
thinly sliced onion
thinly sliced tomato
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground sea salt

1. Cut English Muffin in half. Toast the two pieces.
2. Divide the Laughing Cow Cheese in half. Spread half a wedge on each Muffin half.
3. Press fresh Basil and Oregano leaves into the cheese.
4. Top with onion slices.
5. Top with tomato.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Creamy Citrus and Vanilla Rice Pudding

Well, yesterday for supper I ate at a fast food taco place (which shall remain nameless) and found that whatever was in my burrito did not make my stomach very happy today. So, I'm going easy on my stomach for lunch. This recipe from Reader's Digest Fight Back with Food: Use Nutrition to Heal What Ails You seemed to fit the bill. I have included both the full recipe, and the single serving recipe below. It was very comforting! Yours humbly, Butterbur.

4 cups rice milk

3 strips (3 x 1/2 inch each) orange zest

3 strips (3 x 1/2 inch each) lime zest

1 cinnamon stick, split lengthwise

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup basmati, jasmine, or texmati rice

1/4 cup sugar

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a large saucepan, stir together the rice milk, orange and lime zests, cinnamon, and salt. Add the rice, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stir occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks.

3. Uncover the rice and cook, stirring frequently for 15 minutes, or until the rice is very tender. Whisk some of the hot rice mixture into the egg mixture to warm it, then whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until the pudding is slightly thickened.

4. Transfer the pudding to a bowl and stir in the vanilla. When cool, remove the orange zest, lime zest, and cinnamon stick. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Makes 4 servings

Calories per serving: 279

My single serving version:

Follow the directions above, but use the following amounts:

1 cup milk

1 strip orange zest

1 strip lime zest

1/2 cinnamon stick

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 cup rice

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 egg yolk

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Strawberry Pancakes

I keep finding strawberries for a good price at the grocery store, and so I end up with several packages in the refrigerator. I've been eating them plain and with vanilla yogurt, but this morning I decided to try them in pancakes. Blueberries better beware, because strawberry pancakes are wonderful! I love to top mine with a little syrup, but I can only imagine what whipped cream would be like on these!
Pancakes:
1-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons salad oil
fresh strawberries, chopped

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine egg, milk, and salad oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just till moistened. Stir in strawberries. Bake on hot griddle. Makes about 12 dollar-size, or eight 4-inch pancakes.
To make one serving, follow the instructions above, but use the following amounts:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoons salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoon oil
fresh strawberries, chopped

I used whole wheat flour, and olive oil when I made them :) Yours humbly, Butterbur.

Biscuit Adventure

OK, I had some chicken salad in the refrigerator, and wanted something to eat it with that wasn't store bought bread. Here is the recipe that I found in The New Basic cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.

Roasted Red Pepper Biscuits
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 red pepper, roasted and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and using two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add the half-and-half, and stir to blend well. Then incorporate the roasted pepper.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 30 seconds. Pat it out until it is 1 inch thick, and cut out rounds with a 2-inch cookie cutter.
5. Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and allow them to cool.
Yield: 6 biscuits

That is the base recipe, but of course, I had to play with it. Here are my changes to the recipe:

• cut the recipe down so that I was only making 1/4 of the dough. I ended up with 2 biscuits
• used whole wheat flour
• used skim milk instead of half-and-half
• used jarred roasted red pepper- next time I will cut it into smaller pieces then recommended
• used a hamburger patty shaper to make large, flat biscuits
• baked for 10 minutes

Once the biscuits had cooled, I topped one with chicken salad. Yum!

Yours humbly, Butterbur

Butterbur's Morning Jolt

Ah, caffeine

Makes 1 serving

1 heaping Tablespoon strong coffee
16 oz boiling water
1 Tablespoon chocolate drink mix

1. Add coffee to the bottom of a French Press. Pour boiling water on top, cover, and let stand for at least 3 minutes.

2. Add chocolate drink mix to the bottom of a coffee mug.

3. Push plunger down on French Press using even and consistent pressure. Pour coffee into mug. Stir well.

4. Add milk if desired.