Sour Cream Banana Pancakes

Summertime makes me feel loved. We have wonderful friends who live all over the world and they come visit us! When we can we can, we visit them too. A few weeks ago, we went to the Oregon coast to visit some friends who came in from the east coast. A whole bunch of us, some assorted kiddos, and our dog had a wonderful time sharing a beach house, playing games, and eating and eating. In the morning, we made sour cream banana pancakes that everyone gobbled down. They are currently my guests-in-the-house go to breakfast. Delicious, sweet, vanillay and oh so good!

Sour Cream Banana Pancakes - from Ina Garten
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 250 to store cooked batches of pancakes

1 1/2 cups of flour
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon milk (I used whole milk)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 ripe bananas chopped or mashed

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside. In a larger bowl, mix together sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla and chopped or mashed bananas. 

Find an adorable helper, and let them stir. Mix everything together in the larger bowl and fold until just combined.

In a large cast iron skillet with a bit of butter, cook pancakes in batches. I like to store cooked pancakes on a cookie sheet in a low set oven. 

We like these with a variety of toppings... some faves include butter and sugar, or peanut butter (obviously - this crowd lives on peanut butter) or the never-fail maple syrup. I'm not really a fan of maple syrup, but a dear friend of mine made vanilla infused sugar and with some butter, that's my fave!

I feel like it's been the summer of pancakes, but boy am I glad!!

Enjoy!

 

Coconut Almond Granola

Yikes!! Sorry it's been so long... the kick off to summer this year has been REALLY busy for both of us. Our apologies!! 

I read something once that granola cereal is pretty much crumbled up cookies. I knew there was a good reason I've always liked granola.

Not wanting to give my kid crumbled up cookies for breakfast, I set out to make my own. My husband had given me the Bob's Red Mill cookbook for Mother's Day and they had a few different granola recipes. They were great starting points, but I wanted something pretty simple, and I didn't want to have to search out ingredients I wouldn't normally use. 

I settled on Coconut Almond as the base and added orange zest and dried cranberries. This is an amazing combo and one I've used in actual cookies before. This is great on Greek yogurt, with berries or just in a bowl of milk. I suppose it's a little healthier than crumbled cookies, but it doesn't taste like it!

This is a really easy recipe that makes about 5 cups of granola. A little more than that, but 5 solid cups.

Coconut Almond Granola with Orange Zest and Dried Cranberries - inspired by Bob's Red Mill cookbook
Preheat oven to 275
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw sliced almonds
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 
zest of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup dried cranberries

Combine oats, almonds, orange zest, and shredded coconut in a very large bowl. In a microwave proof bowl, heat almond butter, honey, and coconut oil until it's easily stirred. 

Mix the dry ingredients with the almond butter mixture. Stir until everything is really equally distributed.

Spread evenly over two lined baking sheets and bake at 275 for a grand total of 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

This is so easy, adaptable to what is in the pantry, and substitutions are really easy. Peanut butter can be used for the almond butter, raisins for the dried cranberries, pecans or walnuts for the almonds. Butter could be used for the coconut oil, pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon. The orange zest is totally optional, but really delicious!

Things made this time last year...

Homemade Tortillas

Huevos Rancheros

Baked Ziti

Braised Short Ribs over Penne

Chocolate Mug Cake

Lemon and Parmesan Crusted Salmon

Homemade Rainforest Crackers

Things made TWO years ago... Check out these oldies but goodies!! I can't believe it's been TWO years already!!!

Carnitas with Cilantro Lime Cole Slaw and Grapefruit Poundcake
Shredded Chicken Sandwiches with Mom's Cole Slaw and Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
Whole Wheat and Yogurt Pancakes
Turkey Spaghetti
Lettuce Wrap Salad
Chicken with Balsamic Peppers
Roasted Strawberry Shortcakes
Banana Nut Muffins
Chocolate Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

Spiced Apple Pancakes

Growing up, my mom always made sautéed apples for breakfast.  They reminded me of the apples from Cracker Barrel, but WAY better.  I absolutely loved them and since they were cooked in butter and sugar, I didn’t get them as often as I would have liked (thanks mom).  Although not everything about growing up is awesome, the ability to cook my own breakfast apples is definitely a treat…that I intend to devour.

Yes, I’ve been talking about breakfast apples, but this recipe is really for my Spiced Apple Pancakes.  So here’s a little two-in-one.  I roughly chop my breakfast apples and add them to the batter.  Then I top the pancakes with more apples.  These pancakes are almost sinful.  Seriously!  Try just the apples or try the pancakes but either way, you won’t be disappointed.  Actually, hubby recommended the apples for apple pie…hmmm………

Spiced Apple Pancakes

Apples:

2 apples, thinly sliced (I prefer Gala)

3 tbsp butter or margarine

1/8 c brown sugar

pinch of salt

¼ tsp vanilla

¼ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

Batter:

1 egg

1c all-purpose flour

¾ c milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp sugar

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

cooking spray

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add apples and cook until they begin to caramelize.  Mix in brown sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.  Cook until apples are completely softened.  Remove from heat.  Set aside.

Beat egg with a whisk until fluffy.  Beat in remaining batter ingredients until smooth.  Add a little milk if necessary.

Take half of cooked apples, chop them, and then stir into the pancake batter.  Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat.  Spray generously with cooking spray.  Add dollops of batter to pan.  Cook on one side until bubbles start to form on top.  Flip and finish cooking on the other side.  Top pancakes with leftover apples.

Cranberry Pistachio Energy Bars

So I was flipping through my April issue of Cooking Light and came across a recipe that called for such an awesome mix of ingredients that I just had to try it!  Also, I think (for the first time ever) I either had every ingredient or a perfect substitute.  I swear that never happens to me! 

These Cranberry Pistachio bars looked beautiful on the page and when I saw almond butter, chocolate, agave, cranberries, pistachios, and coconut – I was SOLD!  Not to mention, it called for healthy whole grains like oats and quinoa.  These bars are delicious, and I had 3 other people vouch for that.  I made a couple of slight modifications but Cooking Light deserves all the credit for this one!  Kudos!

Cranberry Pistachio Energy Bars

1c uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats

¾ c uncooked quinoa

¾ c sweetened, dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

½ c salted, dry-roasted pistachios, chopped

1/3 c flaked, sweetened (or unsweetened) coconut

2 tbsp chia seed meal

1/8 c dark chocolate chips, finely chopped

½ c unsalted creamy almond butter

6 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp vegetable oil (or almond or coconut oil)

½ tsp salt

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spread oats and quinoa on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350F for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool.  Place oat mixture in a large bowl, and stir in cranberries, pistachios, coconut, chia seed meal and chocolate.

Tip: Make your own seed meal!  The original recipe called for flaxseed meal but I only had chia seeds on hand.  Making your own meal is super easy.  Just use a coffee grinder, bullet, or powerful blender to break seeds up into meal.  Seeds often pass through the body whole, so breaking them down into meal allows the body to absorb more of the nutrients from the seeds.

Combine almond butter, agave, oil, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 min, stirring constantly.  The mixture will thicken slightly.  Pour almond butter mixture over oat mixture; toss well to coat. 

Note:  I used my hands to thoroughly mix in wet ingredients to coat the dry ingredients as it was pretty thick and would have taken forever with a spoon.

Press mixture into an 8” square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350F for 13 mins or until lightly browned.  Cool completely in dish.  Cut into bars or squares.

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

This is another recipe that comes from my chef-friend and family. Oh man, oh man, I am a lucky girl to know these people! They make our world better. Anyway, these are absolutely my favorite pancakes. Ever. They really do taste like bites of cheesecake and the macerated strawberries and the little dusting of powdered sugar we put on top of them add all the sweetness we ever want. We never use syrup on these, they just don't need it. This recipe doesn't make a huge batch, but it's plenty for the two of us and our tiny gentleman. It's fine for four people with a side of bacon or some eggs. I hope all weekends include cheesecake pancakes.

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

Serves 2 a hearty meal, serves 4 a side of pancakes

For the Strawberries

2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries

1 tablespoon sugar

juice of 1 lemon

For the Pancakes

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup ricotta (or cottage cheese. I love ricotta.)

The first step is to prep the strawberries so they have time to rest and macerate. In a large bowl zest the lemon and set aside (it's far easier to zest a lemon before it's juiced then try to manhandle it afterwards.) In a small bowl, juice the lemon and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Slice strawberries and stir into the sweetened lemon juice and set aside.

This weekend I had a tiny helper who LOVES cooking with me!! So sweet and such a good strawberry washer.  :)

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl with the zest, whisk together all of the wet ingredients - milk, sugar, egg, melted butter, vanilla, and ricotta. 

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

I love my cast iron pans - I have a griddle pan and a skillet - I use them for EVERYTHING! In a lightly buttered pan cook pancakes until bubbles form on the top and then flip and cook until browned on both sides. 

I keep pancakes warm in the toaster oven while I cook in batches or in a 200 degree oven if I'm doubling this recipe. 

By the way, this recipe doubles really well and the batter keeps for 2 days in the fridge (or in a cooler if you're camping and in charge of breakfast on day 2.)

A few other strawberry or cheesecake recipes...

Lemon Cheesecake Tart

Roasted Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry Mint Lemonade

Cheesecakes in Jam Jars

Things made this time last year...

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

 

Haricot Verts with Tomatoes

Mini Bacon and Caramelized Onion Frittatas

Sometimes, you get a little sick of the same old pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast on the weekends.  This time, I decided to change it up a bit.  I have these mini Dutch ovens at home that are perfectly sized for individual portions.  They’re cute, dainty, red and prevent overindulgence.  Yes – they’re awesome! 

Frittatas are basically a crust-less quiche.  They are a good option when you want to stay on the healthier side and don’t feel like making a pie-crust.  This morning, I maybe got about 4 hours of sleep (remember I have a 4 month old) so I needed something quick and honestly, something I couldn’t mess up easily.  I was exhausted!  I reached in the fridge and grabbed ingredients I had and put them in a frittata.  Boom!  Done.  There are endless possibilities for frittatas so I encourage you to experiment and try what you like best!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ onion, thinly sliced

¾ tsp salt, divided

3 eggs

¼ c milk

cooking spray

½ tsp pepper

3 slices cooked bacon, chopped

½ c shredded cheddar

¼ c chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 375F.  Heat a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add olive oil, onion and a pinch of salt.  Cook onions, stirring regularly, until caramelized and browned (15-20 mins).  Let onions cool slightly and roughly chop.

Tip: Low and slow is best for cooking caramelized onions.  Frequent stirring allows for even browning.

Combine eggs, milk, remaining salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until combined.  Coat 2 mini Dutch ovens (cocottes) with cooking spray.  Add half of the bacon, cheese, caramelized onion, and parsley to each of the mini Dutch ovens.   Leave a small amount of each ingredient for garnishing the top once done cooking.  Add half of the egg mixture to each of the mini Dutch ovens.

Place in the oven and cook at 375F for 10-15 minutes or until the center is just set.  Top with any leftover ingredients for garnish.  Serve hot.

I often cook for two since it’s just my husband and I.  Little Syd isn’t quite eating big people food yet :)  Double up the recipe for 4 servings.