John's Favorite German Apple Pancake

Recipe by: Lisa Turner

(Yes, those are John's hairy legs in the background.)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 large apple, cored and cut into thin slices
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix in the eggs until combined. Stir in the milk, followed by the melted butter, vanilla and nutmeg. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Preheat an oven to 425°. On the stove, melt the butter in a large 10-inch cast-iron or oven-safe skillet over low heat, and use a brush to coat the sides of the pan.
• Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup of brown sugar with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle the mixture over the bottom of the skillet and then line the pan with slices of apple. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar over the apples. Turn up the heat to medium-high and let the pan sit for a few minutes until the brown sugar starts to bubble.
• Remove the pan from heat, and gently pour the batter over the apples. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375° and bake for 10 more minutes or until the pancake is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the pancake comes out clean.
• Remove from heat and slide a rubber spatula around the edges to loosen the pancake from the sides. Serve hot or warm. Leftover pancake can be wrapped in aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to 2 days, then reheated at 300° for 15 - 20 minutes.

Makes one 10-inch pancake

*I made this first with a pink lady because that's what I had lying around but this really needs a tart apple. But if you don't have tart apples I would just add a squeeze of lemon juice while you're cooking the apple/sugar mixture.

I also noticed that you really only want to let the brown sugar bubble for a minute in the pan before adding the batter and no longer because it will create a hard crust instead of a gooey syrup like you would want. 

I used 4 medium eggs I think 4 large might be too eggy? So maybe 3 instead? 
:)

Cauliflower Muffins

Bear with me. Don't turn away. These are great! We have enjoyed these in the morning with eggs, with chili and with a dinner salad that was dying for a starchy carb to go with it. Think tasty cheesy cornbread- but without the starchy corn and flour!

These Cauliflower Muffins are from I Breath I am Hungry. Thanks to this blogger, I now know how to "Rice" Cauliflower. I like making Cauliflower Mashed potatoes and simply threw my extra cauliflower rice from making these muffins into the stew I made for dinner tonight. Having a fast, easy way to go from huge gead of cauliflower to "invisible" cauliflower is invaluable!!




Here is the Recipe. My only caveat is that John thought the taste was a little funky. Cauliflower is pretty tasteless (that is what makes it a great potato substitute) and I doubt the coconut flour could have offended either. I decided it has got to be the fancy deli parmesan I just bought. So, next time I am going straight Cheddar/Mozzarella.

Jalepano Cheddar Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups finely riced, raw cauliflower
2 Tbl minced jalapeno (I used one Tsp for the kids' sake)
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbl melted butter
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbl dried onion flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup coconut flour

Combine the cauliflower, jalapeno, eggs, add melted butter in a medium bowl.  Add the grated cheeses and mix well.  Stir in the onion flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, baking powder and coconut flour until thoroughly combined.  Divide the batter evenly between 12 greased muffin cups (I used cupcake foils and didn't worry about greasing).  Bake in  preheated 375 degree (F) oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Turn off the oven and leave the muffins inside for one hour to firm up.  Remove and serve warm or cold.

Seed Stew

This recipe is adapted from the Cookin Canuck Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Recipe. The flavors in this soup are so unique. The parsley and olives bring it alive I tell you!

My variation is this. I basically, use cooked chicken and change up the steps to make it a cinchy 30 min dinner.  Chopped frozen squash will cut down on prep time too. I also puree the veggies and cut up my chicken very small. The more uniform texture is more kid friendly that way.

Since mine is a little different, I asked the boys what we should call it. Jack said "Seed Stew, since it looks like it has lots of little seeds in it." I told him he is exactly right- that is what Quinoa is- seeds! So Seed Stew it is at our house.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (When I cut a squash, I chop the whole thing, use half and put the other half in a qt freezer bag. Next time you need it, just pull the bag out of the freezer in the morning and by dinner prep its soft and ready to cook!)
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced  or crushed tomatoes
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa (remember to put the quinoa in a bowl, cover it in water, let it sit a few minutes and drain- it gets rid of any bitter taste)
• 2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast (great for the leftover breast in the fridge)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata or black olives
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. In a large pot, sauté onion in coconut oil until onion is starting to turn brown. 
2. Add minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
3. Add butternut squash pieces, place the lid over the pot and steam the squash until soft about 10 min. Lift the lid and stir every few minutes adding broth if necessary (frozen squash is wetter and won't stick to the bottom like fresh squash may).
4. Pour in can of tomatos. Mash with potato masher or get out your immersion blender to bring veggies to a more uniform state. I blend about half the pot leaving some chunks of squash and tomatoes. 
5. Add broth and Quinoa. Simmer (covered if you like it more soupy- uncovered if you like thick stew) about 15 min until the quinoa has opened and is translucent. 
6. Stir the chicken, olives, salt and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 2-3 minutes.
7. Stir in parsley and serve.

Eggs! For Breakfast! Again??

I get so sick of eggs for bfast. But I also literally get sick when I eat lots of carbs and sugar for bfast. I tried these two recipes this weekend and both were delicious! And neither really felt like I was eating eggs. Both recipes and many other tempting unique recipes can be found here at I Breathe, I Am Hungry

The general idea is omelet meets Meringue. You can put any ingredients into the whipped egg white. I did Jack cheese, parsley, chives and chopped deli ham al of which were leftover from something else. The trick to making it pretty (where I failed) is to keep the yolk whole. I broke them to stir salt and pepper into the yolk and they spilled all over while baking.

Makes 4

4 eggs, separated

2 ounces Chorizo

2 Tbl chopped cilantro

2 Tbl chopped scallions

1/3 cup finely grated cheese

(your favorite)

Remove the chorizo from the casing and cook thoroughly.  It was such a small amount and I was cooking other stuff for the blog on the stove at the time (cauliflower tater tots! What?!?  Yeah, that’s right.) and I didn’t want to dirty a pan for that little so I cooked the chorizo in the microwave for 2 minutes and it worked perfectly.  I drained out the fat and set the sausage aside.  Meanwhile, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff.  I do it by hand cause I’m so hard core, but if you want to be a wuss about it you could use a mixer. ;) Then fold in the chorizo, cheese, scallions and cilantro (GENTLY people!) until mixed.  Add a pinch ofsalt and pepper.  On a greased cookie sheet, place four spoonfuls of the egg white mixture at least 2 inches apart.  Make a slight well in the center and gently place an egg yolk in each one.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree (F) oven for about 6 minutes.  Keep an eye on it though, you definitely don’t want to overcook these and miss out on that fabulous runny yolk!  Garnish with avocado slices and fresh cilantro.  These are excellent for those of us doing the low carb thing, but also not super high in fat or calories for everybody else!  Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed – and get a little crazy and experiment with your own flavors!  Let me know how they come out and if you find a great new combo! 

Cream Cheese Pancakes- NO FLOUR!!? Easier than pancakes and very similar to crepes. I served ours with Berry Preserves. Next time I am doing fresh peaches or our old standby softened cinnamon/maple apples and chopped walnuts.

** I quadrupled the original recipe and it was perfect for our family of four (two boys who eat lots of pancakes)

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 8 eggs
• 4 Tbsp Xylitol or Stevia (recipe calls for "1 packet of Stevia" I was out of Stevia and don't know how much a packet is equivalent to. I am not sure that the sweetener is that important? You are going to add some jam or syrup to the top anyway.)
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Put all ingredients in a blender or magic bullet. Blend until smooth. Let rest for 2 minutes so the bubbles can settle. Pour batter in pancake form into a hot pan greased with butter or pam spray. Cook for 2 minutes until golden, flip and cook 1 minute on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve with sugar free syrup (or any syrup of your choice) and fresh berries.

Notes

Approx nutrition info per batch: 344 calories, 29g fat, 2.5g net carbs, 17g protein

Easy Pad Thai

(from Brownies for Dinner)

Serves 4

8 ounces dried, wide and flat rice noodles or Linguine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 squirt (about 1/8 teaspoon) Sriracha (optional)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, light beaten (optional)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts

1. Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and Sriracha.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer eggs to a plate.
5. Add noodles, scallion greens, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 1 minute). Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.
6. Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with cilantro and peanuts.

So glad I found this. It's so easy and uses leftover ingredients I already have in my pantry.