Chocolate Chip and Strawberry Pancakes

I went through a really awkward phase in high school (but everyone does, right?)

I didn’t like normal breakfast food (you may remember me mentioning that here). I never wanted to eat cereal or toast. You would never see with eggs. I wasn’t really into biscuits (or gravy). Oatmeal? Yeah… no.

So instead of flipping out a giant stack of pancakes or toasting up a Pop Tart, I ate dinner for breakfast. Every. Single. Morning.

I would eat lasagne and cheese cannelloni. Sometimes I would go a little wild and eat a cheesy panini or chicken noodle soup. On occasion I’d go south of the border and eat rice and beans. And I would do all of this in a car, putting on makeup, and doing homework. At least I wasn’t driving the car myself.

See, like I told you, awkward.

Fortunately I am “cured” of my completely weird breakfast habits. I now enjoy eggs and oatmeal (not together, though) and cereal and yogurt parfaits. Sometimes I’ll make a smoothie or toast up a muffin.

But when I’m feeing totally out of control I make pancakes (I think the italics really bring out the craziness that goes down in my kitchen when pancakes are made).

This recipe is adapted from Joy the Baker’s new cookbook which is filled to the brim with amazing recipes. She calls it the Single Lady Pancake because it’s meant to be made as one single pancake and eaten by one single lady (or lady who just doesn’t want to share).

The recipe makes the perfect size pancake (or pancakes if you want to make smaller ones) for any hungry gal (or guy) and you can basically throw in whatever mix-in you like. I chose chocolate chips and strawberries which I thought were pretty fabulous.

Now do you understand why I’m italicizing pancakes? Yeah, I actually don’t understand why I’m doing it either.

Chocolate Chip and Strawberry Pancake(s) adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Makes 1 large pancake or 3 small pancakes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons old fashioned oats
• 1 tablespoon flax meal (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoons agave nectar
• 4 teaspoons apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil, plus more for pan
• dash of pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons diced strawberries

Method

1. In a medium-small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In another small bowl, whisk together the agave, apple sauce, oil, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined (be careful not to overmix). The mixture will be thick. Fold in chocolate chips and strawberries.

2. Heat a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the pan (about 1-2 teaspoons). If making one large pancake, pour the whole mixture into the pan and spread with a spoon. Cook until tiny bubbles begin to form on the top and then flip (it’s a little difficult with the size of the pancake, but you can do it!!!). If making smaller pancakes (which are a bit easier to flip), pour mixture into skillet in three dollops. Cook just as you did the larger one.

3. Cook until golden brown. Serve immediately with extra strawberries and chocolate chips and a little sprinkling of powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Related Recipe: Whole Wheat Blueberry and Lemon Pancakes

Dried Fruit and Nut Crunchy Granola Bars

I’ve been running for a couple of years now. Mostly I do smaller races or just run for pleasure. Sometimes I go out on a “whim” and run 13 miles.

But in any of those cases, I need lots of fuel. Like this!

Just Kidding.

Okay, not really.

Enter the granola bar! Breakfast champ, snaking savant, all around wonder treat.

These are the picture of health. They are chock full of healthy and fiberful oats and flax, dried fruit, nutritious nuts and almond butter, and hardly any sugar.
The oats and flax meal are toasted in the oven to get an extra little bump of flavor and texture.

Sesame seeds are toasted in a pan. This definitely brings our the sesame flavor and smell (which I particularly enjoyed about these bars).

Tasty dried fruit and almonds! I used a mixture of dried mango and cranberries but any finely chopped dried fruit would work. And don’t even get me started on almonds. They are the power nut. Almonds are full of all kinds of good stuff you want in your body: healthy fat, fiber, nutrients.

The gooey mixture that binds all this together is made of honey, maple, almond butter, and brown sugar. It’s sweet and nutty and complements the rest of the ingredients really well.

You’ll feel healthy just making them!

Last Year: Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup with Pesto Cream

Dried Fruit and Nut Crunchy Granola Bars

Makes about 10 bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats
• ½ cup wheat bran
• 1 cup rice krispies
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, roasted
• 1/8 cup almonds, chopped
• ¼ cup dried fruit, chopped (I used a mix of dried mangoes and cranberries)
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ½ tablespoon almond butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 x 8 glass baking dish, set aside. Place oats and wheat bran on a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned a fragrant. Reduce heat to 300°F.

2.Meanwhile, place sesame seeds in a pan and roast over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes.

3. In a large bowl place toasted oats and wheat bran, rice krispies, sesame seed, almonds, and dried fruit, set aside.

4.In a small sauce pan over medium heat, place honey, maple syrup, almond butter, and brown sugar. Heat, stirring occasionally, until brown sugar is melted, about 3-5 minutes. Pour honey mixture over dry mixture and mix quickly until combined. Press granola into prepared baking dish with spatula. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely (it may still be soft when you first take it out of the oven). Cut into desired sizes.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownie Crunch Bars

I love over-the-top, insane, delicious decadence.

Butter? Yes.

Sugar? Oh, yeah.

Chocolate? Of course!

Peanut Butter? You know it!

Calorie Free? See above…

Homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce

Happy Spring!

Today is the first day of spring and although it doesn’t feel like it where I am (snow, hail, sleet, freezing temps…), I’m going to make every opportunity to enjoy it.

I think love all of the budding flowers, the wonderful temperatures, and the happy vibe that comes from packing away your parka and pulling out your tank top.

But even more than all of that, I love all the spring veggies. This tomato sauce makes excellent use of the abundance of vegetables that you may soon have in your garden.