Jelly Donut Pancakes

I had been dreaming about chocolate chocolate chip pancakes all night, but of course when I mentioned pancakes in the morning, Sawyer insisted on the white ones.  Bummer for me, until I thought up this yummy idea of putting jam on the inside and powdered sugar on the outside for a healthier take on the donut treat.  Sorry gluten-free folks--I made these with whole wheat flour because I live in gratitude daily that we actually aren't allergic to that, but you could certainly try subbing your favorite GF flour blend.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. preferred sweetener (I used evaporated cane juice.)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
A few Tbsp. jam of choice
1/3 cup powdered sugar

1.  In your food processor, combine flour, oats, seeds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until oats and sunflower seeds are completely ground up.
2. Add the coconut oil and buzz until crumbly. Then add the milk, sweetener, and vanilla and process just until smooth.
3. Heat your pancake griddle or frying pan over medium heat and drop large spoonfuls of batter onto the heated pan. Dollop about a tsp. of jam in the middle of each pancake and then cover up the jam with a bit more batter. Flip when bubbles form around the edges and cook for about 2 mins. more on the other side, until just lightly browned.
4. Let the pancakes cool for a few minutes so as to not melt the sugar. Spread powdered sugar onto a large plate and place pancakes one by one in the sugar, lightly coating each side. Serve warm--no butter or syrup needed!

We decided we were tired of the cold and pretended it was summer all morning. The kids even wore their bathing suits to the grocery store. Heck, I already get enough looks from people as it is with all the ruckus we make going up and down the aisles while struggling through crises of lost gum in hair, towers of bread and beans tumbling from the cart, wails of despair for unrequited cookie cravings, etc.--I figure I might as well give people something to really snigger about!

This recipe is shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Allergy-Free Wednesday.

Chocolate Blackberry Buckwheat Cereal Crunch (Plus Pancakes!)

Yesterday was a Mothers' Day to remember. I was deep asleep, when Abiline woke up an hour earlier than usual (7 rather than 8) and chanted my name for 45 mins., refusing to go back to sleep. Then Sawyer woke up early, and there was no ignoring the unwelcome wake-up call any longer. At least we got to church almost on time because we started getting ready early—no thanks to me spilling Sawyer's juice all over my purse as soon as we got the kids in the stroller to head out. The highlight of the morning was coming down the stairs and seeing the beautiful picture of our family that Anthony drew me for my gift.

I taught the lesson in Relief Society at church today, and I am so grateful it went well. Abiline made me a beautiful necklace in Nursery, and in Primary Sawyer made me a paper-cut out vase with flowers on it saying that he is thankful I'm his mommy. Those hand-made gifts really are so precious to a mommy. Sawyer went up with the primary kids to sing the Mother's Day song during Sacrament meeting, but I had to stay with him, and he refused to sing because, he said, “I'm just not used to it yet, Mom.”  Pretty insightful. Then things went down hill when I walked the kids home from church by myself while Anthony went to a meeting, and Abiline decided to throw her biggest tantrum yet when we got home. I'm sure it was because she was “hangry,” but I couldn't get her to eat. After about a half an hour of her screaming, I thought I was going to lose my mind. Finally, I got her to take a bite and she started calming down right when Anthony came in the door. At least she let me take a nap for half an hour after lunch before waking up and serenading me with “Baaaaaby BaWOOOga!”

 We had a relaxed afternoon playing in the dirt at the middle school behind our house. Abiline did an awesome job on her dinner, scarfing down her lasagna. I was so close to getting her to bed on time; she was eating her “bababums” (vitamins) while I read her story, and all of a sudden she was choking on one. When we got it dislodged from her throat, her whole dinner came out along with the offending vitamin fragment. I am of course grateful beyond words that the vitamin came up and all was well, but it is always a bummer when a good dinner gets puked up. All in all, a Mother's Day to remember.  My favorite part of the day: Sawyer  coming up to me and saying, “Mommy, I think I am falling in love with you.”  I hope I never forget that moment.  I hope I can remember it next time not so pleasant words come out of his mouth.

As for my Mother's Day breakfast in bed--well, I am the type who makes her own Mother's Day breakfast and is perfectly happy with that because then I get to eat exactly what I want.  I made this chocolate blackberry buckwheat cereal on Saturday, and on Sunday I used some of it to make double chocolate blackberry pancakes.  As you can see, both desserts, I mean breakfasts, got Abiline's seal of approval.

 

For the Chocolate Blackberry Buckwheat Cereal:

2 1/2 cups raw buckwheat groats, or 1 1/4 c. buckwheat and 1 1/4 c. rolled oats

1 cup frozen blackberries

2 Tbsp. chocolate chips

1/4 c. cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup

1/2 tsp. orange extract

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spread the buckwheat (and oats, if using) on a cookie sheet and toast for 10 mins, stir, then toast for 10 mins. more. (Buckwheat alone will make for a much crunchier cereal. I make it with oatmeal sometimes to soften up the texture for my 22 month old daughter.)

2. While the buckwheat is toasting, microwave the blackberries and chocolate chips for about a minute, to defrost the berries and melt the chocolate chips. Add the berries and chocolate to your food processor, and add the cocoa powder, agave, and orange extract.  Buzz until berries are pureed and everything is well combined.

3. Remove the buckwheat from the oven and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Pour the chocolate blackberry mixture over the buckwheat and stir until the cereal is evenly coated. Let cool completely before eating. Be sure to store the cereal in the fridge.        

For the Double-Chocolate Blackberry Pancakes:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 cup frozen blackberries, thawed

2 Tbsp. grapeseed or coconut oil 

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 c. buckwheat flour, oat flour, or 1/3 c. of each

1/3 c. cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chocolate blackberry buckwheat cereal

1/3 c. chocolate chips, ground or whole

1/3 c. frozen blackberries, plus extra for garnish 

1. Preheat your pancake griddle at 325 or heat a frying pan over medium heat. Be sure to oil the griddle/ pan if it's not really non-stick.  In a food processor, puree the quinoa, milk, blackberries, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients from the food processor.  Stir until evenly combined and moistened.  Fold in the buckwheat cereal, chocolate chips, and frozen blackberries.

3. Pour the batter by 1/4 cup-fulls onto your heated cook surface and fry 2-3 minutes per side.  I loved them topped with extra berries and bananas; no syrup needed!

 This recipe is linked to Breakfast Ideas Mondays , My Meatless Mondays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Kids in the Kitchen and Wellness Weekend.

 

Whole Grain Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We don't eat a lot of cereal for breakfast in our home because it's just not filling enough after not eating for 10-12 hours. Also, we get tired of our limited corn-free cereal selection. So we do a lot of granola, waffles, oatmeal, and at least once a week we whip up some pancakes, as they are great finger foods for the kids.  This particular recipe was formulated with Abiline in mind, as the whole grains produce a more crumbly texture, which makes the pancakes easier to chew than when made with all flour, since that often gives them a more chewy, gummy texture. Also, Abbie loves chocolate. (She also loves vegetables, so I rationalize that the two balance each other out.) Unlike some chocolate chocolate chip pancake recipes I have seen, these don't have loads of sugar, so they are a bit indulgent perhaps, but not too desserty for a good breakfast. I like to top them with sunflower seed butter and banana slices, and I recently discovered that they are extra-delicious with homemade chocolate sunflower seed butter on top.


1 c. cooked short-grain brown rice or quinoa
1 c. steel-cut oats, soaked overnight and squeezed dry
1 cup cooked beans 
1 1/2 c. non-dairy milk (I used homemade oat milk.)
2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup

2/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/3 c. chocolate chips, roughly chopped (or mini chocolate chips, if you have them)

1. In a blender mix the brown rice or quinoa, steel-cut oats, non-dairy milk, sunflower seed butter, canola oil, vanilla, and agave nectar. Don't liquify it completely; there should still be some texture from the grains.

2. Preheat and grease a frying pan or pancake griddle. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. When well-combined, stir in the chocolate chips. Then make a well in the center and pour in the liquid from the blender. Stir just until all the dry ingredients are moistened and then pour on the griddle. I made mini-pancakes for the kids by pouring just 2 Tbsp. batter on the griddle for each pancake, but make them as big as you like. Flip when the edges begin to bubble after 3 or 4 mins., then cook the other side for about 2 mins. more.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Pancakes are probably my favorite breakfast because they are so filling and because the basic pancake recipe is so flexible. Growing up, my mom would make Hungry Jack pancakes from the blue box--the one to which you had to add eggs, milk, and oil--as a special treat for dinner. Well, we thought it was a special treat, but really she probably liked making breakfast for dinner because it was quick and easy--a nice break for her! We loved "gushers," which were pancakes that were just barely cooked on each side, so that the middle was all gooey with uncooked batter. My husband thinks this is totally unappetizing, but for me the raw middle makes for an extra-creamy, melt in your mouth texture that is just as much superior to a well-done pancake as cookie dough is to the baked cookie. If you're not with me on the cookie dough, then I guess you wouldn't go for the gusher. But, whatever your pancake preferences, these carrot cake pancakes are worth the extra time in the morning. Abiline, my 14 month old, really liked that they turned out soft so that she could gum them easily. Still only 6 teeth in that little mouth.

1 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 medium carrots, finely grated
1/4 c. raisins, soaked in boiling water for 10 mins, then drained.
1/2 c. yogurt (I used homemade coconut milk yogurt)
3/4 c. diced pineapple with juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract (optional)
1 1/4 c. non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious coconut)
2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or canola oil

1. Preheat your griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Grease generously if not using non-stick. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
2. In a food processor, combine the carrots, raisins, yogurt, pineapple, extracts, non-dairy milk, and oil and puree. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until well blended.
3. Pour batter by 1/4 cup fulls onto the preheated griddle and cook for 3-5 minutes, until bubbly around the edges. Flip the pancakes and cook for another few minutes on the other side--just 1-2 minutes for gushers, or until you press on the pancake with the pancake turner and nothing oozes, if you are of the full-cooked persuasion.

Protein-Packed Pancakes

I concocted these pancakes as an answer to the many inquiries as to how my family gets our protein. These are a big hit with my three year old son, but my one year old daughter is still getting the hang of chewing and isn't really in to pancakes yet.

1 1/2 c. cooked garbanzo beans (I cook my own, but if you buy canned, then this is about 1 can, drained.)

1 Tbsp soy-free Earth Balance, or other margarine of choice

2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter

2 Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup

1/3 c. coconut milk

1 1/2 c. hemp milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. arrowroot mixed with 2 tbsp water

2 c. spelt flour (Spelt gives these a nice soft texture, but you could sub whole wheat pastry flour if you prefer.)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Puree beans, Earth Balance, sunflower seed butter, agave, and coconut milk in the food processor until smooth. Start preheating the griddle.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add puree from food processor as well as hemp milk, vanilla and arrowroot mixture. Mix until combined.

3. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle or frying pan. Turn after 3-4 minutes, and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. These are thick, fluffy, and filling!

Variation: Try adding 3 tbsp poppy seeds to the batter and subbing 1-2 tsp. almond extract in place of the vanilla.