Pumpkin Pancakes!

Happy Fall, Y'all! =o)
I LOVE Fall, I LOVE baking, and I LOVE Pumpkin flavored anything!
We had another "pancakes for dinner" night last week (and I had some canned pumpkin on hand), so I decided to search online for a Pumpkin Pancake recipe! I found one on allrecipes.com that I used and adapted! My kids loved it. In fact, my son ate 3 whole pancakes! These pancakes are hearty and rather filling too!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour *
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar *
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk *
1/2 cup canned Pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin Pie filling) *
1 large egg *
2 teaspoons vegetable oil *
Maple Syrup *

* indicates an organic ingredient was used

1.Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt in large bowl. Combine milk, pumpkin, egg and vegetable oil in small bowl; mix well. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened; batter may be lumpy.
2.Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly with vegetable oil (I used Organic margarine). Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle; cook until bubbles begin to burst. Turn and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

My pancakes turned out VERY thick so I had to spread them around a little in the pan with the back of a spoon and covered the pan while cooking as well. I got 11 pretty thick pancakes out of this mix. I served them with a little bit of Organic maple syrup drizzled on top.

These are only some of the pancakes. I took the picture of the stack after the kids started eating! You could definitely make a batch of these and freeze them between some wax paper for a quick-I-have-absolutely-no-time-to-cook breakfast!

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Crepes: a small very thin pancake

I have been so excited to try out new recipes and make them my own by using organic ingredients!  I am starting to realize that just about ANY recipe can be altered and made healthier!  I am proud to say that EVERY single ingredient down to the syrup and peanut butter I used on the finished product was organic!  There is something so satisfying about knowing you are making the best choices for your family.

I have NEVER made crepes before!  I just recently finally mastered making pancakes--well, I don't know if mastered is the best choice of words, but I'm getting better.  My husband is still the "master pancake maker" in this house. 

I found this recipe for crepes on one of my new favorite sites, Weelicious. 
Here is the recipe I used from that site:

Crepes (Makes 14 Crepes)

2 Eggs
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Milk
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
Butter for sauteing

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree.
2. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (this helps the bubbles to settle and the crepes not to tear).
3. Grease a saute pan or crepe pan with butter. Pour in 2 tbsp of batter and swirl to cover the pan.
4. Cook for 1 minutes, flip and continue to cook another 30 seconds or until just starting to become golden.
5. Remove to a plate and continue to make remaining crepes.
6. Spread with apple butter, almond butter, mashed bananas, fruit preserves or any other favorite filling.
7. Roll into a cigar shape.
8. Serve.

*After step 5, allow to cool, place crepes on a sheet tray, layer a piece of parchment paper between each crepe, place in ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours and heat in a dry pan for 30 seconds on each side and follow steps 5-8.

Now I've got to say, the recipe says it makes 14 crepes, and by golly, it makes 14 crepes! Well, that is if you don't count the first two I totally messed up! =o) There is something about the first pancake (or two) that never comes out right for me! 
I started later than I had planned so the batter only sat in the refrigerator for an hour. I just left it in the blender after I pureed it, and stuck it in there. When I made the actual crepes, I poured the batter from the blender into a Tablespoon (twice!) right into the pan and rolled it around to spread it evenly. I am such a rule follower that I set the microwave for each crepe for 60 seconds for the first side and 30 for the second! Needless to say, the timing was perfect!
My kids ate them all but ONE! They loved them! We had a "breakfast for dinner" meal that night, and I served it with some organic bacon that I purchased at Earth Fare. Alexa had some of her crepes rolled up and dipped in syrup, spread with peanut butter and rolled up, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and rolled up. Carter preferred his plain.  Either way they were a big hit!
I don't have the best photos of them, just this one, but I think you'll get the idea. They disappeared so fast, I didn't have a chance to take more photos!

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Double Chocolate Whole Wheat Waffles!

I love when I have an excuse to whip out my heart shaped waffle maker! This morning I decided to find a waffle recipe online that I could use while slipping in my organic ingredients! I originally was looking for a cinnamon waffle recipe, but my daughter begged me to put in chocolate chips, so I thought again and searched for a chocolate chip whole wheat waffle recipe. I stumbled upon this recipe on Kitchen Butterfly!





100% wholewheat chocolate waffles

1 1/2 cups (200g) wholewheat flour
a good pinch of salt
1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder or melted chocolate
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (400g) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or cinnamon/ground ginger)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup (25g) yogurt

Makes 8 – 10 waffles, measuring ~15cm (6 inches) across

Sift the flour, salt, cocoa, and baking powder into a bowl.

Make a well in the center and add the eggs, milk, vanilla, oil and yogurt and mix well with a ballon whisk until blended and the batter is smooth.

Because you’re using wholegrain flour, you’ll need to let the batter ‘rest’ for about 10 minutes. This allows the grains to absorb the liquids, resulting in softer, fluffier waffles. A bit like giving steaks a rest after cooking!

7-8 minutes into the batter resting, grease the waffle iron or electric waffle maker (follow manufacturer’s instructions if using for the first time).

When the mix is well rested, stir once more to combine then using a large ladle spoon, pour in batter, just enough to fill the hot waffle iron, then close. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the waffles are ready. They should peel away from the top/bottom of the iron when done.

Now you can use this exact same mix to make chocolate pancakes, but add an extra 1/2 cup of milk to thin the batter.


Well, it didn't call for chocolate chips so I thought, why not just throw some in the mix! (The chocolate chips I have are from Trader Joe's.) I also had all of the other ingredients on hand, all in organic form--yay! Who knew that you could buy organic cocoa powder or vanilla, huh? I had no trouble finding these at Earth Fare. There is something about knowing that the ingredients you are using are pesticide-free and the best choice for your family you can buy, even if sometimes that means you spend a little more for them.

Anyway, the waffles were a hit! I made SO many of them, which is great because I can just separate them with wax paper and pop them in the freezer so I have a fun easy breakfast on hand especially now that school is starting tomorrow! (I can't believe my little girl will be starting first grade!!!)

Well, I just wanted to share. Like I said, the only real difference I made, other than using organic ingredients, was to add maybe 1/2 a cup or so of chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

=o)
Jen