Pumpkin Feast - aka Pumpkin Pancakes and Pumpkin Spice Latte

I'm sort of kicking butt with posts today.  In honor of the start of fall (and non-100 degree weather!), I decided to incorporate pumpkin into my food today.  I started off with some pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and also decided to attempt a mock of starbuck's pumpkin spice latte.  The latte was alright, not starbucks quality at all, but worth a shot.  Pancakes were perfect even with using just a bisquick base.

Pumpkin Pancakes

• 1 cup bisquick pancake mix
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4-1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• Nonstick cooking spray

Butter and Syrup if you like that on your cakes normally.

Combine all ingredients - batter might be a little thin.  Cook like regular pancakes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

• 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Puree
• 1 cup Rice Milk
• 1 teaspoon stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups strong coffee
• more sweetener as necessary

Combine rice milk, pumpkin puree, stevia, and spices.  Heat in a small sauce pan over low heat until milk is frothy.  Remove from heat.

Pour 1/2 of pumpkin mixture into your coffee mug.  Heat for 30 seconds in microwave if it has cooled down too much.  Add 1 cup of strong coffee.  Stir.  Top off with a touch more pumpkin base and sprinkle with some nutmeg.  If you like whip cream you can go for that too.

So Good Vegan Blueberry Muffins

My friend Sondra sent me this delicious and easy blueberry muffin recipe from her mom's kitchen.  I'm not normally a muffin person, but I received a package of fresh blueberries in the produce box that was delivered to my house this week - so why not?  These are great muffins - with the perfect amount of sweetness (ie not too cakey).  Plus with whole grain flour, these are probably about as healthy as blueberry muffins get.

Makes 8 regular sized muffins

1 and 1/2 Cups whole grain flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup rice milk or soy milk (I prefer rice milk)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 small carton fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Add milk and oil and mix by hand until all incorporated.  Coat blueberries in a little flour before you add them to the mixture.  Drop by 1/4 cup scoops into a greased muffin pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Italian Savory Muffins

I'm not a huge fan of sweet in the morning.  Even though I'm a pancake kid, I always hold the syrup.  When I saw a friend post a recipe for savory breakfast muffins I thought I ought to give it a go.  I found a bunch of recipes, mushed them together and stirred in some italian flavor.  It turned out molto bene :)

1.5 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion minced small

2 cloves garlic smashed

1 Cup all purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 Tablespoon parsley

2 eggs

1 Cup milk

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 Cup pancetta browned and chopped into small bits

1/2 Cup asiago cheese

1/2 Cup shredded mozzarella 

Shredded parmesan sprinkled on top

Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.

In a bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, and parsley.  

In another bowl combine eggs, milk, and dijon mustard.  Add the pancetta and cheeses to this bowl.

Stir wet mixture into dry mixture until combined.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  I also like to melt a bit of butter with some crushed garlic to brush on top of the muffins when they are done baking.

Banana Cherry Bread with Honeydew Salad

I usually freeze my bananas to avoid them getting to sweet and mushy, but sometimes nothing hits the belly like a slice of warm banana bread.  So this morning when I was faced with the pitiable bland breakfast options in my kitchen I spied 3 browning bananas on the counter - twas fated.

Banana Cherry Bread

• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (could sub stevia here)
• 1/3 cup salted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 medium carrot grated
• 1/4 cup dried cherries

Heat oven to 350.  Coat a 9X13 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix sugar and butter and cream until lightly fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time.  Add the yogurt, lemon juice, bananas, and lemon zest and beat well.  Sift the flours and baking soda into a large bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture.  Stir in the walnuts, carrots, and dried cherries.



Pour batter into pan and bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for at least 5 minutes in the pan before putting on a rack to cool more.




Honeydew salad

• 1 honeydew melon chopped
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Mix.  Eat!

This post is dog approved - her little nose is always poking around the counter when the banana bread is cooling :)

Rice Milk Crepes

When I think about crepes I remember stopping at crepe stands in europe as a kid.  I'd get a huge crepe covered in lemon, butter, and powdered sugar while my parents tried to figure out how much further it was to what-ever touristy stop we were headed towards next. Honestly I'm surprised by the lack of crepe stands in the states (as opposed to the plethora of eat-in crepe places).  Crepes are quick to make and good at all times of the day - in essence the perfect fast food.

I may have mentioned that I have some milk sensitivity - which of course is hereditary.  While my end of the allergy spectrum is more mild, other members of my family are not so lucky (I'm pretty sure one of my little cousin's diets is limited to salad, bacon, and brown sugar).  As a beneficial consequence of their suffering, I get recipes passed onto me that work for both severely allergic and non-allergic folks.

These crepes avoid the use of milk - so I get a happy belly as well as happy taste buds.

3/4 cups unbleached flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup rice milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix ingredients together.   Cook on lightly oiled pan or griddle about a minute on each side.

To eat them my favorite way:
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle with lemon juice.  I also like to stuff my crepes with raspberries - but any fruit is amazing.

Peanut Butter Smoothie

While I enjoy green smoothies, my ultimate favorite are smoothies made out of peanut butter.  This probably has to do with my peanut butter obsession - I'm the peanut butter equivalent of a choco-holic.  

This smoothie is great for the summer because, similar to the green smoothies, you can eat it fresh or freeze it as a cold treat for a hot day.

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk or soymilk or rice milk or almond milk 
• 1/4 cup of yogurt (plain or vanilla depending on how sweet you like it)
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter (I like using chunky for the texture it gives the smoothie, but smooth works fine too)

Blend. Pour. Drink. Smile.

Also a note about frozen bananas.  I started freezing bananas during my undergraduate years because I could never eat them fast enough before they turned.  Freezing them turned them into a delicious creamy treat and now thats how I prefer them.  Plus it saves me money to use for other produce :)  To freeze, I peel them and wrap them in foil (which I attempt to reuse).

Vegan Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, and Banana Treats

A few months ago I thought I'd try to make my own vegan cookies.  I found this recipe and gave it a shot.  I enjoyed them, but I wouldn't exactly call them cookies.  They remind me more of soft chewy granola bars mixed with banana bread.  They are still good and pretty light (under 100 calories each).

• 1/3 Cup peanut butter
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons soy milk
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 and 1/2 cups quick cooking or rolled oatmeal
• 1/4 cup flour
• dash of cinnamon

In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork until smooth.  Add peanut butter, soy milk, flour, vanilla, and honey and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 13-16 minutes at 350 degrees or until done.

If you want a more chocolate-y version, instead of a 1/4 flour I substitute 1.5 Tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1.5 Tablespoons flour.  You can also throw in some chocolate chips or raisins to amp up the deliciousness :)

Fresh Corn and Zucchini Pancakes

Its saturday morning.  I love pancakes.  There was zucchini in my fridge.  Nuff said.

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 Cup low-fat buttermilk or low-fat milk
• 1/3 Cup whole wheat flour
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 Cup of corn kernels
• 1 zucchini grated (about a cup)
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons canola oil

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper until smooth.  Add corn, zucchini, onion and zest and stir until combined.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Drop batter by scant 1/4 cups measures into skillet.  Cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 3 minutes or so per side; lower heat if pancakes begin to brown too deeply before middle is cooked through.  Add more oil between batches if necessary.  Serve the pancakes warm or at room temperature.

In the original recipe they include a 1/3 cup of chopped mint, its not my thing, but it might be yours :)

This recipe is courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

Super Kale Smoothie

Kale is like the super man of vegetables - for so many reasons.  Its first knockout punch comes from a whopping dose of antioxidant vitamins A,C, and K.  These vitamins work to decrease your cancer risk, lower your cholesterol, and keep your skin glowing.  Kale rounds out its awesomeness by being relatively inexpensive considering what you are getting nutritionally for your buck.

Smoothies are part of my daily routine - and kale smoothies are my second favorite type.  The fascinating thing about the recipe that follows is that while your smoothie turns out slimy green (totally appetizing sounding right?) what you end up tasting is unexpectedly citrusy and fresh.

Serves 2  - have with a buddy or freeze one for later

Ingredients are listed in the order they should go in your blender

• 1 banana sliced 
• 1 small apple chopped
• 2 Tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 a cup of rice/soy/regular milk
• 3 kale leaves chopped
• 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups of frozen mango chunks

Blend until smooth.  I actually prefer mine frozen, especially during the summer.