Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes from scratch - like anything else - taste so much better. This blueberry-cornmeal buttermilk pancake recipe is a delicious variation on the classic buttermilk pancakes. The cornmeal gives it a really nice  texture. You can make these pancakes with either fresh blueberries or frozen (I used frozen). By adding fruit to the batter, such as blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries, you will not only make a tasty breakfast, but you will also get a share of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. A great way to start your day! 

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoon yellow cornmeal 

1 tablespoon Xylitol or granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

¼ teaspoon salt 

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 beaten egg 

1 cup buttermilk 

2 tablespoon olive oil 

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries 

agave syrup (optional) 

Direction 

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the egg, oil and buttermilk in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter just comes together. Mix lightly. 

2. Heat a flat iron surface - griddle or large pan - to medium high heat. Oil the pan with either a Tbsp of butter. Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle to the desired size, usually about 5 or 6 inches wide. When air bubbles start to bubble up to the surface at the center of the pancakes (about 2-3 minutes), use a flat spatula to flip them over. After a minute, peak under one for doneness. When golden or darker golden brown, they are done. Serve with butter and agave or maple syrup. 

Note: 

Cooking the second side takes only about half as long as the first side. And the second side doesn't brown as evenly as the first side. 

Variations: 

You could also substitute sour cream for the buttermilk. If the batter is a bit thick, you can thin it with whole milk to achieve the desired consistency. 

You could also substitute all-purpose flour with self-rising flour. If you want to make pancakes without baking powder. 

Tips: 

Add the blueberries once the batter has already been poured on the griddle - this will keep them from bleeding. Although, you can also fold in the blueberries in the batter if you'd like to. 

Give your pancakes the airy texture by beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold the beaten whites into the batter and cook the pancakes immediately. 

To help save time in a busy morning, you can combine the dry ingredients ahead of time, so all you have to do is add the wet ingredients like eggs and buttermilk whenever you get a craving for pancakes. 

Veggie Burger

With a little preparation and you can make delicious veggie burgers right in your own kitchen. For this recipe I wanted to keep it simple by just combining all the ingredients together instead of having to cook the veggies before adding them to the rest of the mix, but, my husband is not big on raw onions so I sauteed the onions with mushrooms and bell peppers until they were soft and tender. When all the ingredients were combined, I shaped them into burgers ( I used a 3 ¼ -inch cookie cutter to get that perfect burger shape) and baked them. These burgers can also be fried.

I was very pleased with how these turned out. They are nutty, flavorful burgers with nice texture. Serve these in place of meat as a main entree or place on a bun along with your favorite toppings: romaine lettuce, spinach, tomato, mayo, etc. They are also perfect on whole wheat or multi-grain tortillas- folded into burritos or tacos.

The burgers

Ingredients

1 package organic silken(soft) tofu, mashed

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup onion, minced

1/2 cup green bell pepper

1/2 cup mushroom

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sage

¼ teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 tsp salt

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

2. Saute the onions in the oil until its soft and tender. Add the peppers and mushroom and saute for a few more minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. In a bowl, combine tofu, breadcrumbs, self-rising flour, garlic powder, sage, oregano, salt, nutritional yeast flakes, sauteed vegetables, and walnuts. Mix all ingredients together until well combined; shape into burgers and bake at 350F degrees on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 45 minutes or until brown, turning once. 

Mini Banana-Buttermilk Cupcakes

Talk about simple and quick recipe for cupcakes that you can't go wrong with.

These mini banana buttermilk cupcakes are easy to make and the recipe makes enough for 3-4 dozens mini cupcakes! I made these  with buttermilk pancake mix instead of all-purpose flour. It turned out very moist with a good banana flavor to them. 

I used whipped cream as frosting since it is easy to work with and I can adjust the sweetness to my own taste and still get that fluffy result that I want for a frosting. However, feel free to use any other kind of frosting that you'd like.

By the way, I make my sweet treats as less sweet as possible, so you might want to adjust the amount of xylitol or sugar to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

¼ cup Xylitol or granulated sugar

½ cup mashed ripe banana

¼ cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 ¼ cup buttermilk pancake mix

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup buttermilk

Frosting

11/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/8 teaspoon stevia or 1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons grated coconut flakes, toasted 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

2. Combine pancake mix, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a bowl; set aside.

3. To prepare cupcakes, whisk butter, xylitol or granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in eggs one at a time until well blended. Add banana and buttermilk to sugar mixture; mix until combined. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over mix; a few lumps is just fine).

4. Spoon a tablespoon batter into 24 mini-muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan.

5. To prepare frosting, beat heavy cream, stevia or agave nectar and  vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread frosting over cupcakes, and sprinkle with toasted grated coconut flakes.

Note:
If you want to make regular size cupcakes, go ahead. That's good too!

Cornbread Dressing

It does take a little extra time to make this dressing and that's because I made the cornbread from scratch. Then, toasted the bread in a 300F degrees preheated oven for 45 minutes. Cooked the vegetables; combined the toasted cornbread, cooked vegetables, and the liquid mixture together. Poured in a casserole dish and baked till done. 

With all these preparations, this cornbread dressing better be good! And YES! It is definitely worth the effort. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup celery

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup chopped mushroom

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced green pepper

1 can frichik, drained, reserve the broth

1 egg

3/4 cup vegetable stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

4 cups cubed and toasted cornbread

Black pepper (optional)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast or brewer's yeast (optional) 

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. 

2. In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add frichik, garlic, mushroom, corn,  red and green bell pepper, cook, stirring occasionally until tender. Set aside.

3. Whisk together eggs, stock, reserved frichik broth,  cream, nutritional yeast and herbs and season with black pepper. Combine all items, including cornbread. Pour the mixture in a casserole dish and bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for additional 20 minutes or until crusty.

Variation

You can use 1 cube of vegetable bouillon dissolved in 1 1/2 cup of water. Also, instead of frichik you can use morning star italian sausage.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are one of the ultimate comfort foods. I've seen recipes for mashed potatoes with garlic, herbs, or cheese. Some cook their potatoes steamed, boiled, baked, or even grilled. No matter how people modify the traditional recipe to suit their taste buds or to some just to experiment new flavors, bottom line is, taste preferences vary for every person which most likely were developed by what you were served when you were growing up.

Although, I didn't grew up with mashed potatoes I've had it many times. I've had some good ones and some just bland. I personally like mine creamy, buttery and chunky just the way my husband makes it.

Note: When it comes to cooking the potatoes, I like mine steamed instead of boiled or baked. Steaming helps the potatoes retain its flavor.  

Ingredients

2 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled and cut in quarters

7 ounces canned milk

6 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper

Direction

1. Steam the potatoes, covered, and checking regularly, until a knife pierces skin easily, about 20-25 minutes.

2. Remove potatoes from steamer and place in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, and salt; pour milk a little at a time, mashing just until light and fluffy but still chunky, until desired consistency is reached.  

Moist Buttermilk Cornbread

I've made cornbread once but it didn't turn out quite well. It was dry and a little salty than I wanted. Today I made it again (cornbread that is), but this time I tweaked the recipe by adding apple sauce and pumpkin butter (which were suggested by my mother-in-law). And whaala! It turned out really good. It's soft, tasty and moist! Just so good!

Ingredients

1/4 cup Xylitol or granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 tablespoon pumpkin butter

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease two loaf baking pans; set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. Beat the egg whites until fluffy in another bowl; set aside.

4. Using an electric mixer, whisk pumpkin butter, regular butter, sugar, apple sauce, and buttermilk. 

5. Add the dry ingredients to the buttermilk mixture and stir 3-4 times; fold in the egg whites and stir until the batter is just blended (a few lumps are ok). Do not over mix. 

6. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Remove from oven and place pan onto a wire rack to cool. 

Variations:

You can also cook this in a preheated cast iron skillet, in a 375 degrees F oven for 20 minutes.

Adding 1 1/2 cup of finely shredded carrots, 1 cup (frozen corn kernels, blueberries, raisins, or dried cranberries) would also good.

Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

I made my own pumpkin pie from scratch using a fresh pumpkin. It is way easier than it sounds, and it is loads of fun too. My husband and I bought a 3 lb pie pumpkin, which yielded almost 3 cups of pumpkin after I roasted and mashed it. I find that roasting the pumpkin instead of steaming makes it less watery; and mashing it with a fork gives it a good texture. I also used seven ounces of evaporated milk instead of one can and palm sugar in place of granulated sugar. For the pie crust I used graham crackers, butter, and stevia (or any sweetener you prefer) and processed them in the food processor until they are well blended.

Ingredients

1 ½ cup pumpkin

7 ounces evaporated milk

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 large eggs

pinch of nutmeg

1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream

For pie shell:

1 small package of Graham crackers

6 tablespoons butter, chilled

dash of stevia or 1 tablespoon of sugar

Direction

1. Cut your pie pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and extra strings. Place both halves on a foil lined baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake your pumpkin at 350˚ for about one and a half hours or until tender. Scoop out the flesh, which should be quite soft and mash the pumpkin using a fork.

1. Process graham crackers, butter, and stevia or sugar in a food processor for a minute or until mixture is well blended. Distribute crumbs evenly on bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-inch plate.

2. In a large bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, salt and nutmeg; mix well. Gradually, stir in evaporated milk.

3. Pour into pie shells. Bake in 425F degrees preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F degrees; bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool and serve with whipped cream on top.

Note: You can also puree the pumkin using a hand-held or regular blender, but i find mashing the pumpkin with a fork gives it a good texture. 

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Very easy and enjoyable! The red bell pepper and mild cheddar cheese were a nice compliment to the classic green bean casserole.

Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request)

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup red bell pepper

Dash ground black pepper

1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

1 ½ lbs fresh green beans, stemmed and washed

8 cups water

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Direction

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water to a gentle boil. Add salt and olive oil. Add trimmed green beans and cook, uncovered, 5 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender (you may need to experiment with the degree of doneness you like).

2. Stir the soup, milk, black pepper, 3/4 cup cheese, red bell pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 ½-quart casserole. Bake at 350F degrees for 25 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

3. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining French's fried onions and cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

NOTE: You can also use a steamer basket. You can sprinkle salt and olive oil on the green beans. 

Hint: When boiling green beans , by adding olive oil and salt to the water helps the green beans retain its color. (Learned this from my Tita Joy)

Butternut squash quick Bread

I made this the other night, and it was very good! I used a cup of buttermilk pancake mix and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and agave nectar instead of sugar. It turned out great!

Ingredients

1/4 cup agave nectar
1.3 lbs butternut squash (yields about 1 cup of mashed butternut squash)

¼ cup butter (softened)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk pancake mix

½ cup All-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ cup buttermilk

To make mashed butternut squash:

• Cut the squash in half; remove the seeds, then peel and cut into slices of even thickness.

• Place the squash slices on a rack in a pot with a lid, add water to cover the bottom of the pot and steam, covered, until tender, about fifteen to twenty minutes.

• Transfer the squash to a bowl. Mash or put through a food mill.

• Let it cool for 20 minutes before adding into the wet ingredients.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

2. Combine pancake mix, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a bowl; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine butter, honey, vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, and mashed butternut squash; mix thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined.

4. Put in one greased loaf pan and bake at 350F degrees for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

5. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.