Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes



There was a brief period in my life when I dabbled in the Paleo Diet.  If you're not familiar with that, just "Google It!" because I'm not going to elaborate on it here.  Suffice it to say, it wasn't for me as I love desserts, bread, pasta, and all things non-paleo all too much.  During that time though, I did get somewhat acquainted with some Paleo websites and I have to admit, some of the recipes were very appealing and tasty.  One such recipe are these to-die-for pancakes.  I'm not exaggerating...they are GOOD. The recipe, being Paleo, calls for coconut and tapioca flours in place of regular flour. So if you are allergic to gluten, this would be ideal for you.

The original recipe appeared on the website PaleOMG, titled Lemon Raspberry Pancakes.  Instead of raspberries, I used fresh, organic blueberries.  You can ommit the fruity compote all together and these pancakes would still be to-die-for.  Seriously.

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes (yields 4-5 pancakes)

Ingredients
For the compote:

1 cup fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey

In a saucepan over medium heat, add the first three ingredients: blueberries, lemon juice, and honey. Mix together and let simmer. Once raspberries have broken down, bring heat to low to let thicken slightly.





For the pancakes:
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • ½ cup almond milk + 3 tablespoons (carton, unsweetened)
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ cup tapioca flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • coconut oil, for greasing pan


Instructions:
  1. Whisk together pancake ingredients: eggs, almond milk, honey and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
  2. Then, while continuously whisking, add coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and baking soda and a pinch of salt to the large bowl. Whisk until batter is well combined.
  3. Grease a large pan and place over medium heat. Once pan is hot, use a large ladle to pour a pancakes size pancake on the pan. Then use a small spoon to scoop out a tablespoon of the raspberry jam mixture and swirl it around on the top of the pancake.
  4. Once pancake has cooked and bubbles begin to surface on the top of the pancake, flip it. The pancake should need to cook for 2-3 minutes each side.
  5. Repeat with the rest of the pancake mixture

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Just Wingin' It!

Sorry for the silly title and sorry for not posting for a few days.




Last weekend I had a hankering for some chicken wings.  Luckily, the local Whole Foods had a sale on organic wings so I quickly snatched up 2 pounds worth.  This recipe incorporates two different kinds of mustard with honey, resulting in a tangy and sweet serving of deliciousness!

Recipe for Sweet Mustard Chicken Wings from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken wings
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; coat the aluminum foil with cooking spray.
  2. Arrange the wings on the prepared baking sheet so they do not touch; season with salt.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until browned and crispy on top, about 20 minutes. Flip the wings with tongs and cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes more.
  4. Stir together the Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, honey, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and hot sauce (if using), in large mixing bowl. Add the wings to the bowl and toss with a spatula to coat evenly. Allow to sit for about five minutes and toss again to re-coat. Transfer to a plate to serve.

Friday, July 4, 2014

An Old Favorite for the 4th of July



Happy Independence Day!  I thought today would be perfect to revisit one of my favorite recipes for corn bread.  The recipe comes from Sherry Yard's Dessert By the Yard cookbook.  I just love that cookbook.  I've tried several of Chef Yard's recipes and they've all met or exceeded my expectations.  This one for cornbread far exceeded my expectations however.  It's a sweet cornbread and has a very light and airy consistency. I'm planning on bringing this to a neighborhood potluck picnic this afternoon to celebrate the holiday.


Cornbread Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 stick unsalted butter (3 ounces)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

Glaze Ingredients:
3/4 stick unsalted butter (3 ounces)
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup water


Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in middle of oven. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs. Melt the butter and immediately whisk into the eggs in a slow stream. Whisk in the oil, milk and honey. Whisk in the dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back and bake for 10 additional minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Make the glaze: While the cornbread is baking, melt the butter. Add the honey and water and whisk until blended.
6. When the cornbread is done, remove from the oven and poke holes all over the bread, about 1/2 inch apart, with a toothpick. Brush with the glaze and allow to cool.

I like it, I really, really like it!




This recipe was something I wasn't going to write about.  Main reason--I didn't think it tasted especially good.  It was just "okay" to me when I first tried it.  That all changed however the day after I made this Coconut Lime chicken breast.  I don't know,  I guess the flavors were able to meld even more the next day and hence, so much tastier and definitely something to write home about!

This recipe incorporates some of my favorite ingredients, coconut milk, garlic, and ginger into a marinade that you soak the chicken breasts in overnight.  I added some freshly chopped chili for an extra kick, and also a dash of turmeric.  The recipe calls for chicken with skin-on but I used skinless and they still turned out fine.  I didn't have any cilantro for garnish so I used some fresh basil instead.
Very easy to prepare and another way to cook up that "boring" chicken breast you may have tucked away in your freezer.

Coconut Lime Chicken:
(from Nutrioulicious)

Ingredients
  • 2 packed tablespoons grated lime zest
  • ¼ cup lime juice (from 2 limes)
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 can (13.5 ounces) unsweetened, light coconut milk
  • 4 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin on
  • Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large glass bowl, combine lime zest and juice, ginger, garlic, sugar, cumin, curry powder, and soy sauce. Slowly whisk in coconut milk until mixture is smooth. Submerge chicken breast halves in marinade, making sure the marinade gets under the skin; cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 and up to 12 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and fit with a wire rack. Remove chicken from marinade and shake to remove excess. Arrange in a single layer on rack, skin side up. Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes.


Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Sashimi for breakfast

I was lucky enough to be the recipient of some freshly caught Yellow Fin Tuna last night.  My friend's hubby went fishing off the San Diego coast and caught some over the weekend.

Yellow Fin Tuna


Thinking how I was going to prepare it, and at my friend's suggestion, I decided to just eat it as I would sashimi...raw.  So for breakfast this morning I made a stir-fry of beet greens and leaves, chopped up celery, a little bacon, and tossed in some sweet fresh peach.
I topped all this off with some avocado and the tuna sashimi.  Delicious!