Banana Nut Pancakes

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Andrea

Me: What kind of pancakes do you want this week?

Him: Something with nuts!

Me: What kind of nuts, pecans or walnuts?

Him: What did we just have with the coffee cake?

Me: Pecans.

Him: Then we should have walnuts.

Me: Done

And this is how Banana Nut or what I lovingly call, my favorite pancakes ever, were born.

Andrea’s Banana Nut Pancakes

1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1C Buckwheat Flour

1tsp Baking Soda

1tsp Cinnamon

2TBSP Sugar

1C Walnuts, crushed

1 Large banana

1C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (the kind in the dairy section, not from a can)

1C Water

2tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Preheat grilled over medium heat. In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and walnuts and whisk together. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the water, coconut milk, vinegar, extract, and banana. Mash the banana in the liquids as much as possible.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until everything is combined. Grease your griddle with a little oil and drop batter by spoonfuls. The size is up to you! Cook for about three minutes on the first side or until you start seeing several bubbles pop up in the center. Flip and cook for another minute to two minutes. Remove from heat and continue until all the batter has been used.

Oatmeal Mask

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Andrea

I’m still washing my face with honey everyday. I am not about to give that up, no way. I have found my new routine, hooray!

While the honey is great, I do like to give my face a little bit of a scrubbing one or twice a week. I wanted to keep things simple and still homemade so I pondered what I could use as a natural scrub.

I found a lot of recipes for an oatmeal scrub and decided to quick put together one for a little pampering.

In my scrub I used:

Old Fashioned Oats
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Unsweetened Coconut Milk

I put all of these ingredients into my mini food processor and processed until the oats broke down and the mixture got thick. I tried to keep the portions small but still ended up with a ton of scrub!

The oatmeal for scrubbing purposes, and coconut milk along with the oats for skin softening purposes. The apple cider vinegar is used as a mild astringent and to help tighten and unclog pores.

Stuffed Zucchini

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Andrea

We are in full swing with the summer season around here and one thing that is abundant at the farmer’s markets is zucchini.

Not just any zucchini, but HUGE ones, longer than the length of my forearm.

Those kinds of zucchini demand the need for stuffing. A lot of people stuff zucchini with ground meat, and this was highly typical where I grew up. Ground beef was usually the meat of choice stuffed into the zucchini along with maybe some tomato sauce.

I like the flavor of cooked tomato along with zucchini but I wanted to do a meatless version of stuffed zucchini. Instead of meat, I used my favorite grain, millet.

Andrea’s Stuffed Zucchini

1 HUGE zucchini, (literally like a foot in length, or as big as you can find)

1/2C Uncooked Millet

1 1/2C Chicken Stock (or veggie broth)

2-3 Green onions, chopped (both white and green parts)

1/2C Shredded Carrot

1C Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

Roasted Veggie and Wheatberry Salad

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Andrea

Roasting veggies and adding it to a grain is one of the simplest ways to make a salad. This could be a side dish or a main dish. It can be made ahead of time for a quick meal or for party prep.

Using veggies that have a lot of moisture in them, like tomatoes and squash will provide you with automatic dressing. No need to make extra sauce or dressing, it’s already built right in!

I love making dishes like this in the summer because they are so versatile. You can use whatever veggies are in season or what you happen to have on hand. You can make a huge portion or a small amount. The dish can be served hot or cold.

As you prep the veggies, you can’t help but be amazed by their gorgeous color. Something that looks that good and also smells good, before you even do anything to it, you know will turn out super tasty.

Pina Colda Pancakes

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Andrea

Earlier this week, I discussed how a recent kitchen flop then lead me to create one of the best pancake flavors to date. Happy day!

I had been toying around with making a summery-themed pancake one that tasted like the sun and reminds you of the beach and drinks with little umbrellas in them.

Or tasted like the sun and reminded you of being pool-side with drinks that had little umbrellas in them.

I’m flexible.

Once I trashed the failed pancakes, I got busy making some Pina Colada inspired pancakes. While I don’t like an actual pina colada, the flavors that make one up are fantastic and can be used in other applications (like smoothies!).

I knew that I could use those flavors in a pancake as well!

Andrea’s Pina Colada Pancakes

1C Spelt Flour

1C Buckwheat Flour

Pinch Ground Cinnamon

1/2C Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

2TBSP Cane Sugar

1/2tsp Baking Soda

1C Pineapple Juice

1/2C SO Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk

Grainola

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Andrea

You all know that I love granola. I make my own a lot and have even branched out making some with quinoa. I also love grains especially when I can chew and crunch my way through a meal.

Then I wondered, “Could I make granola with multiple grains?”

The answer friends is, yes, yes I can. Because I tried it and it worked! Three grains go into this dish that I’m calling Grainola!

Andrea’s Grainola

1C Buckwheat Groats

1C Cooked Wheatberries

1C Cooked Quinoa

3TBSP Maple Syrup

3TBSP Light Olive Oil

1tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. On a baking sheet, line it with foil and spray with some nonstick spray or olive oil. You can also use parchment paper if you have that. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until they are coated. Spread on a the baking sheet and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes stirring about every 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn.

Chocolate Coconut Oats

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Andrea

Most times I’m just a regular old fashioned oats girl with no frills. I used to make all kinds of combos but then I moved away from that and became more old school. Or plain. However you want to label it. I found comfort in regular oats.

But some days we just need something fun. Some days we need a little pick-me-up.

Some days we just need some dang chocolate.

And on those days, I get a little sassy with my oats and make something super yummy. Nothing too terribly fancy and I’m sure others have been doing this for a while but this is my take on a classic flavor combo.

Chocolate and coconut!

Andrea’s Chocolate Coconut Oats

1C Old Fashioned Oats

1.5C Plain Soymilk (or liquid of your choice)

1 Ripe banana

1TBSP Wheat Germ

1TBSP Ground Flax

1TBSP Coconut Butter

1TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa powder

2TBSP Dried Unsweetened Coconut

Extra coconut and dark chocolate chips for garnish

In a small pot, add in the soymilk and the banana. Mash the banana around and then add in the cocoa and coconut butter. Heat over medium-high heat until the soymilk just begins to bubble. Add in the oats and reduce heat to medium-low. Also add in the ground flax, wheat germ, and dried coconut. Stir and allow to cook for about 5-7 minutes until the oats soften and the mixture starts to thicken up. Remove from heat, spoon into bowls, and top with chocolate chips and coconut for garnish. Makes enough for two bowls of oats.

Burrito Bowl

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Andrea

Shaking off yesterday’s heavy topic let’s talk about something fun! And let’s make it about fun food!

Scott and I have a favorite diner that just happens to be very close to us and they have the best veggie burritos. The. BEST. The burrito is gigantic and stuffed with beans, cheese, and all manner of veggies. They won my heart because they actually use a variety of real veggies in their burritos.

Listen, I tend to eat mostly veggie when I’m dining out. I’ve gotten veggie burritos and such at many places and the “veggies” that restaurants tend to give you are as follows:

Onion
Green Peppers
Mushrooms

That’s it. Maybe if it’s your lucky day, there will be a sad basement tasting carrot tossed in the mix. But usually “veggies” are those three things and if we’re being truthful, mushrooms aren’t even a veggie.

Please leave them off my veggie meals!

Anyway, at our favorite diner the veggie burritos are full of:

Sunrise Cookies

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Andrea

When I tell you about these cookies, I’m pretty sure that you are going to think that I have crossed over into crazy land. Let me assure you that I have not.

I have been dreaming of a cookie that I could eat for breakfast for a long time now. Something that I could make ahead and keep in the freezer where I could pull out one or two, heat up quick in the microwave and eat. With my hands and not a fork or spoon.

I wanted a cookie that would make a great on-the-go snack that was low in sugar but loaded with flavor and good stuff.

I wanted something that could be legitimately called a cookie because they were made and eaten just like a regular cookie.

I wanted it to have whole grains and veggies in it.

Stay with me, remember I promised you I wasn’t crazy.

I’m calling these Sunrise Cookies because you can have them first thing in the morning and feel good about starting you day off with a cookie.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Andrea

I grew up in Pennsylvania. Western PA as a matter of fact. Home of the Steelers, The Penguins (and the Pirates if we must) and the City of Bridges. I didn’t grow up in the city but in a rural coal mining and farming town which was only an hour south of the city. I now live in Columbus, which is only 3 hours away from my hometown.

Doesn’t sound like a huge difference but in terms of weather it totally is! Ohio gets some of the most crazy weather and by crazy I am referring to how extreme it is. It goes from one end of the spectrum to the other, sometimes in the same day.

This week we have the pleasure of dealing with an ice storm and then more snow. Good times.

Thankfully Scott and I work from home which means we can stay bundled up.

On the first cold and iced-in day, I decided to kick my normal bowl of morning oats up a notch and make it something special. I’ve seen others talk about baked oatmeal before and the concept always intrigued me. Baked oatmeal sounds really decadent and like a lovely winter treat, doesn’t it?