Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

 Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).  In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie, or disposable piping bag and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.  In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.  Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Grease. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside. Top with cream cheese glaze.

Tips:

-Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!

-If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.

**I loved this picture of them on the griddle!
**These were so great for a fun Sunday lunch! And I sneaked in the healthy pancake (School Pancake Mix) and they loved them.  I doubt I'll ever try the pancake recipe if it's this easy to get away with sneaking in the healthy!
** I piped my cream cheese glaze on too, but I'm sure it could be done a little prettier.

School Pancake Mix

School Pancake Mix

2 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 C buttermilk powder
5 T dried egg whites
1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 T baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 C flaxseed meal
1 C nonfat dry milk
1/2 C wheat bran or oat bran

Mix dry ingredients together and store in an airtight container in refrigerator.  When ready to make, mix:
2 C pancake mix
1 1/2 C skim milk
2 T canola oil
1 t vanilla
Cook on a griddle and top with favorite toppings.

** I have a silly little rule that school morning breakfasts have to have at least 5g of fiber per serving. As you can imagine, my kids live for weekend breakfasts. However, these pancakes are great (6g fiber and 9g protein per 2 - 4inch pancakes), and I let them put whatever they want on them! Tons of syrup, I don't care!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Do one batch of pancakes (2 C mix etc.)
And add:
1 C pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Mix and cook as usual. Best with buttermilk syrup.

**The pumpkin adds another gram of fiber and maybe .5 g of protein! Nice! So much good and they don't even know it!

 Gingerbread Pancakes

Do one batch of pancakes (2 C mix etc.)
And add:
1 T molasses
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t allspice
3/4 t ginger (may increase to 1 t if kids like it)
1/2 t cinnamon

Mix and cook as usual. Best with buttermilk syrup. And some cinnamon whip cream can't hurt!

**Looking at all my pancakes, they all look so different...it's because I have a grill with a mind of it's own.

Banana Pancakes

Do one batch of pancakes (2 C mix etc.)
And add:
1 C mashed bananas
Mix and cook as usual. Best with buttermilk syrup. (My kids preferred the badder blended, I used a hand blender.) Serve with sliced bananas on top.

Lime-Cilantro Quinoa with Pineapple

Lime-Cilantro Quinoa with Pineapple

1 C quinoa
2 C water
2 T butter
2 T fresh lime juice
1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 C fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions in a rice cooker or saucepan.  When done cooking, let rest for 5 minutes then add butter, lime juice, pineapple and cilantro.  Stir to combine, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks
2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks (I used one red and one yellow for color)
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium onion, halved and slivered
1-2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 T olive or canola oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups homemade or store bought pico de gallo
6 C fresh spinach
14-18 corn tortillas, halved
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream and thinly sliced green onions for garnish, if desired

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.

Place poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, yam, onion, and corn kernels into a bowl. Pour olive oil into separate bowl, add the cumin and minced garlic to oil. Add a generous pinch or two of salt (important) and black pepper, then pour over vegetables and mix well, coating all the vegetables with oil.  After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in a shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.  Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting.  Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Prepare an 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/2 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, 3 C of spinach, and 1 C of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese. Top with with a layer of tortillas, salsa, vegetables, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares. Serve with Guacamole, sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.


**Adapted from The Roasted Vegetable by Andrea Chesman
**We have this with Lime-Cilantro Quinoa with Pineapple, and it was a great combo for a vegetarian meal!

Mexican Cheesecake

 

Mexican Cheesecake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese ( softened) 

1 1/2 cups sugar  (divided)

2 eggs 

2 (8 ounce) cans crescent rolls 

1/2 C  butter (melted)

1 T cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Mix cream cheese, eggs, 1 cup of sugar (reserve 1/2 cups of sugar for the topping). Roll out 1 can of crescent rolls and places on bottom of buttered 13 x 9 glass cake pan. Pour mixture on top of crescent rolls.  Roll out other can of crescent rolls and place on top of mixture. (If seams come undone while rolling out. pinch together).  Mix 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 T of cinnamon in different bowl.  Spread melted butter on top of crescent rolls.  Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture on top of butter.  Place in oven for 30-40 minutes depending on your oven.  Let cool. Serve with whipped cream.

**Much easier to cut and serve when cool, but yummy when warm too!  

Christy's Shrimp and Grits

Christy's Shrimp and Grits

Marinate for an hour or so:

2 lbs of raw de-veined and peeled shrimp
olive oil
garlic
fresh parsley
fresh basil
lemon juice
(No official measurements were given....1/4 C oil? 1/4 C lemon? 1/4 C basil and parsley? 2 t garlic?)

Place on skewers and cook on grill.

Cheese Grits
2 C Grits
8 C water
4 C cheddar (grated finely....melts easier) (Hans and the kids prefer less cheese ..3 1/2 C?)
6 T butter
salt and pepper
(extra milk if need to thin)
Bring water to a boil, add grits and cook until thickened, stirring often with a whisk to break up chunks.  When thickened, but still soupy, add butter and cheese, stirring until well blended. Add some milk if it thickens up too much.  (Keep warm until shrimp are ready!)

Serve with 2 slices of crisp bacon and a Flying Biscuit!

**My southern friend Christy cooked this for me...never having anything like this before, I loved it!  It was down home cooking, with a gourmet flare and flavor! Sure to become a family favorite, if for nothing else, the bacon seals the deal! Thanks Christy!
**Enough for 4 very generous adult servings, but could easy feed 2 adults and 4 kids...just depends on how many shrimp they like.

Guacamole

Guacamole

3 medium avocados, scooped from the skins (about 1 1/4 C)
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 -1 t fresh garlic, minced (to taste)
2 T finely minced onion
1/4 C sour cream
3-4 T diced tomatoes (optional)
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste

Mash avocado with a fork in a small mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and combine.  Add tomatoes at the end. Refrigerate in an airtight container, or cover with plastic wrap pushing down onto the guacamole, sealing out all air.  If possible, make about 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to mingle. (From Our Best Bites Cookbook)

**I love all guac, but particularly love one that isn't spicy.  Let the salsa have the heat, because I love the heat, but then the guac can cool it down!