Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Pancakes

I was never overly crazy about pancakes when I was growing up. I would eat them on occasion, but they certainly weren't at the top of my list of favorite breakfast foods. I attribute that mainly to growing up in a house that used "pancake" syrup. I was not a fan of "pancake" syrup at all, so I usually ate pancakes and waffles topped with some sort of jam or jelly.

My change in opinion came on the day that I discovered real maple syrup. I suddenly understood what all the fuss over pancakes was about. I was still a boxed mix kind of girl until one day a few years ago I was craving pancakes, and much to my dismay I discovered I was all out of pancake mix. Fortunately I was armed with a well stocked pantry and the power of the internet. One quick Google search later, and we were in business.

That first recipe that I tried was for basic buttermilk pancakes. They were very tasty, but quite lacking in the nutrition department. While you may not guess it from looking at the desserts that I typically post, I actually try to make healthy choices 90% of the time. At first, I tried making pancakes with all regular whole wheat flour. I liked the results just fine, but David gave them a big thumbs down.

Enter white whole wheat flour: all the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour with a lighter color and texture. It's truly the best of both worlds. Then I subbed the buttermilk for half plain yogurt-half milk, since I'm more likely to have those ingredients on hand. For this batch, I added the juice and zest of a lemon and fresh blueberries. I thought they turned out great, especially with the addition of a healthy dose of maple syrup. David wholeheartedly agreed. So, if you're looking for a pancake recipe that's nutritionally sound and will please even the picky eaters in your house, try these out.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Pancakes
adapted from allrecipes.com
Yield: two generous servings

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I usually use greek yogurt; use less milk if using regular yogurt)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon melted butter
zest and juice of one lemon
1 pint fresh blueberries

1. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. I like to use a glass measuring cup with a spout for ease of pouring.
2. Mix yogurt and milk together in a medium bowl until fairly smooth. Add egg, vanilla extract, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat until well combined.
3. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not over mix or pancakes may be tough. Batter will likely look a little lumpy. Set mixture aside to rest for 15 minutes.
4. Spray a griddle or frying pan with non-stick spray or rub with oil and heat on medium high. When a drop of water sizzles on the surface of the pan, it is hot enough.
5. Pour rounds of batter of desired size onto the heated griddle. Immediately drop blueberries evenly over the surface of the pancakes. Allow pancakes to cook until golden brown on both sides, flipping only once. Spray or re-oil griddle after cooking each batch. Top as desired. Any leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days or can be frozen for up to a month.

Linked to: Ingredient Spotlight, Full Plate Thursday, Strut Your Stuff Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Chic and Crafty, Sweet Treats Thursday, Feature Yourself Friday, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Fridays, Comfy in the Kitchen, Hodgepodge Friday, Shine on Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday

Blueberry Orange Muffins (Gluten-Free)

As I mentioned previously, I am a relative newbie when it comes to gluten-free baking. Neither David nor I eat a gluten-free diet, so most of my baking ventures involve traditional ingredients. We do have a few friends, however, who follow a gluten-free lifestyle. I made these muffins when one such friend came over for brunch.

I'll admit that I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as I'm not sure that I had ever even eaten a gluten-free muffin before. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone agreed that these were quite tasty. They're moist and tender with tons of juicy fresh blueberries and subtle hints of orange. These may have actually been some of the best muffins I've ever made. Feel free to change up the flavors. I'm sure chocolate chips would be great in place of blueberries, or maybe sub the orange zest for lemon zest.

Blueberry Orange Muffins (Gluten-Free)
adapted from King Arthur Flour

5 1/4 ounces sugar
4 ounces (1/2 cup, 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of one orange
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
10 1/2 ounces gluten-free multi-purpose flour (I highly recommend this one)
 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 ounces milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 teaspoons coarse sanding sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners. To aid release, spray liners with non-stick spray.
2. Combine sugar, butter, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange zest, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high until fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl and beater blades after each addition.
4. Whisk flour with xanthan gum. Alternatively add flour mixture and milk to the mixing bowl, beating on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in blueberries.
5. Divide batter evenly between twelve muffin cups. Cups should be filled to the top. You may want to smooth the tops a bit, as they won't smooth out while baking. Sprinkle muffins with sanding sugar.
6. Allow muffins to rest for 10 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops of muffins are lightly browned. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Serve warm if desired, or allow to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.

Linked to: Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Show and Tell Wednesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party

Maple Cherry Pistachio Granola

If you've spent more than twenty seconds talking to me or looking at my blog, it should come as no surprise that I am a dessert lover. I mostly blame my mom for this penchant for all things sugary. I mean, this is a woman who is not opposed to eating cake for breakfast, nor was she opposed to letting me eat cake for breakfast on occasion as a child. Apparently, as I have since learned, cake is not commonly on the menu for breakfast in most households. That's too bad, because cake for breakfast is amazing. For the record, my mom was not a horrible excuse for a parent. She did make me eat healthy food, just not at every meal.

Unfortunately, I have come to the realization that I can't live on dessert alone. Well, I'm sure I could survive for at least a little while on just dessert, but I think my pants would eventually put up a pretty strong protest. Sadly, I do feel the need to sneak in healthy food from time to time, particularly at breakfast. Enter this granola. It's full of wholesome ingredients, it's a cinch to make, and it's very tasty. Even David says so. Also, it's a more socially acceptable breakfast alternative to cake.

This granola is also very customizable. I happen to like cherries and pistachios, so that's what I used this time. Feel free to use any fruit and nut combo you like. Hey, even throw in some flax or sesame seeds if you're feeling crazy. I like to sprinkle it over a bowl of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit; David prefers to eat his with milk, a la cold cereal. It's also pretty good eaten by the handful, straight from the jar.

Maple Cherry Pistachio Granola

adapted from Annie's Eats

2/3 cup raw pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup raw pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds)

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

6 tablespoons canola oil

2/3 cups roasted pistachios

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 egg white, beaten until foamy

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups freeze-dried cherries*

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add chopped pecans and pepitas to a large pan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, allow nuts to brown slightly, 3-5 minutes. Add the oats and canola oil to the pan, stirring to combine, and continue to cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until oats appear slightly toasted.
3. Transfer contents of pan to a large bowl. Stir in pistachios, maple syrup, egg white, and salt. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and bake until granola begins to turn golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. If you prefer larger clumps of granola, do not stir. Otherwise, stir 1-2 times during baking.
4. Allow granola to cool completely. Cooling overnight without stirring should result in granola with larger clumps. Once granola is cool, break in to chunks, add cherries and store in an airtight container.

*I prefer to use freeze dried fruit in my granola, as opposed to dried, for a couple of reasons: first, it is crispy instead of chewy; second, it generally has no added sugar or preservatives. I can usually find it at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, and I've seen a couple of varieties at Target.


Linked to: Things that make you say: "Mmmmm", Creative Me Monday, Savvy Homemade Monday, Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday