If only every day was a lazy Sunday: Banana Bread Pancakes

I am a sucker for lazy Sunday food. I have an assortment of breakfast food pans in the pantry for just this reason. I like to make anything from ebelskivers to mini-waffles but sometimes all it takes is a new twist on a classic to get me inspired.

I am also a sucker for Pinterest. I was a fan of Pinterest before I got engaged, using it to search for new recipes, party decoration ideas, and home decor. Of course now I am elbow deep in wedding ideas (how is a girl supposed to make a decision on wedding decor when every day there is a new batch of ideas?!?) but I still take some time to look at the food.

It is the perfect storm when two of my sweet spots (no pun intended) come together and provide a gem like How Sweet It Is' Banana Bread Pancakes http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/06/whole-wheat-brown-sugar-banana-bread-pancakes/.

Words cannot describe how wonderful these pancakes are... I mean, banana bread + pancakes + maple glaze = lazy Sunday food coma, in the best way possible of course. I made these for the first time, solely based on how yummy they looked on Pinterest. They went wildly above and beyond my expectations and I immediately sent a text to one of my vegan friends in Toronto who is a fellow foodie. She "veganized" them and had the same glowing reviews as I did. Within seconds, these to-die-for pancakes became Sunday staples in both our homes.

So this weekend, brew up some coffee, make a batch of these bad boys, then snuggle into the couch with some blankets and a movie while the banana bread pancake food coma sets in!

Banana Bread Pancakes
makes 12 pancakes
2 cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour to be somewhat healthier or add 2 Tbsp of flax seed to the all purpose as I did)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Measure out the milk and add the vanilla extract to it. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add in milk and vanilla, stirring to combine. The mixture will still be dry. Add in mashed bananas and mix. Add in melted butter and stir until batter is somewhat smooth.

Heat a skillet or grilled on medium heat. Using a 1/3 cup measure, spoon batter into rounds and cook until bubbles form on top – about 2-3 minutes. The pancakes will be thick but don't worry, they cook through.Flip and cook for a minute or two more. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot with butter and syrup, or the vanilla maple glaze.


Vanilla Maple Glaze
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Pour over pancakes.

Thanks to Jessica and her How Sweet It Is blog for posting these on pintrest!!

Happy Healthy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving yesterday, full of family, friends, and of course, amazing food! We certainly lucked out with our Thanksgiving feast. We spent the day with Aric’s family as well as with friends of ours and everyone contributed to the whole meal. We not only ended up having quite the tasty spread but it was by and large very health conscious as well. I know the words health conscious and Thanksgiving generally don’t go together but this meal proved that the two can harmoniously coexist.

Since a lot of the mothers attending Thanksgiving dinner have had to forgo dairy in their diets to appease the allergies and sensitivities of their young babies, there was a limited amount of cheese in the dishes. On top of that, one of the moms has recently had to cut out dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, and nuts from her diet. I couldn’t stand the thought of someone not being able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal so I went in search of food that everyone could eat and enjoy.

All of the dishes Aric and I are posting on for Thanksgiving are dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, wheat-free, and egg-free. And each were met with great enthusiasm by the 20 something people that tasted each recipe, and the crowd ranged from vegans to carnivores. So whether you are on a strict diet, are vegan, or just want some healthy ideas that taste unbelievably delicious, these recipes are bound to satisfy everyone’s palates.

First up is Maple-Dijon Roasted Root Vegetables. I have made both Gwyneth Paltrow’s and Ina Garten’s versions of this dish before and have enjoyed both immensely. So I thought it would be fun to combine the two and get the best of both dishes. This is a very easy dish to prepare and can be prepped ahead of time so all you have to do is pop it in the oven before the guests arrive.

Ingredients
4 tablespoon maple syrup

4 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 pound carrots, peeled
1 pound parsnips or rutabaga, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small.
Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Mix together maple syrup, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper then drizzle the vegetables with the mix. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.
Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.
Serves 8.

Next up is the Butternut Squash Soup. I have made this soup numerous times before and it is one of my favorites to make on Sunday for weekday lunches. It is also quick and easy to make and the best part is that it tastes creamy without any cream or dairy required. This recipe is taken straight out of Daniel Green’s Healthy Eating for Lower Cholesterol
. Don’t let the slightly medical title deter you - all of the recipes in this cookbook are ridiculously yummy and yet so simple. It is one of my favorite cookbooks.

I doubled this recipe for Thanksgiving and there was enough for at least 15 starter soups.

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 small potato, quartered
2 garlic cloves
850 ml or 4 cups of vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Handful of chives

Directions

Peel the squash, scoop out the seeds and cut into thick wedges. Heat the oil in a large pan or soup pot. Add the onion and cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the butternut squash and potato and coat in oil. Cook for two minutes on medium heat then add garlic and season.

Add the stock and simmer for 25 minutes. Using a hand blender or food processor, blend thoroughly.

Serve with some sprinkled chopped chives.