Oatmeal Buckwheat Pancakes with Flax

I've been mixing buckwheat flour into my homemade pizza crust, because it's healthy and nutty and "whole grain" (although it's actually a seed). So when Tessa found this recipe for oatmeal pancakes, I decided to mix in a little buckwheat flour and a little flax seed to add to the already nutritious hulled oats in the recipe.

I've served them twice already, once with nutella and once with maple syrup, and they are tasty and incredibly filling. The buckwheat flour makes the pancakes (or pizza crust) a darker brown than they would be otherwise, so if that bothers you, you can sub in whole wheat flour. They're also vegetarian.

2 1/2 cup almond milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups hulled oats (or oatmeal)
1 cup buckwheat flour

1. If you're using hulled oats, stick them in a blender or food processor and pulse to pulverize. (I did this with the whole bag of hulled oats and then stored, so that I only had to do it once.)

2. Next, you have a choice: either add the rest of the ingredients and give it a whirl, or you can mix everything by hand in a bowl. Either way, make sure all of the ingredients are well mixed.
2. Let the batter stand for 2-3 minutes to thicken, while you heat up your griddle or skillet.
3. Cook the pancakes a few minutes on each side, until the bubbles start to leave holes.

Serves four with your favorite toppings.

Not. A. Word.

Home Fries with Peppers and Onions

Breakfast is an important meal. My favorite part of breakfast? Potatoes. Hash browns, home fries, latkes made with last night's mashed potatoes, bubble and squeak, I love it all. There's this place in Philly, though, called Honey's, that makes awesome home fries with peppers and onions, and I had a bad craving for them. So when I got an onion and some beautiful organic red potatoes in our CSA basket, I knew what I was making. Home fries with peppers and onions.

I made mine with an orange bell pepper, because they're Tessa's favorite, and made sure to caramelize my onions. They take a little time, but boy is it worth it. Perfect with an omelette or an egg and avocado sandwich.

4-6 organic red potatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1. Add the potatoes (whole, skin on!) to a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes. Drain, cool (you can stick them in the fridge for a minute) and cut them into half inch cubes.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 5 minutes) or until they begin to brown around the edges (10-15 minutes). Transfer to a plate or bowl and set aside.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet, still on medium-high. Add the cubed potatoes and season with salt, paprika, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are browned; about 10 minutes. 

4. Stir the onions and bell pepper back in, add the parsley and garlic (optional), and cook for another minute. 

Serves 4-5 as a side dish.

Works best with cast iron skillet, if not otherwise occupied.

Vegetarian Bubble and Squeak

Bubble and squeak is traditionally made from leftovers and served as part of an English breakfast. We first encountered a vegetarian version of it at Jonathon's in Dallas. Tessa was craving it this week, so I dug around and found this recipe.

The result is my version of vegetarian bubble and squeak, made fresh instead of from leftovers, but it will be even easier to make when I have extra mashed potatoes. I'm calling this a "healthy alternative," because traditional bubble and squeak is fried in lard, and because I swapped out the veggies, using dandelion greens instead of cabbage, because they are incredibly nutritious. I also subbed in leek for onion, because they add a certain creaminess I'm completely addicted to.

The whole thing, in fact, was creamy and filling, even after I replaced some of the butter with extra virgin olive oil for a heart-healthier dish. If you do want to make it more of the traditional breakfast, or just want to add a protein, try serving with a fresh egg or (if you're a meat-eater) a piece of spicy turkey sausage.

6 fist-sized Yukon Gold potatoes
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
1 medium clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 bunch of dandelion greens, chopped
4 tbsp butter, divided (I substituted 1 tbsp with extra virgin olive oil)
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk

1. Boil and mash the potatoes with the milk and half of the butter, then season with sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, plus a touch of ground nutmeg.
2. Melt the rest of the butter in a wide and deep frying pan over a low heat and saute the leeks until they are soft but not brown.

3. Add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional minute. Then mix in the chopped greens, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir in the mashed potatoes and mix everything together. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
5. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Serves three to four.

Bubbles! Bubbles! My bubbles!

Chicken Sausage, Potato, and Apple Hash

My dad devoutly opposes my usage of the word hash, which to him means shredded beef, potato, and onion browned in a skillet, but which Merriam-Webster defines as "chopped food; specifically: chopped meat mixed with potatoes and browned." So for this recipe I'm using the term loosely, since I'm not chopping the meat, but still. I think it applies.

I was originally inspired by this recipe, but decided I wanted to modify it to make it a full meal. Because Tessa and I have watched approximately one zillion episodes of "Chopped," and I already love hash, I decided to add roasted potato and deepen the flavors with a little thyme and garlic. I also healthed it up with chicken sausage instead of pork links, and subbed in leeks for onions, because I am leek-crazy.

This recipe only takes around 30 minutes (since you can prep everything else while the potatoes are roasting) and is full of beautiful fall flavors, and uses some of those fresh seasonal apples that are flooding farmers' markets and grocery stores around this time. I associate sage with Thanksgiving, and roasted potatoes and leeks are just melt-in-your-mouth comfort food.

I left the sausages whole to ensure that they didn't dry out, and started cooking them first to get a nice caramelization on them. Don't forget to take your sausages' flavorings into account in terms of seasoning. If you have a choice, choose one with a bit of heat; it'll nicely offset the sweetness of the apples. If you're a vegetarian, you could sub in veggie dogs or perhaps some tempeh for the chicken sausage.

1 package pre-cooked chicken sausages

3 yukon gold potatoes

1 large or 2 small leeks, cleaned and cut into half moons

3 small apples, cored and sliced or chunked

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp dried sage
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme

sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks and toss to coat with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and the spices. Roast in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. (Sound familiar? It's this with different spices.) Remove and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in the remaining olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the whole sausages and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally to ensure even browning.
3. Stir in the leeks, apples, and roasted potatoes. Cook until leeks and apples are tender and sausages are nicely browned, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and continuing to turn the sausages.

Serves four.

Carefully remove all kittens from skillet before cooking. 

Breakfast Pizza

This recipe is Tessa's. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical. Cracking an egg into a pizza crust on a convex pizza stone didn't seem like the most practical idea. But it turned out alright, and was delicious.

I used Yukon Gold potatoes because Tessa and I love potatoes, and they are one of the most nutritious varieties, along with the Peruvian Purple. I also went whole wheat on the crust, and always use free-range eggs. They always seem to have far superior yolk color.

Next time, I'm going to add in some spinach under the potatoes to amp up the health factor and break up the color monotony, but we didn't have any on hand yesterday. I might also add some fresh goat cheese after baking instead of using cheddar.

1 12-inch whole wheat pizza crust, room temp (they sell them at Whole Foods)
3 large free-range, organic eggs
3-4 small Yukon Gold potatoes
3/4 cup cheddar cheese (enough to cover the top of the pizza)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
3/4 cup baby spinach (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place pizza crust on cookie sheet or pizza stone. If adding spinach, spread an even layer across the pizza crust.
3. Thinly slice the potatoes (skin on for more nutrients) and lay a single layer, slightly overlapping, covering the surface of the pizza.
4. Scramble the eggs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then carefully pour the egg mixture over the top of the potatoes. (Resist the urge to add a fourth egg. It will expand as it cooks.)
5. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese across the top.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and visible egg is cooked.

Slice and enjoy. Serves two very hungry people.

It's too early... but it smells like deliciousness.

Easy Veggie Quiche

This recipe spawned from one of my mother's which she calls "A Tale of Two Quiches." My recipe is more like "A Tale of ∞ Quiches," because the possibilities are endless. Personally, I've made this quiche with spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower so far, all of which are packed with nutrients.

Notes: I make this quiche with swiss cheese because it melts without too much fuss or oil-- I tried it once with cheddar and got an excessively moist product. As to the question of whether eggs are healthy or not, my aunt is on the Egg Board, and she touts them as a healthy source of protein, but you can make up your own mind, and opt to use egg beaters or egg whites only.

6 large eggs
1 1/4 cup milk (I use almond milk)
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic and onion powder (optional)
2 cups (approx.) vegetable of your choice (spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower work well)
8 oz. shredded swiss cheese
1 9-inch pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Beat eggs and milk vigorously until uniform. Add seasonings.
3. Meanwhile, layer pie crust, vegetable, and cheese in the bottom of a 9" pie pan.
4. Pour egg mixture over the top.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the egg mixture has set.
6. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Serves four.

You're going to have to fight me for a slice.