Saturday, December 11, 2010

Warm Cozies, A Saturday Morning

As the rain drums on the roof and tree branches drip with glistening drops, our house is warm on this gray morning.  I feel so snugly with the little bit while we're in bed, buried under the covers.  But my slippers await me and Ava wants her morning sampling of solids.

This morning, I'm excited to get up and make buckwheat, buttermilk, banana, blueberry, coconut pancakes!  And furthermore, I'm encouraged after yesterday's lunch with the girls, that maybe Ava can pick up and eat a few TINY (like half a pea sized) nibblets of pancake (she did it with bread yesterday).  So, I whip together the batter (as the baby crawls over and pulls out all the pots and pans to play with on the floor) and make a couple cakes for myself and one tiny little one for the little one.  I leave the rest as batter as papa bear is still in bed... sleeping in (jealous)... I'll cook his cakes when he wanders out to our kitchen.



The pancakes turn out amazingly good.  I enjoy mine with a touch of dark amber maple syrup.  Ava enjoys hers with some yogurt.  Actually, Ava pretty much just enjoyed the yogurt.  The pancake was too sticky and I was afraid she might choke, so after a few tries, I decided to nix the pancake-baby idea.  She did get a little mushy fruit out of the pancakes though, and next time, I'll probably just reserve some of the mushy fruit before it goes into the batter for her.



What You'll Need - All Purpose Pancake Mix (This makes a bunch of pancake mix, from which you'll use a portion and save the rest in a container in your pantry).

I'll add that I have borrowed this pancake mix recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Feeding the Whole Family".

2 cups Barley Flour
2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 cup Buckwheat Flour
1 cup Blue Cornmeal (which I couldn't find last time I went to the store, so I used yellow cornmeal)
3 tablespoons  Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

What You'll Do

Combine all ingredients and store in airtight container.  (I like to shake them in the container to mix them.  EASY!)
 
The author also includes a Glutten-Free Pancake Mix (this one's for you Lindsay! xo)

Substitute 2 1/3 cups Rice Flour, 1 cup Potato Starch, 2/3 cup Tapioca Flour, and 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum for the 2 cups barley and 2 cups whole wheat flours.  Hope this turns out well for you!


What You'll Need - Buckwheat, Buttermilk, Banana, Blueberry, Coconut Pancakes
I adapted this recipe from that book too.

1 Egg, separated
1 1/2 cups Pancake Mix (from above)
1 cup Buttermilk (sometimes I make it with Unsweetened Almond Milk if that's what I've got... use what you've got!)
1/2 cup Water
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 cup Frozen blueberries
1/4 cup Dried Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
Oil for griddle 





What You'll Do
In a large bowl, combine egg yolk, pancake mix, buttermilk and water. Mix thoroughly with a whisk.

In separate bowl, combine egg white, mashed banana, blueberries and coconut shred.

Gently fold into batter.

Ladle onto pre-heated, oiled griddle and cook on medium high heat. Pancake is ready to flip when you see the bubbles on top (although, these pancakes don't bubble quite as much as others I've made, so keep peaking underneath to help you determine when to flip).

Repeat with remainder of the batter.





Other Tasty Additions 
It would be yummy to add semi-sweet chocolate chips for a splurge!  Some added cinnamon would be lovely.  Raspberries, strawberries or any other berry or fruit, even peaches!

You know when you're driving on a gray, cold day and you see a warm glow coming from other homes' windows?  When I see this, I imagine there are families inside enjoying a cozy morning together like we had. 

2 comments:

  1. Mmmm thanks for gluten free option!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're welcome! I'm glad I could include it for you :)

    ReplyDelete