What’s for Breakfast: Oatmeal Pancakes

My husband and I really learned to like oatmeal pancakes when Quaker Oats introduced an oatmeal pancake mix at the grocery store.  The mix went away after about a year (I suspect it was part of a “test market” project) and we were sad. The oat pancake mix was available online, but the price for the mix was about double, you had to buy 12 boxes, and shipping was more than the cost of the pancake mix.

We found an oatmeal pancake recipe on the Quaker Oat website, which I modified a bit. The pancakes turned out great!  We like to serve them with hot applesauce rather than syrup (I know that applesauce topping sounds strange, but the dorms at Michigan State used to offer applesauce as a topping for pancakes and French toast, and it is yummy. Think of hot apple pie.)

           

Recipe: Oatmeal pancakes

(adapted from Quaker Oats website recipe)

Pancakes:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cup water (can substitute fat-free milk if desired)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Topping:

1-1/2 to 2 cups applesauce

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In large bowl, combine flours, oats, baking powder and salt; mix well.  In medium bowl, combine water (or milk), egg and oil; blend well. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (do not overmix). 

Put applesauce and cinnamon in small saucepan; stir. Heat on low while pancakes are being cooked.

Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat (or preheat electric griddle or skillet to 375 F). Lightly oil griddle.  For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto hot skillet. Turn when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Turn only once.

Serve with butter and warmed applesauce.

Yield: about 12 4-inch pancakes.  Serves 2-3 people.

Nutrition information per serving (including applesauce):  if 3 servings, 370 calories, 10 grams protein, 8 grams fat, 62 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fiber, 70 milligrams cholesterol, 531 milligrams sodium.

What's for Dinner: Asparagus Red Pepper Frittata

Sauteing the vegetables in a little olive oil.

Did you ever wonder what the word "frittata" meant? I assumed it was something like "flat omelet" but it turns out it is just an Italian omelet. It's a good way to use up bits of vegetables.

I had never made a frittata with asparagus, but with a few stalks left from my farmer's market haul this week, I gave it a try. 

Beaten eggs added to vegetables, and sprinkled with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper.

After the frittata was flipped and done. Yum.

Recipe: Asparagus and Red Pepper Frittata
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 green onions, sliced
4-5 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

In large non-stick pan, sauté asparagus, red pepper and green onion in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add beaten egg. Turn heat to medium to slowly cook the eggs (I covered mine for about 2 minutes to speed up the process). Once the eggs are nearly set, it's time to flip the eggs. You can either flip the whole thing into another heated pan, or do like I do: Cut the fritatta in quarters and flip each quarter into the same pan to finish the cooking (maybe one minute more).

Nutritional analysis per one-quarter frittata: 122 calories, 9 grams protein, 9 grams fat, 2 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 264 milligrams cholesterol, 153 milligrams sodium.
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