Naturally Colored Pink Pancakes

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and since that means all sorts of pink and red tinted goodies, I have been experimenting with beet powder. We try very hard to avoid artificial colors, flavors, etc, but like most kids, my children are always drawn to colored foods! So I am trying to gain a chemical reaction based understanding of how beet powder will react when combined with other agents. Sometimes, if the acidity levels are not high enough, the color will turn brown once cooked or baked. The following pancake recipe is super healthy, packed with whole grains, and the batter turns from bright electric pink before cooked to a reddish pink when it's done. My kids loved them, and now we have a recipe to make pink heart shaped pancakes in February!

Pink Multigrain Pancakes

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup barley flour
1/2 cup oat flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1-2 tbsp sugar, optional
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp red powdered beet root
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp melted butter or oil
2 eggs

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and beet powder.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.

Preheat a large skillet, and lightly grease it using a few drops of oil or a teaspoon of butter. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot skillet and cook, over medium heat, until starting to bubble. Flip and cook for a few minutes, until evenly browned. Remove to a plate and repeat. Serve warm with maple syrup or strawberry sauce.

For heart shapes, spoon batter into a pastry bag or other squeezable bottle (clean condiment bottles are great for this, if they have a wide opening at the top). Cut the tip off the pastry bag and pipe shapes directly onto the hot griddle. To keep the batter from spilling onto the counter between batches, place it, tip down, in a drinking glass for support. The weight from the remaining batter folds the tip and keeps it from sneaking out.

Hearty Sandwich Buns

I get a lot of my recipe ideas from restaurants I visit, articles I read, or ingredients I stumble upon at cool stores or farmers' markets. A few weeks ago our family decided to Pam up and spend a day out and about. We headed toward Ashland on 66 with the full intent on stopping at Green Springs Lodge for lunch. While they have changed hands a few times in the past decade or so, with spotty sevice and food at times, I have great childhood memories dining there and wanted to see how they're doing currently. Our experience was great. I rarely order burgers out now, because of the meat quality and inevitable disappointment, but their menu sold three of us almost instantly (my daughter had a quesadilla). I had a super lean, juicy, delicious buffalo burger, and all arrived on a housemade, hearty whole grain bun. I should have split my burger with my son! Wow. I love finding "non fluff" buns when eating out, and when they're whole wheat I swoon.

Those particular buns were just a tad sweet for me, so when I made my version today I used barely any honey. Theirs had hints of seeds, making them even more filling...perfect for my ever hungry spouse. On our day out we also stopped by the Butte Creek Mill, and I bought some seven grain flour, which I thought would go perfectly with some flax, poppy, sesame, and sunflower seeds. The following recipe is my take on a healthy, deliciously satisfying sandwich bun, perfect for housing a burger, grilled chicken breast, or even saucy pulled pork (and these will hold up well without disintegrating as you eat). Enjoy!

Seven Grain Buns

2 1/2 cups seven or nine grain bread flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp softened butter
2 eggs, separated
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp EACH: sunflower, poppy, golden flax, and sesame seeds

If using active dry yeast, mix the yeast, water, and honey together in a small measuring cup or bowl. Let stand until foamy, five minutes. If using instant yeast, you don't need to proof it...just mix it in with everything else.

Combine the flours, salt, yeast mixture, one egg, one egg yolk (reserve the white), and butter in a large bowl. Mix and knead until smooth and elastic, by hand or machine. Knead in the seeds.

Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch dough down and divide into 8 or 10 pieces, depending on how large you like your buns. Form into balls, place on a greased baking sheet about 2" apart, and press down to flatten slightly. Cover and let rise 40 min-1 hour.

Preheat the oven while the buns rise to 425.

Brush buns with egg white. Sprinkle with more seeds, if desired. Bake 15 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack. These freeze very well (freeze whole, don't split buns before freezing, defrost, then split).

Homemade Rainbow Sherbet!

My kids were recently complaining that they haven't been able to get rainbow sherbet in a long time.  With all the artificial flavors and colors, and the expense of going to Baskin Robbins for a scoop, it's not high on my list of priorities, dessert-wise.  I decided to attempt to make them some, and it worked perfectly.

Sherbet is actually not that bad for you. It's made with fruit juice and has the added benefit of added calcium from a little milk, which makes it much lower in fat than ice cream. I used natural colors to make it more of a rainbow. Because citrus is in season currently, I made lemon, lime, and orange sherbets from freshly squeezed fruit, but in the summer I could totally see myself making the classic raspberry, pineapple, and orange version instead.  If you are to make just one flavor, the lime is my top choice.

This was a super simple venture, and easy to substitute other flavors as desired. Don't worry when the mixture looks curdled! It turns into a soft, delicious treat once frozen. Each version makes about one quart, so even making one flavor would be fine if you're not serving a crowd. I spooned some of the extra sherbet into popsicle molds for a treat later on.

Orange Sherbet

1 3/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp gelatin
1/2 cup milk
Natural orange coloring, optional

Stir together the sugar and gelatin in a saucepan. Add the orange juice and heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the milk and coloring, if using (it will look curdled). Refrigerate until slightly chilled, about one-two hours, and then freeze in an ice cream maker.

Spoon into a large bowl, smoothing it onto one side, leaving room for the other two flavors alongside. Snap a tight fitting lid on and freeze until firm.

Lemon/Lime Sherbet

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tbsp gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp zest
Natural coloring, if desired

Stir together the sugar and gelatin in a saucepan. Add the water and heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the milk, juice, zest, and coloring, if desired (mixture will look curdled). Chill slightly, then freeze in an ice cream maker.

Spoon one flavor alongside the orange sherbet, snap the lid back on, and freeze until firm. Repeat with last flavor. Freeze until firm before scooping into bowls.

*For raspberry sherbet, strain frozen berries to remove seeds. Follow the recipe for orange sherbet, using raspberry purée instead of orange juice. For pineapple sherbet, use pineapple juice instead of orange. 

*If you chill the mixture overnight before freezing, it will set up like really soft, curdled jello.  No worries, heat it up for about 30 seconds in the microwave (not much, just to slightly melt it a bit), stir, and freeze as directed.

Healthy Corndogs!

'Healthy corndogs' seems like a total oxymoron, but I have figured out a way to make the kid friendly food good for you, and still taste delicious!

I have never, NEVER liked corn dogs.  I probably could have gone the rest of my life without ever having another, especially when faced with the greasy, glistening ones staring at me through a lit window in a convenience store.  Do those things even qualify as food?  Maybe fud.

This week I was planning out meals before heading to the grocery store.  I always ask my family for input, and my son asked for corn dogs.  Ugh.  I pictured the boxes of frozen grocery store ones, and just couldn't do it.  Surely I could come up with something better than those, a version that is nutritious, tasty, and still appealing to children.  I wanted to surprise my son (he knew even by asking for them that he wouldn't get the regular ones!).

I took a whole grain biscuit recipe and revised it to be wrapped easily around organic, nitrate-free hot dogs.  They turned out to be nicely shaped, and tasted great.  I even enjoyed them!  My kids were so excited they actually jumped up and down!

Corn Dogs

3/4 cup whole grain barley flour
3/4 cup stone ground cornmeal*
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
8 hot dogs (preferably organic, nitrate-free, or veggie dogs)
1 tbsp melted butter
8 popsicle or lollipop sticks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the barley flour, cornmeal, all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk together the buttermilk, oil, and egg.  Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Turn onto a well floured cutting board.  Pat into a rectangle and cut into 8 squares. 

Insert sticks into each hot dog, about halfway up.  Pat one square into a thin rectangle and wrap it around one hot dog, pinching and smoothing seams.  Place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining hot dogs and biscuits.

Brush each corn dog with the melted butter.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before serving.

*Stone ground cornmeal is different than the cornmeal found in the regular baking aisle, which has had the bran and germ removed, resulting in a less nutritious product.  Stone ground means that it's whole grain, and is most often found in the natural foods section.  Bob's Red Mill makes an excellent, dependable brand.  You may even substitute stone ground blue cornmeal for a different flavor and fun color option! 

Sweet Breakfast Treats

Last night I was trying to come up with a new idea for breakfast, a little tired of the usual recipes.  My son suggested blueberry muffins, but we had those recently, and I wanted something different!  I am lucky to keep a very well stocked kitchen, so that I can make just about anything whenever the mood may strike.  I had a can of crushed pineapple that needed to be turned into cake filling, and pineapple upside down cake slid into my mind (I didn't need the whole can...just about 10 ounces, so I'd have leftovers).

I cannot remember the last time I had pineapple upside down cake, but I'm sure it was probably when I was a teen, and more than likely it was made with an easy-to-grab boxed mix, maraschino cherries, and lots of brown sugar.  Yum, but not really my speed anymore!

I took a healthy cinnamon muffin recipe and tweaked it.  I wanted some jumbo muffins so the locally grown, bright red cherries could shine.  The following recipe gave me 6 jumbo muffins, plus batter leftover, which I spooned into 6 regular sized muffin cups, the perfect size for my 3 year old.  If you don't have a jumbo pan, cut the recipe in half and you'll get about 9 regular sized muffins.

Healthy Pineapple Upside Down Muffins

For 100% whole wheat muffins, use 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour in place of the all purpose.

1 can crushed pineapple, lightly drained (so it's not too juicy)

5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

12 pitted cherries (or maraschino cherries), optional
18 tsp brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/2-3/4 cup packed brown sugar (depending on your personal preference for sweetness)
1 egg
1 egg white
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 6 jumbo and 6 regular muffin cups.

Add 1/2 tbsp melted butter to each jumbo muffin cup, then divide the remaining between the regular cups.  Add one cherry to each.  Add 2 tsp brown sugar to each jumbo cup, and 1 tsp to each regular sized cup.  Spoon 1 tbsp crushed pineapple into each (a little less for the regular sized ones).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, egg, egg white, canola oil, and vanilla.  Pour into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.  Divide between muffin cups.

Bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  The regular sized muffins will bake in less time than the jumbo.  Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a rimmed baking sheet and shake gently to release the muffins from their pans.  Spoon any remaining pineapple back onto the top and serve warm with vanilla yogurt.

Whole Wheat Naan

Quite often I'll make some sort of fresh bread to serve with our dinner.  Pita, biscuits, or dinner rolls are the norm, and always whole grain.  A while back I had a craving for Indian food, and since we live in a culture desert, I knew I was on my own, unless I wanted to pack the kids up and drive almost 2 hours one way to the closest Indian restaurant! 

Making ethnic grub is not foreign to me, as evidenced by my posts on this blog.  I enjoy all types of cuisine, and it's fun to introduce the different types to my kids and figure out how to make it myself.  Naturally I add my own touches, so it ends up not being quite as authentic as the real thing, but it's usually much, much healthier, and very tasty just the same! 

That's basically how I came to make my own naan, an Indian flatbread.  I had only enjoyed this bread at Indian restaurants, and the whole wheat variety that Trader Joe's sells (that does taste a bit stale, having sat on the shelf indefinitely), so when I first started looking for a recipe I didn't have much to go on.  I settled on one in a cookbook that my sister got for me, but had to make some changes to come up with something whole grain.  Following is my rendition of whole wheat naan, untraditional as it may be!

Whole Wheat Naan
Traditional naan is baked in a tandoori, and some like to "bake" it on a stovetop skillet.  I prefer using a very hot oven and a pizza stone ( a cookie sheet may be substituted) to save on time.  The result is a flatbread similar to pita, but more full flavored and chewy.  This recipe can easily be cut in half, if needed, but naan keeps well at room temperature for a few days, thanks to the yogurt.

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 tbsp instant yeast*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp butter or ghee, melted
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cups very warm water

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Attach the dough hook and turn to speed 2.  Mix and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms, adding more water if conditions are dry.  Turn the dough ball out of the bowl, grease the bowl, and place the dough back in.  Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

About 30 minutes into the rise, preheat your oven to 500 degrees.  Place a baking stone or flat cookie sheet (not nonstick) on the bottom rack of the oven to preheat as well.

Punch dough down, then divide in half.  Cut or pinch 8 even balls of dough from each half (so you end up with 16).  Cover the ones you're not immediately working with so they don't dry out.  Roll two balls out thinly.  Place on the preheated stone and bake for just 3 minutes.  Using tongs or a spatula, remove to a wire rack to cool completely, or serve warm.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  (If the dough puffs and creates pockets like pita, it's not a big deal; it'll still taste the same, and you'll have sandwich bread for the next day!)

*To substitute active dry yeast for the instant yeast, you'll need to proof it first.  Mix the yeast with 1 cup of the warm water and a pinch of sugar in a bowl.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and proceed.

100% Whole Grain Muffins

We eat a lot of frozen and canned fruit throughout the winter, and especially in these last few months before spring officially hits.  (I know it's April, and today the sun IS shining, but our "spring" is more of a late winter, usually.)  Easter Sunday I used the last jar of peaches, pureeing it to mix with Prosecco for Bellinis for Sunday Brunch.  Having a little over half a jar left, I wanted to incorporate it into something baked, if possible. 

Applesauce is a standard ingredient, especially as a stand-in for fats in baked goods.  I decided to use the peach puree instead of applesauce, and combine it with whole grain barley and oat flour for a nutrition-packed breakfast.  To be completely honest, I wasn't entirely sure the new recipe would turn out....  Perfectly delicious!  I would have taken a picture, but they didn't last long!

Whole Grain Peachy Muffins
Barley and oat flour can be found with the Bob's Red Mill ingredients in your local grocery store.  Whole wheat pastry flour may be substituted, if desired. 

1 cup barley flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup peach puree* (or unsweetened applesauce or other pureed fruit)
1/4 cup sugar**
1 egg
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup fresh fruit (chopped strawberries or peaches, or frozen or fresh raspberries, or blueberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin well.

Stir together the flours, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large bowl. 

Whisk together the peach puree, egg, and canola oil.  Pour all at once into the dry ingredients.  Stir until just barely moistened (don't over mix or your whole grain muffins will be tough).  Fold in the berries.

Divide between muffin cups.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in one muffin comes out clean.  Run a knife along the edge of the tins, and carefully remove from the pan to cool on a rack.  (If left in the pan, the muffins will continue to steam and will have tough edges).

Makes 12.

*To make peach puree, take 1 jar (pint or quart) of peaches in light syrup or juice, and puree in a blender until smooth.  The puree can be used in smoothies, as an ice cream topping, frozen as a sorbet in an ice cream maker, or mixed with sprkling wine for a delicious beverage.  If your peaches are canned in heavy syrup, omit the additional sugar in the muffin recipe.

**Omit the sugar if using peaches canned in heavy syrup.