Oatmeal and Banana Pancakes

Over the past year-ish, I have been trying to re-program my brain on breakfast.  Growing up, I never really ate breakfast.  I can't remember when I was really young, but I can remember back to at least 4th grade.  I remember because my 4th grade teacher said in front of the ENTIRE class, "Shanon, your mom told me you don't eat breakfast."  I was embarrassed beyond belief.  I think I started eating breakfast in late high school, but I have no memory of what I ate.  In college, I definitely ate breakfast.  I would eat a wide variety of things from granola bars, bagels, stuff from the cafeteria, fruit, etc.  Once I met Scot, I started eating cereal.  And with all of this, I am just talking about everyday breakfast, not like weekend, fun breakfast.  And I have never eaten weird kid cereals like that marshmallow one, but I usually ate Cheerios, Honey Bunches, Life, Mini Wheats, or Raisin Bran.  

My problem is:  I really, really crave savory things.  Pretty much always, but especially in the morning.  Number two problem is that I really want to cut out processed foods completely.  Cereal is the only processed food that we eat on a regular basis.  I mean, I am not going crazy about it.  I will buy potato chips for a BBQ.  And for camping, my standards are much lower.  Gummy bears are part of my life.  But I don't want to eat cereal every morning.  Plus, I don't even like it.

I started thinking...why are the majority of breakfasty foods that Americans eat sweet?  Why is that the standard?  And why don't we eat vegetables for breakfast?  Fruit is pretty normal.  Veggies in an omelette, frittata, or other egg dish is normal.  Who decided this?  I think we can all agree that lunch is kind of the same as dinner.  I guess most people consider lunch to be a quicker meal.

One factor that is certainly important is that in the morning, you want to eat something that is easy to digest.  And easy to prepare.  And easy to eat (which is different than easy to digest).  This is why I think we don't eat salads, raw veggies, etc.  It is also why we probably stay away from heavier foods, meats and even fish.  I know we eat those things for fancy breakfast and brunch, but most people don't wake up before work and cook up a nice cut of salmon.

After coming to this realization, I semi-accepted the focus on whole grains and carbs being the main bulk of breakfast.  Oatmeal, granola, whole grain toast are all pretty common.  Protein usually comes in the form of eggs or yogurt.  Maybe some cheese or milk.  And then fruit and veggies might be thrown in depending on which grain or protein.

Now I love oatmeal with fruit, nuts, etc.  And I love a yogurt parfait with granola and fruit.  But I can't eat those every morning.  Plus, I don't want my everyday breakfast to be sweet.  And eggs and toast won't last forever.  So, I am going to be further exploring eating less "breakfasty" food for breakfast.  Soups.  Quinoa.  Beans.  Tacos.  Leftovers.  And most importantly, I am going to see if I like how other cultures do breakfast.  I could eat congee for breakfast.  I found this NY Times article, which was very helpful.  Mark Bittman puts it quite well, "But even putting aside the healthy argument, the narrow spectrum of highly sweetened morning food is limiting and ultimately boring."

So stay tuned.  I will let you know how it goes.  You may be wondering why I am sharing a recipe for pancakes after all that gibberish up there.  Well, I just am.  I like pancakes.  These are pretty good too.  Did you know that oatmeal pancakes can be made with:  oat flour (ground up oats), instant oats, quick oats, or whole old fashioned oats? It doesn't matter, they all taste good!  If you process the oats into oat flour, the pancakes are a bit smoother, but even when putting in the whole old-fashioned oats, the oats cook through and taste great and hearty.  I like both.  I also like not dirtying my food processor when I am super lazy.  I also added some chopped pecans.  If you are making the oat flour, it is best to process the nuts the same way so that you don't have big chunks.  I just chopped mine because I was going for a hearty, crunchy pancake.  Scot loves this kind of stuff.

Oatmeal and Banana Pancakes

from Allrecipes

1 cup uncooked rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons dry milk powder (I did not use)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 banana, mashed

Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour. Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat flour, allpurpose flour, brown sugar, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Oatmeal Pancakes with Lemony Maple Blueberry Sauce

This was a delicious camp breakfast.  It could be easily adapted to work as a great backpacking meal (or you could just bring fresh fruit backpacking...day one/two?...otherwise just sub some dried fruit)  The sauce didn't thicken up for me as much as I hoped it would, but I also didn't follow any of the measurements, so what can I really expect?  It was still delicious.  

I used old fashioned oats in the pancakes (with some hesitation) and they really were great.  The pancakes were so filling.  I could only eat 4 smaller (4 inch) pancakes.  

Uh.  Just wondering.  Is that for me?

I doubled the recipe for 3 people and it was too much.  But don't worry, Copper needed breakfast too!  

Camping is his favorite.  No, we did NOT take him hiking in his tank top.  Totally embarrassing.  

Oatmeal Pancakes with Lemony Maple Blueberry Sauce

from dirty gourmet

1/2 cup old fashioned oats or 1 packet of instant oatmeal

3/4 cup “Complete” Pancake mix (just-add-water)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cupswater

2 tablespoons oil for skillet if not non-stick

Lemony Maple Blueberry Sace (recipe below)

At Home: In a large zip-top bag, combine oats, pancake mix, cinnamon and pecans (you will need the extra room to mix the batter).

At Camp: Pour 1 cup of water inside the zip-top bag containing the pancake batter ingredients. Seal bag and mix the ingredients by gently kneading and squeezing them together.

Cut one of bottom corners of the zip-top bag with the pancake batter and squirt 1/4 of contents into a lightly oiled skillet on medium high. Let pancake cook until bubbling on top. Flip and let cook until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Top the pancakes with lemony maple blueberry sauce!

(Servings: 2-3, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Lemony Maple Blueberry Sauce

by Backpacker

1/2 pint fresh blueberries (Substitutes: any other berry, or soft fruit like peach,

pear, and plum)

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/2 lemon (juice and rind)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

At home: Pack syrup in a leak-proof bottle; pack sugar in a zip-top bag.

At camp: Using a sharp knife, gently peel the yellow part of the lemon rind. Avoid cutting too deep into the white part of the skin (it's bitter). Finely chop the yellow peel and set aside. In a skillet, melt the butter over low heat, then add the blueberries. Mash some of the blueberries with a fork, then add the remaining ingredients, including the lemon rind. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Makes 1 cup.

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

I am annoying about only a few things in life.  Otherwise, I am a peach.  

1.  Everything bagels are not allowed in our house or car.  Too messy.  Yes, they are my favorite too.

2.  I sleep really well in moving vehicles.  

3.  I do NOT like the brown candy corns or those nasty candy corn-like pumpkins.  But I love regular candy corn.  

4.  It actually bothers me that I always have helmet hair.  

5.  I can only drink my coffee when it is in about a 2.5 degree (F) temperature range.  And only about 1 hour after it is brewed.  

6.  Speaking of temperatures, I am the biggest baby you will ever meet when it comes to cold weather and being cold.

7.  Anytime I need or need to remember more than one thing, I write a list.  And I have a list to keep track of all my lists.

8.  I believe pumpkin pie should only be eaten on and in the days surrounding Thanksgiving.

There...I said it!  Who is with me?!?!

Probably no one.  But, I am 100% serious.  I love pumpkin pie.  On Thanksgiving.  Why push it?  Why ruin a good thing?  

Scot thinks this is one of the few ridiculous things about me.  Because he loves pumpkin, squash, corn, and all the fall flavors.  And he thinks its fine to have it, for example, at Christmas.  Or anytime you feel like it.   

Anyways, I love making pumpkin things.  And feel that incorporating pumpkins into your diet in any way other than in the form of pie is totally ok.  As a result, I was really excited to surprise Scot with these pancakes for breakfast this weekend.  And by surprise, you have to realize that Scot never has any idea what we are eating for any meal.  So don't be thinking I am too cute.

And these pancakes taste JUST like pumpkin pie.  Especially with the whipped cream.  They are amazing and so great for fall.  Also, this recipe only calls for 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, which is just about what is left in the can after making a loaf of pumpkin bread.

Lastly, when Scot began eating these (still half asleep), he took a few bites and said in a soft and semi-creepy voice, "I think this is my first 10."  

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

barely adapted from Joy the Baker

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

1 cup milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter + more for skillet

for toppings: cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, toasted chopped pecans, and/or hot maple syrup

Whisk together flours, salt, spices, sugar and baking powder in a medium sized bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin and vegetable oil or melted butter.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Don’t worry if you have a few lumps. You don’t want to over beat the batter, it’ll produce tough pancakes.

Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat the skillet. Over low-medium heat melt a tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil. Once skillet is hot, spoon a heaping 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake into the skillet. When pancake starts to bubble slightly, carefully flip over.

Once browned and cooked through place pancakes on a oven proof plate and place in the oven set at 200 degrees F to keep warm while the rest of the pancakes are cooked.

Serve with cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, toasted chopped pecans, and/or maple syrup. Delicious!

(Servings: 3-4, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  10/10

Effort:  1/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Yeasted Waffles

When we picked fresh raspberries this past weekend at Happy Apple farm, I wanted to make something with the berries that kept them relatively fresh.  So, I decided to try out a yeasted waffle recipe and top with some berries tossed in a little sugar and some whipped cream.  

Picking these raspberries brought me back to my first job, picking veggies and apples on a farm.  I didn't pick any berries back in the day.  I am sure that would have been a bad idea.  I would have definitely eaten more than I picked.  

Most of my time when I worked on the farm was spent in the green bean field (or the apple orchard).  My brother and I picked together.  We played all sorts of word games to keep us busy.  However, I did have plenty of alone time to day dream and think.  I remember one of the first couple of days I was there.  I was 12.  And I decided I wanted to grow up and be a farmer.  Because I absolutely loved being out in the fields.  

And I loved that we got paid for how much work we did.  It is hard work.  We would go up and down the green bean rows.  Always hoping we picked the BEST row.  And how great it was when you hit the jackpot plant.  You could grab the beans by the handful!  This is the feeling that I got to experience again picking raspberries.  You search and search for a few raspberries here and there.  But when you hit that one branch that is so heavy it is almost touching the ground.  It is somehow way too awesome.  

These waffles were great.  They had such a nice texture.  Nice and crispy on the outside.  I have the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker.  I found that it worked best around the 3.5 setting.  They are not sweet on their own.  They smell a little like pizza dough because of all the yeast.  Oh yeah and the dough needs to be prepped the night before!

Yeasted Waffles

from Annie’s Eats

1/2 cup warm water

21/4 tsp. active dry yeast (instant is fine)

2 cups whole milk, warmed

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. (If using active dry yeast, let stand to dissolve 5 minutes before proceeding.) Add the milk, butter, salt, sugar and flour to the bowl. Whisk until well blended and smooth (you can also use an

electric mixer.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature overnight.

When you are ready to make the waffles, preheat the waffle iron. Preheat the oven to 200° F and place a plate in the oven. Just before making the waffles, whisk the eggs and baking soda into the batter until smooth. The batter will be very thin. Fill waffle wells and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook until crisp and golden. Transfer finished waffles to the warmed plate in the oven while you cook the rest of the batter. Top as desired with butter, syrup, etc.

(Servings; 4-6, Prep time: overnight, Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10
Scot (taste):  7/10
Effort:  2/5
Dishwashing Effort:  2/5  

Harvest Grain and Nut Pancakes

A while back, I posted a recipe for IHOP's country griddle cakes.  It is a yummy, corny flavored pancake.  Always been one of my favorites.  My other favorite IHOP pancake is the harvest grain and nut.  I worked there for a long time without trying it. At some point, my grandma told me that the HGN pancakes were her favorite.  My grandma had very good taste in food.  She was a grandma foodie.  And the best grandma ever.  So, I knew if she liked them, they had to be good.  I eventually tried them and they are!!!  

They are very dense, kind of crumbly.  They are nutty, but the nuts are chopped up really fine, so they don't add a ton of crunch (which I like...the non-crunch, that is).  They are good with just about anything, but my favorite is hot maple syrup or butter pecan syrup.  I have never been much of a fruit syrup lover, but I am sure that would be great too.

They are a little more difficult to make than a regular pancake.  I made them a few times when I worked at IHOP, but mostly I always watched the pancake guy make them because I stood right behind him.  So, a few good tips....When ladling the batter on, put a little on the griddle and tap your ladle onto the batter as you continue to pour.  It will help spread it out (and keep it circular).  It is thick batter so it doesn't spread out naturally like most pancake batters do.  Next, the pancakes need to cook on low heat slowly.  They brown quickly but take a while to cook through.  Unfortunately, you will not see those nice air bubbles around the edges.  You will have to flip when half the dough is still raw.  As opposed to buttermilk pancakes which cook mostly on one side and finish on the other.  These HGN guys cook equally on both sides.  Just check to see if they are a nice brown color.  Then, flip.  And to do it without being messy, you have to slide the spatula under quick and flip fast.  And do check to see if the insides are cooked on the first couple so you can get an idea.  

And remember, they are rather dry.  But not in a gross way.  In a crumbly way.  Kind of like cake.  You have to use the back of your fork to get all the crumbs.

Harvest Grain & Nut Pancakes

adapted from recipezaar

3/4 cup Quaker Oats

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup blanched almonds, can be heaping

1/4 cup walnuts, can be heaping

Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine, like flour. Remove oats from food processor and place in large mixing bowl. Add nuts to food processor. Pulse until finely chopped (or whatever your preference).

Preheat griddle or skillet to medium to medium low heat.

Add whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the bowl with the oat flour.

In another bowl combine buttermilk, oil, egg and sugar.

Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients, add nuts and mix well.

Lightly butter a skillet or griddle. Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot skillet and cook the pancakes for 2 to 4 minutes per side or until brown.

(Servings: 3-4, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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Country Griddle Cakes

As a former IHOP employee, I proudly present to you a really good recipe for IHOP's country griddle cakes.  Apparently, these are no longer on their menu.  We don't go to IHOP anymore, so I wasn't aware of this.  I was just craving them,  I am about this much too good for IHOP now.  Sorry...it smells weird and I feel like I know too much.  I won't tell you those stories.  Sandwich.  Fell on the floor.  Still served to customer.  

Anyways, these were my favorite pancakes at IHOP.  I am kind of a pancake purist and the pancakes above are about as crazy as it gets for me.  But, for me, if I am going to have fruit sauce on my pancakes, I have to have whip cream.  I guess I am kind of all or nothing.  Otherwise, these are amazing with hot maple syrup (also, butter pecan is amazing!)  When I do put fruit on pancakes (almost always strawberries), I just cook them down with a little sugar (depending on how sweet they are).  Then, I like to take them off the heat for about 10-20 minutes before eating.  And fresh whip cream, sweetened with a little powdered sugar.  Amazing.  I mean, let's be real, this is dessert.  But that is fine.  Scot likes to say that some desserts taste like this, like strawberry shortcake.  It makes him feel better than saying these pancakes are like dessert.

If you have never had country griddle cakes, you have to try them!  They are so delicious.  They taste kind of like corn bread.  I love the texture.  They get their flavor from Cream of Wheat instant cereal.  There are lots of recipes that use cornmeal.  But I specifically remember during my training at IHOP, they told us to tell customers, who asked what country griddle cakes were, that they were pancakes with Cream of Wheat in the batter.  I don't know who even eats Cream of Wheat as a hot breakfast cereal.  But, these are a great change from regular pancakes.  And no harder.  And so good.  Big mistake IHOP.  Big.  

Country Griddle Cakes

by IHOP (maybe) and LOTS of sites without references

butter

11/4 cups all-purpose flour

11/2 cups buttermilk

⅓ cup instant Cream of Wheat (dry)

1 egg

⅓ cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Butter griddle.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a mixer set on high speed. Mix until smooth.

Pour the batter by ⅓-cup portions into the hot pan and cook pancakes for 1-2 minutes per side or until brown.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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Pancakes

"Lumps are good."

That is the sign that hangs over the HUGE mixer in the IHOP prep kitchen, when I worked there. The sign was laminated, so you know this is important.

I think with cooking, one of the first things I learned (and continue to learn) is when to mix and when not to. Lots of dishes turn out best when you don't mix and don't fuss with it. Let's see....there are meatballs, hamburgers, and all things with ground meat. Over-mixing makes them them tough. Anything that you are browning or sautéing in the skillet. Whenever I cook with people, there is this tendency to always be mixing whatever is in a skillet. Scot, for one. As a result, whenever he comes into the kitchen, he will start mixing whatever is on stove. Then I slap him and send him on out. People love to stir things. Maybe because it makes you feel like you are working harder? Anyways, if you want your food to crisp up, it has to be touching the hot surface long enough to crisp up! If you keep moving it around, it won't happen. Obviously, this is a sensitive subject, so let me move on. Some other things you want to mix minimally include: pie dough or any pastry dough, anything with whipped egg whites, anythingwith delicate fruits and veggies, and pancake batter! I mean, there are a lot more but I am sick of thinking. Bottom line, lumps are good.

This is my favorite pancake recipe. It is from the Joy of Cooking cook book. I am not sure what it is about this recipe, but I have tried quite a few different ones and this one is kind of perfect. The pancakes are soft, light, fluffy, just sweet enough. Scot made them this morning (I made corned beef hash and eggs), and he is good! I told him I am slowly trying to get him to master breakfast, because I am sleepy in the morning. Plus, don't all dads make breakfast? Seems like it to me. If not, they should.

Pancakes

from Joy of Cooking

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3 tbsp sugar

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 c. milk

3 tbsp butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl, combine butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients quickly into the dry ingredients. Don’t overmix. Lumps are good.

To cook, spoon/ladle/pour the batter in 1/4 cup portions, just a few inches above the pan, being sure to space the batter well apart to make room for spreading. When bubbles have appeared on the surfaces and are beginning to break, lift the edges of the cake with a spatula to see if the undersides have browned. If they have, slide the spatula under the pancake and turn it. Turn the cakes only once and cook only until the second side is done. The second side takes only half as long to cook as the first and will not brown as easily.

(Servings: 16 4-in pancakes, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 25 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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