Cinnamon rolls- my way {deliciously healthified}

Made with a simple glaze rather than cream cheese frosting

About 3 years ago I got a hankering for cinnamon rolls.  It had been a while since I had made them or had them for that matter and I got online to search for a recipe.  I found one that looked incredible.  Kenneth tried to encourage me to sub some of the all-purpose flour out for whole-wheat flour, but I in my cinnamon roll craving scoffed at him and told him I just wanted to go all out for once and use all-purpose (I was really trying to live on the wild side).  So, I made them and they were awful.  Don't get me wrong, they were sweet and gooey and soft, but they were too much.  Sicky-sweet.  In fact, we ended up throwing away half the pan.  For those of you who may not know us well, that is quite unheard of around here- in general we DO NOT WASTE FOOD. 
So, then I was on a quest to make cinnamon rolls that would be perfect- for us anyway. I wanted them to be a treat, but still somewhat healthful. I'm sure that other version was perfect for someone else, or they wouldn't have published it!  I started with my mother-in-law's recipe that she always makes when we visit.  There were 2 reasons for this:
1) I've always enjoyed her cinnamon rolls
2)  I knew the title of her recipe is 'Quick Cinnamon Rolls' 
    I love that these are really fairly easy.  Not a long rising time, but they taste fantastic. 
This recipe actually came from the Friend Magazine years ago.  That is the magazine for the children in my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Since I have made so many changes, I think I can safely call this my own recipe.  I usually prep all the ingredients I can the night before so that it is easy the morning I want to make them.  Like measure the flour, salt, flax and cover.  Put butter in a ceramic bowl ready to be melted in the microwave in the morning.  Measure out the cinnamon and sugar.
So, here goes:

delicious!

Cinnamon rolls- my way (deliciously healthified)

1/4 cup honey
3 Tablespoons yeast
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 Tablespoon cinnamon

Mix the honey, yeast, warm water, applesauce and oil in large bowl until yeast dissolves.  Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.  (Yeast will grow quickly and become quite frothy.)
Blend eggs into yeast mixture.  Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl and add to yeast mixture a little at a time to make a soft dough.
Knead 5 minutes (I use my Kitchen Aid to do this) on a floured counter.
Roll into a rectangle 1/4 " thick.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon.  Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Roll the dough up starting with the long edge.  Use a piece of floss to cut the dough into about 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces by sliding it under the roll, centering the floss, crossing over the ends and pulling them away from each other so the floss slices through the dough.  Place rolls into an un-greased rectangular pan (I usually use a 9x13 and another smaller pan.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Bake for 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees or until golden brown.
You may put on the glaze, or cream cheese frosting at this point, while they are still warm.  I much prefer these with the cream cheese frosting.

Glaze

1- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons hot water
1/2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix until well blended.

Cream Cheese Frosting

I actually make this different ways depending on to whom I am serving it, or what I have on hand.  You could always use powdered sugar in place of the maple syrup.  This is my favorite version.  My husband prefers less frosting on his cinnamon rolls, so this cut is half would be enough for him, but I like more, so this is what I would make.  Plus, extra cream cheese frosting will always find a way to be used in my world. 

8 ounces Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons softened butter
Splash vanilla (1/2-1 tsp)
2 Tablespoons maple syrup (or more to your liking)
With a mixer mix 8 ounces of cream cheese with 2 Tablespoons of softened butter.  Add a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup and a splash of vanilla.  Taste to test that it is to desired sweetness.  Add more maple syrup if desired.

Happy Valentine's Day to Me! {Lemon Poppy Seed Scones}

I could try and say that I was selfless and made this breakfast for my dear sweet ones, but it wouldn't be truthful. Kenneth likes to eat the same thing every morning: 2 fried eggs, one piece of toast and COLD milk. As in, don't pour it and let it sit on the table while you make breakfast. He likes it cold.

So, I didn't really make these for him. I'll save one for him, though. Maybe he'll eat it. The children, on the otherhand, were chomping at the bit for breakfast and don't like to wait while I make something like this. Nevermind that I had it ready at 7:20. It's still too long for my early-rising children to wait.

As for me, I enjoyed every bite. I simply love butter. And scones have got some butter, let me tell you. As I was grating the butter into the bowl this morning, Kenneth passed by on his way out the door and said, isn't that a lot of butter? To which I promptly replied, as I tried to keep from salivating, "It sure is."

We've been trying to eat healthier foods over the course of the last year or so. I guess I mean to say more natural foods. As in more butter as opposed to artificially flavored and colored candies =). So, instead of buying candy for Valentine's Day as I might have in the past I bought these for our treat today:

Don't worry, though. I am not completely without a chocolate loving heart. Kenneth is having a Valentine's Day 'party' at work today. I made these for him to bring (and ate about 6 myself along the way:
Of course I had a little left over chocolate and to please my sweetheart, did this:
Now, back to the scones. I got the recipe from Our Best Bites. Here is the link to the recipe. I, or course changed a few things, as I usually do (they're in red). I cut back the sugar slightly. I think even less sugar would have been good. I also cut the glaze in half. I always seem to have too much glaze/frosting/ icing which I think is so wasteful. In cutting this in half, I STILL had extra.
So, here is my version:

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones Recipe adapted by Heidi Larchar from Our Best Bites from Allrecipes
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt (decrease or omit if using salted butter)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (if using salted butter, cut down on salt)
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
1 large egg
Zest of 1 lemon

GLAZE:
2 Tablespoons strained lemon juice
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup + 2 1/2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400. Place baking rack in the middle-low position. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Add the lemon zest and whisk together again. Grate the frozen butter. Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture and combine it with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and egg. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and then toss the mixture together with a fork until everything appears moistened. Gently press the dough into a ball–it will take some time and some parts of the dough will be more moist than other parts, but continue pressing together until it forms a ball.
Lightly flour a surface (you can use the lined baking sheet if you want) and place the dough on top of the floured surface. Press into an 8″ disc and cut into equal wedges with a butter knife (or pizza cutter). Separate the wedges and place them evenly on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven.
While the scones are cooling slightly, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over the scones. Makes 8 scones.

100% Whole Wheat Pancakes

The kids and I are involved with a preschool co-op. I truly enjoy the friendships I have made with these incredible women and their children. One of my friends in the co-op is Betsy. I have learned so much from Betsy over the last year and am sure that I will continue to do so. She has taught me about things that I had never even thought about before. She is such a healthy, happy, real sort of person, who is very conscious of her choices when it comes to the health of her family. Here is her blog if you want to check it out. One of the things she has shared with me is this pancake recipe. I tasted one at her house and it was so fluffy and moist; something that I had not yet achieved with whole wheat pancakes. She has tweaked the recipe slightly to incorporate honey rather than white sugar, but says it is most like Alton Brown's WW Pancake Recipe. I like the little bit of sweetener; it makes these more prone to be snacked upon by my children at times other than breakfast. . .

Here goes:

100% Whole Wheat Pancakes

3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t. table salt
1 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
3 eggs
2 2/3 - 3 cups buttermilk (or 2 cups yogurt and 2/3 cup of milk)- depending on how thick you like your batter

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Combine wet ingredients in another medium bowl; stir until smooth. Pour wet into dry and mix until just combined. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cooking the pancakes on a hot griddle. (I love to cook pancakes on my electric skillet. I have found that if I keep the temperature at 250 I never burn a pancake and they are golden and beautiful.)

This makes quite a few pancakes (sorry I didn't count how many). They heat up beautifully even in the microwave. We had them 2 mornings in a row with no complaint and the kids even ate them at the park for lunch as well!

Thanks, Betsy!

Slow Roasted Granola

****Updated April 2012**** After having made this for many months now, I have made some changes to the recipe based on what we have come to prefer. My husband has withdrawals if I do not always have granola in the house!! (He eats it as a snack in addition to breakfast!)

I have been trying out granola recipes and experimenting with different things for a couple of months now. I could eat granola every morning and be perfectly happy! I love the stuff.

A few notes: Granola is such forgiving stuff. You can pretty much change anything to fit your own tastes and as long as you keep the ratios generally the same it will be fine. My recipe is rather complicated because I keep all that stuff on hand and like to incorporate it in my baking, but you don't need to if you don't want to. I have a friend who keep it as simple as: oats, nuts, unsweetened coconut, oil and sweetener (part honey, part maple syrup). I know some people have had a hard time trying to find unsweetened coconut. I have found a good resource, but if you can only find the sweetened, you can just use it instead for a sweeter granola or adjust the sweeteners a bit to make up for it. This recipe is not overly sweet (in my opinion). I just recently started using applesauce in place of part of the oil or butter. It does make the granola a bit chewier rather than crunchy. I still use some butter along with it because, well, I like the taste of butter. You could simply use all oil if you wanted or all applesauce (or all butter- that is really yummy! It depends on what you are going for!) As for sweetener, you can do what you would like. It was recommended to me not to do all honey because it can be too sticky. You can also do brown sugar if you like. The reason I like to use the Agave nectar is that it is a sweetener with a low glycemic index. That means it won't spike your blood sugar. That's a good thing. For every four parts of regular sweetener the recipe calls for, you only use 3 parts of Agave. Finally, about the water and egg whites: the egg whites are supposed to make your granola clumpier. I really do think it works. But, sometimes I don't want to deal with eggs, so water is just easier. If you have a hankering for Custard, by all means go for the egg whites and save the yolks for that! (I have the BEST Custard recipe- look for that on here soon!) Okay, now that I have talked your ear off about the ingredients, here is the recipe:

Slow Roasted Granola

8 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup flax seeds (I sometimes leave these out- or replace with chia seeds or sesame seeds)

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut

1 cups chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup canola oil

3 Tbsp melted butter

3/4 cup Agave nectar (or 1/2 cup honey AND 1/2 cup maple syrup)

1/4 water or 4 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 275. Mix oats, flax and flax seeds, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts and coconut in a large bowl. Stir remaining ingredients together in a smaller bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Lightly grease two large rimmed baking sheets (jelly roll pans). Spread half of the granola on each sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. I switch the pans top to bottom every time I stir to avoid one being more brown than the other. Let cool on the pan, then store in jars. (I find that with my oven, it really only needs about 50 minutes or so.)

This makes a big batch, which is nice so you don't have to make it so often. It actually stores very well in the freezer, if you are worried about it being in your cupboard too long.

Quinoa cakes

As you may know I am always looking for healthy new ideas for breakfast. I came across this idea on a friend's food blog who had found the recipe on Martha Stewart's website. I also am somewhat crazy about using up leftovers and bits of this and that. I hate to waste food. So, I look at it as a challenge to find new and exciting ways of using say, limes that I may have on hand or the extra quinoa from our dinner last night, etc. So, I was very excited to find this recipe, because it does 2 things for me: feeds my kids a protein-filled breakfast without greasy breakfast meat and uses up leftovers! (By the by, THIS recipe is a regular staple in our home now, except with Tilapia. We love it!) Just so you know, you can definitely tell there is quinoa in these, but since I don't mind the taste, I think they are great, especially since I know how healthy it is!

My kids like these and will even eat them plain later in the day as a snack (if there are not more enticing options around, that is)!

(Just one change for me: I don't use the butter on the skillet. I use a non stick skillet that doesn't seem to need it, so I don't use it.)

Here is the recipe from the Martha Stewart Website:

Quinoa Cakes

Makes about 12

• 1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
• Fresh fruit or fruit preserves (optional), for serving

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
2. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat to medium if overbrowning). Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit or preserves if desired.

(We like them with maple syrup)

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe came from Simple and Delicious Magazine. I actually found it sometime ago and had cut it out and put it in my "make someday when I get around to it" file. Well, I finally made it and am glad I did. Not only are the chocolate, but they are actually pretty healthy for you! The girls and I adored them and a friend I shared them with liked them so well, she even made them for her son's 2nd birthday- to keep things tasty but also healthy.



Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

* 32 Servings
* Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min./batch

Ingredients

* 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
* 1-3/4 cups packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup baking cocoa
* 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 egg whites
* 1 egg
* 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
* 1-3/4 cups fat-free milk
* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

* In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, egg, applesauce, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.
* Coat muffin cups with cooking spray; fill three-fourths full with batter. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 32 muffins.


Nutrition Facts: 1 muffin equals 161 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins published in Simple & Delicious January/February 2007, p45

Oat Waffles

So, it was one of those nights. . . I had my menu all planned out, even had the beef thawed in the refrigerator, and just didn't feel like making the Enchiladas. So, we had waffles instead. I am always looking for healthier ways to do classic breakfast foods and came across this one on All-recipes, that came from Taste of Home, apparently. We quite enjoyed it and I made it even healthier than they said!

Here goes:

Oat Waffles

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I actually used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 all-purpose)
  
• 1 cup oat flour* (I used Old Fashioned Oats and ground them in my food prosessor, because that is what I had- a little heartier than it would be with the Quick Cooking Oats, but we liked it)
  
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Combine the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Pour batter by 1/2 cupfuls into a preheated waffle iron; bake according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.

Footnotes

*Editor's Note: 1-1/4 cups quick-cooking oats, processed in a blender or food processor until finely ground, may be substituted for the oat flour.

And, some bonus pictures of my girls enjoying their waffles. I know, it's weird, they like it eat them whole and pick them up with their hands. It's a little sticky, but it's less work for me! (Especially nice when the baby wants food and wants it NOW!)

Killer Quiche

Here is another recipe I just made from my new favorite food blog: http://www.ourbestbites.com. I love quiche because it is so lovely as a nice breakfast or a brunch or even dinner. It is just a lovely sort of thing!

I even ate the leftovers reheated in the microwave and still thoroughly enjoyed it. Yum.

I'll paste the recipe here just for ease of those who don't want to go there:

Quiche
½ lb. bacon

10 oz. package spinach

1 c. sour cream (I use light)

salt and pepper to taste

2 unbaked pie crusts

1 onion, minced

½ lb. diced mushrooms

2 c. diced ham

16 oz. Colby Jack or sharp cheddar cheese

4 oz. Parmesan cheese

8 eggs

1 c. half and half (I use fat-free)

1 Tbsp. parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown bacon, drain, crumble, and set aside. Saute spinach in bacon drippings (I told you we were going to be naughty). Drain. Saute onions. Add mushrooms. Stir in ham and bacon. Combine spinach, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Add meat mixture. Mix in cheese. Divide into each pie crust.Mix eggs, half and half, and parsley. Pour over pies. Place pies in oven and bake 45-50 minutes or until tops are puffed and golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Each pie serves 8.
**If reheating, cover pie with foil and bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes, checking frequently to make sure it's not getting too brown.

Michigan Fruit Baked Oatmeal

My mother-in-law gets me Country Woman Magazine (Thanks, Mom!) This month's issue had a section on Whole Grains. Since I am concentrating on preparing healthier foods, I thought I would give a few of the recipes a try. This is one of them. I mixed it up the night before and stored it in the refrigerator and popped it in the oven in the morning before I fed the baby. By the time I had taken care of him and read the my daughter a couple of stories it was ready to eat. (All before 7 am mind you!) My girls loved it! It says it makes 2 servings; I think they are pretty hearty servings. It would feed myself, my husband and the 2 little ones on a normal, not super-hungry day. The recipe said the leftovers taste pretty good rewarmed in the microwave.

Michigan Fruit Baked Oatmeal

• Prep: 15 min. Bake: 45 min.

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cups fat-free milk (I used powdered milk and water)
  
• 1/2 cup chunky applesauce (didn't have chunky, so just added some chunks of apple to my applesauce- tasted great!)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (don't have it and don't particularly care for it- used vanilla)
  
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
• Optional toppings: vanilla yogurt and additional dried cranberries and sliced almonds

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Transfer to a 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until set. Serve with toppings if desired. Yield: 2 servings.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancake Mix

So, Healthy Breakfast around here just got easier! I made up this mix and all I have to do now in the mornings is add the wet ingredients and cook. I mix it right up in a gallon sized zip top bag and store it in the fridge. I wrote what I need to add to it right on the bag to make life easier.

These are so filling and wonderful! I replaced some of the all-purpose flour with wheat germ. I will put that change in red. I found this recipe on Mr. Breakfast.com. To feed my little family (2 adults, 2 small children) 1 cup of the mix plus the appropriate liquid ingredients was sufficient on a normal day. We love real maple syrup on these. Homemade jam is a second choice. If you really want to be healthy, try mashed banana or some yogurt. They are filling and yummy. My girls will even eat the leftovers plain for a snack! (Fabulous since there is not a stitch of sugar in them! Sorry I didn't take a picture- they just look like pancakes anyway!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancake Mix

(24 servings)

• 4 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup of wheat germ)
  
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup non-fat dry milk
• 3 Tablespoons baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 and 1/4 Tablespoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Makes about 8 cups.

Pretty simple... just combine all ingredients (in a decorative jar if giving as a gift). Seal tightly and store in a cool place (refrigerator is as good as anyplace).

To Prepare:

Ingredients: 2 cups of mix above, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup water.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the vegetable oil. Next, mix in the mix alternately with the water. (Truthfully, I mix the wet ingredients in a large glass measuring cup and then just dump it into a bowl on the mix. Much easier. I have also noticed that sometimes I need to add a little more water- especially when I am going to cook the second round of pancakes. (Maybe it's the wheat germ I added soaking up the liquid.)
Scoop in heaping Tablespoon amounts per pancake onto a lightly greased skillet set at medium-high heat. Cook until the tops show broken bubbles (2 to 3 minutes). Turn and cook about 2 to 3 minutes more, until golden brown. Makes 12 5-inch pancakes.

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

Well, I say I am starting this blog and then don't touch it for a couple of weeks- that's life with 3 little ones and a husband who is working and taking 2 classes, I suppose!

So, I really am trying to prepare healthier foods for my family. For a while I had been just preparing pretty easy things (mac and cheese 3 days a week for lunch!) Don't get me wrong, we always have vegetables and fruit with it and I really try to add variety at dinner time, but I still wasn't seeking out the best choices. I am also feeling the need to eat more healthily now that I have carried three children and the weight is not leaving me as fast as it did before. Plus, I hate to admit it, but I really do feel better when I eat better. (Wow- what a revelation.)

So, recently, I have been concentrating on breakfast type foods in my initial quest for healthier habits. I used to always make regular pancakes, waffles, yogurt or just cold cereal- not sugar cereals, but still. To start, I bought some whole wheat flour and wheat germ and have been trying to incorporate them in my life. I also read recently, which I thought was a fabulous idea, to buy a big carton of plain yogurt and mix it with the smaller flavored ones to cut down on the amount of sugar in the yogurt you are eating. I always think the little cartons taste too sweet anyway. My little 3 year old doesn't even seem to mind!

Now, as for the banana nut muffins. . . I found the recipe at www.notonlypizza.com which I then changed to conform to my ingredients on hand. Emma ate one and a half when they came out, a half of a muffin at a time (kept asking for more). They are very filling and you feel so good about eating something that is actually fairly good for you! I must admit, my bad side wanted to spread some butter all over the finished product. (I would have too, except that I didn't have any softened and was trying to nurse a baby while eating.) So, here is what I ended up with:

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup wheat germ

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 3 ripe bananas

• 2 eggs
  

• 2 Tbsp. honey*

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted tastes best (put them on a pan and stick them in the oven while it is preheating until they are fragrant 5-10 minutes)

• 1/2 cup whole plain yogurt, or a combination of nonfat plain yogurt with some sour cream to make 1/2 cup

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F and place oven rack to middle position. Grease with olive oil a 12 cup muffin pan or two 6 cup pans.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and set them aside.
In another large bowl whisk the eggs lightly with honey then add 1 cup of flour and mix until well combined. Add the yogurt, the other cup of flour and the oil.
Fold in the bananas and then the walnuts.
Scrape the batter in the muffin pan and cook for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note:
* These muffins are not overly sweet, if you prefer them sweeter double or triple the dose. Or heck- if you really aren't trying to be healthy, add sugar!!

So, I had some left-over ricotta cheese after making lasagna and wondered what I could do with it. So, I googled it and found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website. They were fabulous!!!! Everyone around here enjoyed them. I didn't have enough ricotta for the recipe because I had already used 3/4 of a cup for the lasagna, but also because I was experimenting last night and mixed it with cocoa powder and a little sugar and sprinkled semi-sweet chocolate chips on it. (Also pretty yummy) To remedy the lack of ricotta I pulsed some fat-free cottage cheese in my food processor to make it similar consistency to the ricotta and it worked great! We sprinkled them with powdered sugar. I also think you could make them just as well without using all that oil to cook them in. One other note: it said it serves 4 and it just barely served the four of us here- that's 2 adults and a 2 year old and a 3 year old. So, Here's the recipe:

Orange-Ricotta Pancakes

Grated navel orange zest and ricotta cheese make ordinary pancakes extraordinary.

Prep: 35 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 3/4 cups (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (1 orange)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• Confectioners' sugar, or maple syrup

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, and 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (1 orange). Whisk in 2/3 cup all-purpose flour until just combined.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Working in batches (and adding more oil to skillet as needed), add batter, using a scant 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Serve hot, dusted with confectioners' sugar or drizzled with maple syrup.

From Everyday Food, January/February 2004