Real Food: Quinoa Cakes and Sweet Berries

When I first came across this Martha Stewart recipe for Quinoa Cakes I passed it by, assuming it was just a recipe for pankcakes using quinoa flour.  After a second look, I realized it was a very simple pancake recipe that used cooked quinoa in place of most of the flour.  You could also use rice.

These small cakes are delicious, but have a unique quinoa flavor and are much more savory than traditional pancakes.  I liked this; it balances much better with sweet toppings- but they are not a direct swap for a traditional buttermilk pancake; much more chewy than fluffy, though I wouldn't call them dense by any means.  

They are a type of pancake, though, and with all that protein, they are much more satisfying than a traditional pancake could ever hope to be.  They were also extremely fast to put together, especially if you keep cooked quinoa on hand.  If you don't, it just means whipping some up before you begin.

My kids (who loved them at first sight due to their size and love of all pancakes) ate them in a flash.

A few notes: I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the all purpose flour, and used coconut oil rather than butter for the cakes and the griddle.

As the recipe states, flip the cakes when bubbles appear on the surface.  However, I found that though they be small, they be mighty.  When left alone after flipping they are still quite thick and the middles were not fully cooked by the time the bottom was browned.  After flipping your cakes, lightly press down on each with your spatula to thin them out a bit.  That solved the problem for me.

As for a sweet berry topping, I combined 2 C frozen strawberries and 1 C frozen mixed berries and microwaved them until they were almost completely thawed.  I tossed them with 1 t raw sugar and let them sit while I made the cakes.

Quinoa Cakes

From MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

• 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.

Real Food: Citrus and Red Berry Salad

This is simple, but good.  

For Valentine's Day, I thought I'd post about a fun fruit that is sentimental to me: the pummelo.

Coupled with some berries it makes an appropriately sweet red treat for love day, and happens to be great for the heart as well.

Every winter we buy one pummelo.  It's a tradition we've kept up since 2001. Pummelo fruits are like a semi-sweet cross between a grapefruit and a raspberry.

This year we used our pummelo to make a simple salad.  That really stretches it out when splitting it between six people.  In fact, Jim ended up coming home late and he didn't even get any.

After thawing 2 cups of frozen berries I added some pummelo wedges and tossed them together.

If you're not familiar with how to cut citrus fruits for an optimal eating experience and minimal waste, check this out.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not.  It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him." - C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity, Book 3, Chapter 9

Real Food: Greek Yogurt and Hearty Granola

Today's posts are tackling a couple of very popular snacks.  Now that we've talked popcorn, let's talk about yogurt.

Yogurt is everywhere, and it's a common snack for women who are watching their weight and also a go-to for kids.  Marketing would like us to think that yogurt is a healthy, calcium-filled snack that's going to get us ready for the beach.  If you investigate what most commercial yogurt contains, you realize that what it can do is make you really unhealthy.  Also, I don't know about you, but I've had my share of those little containers, and, let me tell you what, they never filled me up.

Greek yogurt is really catching on, and a little investigating online reveals it's many charms- but not all greek yogurts are created equal.  Many commercial flavored varieties are over-sweetened, or the texture is strange.  As for the brand to buy, I've tried several, and Fage Total 0% is the best (unless you want to go organic.)  I get it at Sams in a 4 cup container, and have found the same container at Target for just a bit more.  It really is better tasting and sturdier than others, and it's so basic- you can improvise with it in so many ways.  I'll also mention that most dairy- cheese, milk, etc, makes me sick, but this doesn't at all, which is good, because it's fantastic.

You need to do a little searching to investigate the myriad ways you can incorporate Greek Yogurt into your life, because it has so many uses. Today, though, I'll focus on a very traditional form. 

This is an everyday food at our house.  Hudson often has some greek yogurt with his lunch, and the girls take it to school in their thermos; sometimes as yogurt alone, sometimes as Muesli.

Here are a few things that taste great combined: Basic Vanilla Greek Yogurt, Warm Berries, and Hearty Camp Granola.*

Basic Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Prep Time: 1 min.

Total Time: 1 min.

Serves: 1

Calories: 130

Ingredients:

1C Fage Total 0% Plain Greek Yogurt

1/2 t Vanilla Extract

2 t Stevia in the Raw (or your favorite sweetener)

1. Simply combine and mix. 

I like to use Stevia here because it blends in with the yogurt so nicely.  Also, it goes without saying that you can improvise and adapt this to your taste- perhaps add some pumpkin pie spice, or switch the extract flavor.  

Hearty Camp Granola

This recipe comes from a 4H camp Jim attended growing up, but I have substituted coconut oil for the vegetable oil that the original recipe calls for.

Prep Time: 10 min.

Total Time: 1 hr 10 min.

Serves: Makes about 6.5 servings, 1/2 C each

Calories: 300 per 1/2 C

Ingredients:

5 C Whole Oats

1 C Flaked Coconut

3/4 C Brown Sugar

2 T Cinnamon

1 t Salt

3/4 C Unrefined Coconut Oil, melted

3 T Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine all ingredients by hand or with a stand mixer.

2.  Spread the mixture out on a cookie sheet with raised sides.  Bake, stirring well and often (about every 10 minutes) until the granola is nicely toasted and no longer feels damp, about 1 hour.

3.  Cool and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or freeze a portion for later.

This is delicious alone, added to yogurt as I've done here, or with some almond milk for a hearty snack.

*To make the meal pictured, I combined 1 C of the vanilla yogurt, 1/4 C of the granola, and 1/2 C frozen berries, which I heated in the microwave before adding them in.  This meal is just 320 calories and is packed with good fat, good carbs (and a little tasty sugar to boot), and protein.