Thayer in the Kitchen

These pancakes are a great way to use some of the rhubarb that may be growing in your backyard or you got in your CSA box (which is how we got ours).  We love pancakes and I like to find different versions which this one is.   Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 2 cups rhubarb, chopped fairly small 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 cup buttermilk 1-1/4 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half unbleached white) 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg, separated and at room temperature 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled For the crumble: 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons brown sugar pinch of salt 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons butter, melted Melt the butter and add the rhubarb and sugar.  Cook until the fruit is tender.  Add a spoon of water if the mixture gets too dry.  Mine didn't. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk the ...

These are delicious light blueberry pancakes with lots of berries that are easy to make.  If the batter seems too thick, add a bit more buttermilk. We got 10# of delicious blueberries from a Michigan blueberry cooperative organized by a generous neighbor in Madison who ordered 2000#!  We kept 5# and shared the other 5# with my daughter.  It didn't take us long to go through our 5#. 1/2 cup cornmeal 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups buttermilk 2 large eggs 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 cups blueberries Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk.  Crack the eggs into the buttermilk.  Pour the slightly cooled melted butter into the other liquid ingredients and whisk everything together.  Do not over beat.  Some lumps are fine.  ...

This is the time of the year that many of us find ourselves with lots of zucchini and yellow summer squash.  I'm never unhappy to find lots of it in my CSA box because you can do so many different things with it.  I know that the latest thing is zucchini noodles.  I don't have a vegetable spiralizer yet.  Maybe something I'll need to get?  These squash cakes are good for breakfast as well as other meals.  The recipe came from Madison Magazine. 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower oil or oil of your choice for frying the cakes 2 cups shredded zucchini or yellow summer squash 3/4 to 1 cup corn (I used frozen corn) you could use 1-2 ears of fresh corn kernels 1/2 cup finely diced red onion (I used a white onion from our farm) 2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced)  It is only available for a short time of the year.  It is milder than the cured garlic and must be refrigerated or it will get moldy. 1/2 cup organic cornmeal 1/...

These pancakes are similar to latkes and gluten free.  The pancakes & salad make an interesting breakfast but would also be good for lunch or supper. The other good thing about them is they use a lot of carrots.  If you belong to a CSA farm you probably get a lot of carrots in your fall boxes. The chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour is available from Bob's Red Mill.  It is also available in Indian grocery stores where it is called besan or gram flour.   Ingredients 4 large eggs, beaten to blend 1 pound carrots (about 8 medium), peeled, coarsely grated ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup chickpea flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup sliced green onions (optional) 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional) 3 tablespoons (or more) sunflower or olive oil, divided 1 cup plain yogurt, Greek yogurt works well 1 cup spicy greens (such as baby mustard greens, watercress, or arugula) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ...

I've been trying to go through my home office and weed out books I no longer want.  I've also been going through old magazines.  I have a terrible time throwing out magazines without looking through them one more time.  Sometimes my reviews pay off.  I found this recipe in an old copy of Healthy Cooking.  It suggested taking a pancake mix and making some healthy additions.  I thought it produced a lighter, more tender pancake than most whole grain mixes without these additions. I use Lonesome Stone Pancake Mix which is a blend of whole wheat and rye flours.  I highly recommend trying their products.  They use locally grown grains in their mixes.  Their products are available at a number of stores in Madison.  Check out their website:  http://www.lonesomestonemilling.com/index.html . 2 eggs  (these coudn't be any more local; they are from my daughter and her husband's back yard chickens) 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (I recomm...

What another pancake recipe!  Yes, this one incorporates strawberries which I think are a wonderful addition to pancakes.  The recipe was adapted from a blog entitled Simply Scratch.  The author Laurie comments, "I think I could survive on pancakes alone."  I recommend checking her blog out because she has wonderful pictures of the whole process of making the pancakes.  http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/06/strawberry-buttermilk-pancakes.html Ingredients: 2 cups All Purpose Flour 2 tablespoons Vanilla Sugar (available from Penzey's Spices)* 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt 2 cups Buttermilk 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt {heaping} 2 whole Eggs 3 tablespoons Melted Butter {cooled but not solidified} 1 cup Chopped Fresh Strawberries (heaping) 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional) Directions: Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees and wipe with a little oil or spray with organic pan spray.  In a large bowl;...

I found myself with some leftover cottage cheese in the frig.  I'm not a cottage cheese fan, but I like it in food where I don't have to deal with the strange consistency.  These pancakes sounded promising and they turned out to be very good, especially after I added some fresh strawberries to the batter.  I also added some coarsely chopped pecans, both are totally optional. I know that some people don't like "stuff" in their pancakes.  The cottage cheese also adds some protein to the pancakes. 1 cup unbleached flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 4 eggs 1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup milk 2 tablespoons oil (canola or sunflower seed) 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries 1/2 cup chopped pecans Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cottage cheese, milk and oil.  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk just until blended.  At the this point you can ...

A few weeks ago I tried a recipe for rhubarb pancakes.  I will not be posting this recipe.  I guess rhubarb needs sugar to bring out its flavor.  The pancakes with chopped raw rhubarb didn't have any rhubarb flavor so why bother.  However, these pancakes topped with rhubarb compote made for a very pleasant breakfast.  Although rhubarb season has now passed, it will come again and I'll be ready for it with this yummy breakfast recipe.  Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes •3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour •3/4 cup yellow cornmeal •2 tablespoons sugar •1/2 teaspoon baking powder •1/2 teaspoon baking soda •1/2 teaspoon salt •1 1/4 cups buttermilk •2 large eggs •3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled Combine first 6 ingredients into large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs and melted butter in medium bowl to blend. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until blended. Preheat oven to 300°F. Cook the pancakes on a griddle or...

Yes, I'm posting another pancake recipe.  We love pancakes especially with fruit and nuts.  This recipe has both. 2 cups unbleached white flour 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups buttermilk 1/4 cup plain yogurt 2 eggs 3 tablespoons melted butter 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries 1/2 cup toasted coarsely chopped pecans Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine liquid ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to the dry. Do not over mix. A few lumps are OK.  Add strawberries and nuts and blend in carefully.  Pour 1/4 cup of mixture on a hot griddle.  Turn when you see bubbles forming on top.  They can be served with vanilla yogurt or plain yogurt with a bit of vanilla sugar sprinkled on top.  Butter and syrup are also good toppings. Adapted from Simply Scratch

I'm always on the lookout for new pancake recipes especially ones that incorporate some fruit or even better vegetables.  These tasty pancakes provide a very healthy serving of carrots without you knowing you're even getting them.  1 cup flour (either unbleached white or whole wheat pastry flour) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ginger 1/4-1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional) 2 tablespoons golden raisins (also optional) 1 large egg 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups finely grated raw carrots Optional Cream Cheese Topping 4 ounces cream cheese 1/4 cup powdered sugar 2-3 tablespoons milk or 1/2 & 1/2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla dash of cinnamon In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, nuts and raisins.  In another bowl whisk together egg, brown sugar, buttermilk...

This is recipe of Mollie Katzen's that I adapted.  I thought they were delicious and quite easy to make especially if you have the wild rice already cooked which I did.  I made them for supper one night with a big salad and they were all consumed.  Mollie said they are very good leftover and that they reheat well.  I can't testify to that.  1 tablespoon olive oil 12 wild mushrooms, I used 1/4 # of oyster mushrooms from the farmers market.  I'm sure white mushroom would also be fine. 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon minced garlic (1-2 cloves) 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 4 large eggs 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 4 scallions, minced 1 cup cooked wild rice.  I cooked my wild rice in my rice cooker.  I made extra and froze the rest. 1 cup (about 5 ounces) goat cheese.  I used Dream Farm goat cheese (also available at the Westside farmers market in Madison) and just stirred it into the batter.  Any flavor would work we...

This recipe for pancakes is absolutely delicious. It has nothing as far as being healthy or local to commend it, but the pancakes are a wonderful treat for a weekend breakfast morning. The recipe did say to serve them with real maple syrup and I think that is essential. The season is over now for maple syrup. I bought some a few weeks ago at the farmers' market when the farmer said it would be the last time he would be there until next season. The secret to making these amazing pancakes is the lumpy batter. So whatever you do, do not overmix the batter! You can make additions to them of fruit or nuts, but they are good even just plain. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups buttermilk 2 cups sour cream 2 large eggs 4 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 tablespoons unsalted butter Pure maple syrup, warm Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, sour cream, eggs and vanilla in another large bowl. Ad...

Sweet Potato and Pear Latkes 1 lb. sweet potatoes 1-2 pears, depending on size 1/2 medium onion 2 eggs 1/3 cup whole–wheat bread crumbs 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts Salt to taste Canola oil spray Sour cream or Unsweetened applesauce Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place two nonstick baking sheets in the oven. Peel the potatoes; core the pears. Grate each using a food processor. Grate the onion. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, bread crumbs, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the potatoes, pear and onion. Stir in the cranberries and nuts. Mix until coated. Remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and spray thoroughly with canola spray. Spoon latke mixture onto sheets, forming 2-3 inch patties. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes per side, turning once with a spatula. Watch closely so they don't burn (a few of mine did). Serve with sour cream and/or warm applesauce. Adapted from American Institute for Cancer Res...

Yesterday morning our farmers had luscious red ripe strawberries available. I used some of them in: Strawberry Buttermilk Pancakes 1cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 cup organic unbleached white flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups buttermilk 2 egg 2 tbsp canola oil (or similar mild oil) 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries 1/2 cup toasted coarsely chopped pecans Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to the dry. Add strawberries and nuts and blend in lightly. Pour 1/4 c of mixture on hot griddle and serve with Vanilla yogurt. Adapted from a fellow foodie's blog, Daalicious .

Breakfast today was one of my favorite pancake recipes. Carrot Breakfast Pancakes (adapted from RecipeZaar) 1-3/4 cups milk 2 eggs ¼ cup butter 4 medium carrots 1¼ cups unbleached flour 1¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (optional) 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¼ cup sugar ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cinnamon Put milk in blender or food processor; add eggs and butter. Blend. Add carrots and blend well, until carrots are completely chopped with no visible pieces. Pour into a bowl and add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices until thoroughly combined. If you think the batter is too thin add a little more flour. Spray frying pan or griddle with cooking spray or oil lightly. Pour batter into pan using ¼ cup measure and cook until bubbles appear on top; turn and cook until golden brown on the other side. Serve with maple syrup. Sometimes I add a few pecans to the batter. Again this is optional. These pancakes are si...

Another somewhat late start on supper. Last night I had a Taste of Chocolate Class at our local community college. We made a few chocolate recipes as well as tasted some chocolate. I actually almost OD on chocolate . When I got home I made Broccoli Goat Cheese Soup because I had a large stalk of broccoli from our farm that I needed to use. The soup was excellent and so easy. Broccoli Goat Cheese Soup (based on a recipe from Weight Watcher Turn Around Cookbook) 1 tablespoon butter 1 small onion chopped 3 tablespoons flour 4 cups organic chicken broth (I like the Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth in a box) 4 cups fresh broccoli, cut into chunks 1/4 cup fresh goat cheese ( I used some from a local farmer that is very soft, similar to cream cheese in texture) 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional) Saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour. Slowly add chicken broth making sure it combines smoothly with the flour. Add broccoli and simmer covered until tender. I ...