breakfast | What's Annie Making?

Quick and Easy Carrot Cake Pancakes

26 March, 2013 1 Comment

Good morning dear friends. I have to tell you about the epiphany that I had recently while making breakfast.

Shredding carrots stinks. Like rancid, curdled milk stinks.

I had one of my “I want carrot cake for breakfast” cravings again so I decided to see if my recipe for Carrot Cake Waffles worked as pancakes.

::spoiler alert::it does

Anyways, as I sat grating ~~my fingers~~ the carrots finely using my box grater I was doing my best to not let out any curse words. I started thinking, why the heck am I doing this??? The whole idea is to grated them fine enough so they cook quickly. Why do they need to be in shredded form anyways?

Enter my friend, the Vitamix.

I didn’t really want to puree them, but I figured the 2 hp motor could grate them finer than my bleeding fingers ever could. I was right.

The blender did its job. I’m pretty sure any good blender could do this. No Vitamix necessary here.

Then I decided to further test its blending skills and make the rest of the batter in it. That worked too. And bonus, the blender spout makes for easy griddle pouring. And I only had one dish to wash!

The pancakes turned out fluffy and moist. I served them with butter and syrup, but you could make the cream cheese topping from these waffles if you want to be really fancy. I guess I’m not so fancy. At least I still have my fingers.

Quick and Easy Carrot Cake Pancakes

by Annie S

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Keywords: breakfast

Ingredients (12 pancakes)

3 large carrots
1 large egg
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/3 c plain greek yogurt
1 c milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons dried cranberries (or raisins)

Instructions

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat

Blend carrots on high until they are very finely minced

Add wet ingredients (egg, brown sugar, greek yogurt, milk and vanilla) to blender

Mix until well combined

Add flour, baking powder,, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to blender

Mix until combined

Stir in walnuts and craisins by hand

Spray griddle with cooking spray and pour batter directly onto griddle, making desired sized pancakes

Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown

Top with butter and syrup and enjoy!

Filed Under: breakfast

Good Morning Bran Muffins

21 March, 2013 5 Comments

Good morning sunshines!

I know what you’re thinking – bran. great annie. We’re covered here in the fiber department. No bran necessary. Who eats bran anyway? Old people. That’s who.

Well friends, I beg to differ. I’m no spring chicken, but I’m not exactly old yet either. And I love these muffins.

The bran adds a wonderful nuttiness to them. It also amps up the nutrition. Fiber, protein, omegas, vitamins and minerals. A quick google search tells me that bran has been shown to improve heart health, digestion, and lower cholesterol. Three cheers for bran! No wonder old people love the stuff so much. I used wheat bran in these, but feel free to sub oat flour and oat bran if you’re gf. I’ve tried these that way too and they turn out great.

Combined with banana, apple and cinnamon. It doesn’t get much better in the breakfast department.

Oh, and I used pumpkin butter in these because I had some extra in the fridge from fall. It worked beautifully, but if you’ve already eaten through your fall stock pile don’t fret. You can substitute an equal amount of applesauce, add a little extra cinnamon and you’ll be all set.

For a split second after making these I thought to myself, “you make too many muffins.” I quickly retracted that statement. They are simple, [can be] nutritious, and make the perfect quick breakfast for when you’re on the go.

Oh yeah, and they have bran.

Good Morning Bran Muffins

by Annie S

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast

Ingredients (12 muffins)

1/8 c honey
1/8 c brown sugar
1/8 c canola oil
1/8 c pumpkin butter (or substitute apple sauce or canned pumpkin + 1/2 t cinnamon)
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 ripe mashed bananas
1/4 c plain, non fat greek yogurt
3/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c wheat bran
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 apple, diced
1/4 c dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Prepare muffin tin with cooking spray or liners

Combine wet ingredients (through yogurt) in a large bowl with a whisk until well combined

Gently stir in dry ingredients (through nutmeg) using a rubber spatula

Sprinkle diced apples with flour (this prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins)

Stir in apples and craisins

Divide into muffin tins

Bake 15-17 minutes until a toothpick tester comes out clean

Let cool 5 minutes before serving

Enjoy!

Filed Under: baking, breakfast, muffins

Whole Wheat Banana Waffles with Banana Caramel Sauce

16 March, 2013 2 Comments

I love Saturday mornings. You can wake up leisurely rather than to the jolt of an alarm. (Charlie usually makes this happen by whining around 7:30 that he’s done sleeping for the night).

You can enjoy a nice cup of coffee, not in a travel mug, while watching the morning news.

You can get dressed and ready without checking your watch every 30 seconds to make sure you make it out the door on time.

And you can make yourself a nice breakfast that isn’t enjoyed in portable form. And eat it with a fork! <—- That’s the key right there.

This morning I made one of those breakfasts. I was really craving banana bread, but didn’t want to wait an hour for it to bake. So I turned banana bread into waffles. And then I made this amazing sauce to put on them.

The banana flavor in the waffles is strong and spot on. Combined with the cooked banana caramel sauce, this is not for people who are on the fence about bananas. If you are one of those people I would recommend making the waffles and topping with butter and maple syrup. Or maybe just making the sauce and eating it with a spoon.

But if you are a banana lover like I am, then I would make both and send yourself into a Saturday morning banana bliss.

These waffles are super moist, like banana bread. I would recommend cooking them a little longer than normal waffles to create that golden crunch on the outside.

And then pour yourself another cup of coffee, cuddle up with a blanket and your puppy/book, and enjoy your morning.

Banana Bread Waffles with Banana Caramel Sauce

by Annie S

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: breakfast

Ingredients (6 waffles)

For the waffles
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 T plain greek yogurt
1 c milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, mashed well
For the sauce
1/4 c dark brown sugar
1 banana, thinly sliced
1/4 c milk
1 T butter
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t vanilla extract

Instructions

For the waffles

Preheat waffle iron

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, milk, yogurt vanilla, and banana.

Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients until just Incorporated.

Let rest for five minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce

Put brown sugar and water into a small saucepan over medium heat

Cook until sugar is dissolved and bubbles (about 3 minutes)

Add sliced banana, cook 5 minutes, stirring a few times

Stir in milk, butter, salt and vanilla

Cook over low heat 5-10 minutes

For the waffles

Spray waffle iron lightly with cooking spray

Spoon 1/3-1/2 c. batter into waffle iron

Close lid and cook according to waffle-maker directions (my light turns green when they are ready)

Top with banana sauce, or butter and syrup

Enjoy!

Filed Under: breakfast

Shamrock Monster Shake

14 March, 2013 1 Comment

Oh hello March. Can you please explain to me how you are already half way done? Can you also explain to me how this month is supposed to be all about green things but everything is still completely snow covered and frigid?

Seriously. I mean I love wearing tall boots as much as the next girl, but I’m itching for cute dresses and sandals in a major way.

Good thing I fixed that for us. At least the green part…

When I was growing up I couldn’t wait for March to come around because that meant it was Shamrock Shake season at McDonalds. As a mint lover at heart, I could not get enough of those bright green concoctions. I used to know when they started serving them in the year, and when they would stop. Yes friends, it was bad.

Now I know [a little] better. While the shakes are still cool, creamy and delicious, my skinny jeans don’t appreciate them quite as much as my mouth does.

Enter the natural green power of spinach, protein powder, frozen bananas and just a touch of mint. Aka – shamrock monster shake. Aka – you can have a shamrock shake for breakfast and not even blink an eye. That’s a win in my book for sure.

I used just a touch of peppermint extract to give the green monster that nostalgic minty flavor. You have to be careful with this, as too much mint will make you feel like you’re drinking mouthwash. Also mint extract is not the same as peppermint extract. Trust me, I’ve made this mistake.

The mint also covers the flavor of the banana very well. The frozen banana just acts as a wonderful base that is rich and creamy. Very reminiscent of Mickey D’s.