Dec 31 2012

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (Gluten-Free and Vegan!)

Posted by missamy in Step-by-Step Recipes

Looking for a healthy change of pace in your breakfast routine? These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes submitted by Monique of Ambitious Kitchen are just the ticket. Packed with healthy oats, and bananas, and sprinkled with a few chocolate chips, they are sure to set your day on the right track.

I was curious how they would work with no flour involved, but the batter blended into a smooth consistency. The texture is more dense and moist than a flour-based pancake, but we found them hearty and filling, and full of flavor. After a few bites, I began thinking of different tasty combinations using the banana/oatmeal batter base. Warm spices would add a nice touch, as well as chopped walnuts or pecans. Or what about a coconut-and-lime combination? That sounds like the perfect tropical twist to accompany the banana. I think this recipe lends itself well to experimenting, and is certainly a great option for all of those eating gluten-free (make sure you use gluten-free oats!) or vegan.

Let me show you how easy they are.

You’ll need a blender, and a short list of ingredients: ripe bananas, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, old-fashioned rolled oats, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips. Of course, don’t forget your favorite pancake toppings. Monique suggests peanut butter! She sounds like a smart lady.

An important note!

If you are preparing this for those who need to avoid gluten: Please make sure you use oats that are certified gluten-free oats! Monique does mention that in the recipe, but in case you missed it there and missed it a few paragraphs above, ya can’t be too careful. The oats in the photo are not gluten-free. Over and ~~oat~~ out.

Begin by adding the banana and vanilla milk to a blender, and blend until smooth.

Next, in go the oats, baking powder, and salt. If you want to add any spices (cinnamon would be mighty nice), now would be the time to do it.

Blend until combined, then let sit for a few minutes until the batter thickens up. If it gets too thick, add a bit more almond milk, a little at a time.

While you wait for the batter to thicken up, using cooking spray, olive oil, or butter, lightly coat your preferred pancake cooking surface, and heat over medium. A nonstick skillet or griddle is always nice.

Once skillet is ready, drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto surface. Gently spread with a spoon if needed.

Sprinkle some chocolate chips on each pancake. Watch for bubbles to appear (about 2 minutes), then flip pancakes.

Cook until golden brown (about another 2 minutes). Repeat until all batter is used, adding more cooking spray, oil, or butter as needed.

Top with your favorite pancake partner, and dig in. We added a major drizzling of honey to ours, which was lovely, but I’m thinking of trying peanut butter the next time around.

Thanks Monique for sharing this new option for enjoying pancakes. Visit her blog, Ambitious Kitchen, for more of her recipes. She describes herself as someone passionate about pancakes, and I can definitely see why. I know I have many gluten-free friends that will be happy to try this recipe, too.

Printable Recipe

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes

by Monique of Ambitious Kitchen on November 4, 2012 in Breakfast, Pancakes

See post on Monique of Ambitious Kitchen’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s) 1 vote, average: 5.00 out of 5

Description

Easy, delicious banana pancakes that are made in a blender with only 6 ingredients total! Plus they just happen to be vegan and gluten-free!

Ingredients

2 Medium Ripe Bananas, Cut Into Chunks
¾ cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 cup Old-fashioned Rolled Oats (gluten-free If Desired)
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons (Heaping) Chocolate Chips, Vegan If You Prefer

Preparation Instructions

In a blender, add chunks of banana and almond milk. Puree for 30 seconds or until thoroughly blended and smooth. Next add oats, baking powder, and salt into the blender; blend again until batter is well-combined, about 1 minute. Set aside to thicken up. After a few minutes, check the consistency of the pancake batter; it should be somewhat thick. If it appears too thick, add a tablespoon or two of almond milk and blend again.

Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with vegan cooking spray or olive oil and heat over medium. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto skillet and gently spread out a bit with a spoon. Place 5-6 chocolate chips on top of each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on top, about 2 minutes. Gently flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil or cooking spray.

Top with peanut butter, maple syrup, fruit, or chocolate chips.

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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.

Dec 28 2012

Cannoli Tart

Posted by HowSweetEats in Baking, Step-by-Step Recipes

Oh my goodness. You know when you have one of those desserts that completely knocks your socks off? This is it. And it’s simple, too. It’s like the new Holy Grail of treats!

It’s not very often that I get to bake with ricotta because my husband swears that he dislikes it. Even though—of course—he’s eaten it in multiple dishes and I’ve watched him enjoy a full meal where ricotta is involved, but whatever. I can occasionally slip in a tablespoon or so here and there without him noticing, but an entire dessert made from the stuff? This would be tricky.

However, tricky as it was, it actually worked. After seeing this Cannoli Tart from The Seaside Baker, I knew I had to make it immediately. And immediately I did—like nearly one day later. Not only did it pass my sweet tooth test with flying colors, the ricotta-hater loved it too. You know what that means. You must must must try it!

For the crust and the tart filling, all you need is some amaretto, ricotta cheese, eggs, cold butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips. Oh, you also need a little milk. About one tablespoon. This is, like, the easiest dessert ever!

Begin by making the crust. First, give the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon a good whirl in your food processor.

Then add the cold butter and pulse until it forms little crumbs. Can you see the slight difference here from the picture above? There are some pea-sized, flour-coated butter chunks! Yum.

Add the egg and milk, then process until the dough comes together …

… and forms a ball like so. Pretty cool, huh? If there are a few crumbs left, just press them into the dough ball with your hands.

Next, place the dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper. I actually used wax paper because I never seem to have parchment when I need it. Also, stop laughing at my mess of a rolling pin. It lost its arms. I keep meaning to buy a new one but then … I forget.

Use the rolling pin (or something similar, like say, a bottle of wine?) to roll the dough out to fit your tart pan or pie plate. Gently lift it up and place it over the pan.

Press the dough into the pan or plate with your fingers. Clearly, pie-like dough is not one of my strengths. I have many pie crust issues. But this just proves that it doesn’t have to be perfect. Just get it in there, then refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the filling, I simply gave my food processor a quick wipe down since it was already out. All you have to do is add the ricotta, sugar, egg and amaretto and blend until just combined. So creamy.

Then fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the filling in the tart pan …

… then spread it out evenly and bake for about 35 minutes.

Once you remove the tart, you want it to cool completely. You can place it in the fridge. Trust me, I was skeptical too, but it is totally worth it. I served the tart chilled and holy cow, it was incredible.

After chilling and right before serving, add a drizzle of chocolate and a shake of powdered sugar.

Can you even handle this?

To say this tart far exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. It was out of this world. It isn’t super sweet either, which makes me think it is highly versatile for even those (crazy folks?) who don’t love sweet dishes. You gotta try it.

Thanks so much to The Seaside Baker for the recipe. Be sure to check out her blog for even more tempting and delicious dishes.

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