Healthy Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Syrup

Serves 3-5

Pancake Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp ground flax seeds

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups greek yogurt

1/4 cup blueberries

4 eggs(preferably free-range), whites separated from yolks

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp coconut oil for cooking(in place of butter)

Directions

Heat oven to warm(approx 200 degrees).

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add yolks, yogurt and 1/4 cup of blueberries.

In a separate bowl whisk egg whites until frothy and stiff(use an immersion blender if you have one).  Fold egg whites into the mixture.  

Stir just enough to combine but don't over-mix.

Heat a pan with coconut oil over medium heat. When pan is hot add about 2 tbsp of pancake batter for each pancake.  Flip when bubbles appear on the top.  Cook in batches keeping finished pancakes in a warm oven until all of them are ready.

Serve with blueberry maple syrup.

Blueberry Syrup Ingredients

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/4 cup blueberries

Directions 

Heat blueberries and maple syrup in a small sauce pan until boiling.  Serve with pancakes.

Butternut Squash Croquettes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butternut squash cut into 1/2" cubes and pulverized in food processor
1 egg
4 Tbsp flour sieved
1 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp hot sauce
1/4 cup green onion, green parts reserved for garnish
olive oil


Directions

Pulverize butternut squash in food processor, then add remaining ingredients and pureé until smooth but mixture still has texture.  Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add a heaping tablespoon of mixture to the pan, flatten and fry in batches until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Allow to cool on a rack then garnish with remaining green onions.

Try topping these with a little curry ketchup (1 Tbsp curry powder plus 1/4 cup ketchup) and sautéed shrimp for an easy, elegant appetizer.

Cilantro Hummus

Ingredients

4 raw garlic cloves or 5 roasted garlic cloves
¾ teaspoon salt
1- 15oz can garbanzo beans or chick peas
3 tablespoon well stirred tahini

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water

¼ cup cilantro

1 tsp cumin

Directions

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.  You can add more olive oil or water to reach desired consistency.

Have New Age Craft Brewers Gone Too Far?

Recently i've heard more than a few people talking about how brewers have gotten a little too experimental.  I can see where they are coming from.  Take a walk through your local bottle shop and really pay attention to what is on the shelves these days.  You'll see Double IPA's, Tripel IPA's, Black IPA's, Coffee Stouts, Lemongrass Wheats, beers brewed with pumpkin, beers brewed with Yerba Mate and many more.  With so many different styles of beer available from a growing amount of brewers, it's easy to get lost when trying to decide on a beer.  It's not just the Americans who are making all these wacky beers either.  Belgians are now making Double IPA's and Barley Wines.

You may be surprised to hear that putting all these funky, often strange ingredients in beer is not all that new.  Belgians have been brewing using herbs, spices and barrel aging beers for centuries.  In Scandinavia there are many ancient recipes that call for different roots, barks and local herbs.  Believe it or not, hops have not always been a part of the brewing process.  What we are seeing a lot of today is the resurrection of ancient brewing traditions.  Dogfish Head makes a beer called Midas Touch, which is derived from a recipe from an Egyptian Tomb from 2700 years ago.  It's brewed with honey and  muscat grapes and has a very interesting flavor to it.

It is breweries like Dogfish Head that really push the envelope.  They're not afraid to try anything.  Experimentation is the only way we'll be able to keep our beer scene interesting.  If every beer brewed was supposed to appeal to every beer drinker out there we would be drinking some pretty boring beers.  Homogenization of beer in the 80's anyone?  As our palates expand and crave more flavor, the craft brewers of the world will be there to appease our taste buds.

I recently picked up a beer at a local bottle shop called Lambrucha by Vanberg & DeWulf.  The idea of the beer is a blend of lambic beer with kombucha - a fermented health drink.  I have to admit, I am a fan of both Lambic Beer and Kombucha to begin with, but never would I have thought to blend the two.  The resulting beer has a welcome tartness and fine bubbly carbonation.  It's a great spring or summer beer at 3.5% ABV so you can have a few glasses of it and spare yourself the nap afterwards.

I've been keeping track of all the beers I drink using BeerCraving.  This site helps you remember the beers you drink through pictures.  You can add tasting notes and even tag the place where you bought the beer to remember for later.  They'll be launching a beer app in January which will make it even easier to keep track of  the beers I drink.

So to all you highly experimental craft brewers out there, continue to make the most interesting beer you can think of.  I can't guarantee we'll like everything you produce, but we will admire the risks you take to further the craft.

TED Video: Mark Bittman on what's wrong with what we eat

Tangy Baked Beans

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

½ cup onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 ½ cups water
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups cooked pinto beans
2 tbsp real maple syrup
¼ cup collard greens, kale or mustard greens, stem removed and chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp hot sauce
¼ cup ketchup
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Put beans in a small baking dish or divide into 2 french onion soup crocks.

In a medium sauce pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute.  Add 2 ½ cups water and remaining ingredients except beans and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Pour liquid over beans to cover by about ½ inch.  Cover dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove foil, and if necessary add more liquid to cover.  Bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Allow to cool 10 minutes then serve.

Easiest Tomato Soup

Soup doesn't have to be complex to be delicious.  After all, it is a very humble food.  It's eaten by both rich and poor in almost every culture around the world.  Sometimes less is more, and this soup is a perfect example.  This soup uses only a few ingredients to create one of the most comforting foods I can think of.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1/2 cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 - 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes in tomato juice, preferably organic
2 cups water
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
14 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade or chopped
olive oil

Directions

Sweat onion in olive oil with some salt over medium-high heat until translucent, 4-6 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.  Add tomatoes with juice, water and red pepper flakes being sure to break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered for one hour.  Puree with blender or immersion blender.  Adjust seasonings, add basil and serve with a drizzle of olive oil over each bowl.  Serve with crusty bread or grilled cheese.