Pancakes

Oh pancakes! I have such wonderful memories of my mommy making pancakes almost every Saturday morning for my sister and I.  Our dogs loved Saturdays too because they each got a leftover.  Our little mutt, Soccer got really good at catching food in the air from practicing with pancake pieces.  This recipe is from my Great-Grandma Nettie who I'm told was the coolest lady ever.  She liked her dirty jokes, her beer, and her Cubs.  I think we would have gotten along very well, minus the Cubs; I hate baseball.
I used whole wheat flour and agave nectar where the original recipe used white flour and sugar.  Josh and I actually like them better my way.  They have a nice texture and are of course, better for you.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbs melted margarine
3 tbs agave nectar
1 egg
1 cup lowfat or fat free buttermilk

Mix all the dry ingredients first to break up any lumps.

Then gently mix in the wet ingredients. Don't overmix or the pancakes won't be nice and fluffy.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat.  *These can be temperamental so keep a close eye on the first couple batches and adjust the heat as needed.*  Give the pan a squirt of cooking spray and spoon in enough batter for 3 or 4 pancakes.  However many you can fit while still being able to flip them.  When you start seeing little bubbles form, check the bottom and if they're golden brown, flip 'em over.

Cook the other side for about a minute.

Serve hot with syrup and fruit.  I had a banana about to go bad so I used it and it was delicious.  Bananas taste amazing with pancakes.

So warm...so fluffy...I thought about making bran muffins with the rest of my buttermilk but I'm pretty sure I'm just going to make more pancakes in the morning.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Since picking fresh blueberries last week, Josh has requested in no uncertain terms that I keep these muffins constantly in stock.  I make them frequently anyway with frozen berries but fresh ones just make them irresistible. My husband, who has two degrees mind you, then complains about burning his mouth because he can't even let the poor muffins cool.  I can't really blame him though.  When the smell of fresh baked blueberry muffins fills your house, all self-control is lost.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1 egg
1 c plain, nonfat yogurt
1/4 c oil or softened margarine
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 cup quick oatmeal
1/2 c agave nectar or honey
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 c fresh blueberries (or thawed and drained if previously frozen)

Combine everything BUT the blueberries.

Then gently fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among 12 muffin cups.  The batter doesn't rise much so fill them to the top.

Cook for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and slightly crisp.

Unlike frozen ones, fresh blueberries burst a bit in the muffins.  That just means there's too much delicious for the muffin to hold, nothing to worry about.

Agave and Ginger Glazed Salmon

2 servings- 20 min cooking plus at least 3 hr marinating

Yesterday I had one of those days where I felt like making up a recipe. I made some really good salmon a couple weeks ago from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe that used agave nectar and I wanted to spice it up.  I just started adding stuff from the Asian side of my pantry until I had something delicious.

I forgot to take a picture of the ginger, it was a last minute addition but it totally made the dish.

2 tbs agave nectar
2 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs fresh grated ginger  (or a big teaspoon of ground ginger but fresh is better)
Two 4-5oz salmon fillets 

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and pour into a ziploc bag.

Then add the salmon, squish the marinade all over the fillets, squeeze the extra air out of the bag, and refrigerate for a couple hours.

You could put in 4-6 fillets but I wanted to use the extra marinade to make a glaze.

Whenever you can't wait any longer to eat, pour the excess marinade in a saucepan and simmer until reduced by half.  Heat a grill pan (the grill marks are pretty) or a skillet and pour in about 1 tbs oil.  Grill the salmon for a couple minutes on each side until medium rare.  Serve the salmon over some brown rice and spoon the glaze over the top.  It tastes great on the rice.

This was sooo tasty. I couldn't believe I just made it up on the fly but it's going to be one of my regulars now.

I paired it with a fresh salad and lemon vinaigrette.

800 calories, 14.5g fat, 1300g sodium, 7g fiber, 37g protein per serving

Bran Muffins

My mom has been making these since I can remember.  I loved them as a kid and I'm so glad my husband loves them now because they're really easy to make and are great for a quick breakfast.  My mom and I have collaborated recently to make the muffins a little healthier by reducing the sugar and substituting whole wheat flour.   

1/2 c agave nectar
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c oil
2 eggs
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 c fat-free buttermilk
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In another bowl:
Pour 1 cup boiling water onto 3 cups All Bran cereal

Mix first set of ingredients well.  Mix in moistened bran cereal until incorporated.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes.

I love these silicone baking cups.  Just spray a little oil in them before filling and you get perfect muffins every time without the paper mess.  No cleaning messy muffin tine either. Yay!