Oatmeal Pancakes With Honeyed Yogurt and Fruit

Looking back, I guess I have not posted many breakfast recipes on this blog!  I guess that's because I do breakfast pretty simply- boxed cereal, toast, or eggs, nothing too fancy. Once in awhile I'll break out the skillet to make pancakes, which are a favorite of my kids.  They are not all that healthy or nutritious, however, so we don't make them often.  Back when they were little, we established a tradition of having "breakfast for dinner" on Friday evenings.  I had toyed with an oatmeal pancake recipe back then, but never really found one that all of us liked a lot.  Recently, I started thinking about it again, so started doing some searches, and ran across a Cooking Light recipe from a few years ago that got great reviews.  I have only made it once (with some tweaks) and am already a fan!

Now, if you are looking for light, fluffy pancakes to soak up real maple syrup like little pillows of sweetness, this is not the recipe for you.  If that's what you want, then we're back to the once in awhile treat of real buttermilk pancakes.  However, if you are looking for a hearty, filling, nutritious alternative and are willing to keep an open mind, give these a try. They are denser than traditional pancakes, but not the hockey pucks that I experimented with a few years ago.  The oatmeal gives them plenty of substance, while the buttermilk helps to lighten the texture.  The original recipe is here, and my version follows.  I prefer honey as a sweetener, so have subbed half of the sugar for honey.  I also reduced the butter, and added 1/2 tsp. of vanilla, because, why not- vanilla is great in pancakes!  The yogurt/fruit topping was my own idea, and I love it- it's just sweet enough without being overly sweet, and deliciously creamy.  Use whatever fruit you like- I used thawed frozen cherries on mine.

Oatmeal Pancakes With Honeyed Yogurt and Fruit

1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1.5 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp honey
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup reduced or non-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tbsp melted butter

1. Combine all dry ingredients into a medium bowl.

2. In a small bowl, combine egg, buttermilk and butter.

3. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined.

4. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Spoon batter onto heated skillet.  Cook pancakes about 2 minutes per side or until golden.  Remove to a plate.

Honeyed Yogurt

For each serving of pancakes, combine:

1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tsp honey

Stir together until well incorporated.

Serve pancakes topped with honeyed yogurt and fruit of choice.

Open-Faced Fried Egg and Tomato Sandwich

I love tomatoes- as long as they are ripe!  Now is the perfect time for using fresh tomatoes in cooking- they just don't get better than they are right now.  This is a delicious breakfast, lunch, or light dinner, and comes together very quickly and easily.  Sometimes I add a slice of bacon and sometimes I leave it off.  Spinach or other tender greens are also good on this.

Open-Faced Fried Egg and Tomato Sandwich
Serves: 1

1 slice sourdough bread, lightly toasted and buttered
1 egg
1 slice sharp cheddar cheese
1 small ripe tomato, sliced
1 slice crisp bacon (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat a small frying pan and spray with cooking spray.  When hot, crack egg into pan, salt and pepper to taste, and cook to desired doneness.  Add cheese to top of egg.

2.  Place egg on top of buttered toast.  Top with bacon (if using) and tomato slices.  Salt and pepper tomato slices to taste.

Spring Scramble

I know that technically spring started last month, but here in the Pacific Northwest, it doesn't *really* start until early to mid-April.  We still get a lot of weather waffling- one day will be in the 60s, and the next we have a high of 45 degrees.  I am happy to report that spring seems to finally be here, although still a bit tentatively.  The temperature varies, but everything is in bloom, promising that one of these days soon, we can finally put away our coats and boots!

My and my husband's wedding anniversary was this week- on Monday the 9th, to be exact.  It was 18 years for us- seems like such a long time, but at the same time, it seems like just last week!  We usually try to take a weekend away together for our annivesrary- it was a tradition we started on our very first anniversary, which we spent in Coos Bay, Oregon, back in 1995.  We vowed then to always take a trip, however short, to force ourselves to take time out to appreciate our marriage and each other.  It has worked out well, and we have enjoyed some very nice and memorable weekends together doing just that.  Last year was really special- we went to Manzanita, a small town on the north Oregon coast just south of Cannon Beach.  Manzanita is a very small, quaint town, and just perfect for celebrating a low-key occasion.

On our last day there, we had breakfast at a local bakery called Bread and Ocean, which was just up the road from the hotel where we stayed.  They had incredible baked goods, and also sandwiches and select breakfast specials.  I ordered their egg special of the day, an egg scramble with spring vegetables.  It was a simple dish with complex flavors, and I was blown away.  Eggs were scrambled with tender asparagus, peas, and fresh herbs, and served over a bed of baby arugula, with a touch of cheese.  The proportions were such that there were more veggies than eggs, which made the dish feel completely guilt-free!  The dish was fantastic no matter what- it was the perfect balance of soft egg, tender spring vegetables, and tangy cheese.  It stayed with me for weeks, and I vowed to make something similar at home.  Of course, life intervened, and I never got the chance before summer arrived.  Now, however, here we are in April again, and since our anniversary just passed, I began thinking again of those delicious green spring vegetables mixed with delicate eggs.  Time to finally, FINALLY re-create that experience at home.

I made this dish using what I already had at home, which meant substituting fresh spinach for the arugula.  I think either works in this dish, however, I do think the arugula holds up to the heat a bit better, as it is a hardier green.  The spinach did wilt on me a bit- and that is ok- but when I had this dish in Manzanita, I enjoyed the fact that the arugula stood up to the heat of the eggs when served with them hot out of the pan.  As with the original, I used asparagus and peas (frozen), and I decided to add some mushrooms since they were in the fridge.  I do not recall what kind of cheese was used by Bread and Ocean, but I used Gruyere, as I think that goes so nicely with asparagus.  For herbs, I added chopped chives from my garden, since that is all that is sprouting at the moment (apart from the rosemary, which has taken over my herb garden and needs to be trimmed, but I digress.)  The result is a very nice light, fresh, springy dish that is also healthy and delicious.

Spring Scramble

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil or butter
3-4 stalks asparagus, bottoms trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup peas (thawed if frozen)
1/3 cup grated cheese (gruyere, parmesan, etc)
1 cup fresh baby spinach or arugula
salt/pepper to taste
chopped herbs for garnish

1.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add asparagus.  Cook and stir 1-2 minutes.

2.  Add mushrooms.  Let stand in skillet 2 minutes, then stir and cook 1 minute more.  Reduce heat to low-medium.

3.  Add eggs and stir gently.  Do not allow eggs to brown- keep stirring so that they slowly congeal.

4.  When eggs are about halfway cooked, add peas, 1/2 of the cheese, and salt and pepper, and stir into eggs.  Cook about 1 minute more.

5.  When eggs are just done, remove pan from heat.  Add spinach or arugula to pan and toss with eggs to just barely warm.  Add salt/pepper as necessary.  Add remaining cheese on top.  Garnish with chopped herbs before serving.