Brian & I love breakfast! For dinner, for lunch, for breakfast, for brunch! Be it eggs, french toast, pancakes, veggie sausage… So this morning it is pancakes. Not just any old pancakes, and definitely not from a box! This right now is our favorite recipe!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

(I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1 cup milk, plus more if necessary (it is! I added at least another 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon artificial sweetner (I use the real deal!)

1/2 cup blueberries (I used at least a cup)

I also added about a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Directions

1. Sift together flour and baking powder; set aside. Beat together the egg, milk, salt and sugar in a bowl. Stir in flour until just moistened, add blueberries (and vanilla), and stir to incorporate.

2. Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbly (about 1 1/2 minutes). Turn & continue cooking until golden brown.

The Eggs

I’m not a fan of “plain” eggs, so I’m always adding things to them; tomatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, zuchinni, asparagus, sprouts, etc…

The easiest way is to saute the veggies (lightly so that the veggies still have a slight “crunch” to them), then push them around the perimeter of the pan so the center of the pan is empty. Add the egg/milk mixture and let it become “firm.” Once firm, lightly blend in the veggies with the egg and add shredded cheese if desired!

When I was a kid, I wasn’t much of a fan of lasagna. But, I remember it being loaded with ground beef and cottage cheese. Now, I’ve never been a fan of ground beef, and for as much as I like cottage cheese (small curd, of course!), it just didn’t seem appealing to me at all! So, with some adaption (again, as usual!), here’s a vegetarian lasagna made via the crockpot!

Ingredients:
(Just a note, you will need to adjust your measurements according to the size of your crockpot. Also, when cooking, I don’t normally use a lot of measurements, so it’s really just a matter of how much of something you want to use!)

-whole wheat lasagna noodles

-ground veggie burger

-onion, chopped

-egglant, sliced

-zuchinni squash, sliced

-fresh spinach

-ricotta cheese

-spaghetti sauce

-mozzerella cheese

-Italian seasoning

Directions:

Start your bottom layer with the noodles (no need to boil or buy the no-boil kind), then start your layers and turn your crockpot on to low. It doesn’t take but a couple hours. You may need to add a little bit of water.

(I started it at 9:30am and it was done by 2pm)

It’s really soo easy and I’m just eating it now! Quite delish!

Years ago I used to nanny for this awesome family. Every so often, Kathy (the mother) would make a ton of this on the weekend, especially in the winter time when it was cold (remember, it was Minnesota!). Well, a couple days ago we had a cold snap here in Florida so this sounded so good. I’ve adapted this recipe and I do change it up every so often, omit some of the beans…. it really just depends on how many people I’m cooking for. The recipe below is for a very large batch of it, but you can always freeze the chili then add the cornbread topping when you’re ready to bake. Oh – don’t forget the Beano!!

(I’m sorry – the pictures really don’t do it any justice!!)

INGREDIENTS

¨  1 medium chopped onion

¨  2 large cans tomato juice

¨  2 cans crushed tomatoes

¨  1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)

¨  1 can kidney beans

¨  1 can navy beans

¨  1 can chili beans

¨  1 can black beans

¨  1 can red beans

¨  1 cup corn

¨  ¼ cup black olives

¨  2 tablespoons chili powder

¨  ½ teaspoon oregano

¨  ½ teaspoon cumin

¨  2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (I actually have better luck if i use blocks of cheese & cut it to lay flat on top of the chili)

¨  2 cups shredded hot pepper jack cheese  (I actually have better luck if i use blocks of cheese & cut it to lay flat on top of the chili)

¨  4 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix (prepare as directed but do not bake!) 

DIRECTIONS

1.       Brown onion in large stock pot (use olive oil).

2.       Add tomato juice & tomatoes. Bring to boil. Add all the beans (drained & rinsed), corn, black olives & spices. Simmer gently for ½ hour.

3.       Pour chili in (2) 9×13 baking dishes (or into individual ramekins). Spread 1 layer of cheese over chili, and then spread a thin layer of prepared muffin mix on top of cheese. Put another layer of cheese on top of muffin mix, then top with remaining muffin mix.

4.       Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes (toothpick should come out of corn muffin top clean).

To find a good soup – and not just any old soup, I turned to my trusted cooking friends on the Nest.com (What’s For Dinner board) and of course, they did me good! Thanks to Krashed24  & MrsWindyCity (Elly’s) soup is awesome!

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, diced
1.5 cups carrots, sliced
1.5 cups celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I actually used 7 large ones!!!)
12 cups homemade or good quality chicken broth or stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 (heaping) tsp. ground marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (I baked it)
5 oz. (about 1.5 cups) uncooked egg noodles
fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 3 minutes before adding the celery and carrots. Continue cooking a few more minutes before adding the garlic. Stir until fragrant.

Add the chicken, broth, bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, parsley and ground pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce. Simmer lightly for 30 minutes.

Add the noodles* and simmer until cooked, about 8 minutes.

Macaroni and 4 cheeses

(original recipe from cookinglight.com)

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked medium elbow macaroni
1 (1-ounce) slice white bread (I used bread crumbs I already had on hand)
2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk (I used 2%)
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Emmenthaler or Swiss cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons minced fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
2 teaspoons butter or stick margarine, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.Cook pasta in boiling water 5 minutes or until almost tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl.Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.Bring milk and bay leaves to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a small bowl; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until well-blended. Return milk mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, salt, and pepper; stirring until cheeses melt. Pour cheese sauce over pasta; stir well. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine breadcrumbs, sage, and butter in a bowl; toss with a fork. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta mixture.Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Lentil & Ham Soup

1 cup red lentils (I think I used the green ones, but it’s really no big deal)
6 1/4 cups stock (or water)
2 onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 lean ham knuckle (I had some leftover Honeybaked Ham in the freezer that I just cut up)
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
9 oz potatoes, chopped
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp ground all-spice (I used nutmeg & cardimum)
salt & pepper to taste
scallions or fresh parsley, chopped to garnish

1) Put the lentils and stock (or water) in a pan and set aside to soak for 1-2 hours.

2) Add the onions, garlic, carrots, ham, tomatoes, and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

3) Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour until the lentils are tender, sitrring occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

4) Add the potatoes and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes and the meat on the ham knuckle are tender.

5) Remove and discard the bay leaves. Remove the knuckle (if used) and chop the meat. Press half of the soup through a strainer or blender until smooth. Return to the pan with the rest of the soup and add the meat.

6) Adjust the seasoning, add the vinegar and allspice. Simmer gently for a further 5-10 minutes. Serve sprinkled liberally with scallions or chopped parsley.

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups cubed peeled sweet potato, (about 8 ounces)
1 2/3 cups cubed peeled parsnip (about 8 ounces)
1 2/3 cups cubed peeled carrot (about 8 ounces)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (4 ounces) chopped pancetta (I completely ommited this!)
1 cup chopped shallots (about 6 large)
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 medium)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 cups dried lentils
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided (I use the vegetarian/organic stuff in the jar & mix with water)
8 cups Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped (about 9 ounces)  (I used spinach instead since the store didn’t have any Swiss chard)

 Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, 2 tablespoons vinegar, oil, and salt in a large bowl; toss well. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on a large foil-lined jelly-roll pan; bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Cook pancetta in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add shallots and onion to drippings in pan; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, thyme, garlic, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add pancetta, lentils, and 4 cups broth to pan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups broth and roasted vegetables to pan, and simmer 15 minutes, uncovered. Add chard, and cook 2 minutes or until wilted.  

Yield 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

TOPPING
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
3 Tbs. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. honey
2 Tbs. canola oil (I used olive)
2 Tbs. whole-wheat flour

FILLING
2 pounds peaches (or fresh pears)
1 cup blueberries (or fresh cranberries)
1 Tbs. lemon juice (I didn’t have….)
1 Tbs. crystallized ginger, finely chopped (I didn’t have any…)
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 tsp. whole-wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients; mix with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For the filling, combine the peaches, blueberries and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the ginger, sugar, and flour and toss to combine. Transfer the pear mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with crumb mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the topping is a golden brown. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Black Beans & Yellow [but Brown] Rice

Prepare brown rice according to normal directions, however, add 1 packet of  Sazon seasoning (or whatever you like to make yellow rice). An option is to add a bit more water to it along with some green peas (if you do, you’ll want to add a bit of EVOO).

Chop 1/2 a small onion & saute in medium sized pan with EVOO (you know…extra virgin olive oil). When onions are becoming transluscent, add 2 large cloves (chopped) garlic and a large chopped tomato; saute slightly. Add 1 can of black beans (typically, you don’t need to drain & rinse cans of black beans) and one can of water. Bring to boil then lower heat to simmer. While simmering, add (to your discretion) rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, Tobasco, and cooking sherry. Simmer for 5 minutes. Then serve on top of or next to rice!