Monthly Archives: April 2012

Carrot Cake Pancakes

If carrots aren’t appropriate for Easter, I’m not sure what is.  I mean, what Easter bunny doesn’t want a carrot here or there?  I have recipes for carrot cake and carrot cake cupcakes in my arsenal but I did not trust myself with a cake or cupcakes sitting around whistling at me from the other room.  I was so happy when I found this recipe for Carrot Cake Pancakes in my files that I’d completely forgotten about.  What a perfect way to get that carrot cake flavor without all those calories?  Granted, these might taste better if they are smothered in rich, cream cheese frosting, but they tasted pretty good with just a little butter and syrup.  With walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, these are fun and festive pancakes that would make for a great Easter morning breakfast. 

The ingredients:

Combine flour, walnuts, baking powder and spices in a large bowl with a whisk. 

Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, oil, and eggs in another bowl.  Add brown sugar mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until moist.  Fold in 2 cups carrot.

 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Spoon batter into the pan and spread with a spatula.  Cook for 2 minutes or until edges look cooked.  Turn pancakes over and cook for another minute or until bottoms are lightly browned.

Additions:  None

Omissions: 

  • Honey

Substitutions:

  • Whole-wheat flour

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Avocado and Asparagus Egg Sandwiches

Because Easter is this weekend, eggs are in the stores cheap so I’m taking advantage of it.  I thought about making some wacky version of deviled eggs (because those seem to be “in” right now) but I’m too much of a fan of simple, plain deviled eggs to do that.  I like my deviled eggs with good ol’ mayonnaise, not with chicken or avocado or bacon.  And even though I plan on eating one or two deviled eggs this weekend, I’m still left with several eggs that I have do something with.  So this past weekend, I pulled out this recipe for Avocado and Asparagus Egg Sandwiches.  I love asparagus so I’m no stranger to putting them in my omlettes but I hadn’t yet tried eggs with avocado.  A mixture of mashed avocado and chopped asparagus are spread on toasted bread and then topped with bacon, a cooked egg, and blanched asparagus.  After just one bite, this sandwich didn’t stand a chance – it was gone in seconds.  Egg sandwiches are great for any meal, not just breakfast, and this version is perfect for a light dinner.  Delicious!

The ingredients:

Boil 2 cups of water in the microwave or on the stove and pour over asparagus in a shallow dish.  Let stand for 10 to 12 minutes and drain.

Mash avocado in a small bowl with lime juice.  Chop 3 asparagus spears and add to the avocado.

Cook eggs in a skillet with melted butter over medium heat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook the eggs for 6 minutes, until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken.  For a fried egg, turn the egg over and break the yolk to fully cook (as I did).

Spread the avocado-asparagus on toasted bread and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Layer bacon, egg, and asparagus over avocado mixture.  Top with another piece of toast or eat as an open-faced sandwich.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Turkey bacon

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

Mmm…coffee cake.  Whenever I hear the words “coffee cake”, see coffee cake, smell coffee cake, or anything with any sort of brown sugar-cinnamon crumbly topping, my mouth waters incredibly.  I’m one of those people that loves chocolate but sugary-cinnamony goodness is a very close second.  Coffee cake was a common dessert we had growing up because we always seemed to have the ingredients on hand and even now, sometimes I find myself wanting to make it.  Since I’m counting calories, I love these Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins  because they give me the coffee cake flavor I crave while being portion controlled.  The sour cream in these muffins help make them light and cakey and the topping is warm, nutty, and crunchy.  I left off the icing drizzle to save some calories but I’m sure it only makes these even more decadent.  These muffins would be perfect for Easter morning with a cup of coffee.  How appropriate! 

The ingredients:

Combine the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer.  When combined, add in the egg substitute and beat together.  Then add in the sour cream, water, and vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Make a well in center of mixture and add sour cream mixture.  Stir just until combined.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture into a small bowl and set aside.  Fold the remaining mixture into the batter 4 times.

 

Spoon batter into a muffin tin filled with cupcake liner sprayed with non-stick spray.  Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over the top of the batter.  Bake in a 400°F oven for 25 minutes.

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Powdered sugar
  • Orange

Substitutions:

  • Whole-wheat flour

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

1 … 3 4
Blog at WordPress.com.