Cinnamon Orange Pancakes

Cinnamon Orange Pancakes

(6 servings)    

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 large egg or egg substitute equivalent
• 2 Tablespoons Wheat germ
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon orange zest or finely grated peel
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 pinches of salt
• cooking spray

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the two flours with the wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg slightly. Add milk, orange juice and orange zest and mix well.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed and moistened.

Prepare a griddle or large skillet at medium-high heat with a coating of cooking spray.

Dollop batter onto hot surface in 1/4 cup amounts to make individual pancakes. Cook until bubbles begin to appear in the center of pancake. Flip and cook other side until golden brown.


These are great with a little "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" and orange marmalade. They're also very nice with traditional butter and maple syrup. Enjoy!

Banana Almond Crush

Banana Almond Crush

(3 servings)    

• 2 bananas
• 1 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup plain organic yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon raw honey
• 1/3 cup raw almonds
• 1 dash nutmeg

In a blender, first grind almonds to fine powder.

Add remaining ingredients and continue blending.


You'll be surprised how great the crushed almonds taste in a smoothie. At least, I sure was. Keeps me full longer too.

Antioxidant Smoothie

Antioxidant Smoothie

(2 servings)    

• 1 cup blueberries (preferably frozen)
• 1/2 cup cherries (preferably frozen)
• 1 cup acai berry juice
• 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt - plain or vanilla
• 2 or 3 ice cubes (if berries are not frozen; otherwise skip the ice)

Place all ingredients in the blender and pulse until smooth.

It's just that simple.


Acai berry juice is usually found in the specialty juice section of your grocery store. It's probably going to be expensive, but acai is considered a "super food" because it's so rich in antioxidants. Blueberries (especially wild blueberries) are one of the best antioxidant sources nature ever made. Enjoy!

Low-Fat Honey Crepes

Low-Fat Honey Crepes

(6 servings)

• 2 cups nonfat milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

This recipe makes 12 crepes.

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Rub an 8-inch nonstick skillet with oiled paper towel or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. 

Spoon 3 to 4 Tablespoons crepe batter into skillet, tilting and rotating skillet to cover evenly with batter. 

Cook until edges begin to brown. Turn crepe over and cook until lightly browned. Remove crepe to plate to cool. Repeat process with remaining batter. 

Crepes may be refrigerated 3 days or frozen up to 1 month in an airtight container.

Recipe and photo courtesy of the National Honey Board.


Honey is a great alternative to sugar. It's sweeter and so less is required to effectively sweeten recipes.

Mr Breakfast would like to thank SweetHoney for this recipe.

Cheesy Chicken Omelet

Cheesy Chicken Omelet

(2 servings)    

• 3 large eggs
• 2 slices bacon
• 2 Tablespoons leftover chicken - chopped
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons tomato - chopped
• 1 Tablespoon bell pepper - chopped
• 1 clove of garlic - minced
• 1 green onion - chopped
• 1 Tablespoon ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper - to taste

In a skillet over medium high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Crumble, set aside.

Melt butter in an omelette pan over medium heat and saute vegetables, about 2 minutes. Beat eggs; season with salt and pepper and pour into the pan, covering the vegetables. Place a lid over the pan.

In a small bowl, combine bacon, chicken, and ranch dressing. Stir well to coat.

Once the omelette has set and puffed slightly, carefully flip.

Spread the chicken and bacon mixture over the omelette, sprinkle cheese on top, followed by the chopped tomato. Turn off heat and cover with a lid, allowing the cheese to melt.

Lift the lid, fold omelette in half, cut into two wedges and serve.


Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Who cares! They taste great together in this big, flavor-packed omelet.

Bacon Cheddar Waffles

Bacon Cheddar Waffles

(4 servings)   

• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine - melted
• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 6 bacon strips - cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In a medium bowl, beat the egg.

Add the milk, sour cream and melted butter. Add the baking mix and mix well.

Fold in the cooked and crumbled bacon strips and the Cheddar cheese.

Spoon batter onto a prepared, hot waffle iron.

Close waffle iron and cook until golden brown, according to the waffle makers instructions. 

Serve drizzled with maple syrup or your favorite fruit-flavored syrup. 


A very hearty waffle that's pretty easy to make. Requires Bisquick or similar baking mix.

Mr Breakfast would like to thank MrsBuckeye for this recipe.

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

(6 servings) 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs - separated
• 1 and 1/4 cups milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 apple - finely sliced
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks well. Stir in milk.

Add sifted dry ingredients to egg yolks and mix until moistened (be careful not to over mix).

Add vegetable oil. Fold in egg whites.

Pour cinnamon in mixture. Stir.

Add apples. Blend lightly into mixture.

Bake in preheated waffle maker for at least 4 to 5 minutes, until crisp and brown.


You can also try adding different fruits and spices instead of apple and cinnamon. For toppings, maple syrup is great, as is apple sauce and a dollop of whipping cream.

Can I Get the Onion Rings, Instead of the Fries

Can I Get the Onion Rings, Instead of the Fries?

Onion rings have an odd place in American cuisine. Everyone seems to love them, and they're on the menu at just about every burger joint in the country, yet their popularity as a side dish to meat on buns doesn't even come close to the venerable French fry.

The reason is as obvious as it is annoying – they cost extra. Fries always come with the burger, but if you want those crispy, golden brown rings of pleasure, it's going to be $2.00 more.

Sure you crave the crunchy goodness, but the thought of paying extra to upgrade a side dish at Big Bad Billy's Burgers and Beers seems downright un-American.

So, as much as you may want them, and as much as you may fantasize about what a nice treat they'd be while standing in line, when you come belly to cash register, you just can't pull the trigger.

Well, I have good news – this onion rings recipe is so easy, and so amazingly crispy, you can now make up for all those years of deep-fried denial by making these at home.

If fact, these are so good, you may want to consider charging your friends and family a little bit extra for the

 upgrade. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons instant mashed potatoes
big pinch of cayenne
1 cup cold club soda
2-3 cups Panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs), or as needed
fine salt to taste
vegetable oil for frying
2-3 yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch rings
*Note: the amounts in the video were for a smaller batch. The amounts above will make a nice large batch, enough for about 8 servings.

Tortilla chips chaat

Nowdays, pravin badly need something to munch something when he back home from office. That too when he is little early, I need to do something little heavy & quick snacks. Yesterday, I had some leftover sweet tamarind chutney & tortilla chips. Finally, both the combination with some more ingredients turned out to be a delicious chaat for evening. Addition of mint chutney will add more flavour & taste to the chaat. Perfect snack for evenings.

Ingredients :

1. Tortilla chips - 1 cup (randomly broken)
2. Curd - 1/4 cup
3. Sweet tamarind chutney to taste
4. Green chutney to taste
5. Finely chopped onion - 1 small sized
6. Chopped tomato - 1 small sized
7. Boiled potato cubes - 1 small sized
8. Boiled chick peas - 1 tbsp (optional)
9. Chat masala to sprinkle
10. Dry mango powder to sprinkle
11. Sev to garnish
12. Corriander leaves to garnish

Method :

1. In a serving plate, arrange the broken tortilla pieces.

2. Sprinkle onion, tomato, potato & chick peas first.

3. Then sprinkle some lassi, tamarind chutney, chaat masala & dry mango powder.

4. Finally, garnish it with corriander leaves & sev before serving.

Happy eating :)

Fruit Pie with Strawberries

Once I started making the fruit pie, it has become my family favourite dessert. Any kind of seasonal fruits can be used for the filling. This cool, rich dessert uses fresh strawberries with vanilla filling taste great & perfect for parties too.

Ingredients :

For the sponge :

1. All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups
2. Baking powder - 2 1/2 tsp
3. Sugar - 100 gms
4. Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
5. Eggs - 4 medium sized
6. Cooking oil - 3 tbsp
7. Vinegar - 2 tbsp

For the Vanilla cream :

1. Vanilla flavoured custard powder - 80 gms
2. Milk - 250 ml
3. Sugar - 20 gms

For the filling :

1. Strawberries - 1 kg
2. A little sugar if necessary

For the glaze :

1. 1 Sachet red cake glaze
2. 2 tbsp sugar
3. 250 ml water

Method :

For the sponge :

1. Grease the pie tin & line with baking parchment. Preheat the oven about 180 C.

2. Sieve together the flour and baking powder. Add all the rest of the ingredients one after the other and whisk until you have a smooth, even mixture. Bake for about 15 mins.

For the vanilla cream :

3. Make a custard with the custard powder using milk & sugar, following the instructions on the packet. Leave to cool. And pour over the base.

For the toppings :

4. Wash the strawberries & cut them in halves. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar, leave to stand briefly and then arrange on the base.

For the glaze :

5. Make the glaze with glaze powder, sugar and water, following the instructions on the packet. Then spoon over the strawberries. Leave the glaze to set and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy baking :)

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is among the best known Indian foods all over the world. Its gravy can be made as hot or mild as you like so it suits most palates. Also commonly known as Murg Makhani, Butter Chicken tastes great with Kaali Daal (black lentils), Naans and a green salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg boneless chicken skin removed
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your taste)
• 6 cloves
• 8-10 peppercorns
• 1" stick of cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 8-10 almonds
• Seeds from 3-4 pods of cardamom
• 1 cup fresh yoghurt (must not be sour)
• 3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 tsps garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 can (400g or 14 oz) of tomato paste
• 1/2 litre chicken stock
• 2 tbsps kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 3 tbsps unmelted, soft butter
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation:

Mix the chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a large, non-metallic bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for 1 hour.
Heat a flat pan or griddle on medium heat and gently roast (stirring frequently) the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly. Cool and add the cardamom seeds. Now grind into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.
Mix the yoghurt, above whole spice powder (from previous step), coriander, cumin and turmeric powders together and add them to the chicken. Allow to marinate for another hour.
Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Fry till a pale goldenbrown in color and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute.
Add only the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry till sealed (chicken will turn opaque and the flesh will go from pink to whitish in color).
Now add the tomato paste, chicken stock, kasuri methi and remaining part of the yogurt-spice mix to the chicken.
Cook till the chicken is tender and the gravy is reduced to half its original volume.
Melt the butter in another small pan and then pour it over the chicken.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Naan and Kaali Daal.
For an authentic and traditional cooked-over-the-coals flavour: When the Butter Chicken is cooked, make a small bowl shape with aluminum foil and place it on top of the curry (*floating* on it). Heat a briquette of charcoal on an open flame till red hot and gently put the charcoal in to the aluminum foil bowl. Cover the dish immediately. Remove the cover just before serving, discard the foil bowl and charcoal and serve. The curry will be infused with a smokey flavor

Quiche aux brocolis

Quiche aux brocolis

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 40 min

INGREDIENTS

• 1 round unsweetened pie crust
• 2 cups small broccoli florets
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup shredded cheese (gruyere or swiss work well)
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups crème fraîche (or whipping cream)
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by preparing the crust for blind baking. Fit the crust to a 10 inch tart pan(insert link) and prick it through with the tines of a fork in about 20 places. Place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes and preheat the oven to 400°F. (Placing the crust in the freezer helps to keep it from slipping and bubbling when you bake it.)
2. Place the chilled crust directly in the hot oven and bake for 12 minutes until just golden. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375° F.
3. Steam the broccoli for about 3 minutes in the microwave. It should be just barely tender. Don't over steam or you'll lose the good flavor of this vegetable..
4. Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a small no stick skillet on medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally just until the onion is soft (about 5 to 8 minutes)..
5. Spread the broccoli and onions evenly on the bottom of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top of this.
6. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, crème fraiche, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper together just until blended. Pour this on top of the vegetables and cheese. Place the pan.in the oven and bake just until done - about 40 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Meringue Cookies

Tips for Meringue Success

• Make sure your mixing bowl is completely clean and free of any trace of fat. If in doubt, wash and dry it thoroughly. Egg whites will not stiffen if there is fat present.
• Use a metal mixing bowl (plastic can appear to be clean, but may still have traces of grease you can't see).
• Separate the eggs while they are still cold.
• Separate the egg in two smaller bowls, then add the egg white to the mixing bowl after you are sure you have an egg-yolk-free white. Cover the egg yolks and refrigerate to use for something else (properly stored egg yolks can be safely used several days after they have been separated).
• Allow the egg whites to come to room temperature before beating them. This takes about 30 minutes to an hour.
• Unless you are in training for the Olympic shot put or just like whisking, use a stand mixer or if you're not equipped with one, a hand mixer works great with this meringue cookies recipe.
• This recipe calls for superfine sugar. You can make your own by processing regular sugar in a food processor equipped with the blade. Superfine sugar dissolves more easily in the egg whites to make smooth meringue.

---

Meringue Cookies

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 90 minutes

• 4 large egg whites at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup superfine sugar

Preheat the oven to 200° F or 105° C.

Place the egg whites in a metal or glass mixing bowl. Using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer, begin beating the eggs. After several minutes they will start to thicken. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, gradually (over several minutes) pour in the sugar. Continue to beat the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes, so be patient.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place regular mounds of meringue about an inch apart on the paper. You can either use a spoon to form the cookies, or if you or your child feels especially creative, use a pastry bag to form more regular shapes.

Place in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to continue drying for several hours.

Your meringues should easily lift off of the parchment paper.

Makes about 2 dozen 2 inch meringues.

Focaccia Bread Arugula Pizza

We used an herbed focaccia bread recipe and created a simple, quick vegan pizza.

---

We made this simple pizza using herbed focaccia bread rather than standard pizza dough. We wanted it simple, tasty and "green" so we topped it with arugula and vegan cheese. Use your imagination and create something with any number of toppings!

Focaccia Bread Arugula Pizza

Ingredients

* Dough

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 (1/4 ounce) package quick-rise yeast
1 cup warm water, 125 to 130 degrees
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. canola oil

* Sauce

1 (28 oz. ) can of coarse ground tomatoes
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

* Topping

1 (16 oz.) pkg. of “Veggie Shreds” brand Vegan Mozzarella Style “cheese”
1 to 2 cups of baby arugula
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil for drizzle

How we make it

Preheat oven to 475.

Combine 1 cup whole-wheat flour and 1/2 cup
all-purpose flour, yeast and salt in mixing bowl.
Add water and oil. Beat until smooth.

Stir in remaining flour and Italian seasoning and mix
to form soft dough. Place onto floured surface and knead by hand until consistent and elastic, about 4 minutes.
Do not over knead. Cover and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, oregano and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Coat 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan with cooking spray.
Generously prick dough with a fork.

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cover
with sauce and vegan mozzarella. Bake 10 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown.

After removing from oven, spread arugula on top, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Makes 12 slices.

Per serving: 110 calories, 4.5g total fat (0.5g saturated
fat), 17g carbohydrate, 3g protein, 2g dietary fiber,
340mg sodium.

Broccoli, Artichoke and Mushroom White Naan Pizza
                                          

Here is a delicious idea for a "pizza" that is not your usual pizza! But it's a Naan issue!

---

Broccoli, Artichoke and Mushroom White Naan Pizza

Ingredients

2/3 cup of cleaned and cut broccoli florets
1/2 of an 8 oz. pkg. of sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
1 pkg. (8.8 oz.) Garlic Naan bread
1/2 cup Parmesan cream sauce*
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese*
1/2 cup marinated, quartered artichokes, sliced lengthwise

How we make it

This recipe works best with a baking stone.

Set stone in cold oven on center rack then turn the heat to 500 degrees and warm the stone for 30 minutes.

Blanch the broccoli in small pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine mushrooms and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once the oven reaches 500 degress, roast on bottom rack for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Spread each naan with half of the parmesan cream sauce, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, half the mushrooms, half the broccoli, and half the artichokes. Drizzle each pizza with the remaining olive oil.

Transfer each pizza carefully to the baking stone and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges and bottom start to brown and cheese melts.

Carefully remove the Naan pizza from the oven, place on a cutting surface and slice in halves or thirds and serve.

1/2 naan pizza per serving contains: 360 calories, 1/2 cup vegetables, 33g carb, 2g fiber, 12g protein, 23g fat, 9g saturated fat, 40mg cholesterol and 850mg sodium.



* Veganize it! - In place of prepared parmesan cream sauce use this basic white sauce recipe with the vegan Parmesan added.

Basic white sauce with added “parmesan”

Ingredients

2 tablespoon Earth Balance vegan "margarine"
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup soy, almond or rice milk
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons “Parma” brand vegan Parmesan

Directions

In a small saucepan melt margarine over low heat, then add flour very slowly, stirring all the time. Turn up the heat and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for a few minutes until smooth.

Remove pan from heat and whisk in the milk gradually. Put back on the heat and bring to a boil, again stirring constantly.

Stir in 2 tablespoons of “Parma” vegan parmesan cheese or an equivalent amount of nutrtional yeast flakes. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Mozarella cheese - Use “Daiya” brand shredded vegan mozzarella or your favprite brand.

Baking for the holidays: Lemon Pie

Thinking of yummy desserts for Christmas day? I usually bake Apple Pie served with vanilla ice cream but I will make this Lemon Pie that Chef Christine ‘Kittin’ Zenarosa from the Cookbook Kitchen shared in a cooking demo at Maya Kitchen.

Graham Pie Crust: (Do ahead )

6 tablespoons salted butter
1 ½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
¼ cup sugar
Lemon curd:
3 lemons (finely grated rind & lemon juice)
4 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 butter, chopped

Procedure:

1. Make Pie Crust: Mix all ingredients together and press firmly with hand or spoon onto an 8 or 9-inch round pie pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Make lemon curd: Finely grate rind of 1 lemon. Juice all lemons. Whisk eggs and sugar together in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Add lemon rind and 2/3 cup lemon juice, whisking constantly until well combined. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow base to touch water). Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 30 to 35 minutes or until thick and custard-like. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat and whisk in butter.

3. Pour lemon curd into chilled pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Dust with icing sugar and serve.