This week was spent trying to adapt to a new schedule and carving out a routine. We acquired furniture, made daily trips to the grocery store, and I think I still have boxes and bags to unpack. We scouted for the best deals, negotiated closet space, tried to be organized, and spent a great deal of time stumbling into each other on dark weekday mornings as Elliott started the coffee pot and I got the tea water boiling.
What I’ve done twice now is take the 20-minute walk to the farmer’s market on Saturday morning. I’m making it a tradition. I’m so glad we’re close enough to do this, as I like nothing more than fresh produce, eggs and flowers from local growers. For me, it’s the perfect way to start the weekend. Last week I found a small thyme plant that now sits on the kitchen windowsill; yesterday I splurged on some impossibly fragrant lavender salt and rich, decadent olive oil, both of which topped last night’s roasted baby artichokes. But that’s another post.
My mom was nice enough to come up on Tuesday to take me kitchen shopping. Without the basic necessities like sharp knives and saucepans, our meals for the first few nights included garlic smashed with the back of a spoon, and whole vegetables roasted with fish in my beloved cast-iron pan. And with only one fork in our silverware drawer, we took turns between stabbing and scooping until our collection was complete.
There have been a few noteworthy meals this week that I can’t wait to share, but I think I’ll start with some high protein pancakes I threw together on Thursday afternoon (and again Saturday morning). Besides peeling myself off the couch to make this quick snack, I didn’t do much that day in between popping vitamin C pills and napping. I’m not the best at adapting to new situations, and I guess my immune system took a hard hit with the stress of it all. Despite this, my appetite was still intact and a few of these dense-but-light cakes were delicious mid-afternoon. Smeared with a little almond butter or coconut cream, they’re perfect.
Almond Flax Flapjacks :: Makes 6
3 eggs
1 tablespoon water + 1/3 cup or so
a few liberal shakes of ground cinnamon and ginger
1 tablespoon raw honey (or more to taste)
1 cup almond meal (you can use store-bought almond flour, but I used a coarse meal that I had ground myself)
1/2 cup finely-ground flaxseed meal
generous pinch of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
coconut oil for cooking
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon water, the spices and honey. Add almond meal, flaxseed, salt and baking soda and stir to combine. At this point, start adding water in modest splashes until your desired consistency is reached. The flax will absorb quite a bit of liquid, but you also don’t want to go overboard. My batter was thick enough so that they didn’t spread much in the pan, but thin enough so that they weren’t too dense.
On a large, flat griddle (cast-iron pan didn’t work well for me on Saturday; uneven browning), melt a tablespoon or two of coconut oil over medium heat. Drop batter by the 1/4 cup and cook until bubbles start to form and you can see browning around the edges. Flip and cook a few minutes more.
Serve with nut butter, coconut cream, or a drizzle of honey.