All in health

Quinoa Pancakes with Cranberry-Apple Compote

Sarah
cooking with yogurt, health

Encased in my new rain coat, the hems of my jeans heavy with water, I found myself trudging through the downpour last Wednesday in search of tea and chocolate. It was on this trek that ideas for a decadent weekend breakfast started flying around in my head. I often dream of hearty and warming comfort foods when trapped in less-than-comfortable situations. Wednesday was no exception. I originally wanted to make gingerbread pancakes, because I've been craving its spicy and seasonal essence ever since we hit December. Gingerbread never fails to completely envelop me in holiday spirit. But as I began to measure ingredients and search the premises for compote-appropriate fruit, I found myself making something else entirely. The batter for these cakes still contains a fair amount of ground ginger and is sweetened only with molasses, but what really shines is the addition of toasted almond meal and the way it dances on the palate with the subtly-spiced compote. Before I grind my almonds into meal, I let them roast for a bit to become fragrant and delicate. This makes a world of difference. I also added some quinoa I'd prepared for breakfast the day before, which contributed a chewiness and unique, dense texture. It made the cakes especially filling and even more protein-packed, a perfect way to start the day.

On a different note, after Wednesday's rainstorm we had the most beautiful sunset over the hills. The colors, like macerated strawberries fading into cotton candy, seemed to bleed out of the skyline and saturate what was left of the light. A sight like this never fails to make me feel completely alive and in awe of the earth. Gazing at it, I feel renewed.

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Quinoa Pancakes with Cranberry-Apple Compote // Makes 10 small cakes

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole-grain spelt flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/3 cup prepared quinoa

3 tablespoons molasses

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup plain yogurt

3 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter (or substitute light olive oil)

seeds from 1-inch section of vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup water

Compote

1 apple, chopped (I leave the skin on)

1/2 cup frozen cranberries (not thawed)

apple juice

1 cinnamon stick

pinch of ground cloves

1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Directions

-In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking soda & powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.

-In a medium bowl, whisk together the quinoa, molasses, egg, yogurt, melted oil or butter, and vanilla bean. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring just until incorporated. Add the 1/4 cup water slowly, if needed, to thin the batter. Set aside and let rest while you make the compote.

-In a medium saucepan, combine fruit, spices and honey, then add enough apple juice to just barely cover. Simmer over medium or medium-low heat, stirring occassionally, until cranberries have burst and apples are very soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and remove cinnamon stick. With a potato masher or pastry cutter, slightly mash everything together. Stir, cover, and set aside until ready to serve.

-To cook the quinoa pancakes, preheat a nonstick skillet or cast-iron griddle over medium-low heat. Grease with coconut oil or butter if desired. Scoop batter by 1/4-cupfull onto the pan and cook until bubbles begin to form, about 4-5 minutes. The batter is delicate and the pancakes will be very soft, so you want to cook them low, long and thoroughly or else they will be hard to flip. Once cooked on one side, flip and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Continue until all batter is used.

-Serve pancakes with plenty of compote. I didn't need any maple syrup!

Baked Buckwheat Oatmeal with Cranberries, Dried Figs & Pistachios

Sarah
health

I miss my fresh figs. Each day for about four weeks in October, I fervently pluck them from our tree with fear that there won't be any left tomorrow. We were fortunate this year that no greedy squirrels got to them. Either they took no notice of the sweet bounty hiding in our backyard, or the little fox living under the patio scared them away. At least, we like to pretend it's a fox; it could easily just be a gopher or two, coming out of hiding in the dark to nibble at fallen fruit. While Winter means fresh figs are unattainable, it also means that if you can find some good quality, unsulphured dried ones, your life will taste almost as good. I was able to get my hands on some of the Calimyrna variety, ones which seem to dry more plump and with a sweet, sugary residue on the outside. They were an addition to my breakfast this past weekend: A dreamy baked oatmeal, reminiscent of my favorite fruit cobbler. The smell, upon emerging from the oven, is intoxicating and inexplicably buttery. As I was bringing some to my mom later that morning it sat, patiently, on the passenger seat next to me and filled the car with a life-altering and heavenly aroma. Half of it was already gone. When serving for yourself, top with a dollop of creamy yogurt and a drizzle of raw honey, as I did. Scoop all the succulent juices from the bottom of the pan. Go back for seconds. Go back for thirds and call it lunch. I would also advise making it dinner, however I doubt any will remain. If you don't like buckwheat, or haven't any on hand, simply use a full cup of oats instead. The result will be a tad more crisp, but no less delicious.

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Baked Buckwheat Oatmeal with Cranberries, Dried Figs & Pistachios // Serves 4 comfortably

-Adapted from Seven Spoons- Ingredients coconut oil for greasing the baking dish 3/4 cup thick rolled oats (not instant) 1/4 cup roasted buckwheat “kasha” 1/2 cup shelled pistachios, chopped 4 dried Calimyrna figs, diced 2 tablespoons flax seeds 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup coconut milk (full fat) plus enough water to make 1 1/3 cups liquid 3 tablespoons raw honey 1 large egg white 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted seeds scraped from a 1-inch section of vanilla bean 3/4 cup frozen cranberries (not thawed) for serving: plain yogurt and more raw honey or maple syrup Directions: Preheat oven to 375’. Lightly grease the inside of an 8" round baking dish with coconut oil and set aside (alternatively, you can use a square 8x8 glass pan). Line the bottom of a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, buckwheat, pistachios, dried figs, flax seeds, baking powder, spices and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the coconut milk/water, egg white, melted coconut oil, vanilla bean seeds and honey. Set aside. In the prepared baking dish, scatter the cranberries evenly in the bottom. Pile the oat mixture to evenly cover the berries. Carefully pour the wet milk mixture over the oats; it will not completely cover the oats with liquid; this is okay. If you use a pie plate, it will be very full. Place on rimmed baking sheet lined with foil (to catch any spillage) and bake for 45 minutes, until the oatmeal is puffed and set, with a golden brown top. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy. Makes about 4-5 hearty servings. *Variations: Instead of cranberries, dried figs and pistachios, try: Grated apples with raisins and walnuts or diced persimmon with currants and buttery pecans.

From My Thanksgiving Table: Pear & Apricot Tart

Sarah
dessert, health

As was expected, I ate myself straight into a coma on Thursday afternoon. Every Thanksgiving, some sort of deranged mindset takes over such that I must help myself to a little of everything and not dare disgrace the table by leaving one speck of it on my plate. Attempting (and failing) to convince the rest of my family and our guests that I needed a break between dinner and dessert, I resorted to doing jumping-jacks while the table was being cleared in order to make room in my belly for the grand finale. You may already know my opinion on the matter, but I plan to say it anyway: dessert is by far the best part of any meal. To me it has many, many meanings and can arrive in plenty of forms. The definition of dessert is unique to every human being who eats, but I choose to define it as an after-dinner bite from which immense pleasure is taken. I usually find it in a few squares of good quality, extra-dark, almost bitter chocolate. Sometimes I make a single ramekin of apple crisp or once, on a whim, a pumpkin gingerbread souffle. My general rule of thumb is to use only natural sweeteners and whole-grain flours, if flour is required. This way, dessert serves as both the challenge and the reward. This Pear & Apricot Tart does exactly that. In the base, I used a combination of whole-wheat and spelt flours and raw honey to sweeten. With trace minerals and allergy-fighting properties (if you buy locally), raw honey is great to use in place of sugar and the generic processed "honey." It's also very easy to find. The honey contributed nicely to the wonderful earthy flavor of the tart and gave it a perfect amount of sweetness. Of course, feel free to add more or less to suit your desires. This tart is wholesome enough to be called relatively healthy, with enough butter to be called indulgent. The perfect balance, if you ask me.

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Pear & Apricot Tart // serves 8

-Adapted from Real Simple Magazine- Ingredients 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup raw almonds 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon raw honey 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 + 1/3 cup whole-grain spelt flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder liberal pinch of salt 2 firm pears, peeled, quartered and cored 1/2 cup dried apricots, halved 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup apricot preserves Instructions -Heat oven to 350'. Grease a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan or 9-inch glass pie plate with coconut oil or butter. -In a food processor, process almonds until finely ground. Add butter, egg, almond extract and 1/2 cup honey and process until smooth. Add the flours, baking powder and salt and pulse a few times to combine. The dough will be sticky. -Spread the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan or pie plate. -In a small bowl, toss the pears and apricots with lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of honey. Arrange the pears in the dough, pressing in slightly. Scatter the apricots over the dough and press in gently. -Bake until pears are tender and the center is firm, 55 minutes or so. Cover the edges with foil if they start to brown too quickly, as mine did. -In a small bowl, combine the preserves with 1 tablespoon water. Brush over the warm tart and let cool before serving.

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