Almond Milk Buckwheat Pancakes

I woke up two Saturdays ago and didn't have a race, a rehearsal, a brunch, or a workout to go to. I knew exactly what to do with my rare free time: I was going to make pancakes.

But then I realized that I didn't have any milk in my fridge and only had almond milk. "Hmmm..." thought I. "Let's see what pancakes are like with almond milk."

Well, they were delicious! My almond milk was the sweetened variety and I added powdered sugar, bananas, and blueberries. It was the perfect amount of sweetness. No syrup needed! The pancakes themselves were a little less fluffy than normal ones without being too thin/stiff. They reminded me of a chubby crepe.

I highly recommend trying this recipe if you, too, have some almond milk in your fridge.

Almond Milk Buckwheat Pancakes (my own recipe)
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C buckwheat flour
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Add all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. Heat a pan on medium heat and coat with a little bit of butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto pan. Once a couple of bubble appear on top of the batter, flip to the other side. Once both sides are browned, remove from heat and enjoy.

Bake well and prosper!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Cacao Nibs

Did you know that when you buy cacao nibs they are never ending? At least that's how it feels to me. It's like the chocolate that keeps on giving. 

 

In my kitchen I had an abundant smount of cacao nibs and a couple of ripe bananas. What to make was a no-brainer. 

 

Then I wondered what else I had that I could use to make this banana bread different. Whole wheat and buckwheat flour became the answer.

 

This yummy banana bread was the love child of all those ingredients mixed together (plus some others.) The wheat factor compliments the cacao nibs and creates a subtle smokey flavor.

 

I shared with my next door neighbors. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did. Maybe next time I'll also add some bourbon to the batter...

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Cacao Nibs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2  teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed (about 3 medium bananas)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup cacao nibs + more for the garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the mashed banana until just combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and cacao nibs. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread to distribute it evenly. Sprinkle on some cacao nibs on top of the batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Bake well and prosper!

Buckwheat Crêpes

As promised, the buckwheat crepe recipe from the post yesterday.

These crepes are so easy and I found them to be very dreamy. (If one can call food dreamy.)

Buckwheat Crêpes (from David Lebovitz)
18-20 crêpes
It’s best to let the batter chill overnight, but let it come to room temperature prior to frying them up. And keep stirring the batter as you go while frying since the flour tends to sink to the bottom.
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons (80 gr) butter, salted or unsalted, melted
1/2 cup (70 gr) buckwheat flour
3/4 cup (105 gr) all-purpose flour (In France, I use type 65)
3 large eggs

In a blender, or with a whisk, mix together all the ingredients until smooth. Cover and chill overnight.
To fry the crêpes, remove the batter from the refrigerator about an hour before frying. Stir it briskly; it should be the consistency of heavy cream. (If not, you can add a tablespoon of milk.)
Heat a 8- to 9-inch skillet on the stove top. You can use a real crêpe pan that’s been seasoned, but I use a Tefal non-stick skillet which works great.
Drop a tiny piece of butter or neutral oil in the hot pan and wipe it around with a paper towel. (Only needed for the first crêpe, but feel free to re-butter after a couple of crêpes.)
Lift the pan and pour 1/4 cup of the batter in the middle of the hot skillet, swirling the pan to distribute the batter quickly and evenly. The pan shouldn’t be too hot or too cold: the batter should start cooking within a few seconds, giving you just enough time to swirl it. It may take a couple of crêpes for you to get your rhythm.
After about a minute, run a non-stick spatula around the underside of the rim of the crêpe, then flip the crepe over. (You can use your fingers after a little has been lifted, but beware, it will be hot!) So use the spatula the whole time if you wish.
Let the crêpe cook on the flip side for about 30 seconds, then slide it out onto a dinner plate. Repeat, cooking the crepes with the remaining batter, stirring the batter every so often as you go.
Crêpes should be served warm. To rewarm the crêpes for serving, fold the crepes and put them in a baking dish covered with foil. Heat them in a moderate oven until warmed through.

Serving
Feel free to be creative and use any fruits or sauces you wish. A smear of Nutella, your favorite jam or simply a drizzle of honey and a tab of butter is terrific folded inside. For savory crêpes, fold some grated cheese and maybe a piece of ham in the crêpe and warm in a non-stick or lightly-buttered skillet for a minute or so, flipping the crêpe midway though, until the cheese is melted.

Storage
Since this recipes makes 18-20 crêpes, it may be more than you need all at once. But if you’re going to stand over a hot stove, you may as well make extra and freeze them. Once cool, wrap securely in plastic film, then foil. They’ll keep in the freezer for a couple of months. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to three days, well-wrapped.

Erika's Extras: I made a third of this recipe and stuck the batter in the freezer for 15 minutes. They turned out fine. (Just in case you don't need so many crêpes and if you're rushed on time.)

Bake well and prosper!

Salted Peanut and Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Buckwheat Flour)

'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la. Wow. That's a lot of la-ing. How about some ooo-la-la-ing at Bergdorf Goodman's windows?

 Tons of sparkle from lady's Bergdorf.

 I feel like some one's getting ready for the Baz Luhrman Great Gatsby.

Such fantastic imagination must go into each window!

A little optical illusion for passer-bys. Which way is up?

And from the men's store? Monkeys!

 Playing violins (like basses)!

Jamming on the piano.

And soaring through Manhattan...I mean the air!

If those monkeys have elephant friends, they could share and enjoy these cookies made with peanuts. I think the elephant would REALLY like this one.

If anything, I hope my fellow runners like them. I'm bringing them to our Christmas Lights Run after party along with buttered rosemary and orange nuts.

'Tis the season for lots of parties, fa la la la la la la la la!
'Tis the season for lots of baking, fa la la la la la oo la la!

Salted Peanut and Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Buckwheat Flour) (adapted from Almond Corner)
makes about 30  
1 C buckwheat flour
1 C flour1 and a half sticks of butter
1/2 C sugar2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 egg2/3 C salted peanuts
1 C dark or milk chocolate chip

Preheat the oven to 355°F. Cream soft butter with sugar until fluffy, add vanilla extract and finally beat in the egg. Coarsely chop peanuts. Sift flour on top of the butter mixture, add chocolate chip and peanuts and knead everything together. Take the dough and form an about 3-4 cm diameter roll. Cut roll in about 0.5 cm slices and put them onto the baking paper covered sheet. Flatten them with the help of your fingers and bake about 10 minutes. (Erika's Extras: Since I used chocolate chunks I found the dough log more difficult to cut.)

Bake well and prosper!