Recipes Discovered

Huevos Rancheros Recipe

I was in the mood for something unusual for breakfast this morning. I wasn’t sure what it was, but while flipping through a magazine, I saw a picture of Huevos Rancheros that looked really good. Huevos Rancheros is a classic Mexican breakfast. Traditionally, it’s a tortilla topped with a fried egg and a tomato-chili sauce. It can also be served with refried beans, cheese, olives, and chili peppers.

I started by sauteing an onion over medium heat until it was soft. Then I added garlic and a seeded jalapeño. It sautéed for a minute before I added diced tomatoes, chili powder, salt and pepper. I mixed everything together and turned the heat to low. The recipe also called for cilantro, but I didn’t add that.

I heated another skillet coated with cooking spray, and when it was hot, I added the eggs. I seasoned them with salt and pepper, covered them, and let them cook for about 2 minutes. They were over easy at that point, which was perfect for this dish.  >> Read more

Oatmeal Applesauce Pancake Recipe

I like pancakes, but sometimes they are too heavy for breakfast. Also, there is really nothing good for you in a pancake. When I saw this recipe that called for oatmeal and applesauce, I thought it would be a nice alternative.

The recipe calls for a cup of all-purpose flour, but I figured since I was trying to make these healthier, I would use a mixture of oat flour and whole wheat flour. Oat flour is easy to make – just process oatmeal in a food processor or blender until it’s a powder. I used about 3/4 cup oat flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour. I mixed the flour with oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, I mixed together unsweetened applesauce, sour cream (I used light instead of fat free), an egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Then a combined the wet and dry ingredients and mixed until just combined. The batter was thick, but the recipe said it should be. I poured 1/4 cup of the batter onto my preheated skillet (over medium or medium low heat) and cooked the pancakes about 3 minutes per side.

First, let me say that these are not fluffy buttermilk pancakes. They were moist, delicate and light though and had a very mild flavor. I would probably add more cinnamon next time and maybe a dash of salt, but overall, they were really good pancakes. I added a little maple syrup for sweetness and it was perfect compliment. This is definitely a great pancake recipe for diabetics because there is no added sugar. I guess that would make it great for kids too!

Mock Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

Seth and I usually go out to breakfast Sunday morning. And it seems that no matter where we go, Seth always ends up getting the Eggs Benedict. While he’s eating, he inevitable asks me why I never make Eggs Benedict and I always tell him the same thing – I cannot make Hollandaise Sauce. I’ve tried several recipes and several methods, including the blender one, and I just can’t get it to come out right. It always separates or curdles or something else goes wrong. I’ve tried the packets and they don’t taste very good. I recently found a recipe that doesn’t call for eggs and butter at all though. Instead, cream cheese and yogurt are blended together with Dijon mustard and lemon juice to create a “mock” Hollandaise sauce. We had a busy week so I figured it would be nice to surprise Seth with Eggs Benedict this morning.

The sauce is good. I don’t think you would fool anyone, especially since the sauce it white rather than yellow, but it has a good flavor and consistency. It went really well with the Eggs Benedict and because it has a little bit of a Dijon flavor, it would go great with any vegetable that calls for Hollandaise sauce, especially asparagus. It’s healthier than a traditional Hollandaise sauce but most of all, it’s just a lot simple to make!

Lemon Ricotta Pancake Recipe

Strawberry Syrup Recipe

Last weekend when we went out for breakfast, I had Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. I had never heard of such a combination before and was very hesitant (it doesn’t really even sound good), but someone told me I had to try them. I’m glad I did because I think they were the best pancakes I’ve ever had. They were light, fluffy, super moist, and they had this amazing lemony flavor. The restaurant served the pancakes with fresh strawberries and a thick strawberry syrup, which was a perfect compliment. After eating them, I knew I had to try to make them myself.

I started with the strawberry syrup. I wanted something really simple that wouldn’t overpower the lemony flavor of the pancakes. I found a recipe that is just strawberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup, which I thought would be perfect. The recipe said to puree the strawberries, but I just mashed them with a hand masher and then heated them in a small saucepan. When they were warm, I added the lemon juice and maple syrup and let it cool a bit while I made the pancakes. >> Read more

Sweet Potato Pancake Recipe

Inspired by my success with the sweet potato burrito, I decided to try the sweet potato pancakes again. Early this week they were a complete flop, but I’m sure I was to blame for that.

I tried to follow the recipe this time. I even weighed my sweet potato at the grocery store. I couldn’t get my blender to puree it though, so I used a hand masher. The batter was still really thick, so I added a splash of milk to thin it out. I cooked the pancakes over medium low heat to give them a chance to set up, and I waited until they were really brown. The results this time? Yum! It actually tasted like a pancake. It was light and fluffy and had little pieces of sweet potato all through it (I think the hand mashing probably turned out better than if I used puree). They had a really surprising flavor that paired perfectly with maple syrup. These were the results I was hoping for the first time, and I’m glad I tried the recipe again. It’s definitely a winner!