Orange Spice Dutch Baby Sourdough Pancake

With a box full of oranges, lemons and mandarins, I’m trying to come up with creative ways to use them up (besides just eating them).  Jenny from the Nourished Kitchen clued me in to this tasty variation of pancakes.  My version is flavored with oranges and spices and used a gluten free sourdough starter.  My family LOVES pancakes but I don’t like making them. At all.  They eat them faster than I can make them and by the time the batter is all used up, I didn’t get any.

I also love how these use 6 eggs. I’m always on the look out for ways to use more eggs.  Our hens are producing at least a dozen a day!  And now that I have a sourdough starter going, I need was to use up the discarded batter. I hate throwing away good food!  The best part about using sourdough is that you can skip the soaking period since the sourdough is already soaked.  And it doesn’t have to be in active stage.  You can use refrigerated sourdough starter.

Orange Spice Dutch Baby Sourdough Pancake

• 2 tbsp butter (for the skillet)
• 6 eggs from pasture raised hens
• 1 cup sourdough starter (I use gluten free in a brown rice base)
• 3 tbsp honey (or 1/4 cup rapadura sugar)
• Juice and zest from 1 orange (use organic especially since we are using the skins)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange extract (optional, just adds another boost of taste)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of clove
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425F.  Heat cast iron skillet with butter over medium heat.  Beat eggs, add sourdough starter, sweetener, orange zest and juice and remaining ingredients (except butter).  Batter should be quite liquid.  Add a little milk if it is too thick.

Pour batter into skillet.  Cook until the edges begin to pull away from the side, only 5 mins.  Place in the oven and cook until eggs are set, about 30-40 mins.  

Part of Traditional Tuesday , Fat Tuesday, Whole Food Wednesday

Bacon and Egg Cups

I love easy meals and they’re even better when they are healthy too.  This is one of my favorite quickly thrown together meal that everyone loves.  Our hens are finally earning their keep and putting out more eggs than my family can consume so I’m always looking for creative ways to use up my eggs and save on my grocery bill.  It’s a good thing we know that eggs are actually good for you and we don’t need to be scared to eat them.  Eggs from chickens raised on pastured are high in choline, vitamin A and D, omega 3’s, B vitamins and much more.  Pastured eggs have less cholesterol than their counterparts but please don’t be afraid of cholesterol.  Read more about the fallacy of the Lipid Hypothesis here:  Myths and Truths About Cholesterol.

Bacon and Egg Cups serves 6 (2 eggs cups per person)

• 12 pieces of bacon (nitrate free from pigs on pasture)
• 12 eggs from hens on pasture
• optional toppings: spinach, feta cheese or any other cheese.

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a muffin tin using bacon fat, butter or ghee.  Line each cup with a slice of bacon and crack one egg in to each cup.  If desired, add shredded cheese, spinach or fresh herbs. My favorite is spinach and feta cheese (bottom right corner).  Bake for about 15 mins or until eggs are set.  

Part of Fresh Bites Friday

New Year’s Egg Bake

It’s been a tradition for our family to have egg bakes on holidays.  Not on purpose, we just like egg bakes.  They are an easy and inexpensive way to feed a lot of people for breakfast (or dinner).  I love having a well-rounded meal with everything in one dish.  Most of the time egg bake recipes are born out of the question “Hmm, what do we have in the fridge this morning?”
Well, this morning I was inspired by sour cream, bacon, potatoes and a variety of sweet peppers.

Bacon, Pepper and Hash Brown Egg Bake

• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, shredded
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup sweet peppers (choose a variety of colors, sweet or hot)
• 8 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup feta cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown bacon pieces.  Drain, set aside bacon and reserve about 3 tbsp bacon fat.

Mix potatoes, onions and peppers.  Spread evenly in the still hot skillet and brown potato mixture like you would hash browns.  Flip to get both sides browned.

Beat eggs, sour cream, salt and pepper together.  Pour over hash browns.  Sprinkle bacon and feta on top.  Cook eggs for about 5-10 minutes or until egg begins to set.

Move skillet to the oven under the broiler and bake to set the top, about 3-5 minutes.

Let cool slightly before slicing.

Eggs for Breakfast

When I say we usually have eggs for breakfast I don’t mean just plain eggs.  We make all sorts of good eggs!  Eggs are the best way to save money while eating real.  Here we can get a dozen eggs from pastured hens for $2.50 a dozen and with a family of 6, we can burn through 4 dozen easily in a week.  Not just for breakfast but in smoothies for added nutrition and we love quiche and egg bakes.

I’m all about quick and easy.  I hear people say they don’t have time for eggs in the morning but it only takes a few more minutes than pouring a bowl of cereal and it’s so much better and more satisfying than cardboard cereal.  Protein is what kids need to pay attention.  I’d love to see a study comparing how well kids concentrate after having a carbohydrate loaded breakfast verses a high protein breakfast (know of one?).

I’ll give you two of my favorite recipes.  Feel free to experiment with different cheeses and spices.  Eggs can be fun!

Cheesy Scramble Eggs

• Butter to coat pan
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, swiss, experiment with different kinds)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper or Italian herbs or Mexican spices (optional)

Melt butter in cast iron skillet.  Beat 4 eggs and add to a medium hot cast iron skillet.  Stir in cheese and pepper.  Gently stir and flip to keep from burning but don’t stir too much.  You want them nice and fluffy.  The cheese makes these eggs the fluffiest!

Eggs over easy (medium or hard, you’re choice), with Spinach and Feta

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 eggs from pastured hens
• about 8 oz spinach
• Feta, crumbled (or shredded cheese of your choice)
• Hot chili sauce, optional

Melt butter in cast iron skillet.  Wilt the spinach and set aside (cover to keep warm).  Cook eggs as desired.  Just remember, a gooey yoke is better for you.  Top spinach with eggs, sprinkle feta and chili sauce.  Yum!

Apple Cinnamon Grain Free Granola

Amazing!  This is my favorite cereal yet.  Even the kids like it!  They haven’t been too thrilled with all the nuts I put in the grain free granola but they are warming up to it.  I love how filling this cereal is.  My husband filled a bowl like he did in the past with his normal cereal.  I just laughed and said, “You’re not going to be able to eat all that.”  He ended up sharing it with two of our kids.

Soaking your nuts and grains overnight helps remove some of the phytic acid, an anti-nutrient.  For this recipe, I used less coconut and more nuts than my last.  I didn’t increase the sweetener because my homemade applesauce was very sweet.  You can taste your cereal before baking to get the sweetness level right for you.

Apple Cinnamon Grain Free Granola

• 16oz almond slices
• 1 cup sunflower seeds

Cover with water and 1 tbsp salt and let set overnight.  Drain.

• 2 cups coconut, shredded and unsweetened
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter), melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup applesauce 
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 200F.  Combine nuts and remaining ingredients, mixing well to combine.  Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and granola spread evenly.  Let bake for several hours, 4-6.  Stir occasionally and break up large pieces.

Serve with milk or yogurt.  I like to sprinkle a small handful of golden raisins and a tablespoon of ground flaxseed in my cereal.

Grain Free Granola

You read that right.  Grain free granola.  No wheat, no oats, no barley flakes, no grain period.  This turned out better than I imagined.  I thought I would have to play around with ratios before posting the recipe but I got a winner on the first try.  I’ll still play around because it’s fun creating different recipes.  In this recipe, you soak the nuts and seeds overnight.  Why do that?  Nuts, seeds and grains contain phytic acid which is an anti-nutrient and enzyme inhibitors.  For more info on that, Cheeseslave.com has some great articles.  I’d start here http://www.cheeseslave.com/2009/11/17/why-soak-and-sprout-grains/  It does take a little extra planning but it’s worth it.

Grain Free “Granola”

• 1 cup chopped walnuts 
• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 4 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used chopped sulfur free apricots)

Soak walnuts and sunflower seeds in enough water to cover with 2 tsp sea salt overnight.  Or if you have a supply of crispy nuts from Nourishing Traditions, you can use those and skip the soaking step.

Mix nuts, seeds and coconut.  In a saucepan, warm up coconut oil with honey, cinnamon and vanilla.  Mix oil/honey mixture with nuts, seeds and coconut. Stir to coat well. 

Divide mixture between 2 baking sheets (line with parchment for easy cleaning).  Heat oven to 200F and bake for about 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally.  When the nuts are dry, it’s ready.  Let cool then add dry fruit.  

Killer Grain Free Pancakes

Oh so good!  Many times, gluten free/grain free foods for me are a notch below their gluten full counterparts.  These pancakes are in the running for the best pancakes I’ve had.  Even the boys liked them!

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts (chopped or whole)
• 1/2 cup cream or sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt

In a food processor, chop nuts very finely, almost to the point of making it a nut butter.  Add remaining ingredients and process thoroughly.

Heat a large skillet (I love my cast iron!) on medium heat with a little bit of oil to coat the bottom.  When nice and hot, turn down to med-low (nuts tend to burn quickly).  Spoon mixture out, about 1/4 cup per pancake.  When the pancakes are all bubbly, flip them.

Gluten Free Cereal

I’ve made this cereal enough and adapted it enough that I think I can safely call this version my own. Substitute whatever type flour you prefer. I’ve used 3 cups all purpose GF flour; 2 cups GF flour with 1 cup rolled oats; 1 cup buckwheat, 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup oats (whole grains processed in a blender); 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup oats, 1 cup GF flour (whole grains processed). They all turned out equally tasty.

• 3 cups grain of your choice (I prefer using the whole grain berry and grinding it up in the food processor).
• 2 cups buttermilk, or 2 cups milk blended with a tbsp of yogurt or whey (I’ve also done 1 cup buttermilk and 1 cup kefir).
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter), melted
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp baking soda

Combine grains and buttermilk in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Leave sit for about 8 hrs (overnight).
Preheat oven to 350F. Add remaining ingredients to processor. Process until well blended. Grease a 9″x13″ cake pan with butter or coconut oil. Pour in batter and bake about 45 or until toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool. Crumble cake into small pieces and spread on 2 cookie sheets. Place in oven at 200F for 1-1.5 hrs. You’ll want the crumbles to be crunchy.