Pumpkin Pancakes

Last night I was craving breakfast for dinner. Unfortunately, I really really wanted pancakes, but I ran out of eggs. Right after the gym this morning, I went to the store and bought a dozen eggs to satisfy my pankcake craving from last night. I kept this pretty healthy (with the exception of the 1 tablespoon sugar...which may be substituted with honey).

3/4 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 egg whites
1/4 cup raw pumpkin
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

In a food processor, pulse the oatmeal until it becomes more of a flour. Add to a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and combine well.

Heat a large skillet under medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and spoon the batter onto the pan. Once set (about 2 minutes), flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Serve while warm.

Flounder Florentine

I'm attempting to eat more omega 3 food sources. Come on good cholesterol! I tested out another white fish, flounder, and thankfully, this one doesn't taste fishy!

10 almonds, sliced

1 flounder fillet
Salt and pepper
1 egg
½ teaspoon of heavy cream
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup apple juice, or white wine
½ lemon zest lemon juice and zest
1 tablespoon capers
 
Heat a small skillet over medium heat and toast the almonds for just a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Season the flounder with a little bit of salt and pepper. Then in a small bowl, whisk the egg and cream together.

In a medium pan over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Once melted, add the flounder skin side up. Cook for 3 minutes, until the skin is just starting to brown. Flip and cook further until it begins to brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

In the same pan, add the apple juice (or white wine) and boil for about 2 minutes until reduced. Add the lemon juice, zest, and capers. Cook for 1-2 minutes and pour over the flounder. Top with almonds.

Vegetable Enchiladas

This past weekend, I had dinner at my friends', Kelly's and Ken's, house. We made enchiladas. Oh my, so good. Combine these with great company and conversation, and it was a fantastic evening!

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and mashed
1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 cup shredded cheese, divided
8 ounces enchilada sauce, divided
6 corn tortillas
Green onion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, vegetables, cilantro, cumin, 1/4 cup cheese, and 4 ounces sauce.

In a small bowl, add the remaining sauce. Dip one tortilla in the sauce, then fill with the bean mixture. Roll and place seam down in the baking dish. Do this for the remaining tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cook for 20-30 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Garnish with green onions.

Roasted Onion with Valdeon Blue Cheese and Pinenuts

The other day when my friend Jen was in town, we went to Jaleo's. It's a great Spanish tapas restaurant. We had this dish and I did my best to recreate it. It didn't take much to give me an excuse to buy Valdeon blue cheese.

1 large onion
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces Valdeon blue cheese (or any intense blue cheese)
1 tablespoon pinenuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cook spray to prevent the onions from sticking.

Slice the onion about an inch thick. Keep the rings all together. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the pinenuts.

When the onions are done roasting, top with the pinenuts and blue cheese. Serve while warm.

Whey Protein Bars

I've been wanting to make my own protein bars. I have a difficult time forking over several dollars for a small protein bar at the store, only to find myself needed three to satisfy me. Plus, each one tends to have LOTS of sugar and/or fat. I wanted to find a good substitute that would give me the protein I need to build my poor destroyed muscles after the gym, while satisfying my craving for chocolate and sweets. Mmmm chocolate. Based on a recipe from a bodybuilding forum, I modified it somewhat to get the consistency I wanted. These bars come out as a cross between a brownie and cake. Moist and just enough to prevent me from scarffing down the nearest snickers bar. Oh, and a special thanks to my friend, Jen, who stayed with me last night...she supplied the bananas to make this recipe possible, along with the support that only a good friend can give when someone looks at them at 9:30 at night and says, let's bake something! :-)

3 medium sized bananas, mashed
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
3 scoops chocolate whey protein
1/4 cup fat free milk
4 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a square (or round) pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the bananas, egg whites, oatmeal, whey, milk, and peanut butter together. Add the spices and mix well.  Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Roasted Pecans with Brown Sugar & Cayenne Pepper

A co-worker gave me this recipe. (Thank you Heather!) She accurately described it as being as addictive as cr*ck. Yes, they are that yummy. They are difficult to eat just one. Even better, they take about ten minutes to make and are super easy. They were great to munch on during the Super Bowl. Any leftovers you do have (unlikely) are easily kept in a sealed plastic container for up to a week.

1 pound pecan halves

2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons rosemary
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Roast pecans for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pan. Add the sugar, salt, and cayenne and stir until dissolved. Add the rosemary and cook until fragrant, frequently stirring.

Once the pecans are done roasting, transfer to a medium-sized bowl and toss with the butter mixture until evenly coated.

*Feel free to add either more cayenne pepper (if you like a little more spice) or more brown sugar (if you like sweeter).

Avocado Tartines

As most of you are aware, yesterday was the Super Bowl (go Giants!). According to ABC news and the California Avocado Commission (yes, they are so delicious, they get their own commission), about 40 million pounds of avocado will be consumed. That's a lot of guac! I thought I'd try something slightly different from the traditional guacamole. (Don't get me wrong, I'm known to polish off a bowl of guac like my life depended on it.)  *Thanks Matt for taking the great picture!

1 loaf baguette, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
1/4 lemon, peeled and seeded
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Salt and pepper
2 tomatoes, sliced thinly
Basil leaves, rolled and chopped

Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, until lightly toasted.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, place the avocado, lemon, Worchestershire sauce, and green onions. Pulse until creamy. Add the cream cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

Top the bread with the avocado mixture. Then place one slice of tomato on top of each one. Add a bit of basil to the top of the tomatoes.