Ricotta Cheese & Protein Powder Pancakes: 21 Day Fix Approved Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light Ricotta Cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla whey (I use Jay Robb's Vanilla Whey Protein Powder)
2.5 Tablespoon almond meal
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Method: 

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl until batter is smooth.

Brush non-stick pan with extra virgin coconut oil or ghee; drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side, 1 to 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter

Variations: you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, or any other spice of your choice in place of vanilla. Sub different flavored protein powders for different flavors! You may omit the maple syrup and use it as a topping if desired. 

21 Day Fix container count for entire recipe:

2 red (1 for eggs and 1 for the ricotta cheese + whey powder)
1/2 blue (for the almond meal)
1 tsp for coconut oil

Blast from the past...

A few pictures from the past gardens to prime us for the upcoming season! 

Fluffy Pancakes

We love pancakes in this house. They are a personal favorite especially with warm, banana topping and maple syrup. I dislike pancakes out of the box and why even bother with boxed mixtures when making them from scratch is so easy! Here is the recipe I use.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, egg and melted butter. Add the wet and dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with your favorite topping.

** These pancakes freeze really well too. You can make a big batch and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen, put in zip locker bags. When you are ready to serve, just pop it in the microwave for a minute to thaw and serve as listed above.

Buttermilk Waffles

This is the recipe I use to make waffles, which are a new favorite for me now! It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I developed a love for waffles. Freshly made waffles with some good maple syrup is the best breakfast! This recipe was adapted from Foodnetwork's Wafle of Insane Greatness.

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla to a second bowl and mix very well. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until combined. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron and follow the directions on your waffle maker for proper batter amount. Cook until golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately with maple syrup or any other toppings of your choice! These waffles are deliciously crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

* you can use whole milk instead of buttermilk but the taste will change slightly. :)

Chilean Pan Amasado Recipe

Pan amasado is a traditional and very popular Chilean bread. And, since the boyfriend, H, is Chilean, I had to at least be semi-good at making this bread. Thankfully, the Gods were on my side and the two times I have made this bread, it has been a success. :)

However, finding a good recipe for this bread was hard work and I actually combined a few recipes and techniques, and to make your life easier, I figured, I would post the recipe, since it has gotten the approval of several Chileans.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs white bread flour (approx. 9 cups)
1/2 stick Crisco shortening (1/2 cup)
2 1/2 tsp yeast or 1 packet
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp sugar
2-3 cups warm water with 1 tbsp salt mixed into each cup (2-3 tbsp salt)

Method:

In 1/2 cup of warm water, add yeast and sugar and let sit in a warm place for approximately 5 minutes.  In a large bowl, or a floured surface, add the flour and make a well in the center. Melt the shortening and pour it inside the well, along with the yeast mixture.

Mix the ingredients together. Keep adding the salty water mixture as needed until you get a dough mixture that isn't sticky. Knead the dough for 15 minutes by hand or 7 minutes if you are using a stand mixer. Cover dough and let rise for 45 minutes.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down to remove all air bubbles and knead by hand for a few minutes. Then divide dough into 16 equal parts. Roll each part into a small ball and then flatten them to 3-4 inch disks. Place all dough disks 1-2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Don't place them too close as they will rise and get bigger. Cover and let dough rise for another 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the second rising is complete, pierce each disk with a fork 2-3 times and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve with butter and your favorite jam. :)

Let me know how this recipe turns out for you and feel free to post pictures!  Enoy!!!

In the Kitchen: Jackfruit Curry

Ingrediants:

3 (17oz) cans of Young Jackfruit washed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala (additional)
1/2 of an onion chopped
1 cup of water
1 tsp minced garlic
chopped chili to taste
salt to taste
1 sprig of Curry leaves (optional)

Method:

On medium heat, heat oil in a pan, add onions and saute until tender and golden brown. Add garlic, chili, and curry leaves. Cook for 20-30 seconds. Add 1 tsp garam masala, tumeric, and cumin seeds. Mix well and cook for 30 seconds. Add jackfruit and salt. Cover and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water, stir well, cover and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. Once the water dries up, turn off heat, add 1/2 tsp garam masala and stir very well. Serve as a side dish. :)

Here is a video!

Happy Spring!

Today marked the first day of Spring for us and the weather sure did participate in Springs welcome! We had sunshine all day and I played in dirt most of the day. I brewed some compost tea, transplanted some seedlings, started new seeds and even shot a video of new growth in the garden! The iced-coffee sure did help!!!

So, what are you growing this spring? Veggies, flowers, rocks? Anything! Please share!

Here is my "first day of Spring" video! Enjoy!