Banana Nut Pancakes with Fresh Whipped Cream

These pancakes made my house smell wonderful for days! I wanted to make something breakfast-y for the blog and thought pancakes were a naturally vegetarian dish most people love. I also don't know anyone who doesn't like banana bread, so a marriage of the two seemed to make sense. I didn't want the pancakes to be too banana-y, so instead of mashing them up in the batter, I sliced them and dropped slices of banana into the batter as the pancakes cooked. However, if you want your banana throughout your pancake, feel free to experiment! But seriously, look at how warm and gooey these are with chunks of banana in every bite!

Oh, and did I mention the whipped cream? Yeah, I topped these babies off with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream... commencing food coma...

Anyway, these are hardy pancakes, and this recipe make four fairly large ones. One should be enough per person, especially if coupled by some fresh strawberries as shown in the photo. Enjoy!

Banana Nut Pancakes

Ingredients:

For the pancakes:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 organic eggs
• 1 cup organic whole or low-fat milk
• 2 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 bananas, sliced

Directions:

• Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add walnuts and mix gently.
• Heat a lightly oiled nonstick pan or griddle over medium.
• When the pan is hot, add 1/2 cup pancake batter. Sprinkle 1/4 of the banana slices over the batter and top with another 1/4 cup batter. Cook until the batter begins to bubble, about 3-4 minutes.
• Flip the pancake and cook for another 2 minutes or until the batter is cooked through. Transfer to a plate and top with 1/4 of the whipped cream (recipe follows).

For the whipped cream:

• 2/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbs. powered sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

• Place a large bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Once cold, add heavy whipping cream, powered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.

Cottage Cheese and Chickpea Salad with Balsamic-Orange Vinaigrette

One of my favorite foods is cottage cheese. It's just so versatile -- plain, with fruit, as a snack, in a salad -- yum! For this week's post, I also wanted to put together something super simple and packable for lunch. And, if you're vegan, go ahead and use quinoa in place of the cottage cheese. This will keep the protein level high without the dairy.

I pack my lunch for work every day -- who has time to go out anymore? -- and sometimes I just get bored of the same old same old. So, I threw together this salad that features cottage cheese and the nutritious powerhouse, chickpeas. Even though my husband wrinkled his nose at my suggestion of combining chickpeas with cottage cheese, he ended up requesting it for lunch the next day. Winner!

This recipe serves four and takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

Here's what you'll need:

Salad:

• 8 cups baby spinach, washed
• 2 cups low-fat, organic cottage cheese
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

Balsamic-Orange Vinaigrette:

• 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs. orange juice
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. crushed rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine chickpeas, green bell pepper, tomatoes, and red onion in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk together garlic, olive oil, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Pour over chickpea mixture.
3. Place 2 cups baby spinach in each of four bowls.
4. Place 1/2 cup cottage cheese on to of spinach.
5. Divide chickpea mixture into four and evenly distribute to each of the four bowls over the cottage cheese.

That's it -- an easy lunchtime recipe for a busy work day! If you are planning on transporting this dish, I would recommend packing the spinach, cottage cheese, and chickpeas separately and putting it together right before eating.

What's your favorite go-to meal for lunch? Share in the comments section!

Very Veggie Potato Salad

This year will be the second annual Father's Day picnic at my house, and it doesn't get much more retro than potato salad for this celebration. I've never really liked mayonnaise-based potato salads for a variety of reasons: they're devoid of much nutritional value; they need refrigerated; and they're so... expected.

Oh my feta cheese! Super yum!

So this year, I'll be making this colorful Very Veggie Potato Salad! It's full of Vitamin C and can easily be made vegan by leaving out the feta cheese. This makes a lot -- enough to serve 10-12 people comfortably. Here's what you'll need:

Salad:

• 2 1/2-3 pounds red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 bell peppers, chopped (I used half of a red pepper, half of an orange pepper, and a whole yellow pepper)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 green onions (green parts only), sliced thin
• 1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives (use 1/3 to 1/2 cup if not using feta)
• 2 tbs. fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:

• 2 small shallots, minced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (or to taste, depending on how spicy you like your taters)
• salt & pepper to taste
• paprika and additional basil for garnish, optional

Directions:

• Scrub and chop red potatoes and place them in a large pot. Cover with water and boil 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients and set aside.
• Chop bell peppers and place them in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, green onions, and kalamata olives. If not using feta cheese, extra kalamata olives will give this salad a briny decicious.  Add cooled potatoes.
• Pour dressing over veggies and potatoes and mix.
• Chop oregano, basil, and parsley. Add to the potato salad with feta cheese and mix well. Sprinkle with optional paprika.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors develop.

What are you making for Father's Day? What do you buy for your dad? Where can I find a Father's Day card that doesn't make dads seem like helpless idiots whose only hobbies are grilling, golfing, or passing gas? Share in the comments section!