Whole Wheat Scallion Pancakes

I grew onions in my garden this year.  Well... let me rephrase that.  I tried to grow onions in my garden this year.  They never really "grew".  And then I lost interest, or got busy... or honestly, got fed up with the squirrels terrorizing and feeding off of my garden.  I just don't think I was born with a green thumb whatsoever. 

The only thing I managed to snag from the garden this year, besides an ongoing supply of lettuce, were some early green onions. 

When I buy them from the store, I can never use up the entire bunch.  I'll use a couple for garnish and then forget about the rest of them.  And the same thing was starting to happen with the ones I picked from the garden.  So instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to use a whole bunch in some scallion pancakes.  Something I've always wanted to try to make, but always put on the back burner. 

And I don't know why, because they're so easy and they make a great little snack when paired with a spicy soy sauce!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Kirbie's Craving's Recipe

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups boiling water
olive oil, for brushing
sesame oil, for brushing
salt, to taste
about 8-12 scallions, chopped

In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat and all purpose flour with the boiling water.  Knead until a pliable dough is formed, adding more flour or water if necessary.

Since I used whole wheat flour, I had to knead for a little bit for my dough to become elastic enough to use - maybe 10-15 minutes?  Of course, a mixer with a dough hook would be useful here, but I keep it old school because I don't have one of those fancy schmancy mixers (until Christmas! My mom spilled the beans and said she was getting us/me one!).

Divide the dough into 8 equal sized pieces.  Roll the dough as thin as you can, without it breaking.

Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil on top of each circle, and then drizzle with a very small amount of sesame oil (a little goes a long way!).  Mix oils together and massage into the dough until covered.  Sprinkle with salt and a good amount of the scallions (remember, you have to do this 7 more times, so don't go too crazy with it!).

Roll the dough into a long rope (Kirbie's Cravings does a great photo tutorial on this, so check it out if you have questions) and then coil the rope into a circle.  Flatting with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness - this ensures that the scallions get evenly distributed throughout the pancake.

Repeat this process with remaining pieces of dough.

Heat a nonstick skillet under medium heat and add one pancake.  Cook until golden brown, about 1 & 1/2 to 2 minutes.  Flip over, and cook an additional minute or so.

Repeat with remaining pancakes.

Cut into triangles and serve with a spicy soy sauce (simple soy sauce with red pepper flakes and some grated ginger).

These make a great snack that feed a decent amount of people!  I've even used them as a wrap for Asian-inspired wraps (Bulgogi wraps?!). 

Have a great Friday guys!  I've got my first Culinary Theory class tonight and the lab tomorrow - I'll have a chef's uniform by tomorrow morning!  So exciting!!

Eggnog Pancakes

I have a confession.  I've never had eggnog.  I know, blasphemy!  And honestly, after making these pancakes, I really still haven't.  I mean, the eggnog is in the batter... and these pancakes tasted AMAZING, but I still couldn't get up the courage to have a glass of the stuff.  I know getting the store-bought stuff is way different from making my own, but I think I'll stay timid from this nog for just a tad bit longer.  But I don't think I can stay away from these pancakes.  They were just the perfect way to start a lazy Sunday morning!  And who knows... this could be your hangover cure for the morning!

(Don't forget to vote in the poll... I'm making ice cream and I need some input on what flavor to try out of The Perfect Scoop!)




Ingredients:
Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen's Recipe


Cranberry-Orange Syrup:

1 & 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
zest from 1 lemon
1/3 cup maple syrup


Pancakes:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups egg nog
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, orange juice, lemon zest, and maple syrup.  Heat under medium and bring a slow boil.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst or become soft.

Remove from heat and set aside while you make the pancakes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.


In a separate medium bowl, mix egg nog, eggs, and oil.



Add egg mixture to flour bowl.  Mix until combined - the batter will be somewhat lumpy still, but that's okay.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet under medium high heat.  Ladle a decent amount of batter into the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles form. (I like to make pretty big pancakes, but if you want them smaller, go ahead, just adjust the time by about 30 seconds to a minute less!)


Flip pancake over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.


Continue with remaining batter until you run out (I made about 6-7 giant pancakes).

Serve pancakes with butter and cranberry-orange syrup.

These pancakes were off the hook!  Seriously.  Best. Breakfast. Ever.  The eggnog provided a distinct flavor that paired perfectly with the citrus acidity of the cranberries and orange juice in the syrup.  Try these.  Now.  For Breakfast Tomorrow.  On Sunday.  Whenever.  Just try them.  I dare ya!


Well, I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve!  We're not too sure whether we'll be going out or not (Andy has a little stomach bug that he can't seem to get rid of, so I might be the good little fiance and stay home with my poor little guy).  But either way, we'll be together and that's what matters!

* This post is part of Fuss Free Kitchen's Breakfast Club event hosted by Kirithi.  Join in on the fun too by clicking either of the links above!

Anyway, help me pick out a flavor from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop to make next week:




You didn't think I'd let you off easy with Chocolate or Vanilla did you?  I want something crazy, so crazy options is what you have to choose from!

Enjoy the weekend guys!

Peach Pancakes

When I was growing up, pancakes either came out of a box in the freezer, or out of a box in the pantry that you just added a few simple ingredients to before you fried them up in a skillet or the microwave.  Nowadays, I wouldn't dream of doing either one!  Call me crazy, but homemade pancakes are extremely easy, so why would I want to use any pre-made mixes or pancakes?  Am I right?  Right.

We had a bunch of peaches a little while back, and besides grilling them, or just eating them outright... we tried to experiment with different ways to using them up.  And so these peach pancakes came about and I'm telling you, it was one of the best Sunday breakfasts we've had in A LONG WHILE. 


Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
4-5 peaches, pureed, plus some extra thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons butter, divided
maple syrup, for serving (optional)
powdered sugar (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, milk, eggs, sugar, baking powder, and pureed peaches.  Whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Heat a griddle pan or large skillet under high heat.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter.  Using a ladle, pour in batter.  With my large skillet, I had enough room to do about 3 pancakes per batch.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Serve dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup.  You can even place the thinly sliced peaches on top also!

These pancakes were damn near perfect.  They weren't too thick, not too thin.  They were kind of a cross between a crepe and a pancake in texture and size.  They had peachy flavor all throughout and the maple syrup paired perfectly with it all!  Like I said, if you're looking for a different way to use up your peaches and you happen to be feeling a fantastic breakfast coming on... this is it!  Enjoy!


And check out our CSA goodies... fall is here and I'm ecstatic! (It is my favorite season!)

1 butternut squash (my favorite squash!)
3 lbs. apples (gigantic ones at that!)
1 bunch swiss chard (our first batch of greens!)
2 lbs. sweet potatoes
3 hot peppers

And just a little side note here.  Louisville and the surrounding areas haven't really had much rain this farming season.  In fact, there was a wee bit of a drought there for a little while.  So, our produce has definitely shown that, but on the other hand, we've received an extremely awesome array of produce as well.  The great thing about a CSA is that we're supporting our local farmers, regardless of how the season turns out.  So during their time of drought, when produce may not be necessarily flourishing, the farmers know that their locals still want their product and will be there to support them through it all.  And that's one of the main reason that I enjoy doing our CSA.  Locals supporting locals.  So if you haven't thought about joining a CSA or don't know if you're area even has one... I'd definitely try to check it out (a great resource is Local Harvest.org)!  It's well worth it!