Banana Blueberry Waffles with Honey Walnut Syrup (Gluten-Free!)

Here's the recipe I promised for Banana Walnut Waffles with Honey Walnut Syrup!  Instead of flour, flax meal is used.  Sweetness is provided naturally by the bananas and also by a tablespoon of honey.  Blueberries (I used frozen) are sprinkled on top of the batter before the waffles are cooked. It's a very nice option for those who can't/don't want to have flour in their waffles. They cook quickly, and I kept the cooked waffles warm in a low oven while I finished them up. These are softer and not as stiff as a toaster waffle, more like a pancake in texture. They are light, airy, and full of flavor. I loved them with just a little bit of butter and the honey and walnuts! It was my before-work breakfast this morning (and will be again for a few more mornings, since it made 9 standard-sized waffles!). Can't wait for my gluten-free friend Barb to try them and tell me what she thinks!

BANANA WALNUT WAFFLES

Ingredients:
1 medium mashed banana
2 eggs, whisked
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup flaxseed meal or ground flaxseed (I used King Arthur)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tsp. baking powder
Blueberries
Warm honey, and walnuts, for drizzling cooked waffles.

Directions:

Whisk eggs. Add mashed bananas. Stir in buttermilk, vanilla, and honey. Add flax meal, cornstarch, and baking powder. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes for flax meal to soften and absorb liquid.

Pour a couple of tablespoons into each waffle well (not too much or it will overflow). Sprinkle batter with a few blueberries. Close waffle maker and cook until done, but watch them because these cook quickly and brown faster than a traditional waffle.  Once the steam stops, check them, even if the waffle maker indicator (if it has one) hasn't yet gone off.

Keep cooked waffles warm in a preheated 250-degree oven (single layer) until they are all done. I put a piece of foil on a cookie sheet and then sprayed it with a little vegetable oil spray.  This keeps the waffles crisp until you are ready to serve them.

Drizzle with warm honey and chopped walnuts, and have a great breakfast!

Pancake Makeover

This morning for breakfast I had pancakes! So how can a low-carber be enjoying pancakes you might ask?  These are not your typical Saturday morning pancakes -- no -- this recipe comes from The Biggest Loser, and they are a blended whirl of egg whites, oatmeal, and cottage cheese with cinnamon and a teensy bit of sugar. I was skeptical because I've tried pancake alternative recipes before with an "eh" attitude, and these really made me happy! With barely a dusting of confectioners sugar, I ate these plain, just rolled up in my hand like an empty pancake taco (not the most polite execution, but there was no one here to judge me!) and didn't miss one bit of maple syrup. I had originally planned to add blueberries, but decided to evaluate this pancake on its own merits. And it is good! This recipe makes six 4-inch pancakes.

You won't be missing a thing!

BIGGEST LOSER PANCAKES
(half the original recipe)

3 egg whites
1/2 cup rolled oats, dry
1/2 cup cottage cheese (I used 2%)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Whirl all of the above ingredients together in your blender until completely smooth. Pour 4-inch circles of batter onto heated skillet (medium to medium-high heat) or griddle that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Flip when they begin to brown on the bottom and continue cooking until browned nicely on both sides.

Dust lightly with confectioners sugar and enjoy as is or with a sprinkling of berries!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Healthy Blueberry Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

The coffee cake I've made for years was adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, but because I wanted it to be as rich and luscious as possible, low-fat ingredients were replaced with their full-fat counterparts -- yes, counter-intuitive -- but man-o-man was it a good coffee cake! So, going back to the original recipe, I've decided to make it even healthier by replacing butter with canola oil, half the all-purpose flour with whole white, and incorporating nutrient- and fiber-rich blueberries with brown sugar and cinnamon to create a pretty swirl in the middle of each slice.  This adaptation is a doubled recipe. If you want to make a smaller coffee cake (8x8 pan or a bread-loaf pan - adjust baking time), halve the ingredients and proceed as directed.

Interior View ~ just look at that! (click for close-up!)

I'm not able to indulge in coffee cake or any cake for that matter, but I'm a baker and I have to bake!  So I am happy to offer it to my co-workers. For those who do enjoy this coffee cake, they can know that it packs a greater nutritional punch than the original with healthy oil, less sugar, more fiber, low-fat sour cream, and antioxidants. It has all that. Oh yeah, and a whole lot of flavor!

HEALTHY BLUEBERRY CINNAMON SWIRL COFFEE CAKE
Oven - 375 degrees Farenheit
tube coffee cake pan, or angel food cake pan, sprayed with cooking spray

Coffee Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup canola oil (I use Smart Balance)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
3 egg whites
2 cups low-fat sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole white flour (I use King Arthur flours)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (I use Wyman's Wild Maine blueberries - tiny and very flavorful)

In large mixing bowl, beat canola oil with sugar. Add egg, and egg whites, one at a time. Mix well. Add sour cream and extracts. Beat well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix very well.

Spoon half of batter into prepared pan. Smooth to make an even surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar/cinnamon mixture, and distribute blueberries evenly over that. Add the rest of the batter and smooth top.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until cake tests done (springs back when lightly touched). If your oven runs hot, test at 40 minutes on.

Cool in pan for half hour. Remove pan and invert cake onto serving plate and continue to cool on wire rack. While still warm, spread glaze over top, and allow to run down sides a bit. Recipe follows:

Lemon glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon Smart Balance spread, melted

Drops of water

Stir first four ingredients together as well as you can, and then add warm water, a few drops at a time, until the glaze is thick but loose enough to spread easily on its own. Be very stingy with the water as you add it. Even a few drops too much is too much. Pour over top of coffee cake and use the back of a spoon to spread it to the edges and nudge it so it spills over the edge here and there. If it's too thick to run, add a few more drops of water until it loosens up.

A Good-For-You Breakfast Omelette

Now that breads and cereals are off the option list for the short-term, I'm moving to eggs to give my morning a good start. Here's a breakfast omelette you can make in a flash.  A non-stick pan and rubber spatula make the process very simple.


This omelette uses one whole egg and one egg white.  You can serve it as is, or fill it with your choice of add-ins.  I'm using veggies from yesterday's ratatouille and a tablespoon of shredded Parmesan cheese (day 2 of this omelette for me!). I'm going to make eating healthy as delicious and interesting as possible!!!  Here are photos of how it comes together, followed by the recipe:

HEALTHY OMELETTE

Tools:  Non-stick skillet and heat-proof rubber spatula

Non-stick vegetable spray.
1 egg
1 egg white
Choice of filling (cut up cooked vegetables, low-fat cheese, Canadian Bacon, etc. - up to you)
Seasoning to taste

Spritz pan with non-stick cooking spray and turn heat to medium.

In small bowl, whisk one egg and one egg white with a fork until well blended.  No need to add any liquid.

Pour beaten egg into pan and turn to spread the egg to cover bottom.  Leave it alone until the egg is opaque and cooked through.

Spread filling in center of left side of omelette.  Sprinkle any cheese.  With rubber spatula, pick up the right side of the omelette and fold over.  Turn heat to low and allow omelette to heat through and melt the cheese.

Slide out of pan onto serving plate.

And, a bonus -- here's a photo of Henry taken yesterday as we took an afternoon walk.  He insisted on carrying that snowball the entire time!

My buddy...