Toppings for Savoury Pan Cooked Cake Batter (Yes, Pancakes)

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The list of toppings that can be placed on a pancake is endless. Fruit, yogurt, chocolate, butter, syrup..like I said: endless. And that list isn’t the half of it. That is just the sweet pancake list.

For me, I actually prefer savoury style pancakes. I suppose the more appropriate term would be pan cooked cake batters. But all this I am sure you knew before reading this post. I will attempt however to enlighten you throughout my WIAW post with my most satisfying combination of toppings for savoury pancakes.

It all starts with the perfect spread: smoked salmon cream cheese.

Next up the veggies:

1) Spinach layer

2) Tomato layer

3) Salsa

4) Cucumber layer

Although I prefer savoury pancakes there is always room for after dinner sweets.

The perfect opportunity for finishing off the day with blogging and chocolate cookies.

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Oh and that savoury pan cooked cake batter (yes, pancakes) recipe? Coming soon!

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Do you prefer sweet or savoury pancakes? What is your favourite sweet pancake topping? What is your favourite savoury pancake topping? How do you finish off the day?

Chocolate Fruity Fudge – with a pattern

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The weekend comes.

I bake.

The week starts.

I eat.

The weekend comes.

I bake.

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Chocolate Fruity Fudge (A dehydrator recipe)
Ingredients: Instructions

•1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

•1/2 cup peanut flour

•1 cup berry vegan protein powder (I used this one)

•1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil
•1 254ml can of pumpkin puree

•1 1/2 cup steeped melon tea (I used this one)

•1 tsp Xanthan Gum

•1/4 tsp Konjac Root Powder

•Banana extract

1)Mix all dry ingredients. Add coconut oil, mix well.

2)Add hot steeped tea, mix well.

3)Add pumpkin, mix well.

4)Divide into 40 mini cookies onto dehydrator tray, and dehydrate for ~7-8 hours.
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

B-

 Convient for not having too many ingredients and you can leave it cooking without watching it

B+
Health

B+

 The recipe makes approx 40 mini cookies. One serving of 5 mini cookies is ~170cal (7 g carbs/10 g fat/ 12 g protein)
Taste

A-

 These are really fudgy and the combination of the berry protein powder, melon tea, and banana extract really remind me of eating dark chocolate covered fruit.
Texture

A-

 The texture wil vary depending on how long you dehydrate the bars for. With 8 hours they should get quite firm yet fudge like
General Comments:
You might think banana-berry-melon are too many fruit flavours to have combined into one recipe, but it really isn’t! These are tasty!

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The week comes.

I eat.

Doesn’t life follow a beautiful pattern?

The weekend is just an amateur example, but in all seriousness I have really been stopping and dwelling on the patterns of life.

Going through a period of closeness with Christ, going through a period of education, going through a period of insecurity. Whatever it is, there is some sort of pattern.

Hmm.. Life makes me think. All I know for certain is that it is marvelous.

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What are some patterns of life that you have noticed recently? Do you have a dehydrator? What is your favorite fruit combination to have with chocolate?

A Breakfast Worth Drowning In

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There always has been and always will be healthy living fads, and one you see all over the blog world is the famous cereal/fruit breakfast bowl. Usually with protein powder, fruit, and some sort of grain this bowl has gotten quite the name.

(Hey, did you see that ^ I just made a rhyme)

You are all going to have to help me out because my favourite Souper spoon is drowning in the above mentioned breakfast bowl, and her head is stuck!

Or wait, perhaps I don’t need your help at all and what we really have on our hands is a smart spoon…

My breakfast bowl contains apple, cranberries, puffed millet, chocolate protein powder, pumpkin, almond milk, plain greek yogurt, and my favourite component…

…coffee!

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What is your favourite breakfast mess creation component? Do you have any fun spoons?

Technology Bites the Cranberries

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Technology is driving me bonkers.

1

Love this bread. It is similar to this sport loaf. 

My laptop has a broken battery…and a broken charger.

2

Cranberries are my favourite berry

Therefore it does not turn on. 3

Two books on the porch with sun and popcorn. A girl can’t ask for much more.

On top of that my phone dies within 5 minutes of usage.
4

I occasionally make too many veggies than don’t want to throw them out. I am not a huge fan of day old steamed veggies

With the lack of technology you can imagine my image resources are depleted. So today’s WIAW features typical eats similar to a Wednesday’s repertoire that I have recently shared on twitter via my ipad camera. The quality isn’t great, but I tried to make up for it with in photo comments.

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When was the last time you were frustrated with technology? Do you ever accidentally make too many veggies, than don’t want to throw them out?

Twice Baked Cheesecake – with an information tea dose

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Sometimes the internet it usually a great source of information. Googling will let you find practically anything.

Sometimes I find really useful yet not very interesting information: like the fact that a black spot on my molar means I probably have a cavity. (Sigh, it will be my first one if it is one!)

Other times I find really interesting yet not very useful information: like the most popular brands of tea and the countries with the highest tea consumption.

But then there is the rare occassion when the internet doesn’t provide me with useful nor interesting information: like the time I undercooked the pistachio cheesecake and was left with…

…cheesecake with a runny center. Not my kind of cheesecake. Yet I couldn’t find any useful internet advice so I got to experimenting and ended up making twice baked cheesecake.

Here is what to do if you undercook your cheesecake:

Twice Baked Cheesecake
Ingredients: Instructions
•undercooked
cheesecake

1) Slice cheesecake into slices

2) Place onto baking sheet

3) Bake in preheated oven set on convection bake 350degF for 30minutes.

4) Use the broil setting on your oven for an additional 5 minutes

5) Chill
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

A+

 I always find it convenient to save ingredients that may otherwise go to waste

B+

Health

n/a

 This section isn’t entirely applicable since you can twice bake any cheesecake
Taste

A-

 Do you like the taste of marshmallows over the fire? The broil setting gives these twice baked cheesecake a hint of that taste!
Texture

B

 A very different texture that regular cheesecake!
General Comments:
Recipe Makes 8 servings

The texture is much airier and not dense like a cheesecake

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Have you ever had a cavity? What is your favourite tea brand of the ones shown in the info graphic? (I would say celestial seasonings)

Story Ingredients and Mystery Spice – Food and Books

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I have shared in past posts books that I hope to read eventually. Yet it has been a very very long time since I have actually shared books that I have read. Based off my post a few days ago you may have come to the correct conclusion that I haven’t much time for reading lately. So these books I am sharing over my WIAW aren’t necessarily recent reads, but reads that have stood out and stuck in my mind.

(Part of) Breakfast: Savoury Zucchini Muffins

Book #1: Special Topics in Calamity Physics By: Marisha Pessl

Stars (out of 10): ******** (8.5)

I had picked this book up with absolutely no expectations from a used bookstore, so perhaps that explains why I was blown out of the water. It is easy to exceed no expectations! But seriously I found myself really engaged with the characters and drawn into the story. I love myself a mystery (probably one of my favourite genres) and this book provided mystery plus more.

Lunch: Cauliflower Pancakes

Book #2: The Dovekeepers By Alice Hoffman

Stars (out of 10): ******* (7)

I love how I was able to relate to the characters and feel transported to their world even though the story was set in 70 CE. Sometimes historical fiction can make you feel slightly out of place, but not this one.

Dinner: Steamed veggies (with hummus/greek yogurt dip), bbq chicken, bbq kobacha, bbq eggplant

Book # 3: The Way the Crow Flies

Stars (out of 10): ********** (9.75)

It’s hard for me to even summarize what I loved about this book, because I just loved so much of it. It has got all the ingredients of a good story plus the added spice of a suspenseful mystery.

Snack: What is this? Does it look familiar (hint hint nudge nudge)

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Have you read or heard of any of these books? Have you had barbecued squash before?

Pistachio Cheesecake

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I appreciate all the kind, thoughtful and encouraging comments on my last post about my current life situation. It is always a blessing to read genuine comments. I find more and more that when reading blogs I not only read non-comments, but I also write non-comments. What do I mean by the term non-comments? You know the ones that don’t really say anything other than “looks great” or “I want to eat that now”. I am not saying anything negative about them, because I am guilty of writing them too. All I am getting at is that I was genuinely touched by the time people took to share their experiences in the comments on my last post. So thank you.

But enough of the sappy stuff and on to the stuff I left you with. Not a single commenter guessed the correct flavour cheesecake. The answer is pistachio!

 

Pistachio Cheesecake
Ingredients: Instructions
•1/2 cup vanilla whey protein powder
•1 package of pistachio jello (I used SF)
•1/4 cup corn starch
•2 tbsp psyllium husks
•1/2 tsp konjac flour
•1/2 cup egg whites
•1/2 cup goat cheese
•1 cup cottage cheese
•2 eggs
CRUST
•1/2 cup wheat bran
•4 tbsp crushed pistachios
•4 tbsp eggwhites

1)Mix crust ingredients, and press firmly to bottom of springform pan

2)Mix on high all remaining ingredient (Do the whole mix dry than wet procedure)

3)Pour the mixture on top of the crust

4)Bake 1hr 15min in 325 def F oven

5)Let set for at least 3 hours or overnight preferably
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

C-

Cheesecake takes a long time to bake and then you got to let it sit, and then you got to clean that springform pan. So it got a low mark on convenience!

B+

Health

B

 I used the SG jello so this recipe was low carb, but then full of artificial sweetener. The cottage cheese and protein powder make this high protein. The stats are approx ~180cal (13 g carbs/8 g fat/ 16 g protein)
Taste

A-

 The taste of the pistachio didn’t come through too strong, but just the right amount.
Texture

B

 Not as smooth as store bought cheesecake, but I have a suspicion that has to do with the cottage cheese
General Comments:
Recipe Makes 8 servings

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Are you a cheesecake fan? Do you know what I mean about non-comments?

A Life on Hold

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Very rarely do I talk about my own feelings on my blog, it’s a fault I know but one that I find hard to overcome. Me? Open-up? It’s virtually an oxymoron. Right now what I really need to accomplish is writing out how I feel, shared over the weekly wednesday meals (WIAW).

Breakfast: Chocolate pumpkin pancakes with fruit and peanut flour

The main thing that is on my mind is my life…or lack there of. My Monday – Friday literally consists of work, work work, eat, sleep. Throw in two short runs and call it a parcel. Looking back over the past year I feel as though I have made no personal accomplishments.

Lunch: Fajita Pancakes

My goals are the same month after month, my personal art projects start in my head and never make it to paper, my blog posts never get posted on time, I haven’t made new friends…the  lists of have nots continues.

Dinner: Steamed veggies, lima beans, greek, salsa, nutritional yeast

Working over 10 hours a day five days a week burns me out mentally. I have no mental capacity to do anything with the 1-2 hours I have in the evening. Not too mention the time I need to take to look after myself (cooking, cleaning, paying bills etc).

What it all comes down to is that I am beginning to feel green…

A recipe I am working on. A cheesecake. Can you guess the flavour?

…green with envy. I am actually jealous of all sorts of people with different lifestyles. Jealousy isn’t really my thing. I haven’t felt it much before and it is my tongue with a bitterness that I don’t quite like.

There isn’t really any conclusion to this rant other than:

a) I can not waste another year or my personal life (that is what my undergrad was for!)

b) I have to get rid of jealousy (must not take for granted all I have)

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Do you feel like you have made accomplishments this past year? Can you relate? Can you guess the flavour of the green cheesecake?

Foodie Finds From Travelling

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It is unbelievable that it is Monday morning already.

Mondays are my fitness rest day and I normally spend the extra time in the morning to enjoy my breakfast without having to rush out the door. All other week days I normally have to take breakfast to go. Thankfully I have my favourite tumbler cup to put my smoothie into:

I got this cup on a trip to NYC earlier this year and it has gotten quite a lot of use now that the weather has gotten warmer (you won’t see me drinking frozen smoothie in the dead of winter).

It seems that most of my travelling souvenirs seem to be foodie related items. Take for instance when I went to the states in February and I got myself some coconut flavoured coffee:

…which I have been loving by the way.

Or my most recent trip to the Caribbean where I picked up some awesome chocolate, wafers, and tea.

I suppose if I am going to be spending money on souvenirs I may as well spend it on something I am going to get a lot of use out of.

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What type of souvenirs do you like to get when you go away? What is your favourite coffee flavour?

Caramel Spelt Pancakes – with art

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I have mentioned in the past that I am almost always doing something while having a meal. One of the things I love doing is looking at art from various illustrators. If you follow me on pinterest you will know I have a ‘Makes me want to illustrate’ board, however I wanted to share some of my favorite illustrators throughout this post. Since I enjoy art with breakfast I’ve decided to share a pancake recipe along the way.

Illustrator#1: Jim Madsen

What I love: the color and texture (look closely at the sky)

Caramel Spelt Pancakes
Ingredients: Instructions
•3 tbsp spelt bran
•2 tbsp protein powder
•1 tbsp peanut flour
•1/4 cup canned pumpkin
•3 tbsp cold creme caramel tea
•1/4 cup almond milk
•1/3 cup egg whites
•1/4 tsp baking powder
•1/4 tsp baking soda
•1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
•brandy extract

1)Mix all dry ingredients

2)Add pumpkin mix well

3)Add egg whites, mix. Add other liquids (except ACV) mix. 

4)Add apple cider vinegar immediately before pouring onto frying pan.
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

A

 Very quick and simple recipe. You can practically measure all the ingredients with a tbsp

A
Health

A

 Melt some butter on to these pancakes and you would get an all around balanced meal. The stats are approx: 200cal (19g carbs/3g fat/23g protein)
Taste

A-

I swear brandy extract taste exactly like caramel. That combined with the hint from the caramel tea made these taste scrumptious
Texture

B

A picture tells a thousand words, and the last picture in this post tells everything you need to know about the texture of these pancakes
General Comments:
Makes a 8 small-medium sized pancakes.

Illustrator#2: Chris Sanders

What I love: simple lines that show so much

Illustrator#3: Willie Real

What I love: simple shares that tell a story

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Have you ever tried brandy extract flavouring? Do you like looking at illustrations? If so, what is one of your favourite illustrators?

CyberChimps