Recipes

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Honey Cornmeal Pancakes and Snow

Holy Snow Storm!

I’m sure you’ve heard by now (or experienced it yourself), but New England got DUMPED on early this morning, and through the day.  By 9AM there was easily 18”-20” on our driveway and that doesn’t include the much higher mounds created by the plows.

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For only the second time EVER, my office closed due to the weather…I was shocked and excited!!  SNOW DAY!  Brian stayed home too, the roads were awful.

(me in full on snow gear out in the back yard)photo

Before diving into some shoveling action, we took Bromley out to do his business.  The snow was clearly over his head but he still loves to try to jump through it.  Eventually we carried him to the plowed road. 

(he loves sticking his face in it!)photo2

We realized that shoveling this heavy snow was going to be quite the undertaking so an energizing breakfast was much needed.

Ever since I received this amazing box from Chobani, I’ve had this idea for pancakes and was dying to create them!

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The cornmeal adds its own sweetness, and along with the honey makes for a delicious pancake which ends up a tad sweeter than a classic pancake.  I usually go for “less sweet” foods, and these are by no means too sweet…they are awesome, and you don’t even need as much maple syrup!  (can’t believe I just said that)    It’s like cornbread meets pancake. 

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Honey Cornmeal Oat Pancakes
(adapted from the Joy of Cooking)

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

  • 3/4 cup White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/4 cup old fashion rolled oats
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • dash of cinnamon if you like

In another bowl, whisk together:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 6 oz. container Honey flavored Greek Yogurt (like Chobani)
  • 2 T canola oil
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 cup skim milk

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.  Now I like to let the batter sit for about 10 min.  This helps the cornmeal and oats soften up a bit.  If the batter thickens up too much, add more milk 1T at a time.  The batter should be on the thin side.

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Heat a non-stick pan/griddle over medium heat, and pour about 1/4 cup of batter on to pan.  My pan only held 2 4” pancakes at a time.  Cook until bubbles form on the edges, flip, and continue until pancakes are golden brown.  At first my pancakes weren’t cooking all the way through, so I had to turn the heat down to med/med-low.

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Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

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Funny I usually do NOT like butter on pancakes (waffles, French toast) but the cornmeal sweetness is perfect with a little melty salted butter on top. 

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But I can’t forget the chocolate chips.

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And this guy…my love.   IMG_7380

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Ok, then it was time to shovel.

I’ve read that shoveling snow burns 400 calories/hour.  Well if that’s the case, I burned a CRAP TON of calories today!!  It took us almost 3 hours total (with a break in the middle) and we still only did about 2/3 of the driveway…only up past our cars, and a path to the door.  Man, it was deep and heavy! Brian then went out one more time this afternoon, to get the rest. 

I needed a substantial lunch…

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I made a monster salad with:

  • Mixed greens
  • shredded carrot
  • cucumber
  • shredded sharp cheddar and a few pieces of dill havarti
  • tossed with lemon juice + olive oil

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I also baked up 2 Bell and Evans chicken tenders that I picked up at the store a few weeks ago to try.  It was a good protein addition, and I made up a little ranch dipping sauce on the side.

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I didn’t measure but the ranch included:

  • non-fat Greek yogurt (such as Chobani)
  • light mayo
  • salt
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • dried parley
  • splash of white vinegar

Came out really good actually!

Also on the side was a small sweet ‘tader…always a good move. 

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You know what else is critical on a snow day…

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Hot cocoa with LOTS of mini marshmallows!  Mmmm, they all melted together and then I ate them with a spoon of course.

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Even though half of my day was spent shoveling, it was still a nice break in the work week.  Back to the grind tomorrow!   

Random, but what are your favorite homemade salad dressings???  I was trying to make up something different today but didn’t like anything I tried so I went to my trusty lemon juice and olive oil.

18 comments:

  1. Your dog is adorable. My mom kept sending me pictures of our dogs (jack russells) all morning... she had to dig them a path so they could go out.

    The pancakes sound really good. I had every intention of getting up and making us pancakes this morning, but we lost power around 6 and didn't get it back til some time after 11. Jeff ventured out and got us bagels instead.

    I made a really good salad dressing the other night with olive oil, cabernet vinegar, basil, clementine juice, and salt and pepper.

    I made one all summer with citrus champagne vinegar, olive oil, and basil.

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  2. I am insanely jealous of your Chobani yogurts. The honey flavor is one of my favorites! I did lots of cooking today too, including homemade hot chocolate!

    My favorite salad dressing involves white champagne balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes.

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  3. The cornmeal pancakes sound like the ideal fuel for shoveling... which I did a lot of yesterday as well! Bromely is adorable all covered in snow :).

    As for salad dressings, I play around with different vinegars (balsamic, red wine, apple cider etc.) for various vinaigrettes, and I like to add in a touch of sweetness from all-fruit preserves, maple syrup, honey, or apple/pumpkin butter. A tiny bit of mustard really helps to emulsify homemade dressings. I also like to make a creamy Southwestern dressing by blending together Greek yogurt, avocado, salsa, and spices. Yum!

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  4. Hey girly! The pancakes look so good. I'm debating on potentially doing breakfast for dinner tonight. This may be perfect :) I can't believe how much snow y'all got. I need to call my sister! The puppers in the snow is too funny

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  5. I love hearty pancakes and the addition of honey and yogurt sounds delicious.

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  6. I think snow days are most enjoyed by dogs... my pup had the greatest time. One of my favorite dressings is garlic, olive oil and mustard (and sometimes balsamic vinegar). You can switch it up by using shallots, lemon and/or wasabi mustard so it never gets boring!

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  7. Looks like you had some great eats on your snowday! Those pancakes look amazing! I love the texture of cornmeal, especially in pancakes!

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  8. Seriously, so much snow! I think I shoveled more than I ever have in my life. Definitely a nice break from the normal workout :)

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  9. OMG TOTALLY MAKING THESE ASAP!

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  10. Those pancakes look and sound delicious. And Bromley looks adorable with the snow on his face - he's so cute!!

    My go-to salad dressing is a teaspoon of mustard, lemon juice or white balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil and a drizzle of honey. I usually put it in an old jelly jar and shake it up....its my favorite.

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  11. I adore your dog, so sweet! Those pancakes look delicious.
    The best dressing I ever made combined apple cider, maple syrup, and habanero oil. Sounds a little strange, but it was spicy and sweet and so good!

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  12. Yay for Chobani and pancakes - honey cornmeal sounds super addicting! We buy packs of Chobani from Costco so I only ever have the strawberry, blueberry, and peach - I need to branch out and try the honey!

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  13. those pancakes sound amazing, perfect fuel for all that shoveling! i guess that's one good thing about not owning and having to go to work... although i would've rather had a snow day and been shoveling :)

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  14. I love seeing the photos of your dog on here :) Adding greek yogurt to pancakes is a great idea, that greek yogurt is amazing stuff.

    I recently made a maple vinaigrette dressing with red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, a bit of olive oil, and maple syrup. The salad is on my blog today. It was delicious!

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  15. Hiiiii Lady!! ummm long time no see :) Glad to see you are doing well AND survived the blizz...EW. Seeing as that was a week ago and it is now another slush/snow/rainstorm....I am NOT happy :/
    But I'm back in action and playing catch up so it's all good :) Can't wait to see what you've been up to!
    xxoxo
    CB

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  16. Yum! I love pancakes + Chobani and yours sound awesome!!

    Also, Bromley is ADORABLE!!! Especially in the snow :)

    Sues

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  17. hot chocolate with marshmallows has been one of my absolute favorite things this winter! when i went home for the holidays, i drank a mug every night and after every snow shovel!!

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  18. this is so weird but I like balsamic vinegar, olive oil, ketchup and mustard mixed! it is delicious.

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