Blueberry Peach Pancakes (eggless!)

I NEVER make breakfast food for dinner...but for some reason the other night I really didn't feel like cooking dinner, but the idea of cooking breakfast didn't seem so bad, so I made fruity pancakes and bacon!

I used the eggless pancake recipe I have already posted...originally from this website, but I made a much larger batch and made some additions.

This time I decided to make them even more healthy by adding lots of fresh blueberries and nectarines (I didn't have fresh peaches...plus I hate the fuzz!). They were SO good and the kids LOVED them!

I also tried out a little of our new White Whole Wheat Flour I just bought...supposedly it has all the nutrition of whole wheat flour but it's lighter and less nutty flavor. It wasn't even noticeable so I'll add more next time!

Ingredients:
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
5 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 Tbsp vegetable/canola oil
2 1/2 Tbsp water
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
5 Tbsp butter
2 large nectarines, diced
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:
1. Combine dry ingredients and mix slightly. Add milk, oil, water, and vanilla. Whisk together until just combined. Be careful not to over mix - it should still be slightly lumpy. Set aside to rest for a few minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. While pan is heating, add butter. As soon as the butter is melted, add melted butter to pancake batter.
3. Return pan to stove and stir butter into batter.
4. When pan is hot, with a measuring cup or ladle, pour 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake.
5. Cook until bubbles form on the surface. Carefully flip pancakes with turner/spatula and cook until golden brown.


I also made a blueberry/peach syrup mixture that was also very tasty and again added more fruit for us!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lite maple syrup (we use the fake stuff)
1/2 - 1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 - 1 cup diced peaches in juice (canned) - I actually used some peach pie filling to use it up!

Directions:
1. Put maple syrup in large sauce pan over medium high heat. Once it gets warm add blueberries and peaches and heat just until it gets hot all the way through.

SUPER Simple Eggless donuts

I bought a 4-pack of small refrigerator biscuits from Pillsbury the other day and was so excited to try a recipe for donuts using them! Julie can't have eggs so I'm always looking for ways we can eat the things we love without eggs in them! Of course Julie's last eczema outbreak was b/c I stupidly gave her a donut without thinking that it had eggs in it! :-(
Anyway, these were super simple, the kids were able to make them (they are ages 5 and 2) and they had a blast! AND, you can control/monitor the amount of sugar in them!
The best part about these donuts is that they weren't REAL sweet like most donuts are...but they were definitely sweet enough and they felt like a real treat!

Ingredients:
1 small can of Pillsbury 10 biscuits (homestyle I think they are called...not buttermilk)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup cinnamon and sugar (I made my own mix)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Flatten out each biscuit a bit (I just pressed it between my palms a little).
3. Using a small circle cookie cutter, cut a hole in the middle of each donut.
4. Dip one side of each donut (and donut hole) into the melted butter, then into the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
5. Place donuts sugar side up on a large stone or baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until they appear fully cooked but not yet brown.

Super Simple Guacamole

Chris said this is his favorite version of guacamole...and we've tried MANY! This one was super simple!

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2-3 Tbsp lime juice
1 medium tomato, diced (I remove all the seeds and the slimy part around the seeds)

Directions:
1. Cut avocado in half, remove pit, and slice long ways and then short ways so there are small squares cut but still in the peel.
2. Scoop the avocado squares out of the peel and put into a large bowl. Smash them with a fork (I actually used a pastry blender this time and that worked nicely).
3. Add garlic salt, pepper, and lime juice, and tomato. Blend together well.

Best Asparagus Ever

I just came up with this idea as I was cutting up asparagus to cook the other night. I was going to just steam it and add a little salt, but I decided to saute it instead and it turned out AWESOME!

Ingredients:
1 bunch THIN asparagus
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Trim bottoms off of asparagus. Cut each stalk into about 3 pieces.
2. In large saute pan, heat olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until very hot. Add asaparagus. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta

Want to try this one too! Got it from here

Cheesecake Factory® Louisiana Chicken Pasta
.
Menu Description:
Parmesan Crusted Chicken Served Over Pasta with Mushrooms, Peppers and Onions in a Spicy New Orleans Sauce.
.
Cajun Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 small red onion, chopped
3 whole garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/4 pints whipping cream
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
4 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
.
1 package bow-tie pasta
.
Chicken:
4 tablespoons (approx) vegetable/olive oil
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons flour

Additional grated Parmesan Cheese

Cajun Sauce:
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Add bell peppers (yellow and red), mushrooms and onion and saute about 3-4 minutes. Cooking vegetables to a tender-crisp texture.

Add garlic and crushed red peppers and saute about 1-2 minutes more.

Add whipping cream and chicken stock. Simmer until sauce regains temperature and begins to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes.

Add basil and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce and season sauce to taste with salt and pepper, stirring to mix well. Reduce heat to low and simmer. Sauce will reduce and thicken.

The Chicken:
Wash and drain chicken breasts. Pound until very thin, to about 1/4 inch thick.

Mix bread crumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together. Place milk in dish for dipping.

Dip chicken in bread crumb mixture and then in milk and then back in breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot add chicken and cook until golden, crisp, and cooked through. Add more oil as needed. Remove and drain chicken. Keep warm.

Cook bow-tie pasta following package directions,
Drain pasta and return to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat.

Place pasta with sauce on plate, and top with chicken breast.
Serve with additional Parmesan to add separately.

Serves 6

Taste of Home's Oatmeal Mix Packets

Gonna try this very soon too! It's make your own instant oatmeal packets!

Taste of Home

I got this recipe from the Taste of Home Quick Cooking magazine.

* 1/2 cup powdered nondairy creamer

* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Additional Ingredients (for each additional batch)

* 2/3 cup quick-cooking oats

* 1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water

* Brown sugar, optional

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months. YIELD: 9 batches (about 1 cup total).

To prepare oatmeal: In a bowl, combine oats and 2 tablespoons oatmeal spice mix. Add enough boiling water until oatmeal is desired consistency. Sprinkle with brown sugar if desired. Yield: 1 serving

BoneFish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp

Yet another recipe I just found:

BANG BANG SHRIMP

Ingredients:
1 pound of shrimp, peeled
cornstarch
SAUCE:
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce to taste
a few drops of Tuong of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (Sriracha is very hot, if you like it hot add more)

Directions:
1. Coat the shrimp with cornstarch; set aside.
2. To make the sauce combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, hot sauce.
3. Deep fat fry the shrimp until crunchy and light brown. Don’t overcook. Drain the shrimp on paper towels.
4. Put the shrimp in a bowl and then stir in the sauce. Enjoy.

You can buy the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce at Walmart in the Asian Section.