Delicious fresh fruit blended into a smoothie

Breakfast to go! Smoothies filled with fresh fruit are so easy to blend up, and a healthy way to start your morning! In an older blog post, I mention three different ways I mix my smoothies; dairy-free, with yogurt or protein powder. I alter the combination just to vary the routine.  I use a mix of fruits; strawberries, blueberries, blackberries in different combinations, and often with bananas and spinach, but I saw a cantaloupe and pineapple duo on the Amazing Recipes site who shared a smoothie by Roti n Rice and I couldn’t wait to try it! I got to the blender quicker after my local radio station woke me up to Hawaiian themed music! I made it with a scoop of vanilla protein powder, adding about 20 grams of protein to the mix. It’s a refreshing beverage!

Freeze fruit for a thicker smoothie

I like the thicker consistency that frozen fruit adds to smoothies, so I often combine fresh and freshly frozen (prepared by me, not purchased from the freezer section) fruit in my smoothies. You can also thicken it up with a couple of cubes of ice if you are using all fresh fruit.

A healthy breakfast ready in a snap!

Pineapple Melon Smoothie

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

7 mins

 

Refreshing fresh fruit smoothie – breakfast, snack, post or pre workout beverage!

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Beverage

Cuisine: Smoothie

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh cantaloupe, cut in chunks
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, cut in chunks
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 serving (scoop) of protein powder (vanilla)

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately!

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Pineapple and cantaloupe are filled with vitamin C, so get your daily allowance from this smoothie!

Simply delicious!

Join me on Facebook! The Foodie Affair now has a page!

Eat your veggies and Muffins

Did you see my batter mixture on The Foodie Affair Facebook page? I whipped these up because I never did get around to making my yearly bunny carrot cake. Do you know which type I’m talking about? You take two round cooked cakes, one is for the bunny’s head and the other you carve out ears and a bow, frost it and decorate a bunny face! It’s been an Easter tradition in our family since our kids were little, but this year they weren’t home, so no bunny creation was made! I’ve been thinking about carrot cake though, even had a delicious slice at a house warming party I went to a few weeks ago.

After glancing through a magazine, another carrot cake inspiration popped out at me in the form of a muffin! It had to be done. Carrots needed to be cook into deliciousness!

I added oat bran and whole wheat flour to these muffins

These muffins taste great on their own, but try it with plain cream cheese mixed with a little agave or honey.

I was able to add some healthier ingredients by cutting most of the all-purpose flour for oat bran and whole wheat flour. I also replaced some of the oil with applesauce.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Carrot Cake Muffins

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

18 mins

Total time

33 mins

 

All the flavors of carrot cake, added is some oat bran and whole wheat flour.

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup oat bran
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup grated carrots, packed (about 2 large)
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan by coating them with cooking spray use paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, oat bran, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and salt.
3. In a sperate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients; eggs, oil, applesauce, milk, and vanilla.
4. Pour wet ingredients into flour mixture until incorporated (don’t over mix). Fill each muffin cup about half way and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
5. Serve with cream cheese mixed with a little agave or honey.

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Recipe adapted from Woman’s World Magazine, May 13, 2013

Just a little slather of cream cheese

Lightly spiced, these muffins are delicious as a dessert or for breakfast!

Dress your taco salad with a creamy no-fat cilantro salad dressing

As summer gets closer, my intake of hearty salads increases. I’m really lucky to live in an area that offers three different days during the week where I can shop at our Farmer’s Market. I load up on organic greens, then wash and cut up everything, so when I make salads, it’s just as quick and convenient as buying pre-packaged lettuce. My favorite type is romaine mixed with baby spinach, but when I make taco salads, I include iceberg.

Fresh leafy greens are super low in calories and high in fiber, but the health benefits are often negated by the high calorie dressing we often bathe salads in. What’s your favorite taco salad dressing? Ranch or Thousand Island , sour cream and salsa? I’ve had them all, but I really like this Creamy Cilantro Dressing.

Creaming dressing that is low-fat! No oil added

The whole batch mixes up to make about cup of dressing and it’s about 300 calories. The dressing will be enough for 4-6 salads. If you use it sparingly, which I doubt you will because it’s so tasty, store it in an air tight container in your refrigerator. It’ll keep fresh for about a week.

Taco Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Taco Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• for dressing:
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 Tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds) toasted
• 6 ounce 0% fat Greek Yogurt
• Juice of two limes
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ – 1 jalapeño (add to taste), seeds add more heat, so adjust to your preference.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• SALAD
• 1 pound ground meat (turkey, beef or chicken), browned with taco seasoning
• 1 pint tomatoes, halved
• ½ head iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup mixed greens
• 2-3 scallions, sliced
• ¾ cup cheddar/monterey jack mixed cheese, shredded
• sliced olives
• Tortilla chips (optional)

Instructions

1. DRESSING
2. Blend all ingredients together with a food processor or blender, pulsing until ingredients are combined.
3. Adjust to taste by adding more Jalapeño pepper or salt. Makes about 1 cup of dressing.
4. SALAD
5. Toss gently all ingredients together. Add dressing to individual plated salad.

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Dressing recipe adapted from here.

When you cook up your meat, try my homemade taco seasoning mix . It adds great flavor to chicken, beef or turkey!

Try the Cilantro Dressing and let me know what you think!

Thanks for the new “likes” Facebook friends! If you haven’t checked out The Foodie Affair Page, click here.

peanut butter chips and melted chocolate. Each bite is scrumptious!

I mailed these Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars to my son. His first year of college and final week of tests are coming to an end, AND then it’s SUMMER!!

It may not feel like it, but Summer’s Comin’

Nothin’ on earth that’ll get me hummin’

Like a heat wave comin’, I’ll come runnin’

With her makin’ that tan in the broad daylight

And every night is a Saturday night

Clint Black sings it and I believe he’s right, Summer’s Comin’!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Peanut butter chocolate chips and a swirl of chocolate mixed in the batter. A delicious combination.

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 36

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, solftened
• ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 package (10 oz) peanut butter chips (Reese’s)
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted (microwave until smooth. approximately a minute). Cool chocolate.

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Beat butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bow. Add sugars, beating well. Add eggs one at a time until blended together. Add vanilla.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture. Fold in peanut butter chips.
4. Spread half of the batter on the bottom of the pan, spoon melted chocolate over the first layer of batter. Top with the remaining batter, carefully spreading it over the chocolate layer. Swirl batters together with a knife.
5. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool and cut into bars.

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Chocolate and peanut butter. They are mean’t to be together, you know that. I’ve paired them up before; Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, chocolate peanut butter eggs, a late night snack of a spoonful of peanut butter topped with a few chocolate chips – uhh, yes, please and thank you!

This recipe is a basic cookie base laced with peanut butter, peanut butter chips for extra deliciousness, and swirled with some melted semi-sweet chocolate. I know, crazy good.

One, two, three, Swirl!

I hope the extra sugar in these treats gives my son an extra hour or two of brain power while studying, but go and make a batch of these bars and send them to someone special for no reason at all!

Don’t forget the milk!

What is your summer schedule like? I’m looking forward to evening barbecues and beach bonfires!

You better start making plans, cause Summer’s Comin’ !!

Double wrapped in saran wrap, then foil and put in a ziplock bag before boxing them up to be mailed. Special delivery coming up!

Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips in each bite. YUM!

A flavorful light broth is the base for this Mexican meatball soup.

Albondigas Soup is a light broth soup with vegetables, a bunch of cilantro, and meatballs with rice. I have also made this soup with fresh mint. I didn’t have any, but I like the nice depth of flavor it adds, so substitute about a 1/4 cup of the cilantro for chopped fresh mint if you would like.

This is a recipe that can be adjusted to what you have in your refrigerator, so don’t be afraid to experiment. If you have potatoes, add them for a heartier meal or serve it with an extra scoop of rice.

I happened to have cooked brown rice, so that’s what I used, but you can use raw rice. It’ll fluff up as it simmers with all the ingredients.

A delicious warm soup.

I spent Cinco De Mayo working in my yard sweeping up leaves and pulling weeds all while battling the wind! Crazy wind came out of nowhere it seems. I felt like I won the challenge. Two full bags of lawn and leaf clippings went straight into my yard waste bin.

I actually like the satisfaction I get from working in my yard, but boy does it wipe me out! After putting all my yard tools away and watering my newly planted flowers, I took a nap that felt soooo good! I love sleep! I really do

Albondigas Soup – a meatball and rice

I couldn’t let today, the fifth of May depart without preparing something festive, so since it was a bit chilly outside, the comfort of a Latin soup filled our bellies.

Albondigas Soup

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

A meatball soup in a light broth.

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• MEATBALLS
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• ½ lb Mexican chorizo sausage or regular sausage
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup rice, cooked or raw
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped (or mix ¼ cup mint and ¼ cup of cilantro)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1½ teaspoon cumin
• *SOUP BASE
• 6 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, cut in chunks
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ cup cilantro
• 1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 large zucchini, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients for meatballs, mixing well. Form into 1½ inch meatballs (about 24), and set aside.
2. In a stock pan, combine broth, onion, celery, carrots, cumin, oregano, cilantro, and tomatoes with the liquid. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Get the soup to a slight boil and drop the meatballs in the soup. Reduce the heat to a simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Add zucchini and cook 10 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

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And a classic margarita rounded out the day!

Have a great week – and if you are on Facebook, join me at The Foodie Affair page.

~Sandra

Add spices to any type of ground meat for added flavor

Hey, have you noticed the big display of Corona beer, salsa and chips prominently placed in your grocery store? Start stocking up, Cinco De Mayo is just around the corner, which is a really good excuse to enjoy your favorite Mexican food! If your menu includes tacos or burittos, try this homemade taco seasoning mix.

I know sometimes it is very convenient to rip open pre-packaged spices, but some of the ingredients in those ready-made packets have added chemicals that you don’t need or want on your tacos or in your body! No need for sugar, MSG or food coloring added to your tacos, right?

Mix to suit your taste. Like some heat? Add more cayenne and red pepper flakes.

Making your own taco seasoning is super easy, and I bet you have all the spices. Just mix them together, then add it to ground beef, chicken, or turkey with about 3/4 cup of water and you have a delicious filling ready for tacos, burritos, enchiladas or to the meat for taco salad. You can even add the spices to sour cream or Greek yogurt and use it as a topping for one of your Mexican dishes.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Taco Seasoning Mix

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Spices – Seasoning

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch of cayenne (optional)
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix all spices together in a small bowl.
2. Add to 1 pound of partially browned meat. After meat is completely cooked, add ¾ cup of water and cook until the flavors blend together and water cooks down, approximately 10-15 minutes.

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Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

Make several batches of the mix, store it in a airtight container, and it’ll be ready for your next fiesta! Taco Tuesday, perhaps?!

Make yourself a Blackberry Margarita while your at it too, won’t you?!

~Sandra

Fresh Blackberry Margarita

I’m becoming my mother. I am.

A little light bulb will flash in my brain when my behavior mirrors my mother’s, and I’m quite pleased by it. Besides her good looks and fun personality , I’ve developed her same food and drink snobbery – errr, refinement!

Margaritas for two, please!

Mom will go out for a meal, and there is no question if it was a good experience or if she wishes she would have stayed home and cooked it herself! You can immediately see it in her expression. See, she’s a really good cook. My mom is the kind of cook that reinvents gourmet meals from three days worth of leftovers (I’m not there yet, but it’s something I look forward to!), so when she steps out of her own kitchen, she wants to to be treated to some good tasting food. Can you blame her?

Make your own margarita to get your money’s worth!

Yep, that’s who I have become too, a critique!

Lately, I’ve been so disappointed when I go out and buy an alcoholic beverage that tastes like kool-aid! . I absolutely detest spending $10-$15 on a drink that leaves me craving the water more then the drink! That has been my luck with margaritas. I mostly get what tastes like watered down sour tasting margarita mix. Bleh!

Fast forward to Fresh Blackberry Margaritas! Yum-Yum-Yum!!

Blackberry Margarita

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Beverage

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 3 large limes, juiced
• ½ cup simple syrup (1/2 cup water & ¼ cup sugar or xylitol on medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cool)
• ½ cup blanco tequila (100% Agave)
• 3 ounces orange liqueur (Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec)
• 1 container fresh blackberries, about 6 ounces

Instructions

1. Prepare glass by rubbing leftover freshly squeezed rind over rims of glass to moisten. Pour in a dish salt, sugar or a mixture of the two. Dip rim of glasses in the mixture.
2. Combine lime juice, simple sugar, tequila, Orange liqueur, and blackberries in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour mixture through a small sieved strainer over a container, removing solids. Serve over ice.

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Cooking Light, June 2011

Fresh berries

This freshly made margarita takes a couple of extra minutes to strain the seeds from the berries, but the flavor is delicious and worth the extra step.

You can purchase simple syrup, but why would you, it’s so simple to make

Refreshing and tastes like an adult beverage, not kool-aid!

Step away from the yellow/green margarita mix, and treat yourself to a good tasting margarita. Fresh blackberries are full of antioxidants!

Like this recipe? Join me on Facebook, The Foodie Affair for upcoming recipes. Enjoy!

~Sandra

CocoMcJammies

CocoMcJammies! I like the way that sounds. CO-CO-MC-JAMMIES. Say that out loud, and let it roll of your tongue a couple of times.

I bet you are doing a little dance, a bit of a shoulder move here and there too. It’s ok, go with it!

This recipe was called Hawaiian Blackberry Jam Slices from Allrecipes. Yep, that’s what they are, but after making the slices, I thought, why categorize these treats into a particular shape? I think a round thumbprint type cookie would work out well.  Calling it slices seems a bit blah for such a cool five ingredient dessert.

Easy Homemade Blackberry Jam centers the CocoMcJammies

On The Foodie Affair’s Facebook page where I give you a peek of what recipe I’m working on, I commented that I wanted help with a new name! Thank you, Michele, Eva, Laura, and Sharon for your suggestions! Rebecca came up with CocoMcJammies, which seems to go hand in hand with this tropical dessert perfectly! Thank you, Rebecca! You will be getting a little care package from me for your creative title!

CocoMcJammies a tropical dessert treat!

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 36 each

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup (about 6 ounces) roasted, salted macadamia nuts
• ¼ cup of sugar
• 1½ cups sweetened, flaked coconut
• 2 large egg whites
• ½ cup Jam, homemade or store bought
• HOMEMADE BLACKBERRY JAM
• 2 cups blackberries
• ⅓ cup sugar (I used xylitol)

Instructions

1. For homemade blackberry jam, clean blackberries, add them to a sauce pan on medium heat. Mash berries with a potato masher. Stir in sugar. Bring to a boil stirring often until jam is thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. CocoMcJammies
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
4. In a food processor or strong blender, process nuts and sugar until finely ground. Add coconut until combined. Add egg whites and mix again until all ingredients are combined.
5. Form dough into 2½” thick logs, forming a crevice down the middle of each log with a spoon or your finger. For cookies, drop tablespoons of dough pressing the center with your thumb.
6. Bake logs for about 30 minutes or until lightly golden. The cookies will take about 20 minutes.

Notes

Add the blackberry jam immediately after coming out of the oven and let cool. After about 30 minutes, cut the log in ½” slices. If the jam is too thick, warm it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

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If you are keeping your diet gluten-free, this dessert is for you. These treats have no flour. The texture is like a macaroon.  The added jam adds a nice blend of flavor.

Round like a thumbprint cookie works perfectly with this recipe.

I kept the Blackberry Jam simple, but you could add a squeeze of lemon juice or a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla if you would like.

Add homemade or store bought jam to the CocoMcJammies

I had strawberry sauce  in my refrigerator that I added to some of the CocoMcJammies. The strawberry sauce wasn’t as thick as the blackberry jam, so I noticed that the cookies got moist quicker than I would have liked. I recommend adding the jam right before eating and keeping them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Refrigerator Homemade Blackberry Jam will keep for several weeks.

I can totally envision a nice cup of Earl Gray tea with a few CocoMcJammies. What do you think?!

CocoMcJammies, CocoMcJammies, CocoMcJammies. Now say that ten times fast

~Sandra

Chicken Parmesan stays crispy with added sauce and cheese

Anything that touts, the best gets my attention especially when it comes from the Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. I’ve been a subscriber for a lot of years. Cooking is a science experiment! Don’t you think? It doesn’t matter if you are a new cook or have been experimenting with different recipes for years, there is always something new to learn. Cook’s Illustrated explains why different cooking techniques work and gives details on how they arrived at the end result.

Fried and baked for best

I mostly bake my chicken or stir-fry it, but this recipe calls for a shallow fry technique, which means your meat isn’t completely submerged in oil. It has enough oil to crisp up the crust, which no doubt aids in the flavor, confirming the title, The Best Chicken Parmesan.

The Best Chicken Parmesan

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Dinner, Chicken

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• SAUCE:
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
• CHICKEN:
• 2 (6 – 8 ounce)bonless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, halved horizontally and pounded ½ inch thick
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ½ cup fontina cheese, shredded (I used three cheese mixture)
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
• ¾ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil (I used grape seed)
• ¼ cup torn fresh basil

Instructions

1. SAUCE
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, oregano, and pepper flakes. Cook stirring until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and sugar. Increase to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and sumer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and remaining tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. CHICKEN
4. Sprinkle each cutlet with ⅛ teaspoon of salt and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Mix cheeses together and set aside.
5. Whisk egg and flour to together in a shallow dish until smooth. Combine parmesan , panko, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper in second shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge each cutlet in egg mixture, then coat all sides in parmesan mixture. Press lightly if needed to so crumbs stick to the chicken. Set aside.
6. Heat oil in a 10″ nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers.Two at a time, place cutlets in pan and don’t move them until bottoms are crispy and golden in color. This takes about 1½ -2 minutes. Carefully flip cutlets, repeating on the second side. Transfer to paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.
7. Place cutlets on a baking sheet and sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over chicken. Broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and top each with a couple of tablespoons of sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

If part of the chicken is thick, don’t pound that section if it is less than ½ inch thick.

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Cooks Illustrated, March & April 2013

Here are some tips I learned while making this recipe. Salting the chicken alters the proteins and helps keep more moisture in the meat. What a difference that simple step makes. I couldn’t believe how moist and tender the chicken cooked.

I also learned that the cheese acts as a barrier between the crispy layer on the chicken and the sauce, so it won’t get soggy as soon as the sauce is added. Sheesh, seems so logical, right?

Delicious crispy, juicy chicken

Keep this recipe handy. I guarantee you will be happy with the results.

Leftovers? Slice the chicken and add it to a green salad or make a parmesan cheese sandwich.

Serve over pasta

So, I’ve been playing with The Foodie Affair Facebook Page for the past two weeks and kind of like my blog, at times I feel like I am talking to myself – haha! As of right now I have 94 “likes” which is super cool! Thank you “likers” I appreciate YOU! I know I have a lot of “lookers” too because I get general feedback on how many people in cyberspace are checking out what I post, so please let me know you stopped by with a hey!

Are you looking for a particular type of cuisine? Let me know! I have a lot of excellent foodie blogger connections that work really hard on creating great recipes to share.

Have a wonderful week!

~Sandra

Adding cottage cheese to the batter increases the protein in these pancakes

Cottage cheese in pancakes? I know, it doesn’t sound very appealing, but before you decide that no one in your family will touch them, hear me out. I test tested these a couple of times without telling anyone that there was a secret ingredient added to it, the cottage cheese! I’m sneaky like that. If I want to introduce healthier versions of our favorite recipes, I slowly introduce my changes and just observe reactions, tweaking as needed.

For the first batch, I used all purpose flour for the base with the cottage cheese, and they were quickly gobbled up. For the second batch, I adjusted the flour by substituting 1/4 cup of the flour for oat bran, and got the same reaction, happy bellies! These pancakes are moist and tender. The added protein is a bonus!

Serve your pancakes with fruit for a complete meal!

All you need to do is put all the ingredients in a blender and whip it all together until the cottage cheese curds turns into a smooth batter.

These pancakes will leave you feeling satisfied for hours! I kid not.

Fresh berries and bananas add enough sweetness to the pancakes

If you prefer, add a little maple syrup to your pancakes, yum!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Sandra @ The Foodie Affair

Recipe type: Breakfast, Brunch

Serves: 12 each

Ingredients

• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup oat bran (or use all purpose flour for a total of 1 cup in recipe)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 extra large eggs
• 1 cup cottage cheese (I used small curd, 1% low fat)
• ½ cup milk (I used almond milk, unsweetened)
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

1. Spray griddle or skillet with cooking spray and heat griddle to 350 degrees or skillet to medium.
2. Sift flour, oat bran, baking soda and salt together. Put flour in a blender with eggs, cottage cheese, milk and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour about ¼ cup per pancake onto the griddle. Cook until set enough to flip once. Serve immediately.

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Recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market recipe.

This recipe makes about 12 pancakes. A plate of three is about 273 calories and 18.75 grams of protein. Finally, pancakes that will stick to your ribs for a few hours!

Delicious with syrup or without.

Fluffy Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Try them out and let me know what you think!

~Sandra

Don’t forget to checkout my new Facebook page, The Foodie Affair where you’ll get a glimpse of recipes that I’m working on.