This is a recipe that I borrowed from my daughter. She has been making it for herself so she doesn’t have to eat my pancakes. Then I realized it is actually good. The pancakes are very simple but nutritious and delicious. Basic ingredients are oatmeal, eggs, bananas … oatmeal, eggs, bananas … oatmeal, eggs, bananas … that is it and just add a few things to make it taste better. Of course, this is a very kid friendly recipe.
Dairy free and gluten free with the substitution of gluten-free oats.
RECIPE
Serving: generous portion for 1 adult
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 cup of old fashioned oatmeal, coarsely ground (use gluten-free for gluten free version)
1 1/2 crushed ripe bananas
1/2 tsp cinnamon or apple spice
pinch of salt
lemon zest (optional)
oil for baking
1/4 tsp baking soda
syrup of your choice
fruits (optional)
Preparation
1. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl.
2. Mash the banana and add to the bowl.
3. Add 1/2 cup of oatmeal to a blender and blend until you get a coarse flour consistency. Add to the bowl.
5. Just like any other grains, I like to let the mixture soak for an hours. However, it can be baked right away.
6. Bake in a preheated oiled pan on medium low heat on both sides for 3-4 minutes. Flip over and bake for a few minutes. Both sides should be nice and golden brown in color.
7. You can add fruits on top of the pancakes while baking in the pan.
In the United States and Europe, rhubarb is known as the pie plant and in fact we tend to use it in sweet dishes. However, in Asia, it is more used in savory dishes. Today, I’m presenting a savory dish that was inspired by a blog. The rhubarb gives the sour taste that is balanced out nicely with the sweet and hot Chinese sauce and the bitter bamboo shoots. I chose broccoli as the main vegetable for the dish. If you prefer a vegetarian alternative, please check out my previous recipe that is a similarly made with tofu.
Rhubarb is everywhere here in the Midwest right now. It is almost ready in my garden but it has been available for a few weeks at the farmers’ market. It is actually a healthy plant. Rhubarb is great for health in the spring and the summer as it is cooling and detoxifying to the liver exactly what our body needs.
So what’s up with the ketchup? Is it Chinese? … I think of American cooking when I hear the word ketchup but in fact it originated from China. It is basically a sweet and tangy sauce made with tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and spices. It actually means fish sauce as they traditionally added fermented fish sauce to it. For this recipe, we just need the basic ketchup so feel free to use store-bought ketchup – unless of course you want to make it yourself.
This is a very tasty dish! I really wanted to make a dish with rhubarb then I found this recipe. I made a few changes to suit my taste. I cut the pork into long strips instead of squares. I replaced the green peppers with broccoli (you can use both). Also, I wanted to bring in more of the bitter flavor so I added bamboo shoots to offset the sourness of the rhubarb. For garnishing, I also added peanuts to get a bit of crunchiness. I think this is a fabulous recipe with an interesting twist to the usual sweet and sour pork dish that is served in restaurants with pineapples.
RECIPE
Ingredients
300 g pork fillet, cut into thin long stripes or 1 inch cubes
About 3 medium stems of rhubarb (200 g) cut into 1 inch batons – please use a scale
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 large onion, peeled, halved and cut into thin slivers
2 heads broccoli
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and chopped (1 Tbsp)
sesame oils
1 small can of bamboo shoots
rice or rice noodles
Marinade
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 Tbsp grated ginger, peeled
1 Tbsp corn starch
Sauce
2 Tbsp tomato ketchup
4 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Garnish
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 red chili pepper, finely chopped (optional)
cilantro
handful of chopped peanuts
soy sauce
Instructions
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Prepare rice according to its instructions. I used rice noodle last time.
Cut the pork pieces into longer (2 inches), thin (half inch) stripes. You can do squares too but the Chinese do long stripes traditionally.
Whisk together the ingredients for the marinade, add the pork, cover well. Let it marinate overnight or at least a half an hour.
In another bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce. Cover and set aside.
Heat oil in a large frying pan and add the rhubarb batons in a single layer. Cook for about a minute and a half, keeping them moving. Add a heaping tablespoon of soft light brown sugar, toss and cook for about minute more. You want them to be tenderized but still to have some bite. If they start breaking up, you’ve gone too far. Take them off the heat immediately. Scoop into a bowl and set aside.
Take the pork out of the refrigerator, pour off the marinade and dry with a towel.
Put a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok and stir-fry the pork on a medium-high heat for three or four minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
Make sure you’ve prepped all the vegetables before you start cooking the main dish because they will cook fast.
Saute the sliced onion until translucent. Add the ginger and the broccoli. Continue sautéing for about 5 minutes on medium high heat or until it is crunchy. Add the sauce (from above) and pour it into the pan. Add the rhubarb and the bamboo shoot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for three or four minutes. Add the pork and toss and coat well. Warm until pork is hot.
Add soy sauce and chili pepper if needed.
Serve over rice, garnished with the sliced spring onion , cilantro, nuts.
Flódni is a unique traditional Jewish Hungarian dessert. The original recipe uses apples, poppy seeds, walnuts, plum jam and all these ingredients are baked into a flour crust. This recipe uses the three main ingredients: apples, poppy seeds and walnuts plus the plums but has no crust. It is a gluten free recipe, in fact it is a very clever gluten free twist to the original recipe as the carbohydrates come from the poppy seeds. Its sour, bitter and sweet flavors come together to give a distinct culinary experience.
Traditionally, it is made at the end of the year for Christmas and Hanukkah but can be eaten any time during the year. It is filled with symbolic meanings for the end of the year. Each layer is rich and decadent and according to folk traditions can supposedly bring prosperity, health and protection for the entire family.
I was inspired by the recipe that came from a website – credited at the end. I have been making this delicious alternative at Christmas time for years. I made some changes to the original recipe. I moved some sugar from the nut filling into the poppy seed filling. I also added plums to the poppy seed mixture and some alcohol to the apples. Oh and honestly adding a little ginger to the walnuts did wonders.
The poppy seeds need to be soaked for 1 hour. I think if you follow my recipe, the poppy seeds should have enough time to soak. While the poppy seeds are soaking, make the apple mixture. By the time you place the dish in the oven, the poppy seeds should have had enough time to soak if not feel free to wait longer before putting the dish in the oven.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTs
Ingredients for the poppy seed layer
200 g (about 1 cup) poppy seeds
1 Tbsp melted butter (coconut oil for dairy free version)
3 eggs, divided
1/2 cup sugar
handful of raisins
prunes, chopped (I used 3 prunes but feel free to experiment)
1 orange or 1/3 cup orange juice + 1 Tbsp dried orange peel
Ingredients for the apple layer
1 kg (about 7 larger) tasty cooking apples
1 Tbsp fresh chopped ginger or 1.5 tsp dried ginger ( cut and sifted)
4 Tbsp sugar or honey
1 tsp ground apple pie spice or cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp rum (optional)
Ingredients for the top egg-white layer
150 grams (5 oz) ground walnuts
4 egg whites
1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp dried cut and sifted ginger
salt
METHODS
Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C). Lightly butter a baking pan (8 x 11.5 x 2″).
Preparing the poppy seeds
Grind the poppy seeds. (Coffee grinder works well).
In a smaller bowl, cream the melted butter, sugar and 3 egg yolks. Add the ground poppy seeds, prunes, raisins, orange juice with the peel and pinch of salt. Mix.
Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the poppy seed mixture from earlier.
Spread this poppy seed mixture onto a lightly buttered baking pan. Let is rest for 1 hour.
Preparing the apples
Wash, peel and core the apples. Grade them through the large holes of a cheese grader. Put the grated apples in a medium sized pot and cook it in a large pot on high medium heat until the liquid evaporates. When done add rum, ginger, ground apple pie spice, pinch of salt and 4 Tbsp of sugar/honey.
Spread the apple mixture on top of the poppy seed mixture. Place the dish in the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
Adding the nut mixture
Walnut/egg white topping: Have the ground walnuts ready. By the end of the 40 minutes, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff. Gently fold in the walnuts and the sugar. Spread this mixture on top of the apples and put the dish back into the oven. Decrease the temperature to 250 F (120 C). Bake for another 40 minutes.
Let it cool and settle. Serve at room temperature.
Enjoy this delicious and easy vegetarian eggplant dish. The eggplants are browned and cooked with some tomatoes, pungent spices, onions, and garbanzo beans. They can be served with rice or couscous and yogurt sauce. I also added sweet mama squash that complemented the dish nicely and made it more suitable for this ‘going from the summer into the fall’ time period. With the warming spices and the baked squash, it will be a great meal for this time of year. Not only that it suits the weather but it is delicious … honestly my family can’t get enough of it. I might have to go back to the farmers’ market tomorrow to get more eggplants.
Garbanzo beans. Soak overnight or at least for 4 hours. When done, discard the soaking liquid. Add enough cold water to cover the beans. The water should be about 1 inch above the beans. Cook the beans for 2-3 hours. (You can use a pressure cooker, just adjust the time). They need to be cooked slowly for a long time until they are nice and soft. They can take up liquid after they are cooked so add more water if needed. Add 1 tsp salt when done.
Preparing the eggplants. Wash and cut eggplants into cubes. Salt them and put them into a colander for 30 minutes to let the liquid drain. Wash off the salt and pat dry.
Frying the eggplants. In a wide large skillet, on medium low heat, slowly brown the eggplants in some olive oil for about 20- 30 minutes or until soft. They will not cook any more so make sure they are soft and well cooked before you add it to the sauce. Stir frequently. Make sure they don’t burn. Set aside.
Caramelize the onions. In a separate large skillet, brown the sliced onions in some oil with care, it takes about 30 minutes. Stir frequently. Set aside.
Crumple the saffron between your thumb and index finger and add hot liquid, stir well (optional). Otherwise you can just put whole saffron strains in the dish. Set aside.
Making the sauce. On medium high heat, warm up oil and add the ginger for 5 minutes. Then add the paprika, cumin, garlic and stir for 1 minute to activate the spices. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. You can add a little water here too. Cook the tomatoes for about 5 minutes until they become ‘saucy’. Add the saffron, cinnamon stick, and hot pepper. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat. Cook for 10 minutes on low medium heat. Add a little water if needed. Add the browned onions, eggplants and garbanzo beans from earlier. Cook for 5 more minutes covered. Let the dish sit for 15 minutes so the flavors can come together. Take out the cinnamon stick and the hot pepper pieces. Add freshly graded nutmeg, salt and pepper or anything else that needs to be adjusted.
Serve with cilantro, rice or couscous and yogurt sauce. I also added some baked sweet mama squash slivers and they nicely complemented each other.
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