Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

What did you make?

I made some half flour and half oatmeal pancakes with blueberries! I followed a standard recipe that said it was possible to substitute up to half the flour with oats or whole wheat flour.

How long did it take?

It took roughly 30-40min because I made the whole batch of pancakes. Mixing together the ingredients is not so bad and making pancakes can be fun if you aren't too hungry.

How did it taste?

It tasted pretty good. It had the right texture for pancakes. It was a bit less fluffy than I would hope though so I give it an 8.

German Dumplings

Thanks to Nina from Germany

What did you make?

Really easy and quick to make dumplings: take flour, (about 200 grams) and put two eggs in the middle, a teaspoon of salt and then mix with a mixer/whisk. Add some sparkling water (if you want, also a bit milk). Ready! Serve with semolina that was fried in butter....add some apricots.

How did it taste?

This always tastes great, I would give it a 9 for being to easy and quick to make and so tasty with the buttery semolina. The apricots make a nice juicy addition. Lovely!

Breakfast for Dinner!

What did you make?

We had a few menu items.

First there was the yogurt apple cake (look to the "Life is Sweet" post for the recipe). I added some lemon juice and lemon pieces on the apples before adding some honey and then the rest of the batter.

I also found an interesting graham cracker recipe aka graham cracker goodness (found it http://www.cookthink.com/) that called for equal parts melted butter and sugar to be put on the cracker. Then chocolate was added and finally it was baked along with the cake until the butter and sugar hardened and chocolate melted.

We also made some crepes. I found the recipe online. I used 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour, and 3 tablespoons of butter.

Multigrain banana chocolate pancakes were also made.

We also had scrambled eggs and salad to balance out all the sugar.

How long did it take?

This took around an hour but it is hard to say since we ate as each dish was made. There was (somewhat) organized chaos in the kitchen.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

It tasted great! It was truly a team effort to make these dishes. Sometimes it felt more like dessert than breakfast for dinner :) The graham cracker goodness was particularly different and the multigrain pancake mix from Trader Joes was also very delicious.

2 great ways to start off the day!

Crispy Salmon Melt
What did you make?
Some mornings I just want something with more protein so I had some leftover canned salmon from a can that I had mixed with mayo. I made myself a salmon melt with cheese and some salad and tomato sauce grilled in a pita. I also had some fruit to go with it.

How long did it take?
Around 10 minutes.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?
I really enjoyed this and I would rate it a 9. I like melted cheese with the crispy pita. The salmon was tasted too.

Brown Butter Honey Lemon Toast

What did you make?

I've had toast with honey and brown butter a few times but yesterday I was inspired to squeeze on some lemon and the results were amazing! Lemon is the perfect note for this toast. Brown butter is also more flavorful than regular butter. To make brown butter you just need to melt regular butter until the color turns brown.

How long did it take?

5 minutes. Let the toast heat and add some butter, honey , and a squeeze of lemon.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give this a 9. It was delicious and satisfying breakfast.

Oatmeal- Version 1, 2, and 3

What did you make?
This is oatmeal with raisins. I used 1 cup oats and 2 cups water and as many raisins as I wanted. This is the plainest oatmeal I eat and as you will see, I later added yogurt and apples and honey.

How long did it take?
I usually mix the ingredients in overnight and just turn on the heat in the morning. It takes around 5 minutes to cook.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?
I would give it a 7 for being satisfying and filling. I think yogurt actually doesn't really belong in the yogurt but I do like the sweetness of the apples. I would definitely make it again.

Tofu Supreme

What did you make?

Lately, I've been searching for the quickest meals possible and tofu is a great protein without having to cook meat and it absorbs any flavor. This dish is my usual one dish meal for lunch. I still enjoy using frozen spinach and grated carrots for color and taste. Tuna in oil tastes much better than tuna packed in water and some of the oil can be used for the stir fry. I also added some hot sauce to this dish.

How long did it take?

Not more than 30 minutes.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would rate it a 7.5. This meal was filling but not the most memorable. I like how if you use tuna, you dont need to add salt to your dish. At least I dont :) Grated carrots are easy to eat and you can taste the sweetness better. I admit if you look closely at the photo I didn't grate all the carrots.

Breakfast/Lunch

What did you make?

I was recently inspired by the NYTimes "Your Morning Pizza" article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/dining/18mini.html
and decided to use anything I had in my kitchen to create a filling Asian inspired healthy breakfast. However, I think this could have been lunch too and it kept me full for most of the day.

I used brown rice that had been cooked in some butter and water. I like to grate carrots for some sweetness and nutrition and color. I added some crumbled medium firm tofu and used hot sauce, sesame oil, and oil sauce as seasoning. I also tossed in some green onions. This dish works well for vegetarians and vegans if you skip the butter for the rice.

How long did it take?

It takes longer than to make most breakfasts but less time than most lunches to make. It took close to 20 minutes to chop, season, and mix up the ingredients. I had leftover brown rice from dinner so I didn't factor that in.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?
On a scale of one to 10 I would give it a 7. This dish was fragrant but without some more cooked vegetables or some meat, it was less satisfying. The texture of grated carrots, brown rice, and tofu were a nice combination. I would make this again if I wanted to make sure I would be full and energized for the rest of the day. However, I would say I'm still used to eating something sweet instead of savory for most breakfasts.

Location: NYC