No Yeast Belgian Waffles for Brunch

I have really come to appreciate waffles. Much like pancakes, they require more time than oatmeal or eggs in the mornings, and so it’s a treat to know that I have time to make them.

CK and I have different routines in making them: he tends to eat them as they come off the griddle until he is full, and I tend to wait until I’ve finished the entire batch. But we both drink coffee as we go, a very important part to the weekend breakfast making ritual. And we flirt relentlessly.

But I have a confession: indulging myself with sweetener is my current hurdle. I still think less than a tablespoon of honey in my afternoon tea constitutes as an indulgence. And so, while making Belgian waffles this weekend, one hand was holding up the coconut sugar bag and the other was contemplating how much was going into the batch, if any was at all. It’s one of the last “fears” of food I have. I am afraid of going too far (whatever the heck that means), of not stopping, and my body and confidence, which I worked so very hard on, would be gone in that instant. Forever.

Essentially, these waffles provided an existential conundrum for me, forcing me to really look at why I avoid added sugars like honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar, demanding the true reason why I worry about these things. I don’t have any medical condition that tells me to moderate it with Spartan diligence. My palate is sensitive to sweet stuff anyway, and usually does not need to have additional sweetness to be sated. Both are the reasons as to why I typically use banana or other pureed fruits in baking. 

But then I think of how this fear hinders me, how it had kept me from trying recipes simply because it was an indulgence. I want to make donuts and cakes and cookies. I want perfect cinnamon rolls and homemade chocolate chips. I want to enjoy gelato without care. 

And so, as CK and I were making waffles, drinking coffee and sharing our excitement in how much closer our visit was becoming, I looked down at the coconut sugar bag, scooped a heaping tablespoonful, and mixed it in.

It may not seem like a big deal, but it was a healing experience for me to care less than I had known to in the past. And they turned out to be one of the best Belgian Waffle batches I’d ever made. 

Yeast-free Belgian Waffles (inspiration from this recipe)

500 ml Half and half (or 250 ml each Whole Milk and Cream)
3 Large eggs, separated
120 g Brown rice flour
30 g Flaxseed meal
60 g Chickpea flour
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Cream of tartar
1 (heaping) tbsp. Coconut sugar
3 tbsp. Butter, unsalted
Zest of 1 Lemon

Preheat the waffle iron to the manufacturer’s instructions.
In a large bowl or blender, combine the half and half and egg yolks.
Add the remaining ingredients, excluding the egg whites, and combine thoroughly.
In a smaller bowl, whip the egg whites into soft peaks using a whisk or hand blender, and gently fold them into the batter.
If instructed, lightly brush the waffle iron plates with your preference of oil and pour enough of the batter to cover.
Let it cook until the first waffle is a nice golden brown and repeat the process.
Serve warm with your favorite toppings! (This is a sweet waffle recipe, so it will likely do better with sweeter ingredients, such as fruit, maple syrup, and ice cream.)

Depending on your waffle iron, it will make four or more waffles.

Carrot Cake Waffles

As much as I love waffles, I realized that I had very few recipes for them. CK and I are such fans we usually share a weekend morning making them over Skype while sipping Moka Pot coffee and gaming. It’s something we do while together and being long distance, feeling connected and loved.

I wasn’t much of a pancake or waffle person growing up. Perhaps it was the overtly sweet batter or the mushiness made by too much syrup. Perhaps it was my body telling me that I wasn’t eating something nourishing for my body with all of the processed box batter crap in every bite.

When I started making breakfast foods myself, in particular oatmeal, pancakes, and waffles, I could feel the difference immediately. I learned that I wasn’t really a fan of maple syrup as a primary factor of taste and sweetness; rather, I preferred mashed banana in the batter, and topping them with fresh fruit, peanut butter or preserves. I found that I really did love oatmeal, pancakes, and waffles, and the assortment of gluten free flours out there can off thousands of variations for one recipe. It was a matter of experimenting and being adventurous, accepting that some won’t be perfect and raving over the ones that are.

I tend to be bold in my recipes; as in, I usually don’t make “plain” waffles. They do not have a consistent flour combination, although the recipe has a 1:1 flour to liquid ratio and the same amount of eggs. Beyond that, I use different fats, sweeteners, and spices, along with various additions depending on what fruits or veggies I have on hand.

This recipe is a stick to the ribs sort of waffle. It is filled with protein and healthy fats, with a slight sweetness that isn’t overtly so (just as I like it). The batter is thick and definitely cakey, which is relevant considering the recipe’s inspiration.

Carrot Cake Waffles

1 Large carrot (< 195 g), shredded
40 g Walnuts, finely chopped, plus more for topping
2 Eggs
240 ml Whole milk
1 Tbsp. (21 g) Honey
30 g Olive oil
80 g Chestnut flour
80 g Garbanzo bean flour
40 g Buckwheat flour
40 g Flaxseed meal
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Ground ginger
1/2 tsp. Cardamom
1/2 tsp. Sea salt

Preheat the waffle iron as instructed, and set aside the shredded carrot and chopped walnuts.
Blend separately the wet (eggs, milk, honey, and oil) and dry ingredients (flour, spices, and leavening agents), and then mix together along with the carrots and walnuts.
When the iron is heated, use a pastry brush to lightly oil the plates.
Pour the desired amount of batter (able a ladle’s worth) onto the griddle and cook.
Repeat the brushing of oil and the waffle making until all of the batter has been used.
Serve warm with your favorite toppings (honey-sweetened cream cheese, for example).

Makes 8 Waffles.

The Simple Things

Sometimes I feel there’s this expectation for food bloggers to constantly come up with an original recipe, one that no one ever thought of and believed imaginable. In my case, I do try to do that from the get-go (and sometimes succeed), but I usually start with a recipe ratio I can modify to my liking and go from there. In this case, Ruhlman’s Ratio is the perfect example.

Originality (or the modification of a recipe to the point it looks nothing like the recipe and is thus “yours”) can come with the price: over-complication. For instance, I would add up to ten separate flours, two different liquids, and other things just for it to be different and hopefully work. And sure, it usually worked out, but then it would get too confusing… and expensive.

So I work to keep ingredients at a minimum (unless it’s spice, smoothie, or salad related, in which case this argument is null and void) in my baked goods and meals, simply because I want to be able to taste and enjoy them all. And though some of the recipes I post aren’t anything new or “original”, I’m starting to see that simplicity can be timeless and appropriate for a wide spectrum of meals.

Take home fries for instance: there isn’t anything new about them, and almost everyone has a particular way of preparing it. You can add or remove ingredients as you go, or make it with what leftovers you have on hand. It’s a non-recipe recipe, only with the intention of it being delicious being your guide.

And before you ask, yes, it was delicious.

Happy Home Fries

600 g Golden potatoes, diced into small cubes
15 ml Olive oil (or whatever fat you prefer)
3 (325 g) Bell peppers, finely sliced
1 Carrot, finely diced
3 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
225 g Leek, thickly sliced
1 tbsp. Dried tarragon (or parsley)
1 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Rosemary powder
1/2 tsp. Sage powder
   
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Coat the potatoes in the olive oil and pour them onto a medium to large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Bake for 30 minutes, and then increase the heat to 400ºF to bake for an additional 15 minutes.
In a large cast iron pan, grease the pan with additional olive oil and cook the bell peppers, carrot, garlic, and leek on medium heat until softened and slightly caramelized.
Add the potatoes and spices until completely integrated, and then turn off the heat.
Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings as a side dish.

Oatmeal Bars: The Beginnings of a Beautiful Breakfast

After perfecting my oatmeal breakfast bars, you can say I’ve become quite fanatic about them. They’re great because I’ve essentially made breakfast for the majority of the week, and it is so fun pairing different ingredients and switching  up the binders (i.e., egg, applesauce, banana, nut butter, etc.). I’ve also tried using different grains along with the rolled oats, particularly buckwheat and steel cut oats, but I wasn’t too keen on the texture. I like them soft, not crunchy. Oh, and toasted... (almost) everything is delicious toasted.

I aim to make them as balanced in nutrition as possible, little hand-held meals if you will. As I get more creative in making them, I plan on incorporating savory ingredients, maybe one that only has vegetables in it. Carrot has been my favorite vegetable for my oatmeal bars, and I enjoyed this recipe immensely while camping.

Vegan Carrot Tahini Oatmeal Bars

160 g Rolled oats
15 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
64 g Tahini
4 (162 g) Carrots, shredded
104 g Dried currants
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Ground ginger
Stevia, to taste

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the rolled oats and cider vinegar, add enough filtered water to cover at least an inch or two higher, and let it soak for eight hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Drain the water from the oats and rinse thoroughly before returning to the bowl.
Fold in the remaining ingredients into the oats, and pour the mixture in an 8x8” pan lined with parchment paper and spread it out evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes to one hour or until golden brown.
Remove from the baking sheet (parchment paper = easy lifting) and cut it into the number of square bites or bars to your preference.
Serve warm and toasted.

Makes 4 – 8 bars, or 4 servings.

It certainly got the job done in keeping me full until lunch time (paired with a Granny Smith and a dollop of almond butter, of course), but I wanted to play around with using egg as a binder, making it nut free (if you don’t use the shredded coconut as garnish) as a result. This one was my favorite of the two.

Nut-free Carrot Mesquite Oatmeal Bars

160 g Rolled oats
15 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1 Large egg
45 g Unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tbsp. (10 g) Mesquite powder
15 g Cacao nibs
4 Carrots, shredded or finely chopped
Shredded coconut, as garnish (optional)

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the rolled oats and cider vinegar, add enough filtered water to cover at least an inch or two higher, and let it soak for eight hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Drain the water from the oats and rinse thoroughly before returning to the bowl.
Fold in the remaining ingredients into the oats, and pour the mixture in an 8x8” pan lined with parchment paper and spread it out evenly.
Sprinkle the shredded coconut and lightly press it into the bar (omit if you are allergic and/or want to keep this nut-free).
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the baking sheet (parchment paper = easy lifting) and cut it into the number of square bites or bars to your preference.
Serve warm and toasted.

Makes 4 – 8 bars, or 4 servings.

New Adventures and Oatmeal Bars

These last three weeks of camp have been absolutely fantastic. I’ve laughed, cried, and learned the beauty of teambuilding, the creative mind, and working with kids. Children are amazing eye openers to the very existence of sentience. They want to do so much in the day, be so much in their lives. 

I’m going to miss it all.

For two weeks I’ll be away from camp, and likely from this blog. I am leaving for the family’s annual camping trip in New York first thing tomorrow, and subsequently another family vacation immediately after in Bedford, Pennsylvania. And then I come back, not as the Art Specialist, but a counselor working with kids with special needs. 

Pareve BBS: Duck egg socca, veggies, and ricotta cheese

It’s going to feel so strange, not walking between classes with the “Art Cart”, communicating over a walkie-talkie, and having Pareve Bento Box Snapshots to share. There will, however, be quite a lot of grill days, hilarity, learning experiences, and maybe foodie adventures (if I ask politely albeit loudly enough) in both vacations. For now, I’m getting ready to pack, post a recipe, and give it my all today for the camp. 

These oatmeal bars were created for hectic mornings when I was rock climbing before camp and the start of Morri-friendly on-the-go sort of food. With camping and staying at a house that is not necessarily gluten-free, I needed to come up with breakfasts, lunches, and snacks that I can have on the assurance my tummy will be happy. As I search all over cyber space for the oatmeal bar I could eat, it was difficult to find any that had all of my requirements (i.e., gluten free, soy free, low sugar content, and refined sugar free). So I decided to come up with my own, and it was the start of a beautiful breakfast. You may want to add salt or sweetener to fit your tastes, but I loved it toasted with some apple butter or left plain. 

Vegan Oatmeal Bars

160 g Rolled oats
15 ml Apple cider vinegar
1 (very ripe) Banana
64 g Almond butter
42 g Cocoa nibs
30 g Unsweetened dried coconut
Salt, to taste
Sweetener, to taste

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the rolled oats and cider vinegar, add enough filtered water to cover at least an inch or two higher, and let it soak for eight hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Drain the water from the oats and rinse thoroughly before returning to the bowl.
In another bowl, mash the banana with a fork and mix it with the almond butter.
Fold it into the oats as well as the cocoa nibs and the shredded coconut.
Pour it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (remember: the thinner the crispier and the thicker the softer) and spread it out evenly to the desired thickness.
Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the baking sheet (parchment paper = easy lifting) and cut it into the number of square bites or bars to your preference.
Serve warm and toasted.

Makes 4 - 8 bars, or 4 servings.

Learning from Kids and their Art

When you work with kids, you start seeing things in a brand new perspective. You start seeing how amazing the world is, how fascinating the creative mind works, and just how brilliant sentience can be. The kids I work with range from going into kindergarten all the way to entering middle school, and all of the artwork they’ve created thus far is simply too beautiful for words. 

In the working environment I find myself in this summer, with its amazing staff and equally amazing kids, I come home so energized and inspired to make the next day even more spectacular. They’re bringing out the best in me as I hope I do the same in leaving a positive mark in their lives.

As I work with these kids, it is phenomenal how effortless being yourself actually is. They keep me on my toes, sure, because each child needs something different from me, but I strive for that sort of life. Whether it’s how I teach, what art project I have them do for the day, or working with what kind of day they’re having, I feel limitless in my abilities to be that person for them.

If it is one thing I’ve learned so far, it’s this: if there are no mistakes in a child’s artwork, then there are no mistakes in my own growth and progression. Why should my inner critic talk so loudly over something that can only get better over time? If I find children’s art so amazing – with their perceptions of reality shown in shaky albeit heavy marker lines, large words and figures out of proportion – and their imagination so incredibly infinite in their tiny finite bodies, then I should realize how far I’ve come and far I’m going.

To celebrate my first forty-hour workweek in my life, I made a cake. It’s a sticky, moist, apple cake that tastes amazing warm from the oven to sitting in the fridge for a few days. It isn’t too sweet, but life is sweet while you eat it.

“While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.”
~ Angela Schwindt 

Sticky Apple Cake

240 ml Sparkling water
2 Large eggs, yolks and whites separated
60 g Unsweetened applesauce
42 g Honey
1 Apple (I used a Pink Lady, but whatever you have is fine), grated
1/2 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract
120 g Buckwheat flour
90 g Mesquite flour
30 g Blanched almond flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Ground ginger
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
80 g Apple butter
Walnuts, optional

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a medium-sized bowl, blend together the sparkling water, egg yolks, applesauce, honey, grated apple, and vanilla, and set aside.
In another bowl, mix the flours, spices, and leavening agent thoroughly before integrating the wet ingredients with the dry.
With a hand blender or a whisk, form the egg whites into stiff peaks and gently fold them in with the batter.
Pour the mixture into a greased (I used coconut oil to keep it dairy-free) 9-inch pie pan.
Using a small silicon spatula, place the apple butter on the top and form a swirl indentation to create a marbled appearance.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the center is thoroughly cooked through.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for fifteen minutes on the counter before cutting into the cake and serving.
Smear your choice of nut butter, creamed cheese, or whipped cream, and serve warm or chilled with coffee, ice cream, or whatever you’re in the mood for.

Makes 1 cake, or 8 servings.

Stumped & Flopped

I’ve been producing quite a few “half-baked” recipes lately. It’s a term I use to regard a recipe as having the potential to be delicious, but it’s missing something crucial. There were two of which I was particularly bummed about, because I was really looking forward to blogging their awesomeness and I’m usually quite good at figuring out what recipes need.

These two, however, have stumped me silly. 

So if anyone out there in cyber space with some time and the ingredients could make it and tell me what’s missing, I’d gratefully appreciate it.

The first of these borderline flops was a smoothie similar to the “Sweet Pea Pucker Smoothie” recipe I made early on in my Meals with Morri blogging. I had a bag of key limes I needed to use up and was craving a key lime pie sort of smoothie. I don’t think it was nearly tart or sweet enough (that, or the sweet and sour flavors weren’t balanced correctly), and could have possibly used a banana in the mix.

Key Lime Pie Smoothie

Juice of 6 Key limes
1/2 Ripe avocado
81 g Frozen spinach
150 ml Coconut milk
120 ml Almond milk, unsweetened vanilla (found in Trader Joe’s refrigerated section by the milk)
122 g Applesauce, unsweetened
Stevia, to taste

I blended the ingredients until smooth and poured it into two jars lined with almond meal and flaxseed meal (the “crust”). It tasted okay, but I wasn’t very much impressed with it overall.

The second one was also a disappointment, though edible. I wanted to make an indulgent oatmeal breakfast with cocoa nibs and powder. I’ve had issues with cocoa powder before (see this post for my cocoa powder flop moment), so maybe baking chocolate would have worked better. It also wasn’t balanced in flavor, a little to bitter and not sweet enough. Instead of water, I think almond milk would have helped in making it creamy and decadent instead of strong and grainy. It’s also quite possible that the cocoa nibs should be on their own, like a chocolate chip or something.

Chocolate Crunch Oatmeal

20 g Steel cut oats
20 g CGF rolled oats
240 ml Water
5 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
7 g Cocoa nibs
5 g Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla
Stevia, to taste
1/4 tsp. (1 ml) Coconut oil

I combined all of the ingredients except for the coconut oil the night before to soak, and then cooked it over medium heat the next morning (oil included). I poured it into a bowl and garnished it with a whole banana, a spoonful of peanut butter, chilled coconut milk, and a dash of cinnamon. Again, I think if the garnishes were integrated in the oatmeal, it would’ve tasted phenomenal.

Let me know what recommendations and alterations you’d make with either (or both) recipe, and I’ll make them again and credit you for helping me in its success.

Russian Blini for Two

I am being perfectly honest with you all when I say that this month’s GFRR was hard. I’m not sure it had to do with my mindset, or if it truly was the multiple crepe recipes that weren’t working out. Now, with the final recipe written and posted, I’ve learned a few valuable lessons I’d like to share.

I try really hard not to use this blog as my place to rant about whatever grievance may come my way, as I did my first few months of blogging. And whenever I do talk about things that are less than rays of sunshine, I do what I can to not come off as some whiny, self-centered princess. Every time I do the GFRR with the other amazing participants, I am always humbled by the journey I took to get to that winning (or not so winning) recipe, and also by the recipes the others made.

For this particular challenge, I focused too much in the beginning of what kind of crepe I wanted to make and not at all on making a simple batch successfully. And I do this outside the kitchen all the time: daydreaming the details, doing what I can to making it exotic and outlandish, and not even thinking about mastering the basics first.

As I said, I’ve made crepes before. And yes, this implies I did so successfully. I've made them in a (gasp!) non-stick skillet and recently in a cast iron griddle pan. I expected victory, demanded triumph. What I got was a smack of humility and the Universe telling me to chill the crepe out. If you want to make something as temperamental as crepes, you have to have a cool head, patience, and remain optimistic even when you mess up a crepe (or, you know, half the batch… twice in a row).

Michael Ruhlman called crepes a “vehicle” (Ratio p. 81). I know he meant literally, as in “a vehicle for foods and flavors.” But for me, food is just as figurative as it is literal. Figuratively, the crepe is a vehicle for introspection and perspective. You know where you are in life when you make crepes. If all goes well, and you have a batch of freshly made crepes on a plate just waiting to be devoured, you start thinking how wonderful your life is and how wonderful you are. And if it doesn’t, if the crepes stick to the pan, break apart when you’re getting ready to flip them, are too thick or too thin or too something else, a storm cloud forms above your parade and you start grumbling “Oh, crepe!” like it was an expletive.

To be fair, even the not so pretty crepes in the batch tasted just fine, so I don’t think it had anything to do with the ingredients. It was the execution of making said crepes: not a hot enough pan, not a thin enough spatula, not a balanced enough stovetop, not patient enough, not a positive enough mentality… the list could go on if I let it.

While making crepes, I struggled to remain optimistic as my spatula pierced through yet another one in my flipping attempts. I started thinking of the uncontrollables and uncertainties I tried to keep from surfacing. As I said before, I don’t like to talk about myself when I’m feeling less than awesome. When things are less than kosher, I become introverted and do what I can to fix it myself so I don’t worry people.

The truth of the matter, my dear friends, is this: health isn’t always a sunny pasture with organic fruits and veggies on rolling hills as far as the eyes can see. While making crepes, I was upset, though upon asking I wouldn’t know what to say. I don’t really talk about my hypothyroidism very much on this blog (as of yet), nor about my adrenals or my internal health. I talk about disordered eating and fitness and my trials with both. I philosophize about food and life and love. The things I don’t talk about are only mentioned in passing, simply because I don’t know much about them except by how they make me feel. And throughout the entire month of February, I was frustrated and upset. Frustrated and upset, because I didn’t know why I was frustrated and upset. Was it a hormonal imbalance? Am I taking too much or too little Armour Thyroid? Why do my hands still have that slight yellowish hue from time to time, and what do my nails say about my overall health? Have I developed hyperthyroidism in my attempts to remedy my hypothyroidism? (These are ask-the-doctor questions, I know.)

I can always tell something’s wrong whenever I begin nitpicking at myself. It usually comes in the form of criticizing my body, and then wondering why my exercising and my eating habits weren’t transforming me into a shorter version of Wonder Woman in a matter of twenty-four hours.

Sometimes the conditions for making amazing crepes don’t happen. Sometimes you don’t understand what’s going on with your body or why your day was laced with moments where all you could say was “Oh, crepe!” Sometimes less than pleasant things happen, like crepes looking like badly formed discs of dough or falling twenty feet from a rock climbing wall and your chin painfully colliding with your chest.

These things happen, and the best thing you can do is brush off the hand chalk on your shorts after climbing or the splatter of crepe batter on your apron.

February and the start of March was a challenge in every right, and T.R. from No One Likes Crumbly Cookies picked the ratio that embodied it perfectly.

The concept for the crepe ratio is simple enough: 1-1-1/2, or one part egg, one part liquid, and half parts flour. (I focused on how much the eggs weighed and went from there.) But when it comes to the science of bringing them ingredients together… that’s where it gets iffy.

Some say to make sure the ingredients are at room temperature before blending, while others don’t even mention it. Some say refrigerate to let the batter “bloom” up to an hour or overnight, while others use it immediately. They vary in the use of a crepe pan, a non-stick skillet, or a cast iron griddle pan. And on what heat I ask you, medium or medium-high?

I tried different liquids, the most notable being the batches I made with sparkling water and goat milk. I tried different fillings for different kinds of crepe dishes, like the ricotta-cream cheese combination for a blueberry blintz recipe. The recipe that I am using for this month’s GFRR was originally going to be little fluffy canapés with random toppings, both sweet and savory. But as time went on, it ended up a little different than I expected. They have a taste of Russia in them complete with sour cream, a cornichon pickle, and chia “caviar”.

So, without further ado
I give you Russian blini… for two.

Russian Blini

2 (119 g) Large eggs
60 ml Goat milk
59 ml Lukewarm water (about 110ºF)
5 g Active dry yeast
3 g Creamed honey
30 g Buckwheat flour
30 g Garbanzo bean flour
1/4 – 1/3 tsp. Sea salt

Coconut oil or butter, for greasing the pan

Pour the eggs and goat milk into the blender and set aside to get to room temperature (at least an hour).
Combine the flours and salt into a bowl to be used later.
In another bowl, bloom the yeast with the water, honey, and at least 10 g of the dry ingredients for twenty minutes.
Add the flour and yeast mixture in the blender and pulse on low until just combined, and allow it to rest on the counter for another hour (you can then make the crepes or put it in the fridge overnight).
Heat your pan over medium heat.
Pour just enough batter to coat the bottom as you tip and tilt the pan.
Allow it to cook untouched until it’s set, at least a minute or so, and then gently turn the crepe and briefly cook the other side.
Remove the crepes to a rack as you make more to be used immediately or allowed to cool.

Makes 6 – 8 crepes. Serves 2.

Want to see what the others of the GFRR made this month? Well, scroll on down and click on their links!

Thank you, T.R. We couldn’t have had a better host for crepes.

Adina | Gluten Free Travelette     Breakfast Crepes Three Ways

Angela | Angela's Kitchen     Savory Buckwheat Crepes with Sweet Potato, Mushroom and Kale Filling

Caitlin | {Gluten-Free} Nom Nom Nom     Buckwheat Crepes

Caleigh | Gluten Free[k]      Banana Cinnamon Crepes

Caneel | Mama Me Gluten Free     Slightly Sweet Crepes with Caramelized Bananas and Nutella Sauce

Charissa | Zest Bakery     Black Pepper Crepes with Chicken Tikka Masala

Erin | The Sensitive Epicure     Socca with Za'atar & Sumac (Garbanzo Flour Crepes)

Ginger | Fresh Ginger     Sweet 'n Savory

gretchen | kumquat     nutella crepe cake

Heather | Discovering the Extraordinary     "Southwestern" Crepes

Jenn | Jenn Cuisine     Braised Duck, Fennel and Chestnut Crêpes

Karen | Cooking Gluten-Free!     Gluten Free Crepes Savory or Sweet

Mary Fran | FrannyCakes     Gluten-free Peanut Butter Crepe Cake

Mary Fran | FrannyCakes     Gluten-Free Vanilla Bean Crêpes Sucrées

Monika | Chew on This!     Dessert crepes with caramelized plantains, toasted coconut and chocolate sauce

Morri (me!) | Meals with Morri     Russian Blini for Two

Pete and Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem     Key Lime Crepes

Shauna | gluten-free girl     Gluten Free Buckwheat Crepes

*T.R. | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies     Brownie Crepes with Strawberry Wine sauce

*T.R. | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies     Basil Tomato and Feta Crepes

*T.R. | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies     Fresh Fruit Crepe

Tara | A Baking Life     Breakfast Crepes with Eggs and Kale

Jonathan | The Canary Files     Vegan Crepes for Filipino Spring Rolls

Rachel | The Crispy Cook     Raspberries and Cream Crepes

Mrs. R | Honey From Flinty Rocks     Crepes - Spinach & Dessert

A Week of Goals and the Ultimate Socca Indulgence

To start off the new week in an awesome manner, I have listed a few goals I want to work on to further my positive growth:

• Match my eating habits to my fitness regimen (No. 1 priority)
•  To get plenty of rest, i.e., 8 continuous hours of sleep (No. 2 priority)
•  Continue running (3x) and rock climbing (3x)
• Don’t take things too seriously and be flexible
• Keep up with my something-nothing philosophy
• To not spread myself too thinly
• Be there for myself, to be loving and not judgmental or critical
• Work on my resume and seriously look into jobs

As I don’t really have much of a story, I figured I’d post about my weekend in the form of photos...

... and a recipe. I was inspired by the Pure2Raw twins Lori and Michelle's vegan Tiramisu Pancakes, and I instantly thought of socca. They love socca. I love socca. And this recipe was the next logical step forward to combining two great ideas.

Socca Tiramisu

120 g Garbanzo bean flour
60 ml Coconut milk
60 ml strong coffee, chilled or room temperature preferred
120 ml Almond milk
10 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Coconut oil
Stevia, to taste

Click here to see how I usually prepare socca. This ranges from two to four servings, but I halved the recipe to make one large “pancake” with a cast iron griddle pan.

After it is cool enough to handle, slice the socca into quarters and stack the triangles on top of each other.
Smear the top with an extra helping of refrigerated coconut milk, which has the consistency of a soft whipped cream (though I think it would be absolutely fabulous to have between every single layer).
Garnish with cocoa nibs and a drizzle of maple syrup as garnishes.

Makes 2 sweet indulgences. Serves 2 – 4.

The Breakfast Bake Jamboree!

Last week must have been my most bangin’ week that I’ve had in a while. I was busy when there was something to do, and was relaxed when there was nothing to do. The house is cleaner, my demeanor is happy-go-lucky and open, and better still, I’m sleeping. Last night was my longest sleep yet: nine-something hours.

It’s weird, though. I figured that this awesome way of looking at the world would give me more time to blog, but the somethings in my life (i.e. working two jobs part-time equaling thirty-two hours, cleaning, exercising, hanging out with people) have kept me plenty occupied. In retrospect, I think this blog was my outlet from stressing out and losing it last semester, an escape through recipe writing and reaching out to those who visit Meals With Morri with stories of my day-to-day life. But after this week, I know when I am free to cook just for the sake of cooking, and following up with a post.

This particular post on my take of breakfast bakes has been two plus weeks in the making, if only because I wasn’t sure if I wanted each recipe to have its own post or do like I did with my various socca versions in “The Socca Chronicles”. After my stagnation of not blogging much of anything, the photos on my camera were adding up and I was getting overwhelmed with the idea of having to do so many over a short amount of time. In my something-nothing philosophy, that kind of thinking just wasn’t kosher. 

One post it was then.

My first ever “breakfast bake” (if I could call it that) on this blog was significantly different than what they look like today. They’ve transformed based on how they are cooked and in what, and I am truly digging my oven-safe soup bowls to do the job I wanted. They’ve varied in flours, liquids, fruits, leavening agents, and fats. Some of them have been amazing while others, well, not so much. I wasn’t partial to baking powder, only because of wanting to avoid cornstarch (or starches in general to keep the bakes whole-grain), and used equal measurements baking soda and cream of tartar instead. At the moment I’m only using baking soda, not as highly rising a product but delicious all the same.

By the way, the following recipes were baked in a preheated soup bowl at 350ºF for 30 or so minutes. Butter and coconut oil were used for greasing the pan just before adding the batter, though I’m using coconut oil currently. Oh, and all of the batters were made the night before and placed in the fridge to “set”.

The first is similar to the breakfast bake I had almost every day during the boyfriend's and my ski trip. It was made with 60 g of garbanzo bean flour, 90 g water, one egg, salt, baking soda and half a Granny Smith apple, so I just rolled with calling it a “socca bake”. But I started to realize that my tummy could only handle so many beans in a day, so I tried it with buckwheat flour and groats. 

Spiced Apple Buckwheat Bake

30 g Raw buckwheat groats, whole

30 g Buckwheat flour

90 ml Filtered water

5 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar

1 Large egg

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Allspice

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into small chunks

1 – 2 tsp. Butter, for greasing

Combine everything into a mixing bowl (except for the leavening agents, the apple, and the butter) and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF with a small oven-safe soup bowl (or ramekin) in the center.

Add the leavening agent and apple chunks into the batter and let it sit on the counter until the oven is heated.

Melt the butter in the hot bowl and swish around the bottom as well as the edges and then pour in the batter.

Bake for 30 minutes (or until you press the top in the very middle as does not give way).

I cut mine so it resembled a puffy sandwich and put a little peanut butter love in the middle.

Over the next few recipes I fell in love with cream cheese and wanted to use it in a few of my breakfast bakes as well as topping them with it.

Strawberry Dream Breakfast Bake

60 g Buckwheat flour

6 g Buckwheat groats

90 ml Filtered water

1 Large egg

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/8 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

Stevia, to taste

30 g Cream cheese

140 g Strawberries, cut into small chunks (if frozen, put in the fridge to thaw overnight)

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 – 2 tsp. Butter, for greasing

Like the “Spiced Apple BB” recipe above, mix together all but the cream cheese, strawberries, leavening agents, and butter to sit in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF with a small oven-safe soup bowl (or ramekin) in the center.

Add the leavening agent, the cream cheese in small patches, and strawberry chunks into the batter and let it sit on the counter until the oven is heated.

Melt the butter in the hot bowl and swish around the bottom as well as the edges and then pour in the batter.

Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

I think I would have liked it more if there was a little more stevia in the mix, but it was very satisfying nonetheless.

While I’m on the cream cheese track, I made one with cream cheese, coconut flour, and pureed berries for a cheesecake breakfast bake sort of thing. It looked darling until it sank. And there needs to be a different flour; the coconut gave it a weird texture.

Moving on.

I started craving the lemon poppy combination, and thought about making a breakfast oatmeal cookie with the two flavors. But I found that quinoa flour and garbanzo bean flour were simply made to be together, and deliciousness ensued.

Lemon Poppy Bake with Sweet Poppy Cream Cheese Spread

30 g Garbanzo bean flour

28 g Quinoa flour

120 ml Filtered water

12 ml Orange juice

1 Large egg

1/4 tsp. Grated lemon zest

4 g Poppy seeds

1/8 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

Stevia, to taste

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 – 2 tsp. Coconut oil

Sweet Poppy Cream Cheese Spread

15 g Cream cheese

1/8 – 1/4 tsp. Poppy seeds

Stevia, to taste

With this recipe, you can combine all of the ingredients with the exception to the leavening agents and coconut oil and bake as instructed above. I particularly enjoyed this one because it was something different, and quinoa flour has been neglected for much too long in this house.

Along with using the typical dry ingredients for the “flour" component, I also tried out pumpkin and sweet potato for a change of pace. Both bakes were significantly softer and creamier than the others, and resembled very much like a baked pudding or spoon bread.

Pumpkin Pudding Bake

60 g Garbanzo bean flour

183 g Pumpkin puree

90 ml Filtered water

1 Egg

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Allspice

Dash of Powdered sage

Stevia, to taste

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

Finally, in an attempt to keep the Winter Wonderland Spirit alive (since it only became cold enough to snow as of Friday), I thought of some of the recipes I didn’t get to make in December, like gingerbread cutout cookies and other recipes associated with the holidays. But I did have fresh ginger root on hand. And I did have some odds and ends that reminded me of ornaments, trees, and lights…

Gingerbread Bake with a Touch of Currant

30 g Buckwheat flour

28 g Buckwheat groats, coarsely ground in a spice blender

120 ml Filtered water

1 Large egg

1 tsp. Orange juice

1/4 tsp. Grated lemon rind

6 g Finely grated fresh ginger

5 g Fresh ginger, cut into very small cubes (you can also use candied ginger in its place)

15 g Dried currants

5 g Unsweetened baking chocolate, finely ground in a spice blender

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Allspice

1/8 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

7 g Honey (or 1 pureed prune, as I had done)

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 – 2 tsp. Coconut oil

Just like with the "Lemon Poppy Bake" and the "Pumpkin Pudding Bake" you combine all of the ingredients except the last three to sit in the fridge overnight. And just when you are preheated the oven you add the leavening agents, and then put the coconut oil into the hot pan ahead of the batter.

So there you have it: five breakfast bake recipes with an additional two mentioned in passing (one of those passing fancies being a flop). I learned a lot about how leavening agents differ, and the glories of cream cheese were only just realized. There were many I didn’t photograph simply because I was up at such a ridiculous hour and my brain was fuzzy with fatigue and hunger, but I have one of the recipes written down and one still in the thought process, both of which need to be tinkered with.

It’s official: January is definitely Breakfast Bake Month for the year 2012. Don't get me wrong; that’s just dandy. I do, however, intend on the last week of this month having other recipes besides breakfast bakes. Cookies maybe. Or something with whole grain quinoa in it. 

We'll just have to wait and see.