Flapjacks

Flapjacks are one of our staples.  We had it for brinner last night, leftovers toasted this morning.  It’s one of those fill-you-up, save-some-cash, cook-with-whole-wheat meals that actually tastes good.

Fill yours up with anything you like, berries and other yummies.  Us, we’re boring.  We like ’em plain, cinnamon, or chocolate chip.  Num num num.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour = 1 C. (Try it!  Don’t be gun shy about this.  It gives these amazing flavor, unlike so many chalky, wheaty things that bear no resemblance to anything edible.) 

Brown sugar = 2 TBS (Regular granulated sugar works too – use your favorite kind)

Baking powder = 1 tsp

(You can mix a huge batch of those 1st 3 ingredients, and store it for a while in a large container.   When you need a quick meal, scoop out a cupful and add to it the following ingredients.)

Milk = 1 C. (yogurt can be used with good, slightly tangy results)

Eggs =  1

Method

Mix the dry ingredients well. 

In a liquid measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs.  Add them to the dry mix.  Measure the milk into the liquid cup, and add it to the mixture too.  Stir well. 

Drop by 3/4 C. at a time onto a hot skillet for one large pancake per person (three 9″ flapjacks total), or by 1/4-1/3 C. at a time for a couple smaller pancakes per person. 

If everyone’s really hungry, I’d recommend doubling the recipe.

Result

Hopefully, you’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was when I tried this recipe the first time.  I’ve come across many recipes that promise fluffy, airy, soft pancakes, all of which are made with plain old white flour.  But I’m never switching back.  Our family loves the full, hearty taste of these healthy flapjacks!

For a picture-free, easy-to-print version of this recipe, please click on the following link:

https://thefullvine.wordpress.com/flapjacks/

Savory Grain and Bean Pot

This post is not about pot.  But it is about something addictive: nutritious cooking and eating.

I wish I had time today to tell you all about my new cookbook, the Mennonite’s More-For-Less.  I’ll save that for another day.  Let’s just say it strikes a vibrant chord in me, as I work to create economical, attractive, simple, and extremely delicious meals for my family.

If you’re “cutting back” the ol’ budget, please try this recipe!  If you’re skeptical about beans or grains, try it anyway.  My guess is you’ll be so pleased, it will become a staple on your menu.  It is on mine, as we slowly change our eating habits in a positive direction.

One bowlful each was enough to fill me and my husband, with only a piece of bread on the side.  Our toddler ate it without spitting it back out all over himself, and even requested seconds.  This is his non-breakable, old-fashioned, wonderful wooden bowl:

What more can a Mama ask for?

(By the way, you can see one little piece of meat in the bowlful above.  I saved my boxed-up leftover steak from a wedding reception, diced it, and added it to the soup.  Would have been wonderful without it, but I discovered that the Grain and Bean Pot has open arms for any meat scraps you want to use up.)

Savory Grain and Bean Pot

Feeds 8-10/3 solid meals for 3 people, with some left over to blend and dip crackers in

Ingredients

2 TBS olive oil or other oil

1 C. chopped onion

2 C. chopped vegetables (carrots, mushrooms, celery…)

1 C. cooked soybeans (I used navy beans)

1 C. cooked tomatoes (I used Pastene Kitchen-Ready)

2-3 peppercorns (I estimated with freshly ground pepper)

pinch cayenne

1/4 tsp each of basil, tarragon, oregano, celery seed, summer savory (which I did not have, and simply added parsley)

pinch each of thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage

3 TBS soy sauce

1/2 C. brown rice

1/3 C. bulgar or cracked wheat

6-8 C. vegetable stock or broth (I used leftover chicken stock from the bird I cooked up earlier in the week – the little clucker just kept on giving.  Also included the water from cooking the beans.)

Method

Sauté the onions and vegetables in your choice of oil.  Add everything else.  Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours, until the grains are tender.  That’s it.

The original recipe says you can pressure cook it for 10-15 minutes.  I sautéed the veggies and combined everything in a crock pot, cooking it on high for the first hour or so, and on low for the rest of the day while we were out.  Perfect!

Top the soup with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and freshly clipped chives.

Result

One incredibly filling, delicious, easy-to-stretch meal that keeps cold out and love in.  

Day One: The smell of a long-cooked savory meal begins to waft through the house…  “Mm…  What’s cooking, Mama?”

Day Two: Leftovers smell even better, and the flavor combination of all those spices is even deeper than the day before. 

Like family ties, it gets stronger, and like love, it keeps on givin.’

Enjoy!

For a picture-free, easy-to-print version of this recipe, please click on the following link:

https://thefullvine.wordpress.com/savory-grain-and-bean-pot/