We all know that pancakes are not just for breakfast.

In fact, I think I enjoy savory combinations even more than your standard sweet breakfast variety. Along with the traditional potato pancake, or latke, some of my favorite savory additions are roasted shredded beets, pumpkin, spinach, cooked kale, and a slew of fresh herbs.

Many cultures have their own version of some type of savory pancake or crepe–and there really is no right or wrong combination of vegetables. Just use what you have or what sounds good to you. If you are in the mood for a “green” pancake Mark Bittman published a great recipe for Spinach Pancakes which you can find here. Be imaginative and creative–see how many unique and flavorful combinations you can come up with. It’s also a great way to use up any vegetable odds and ends you may have collected throughout the week.

Well, this time around I thought I would do a spinach, carrot, and broccoli mix. I had a bag of shredded carrots and broccoli that I picked up from Trader Joes the other day. At the time, I thought it was shredded cabbage, and well–it’s been sitting in the vegetable crisper for a few days now. So, I decided to use that bag of veggies along with some chopped fresh rosemary and a little green onion.

Once the pancake batter is combined, heat a little olive oil (or spray a light coating) into a pan. Let them cook for about 3-5 minutes (medium heat) or until bubbles just start forming on top and flip them over. When you are done, you can cut them into triangles and serve them with a dipping sauce, like my favorite Chinese onion cakes. I guess these pancakes are somewhat more Indian or Middle Eastern inspired because of the spices–still pretty good, nontheless. I made a Cilantro-Cumin Yogurt sauce to go along with these, but a chutney or a salsa would also go well.

My inspiration for the pancakes comes from Mark Bittman’s Spinach Pancakes which I mentioned above and from Peter Berley’s, Fresh Food, Fast.

Savory Vegetable Pancakes

1 cup flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

2 cups of shredded or chopped vegetables – I used carrots, broccoli, and spinach

2-3 green onions, chopped – just the white

1 tbsp fresh chopped herbs –I used rosemary

Make the Cilantro-Cumin Yogurt Dip:

1 cup thick yogurt

2 tsbp chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cayenne

sea salt to taste

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Savory Pancakes:

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the vegetables and herbs.

Heat a splash of olive oil (or lightly spray a pan with olive oil) on medium heat. Add a small amount of batter, to the pan–about a 1/4 – 1/2 cup for a smaller pancake.

Let cook for 3-5 min, flipping just when bubbles start to form on top. Transfer cooked pancakes to a warm platter.

Oh, boy–Valentines Day has snuck up on me once again.

I’m all for spending a special day with my Valentine but I don’t really need the traditional flowers, candy, or even a fancy schmancy dinner. I really just look forward to hanging out and spending time together–D and I plan to go on a long hike in the morning, and if the weather is as forgiving as it has been for the past few days, we’ll end our hike with a picnic at the beach. My plan is to make pressed Mediterranean veggie and goat cheese sandwiches, a couple of tasty salads, whip up some spicy ginger lemonade, and include a treat, of course. Preferably something simple and chocolate for D. I’m thinking a couple of  Alice Medrich’s classic brownies would be a perfect end to a hopefully sunny picnic lunch.

One of my favorite Alice Medrich brownie recipes, these certainly pack a bite of chocolate but do so without intense sweetness, thanks to the bittersweet chocolate. I folded in 2/3 cup of roughly chopped toasted walnuts and pistachios before baking. The recipe suggests you use an 8×8 inch pan, but I baked my batch in a 9×9 inch pan for a slightly thinner brownie. I love the combination of the soft dense center, the crunch of the nuts, and the delicate flaky top. The secret to here is to transfer the brownies to an ice bath immediately upon removing them from the oven. You can prepare this bath in a large roasting pan filled about an inch or so high with water. The change in temperature helps to achieve that delicious texture. Let them cool completely in the bath before removing to slice.

A copy of the recipe is on this lovely blog.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend everyone!

I love making homemade pizza, but until I got my hands on this pizza dough recipe from The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, my crusts always came out okay, but nothing near the golden, super thin, crisp, crusts that I adore in a pizza. If you are looking for a thin Napoletana (or Neapolitan) style pizza crust, look no further. The Bread Bakers Apprentice is also full of recipes, techniques, and formulas for beginning and experienced bread bakers alike–one of the best investments and resources for bread baking enthusiasts out there.

The first time I discovered this crust was through a Daring Bakers Challenge I participated in over a year ago. The crust got me so excited that I have continued to make my pizzas with it ever since. It is a simple recipe, but one that requires a bit of planning as the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight–and this resting time is the key step to acheiving that thin crisp texture. This recipe also uses the hand tossing method as opposed to rolling the dough out. But, before you get turned off by the idea of hand spinning pizza dough, read on a bit more. This method is not as crazy and difficult as one might think. The recipe provides detailed instructions on how to delicately handle the dough and stretch it properly without tearing it. Yes, it’s tricky to keep the dough from tearing because it is so thin, but truthfully, I don’t think I actually ever “tossed” the dough in the air. It was more of just a slight “bounce” on my fists. Anyhow, I still managed to get a great crisp golden crust .

I like my pizza toppings to be simple and light. I decided on a garlic and herb based oil (above) for the sauce which I topped with some mozarrella, fresh spinach and a handful of thinly sliced mushrooms. I baked my pizza on an oven heated stone with a very generous layer of breadcrumbs at 450 degrees. I like the flavor of the breadcrumbs but you can use the traditional cornmeal or semolina as well. Make sure to be generous with whatever you choose to line the stone with, otherwise the dough will stick and that will take all the fun out of your pizza making experience. Once the pizza was done, I added a little more fresh torn spinach and basil before serving.

So, next time you are planning a pizza night for the family or staying in with some movies, I suggest you give this recipe a go. Just remember to plan accordingly as the dough needs to rest overnight in the fridge.

The recipe for Peter Reinhardt’s pizza dough can be found here. This recipes makes 6 small or 4 large pizzas.

Here is my recipe for the garlic and herb oil:

Garlic and Herb Olive Oil

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend.

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

What I love the most about being a part of the Daring Bakers is the variety of recipes I’ve had a chance to bake. Some recipes are easy to throw together and others have been definitely more complicated. In the end, I always end up learning something new–be it a technique, a “new to me” ingredient, or just simply something that I’ve never eaten or have yet to create. This months’ challenge was exactly that for me–my first time making and eating a Nanaimo bar.

While this is a challenge and variations of the original recipe are encouraged and allowed, I didn’t stray too far from the classic recipe. I used pistachios instead of almonds and I froze the bottom and middle layers, cut them into squares, and dipped each square into melted chocolate.

Unfortunately, I did not have all the required gluten-free flours in my kitchen and no time to shop for them, so I made the grahams completely using all-purpose flour. I baked my crackers at 350 degrees and they were done in about 18 minutes rather than the stated bake time of 25 minutes. I think my oven runs hot so, if you plan to make these be sure to check on them a couple of times to prevent burning.

For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers

(If using all-purpose flour replace the gluten free flours with 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp of all purpose or wheat flour).

Ingredients
1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.

2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.

4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.

7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.

8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.

9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.

Nanaimo Bars Ingredients:

For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar

For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer
4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter

Directions:

1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.

3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

The bars were tasty, almost like a tiny little cheesecake or tart. Thanks again to Lauren from Celiac Teen for hosting a new and fun challenge this month!