Red Velvet Pancakes with Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

Red Velvet Pancakes for Valentine's Day breakfast.

This is as close as you can get to having chocolate cake for breakfast, while still being able to call it breakfast instead of dessert.

I made both Buttermilk Pancakes, and red velvet pancakes.  The red velvet pancakes have a slightly cakier texture.  They're not as fluffy as the buttermilk pancakes, and they have satisfying not-too-sweet chocolate flavour.

The chocolate pancakes paired well with the flavour of the buttermilk caramel syrup that I made.

This syrup is a pancake game changer.  I caught them licking their plates.  And I would have probably done the same if I hadn't just given them the 'where are your manners' speech.  We love our maple syrup in this house, but I'll be making this buttermilk caramel syrup again.

I hope you had a happy Valentine's Day!

Red Velvet Pancakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups buttermilk*

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp red gel food colouring

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.   I  found cocoa to be lumpy so I sieved the ingredients together.

Whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, melted butter, food colouring, and eggs in a separate bowl until well combined.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Allow batter to sit for a few minutes.

Lightly butter a large frying pan and set over medium heat. Use a 1/3 cup of batter for each 6” pancake. Flip each pancake when bubbles form on the surface and the edges begin to brown, 2-3 minutes. If your pancakes brown too quickly, turn heat down to medium-low. Cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes or until browned.

Serve right away or keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining pancakes.

Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

Adapted from this recipe at Kreations by Kara

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups buttermilk*

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup salted butter

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring buttermilk, sugars, and butter to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and whisk in baking soda, then vanilla. It will foam up, so be sure to use a large enough saucepan.  As it cools, most of the foam will disappear.

*If you don't keep buttermilk on hand, make your own buttermilk with one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar for each cup of milk. Put the tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in your measuring cup, then add the milk to measure one cup of buttermilk. Allow to sit for a few minutes before combining with the other ingredients.

  

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Italian Meatloaf

I think I've made meatloaf half a dozen times in all my years as a grown-up that cooks.  Four of those times have been in the past six months, because this recipe has turned a meat loaf hater into a meat loaf lover.

Half ground beef, half ground turkey, and a handful of spinach.  Meatloaf healthified.

Seasoned croutons instead of bread, soaking in milk and spices.

Add an amazing tomato topping....

... and you've got the best meatloaf ever.

Italian Meatloaf Florentine

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 pound ground turkey

2 cups Caesar seasoned croutons

1 cup milk

1 cup grated Parmesan

4 large eggs

large handful fresh baby spinach

2 tbsp dried parsley

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

5 dashes Worcestershire sauce

pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine meat, eggs, Parmesan, and spinach in a large bowl and roughly mix together.  In a separate bowl, soak croutons in milk until slightly softened.  Mash together with spices and add to meat mixture.  Mix together by hand until well combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together drained tomatoes, brown sugar, mustard, cayenne, and Worcestershire.

Form the meat mixture into a loaf and place on a drip pan (an oven pan with a slotted tray on top), then spoon the tomato mixture over the top.

Tent the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking for 30-40 minutes more, until the internal temperature is 160° and the meatloaf is no longer pink in the middle.  Cut into thick slices to serve 8-10.

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Italian Meatloaf recipe.

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Kentucky Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

One more recipe this week.  Because I've been slacking in the recipe department, and because every turkey needs this by it's side.

This cranberry sauce is gorgeous.  It's much nicer looking than the mass of cranberry jelly that you get out of a can, and so good that we were spreading leftovers on toast well after the turkey was gone.  If you're planning of having turkey this weekend, plan to have this cranberry sauce with it.

I happened to have a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon left from our trip to Kentucky last summer, but any bourbon or brandy would work in this.  It's not enough alcohol to have grandpa doing cartwheels after dinner, but it adds an amazing depth of flavour.  You can omit it if you prefer - you'll still end up with some really good cranberry sauce.

Kentucky Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries, or about 3 1/2 cups

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice

Zest of one orange

3 tbsp bourbon (substitute one tbsp vanilla if omitting bourbon)

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized pot.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes until berries begin to burst and break down.  Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

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Balsamic Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

I hate Brussels sprouts, or at least I did.  These Brussels sprouts, oven roasted with butternut squash and dried cranberries, then tossed with Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, are game changers.

If you're stateside, and looking for an extra vegetable dish to add to your Thanksgiving table this weekend, look no further.

Prep time is minimal.  Some peeling and chopping, then into the oven to carmelise.  Brussels sprouts prepared this way taste so much better than their boiled or steamed versions (a revelation for me, sort of like how I felt when I discovered oven roasted broccoli), and the sweet butternut squash is a perfect match.

The dried cranberries add another flavour boost, and the Dijon balsamic vinaigrette wraps it all up perfectly.  It's also a forgiving side dish, tasting just as good warm as it does lukewarm.

Easy to make, easy to serve, and incredibly tasty.

Balsamic Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

1 pound Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and sliced in half

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Toss butternut squash and Brussels sprouts with two tablespoons of olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss again to distribute evenly.

Roast the vegetable for 20 - 30 minutes, gently tossing once or twice during cooking time.  Scatter dried cranberries over the vegetables for the last five minutes of cooking time.  Remove from oven.

While vegetables cool, whisk together Dijon mustard and both vinegars.  Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until the oil and vinegars have emulsified.  Season with cayenne pepper.

In a large bowl, gently toss roasted vegetables with Dijon vinaigrette.  Salt and pepper to taste if necessary.  Serve warm or lukewarm.

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Oven Roasted Broccoli

I may never steam broccoli again.  I've discovered that roasted broccoli tastes so much better.  

I've never been a big fan of boiled or steamed veggies.  I usually prefer them raw, with some sort of dressing or dip to smother them in.  Maybe I just don't prepare them properly, but bland, mushy vegetables aren't my favourite.

Roasted vegetables, on the other hand, are an amazing thing.  Better flavour, better texture.  Crisp and crunchy, yet still tender, without being soft.  A little bit spicy.  You need to try this.

Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper... all tossed with broccoli florets.

Spread out on a pan, and baked.

It's so simple that it barely needs a recipe.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Two bunches of broccoli, cut into florets

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, optional

Combine oil and spices, toss with broccoli florets.  Bake in a 425°F oven for 15-20 minutes, until florets are browned and stalks are fork tender.  Toss with parmesan cheese if desired.

Looking for more broccoli recipes?

 

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Cheesy Cauliflower Sticks

I have to say, I had my doubts about these.  Cauliflower pizza crust is a thing, I know, and as much as I love to health-ify the foods we eat at home, pizza is off limits.  There's no replacing that chewy, doughy crust.

Cheesy bread sticks, however, are fair game.  So I set out to recreate the popular cheesy snack, with cauliflower.  And it was a sneaky veggie snack success.  The crust couldn't pass itself as a pizza crust, it's not 'bready' enough.  Instead it's dense, tasty, and cheesy.  It held together fairly well, it wasn't overly soggy, and most importantly - it didn't taste like cauliflower.

I will definitely be making these again.

Cheesy Cauliflower Sticks

Ingredients

2 cups riced cauliflower, approx. 1/2 of a large head of cauliflower
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups mozzarella or marble cheese, or a combination of the two
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Cover baking pan with parchment paper.  Process cauliflower florets (not the stalks) in food processor by pulsing until it looks like rice.  Cook cauliflower in a microwave safe container for 2 minutes on high, it should still be fairly dry.  If you find there is too much moisture in the cauliflower, sit in a wire mesh strainer while allowing it to cool.

Combine cooled cauliflower in a large bowl with one cup of the cheese and all of the remaining ingredients except parmesan cheese.  Spread mixture onto prepared pan, shaping into rectangle.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.  Once baked, sprinkle with remaining cheese and parmesan cheese, and return to oven for 5 more minutes.  Slice and eat.

Best served warm!

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