Saturday Morning Routine

Saturday mornings are insanely predictable around here.

And I love every minute of it.

1) Early morning run? Check.

2) Husband making pancakes? Absolutely.

3) Cookbooks spread out on breakfast table? Ready and waiting.

What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.

We started this little routine when we got married, and it didn't take long for me to realize that Adam's Saturday morning pancakes (or waffles) would be one of the highlights of the weekend. When it comes to breakfast goods, the man knows what I love: heavy on the "fillers," with an inordinate amount of fresh fruit and nuts mixed right into the batter.

While the summer brought several weeks of berry and banana pancake variations, today marked a seasonal turning point for the weekend breakfast menu: Apple-Cinnamon Pancakes with Chunky Apple Walnut Sauce. (Honestly? We're still working on that bushel of apples we inherited 3 weeks ago).

These p-cakes hit the spot, friends. They were the perfect start to a fall weekend, and a wonderful accompaniment to our weekly recipe/menu-planning session. (Menu-planning session? Really? My nerdy qualities are so blatant, there's just no hiding them.)

While we served our flapjacks with some chunky apple n' nut sauce, I could see natural nut butter being an awesome topping as well. I think I see an afternoon snack in my future....

Happy Saturday :)

What's your favorite weekend routine?

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes with Chunky Apple-Walnut Sauce

(Pancake recipe adapted from Nava Atlas' The Vegetarian Family Cookbook)

We add (what some might consider) a ridiculous amount of fruit to our pancakes, making them more heavy and dense than your traditional flapjack. Feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your liking.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1/3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour (or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat; we used 1 cup all-purpose and 1/3 cup whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground flaxseeds
• 1 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup skim milk (or sub in soy or almond milk)
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon (approximately)
• Sprinkling of nutmeg
• Small splash of vanilla
• 2 cups chopped apples
• Optional: toasted, chopped walnuts (we left them out today since we loaded chopped walnuts into the sauce).

Directions:

1) Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Gently fold in yogurt and milk. Add in seasonings and stir until just combined. Gently fold in apples (and nuts, if using).

2) Heat a non-stick griddle that has been coated with cooking spray (and/or butter if you prefer) to medium heat. Pour batter onto griddle in 1/3 cup-fuls. Allow to cook until lightly browned, then flip to cook other side until lightly browned (approximately 4 minutes per side).

3) Top with Chunky Apple Walnut Sauce (recipe below), or nut butter, or your own awesome creation.

Chunky Apple-Walnut Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped apple
• 1/2 to 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce (depending on how much "sauce" you want in there)
• 3 - 4 TBSP water
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 - 3 TBSP brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions:

1) In a saucepan, combine apples, applesauce, water, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Heat on medium heat until bubbly (about 4 -5 minutes). Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until apples are tender. Season to taste.

2) Top your p-cakes with this apple-licious sauce :)