Let the Good Times Roll

When you have pancakes for dinner in the middle of the week, it kind of takes the magic out of the Saturday morning pancake ritual.

Solution: Cinnamon Rolls.

I sincerely apologize if you're seeking a healthy vegetarian recipe today, and I do promise I'll return with one tomorrow. But for now, I'm going to spoil our healthy-living lifestyles with hardcore Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns.

I first stumbled upon the Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun notion at Lindsey's blog, Gingerbread Bagels. Stunning, I tell you. Her recipe is adapted from one first published by Cooking Light--I ended up using the Cooking Light rendition, simply to cut down on some of the fat and sugar found in the more fully-loaded version (although I'm sure it's insanely delicious!).

I made the dough and assembled them Friday night (I knew I'd be too impatient to let the dough rise for over an hour on Saturday morning). I woke up, allowed the oven to heat while I walked Dora-Dog, popped those suckers in the oven for 20 minutes, and voila! Ooey, gooey, bakery-fresh goodness for Saturday morning breakfast.

I may never go back to pancakes again.

So today, prep your pumpkin cinnamon buns, and let the good times roll. Tomorrow brings more vege-head dinner recipes (and leftover cinnamon buns, of course).

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

(adapted from this recipe in the October 2001 issue of Cooking Light)

If you've never made "real" Cinnamon Buns with yeast before, now's your chance! Don't be intimidated, it was much easier than I expected. I recommend prepping the dough and rolls the night before; then you can just pop them in the oven the next morning, and make the icing while they bake.

Bun Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1/4 cup very warm water
• 2 + 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 TBSP flour
• Smart Balance or butter, softened for spreading (about 2 - 4 TBSP)

Cinnamon Frosting Ingredients:

Note: This isn't a Cooking Light recipe--I made the icing myself, and didn't measure much (as usual!). I started with these base amounts (approximately), and adjusted the amount of sugar, Smart Balance, and milk until I reached a frosting consistency I liked.

• 3 - 4 TBSP butter or Smart Balance
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• a splash of skim milk

Directions:

1) To prepare the buns, place the warm water in a large bowl. Add yeast and allow it to sit for 5 - 10 minutes to dissolve. Add 2 cups of flour, pumpkin, milk, butter, sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Beat with stand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes), adding remaining 3/4 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

(Note: I took the easy way out and used the dough hook on my stand mixer to knead the dough. I know, I'm a cheater).

2) Place the dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray; turn the dough in the bowl until lightly coated with the spray. Cover the bowl, and allow to sit in a warm place for 45 - 60 minutes, until it has risen and doubled in size.

3) To prepare the filling, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

4) Once the dough has risen fully, punch down and allow it to rest for 3 - 5 minutes. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle (they indicate 12 by 10 inches, but who really pulls out a ruler to measure?!). Spread butter (or Smart Balance) over the rectangle to coat (about 2 - 4 TBSP), leaving a one inch margin around the edges. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over top. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with the long edge. Pinch to seal. Cut roll in to 10 to 12 slices. Place slices in a 9 inch square baking dish, coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise for another 25 minutes (Disclosure: I did not cover and let them rise at this point. I stuck them in the fridge for the night, pulled them out the next morning, and continued on to the next step).

5) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake rolls for 20 minutes, or until just lightly browned.

6) While rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Beat icing ingredients together using a hand mixer until desired consistency is reached. Add more sugar or milk to reach the consistency and amounts you like!

7) When buns are done, allow them to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Slather with icing and enjoy with a cup of coffee and the Saturday morning paper.

Quesadillas: Autumn-ized

I love classic summer-style quesadillas: fresh grilled veggies, black beans, and bit of goat cheese or sharp cheddar. Simple, flavorful, and oh-so-seasonal.

But seasons change, and Fall is upon us. Summer days (and menus) are nothing but memories. We ended our fling with Summer last week, and it's time to move on, my friends. Summer "just isn't that into us."

Good thing Fall can't keep its hands off of us :)

In the spirit of oh-so-seasonal quesadillas, let's welcome an Autumn-ized twist on the this traditionally Mexican dinner delight: Apple and Brie Quesadillas with Honey Mustard, featured in this month's Cooking Light.

My interest in this recipe was instantly piqued by the use of Brie--a cheese I consider to be "fancy-schmancy," and reserved for special occasions only. My hungry stomach and craving for soft cheese is a special occasion, right?

Needless to say, I certainly enjoyed my special-occasion-Brie. It paired beautifully with the crisp, sauteed apples and light honey mustard sauce. Autumn-ized Quesadillas, indeed.

Summer is nothing but a distant memory...

Apple and Brie Quesadillas

(recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

If you don't have Brie on hand, you could experiment with other cheeses for sure! Also, if you're not up for making your own honey mustard, you can always cheat and buy some pre-made--Ken's "light" version is quite tasty.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups thinly sliced apples
• 1 onion, sliced
• a little olive oil
• Flour tortilla shells
• 6 oz. Brie cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Honey Mustard Sauce (recipe below, or store-bought if you prefer)

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Ingredients:

(I apologize--I didn't measure one thing for this! I just combine the ingredients and adjust to taste. Trust your inner Foodie!)

• White wine vinegar (probably a couple tablespoons?)
• Dijon mustard (a couple teaspoons?)
• Honey (a tablespoon?)
• Apple Cider (4 teaspoons?)
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples and cook until tender-crisp (about 5 -8 minutes). Add onions and cook until softened--about 4-5 minutes. (I also added a little apple cider into the mix!). Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

2) Spread one half of the tortilla with Honey Mustard. On the other half of the tortilla, place Brie cheese (the recipe says "sliced Brie," but I just spread mine!). Place approximately 1/2 to 2/3 cup apple and onion mixture on top of mustard-coated side of tortilla. Fold over other half.

3) Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place tortilla in skillet and cook until lightly browned on the bottom, approximately 3 minutes. Flip and cook until other side is also lightly browned. Serve with additional honey-mustard for dipping.

Pumpkin Head, Pumpkin Bread

I’ve been waiting patiently (or, not-so-patiently) the entire month of September for pumpkin to arrive in Morgantown grocery stores.

Living pumpkin-less for the better part of this month, I’ve resorted to ogling the tempting images of mouth-watering pumpkin treats posted by fellow food bloggers--pumpkin breakfast oats, pumpkin chocolate energy bars, pumpkin cookies...and the list goes on.

But alas! Sunday, in a last-ditch effort to complete my pumpkin hunt at the 4th grocery store of the weekend, we found a small, picked over shelf of Libby’s pumpkin. A tiny, pitiful sign accompanied the shelf, noting “Pumpkin: Limited Quantity.” No kidding.

Needless to say we purchased 4 of the jumbo cans. I left two on the shelf for the next desperate baker to snatch up.

I wasted no time putting my pumpkin to good use. First on the recipe list? Healthy, hearty, and oh-so-nutty pumpkin bread.

My favorite almost-fat-free pumpkin bread recipe comes from Susan at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. While the bread would be virtually fat-free, I prefer to add a heavy dose of chopped walnuts to the batter, eliminating the “fat free” part, but (in my opinion), enhancing the healthiness factor with those awesome omega-3s. As a side note, I also reduced the sugar in Susan's recipe by 1/2 cup.

Thus, the Great Pumpkin Crave of September 2010 has calmed; the appetite has been satisfied.

And with an added piece of pumpkin goodness to my morning eats, it looks like my breakfast just got a little bigger :)

Pumpkin Bread (the healthy version)

(adapted from Susan's recipe for Oil-Free Pumpkin Bread at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen)

This is a tasty, low-fat recipe that satisfies my pumpkin craving at breakfast like no other.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar (Susan's recipe calls for 1 -1/2 cups, if you prefer a sweeter bread)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup water
• Egg substitute equivalent to 2 eggs (I just used 2 eggs!)
• 1 - 2/3 cups flour (I used a mixture of whole wheat flour with unbleached all-purpose flour)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice
• some orange zest (I didn't measure! Just mixed a little zest from a fresh orange right in!)
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2) Beat the first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients (except the walnuts and cranberries). Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Fold in walnuts, cranberries, and orange zest.

3) Bake for 60 - 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean (mine loaf was finished in 65 minutes).

Bean-Lovin' Woman

Beans, beans

The magical fruit

The more you eat, the more you....

LOVE THEM!

It's true: I'm a bean-loving woman. No apologies.

Roasted chickpeas? You bet.

Black bean quesadillas? Perfection.

Garlicky White Bean Dip? Oh, yes.

Tonight's dinner? A classic, perfectly-seasoned Vegetarian Black Bean Chili, recipe courtesy of (you guessed it!) the Moosewood Collective.

When it comes to chili, I rarely follow a recipe. Instead, you'll find me dumping every chopped vegetable and available bean in a pot, sprinkling in spices in unknown amounts, and "seasoning to taste" until I'm ready to eat.

Adam, however, prefers a little more guidance in his chili-creating, and since he was the head chef tonight (score!), he went with a by-the-book Moosewood recipe. No complaints here.

I found myself in bean n' veggie heaven after the first spoonful.

I have to admit, this is the perfect recipe to get you in the mood for fall (Sweaters, anyone? Did I hear pumpkin-carving?). Added bonus: the awesome healthiness factor! After you make a full pot, you've got a week's worth of healthy lunches.

We enjoyed our chili with leftover Herb n' Cheese Moosewood muffins. If you're feeling a little crazy, go ahead and top your bowl of bean-lovin' goodness with some shredded cheddar cheese and chopped avocado.

What recipe gets you in the mood for fall?

Festive Black Bean Chili

(A recipe from Moosewood Restaurant's Low-Fat Favorites cookbook)

This recipe truly needs no tweaking--I think they've definitely got it right! However, there's always room for adaptation, so make any changes needed to fit what's in your fridge (or your most current craving). Avocado makes the perfect topping :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup water (or veggie broth)
• 1 TBSP ground cumin
• 1 TBSP ground coriander
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 green and/or red bell peppers, chopped
• 3 cups cooked black beans (two 15 oz. cans, drained and rinsed)
• One 28 oz. can of whole or diced tomatoes, with the juice
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• salt and pepper to taste
• Tabasco or hot sauce to taste (not for me!)
• Optional assorted toppings: fresh cilantro, chopped avocado, shredded cheese, etc.

Directions:

1) In a soup pot, cook onions, garlic, and water or broth on high heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander, and stir on high heat for one minute. Stir in the salsa and bell peppers, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans and tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Top individual servings with toppings, if desired. (we just stuck with the cilantro tonight)

2) Enjoy your bean-tastic dinner!

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 :)