Home Sweet Home

First meal back home a simple vegetable stir fry. Basic principles for stir fries, heat wok with some oil (i like to use a splash or two of sesame oil for taste) fry your onions, fresh garlic or ginger (or both!), sesame seeds or nuts, then add the vegetables in order of which cook the longest like carrots.

Be sure to add your favorite spices and sauces half way through cooking. With this stir fry I added my sauce when I added the faux chicken strips. Things like bean sprouts should be added just before consumption.

Fresh vegetables always taste best but frozen works just as well, especially if you plan on using a thick sauce that will coat your stir fry. You can even mix and match frozen with fresh. Be sure to serve your stir fry with your favorite whole grain or grain mix. Here I have a herbed wild rice.

Good morning

As per usual I open one of my cookbooks find something that looks good, seems do-able. And then I make something completely different. Today it was pancakes and for the first time ever, it seems I have made a pancake recipe I can actually cook! For the first time ever I have cooked pancakes by myself.

Now these cakes are pretty dense and easy to flip in the pan with a wrist toss, you know like those pros do. These are not your fluffy light pancakes, they are almost biscuity in texture but certainly filling in the morning.

Chocolate Banana Pancakes
1 cup WW flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 cup Cocoa
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/4 cup of Vanilla Soy Milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
1 Tbsp Canola oil + more for greasing pan
1 Banana sliced as thick or thin as you like

In a large bowl combine your flour, cinnamon and sea salt. Be sure to sift in your cocoa and baking powder to remove any lumps. Next measure out your soy milk in a large liquid measuring cup and add your canola oil and mix in the measuring cup. Don't be alarmed that the batter is pretty thick. Now add your wet ingredients to your dry. Now gently stir in your banana slices.

Oil your non-stick skillet and heat the pan on medium high heat until heated through, then reduce your heat to medium/medium-low and let it settle. Using a big spoon scoop batter into the center of the pan, using a spoon to flatten the batter (this can be tricky). Wait until bubbles form around the edges and then toss your pancake. Be sure to press down the flipped cakes, once cooked transfer to a plate in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with a berry laced syrup or plain sugar/maple and earthbalance.