savory carrot and rosemary pancakes

little tiny carrots from a friend's garden

I am getting a little creative in the kitchen today. This post may not be for everyone; I can be pretty daring with food and I know that freaks some people out. If you are one of those people, I won't be offended if you don't continue reading, or think to yourself, "gross, I'm never making these." I think savory pancakes are pretty strange too. But the reason this recipe came along was buckwheat flour. I had bought the buckwheat flour to make my mint chocolate truffles, and I've been wanting to make buckwheat pancakes ever since. But we don't really eat pancakes for breakfast, we hardly even eat breakfast together at all! And I'm not really big on having something sweet for dinner, I think its kind of weird. So, the savory pancakes were born.

Its really just your basic vegan pancake, with a twist. I figured that you can add fruit to sweet pancakes, so why can't you add veggies to savory pancakes? It turns out there are no rules when it comes to cooking (well, hardly any), you can throw together just about whatever you want, whatever you have on hand, and make up a name for it. I do it all the time, trust me. How were recipes invented anyway?

So, for the pancakes:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp water
• 1 cup nondairy milk (I used coconut milk)
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• small handful chopped fresh parsley 
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper if you desire
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp water

Whisk together the flaxseed meal and 3 Tbsp water and set aside for a few minutes. Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add milk and flaxseed meal mixture, mix thoroughly, try to get rid of any lumps. Add carrots, herbs, and water, mix.

p.s. I did not use the little tiny carrots

In a hot pan or skillet melt 1/2 tsp vegan butter. I never had to re-grease my pan so that is all I used. Pour batter into pan, let cook about 2 to 3 minutes or until little holes start to appear on the top, flip and cook another minute.

I sauteed some rainbow chard with garlic and made my vegan cheese sauce to go on top. It was amazing! They are very filling, but have tons of good nutrients, whole grains, and bursting with flavor!

cacao + quinoa bars

Now that I am in school, I'm getting comfortable in a new routine. This means my eating routine has become more regular as well. On school days, its always the same; breakfast before I leave the house, a snack after my first class, lunch break, a snack on the way home, and dinner around 7. Its nice to know when I'm going to eat, and planning out what it is going to be.

With my "snack times" scheduled out for me, I really look forward to them! I am such a dork. A dork that is obsessed with good food! So, I have made yet another bar for on the go, cacao + quinoa bars. These puppies are loaded with protein from the quinoa and hemp seeds, fiber from oats, and natural sweet chocolatey goodness from dates, raw cacao, and maple syrup. I love knowing what all the ingredients are, that there are no added colors, emulsifiers, or preservatives. And all the nutrients come in their natural state, not fortified or enriched.

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked)
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 7 pitted dates
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup rolled oats
• shredded coconut for garnish

Combine cooked quinoa, hemp seeds, and cacao powder in a large bowl.

Blend the oats quickly so they are coarsely chopped. You don't want them blended into a flour but you also don't want them all in whole pieces. Add the oats to the quinoa. Next, blend the dates and maple syrup in blender or food processor until smooth. I usually soak my dates first, because I keep them in the fridge and they are hard to blend otherwise. Just a few minutes in hot water does the trick! Add the date mixture to the quinoa mixture. Combine thoroughly. 

Line a square 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper and fill it with the chocolatey quinoa mass. Use a spatula to press the mixture firmly into the dish, you want to compress it as much a possible. Sprinkle some shredded coconut on top and press that in as well. Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes.  I have also had these the same way but without baking them, just refrigerate for a while before cutting, but they don't stick together quite as well. 

Transfer onto a cutting board and cut into squares! Store in refrigerator, and enjoy!

lentil+radish+rosemary salad

What a nice combination. It sounds elegant, and rustic, yet fresh. And it is. I was actually quite impressed with my random combination of things I had in my kitchen (and garden).  The radishes came from Haiku Farm, aren't they beautiful? Radishes contain a lot of roughage, which is great for healthy digestion. They are also cancer fighting and contain plenty of nutrients, including calcium, good for your teeth and bones. We have a whole bag of them so I thought I'd better use em up!

• 1/2 cup of dry lentils
• 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
• 1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• few sprigs of rosemary
• small bunch of parsley
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• lime wedges to garnish

For quick cooking, soak the lentils for at least 8 hours. Rinse them thoroughly. In a saucepan, cover lentils with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil for 5 to 10 minutes. You'll need to cook them longer if you didn't soak them, about 20 minutes. When the lentils are done to your desired firmness, drain and rinse them. 

Cook the quinoa as directed. If you can, allow lentils and quinoa to cool a little before mixing in the fresh ingredients. Combine the lentils, quinoa, sliced radishes, chopped green onions, salt, pepper, olive oil, and finely chopped herbs in a mixing bowl. And thats it, easy, simple, lentil+radish+rosemary salad. 

I had mine with a squeeze of fresh lime.