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Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping

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Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping
All of February is Heart Month and today, itself, is heart awareness day for women. I proudly wore my red today in honor of my mother who died from a heart-attack and as a means of raising awareness for heart disease. I hope and pray strides will be made in heart health for the sake of my three beautiful daughters (and everyone else’s beautiful daughters for that matter!)

In honor of Heart Month and today’s Heart Awareness Day, I want to tell you about a healthy breakfast that’s perfect for any time of day. I got the idea for roasted sweet potato pancakes from a tweet from Cooking Light. They made Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with just two ingredients: a roasted sweet potato and 2 eggs.

Intriguing!

Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds
I saw one willing sweet potato on the shelf and knew I had eggs ready at a moment’s notice in the fridge.

Since I’m “One of those gals” who is always looking for ways to “sneak” healthy food ingredients into as many meals as possible, I decided to also add 1 Tablespoon of Chia Seeds and 1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed to the mixture… but I’m getting ahead of myself. We have to roast the sweet potato first!

I cut my sweet potato (skin on) into four rounds and sat them in a small iron skillet. I drizzled 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Seed Oil over the tops (but you could easily use Olive Oil). I made sure all sides of the rounds were coated, then sprinkled on a little paprika and a little cinnamon for good measure.

I roasted the sweet potato at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, then removed the skin and mashed them really good with a fork. I then added two eggs along with the chia seeds and flaxseed (1 TBS each).

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancake
I added some ghee to a non-stick pan (you could use butter, of course) and positioned a few pancake molds (not even remotely necessary – I was just trying to be cute). I poured some batter into the two molds and cooked my pancakes over medium heat for 6 minutes – I removed the molds when they looked “set.” After the six minutes, I flipped and cooked them for 4-5 minutes more.

They held together beautifully – which, I’m not lying, kind of surprised me.

Tip: Use the widest spatula you have – otherwise it may take two to flip them. If you aren’t using pancake molds, simply divide the dough into two pancakes. Again, a mold is not necessary.

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes
Topping:

For the topping, I beat 1 cup of whipping cream with 1/2 TBS sugar. Because I wanted to bring a little bit of apple flavor and goodness to the party, I grated nearly half of an apple and stirred it into the whipped topping, reserving some for the topping.

I topped the pancakes with the topping and sprinkled on some more chia seeds and grated apple.

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping
With experimentation, I discovered that these pancakes are also fantastic with maple syrup or honey. You could actually even drizzle a little honey on top of the whipped topping.

When you try these, go easy with the whipped topping at first – I actually added more than I needed. The pancakes, themselves, are so darn good, you don’t need much with them. These were a lot of fun to make and tasted fantastic.

And did I mention they were healthy?

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping

Giada de Laurentiis’ Almond Pancakes

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Almond Pancakes Recipe

I’ve said it a gazillion and seven times, but I’ll say it again: I’ve never tried a Giada de Laurentiis recipe that didn’t blow me completely away. If you try a lot of different recipes, you know that it’s pretty rare for anyone to churn out perfection each and every time – especially when, like Giada de Laurentiis, you churn out so many recipes!  She simply creates some of the best recipes I’ve ever tried.

The following recipe is no exception.  This is for Almond Pancakes and the recipe is both beautiful and delicious.

Giada de Laurentiis’ Almond Pancakes

  • 1/2 cup (4 oz.) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups buttermilk pancake mix (recommend: Kruteaz)
  • 4 ounces almost paste, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • Maple syrup (optional)
  • Fresh raspberries (optional)
  1. In a food processor, combine the mascarpone cheese, water, sugar, almond extract and vanilla extract. Process until mixture is smooth.
  2. Add pancake mix and pulse until just combined.
  3. Preheat griddle or large, non-stick skillet over medium-low heat.
  4. Grease griddle or skillet with 1 tablespoon butter.Add almond paste and pulse once to incorporate.
  5. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto griddle. Cook for about 1-1/2 minutes each side, or until golden.
  6. Repeat with remaining butter and batter.
  7. Arrange pancakes on a platter. Serve with maple syrup and fresh raspberries.
Yield: 16 Pancakes

Recipe and photo credit: Target’s A Bullseye View.  Click the link for a lot more recipes, including some more outstanding Giada recipes.

Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Casserole with Cinnabon Sprinkle and Syrup

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Cinnamon Roll Dessert

The delectable beauty above is a Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Casserole and, as a matter of fact, yes, it does smell and taste even better than it looks.  I wish I could describe to you how the kitchen smelled as it was cooking or how amazing it tasted – you’ll just have to settle for a two word description: Completely Heavenly.  Throughout the year, I like to tinker with different recipes I plan to make on Holidays and other special days. I planned on making several Cinnamon Roll Casseroles  until I found the one that’d be perfect for Christmas morning, but this was perfect right out of the gate, so it doesn’t need any more tinkering.

That’s not to say I won’t make it again between now and then!

I was recently sent some AMAZING products to review on the food blog from Cinnabon. I was inspired by a recipe I found online – and decided to change  a few things in order to sneak in my beloved Cinnabon goodies. After the recipe, I’ll tell you other ways I’ve found to enjoy these delicious Cinnabon products.

Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Casserole

2 tablespoons of melted butter or baking spray
2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
4 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped Pecans
1/4 cup Cinnabon Syrup (if using Maple Syrup, add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon instead of 1)
Drizzle:
Icing from cinnamon rolls
Cinnabon Syrup (or Maple Syrup, if you don’t have Cinnabon’s)

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13×9-inch glass baking dish.
  3. Separate both cans of cinnamon roll dough into 16 rolls.
  4. Set icing aside, you’ll need it in a minute.
  5. Cut each of the 16 rolls into 8 pieces and place all the pieces in the butter.
  6. In a bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended.
  7. Pour over the cinnamon roll pieces.
  8. Sprinkle with pecans and drizzle with 1/4 cup syrup.
  9. Bake 20 to 28 minutes. You want it to be golden brown – be sure not to overcook.
  10. Cool 15 minutes.
  11. Meanwhile, remove covers from the little containers of icing. Microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.
  12. Drizzle icing over the top of the great smelling Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Casserole.
  13. OPTIONAL: Sprinkle the top with Cinnabon Sprinkle.
  14. OPTIONAL: Drizzle individual servings with Cinnabon Syrup or drizzle the syrup onto the plate, then place a serving right on top. Very pretty!

Unfortunately, Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Flavored Syrup and Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sprinkle Flavored Topping aren’t available everywhere. They’re new products, though, so I’m sure they’ll expand soon.  Check your local stores and, by all means, grab a few if you see them!  Keep an eye on Cinnabon Creations Facebook Page for more information.

Cinnabon Syrup and Cinnabon Sprinkle Ideas

More Uses for Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Flavored Syrup and Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sprinkle Flavored Topping:

  • Cookies – whether they’re Snickerdoodles, Oatmeal Cookies, or Butter Cookies – are kicked up to delicious notches when sprinkled with Cinnabon Cinnamon Sprinkle. Roll Snickerdoodles in the sprinkle and your mind will be blown.
  • Cinnamon toast.
  • Oatmeal – I’ve added the sprinkle to oat meal and I’ve added the Cinnabon Syrup. They’re both amazing, but oddly enough the syrup’s even better.  Do you remember that blissful little time period when Quaker Instant Oatmeal came with packets of syrup to swirl into your oatmeal? I still miss those!  Well, actually, I don’t have to miss them anymore. Swirling Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Syrup into regular flavor oatmeal opens a whole new oatmeal world. I’ve also used it in Steel Cut Oats… awesome.
  • The syrup is also great on fruit – especially apples.
  • Both are excellent when experimenting with homemade lattes and fraps.
  • Sprinkle the Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sprinkle on top of fried apples.
  • Use the Heavenly Cinnabon Syrup on pancakes, waffles, French Toast, muffins, etc.
  • Sprinkle the top of an apple pie with the sprinkle. It looks beautiful and tastes even better.
  • Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Pie would be great topped with Whipped Topping, then sprinkled with the Cinnabon Sprinkle.
  • Microwave a sweet potato, top with a little real butter, and sprinkle with Cinnabon Sprinkle.
  • Coffeecakes are made even more outstanding with either (or both!) of these Cinnabon Creations.
  • Sprinkle Sweet Potato Fries with the Cinnabon Sprinkle.
  • The possibilities are endless!

I hope you’ll go to Cinnabon Creation’s Facebook Page and like them (http://www.facebook.com/cinnaboncreations) for all the yumminess they’re putting into the world!

Disclosure:  I received the Cinnabon® products used and was entered for a chance to win a Cinnabon Creations prize package in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place.  All opinions are my own. Sigh, I didn’t win the prize package either…. It’s all good, though, I honestly love these sprinkles and syrup!

The New Sonoma Cookbook!

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The New Sonoma Cookbook

I was sent a copy of The New Sonoma Cookbook: Simple Recipes for a Healthy, More Delicious Way to Live to review and I have to tell you, it is my DELICIOUS pleasure to do so.  It’ll also be my delicious pleasure to cook every recipe in this book, which I fully intend to do!

As I’ve said on this food blog, as well as on my self help blog (where I also write book reviews), after reading a book, I always take note of the first words, thoughts, or phrases that run through my mind.  This unprompted, gut reaction carries the most weight as well as the most truth.

After reading The New Sonoma Cookbook: Simple Recipes for a Healthy, More Delicious Way to Live, the following words and thoughts came to mind:

  • fresh
  • colorful
  • wholesome
  • healthy
  • flavorful
  • If more families ate this way, people would live longer and live healthier.
  • I would (and will) make each one of the recipes in this 416 page book!
  • So this is what California tastes like? Excellent!

 

The first part of the book discusses healthy eating and gets to the heart of what the Sonoma way of cooking and eating is all about. It also includes the NEW Top 12 Sonoma Power Foods – foods that, as expected, star prominently in the many wonderful recipes.

I am fascinated with healthy eating and put a great deal of effort into feeding my beloved family healthy meals.  You know what they say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and food is one of the most important and vital decisions we make each day.  What we eat carries us closer to good health or pushes us closer to bad health and problematic conditions.  The world renown Sonoma Diet and Sonoma way of cooking is the brain child of Dr. Connie Guttersen, RD, PhD.  She is a registered dietician and culinary expert.  She is an instructor at the world-famous Culinary Institute of America.

Dr. Guttersen has been featured in USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, O – The Oprah Magazine, More, Women’s World, US Weekly, and New York Times.  She developed the standards of Care for the Obesity Treatment Center in Bellevue, Washington and has been a guest speaker for the nationally acclaimed Harvard Medical School Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives program.

Can you think of a better person to influence the meals you feed your family?! I certainly can’t.  After you’re finished here (don’t you dare leave until we’re through here!), you’ll want to visit Dr. Guttersen’s website: www.NewSonomaDiet.com – you’ll find recipes, weight loss tips, and lots of healthy eating and living advice.

Book Description

Delicious, satisfying, and wholesome food that evokes the sundrenched flavors of California: that’s why The Sonoma Diet is so popular. The New Sonoma Cookbook has always celebrated California’s seasonal cuisine-and this updated edition is better than ever!! It features new family meals, weight loss menus, food and wine pairings, “Cook Once, Eat Twice” recipes, and “No Cook” dishes that are healthy, mouth-watering, and simple to prepare. And when time is short, try one of the quick and easy Sonoma Express meals-perfect for busy weeknights!

About the Author

DR. CONNIE GUTTERSEN, RD, PhD, is the New York Times best-selling author of The Sonoma Diet and The Sonoma Diet Cookbook. She is a nutrition instructor at the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (CA), and has consulted with major companies such as Kraft and Nestle. She is a guest faculty member in Harvard Medical School’s acclaimed Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives program. Dr. Guttersen lives in northern CALIFORNIA wine country.

The New Sonoma Cookbook: Simple Recipes for a Healthy, More Delicious Way to Live includes the following chapters:

  • BREAKFAST
  • PORK DINNERS
  • SEAFOOD
  • DESSERTS
  • MEATLESS MEALS
  • HOLIDAY
  • BEEF ENTREES
  • POULTRY DINNERS
  • … and more!

Below is one of my favorite recipes from the book that I’d like to share with you.  I had a hard time choosing one because they’re all extraordinary.  I wanted one that would give you a great idea of how special this cookbook is – to let you know that this healthy eating cookbook is one-of-a-kind.  I wanted a killer recipe that’d let you know just how much you needed to order this cookbook today.

The problem was, every recipe fits the bill!

What’s a food blogger to do?  I decided to simply go with the first recipe I tried. When I first read the ingredients in the Sauteed Broccoli and Red Onion Scramble, I thought I dunno…. Broccoli and red onions with eggs??? Around my kitchen, eggs are sacred AND broccoli is sacred. The problem is, they’re both served often in our home – but never at the same time.

Until now!

Trust me, this is a HEAVENLY combination that you’ll make again and again. And again.  As the author points out, “You will be surprised by the great flavors of this recipe when you prepare eggs with broccoli.  Another great opportunity to start your day with a nutrient-rich meal loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and protein.”

Sauteed Broccoli and Red Onion Scramble

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red onions, sliced thin
2 cups broccoli florets, cut in 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
8 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons scallions, sliced thin

  1. Heat olive oil in a 10 inch nonstick pan over medium heat. Add red onions and saute’ until golden brown.  Add broccoli and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to brown slightly.  Add soy sauce and water.  When the water has evaporated, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
  2. Stir in eggs and continue to cook until the eggs are soft and creamy. Stir in scallions. Adjust seasoning.

Variation: Replace broccoli with sliced mushrooms; add 1/2 cup chopped red peppers.

CULINARY NOTE:

  • The soy sauce and water cause the broccoli to steam quickly without becoming too brown.
  • For a vegan version, replace the eggs with 1 pound firm tofu broken into chunks.

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

The New Sonoma Cookbook: Simple Recipes for a Healthy, More Delicious Way to Live is packed with outrageously delicious, unique, and healthy recipes along with “culinary notes” such at the one above.  It’s like having a brilliant dietician and first-class chef sit around your dinner table with you as you plan dinner.  They simply happen to be rolled up into one California girl!

Click any of the links to order your copy today.

Easy Blueberry Muffins Recipe

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Freshness

Freshness Giclee Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup buttermilk (the secret behind these sensational muffins)
3/4 cup blueberries (washed and well-drained)

Cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add eggs – one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add to creamed mixture alternatively with the buttermilk. Beat well after each addition.

Fold in blueberries. Fill paper-lined muffin pans 2/3 full and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 14 – 16 muffins

Note:  Experiment with different berries – blackberries and strawberries make excellent muffins as well.  I’ve never tried raspberries, oddly enough – but I think I’ll do that one morning this week!  My problem is that I’m SUCH a blueberry fan that pulling me away from them isn’t easy.

**** Interested in cutting back your daily salt intake?  Read about a troubling new study on my Self Help Blog:  How to Cut Back on Salt and Why You Should Do So!