Everything (bagel) Pancakes

I've purchased bagels before.

At the grocery store, and at a bakery. The bagels at the grocery store tend to be on the drier side and overall not that impressive. At the bakery, they were great, but a bit overpriced (especially with cream cheese!) and not the healthiest breakfast option either...depending on the type you chose.

I've made bagels before.

Don't get me wrong, they turned out amazingly. They were delicious. But I remember them taking a little bit of time. Time that I don't usually have in the morning.

This is not a really bagel, it's a pancake. Technically. But maybe you could call it a panbagel if you so desired. (Now I'm thinking I should've made it into a ring shape!)

One of my favorite bagels is an everything bagel. That's why this turned out to be a wonderful and delicious breakfast side! It's extremely quick, and tastes spot-on. Not to mention, it's made with whole grain flour, and it's a savory pancake, so you can have some fruit or juice along with it without overloading on sugar in the morning.

Everything (bagel) Pancakes

Makes 1 serving: one large pancake (double it if you're sharing or very hungry!)

Pancake ingredients
4 tbs flour (oat&w.w. combo)
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 c. milk
1/3 tsp oil (and some for pan)
pinch of flax seed

Topping
poppy seeds
sesame seeds
1/4-1/8 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp minced onion
salt

Directions
Mix pancake ingredients. Pour onto hot pan at medium-high heat. Sprinkle poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic and onion on the uncooked side of the pancake, then flip when it starts to bubble a bit. Check it to see if it is browning, and if it's done, plate it and salt to taste (if you have coarse salt, this will be more like a bagel!).

Notes:
-garlic and onion powders can most likely be replaced for the minced kind. If using dried/powdered, I would suggest either adding it to the batter or adding it after cooked, so it doesn't get burnt.
-for an even more bagel-y taste, top with some whipped cream cheese (and for pretty-ness, put more poppy and sesame seeds on top!)

Strawberry Cupcake with Lemon Poppy Seed Frosting

Hahahaha. I'll tell you a secret. The microwave can make instant baked goods. For one person!

(Imagine the laughter above as being slightly mischievous)

This was so fun to make because it took less than 5 minutes. It didn't make a lot of messy dishes, I didn't have to wait on the oven, and there's LEMON. I believe I mentioned (yesterday) how much I enjoy lemon.

So I know the microwave thing is likely not so much of a "secret" to you at this point in your life.

I mean there's mug cakes, mug cookies, etc.

And I know this is nothing I made up. But today, I really enjoyed it. Mainly because I've tried this with cookies before and totally failed. They (the ones that didn't burn) tasted like...dry biscuits. No thanks.

But this is a winner! Also, I know I already mentioned this, but there's LEMON. Mmm.

This is the cupcake all dressed up with lemon poppy seed stuff (or schtuff as my mother would say).

And here's the cupcake before I added any frosting or anything

Looking plain. Perhaps a bit sad.

Healthy Strawberry Cupcake/Muffin

(recipe inspired by/adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)

Ingredients for one muffin:

2 1/2 tbs flour (I used white/ww combo)

2 tbs milk

1 tbs chopped (~1 whole) strawberries

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tbs mashed banana (or oil, applesauce, etc.)

(a small amount of sugar(1-2 tsp) would probably be appreciated by most people)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients. Pour into ramekin or small microwavable dish (grease this first). Microwave for 45-60 seconds, depending on your microwave. Let cool.

Mix a 1/4 tsp of milk with about 1-2 tbs of yesterday's lemon poppy seed dip and use it as frosting for this delicious...cuffin. Muffcake? 

Then eat it!

By the way, what's the difference between a cupcake and a muffin? Is a cupcake simply a muffin that is frosted? 

Either way, this muffcake is definitely healthy enough for breakfast!

Pineapple Bars

I wanted to make some healthy lemon bars. So I set off to work right away. However, I quickly learned that I haven't made enough regular lemon bars in my life to make a healthy recipe...without using another recipe as a guide.

So they turned out...really bad. They kind of tasted a lot like nothing, with a really bad texture. Probably closer to quiche than to lemon bars, if you ask me. Except quiche is good.

Oh well. Gotta have some failures here and there, right? They encourage humility. Failures are good!

Plus...that particular failure helped lead me to this particular success!

Actually, the failed "lemon" bars were a lot more photogenic (just goes to show you can't judge food by it's appearance). They had a more solid consistency (like quiche) and were a bit thicker. But these pineapple bars may be gooey and floppy, but since when does gooey and floppy taste bad?

Last I checked, brownies were gooey. Those are delicious. And pancakes are floppy. Those are also delicious.

Anyway, these pineapple bars popped into mind when I saw a pineapple sitting on the counter as I was making the nasty lemon bars. I thought about the acidity of the pineapple and the bright yellow color and thought it would make a tasty bar like this! As I was making them, I realized that there's room for improvement. But maybe they'll give you an idea to kickstart some ingenious creativity.

I made a "healthy" version, so there's minimal fat and no added sugar (apart from powdered on top). And mine are fairly small. Feel free to take this where you want to! I'm sure it would also be good with the traditional lemon bar crust and a thicker, more sugary topping. 

Personally, I'll stick with mine. I can have 2 for under 150 calories! That makes them taste better in my mind :)

Healthy Pineapple Bars

yield: 8 servings

Crust:

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup flour (I used oat flour, but wheat would be good too)

1 tbs unsweetened shredded coconut 

1/4 c plain greek yogurt

2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp ripe mashed banana

1/4 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Custard:

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 egg

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp flour

1/8 tsp vinegar

pinch backing powder

powdered sugar for dusting on top (about 2 tbsp)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine ingredients for crust and mix well. Smooth the crust dough into the pan so that it covers the bottom (I used a bread pan for these, because the recipe is about 1/2-1/3 the size of a normal recipe). Cook crust for 5-6 minutes.

For the custard, beat pineapple juice, egg, and vinegar. Combine cornstarch, flour, and baking powder, then add to the liquid ingredients. Beat well. When the crust is finished, pour custard mixture on top and bake for 10-15 minutes. The top will start to crack when it is ready.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. I preferred these after they chilled in the fridge for an hour or two (the textures of both the crust and the custard seemed better). Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving, since it may soak up in the custard. Enjoy!

Variations/Notes

If you'd like to change some things, here are a few recommendations!

For more of a pina-colada bar:

 -replace some (maybe 1/2) of the greek yogurt with more coconut oil, and add more coconut shreds.

For a sweeter bar:

 -add 1-2 tsp honey or sugar to the crust

 -add 2-3 tsp honey or sugar to the custard

For a thicker bar:

 -double the custard amount

 -consider adding a second egg or just a yolk