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!

Healthier Single Serving Malva Pudding

Hello there!

Just a warning, this is new for me. Please bear with me as I get accustomed to the ways of the blogging world!

So my first recipe has a terrible picture. I'm very sorry about that. I left my camera at a friends' house and couldn't wait to eat my creation until I got it back from her. So I took a picture with my phone! At least there's a picture, right? (No Instagram, either, folks...I still haven't given in to a smart phone). Also, I ate some of it (most of it) before I got to take a picture. Forgive me for that too. It's an honest mistake! And, the background is terrible. I'll get better, I promise.

It's always good to leave plenty of room for improvement, right?

So here's the deal: if you haven't ever heard of Malva Pudding, I believe that's completely normal. It's a South African dessert that I found when I was searching for international dishes to make last summer. It's not like American pudding. At all.

Maybe more flan-like, or bread pudding-like. I'm not sure. I'm not an expert in either of those desserts. But it's sooo good. So you'll just have to try it for yourself!

Curious yet?

Oh and I attempted a healthier version. Now I'm not saying it's healthy. I'm saying it's healthier! But the original packs quite a saturated fat punch, due to all the butter. So I've gotten rid of the butter and scaled back on sugar a bit too. I also added some whole wheat flour.

Also, it's a one-serving recipe so you don't have to have a whole batch of delicious gooey malva pudding sitting around all week...or all day depending on your level of self-control. The only problem with this is that it's unlikely you'll have a 1/12 cup measuring device...or 1/3 tsp. I recommend just eye-balling it! It's good to do a little math in the kitchen every once in a while ;)

Mostly gone--that's a good sign, right?

I had my dad try it fresh from the oven (he hadn't tried the original) and he thought it was pretty good...which is saying something since he's not a huge fan of healthy desserts in general. I personally think it will definitely solve any malva pudding cravings I get! And I do get quite a few considering how recently it was that I found out about it.

Gooey and delicious, but ugly

So here's the recipe:

Healthier Personal Malva Pudding

Adapted from this delicious, but less-healthy version: http://simply-delicious.co.za/2011/04/11/malva-pudding/

Batter:

1 tsp banana--mashed and brown

1 tsp "smooth" preserves (I subbed strawberry, but the original calls for apricot)

1/8 cup sugar

1/3 tsp white vinegar

1/3 cup flour (I did a 1:1 ratio whole wheat:white)

1/3 cup milk

1/3 of an egg (or1/12 cup applesauce)

1/3 tsp baking soda

very small pinch of salt

Syrup:

1/8 cup honey (I used a little less, but it depends on sweetness preference)

1/8 cup of boiling water

1/10 cup of coconut oil

1/4 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease with olive oil or spray small oven-safe dish (I used a 1 7/8 cup glass dish).

Melt banana, preserves, sugar, and vinegar until smooth--I microwaved for 15-20 seconds, stirring in between. Sift flour, then add to mixture, alternating with milk. Add applesauce, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Pour into greased dish, and put in oven. Cook for approximately 20 minutes. It should start to brown on the top and a toothpick should come out clean when it's done.

Begin the syrup with 5-10 minutes left in the oven. Add all 4 ingredients and heat to make a syrup. I used a microwave because of the small amount, but stove-top would've provided a better syrup-like consistency.

When the pudding is done, pour syrup on top. It should take some time to soak in, 5-10 minutes. When they syrup is soaked in and the malva pudding is cooled down enough to eat, dig in!