quinoa lemon poppy seed pancakes

I have come to an important conclusion about life. Pancakes are good for the soul. So when I find that my soul is in need of nourishing, I look for a good pancake recipe. This recipe in particular is good for that purpose. (Thank you Tartine and Apronstrings.) They're bright and fresh and slightly healthy-ish, as far as grains go. Although I stray a little from the original recipe (because where the freak would I find a yuzu fruit in Utah?), I found that the results are absolutely delicious. This has become one of my favorite breakfasts/lunches/dinners. Pancakes are appropriate at any and all times of day.

1/2 c. rice flour

1/2 c. quinoa flour

2 TBS sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 pinches salt

2 TBS poppy seeds

zest from 1 lemon

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp lemon extract

1 TBS canola oil

In one bowl, add the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, zest, and poppy seeds and stir them together. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon extract, and oil. Add all of that to the dry mixture. In ANOTHER separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. (Which looks something like this. Just in case you're like me and are slightly clueless as to whether it really just means "foam" or not.) Fold (gently stir) those into your first bowl. At this point you can start cooking them over medium heat in a frying pan. They'll need to cook for about 1-2 minutes per side. Serve it up with honey, blueberries, maple syrup; whatever your taste. 

how to cook a soft-boiled egg

I have a strange love-hate relationships with mornings. It's by far my favorite time of the day, but I am by NO MEANS a morning person. I hate waking up, I hate it when people sing or are happy too early, and I typically refuse to leave the house until at least 11 unless it's absolutely necessary. And yet the morning is still my favorite. I love to be awake when the sun is just coming up and everything is quiet. I love eating breakfast and reading before everyone is awake. I love having a time when I can realize how very blessed I am to be alive.

And of course, the best foods in the world are served at breakfast time.

My most recent favorite breakfast food is the SOFT BOILED EGG with some delicious gluten free sourdough bread from New Grains Bakery. (I've found that gluten free bread is much better toasted. Just so you all know.) I love this breakfast more than I love some people. And it's so incredibly easy to make!

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a pot of water to a boil (there should be just enough water in there to cover an egg). Add some salt to the water. With a slotted spoon, gently set an egg (or two or three or however many) into the boiling water. Immediately set your timer for some time between 5 and 7 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs. (I personally cook mine for about 6-6.5 minutes, just because I like them that way.) As soon as the timer goes off, use the slotted spoon to get your eggs out of there and run them under cold water, so they stop cooking inside.

From here, you can either peel them (like I do) and eat them over toast, or you can take the classy British approach and keep the shells on. Using a knife, you would just decapitate the thing right at the top, and then use a spoon or toast strips to scoop out the insides. You can't lose either way, really.

green chile cornbread pancakes with roasted blueberry honey syrup

When I was a freshman, I had this roommate from New Mexico. She always used to tell us about the mesas, and the dirt, and the cowboys, and the smell of roasting green chiles. It sounded sort of wonderful, in its own sort of way. I went there with her once, and it was sort of wonderful in its own sort of way. So open and natural. So devoid of the greenery that I always thought symbolized life, and yet so extremely alive. The sky, the sage brush, the dessert animals...

And the green chiles. Ohhhh those things are good. When I found this recipe I immediately decided to swap in green chiles for the jalapeños, because I have found a small place in my heart for those delicious little things. Also partly because jalapeños are freaking spicy and I'm a wimp.

FOR THE PANCAKES

1/2 c. corn

1/4 c. cornmeal

1/4 c. flour (can be substituted with Cup4Cup gluten-free flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBS honey

1 egg

1/2 c. buttermilk

1 TBS canola oil

1 1/2 TBS green chile

1/4 shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella, whatever your taste)

FOR THE SYRUP

1 1/2 c. blueberries (I used frozen because I'm poor, you can too)

1/2 c. honey

1 TBS water

1 TBS butter

Heat up your oven to high (around 350°F) and roast your blueberries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 10-15 minutes. While that's going, roast the green chiles and the corn in a pan until they are just a little charred. Then, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add the honey, egg, buttermilk and canola oil. Add the roasted green chiles, corn, and cheese. Before starting to cook your pancakes, get a small pot and boil the water and honey for the sauce. Add the butter. When the blueberries are done, add those in as well. Then you can cook your pancakes (about 2-3 minutes per side) and serve them with a delicious roast blueberry sauce.

It's sweet. It's savory. It's the best breakfast ever.