German Apple Pancake

I have tried for so long to get this pancake right. I finally did! I never gave up because I just love how this pancake is assembled and how it bakes. The apples are cooked in a cast iron pan and then the batter is made in a blender and poured over the apples. Then you put the stuff in the over and it puffs up. When you take it out, the pancakes sinks and it is so delicious! It is crunchy and soft with a little bit of sweetness from the apples.

I do not peel the apples and prefer to use apples that stand up to cooking. I also like to use cast iron pan and have never used anything else, so don't know how other pans work here. I like cast iron because it holds heat well and I do not have to worry about chemicals doing funky stuff at 450 F.

German Apple Pancake

4 large apples (about 20 ounces), sliced 1/4 to 1/8 inch thin

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Batter:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Add butter to a 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium low heat. Add the apples, lemon juice and brown sugar. Toss with a spatula and cook for a couple of minutes. The apples will soften. Add the sugar and cook until the sugar is caramelized, another 5 to 10 minutes. The apples will take on a deep brown color. Be sure to toss the apples frequently to prevent burning.

When the oven has preheated, combine all the ingredients for the batter in a blender. Buzz for 30 seconds on high. Pour the batter in the pan, starting at the edges and working toward the center. Place into the center rack and bake for 20 minutes and then lower the heat to 400 F and bake for another 10 minutes. The pancake will puff up and separate from the edges a little. Do not open the oven during the 30 minutes of baking!

Remove and drizzle the top with honey. Take a chunk out and enjoy. The leftovers are good, so pack it up and refrigerate and eat it up within 24 hours.

Banana Bread

My baby girl loves bananas so I usually have some that are just too ripe to eat. I decided to make banana bread with them yesterday. It was very easy to make. The bread is not too sweet and has a dense crumb.

Aside from the sugar, this bread is not too bad for you. It has a bunch of bananas, whole wheat flour and olive oil.

Banana Bread

2 1/3 cups overripe bananas pressed tight into measuring cups
1/2 cup olive oil

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed tight
2 large eggs
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
 
Add the bananas to a bowl and mash them well with a potato masher. Add eggs to the bananas and mix with the masher. Add the sugar and oil to the bowl and stir. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
 
Grease a loaf pan with natural shortening and line bottom with parchment paper or put 1/4 cup of sliced almonds or raw oatmeal on the bottom. This prevent the bread from sticking to the bottom. Pour in the batter and if you like sprinkle the top with sliced almonds.
 
Bake at 350 F in the center rack for about 60 minutes or until the top is firm to touch. Let the bread cool completely and then invert out of the pan. I think that is bread is better after it sits for a couple of hours.

Slice into 1/2 - 1 inch slices and enjoy! If the bread is around after 1 day, slice it and freeze it to prevent molding.

makes 1 loaf

Hummus

I love hummus, it is so yummy and rich. I tried hummus in restaurants and was confused why my hummus would never turn out restaurant smooth. I did some online research and found out that if you peel the beans, which is not hard but is tedious, the hummus turns out smooth. You do not have to peel the beans, but your hummus will be a little rough.

Hummus
15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane
1/2 cup water, room temperature

Put the garbanzo beans into a large bowl and cover with water. Rub the beans to remove the skins. The skins do not float to the top so you have to swish everything with your hand and then carefully drain the water into the sink. Since the beans are heavy they will stay on the bottom. Most of the skins will come out, but you will have to repeat this couple of times to get all the skins out.

Place the drained garbanzo beans along with everything else into a blender (blender works much better than a food processor). Blend until smooth and transfer mixture to a serving bowl.

Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the hummus and sprinkle with paprika and finely chopped parsley. Serve with pita bread. YUM!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich the French Toast Way

I am sure that this has an official name, but I do not know it. It is just like making french toast, but with two slices and filling inside. It is really easy and can be made healthy by adding good for you 'stuff'.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich the French Toast Way
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk, any fat
plenty of freshly ground pepper or freshly chopped herbs such as rosemary, oregano
4 slices sturdy whole wheat bread, halfway dry
'Stuff': sliced meat, fresh spinach, good melting or bad melting cheese, ...

Whisk eggs, milk and pepper or herbs in a large shallow bowl (you can also use a large dinner plate).

Place 'stuff' between the two slices of bread and apply any spreads (such as pesto, mustard,...). Now put the other slice on top and dip the sandwich into the custard, just like if you were making french toast. You want the bread slices to absorb some the custard. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the other two slices.

Preheat a 10 or 12 inch skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over low heat until the oil is simmering. Put the soaked sandwich into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes per side or until the cheese melts.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Salsa

This is a great salsa recipe from my father-in-law. I eat it by the bowl. It is that good. I made a few changes to keep it mild, but kept the recipe below the same way I got it from him. Thanks!

1. I did not use the jalapenos, green chiles or habanero. It is just too hot for me. I made it with the 2 yellow chiles and pablano pepper (which is actually not in the original recipe) and it was spicy. The next day the salsa was much more mild. I am not sure why.

2. I did not include any salt or garlic salt. I do not like to eat that much salt. Besides, commercial chips have salt on them already. You can add the salt if you want.

I tried to freeze a little of the salsa and see how it comes out. It was watery and did not have the same texture. The salsa does not freeze well, so eat it up in a couple of days.

Salsa Recipe (Pico de Gallo)
28 oz can whole tomatoes
4 long green chiles
2 short yellow chiles
2 Jalapeños, optional
1 Habanero, optional
4 medium-large tomatoes
2 bunches cilantro
2 bunches green onions
1 white onion
5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt

In a blender, blend the following:

Can of tomatoes, two green chilies, one yellow chile, both Jalapeños, the Habanero, the garlic, half the white onion, one bunch of the cilantro, along with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Pour into a large bowl. Note: To keep the salsa cool, seed the chilies.

Slice, dice and add the following:

The tomatoes, the other half of the white onion, the green onions, the rest of the chilies, and the last bunch of the cilantro. Stir and eat.

Tamale Pie

This is very good and very yummy. It is cornbread on top of yummy goodness. You can make the filling 24 hours ahead. Put the filling into the dish and cover with plastic. When ready, make the crust batter and bake as directed.

Filling

1 pound ground beef, as lean as you can get it

1 large onion, chopped fine

6 oz tomato paste

2 cups very finely chopped chard or frozen spinach (no need to defrost)

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoons ground coriander

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoon cornmeal, coarse or fine
1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed

1/4 cup lentils, rinsed

3 cups water

14 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Crust

1 cup cornmeal, fine grind

1 cup all purpose flour, (not whole wheat because ww makes it too harsh)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup yogurt, any fat

1/2 cup milk, any fat

Cook meat and onion until the meat is cooked NO OIL in a 12 inch skillet or a dutch oven. Add the spices and the tomato paste. Cook for a couple of minutes to cook the paste. Add the rest of the ingredients, except cheese and vinegar, partially cover and cook until the lentils and quinoa are tender. Add the red wine vinegar. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

Pour the filling into an oven safe dish and sprinkle with cheese. Cook for 20 minutes at 350 F.

While the filling cooks, prepare the crust. Combine the dry and wet in two separate bowls. Just before getting the dish out, mix the wet and dry until just combined. Place big scoops of batter over the filling. Spread the batter over the filling with a wet spatula. Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

Basic Frittata

Frittata is like an omelet, but enriched with meats, veggies, cheese, or what ever you like. This is a very yummy and easy recipe. You can add whatever you want, but make sure that you do not add too much stuff.

In the pictured frittata, I put finely chopped fresh parsley, about 5 sun dried tomatoes that I sliced thin and half of fresh Anaheim chili pepper. I added the chili pepper with the onion and mixed the parsley and tomatoes with the eggs.

Basic Frittata

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

6 large eggs

1/4 cup milk, any fat

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Add oil to a 10 inch non-stick skillet and preheat the pan over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the stuff that needs to be cooked. For the basic frittata it is the onion but you would also add for example mushrooms, hot or regular peppers at this point. Season with the salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft.

Turn the broiler on while the stuff is cooking in the pan. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, herbs (such as parsley, thyme, rosemary) until combined. Just before adding the egg mixture, add the garlic to the pan and stir. When you smell the garlic, pour in the egg mixture.

Stir with a rubber spatula. When the eggs become almost done (look curdled, but still soupy) place the eggs under the broiler (middle shelf). The frittata is ready when it is puffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes.

Remove and slide a rubber spatula over the bottom to release the frittata. Slide on a plate, cut and eat.

It is better fresh, but I think that it tastes just fine the next day.

Serves 4 people