During the busy work week I try to squeeze in a breakfast that I can eat out of hand so when the weekend rolls around, if I have the energy, I like to make up a stack of pancakes or waffles.  I usually double pancake/waffle recipes so I can stash some in the freezer allowing me to have Toaster Waffles or Pancakes any day of the week!

We are finally getting some Fall-like weather here so I was craving something pumpkin-y but, bah, all my pumpkin is frozen….Gingerbread invokes all those lovely Fall feelings, too! And it makes the house smell absolutely wonderful!

3 cups  (750 ml) Flour
2  teaspoons (10 ml)  Baking Powder
1/2teaspoons (2.5 ml)  Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon  (2.5 ml)  Salt
2  Tablespoons (30 ml)  Brown Sugar
2 teaspoon (10 ml)  Ground Cinnamon
1  teaspoon (5 ml)  Ground Ginger

2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons (10 ml)  Vanilla
1/2 cup (125 ml) Molasses
1/3 cup  (75 ml) Butter, melted, cooled slightly (2.5 oz Butter* )
2 1/2 cups  (725 ml) Milk – I use Almond Milk – ** or to desired consistency

Preheat Griddle to 350F (175C)

In large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger.
In small mixing bowl combine beaten eggs, vanilla, molasses, melted butter and milk.
Pour liquid ingredients, all an once, into dry ingredients and stir just until all the flour mixture is moistened; a few small lumps are okay.
Lightly spray griddle with vegetable oil.
Drop 6 ladlefuls of batter, evenly spaced, onto griddle.
Cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry.
Flip and continue cooking until golden brown.
Remove cooked pancakes to serving platter.  ( if I am not serving them straight away I place them on a wire rack in a  low oven  175F {80C] until ready to serve. )
Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve with a dollop of Plain Greek Yogurt,  lightly sweetened with a splash of vanilla,  a pinch of cinnamon and a bit of powdered sugar.

Yield: 15 – 18 medium sized Pancakes

* I hate packing butter into measuring spoons or measuring cups; I prefer to weigh it on my kitchen scale!

** Sometimes I add a little more Almond Milk, sometimes a little less; you want a thickish batter…too runny and you will get flat pancakes…too thick and they won’t be cooked through when they are a lovely golden brown.

I wanted to make Luke Breakfast for Dinner but didn’t have any bread in the house. Luke doesn’t like to mix his savoury with his sweet so I couldn’t make, you know, regular pancakes. But, hey, I saw a post the other day for Ham and Cheese Pancakes…I don’t remember where I saw it but I have a pretty good grasp on how to make a basic pancake and let’s see, what’s in the fridge? Broccoli, cheddar, tomato….yup, I have it. Broccoli and Cheddar Whole Wheat Pancakes with Tomato Sriracha Yogurt.

1 cup Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil or Butter, melted
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 – 2 cups Almond Milk or Milk
3 stems Broccoli, finely chopped
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
2 Green Onions, chopped

1 cup Greek Style Yogurt
1 Roma Tomato, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Pepper, to taste

Heat electric griddle to 350F.
In mixing bowl combine flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a small bowl combine vegetable oil, eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk; add all at once to dry ingredients and stir gently, just until combined, adding more milk if needed to get right consistency. ( I never measure milk…just pour!)
Fold in chopped broccoli, shredded cheddar and green onions.
Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto lightly greased griddle, smoothing batter out a bit with the back of your spoon. I can usually cook 6 pancakes at a time on my griddle.
Cook until bubbles form and start to pop, about 3 – 4 minutes, before turning over.
Continue cooking for another 3 – 4 minutes.
Transfer to serving platter and repeat with remaining batter.
While pancakes are cooking, combine yogurt, chopped tomato, sriracha sauce and salt in a small bowl.
To serve, stack two or three pancakes on plate, top with Tomato Sriracha Sauce, a bit of shredded cheddar and chopped green onion.

Makes 8 pancakes.

So I ran out of Chia Seeds the other day. I rummaged in the cupboards looking for a protein packed substitute that I could add to my Breakfast Smoothie. I grabbed a package of unopened Bulgur….big mistake!
Ah, but now the package is open! Why did I buy this stuff? Surely I was not thinking of making Tabbouleh in the Winter? Who knows? Some recipe that contained the stuff must have caught my eye; too bad I can’t remember what the recipe was?? Now I will just have to find other ways to cook up this package of Bulgur.
I usually make Eggs and Bacon for my husband but he has expressed a desire to cut down on the animal protein he consumes. Woot! Mayhaps I will get him to come back to a Vegetarian way of life…?? One can hope. Anyway, it is cold and gloomy out these days so a cooked breakfast is the way to go, right?
I used all of my rolled oats in my Christmas baking so that was out. Oh yea, that package of Bulgur…surely that is cooked up like Rolled Oats? Sure is!

3 cups water
1 cup Bulgur
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Honey
Blueberries, fresh or frozen
Strawberries,  fresh or frozen

In medium saucepan combine water, bulgur, cranberries, salt and honey.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until bulgur is tender and mixture is consistency of oatmeal, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries and/or strawberries.
Serve with milk and top with extra fruit.

Serves 6

Variation:
Omit Dried Cranberries, Blueberries and/or Strawberries
Reduce Honey to 2 Tablespoons
Maple and Brown Sugar Bulgur
Stir in
1/3 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Walnuts, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
Brown Sugar, to serve

*I like to make up a batch of cooked breakfast porridge and keep it in the fridge for a quick breakfast that can be warmed up in the microwave.