Multigrain Pancakes with Ricotta Sauce

Alright, so I make whole grain pancakes fairly often, and have started quite a range of pancake recipes on this blog already. Well, this is the best multigrain pancake yet! They are thick, hearty, good for you and best of all, yummy! The ricotta sauce really made love them even more! I haven't forgotten you Maple Syrup, just loving your new companions, protein packed yogurt, ricotta and cinnamon!

Multigrain Pancakes with Ricotta Sauce
Recipe from Clean Eating Magazine Sept/Oct 2010

1 1/4 whole wheat flour
1/3 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup rolled oats, ground
1 tsp. sucanant (I used rapadura, but any sugar will do)
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 cup unsweetened rice, almond or soy milk
cooking spray
1 cup berries (I used strawberries)

RICOTTA SAUCE
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
2 Tb. pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp. cinnamon, ground

1. To prepare pancakes: Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, rice milk and mix until foamy. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until well blended; let sit for 5 minutes so flours have time to absorb liquid (mixture will thicken)

2. *Prepare ricotta sauce: Combine all ingredients with a whisk until smooth and creamy.

3. Heat griddle or large skillet over medium high heat (about 350 F) and coat with cooking spray. Pour pancake batter onto griddle until they are about 4 inches in diameter. Cook until bubbles form around edges, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Serve by stacking pancakes and drizzle with ricotta sauce and top with fresh berries. Enjoy!

*If you would like a thinner sauce, simply add water, 1 Tb. at a time.

Chicken Taco Pizza

OK here is chicken recipe #2 for all you meat eaters out there : ) This was really easy and pretty yummy I must admit. It's a nice twist on your ordinary pizza with marinara or pesto sauce.

Chicken Taco Pizza
Recipe adapted from www.WholeFoods.com

1 whole wheat pizza crust, (I used the Trader Joes pizza dough)
1/2 cup salsa, plus more for serving
1/4 pound part-skim mozzarella, shredded, divided
1 cup no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen yellow corn, thawed
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1 organic boneless, skinless grilled chicken breast, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Method
Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange crust on a pizza stone or large baking sheet. Spread salsa over crust and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with beans, corn, olives, chicken and remaining cheese and bake until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and avocado, cut into 8 pieces and serve with more salsa on the side.

Coconut Gelato

I bought an ice cream maker on sale at the start of the summer. You can't be a Mom of two and not have an ice cream maker...right? (Well, that's what I told myself as I was in line buying it anyway!) My Mom used to make home made ice cream every year for my birthday growing up. However this was a huge ordeal. There was rock salt, a lot of standing around and pouring layers of ice and salt while it churned. It was a lot of work, so we didn't do it often. But times have changed and ice cream makers have gotten much more user friendly. This recipe took no more than 5 minutes to put together, and about 40 minutes of churning before we had cold creamy coconut gelato! YUM!

This is dairy free, but FULL of all the creamy flavor of real ice cream. Only three ingredients, you can't go wrong!

Coconut Gelato
Recipe from www.weelicious.com
2 13 oz Cans Coconut Milk, unsweetened
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Agave

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Pour the mixture into a ice cream maker and freeze (churn) according to manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Transfer to a container and freeze for 2-3 hours or until firm.
4. Serve.
* If you don’t own an ice cream machine, you can pour the mixture into Popsicle molds and freeze for 3-4 hours. Might be good to add crushed pineapple to the mixture as well.