25.11.11

Pancakes - original and "healthier" recipes

So, yesterday was a bit of a breakdown palace kinda day. The day before yesterday I made another batch of delightful scones (successfully edited to 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup regular flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, with some cheese thrown in), but it was late when I made them so I nibbled on a piece of one, thinking I'd have a wonderful breakfast to come down to the next day. Lo and behold, yesterday morning I came down to... an empty kitchen. Ok, so it wasn't "empty" empty, but it was empty of scones. My parents had left me the sum total of... half a scone. Now, I was not a happy kitty, because I was really looking forward to a scone, lightly warmed in the toaster, buttered with salt butter and slathered in Marmite. And from there, my day just went downhill with the whole "no job" thing. 

But then, I decided to take my future into my own hands, and what better way to do that than with some more baking and face-stuffing with deliciousness? So I brought down my handy dandy little recipe book (I don't know why, this is another one of those recipes I could whip up with my eyes closed), and set to the oh-so-arduous task of making myself pancakes. The advantage of pancakes is that you have to cook each one on the spot for maximum freshness and "yum" factor, so my parents don't bother stealing those. Below I'm going to list the original recipe, the one I used yesterday, and a potentially vegan-ified version which I have not tested and therefore am not guaranteeing results for. You're forewarned!

Original fluffy American pancakes
135gr flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
130ml milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Now comes the easy part: mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder) together. Beat wet ingredients then add to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a fork until all nicely combined and homogeneous. You should have a batter that is liquidy, but not too much so. It should be thicker than crêpe batter, and much thinner than cake batter, m'kay? 
For best results, I've found it works to heat a pan on a small burner on the highest flame (you following?). Once pan is hot, put a lick of butter and turn the flame down to medium/low. Put 1/2 soup ladle's worth of batter in your pan, and let it be. When bubbles start to appear on the surface (about 2 mins), flip your pancake and let it cook for another 30 seconds to a minute until golden brown on both sides. 

Enjoy with Marmite, maple syrup or anything else of your liking! Remember though, pancakes themselves aren't the devil, it's the toppings that tend to be unhealthy, so use your brain and moderation!


"Healthier" whole wheat pancakes

70gr whole wheat flour
75gr all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
140ml milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon melted butter, cooled
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For instructions, see above. You can vary the amount of whole wheat flour according to your liking, but it has a strong nutty flavor that can be bitter for some, so try it out and see what works best for you. I've found that half and half works for me.


Vegan-ified (non tested) pancakes

70gr whole wheat flour
75gr all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
130ml alternative milk (nut milk, coconut milk, soy milk... whatever works for you and is liquid enough)
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons water, see here for detailed instructions)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter substitute, cooled
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Mixing instructions as above. Again, keep in mind I haven't tried this one, but as soon as I do I'll post an update with modifications if there are any. I'll also add a picture as soon as I've taken one of this afternoon's batch of pancakes!

What's your favorite pancake topping? Share some ideas!!

21.11.11

Scones - original and "healthier" versions




Aside from a friend of mine who shall go by the name Zorro (and maybe you, M.), I have yet to meet anyone who does not like a good warm scone fresh out of the oven with some steaming tea. North Americans may call it a biscuit, but, let's face it, it's a scone. At 4pm, when hunger pangs strike and your will to live is directly and inversely proportionate to the amount of time you still have to spend at work, nothing is quite as comforting (to me) as a warm scone with melted butter and Marmite and a cup of strong black tea with a dash of milk. Unfortunately, when at work, these babies are pretty hard to come by, so I guess it's lucky for me that I am so far unemployed, or I'd also be without a scone in this instant! 

Now, there are two recipes here: one for the "traditional", no frills English scone. And one for the healthier yet oh-so-tasty version. Now I say "healthier" and not healthy because of the healthy (ha!) dose of butter involved in this recipe. But hey, if it tastes this good, I'm all for it! 
I've made these scones so often in the past 2,5 years I could make them with my eyes closed, my hands tied behind my back and my feet behind my head! And they always turn out delicious, they never disappoint (just make sure your oven is fully preheated or they won't rise and will end up being pretty dense).

Traditional English Scone
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter (salted or not, your choice)
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
1 egg

This recipe is really simple and takes only about 20 minutes from when hunger strikes to when it is fed, so it's as close as you will get to instant gratification with home-baked goods.

Start by mixing the dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar and baking powder). I use a fork for this (and most of my cooking/baking) and it works perfectly fine. Then add in the cold butter. Don't melt it as this will ruin the lovely flaky texture of the scones. Cut it up into small chunks and then use the heat of your hands to mix/melt it into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. 
Beat egg and 1/4 cup of milk, add to dough and mix with the fork. If the dough is too dry, add milk a tablespoon at a time. The dough should be homogeneous yet not sticky at all. When the fork stops being of use, knead with your hands as little as possible. This is key to obtaining a flaky scone! 
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and squish (yes, that is the technical term) to about 1,5cm thickness. Use a knife to cut diamond shapes or a glass to cut out round ones like I did. When you re-knead the leftovers, be sure to do it as little as possible. 
Put in a preheated oven at 180°C and bake for 12-15 minutes. Your scones should be lightly golden brown on top and baked through.


"Healthier" wholewheat and oats scones

1 cup firmly packed oats
1 cup wholewheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter (salted or not, your choice)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Mixing directions are the same as above. You will likely have to use a tad more milk than with the traditional scones as the oats absorb a lot of it pretty fast. Flatten your dough to about 2cm thick as it will rise less than normal flour scones would. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 12-15 minutes and enjoy!

Whichever recipe you decide to follow DON'T PEEK! Scones are only fussy once in the oven and need a constantly hot temperature to rise properly (like most baked goods). Use your oven light or your nose to figure out when they're ready!

I like my scones best with either salted butter and Marmite or mascarpone (in lieu of clotted cream) and strawberry jam, but the possibilities are endless for both the toppings and the scones themselves! I've successfully made cheese scones and maple syrup and oats scones and topped the first with freshly-made pesto. Seriously, the combinations are limited only by your imagination and taste buds! 

What's your favorite combo? Let me know!

Healthy Beautiful Exercise - 101


From aiding with weight loss to improving your sex life and everything in between, exercise if somewhat of a "miracle cure". Indeed, it has been proven to (among other things): 
  • Control weight
  • Combat physical and psychological health conditions (including but not limited to: depression, certain cancers and dementia)
  • Improve mood and help with stress relief
  • Increase metabolism and energy levels
  • Promote better sleep 
  • Improve endurance and sex life
  • Etc.
Now, I could natter on about the benefits of regular physical exercise, but I believe most of you know that, in essence, it's good for you on many different levels. However, I also believe that many people don't exercise regularly or at all because of the flawed idea that "I don't have time/I don't have the money/I don't have the equipment/add your favorite excuse here". Getting a healthy and regular dose of exercise in your life doesn't have to be ANY of those things.
Case in point: it can take as little as 12 minutes to get in a full body workout that will have you gasping and on your knees, yet will bring you all the benefits of hours of training at the gym. You can easily get in your daily exercise from home, without spending a single cent and using only your own bodyweight (Although I would advocate buying an interval timer: they only cost $20 and are invaluable in High Intensity Interval Training. That was my best investment ever in my health.) Also, if you make sure to practice exercise which you enjoy, it doesn't have to be a form of modern torture!

Think of all the fun physical activities there are out there. Capoeira! Dance! Martial Arts! Walking your dog around the block! Playing with your kids! Wait, what? Yes, absolutely! Any form of physical activity counts on the meter, and it doesn't have to be a synonym of strapping on some fluorescent leg warmers and doing jumping jacks until you lose all will to live. Besides, you know that "runner's high" people sometimes talk about? It's not a myth! When you exercise, your body releases endorphins and they are its natural drug: you effectively "get high". So when you've been exercising intensely for a long period of time and you suddenly stop, you get for-real withdrawal symptoms. Now, that need not scare you as it takes a lot to get there, but you WILL get the natural high after going for a run or participating in a challenging roda.

The most important thing here is to do what you love, and not give up. If your favorite thing is running around the block but you then get -40°C weather in winter, find something else that makes you smile and gets you sweaty, don't just start staying home when winter swings by! It's always a good idea to alternate your exercise anyway so that you hit all the main muscle groups and exercise strength as well as endurance, so have a rotation of activities you enjoy. Maybe you like running with your dog in the morning, hitting your "at-home gym" after work or going for a swim at the beach. Or maybe your thing is kicking people's butts at karate, biking to work and playing with your kids in the yard when you get home. As long as it feels intense to you, that's all that matters. Whatever floats your boat, go for it. No restraint!

The only moderation I would advise is, obviously, if you have a pre-existing health condition. Always be aware of your physical limitations (asthma, broken bones, weak heart...) and don't go overboard. But you may want to try and push yourself just that little bit extra as you'll be amazed at the results on your overall well-being! Even if you're heavily physically impaired, try and find a form of exercise that works for you as the benefits you will reap from regular activity will far outweigh any negative ideas you may have. A 10 min walk or a 7 min yoga session are both better than being a couch potato!

Bottom line is: find something that works for you, your motivation and your schedule and HAVE FUN!
If you don't like the physical activity you're engaging in, you'll be much more likely to stop and fall off the wagon. If you need to, find a workout buddy to help motivate you and keep you on track like a friend or a family member. There are tons of great online resources for all types of exercise from YouTube to the C25K running program and, my personal favorite, BodyRock.Tv. Exercising doesn't have to be boring and expensive, I promise!


What are your favorite go-to forms of exercise, and how often do you indulge?