This week I wanted to emphasize the importance of eating a healthy breakfast...um...or something close. Actually, if I could take my pick of what would be among the most perfect breakfast foods ever created, it would be chocolate. Did I say that out loud? What is the deal with the big brown love bars anyway? All wrapped in that shiny crinkle paper and calling me late at night. I have kids. It's not polite to call late at night! I just know that Hershey Pennsylvania has got to be the happiest place on earth! Right? It reminds me of a song we used to sing as kids about the raindrops being lemon drops and gumdrops. I thought it was a pointless song. I would be inside with my chocolate bar. My brother lived in Pennsylvania for a while and said the air smelled like chocolate. Now I know that real chocolatiers don't necessarily condone the use of Hershey. I am a purist. I know what the good stuff is.. The European chocolate is much smoother and more refined. As far as baker's cocoa, if you can find the good imported stuff, and it fits your budget, you should use it. It is more important for me to feed my family than buy expensive chocolate. That is WITH my culinary training and having the practical side win out. Some things have to come first. That being said, there has to be a legal inexpensive way to have good chocolate for breakfast. Legal enough to not break my family budget and calorie budget as well. Here's a good one!!--Note the healthy recipe changes following the recipe.
Chocolate PancakesIngredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 tsp rum extract (or some of the real stuff if you use it)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar and strawberry preserves, ganache or fudge sauce
Directions:
In small bowl, combine milk, egg and butter; whisk until blended. In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add milk mixture; whisk just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Heat griddle over medium heat until hot.
For each pancake, pour scant 1/4 cup batter into pan, spreading batter. Cook 1-2 minutes or until batter is set around edges. Carefully turn and cook 1-2 minutes or until pancakes are baked through. Repeat with remaining batter. If desired, sprinkle pancakes with powdered sugar; serve with warm ganache or fudge sauce. Stunning with sliced fresh peaches that have been put under the broiler a few minutes on a sheet pan. If I am feeling really insane...like EVERY day...a good sprinkle of chopped almond hazelnut toffee to finish it off.
Then go jogging for 2 hours...
Hey! Where's the big glob of whipped cream to go on top???? It's not listed in the recipe but wouldn't that be divine?!
Chef Tess' Healthy recipe changes:
For no cholesterol:
Use soy milk
use 1/4 cup egg beaters instead of egg
2T expelled pressed oil (extra virgin coconut oil tastes wonderful!)
Sugar free:use splenda
natural/unrefined sugar:
use granulated fructose or 2T honey (reduce liquid by 2T)
use 100% fruit spread
omit the powdered sugar "sprinkle step"... (sounds like a good dance move!)
Whole Grain: Use fine ground whole organic wheat flour (if you use hard wheat, please replace 1/4 cup flour with fine ground oats--this will allow for tender pancakes). Whole grain cake flour is ideal for fluffy pan cakes. It is always necessary to use more
liquid for whole grain. Increase to 1 1/3 cup fat free milk or soy milk.
Don't jog as long...but still jog!
Chocolate PancakesIngredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 tsp rum extract (or some of the real stuff if you use it)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar and strawberry preserves, ganache or fudge sauce
Directions:
In small bowl, combine milk, egg and butter; whisk until blended. In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add milk mixture; whisk just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Heat griddle over medium heat until hot.
For each pancake, pour scant 1/4 cup batter into pan, spreading batter. Cook 1-2 minutes or until batter is set around edges. Carefully turn and cook 1-2 minutes or until pancakes are baked through. Repeat with remaining batter. If desired, sprinkle pancakes with powdered sugar; serve with warm ganache or fudge sauce. Stunning with sliced fresh peaches that have been put under the broiler a few minutes on a sheet pan. If I am feeling really insane...like EVERY day...a good sprinkle of chopped almond hazelnut toffee to finish it off.
Then go jogging for 2 hours...
Hey! Where's the big glob of whipped cream to go on top???? It's not listed in the recipe but wouldn't that be divine?!
Chef Tess' Healthy recipe changes:
For no cholesterol:
Use soy milk
use 1/4 cup egg beaters instead of egg
2T expelled pressed oil (extra virgin coconut oil tastes wonderful!)
Sugar free:use splenda
natural/unrefined sugar:
use granulated fructose or 2T honey (reduce liquid by 2T)
use 100% fruit spread
omit the powdered sugar "sprinkle step"... (sounds like a good dance move!)
Whole Grain: Use fine ground whole organic wheat flour (if you use hard wheat, please replace 1/4 cup flour with fine ground oats--this will allow for tender pancakes). Whole grain cake flour is ideal for fluffy pan cakes. It is always necessary to use more
liquid for whole grain. Increase to 1 1/3 cup fat free milk or soy milk.
Don't jog as long...but still jog!
11 comments:
I'm gonna say chocolate for brunch. Actually, chocolate is too much for me at breakfast, but I have no aversion to pancakes for dinner. That being said, I did eat the last piece of fudge before noon today. In Austria, I always had muesli with little chocolate bits. And whole milk, of course. Now, it doesn too much damage that early.
I left a comment earlier about pigs feet in the fridge but then realized that most everyone would not know what I was talking about! I do adore your twisted beautiful mind my dear!! Please share freely as I know you are among the amazing foodie gals I know! I would die to go to Austria for one little speck of muesli. But then, you have been everywhere! Keep it coming! True confessions, I had fudge before noon too!
You KNOW I'm going to try these. I've been making chocolate chip pancakes for a while now that I am ADDICTED to. They are what true love is all about.
I'm going to say this only once because repeating it will undoubtedly cause a great disturbance in the Universe...Double chocolate pancakes. Come to the DARK SIDE. Add chocolate chips...GIVE IN. You are MINE!!!
I never had a chance...
I haven't commented on this before? I use it all the time. I printed this one out so I could have it on the counter, since I make them once a month bare minimun!
You are not helping my diet! LOL Chocolate is my weakness. YUM
I know right?! I'm like 1 1/2 weeks into a 3 week hcg cycle and then I have 3 weeks after that on low carb...so you can see my thought patterns today...thinking and looking but not touching or baking.
How do you freeze these then unthaw them.
To freeze, lay them out on a sheet pan in a single layer on a silicon liner or a piece of non-stick foil. and place in freezer until frozen. Stack and put in a gallon size freezer bag. To defrost, either put in the toaster on lowest setting or microwave 2-3 pancakes for 1 1/2 minutes.
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