Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes

I feel like the dog days of summer can't end soon enough!  As Fall approaches, we love to change up our pancake recipe and add a nice little twist.  This pancake is fluffy yet still has substance, so you won't be hungry in an hour. This pairs great with a breakfast chicken sausage. 

-Chris 

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes

(Makes 15-18 pancakes)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs. vinegar + enough milk to make 2 c.
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. pumpkin puree
• 2 1/2 cups Spelt Flour
• 3 tbs. unsalted, melted and slightly cooled butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 c. coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend

Instructions:

1. Heat griddle to 325 degrees.
2. In a large bowl add the milk/vinegar mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Add the pumpkin, eggs, butter, and vanilla. Wisk to combine.
4. In a separate medium bowl sift together the dry ingredients (this makes them fluffy!)
5. Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and wisk until combined. Don't overdo it.
6. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.
7. Melt 2 tbs. butter on griddle. Wipe off with a paper towel.
8. Use a 1/3 c. measure and pour pancakes onto griddle. 
9. Flip when edges become dry and bubbles form.

Serve hot with maple syrup, chopped pecans or chocolate chips if you like!

Hobo Packs

What I like most about this recipe is it's simple cleanup. You can even eat dinner right out of the foil. Then throw away the foil! You can easily substitute any fish for the scallops. Or add in any seasonal vegetables you have.

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

·      1.25 lbs. medium to large scallops (about 5 per person)

·      2 squash, 1/4” dice

·      2 zucchini, 1/4” dice

·      1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

·      1 bag frozen corn kernels

·      Bag of greens (either baby kale or spinach)

·      Handful of herbs (chive, thyme, basil)

·      4 large pieces of tin foil (size of two legal pads)

·      4- 1tbs of butter

·      ¼ c. white wine or chicken stock

·      salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Heat grill to high
• Spread out the 4 pieces of foil on a counter. This will help assemble it quickly.
• First place the bed of greens on the foil, then add the rest of the vegetables.
• Add about 5 scallops to each hobo pack and season with salt and pepper
• Add the butter in the middle of the scallops, then wine (this helps steam everything nicely)
• Finally add herbs to the top.  Close each hobo pack on itself.  You can bunch it together, like a hobo bag, or fold it nicely like a pillow.  Keep it a little loose to allow for air circulation
• Drop the grill to medium heat and add the hobo packs.  Depending on your grill it could take 15-25 minutes.  Keep checking back to see if you can hear it steaming.  I usually take one off after 15 minutes and open it to see if the scallops are cooked.  They should be white and firm.
• To plate you can either eat them out of the foil for quick cleanup, or serve them over quinoa or rice.  It’s a great summer dish and pairs well with the wine you cooked it with!

Kale Chips your kids will eat too.....

Kale shouldn't be eaten raw. It needs to be broken down either by heat or citrus to be digested properly. From a health perspective Kale has a high concentration of vitamins, K, A, C, B6, and E. Vitamin K is great because it helps reduce inflammation. More vitamin C is helpful this time of year because helps to elevate our immune systems to attack viruses. Kale is rich in antioxidants and fiber. A single cup has 30% of your daily recommended intake of omega 3s. This is about as close you can get to a "super food."

One final thing to note, I had my girls try this (when they were hungry of course) and they can't stop eating it. We tested this out on a few 9-year olds at a birthday party we hosted at "The Farm" and they loved it too!!  Make sure you wait until they are nice and crispy before you remove from the oven or no one will like them.  We hope you enjoy them!

-Chris

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and spun
• Organic non-stick olive oil spray
• sea salt 

Instructions:

• Pre-heat the oven for 180
• Remove the stems from the kale and rip them into bite-size pieces
• Spray sheet pan evenly with the olive oil 
• Arrange the kale in a tight single layer on the sheet pan and spray with olive oil.
• Season with sea salt, be liberal
• Bake in the oven until crispy, usually about 20-30 minutes.

Tip:  A yummy addition to this is adding fresh parmesan cheese before putting it in the oven!

Fresh Heirloom Zoodle salad

This quick, easy salad was created for a kid's birthday party we recently held at The Farm. The birthday girl was into healthy foods so I decided to create this vibrant, tasty side.

Fresh Heirloom Zoodle Salad

Yield- 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. zucchini, zoodled
• 1/2 lb. yellow summer squash, zoodled
• 1 lb heirloom tomatoes, diced
• handful fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Arrange all zoodles between paper towels (this draws out the moisture) let them sit for five minutes, then press gently on the paper towel to extract all the moisture
• Place the zoodles on a chopping board and run a knife through them a couple times
• Using a large bowl add the zoodles and tomatoes together, season with salt and pepper
• Cover and place in the fridge for thirty minutes
• Remove from fridge, give it a stir and taste to see if you need to add additional salt and pepper. 
• Rip the basil and garnish the top. Enjoy!!!

Super "Easy" Pita Chips......

Last week we were having some family over for dinner and we realized that we did not have much in terms of appetizers.  I checked in our freezer and found some Ezekiel Pita Bread.  As a family we like to eat Ezekiel Breads or Sprouted Grain Breads as they have a higher protein content and are easier to digest.  I used these and made the perfect "Everything" Pita Chips.  These tasted great dipped in a little hummus.  Sometimes the best things are made when you have to use what you have on hand!

Enjoy,

-Becca

Everything Pita Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Ezekiel Pita Bread or Any Brand of Pita Bread
• Poppy Seeds
• Sesame Seeds
• Sea Salt 
• Garlic Powder
• Organic Olive Oil Spray - (We use Nature's Promise)

Method:

1. Pre-Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut pita bread into triangles using a pizza cutter.  We cut them into 8 pieces, but depending on the size of the pitas you use that may vary.
3. Pull apart the pitas so that you now have 16 triangles from the 8 pieces you had cut.
4. Lay out on a sheet pan and spray with your Olive Oil Spray.
5. Sprinkle with any seasonings you would like.  We used poppy & sesame seeds, garlic powder and sea salt.  Parmesan cheese would be a great addition too!
6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until nice and crispy.
7. Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!!