These were okay. Not my favourite, but it was fine. And they were quick and easy to put together.

I ended up making them with whole wheat flour instead of white, because we were out of white flour and the grocery store was completely sold out the last time I was there.

I think some walnuts would have made a nice addition. And they also could have used a bit of cinnamon. Still... they were good overall.

Orange Spice Pancakes

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 1/3 c. orange juice
• 1 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine flours and and sugar.
2. Sift in baking powder and ground ginger.
3. Add the cinamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt and mix well.
4. Beat the egg, orange zest, and vanilla with the orange juice.
5. Mix in the melted butter.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
7. Add the walnuts (if using) and stir to mix.
8. Heat a tawa or griddle over medium heat. Grease as necessary.
9. Pour some batter into the tawa/pan and cook until bubbles form and edges look dry.
10. Flip and cook until brown on both sides and cooked through.
11. Repeat with remaining batter.
12. Serve pancakes with marmalade and/or butter.

I went slightly off-script for this one. The recipe calls for banana, pineapple, and mango for the fruit and then vanilla yogurt and orange juice as the liquid. I found a bag of frozen "tropical fruit blend" at the grocery store yesterday. It did contain pineapple and mango, but it also had a lot of strawberry and honeydew in the mix. I figured that sounded tasty and let me buy only one bag of frozen fruit rather than two, so I just rolled with it. As for the liquids... We already had a bunch of really nice honey yogurt, so I opted to use that with a little vanilla extract mixed in. And for the orange juice... I did juice the orange that we had, but it didn't produce quite enough, so I just rounded it out with a bit of milk and called it a day. So, not quite the smoothie of the recipe, but good nonetheless.

Tropical Smoothie

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 2 c. frozen fruit (preferably a 3:1 mix of mango and pineapple)¹
• 1/2 c. honey yogurt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2-3/4 c. orange juice and/or milk

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in blender and purée until smooth.
2. Add more liquid as needed to achieve desired consistency.
3. Pour into glasses and serve.

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¹ I think mine was more like 8:6:3:3 strawberries to honeydew to mango to pineapple. ^Back

This recipe is from a while ago. So long ago that I don't clearly remember making it or what substitutions and adjustments (if any) we made. I think we stuck pretty close to the recipe. Possibly just substituting California chilies for the pasilla since the latter tend to be fairly difficult to find here.

Despite not remembering the details of making this dish, I do remember the results. Much like other adobo recipes that we've tried, it did produce tender meat in a tasty sauce. I remember it being good. But I also remember feeling somewhat disappointed and let down because the results of this slow cooker version paled in comparison to the stovetop- and oven-cooked one that we made a few years earlier: Beef in Adobo. Although both recipes include very similar ingredients and proportions, making it in the slow cooker just couldn't deliver the same results. So, while I appreciate the convenience of being able to throw everything in the pot and walk away, I prefer the results of the slightly more involved cooking methods from the earlier recipe.

Slow Cooker Adobo-Braised Beef

From Cook's Country June/July 2020

Ingredients

• 45g dried ancho or guajillo chilies, stemmed
• 30g dried pasilla or California chilies, stemmed
• 3/4 c. salsa verde
• 1/2 c. orange juice
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• ~1.3kg stewing beef
• tortillas, to serve
• 125g queso fresco or feta, crumbled
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Use kitchen shears to cut chilies in half lengthwise and discard the seeds.
2. Cut chilies into 2-3cm pieces.
3. Toast chilies over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant (~5 minutes).
4. Transfer to bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand ~5 minutes, then drain.
5. Add salsa verde, orange juice, lime juice, sugar, cumin, garlic, chilies, 1 tsp. of the salt, oregano, and 1/2 tsp. of the pepper to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour into slow cooker.
6. Season beef with remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and add to slow cooker with sauce. Stir to combine.
7. Cover and cook until tender (4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low).
8. Serve with warmed tortillas, queso fresco, and cilantro. Chopped avocado, sliced radishes, and minced red onion also make nice toppings.

I've had this recipe bookmarked for ages. I was just waiting for pumpkin to go on sale so I could make it. Now I'm working my way through all the pumpkin-y recipes that I'd been eyeing up all year.

These muffins are pretty good, but I feel like there's room for improvement. I only made one small adjustment this time -- swapping out some of the white flour for whole wheat -- but I think I'd make even more changes next time. The recipe that follows reflects my suggested changes, not what I actually did. Approach with caution as it is, as yet, untested.

Pumpkin-Marmalade Muffins

Adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 2/3 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. quick oats
• 1/2 Tbsp. stevia
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. mixed spice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. pumpkin purée
• 1/2 c. marmalade
• 6 Tbsp. (90mL) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 Tbsp. applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a muffin tin. This recipe should make 15-18 regular (2"/5cm diameter) muffins.
2. Combine the flours, oats, stevia, salt, mixed spice, and cinnamon.
3. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
4. In a large measuring cup, combine the pumpkin, marmalade, orange juice concentrate, egg, oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix well.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
6. Stir in the walnuts.
7. Spoon the batter into the wells of the muffin tin(s), filling each well 2/3-3/4 full.
8. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cool in tin for 5-10 minutes.
10. Turn muffins out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
11. If there's any batter left, regrease tin and repeat baking process.

I've really fallen off the rails with the meal plan this week. I usually end up deviating from whatever I've sketched out at some point during the week, but it doesn't typically start happening the day after I put the darn thing together!

Anyway, this week has been a bit weird and I've ended up having to make a lot of last-minute swaps. These chicken thighs were originally destined for a delicious-sounding chicken, lemon, and olive tagine, but the parsley that I'd intended to use for the marinade had gone off and by the time I was able to get home with more, there wasn't enough time left to actually marinate the meat. So I ended up seeking something that I could make more quickly with the ingredients I had on hand. And, honestly, this was a really solid choice. It turned out great! I really love the dark tanginess of the balsamic-and-citrus-based sweet and sour sauce.

Chicken Agrodolce with Delicata Squash

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt, ground and divided
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• 8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 allspice berries
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 delicata squash, seeded and cut into 2-cm cubes
• 1 large red onion, cut into 2-cm cubes
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1/2 c. orange juice (~2 oranges)
• 1/4 c. lemon juice (~1 lemon)
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 3-4 Tbsp. pine nuts¹, toasted

Directions

1. Combine the flour, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and 1/4 tsp. of the pepper and dredge the chicken in it.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the chicken, skin-side-down, along with the bay leaves and allspice berries.
4. Cook, turning once, until golden and slightly crispy (~8 minutes). Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
5. Add the garlic, squash, and red onion and cook until the vegetables begin to caramelize (~8 minutes).
6. Add the honey, vinegar, and wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half (5-6 minutes).
7. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper along with the cayenne and stir to combine.
8. Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through (20-25 minutes).
10. If sauce is still too thin for your liking, stir in a little of the leftover dredging flour and cook for another minute or two.
11. Add the pine nuts and cook until they soften slightly (2-3 minutes).

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¹ I was all out of pine nuts, so I ended up slowly toasting a few whole almonds and then chopping them into slivers and using them in place of the pine nuts. I think they made a good substitute, but I'll try it with pine nuts next time if I can. ^Back