Caramelized Banana & Belgian Pearl Sugar Pancakes

During my middle school years I attended the American International School of Bucharest and there was a little Belgian waffle shop down the street that I used to walk to with my friends after school. They had the most delicious Belgian Pearl Sugar Waffles I’ve ever tasted! The waffles were slightly crunchy on the outside and super soft and chewy on the inside. And when you were lucky to have a bite with the caramelized pearl sugar, it just melted in your mouth. Every time I think of those waffles my mouth waters so I wanted to create something with similar flavors but quick! Belgian waffles are yeast based so they take some patience. Pearl sugar can be found at specialty stores, I got mine from Sur La Table. If you don’t find pearl sugar, these pancakes will still turn out just as fantastic because of the caramelized bananas on top! I actually didn’t have any milk on hand so I used soda water instead and I’m happy I did because it cut some calories and added a light and airy texture to the pancakes.

If you want a dessert style pancake for breakfast I definitely recommend these! Perfect for a weekend splurge!

If you’d like to make these Vegan, simply take out the egg and add 1/4 cup of applesauce and instead of using butter for the caramelized bananas, use coconut oil!

Yields 12 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup soda water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg (separated) or 1/4 cup applesauce for Vegan recipe
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil (melted and cooled)
• 2 overripe bananas mashed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• Pearl sugar

For the Caramelized Bananas

• 1 sliced banana
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter (or coconut oil for Vegan recipe)

Directions

1. Heat griddle to 350 degrees F.
2. To make your caramelized banana topping melt 1 tablespoon of butter (coconut oil for Vegan recipe), add your sliced bananas and coat them with the brown sugar. Cook until bananas are a golden brown color and have caramelized. Flip each piece gently during cooking so you don’t get a big mush.
3. In a small bowl whip your egg white until stiff peaks form (skip this step for Vegan recipe).
4. In a large bowl sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
5. In another bowl mix your egg yolk, oil, soda water, vanilla extract, almond extract, and banana. For Vegan recipe, substitute the egg yolk with applesauce.
6. Add your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporate. Fold in your whipped egg white (skip this step for Vegan recipe).
7. Add about 5 pieces of pearl sugar in one spot on griddle. Let heat up for about 15 seconds. Add 1/4 of batter on top of the pearl sugar. Add 5 or so more pieces of pearl sugar on top of batter so that when you flip you’ll have pearl sugar on both sides. Flip once bubbles start to form. Cook another minute.
8. Plate and serve with caramelized bananas and maple syrup on top.

Orzo with Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Cherry Tomatoes

I’ve always wanted to cook with orzo and finally picked some up while I was at Sprouts the other day. Basically, orzo is pasta in the shape of rice. I love rice and I love pasta so I knew this wouldn’t disappoint, and sure enough, it didn’t. The first time I cooked it I noticed that if you cook it for too long it will stick together really really bad! In other words, it becomes one big mush after you drain it. So make sure that if you do decide to cook orzo, do not over cook it! Al dente is the way to go, just slightly under-cooked. I wanted this recipe to be light and have a fresh taste while also having a creaminess to it so I made asparagus and mushrooms the stars and garnished with a medley of sweet cherry tomatoes and chives. And for added flavor I used some cipollini onions, they were just to cute to pass up at the grocery store! Yields 4 servings Ingredients

• 8 oz orzo
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 10-15 mushrooms
• 2 cipollini onions
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chives

Directions

1. Cook your orzo according to package directions. (Remember not to overcook).
2. In the mean time, chop your onion, asparagus and mushrooms into small pieces. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a medium sized pan. Once oil is heated, add your onion and sprinkle with salt. Turn your heat down to low so you don’t burn the onion. Once onion is translucent, add your asparagus and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and bump the heat up to medium for about 10 minutes. Stir vegetables every couple of minutes. Test to see if the texture of the asparagus is to your liking. If you prefer a softer vegetable, cook longer. Taste for salt and pepper as well.
3. Drain the orzo, place back in saucepan and add about a tablespoon of olive oil, this will help with the sticking. Spoon orzo into the vegetable saucepan and stir.
4. Plate and garnish with cherry tomatoes and chives.

Flaky Puff Pastry Stuffed with Feta & Dill

My mom has been making these puff pastry perfections for years, and let me tell you…they are addicting! I’ve made them for company and there is NEVER one leftover. I mean you can’t go wrong with flaky puff pastry stuffed with salty creamy feta cheese. Right? Right! This particular recipe has dill in it but it’s definitely not necessary, just adds a little more complexity to the flavor. If you don’t shop at your local European market (which I highly recommend) you can find puff pastry at the regular grocery store. You may have to cut it into squares of about 5 inches because it normally comes in two large pieces. Please make these! You will thank me everyday of your life!

Yields 18 pieces

Ingredients

• 6.5 oz feta cheese
• 1 package puff pastry squares (I buy mine at the local European market)
• 2 eggs (one for egg wash)
• Chopped dill (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Mash your feta cheese with a fork and add one egg. Mix together until creamy. Add dill.
3. Cut your puff pastry squares in half. On one side fill each piece with a heaping teaspoon of the feta mixture. Lift the opposite side and fold over. Seal using a fork by pressing down on the edges and making indentations into the pastry. Do this for the remainder of your pieces.
4. Make your egg wash by whisking an egg with about a tablespoon of water.
5. Lay your puff pastries on the aluminum foil lined baking sheet and brush each one with the egg wash.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Let cool down for a few minutes (unless you like not feeling the roof of your mouth for a few days).
8. If you do happen to have leftovers, reheat them in the oven for a few minutes and they will taste just the same as when they came out of the oven.

Cream Cheese, Alaskan Smoked Salmon and Chives

This is the easiest sandwich to put together so I feel bad even calling it a recipe. Cream cheese and chives compliment smoked salmon so beautifully! I purchased my salmon from Sprouts Farmers Market and they never disappoint.

Ingredients:

• Toasted bread (I used Shepherd’s Bread)
• Whipped cream cheese
• Alaskan smoked salmon
• Chives
• Lemon

Banana Bread

There’s always overripe bananas around the house so of course I’m always making banana bread. Switched a few ingredients to organic so I feel a little better about serving a slice to my sweet niece Anabella! I didn’t have all organic on hand so she’ll just have to forgive me. At least the dairy was organic.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 organic eggs
• 1/2 cup organic butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a medium bowl cream together the butter and sugar (I used a handheld mixer). Add your eggs and vanilla and mix by hand until incorporated.
4. Add the butter mixture to your flour mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Pour into loaf pan and spread out.
6. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Ground Turkey Puff Pastry Pies

I have to give credit to my amazing mom for this recipe. She’s made this and variations of this recipe all throughout my childhood. It’s filled with delicious flavor and not to mention the puff pastry just melts in your mouth. It’s a perfect snack in the middle of the day and it’ll WOW your guests at a dinner party! I highly recommend trying this for yourself, you won’t be sorry!

Ingredients

• 1 package of ground turkey (about 1 lb)
• Olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 package of puff pastry (about 1/2 lb)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Salt, pepper, and dill to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
2. Preheat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Next, add the onion and pinch of salt and saute until onion turns a translucent color. Add ground turkey and cook thoroughly. Remove skillet from heat and let the turkey cool down to room temperature.
3. Once the mixture is cool, add 1 egg, sour cream, flour, parsley and spices to taste and mix all together.
4. Cut the puff pastry into 4 equal rectangular pieces. Spoon mixture onto on side of rectangle and flip the other side over. Use a fork to press down on the edges, pinching the puff pastry together. Repeat for the other three rectangles.
5. Whisk the other egg in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Brush egg wash over the puff pastries.
6. Bake for about 40 minutes or until browned.