I’ve made it for my picky toddler: loved it; I’ve made it for cyclists in training: loved it–asked for recipe; I’ve made it for a luxurious Sunday brunch: major love.

It’s easy to whip up. Requires minimal clean-up. What is there not to love about this pancake?

Major gratitude goes to Catherine McCord of Weelicious for her determination; she cracked the parental code for picky eaters with this recipe and provides the beautiful bonus of it being a total adult pleaser. Win-win. Thank you Catherine.

I make this at least two to three times a week.  I went from never buying cottage cheese, to stacking 2-3 containers in my grocery cart.  I’ve gone to cottage cheese crazy-town.  And I am super lucky to enjoy local Clover-Stornetta’s mighty fine product as the star of the show.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 2 tbsp. honey, or agave nectar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• Unsalted butter or canola or vegetable oil for the pan
• Pure maple or berry syrup

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cottage cheese, vanilla, and honey.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Heat a large saute or griddle pan over medium heat.  Lightly coat it with butter or oil and pour about 1/8-1/4 cup for each pancake.

Makes about 12 pancakes

I’ve been to New York several times, and I always kick myself for never visiting TeaNY - or Momofuku Milk Bar (but that’s for another post). TeaNY is a special lower east side teahouse. Despite that, I have the cookbook Kelly and then boyfriend- Moby created.

It’s not your standard cookbook, actually neither Kelly or Moby really consider it a ‘cookbook’ in the traditional sense. It’s filled with their romance that sprouted TeaNY;  a locals view of lower east side history (one of my favorite parts of NYC), vignette’s on the food and patrons that make up the vibe of TeaNY – and of course, tea.  Lot’s and lots of TEA.

I go through food phases; right now it’s vegan. I’ve done some vegan baking and I’ve been quite pleased with the results, but I wanted to explore the savory side. So I cooked through some of TeaNY’s recipes and I’m happy to report, I would make all of them again!

One of my favorites, is a rich and creamy vegan vodka pasta.  What!… huh?, and a [what] again?  How is this possible?  Kelly makes it possible by brilliantly combining silken tofu, tomato sauce, kalamata olives and sherry to create a dish ANY omnivore would devour.  My unreasonably – if not outlandishly picky toddler scarfed this down like a 1st grader! Literally…  I blink, and it’s gone! And like ‘Oliver’ from that horrific (in my opinion) tale –  I hear that ‘short-straw’ drawn word; “more”!!! Pinch me, I must be dreaming!?! Unlike Oliver’s perilous plight, Ketan’s bowl is quickly re-vamped, elongating and sharing with us (for a change) what proved to be a ‘fine’- dining experience.

This recipe whips up in a snap. And I loved using the extra sauce (because you can always use some ‘extra’) for homemade pizza.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup silken tofu
• 10 kalmata olives, pitted
• 2 cups jarred tomato sauce; Local Sonoma choice: Mia’s Kitchen Tomato Basil Sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 tablespoon white cooking sherry

Directions

Throw all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Heat on stove top and pour over your favorite pasta.  Top with a little vegan parmesan cheese and fresh basil from your garden and get ready for something good.

The summer’s here….and I’m hooked on fresh berries!

Farm stand berries are a favorite treat of mine. I love stopping roadside when I realize I’ve got spare cash and the farm stand is open.

Pancakes. Muffins. Quick Breads. Frozen Yogurt. Oh yea, you read right: frozen strawberry yogurt. So refreshing on a warm summer day.  I transform into a modern kitchen marvel when my guests receive a cup of homemade frozen yogurt. Smiles all the way around.

Strawberry FroYo

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
• 4 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 18 oz strawberries, pureed and strained to remove seeds (or puree in VitaMix/BlendTech blender and skip straining)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla or lemon extract

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes on low-speed.
2. Stir in the yogurt, strawberry puree and extract. Turn the ice cream maker on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
3. The frozen yogurt will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the frozen yogurt to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.  Remover from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Another berry recipe must: scones. I adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen: Whole wheat raspberry ricotta scones; super moist, not overly sweet, and oh so beautiful to look at.  Pair this with a french-press cup of coffee and the morning newspaper and I am good to go.

Smitten Kitchen Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones

 Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
• 1/2 fine grain sea salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled (I use Straus Creamery: local butter)
• 1 cup fresh farm stand raspberries
• 3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt together.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife, and work the butter into the flour mixture with your finger tips, or blender, until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Roughly chop the raspberries on a cutting board and stir them into the butter-flour mixture.
4. Using a flexible spatula, add the ricotta and heavy cream to the butter mixture and stir them in to form a dough. Then use your hand to knead the dough gently into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl. Don;t fret if the raspberries get muddled and smudge up the dough. This is a pretty thing.
5. With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter or surface, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch high. With a large knife, divide the dough into nine even squares. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet with a spatula.
6. Bake scones for about 15 minutes, then transfer them to cooling rack. It’s best to let them cool about halfway before eating, so they can set.