It’s the first Friday of 2019 and we’re celebrating with four new recipes! Here on Lemon & Mocha not only is this January all about healthy recipes, but every Friday is going to feature a healthy breakfast dish. My go-to breakfast is usually a Greek yogurt and some fruit, but it’s not the most filling breakfast and it definitely gets boring after a while. One of my favorite discoveries in 2018 was Birch Benders Protein Pancake Mix. This post is not sponsored; I just wanted to share a product I’ve been loving for a while now.

The mix is packed with 16 grams of protein per serving and every time I have this meal I stay full all the way until lunchtime. The pancakes are fluffy and the best part is you only need to add water to make them! After making them a few times and getting my little routine down, I can get my three pancakes on the table at the same time Matt is just sitting down with his coffee. I typically have them plain and top them with 88 Acres Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter and fresh berries, but I have been experimenting with the base mix so today I’m sharing my four favorite variations.

First up is pumpkin spice pancakes topped with spiced apples and vanilla yogurt. The apples gently cook down in a small skillet with some ground cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and are done by the time the pancakes are ready.

Next up, we have lemon pancakes! I love lemon so it wasn’t long before I added some lemon zest and juice to this mix to bring out my favorite flavor, which also happens to be delicious with fresh berries.

Blueberry pancakes topped with warmed berries are one of my favorite variations. The berries get slightly cooked down with a little maple syrup and ground cinnamon. I put blueberries in my pancakes, but you could use any berry you prefer.

Last, but definitely not least, we have peanut butter chocolate pancakes. Look how fluffy these got! Don’t forget the drizzle of peanut butter and mini chocolate chips on these because it definitely makes them. Which one do you think you’ll try first?

I’ve found the best price for this pancake mix to be Amazon or Target, but you can also find them on the Birch Benders website, Whole Foods, Wegmans and probably lots of other grocery stores. If you don’t have the Birch Benders Protein Pancake Mix, you could always use the variations below as inspiration to experiment with your favorite pancake mix.

Extra Tips:

• Do not over-mix the batter. Over-mixing any pancake or waffle batter makes them lose their fluffiness.
• Do not put too much water in the batter. For each of the recipes below, the batter should be thick and scoop-able, not liquid and runny. If it’s too runny, add a little more mix and use less water next time.
• I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out 1/2 cup of the pancake mix; it fits more easily into the bag of mix and then I have it ready to use for the water I need to add. I stir the batter with my regular sized Wilton batter spoon then use that same spoon to scoop it into the pan to cook them. Side note: I love the Wilton batter spoons for pancakes, cupcakes and muffins!
• I use a tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal in my pancakes because they add some omega-3s and fiber. If you want to skip the flaxseed meal, just add slightly less water.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with Spiced Apples

 

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Yield: 1 serving, 3 medium pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 apple, cored and small diced
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, divided
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup Birch Benders Protein Pancake Mix
• ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal
• ¼ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

Directions

1. Spray a small skillet with coconut oil spray (or other oil spray of choice) and heat over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the diced apples. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice and the ground cinnamon over top. Let cook until soft, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat when done.
2. While the apples are cooking, prepare the pancakes. In a bowl, lightly mix together the remaining ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, the pancake mix, pumpkin puree, water and flaxseed meal. Make sure to add one tablespoon of the water last to make sure it needs it. The dough should not be runny, but instead thick.
3. Spray a medium skillet with coconut oil spray and heat over medium-high heat (I put the dial on my gas stove between medium-high and medium). Scoop the batter into the pan to make 3 pancakes, trying to not let them touch. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Top with the vanilla yogurt and the apples.

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Lemon Pancakes

 

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Yield: 1 serving, 3 medium pancakes

Ingredients

• ½ cup Birch Benders Protein Pancake Mix
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal
• Zest from ½ a lemon, plus more for topping
• Berries, for topping

Directions

1. In a bowl, lightly mix together the pancake mix, water, lemon juice, flaxseed meal and lemon zest. The dough should not be runny, but instead thick.
2. Spray a medium skillet with coconut oil spray and heat over medium-high heat (I put the dial on my gas stove between medium-high and medium). Scoop the batter into the pan to make 3 pancakes, trying to not let them touch. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Top with the berries and more lemon zest, if desired.

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Blueberry Pancakes with Warmed Berries

 

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Yield: 1 serving, 3 medium pancakes

Ingredients

• ¾ cup fresh berries
• ½ teaspoon pure maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup Birch Benders Protein Pancake Mix
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal
• 3 tablespoons blueberries
• ¼ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

Directions

1. Heat the fresh berries, maple syrup and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let cook until berries start to lightly burst, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat when done.
2. While the berries are cooking, prepare the pancakes. In a bowl, lightly mix together the pancake mix, water and flaxseed meal. Make sure to add one tablespoon of the water last to make sure it needs it. The dough should not be runny, but instead thick.
3. Spray a medium skillet with coconut oil spray and heat over medium-high heat (I put the dial on my gas stove between medium-high and medium). Scoop the batter into the pan to make 3 pancakes, trying to not let them touch. Place a tablespoon of blueberries on top of each pancake. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Top with the vanilla yogurt and the cooked berries.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Pancakes

 

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Yield: 1 serving, 3 medium pancakes

Ingredients

• ½ cup Birch Benders Protein Pancake Mix
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter, plus more for topping
• Mini chocolate chips, for topping

Directions

1. In a bowl, lightly mix together the pancake mix, water, flaxseed meal, cocoa powder and peanut butter. The dough should not be runny, but instead thick.
2. Spray a medium skillet with coconut oil spray and heat over medium-high heat (I put the dial on my gas stove between medium-high and medium). Scoop the batter into the pan to make 3 pancakes, trying to not let them touch. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Top with the mini chocolate chips and a drizzle of peanut butter.

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Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments

You guys. I am so proud of this dish and I’m excited to finally be sharing it with you! I recently switched over to a recipe notebook, as opposed to my previous millions of scattered scraps of paper, and if you could see all my notes on this one you would know how I’ve been diligently working on perfecting it for the last couple months.

The original inspiration for this Pan Seared Salmon over Blood Orange Quinoa was to create a healthy salmon dinner that would incorporate a lot of seasonal produce. Kale and citrus fruits are at their peak, while carrots and shallots are still in season during the early winter in cooler climates. I also wanted to make an all-in-one meal, which is my term for a recipe that includes the protein, grain and veggies without having to come up with different sides. It does not, however, mean a one pot meal since you have to use a couple different pans, but that’s okay because the meal still comes together quickly enough for a weeknight dinner.

What you’re looking at is crispy salmon that has been pan seared to perfection and laid on top a flavor-packed bed of blood orange quinoa. You’re incorporating the blood oranges three ways to really help the flavor come through; we’re using the zest, its juice and the actual blood orange segments. This helps give the whole dish a bright acidity.

The garlic, shallot and carrots get lightly caramelized before the kale gets tossed in along with some water to help it steam. The kale gets perfectly wilted and tosses really well with the quinoa – no tough greens in this dish! The recipe makes two servings, but you can easily double it if you are cooking for more people.

I love seasonal cooking, not only because that means you get the best prices at the grocery store, but the produce with the best flavor and nutrients is going to be what is in season at the moment. One idea I had was to post a seasonal guide at the beginning of each month and then share a few recipes that used the seasonal ingredients as some inspiration. Is that something you would be interested in? If so, let me know in the comments below!

Pan Seared Salmon over Blood Orange Quinoa

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup quinoa
• 3½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ shallot, minced
• 4 cups chopped kale, thick stems removed
• 2 blood oranges
• 2 filets of salmon, skin-on or skinless
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Bring the quinoa and ⅔ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. Fluff and set aside.
2. Cut each carrot into three pieces then halve each piece lengthwise. Segment one of the blood oranges by cutting off the peel and pith then cutting segments out from the membrane of the orange. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan (skillet with a lid preferred) over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and shallot. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the kale and ¼ cup of water. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for 2 more minutes, or until the water has finished evaporating. Add the zest and juice from 1 of the oranges, about ¼ cup of juice. Add the blood orange segments and quinoa; stir well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
4. Make sure the salmon has been patted dry. Generously season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of a skillet large enough to fit both salmon filets, about 1½ tablespoons of olive oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil in the pan is hot (you can tell when the oil is shimmering), carefully place the salmon filets in the pan bottom side down. The bottom side is the skin side or the side where the skin was - the less “pretty” side. Once the salmon is in the pan do not move it until it’s time to flip the salmon so it gets nice and crispy. Sear for 2-3 minutes, carefully flip then sear for another 2-3 minutes. You want to take the salmon off the pan when it reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees F for medium-rare, or 130 degrees F for medium. Plate the quinoa and kale then top with the salmon filet.

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Lauren Uncategorized 8 Comments

Happy 2019! I’m kicking off the new year, and Lemon and Mocha’s month of healthy recipes, with a quick and easy snack. Everyone defines healthy differently, but when I’m trying to eat well I try to minimize processed food as much as possible. This is one of the biggest challenges for me, especially when it comes to snacks. However, when I have fun snacks like these Apple Nachos, especially if there’s some chocolate involved, it makes everything so much easier.

I had seen variations of apple nachos on Instagram and Pinterest, but I never got around to making myself some. I don’t know what took me so long since I love dipping my apples in peanut butter.

I wasn’t sure how everything was going to stay on the little apples slices, but from the first wedge I was completely hooked! The peanut butter drizzle helped the chopped almonds and mini chocolate chips stick to the apple wedges and I cut them really thin so I would have even more “nachos” on my plate.

You all know by now how I feel when it comes to food variations and these apple nachos are the perfect vessel to get creative with your toppings. You can use any nut or seed butter you like – I have a little almond butter drizzled on there as well – and then the rest of the choices are up to you! Some other topping ideas are Greek yogurt, any type of nut, shredded coconut, granola, berries, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds… I could go on forever! When I first made these, my initial plan was to save half for Matt, but once I started eating them there was no way they were surviving until Matt got home.

I hope this recipe helps inspire your snack time! I have a dinner recipe I’m sharing tomorrow that has already been on repeat in our house so stay tuned.

Apple Nachos

 

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Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 large apple, cored and sliced
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter or preferred nut/seed butter
• 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon chopped almonds

Directions

1. Lay the apple slices down on a plate. Drizzle the peanut butter over top. If your nut or seed butter is too thick to drizzle, warm it for 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Top with the mini chocolate chips and chopped almonds.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

New Year’s Day is right around the corner, which means we are saying goodbye to 2018. It was an epic year here on Lemon & Mocha. I shared 124 new recipes with you all! I want to thank all you readers, whether you are family, friend, fellow blog buddy, food enthusiast, or just stopping by. All your comments and love within this little community space make all the hard work worth it! A special call-out to my Dad who makes my day and still emails me after every post! I especially want to give a shout-out to my husband, Matt, who continues to be the most supportive and enthusiastic cheerleader of Lemon & Mocha. Looking ahead to 2019, I have so many exciting recipes I cannot wait to share with you all. I’m posting all healthy recipes for the entire month of January to help kick off a great start to the new year – and to help Matt and I detox from our December cookie diet! Below, I’m sharing the top ten most visited recipes that were newly posted in 2018. After that I’ll share my top ten posts from 2018, with a superlative twist.

10. Crispy Baked Apple Pie Bites with a Chai Vanilla Dipping Sauce

9. Irish Cheddar, Bacon and Potato Muffins

8. Zucchini Noodles and Chicken Sausage in Vodka Sauce

7. Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

6. Lemon Blackberry Icebox Cake

5. Elote Hot Dogs

4. Churro Waffles with Raspberry Sauce

3. Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

2. Aunt Elaine’s Dirt Cake

1. Hawaiian Barbecue Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I have to say, the internet picked some pretty delicious recipes! Since I posted so many recipes in 2018 it is impossible for me to pick my favorites. So instead, I created superlative categories and I’m sharing my top ten below.

Recipe I’m most excited that I finally shared: Nutella Stuffed Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best Photos: Beet Donuts with a Brown Butter Strawberry Rhubarb Glaze

What I want for dinner every night: Thai Peanut Chicken Tacos

What I’m most likely to make next week: Baked Turkey Pesto Meatballs over Lemon Cauliflower Rice

Most creative recipe: Lemon Cookie Butter Cheesecake Parfaits

Recipe guaranteed to get eaten instantly at a party: Cheesy Pesto Bread with Crispy Prosciutto

Cutest recipe: Beach Crab Cupcakes

Favorite Healthy Bite: Fall Spinach and Arugula Salad with Tahini Dressing

Dish I wish I didn’t have to share with Matt: Chicken Schnitzel and Pesto Spaetzle with a Cauliflower Sun-dried Tomato Sauce

What I want for breakfast tomorrow: Raspberry Peach Turnovers with a Fresh Raspberry Glaze

Happy New Year, everyone!

Lauren Uncategorized 8 Comments

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! The year is winding down and just last week I shared the final muffin recipe for the Muffin of the Month. For those of you who are just tuning in, Food Network Magazine posted a Muffin of the Month article in their January 2018 issue that had a different muffin recipe for each month of the year. They all looked so good that I decided to make them each month, take photos and write up my thoughts along with the recipe. I did veer off course for the November and December Food Network muffins and instead made alternate recipes since the Food Network ones didn’t appeal to me. It was a fun project and something I looked forward to baking (and gifting extras to friends!) each month. I thought since I diligently posted the muffin recipe each month that it deserved a send-off through this quick Muffin of the Month round-up.

January: Pomegranate Orange Muffins

The year kicked off with a bright citrus muffin packed with clementine flavor. I might have to make these again this January with some raspberries instead of the pomegranates!

February: Double Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffins

Oh, I was in love with these muffins! I am chocolate obsessed so I was in heaven. The flakes of salt on top were the perfect touch.

March: Irish Cheddar, Bacon and Potato Muffins

Who knew savory muffins were so amazing? These cheesy muffins were a favorite for both Matt and I.

April: Carrot-Coconut Muffins

Although these muffins looked adorable, they were a little disappointing. I wanted more carrot flavor and definitely more coconut flavor. Does anyone else have it ingrained in their head after watching Holiday Baking Championship and Christmas Cookie Challenge that if you promise a flavor it really has to deliver?

May: Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

I had to adapt this one a bit since it called for an oat topping and I’m allergic to oats, but I could not have been more excited about the final result. These are moist and have this outrageous brown sugar topping. I’m definitely making these muffins again next rhubarb season!

June: S’mores Muffins

More chocolate involved and this time marshmallow fluff, too, so I was already swooning. Add in the graham flavored moist muffin base and ding, ding! This one was a definite favorite.

July: Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Muffins

The crispy sugar topping on these muffins was a home run and the zucchini helped keep them very moist. However, they fell into a bit of the April muffin dilemma, which is that they needed more lemon flavor!

August: Blueberry Nectarine Muffins

My family was literally calling dibs on these juicy and sweet muffins. If that won’t make you try them then I don’t know what else to say! I can’t wait to make these again with some in-season nectarines.

September: Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

A literal peanut butter and jelly sandwich turned into a muffin. Crazy! Yet, so delicious, especially if you’re like me and love a classic pb&j.

October: Apple Pumpkin Muffins

This is where they started to let me down a little. The cooked apples on top were delicious, but there was no pumpkin to be found anywhere! Especially since I love my go-to pumpkin bread recipe, it was difficult for me to get excited about these.

November: Double Chocolate Pecan Muffins

Since I wasn’t feeling the November Food Network recipe, I decided to adapt the February muffins since I loved the chocolate base and stuff them with spiced pecans. The chocolate in these is so good.

December: Healthy Gingerbread Muffins

I went out on a limb with these muffins and did some “healthy” baking. They were good – for a healthy muffin.

If I had to pick my top three, I would probably have to go with the March Irish Cheddar, Bacon and Potato Muffins, the May Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Muffins and the August Blueberry Nectarine Muffins. But those three might change depending on the day because the February Double Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffins, the June S’mores Muffins and the September Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins aren’t far behind! Food Network has posted a ‘something’ of the month in each January issue for the last couple years. The year before muffins it was cupcakes and the year before that it was birthday layer cakes. I hope they do it again and I can’t wait to find out what it will be! My guess is cookies! Maybe that is just wishful thinking because I love making, and eating, cookies. What do you think it might be?

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments