Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
• Gluten Free Pancakes
• Vegan Protein Pancakes
• Banana Oat Pancakes with Peanut Butter

My Oatmeal Protein Pancake Recipe Notes
I love these!!! Vegan & Gluten free pancakes. Made with 100% Oats, this is a breakfast treat you can feel good about eating. These are NOT your typical fluffy pancakes, if that is what you are on the hunt for. They are more like having a bowl of oatmeal but in pancake form. They get crispy on the outside and well, kind of like creamy oatmeal on the inside. This is what I make when I want a pancake that fits into my typical eating routine, as oatmeal made in one way shape or form is a go to breakfast item for me. If you want a fluffier pancake, my spelt flour pancakes are something I love and make when I want a more classic pancake, but of course I keep it whole grain because that is how I roll. 

Oatmeal Protein Pancake Batter
These pancakes are pretty forgiving. I've made them successfully when batter is a bit thicker like typical pancake batter, but also a bit thinner. Give it a good stir before pouring your mixture into the pan, sometimes the oat bits will float to the bottom. If you find the batter is too thin, you can just let it sit for a bit and it will thicken up, or blitz up more oats and stir them in. Or just add your wet mixture a bit at a time to avoid that problem all together. 

I cook one pancake at a time in my "The rock fry pan" (my fav fry pans and linked below), with a bit of coconut oil typically. (Use the oil you prefer.) I find 1/4 of a cup too little, and 1/2 cup too much, so eventually I just started free pouring from the bowl each time. My batter spread easily by itself, then after a minute I just used my spatula to help shape the edges a bit into a more perfect circle, though it was already circular. 

I wait until I see bubbles form on the top, and then flip. These should be cooked over medium heat. I don't rush taking my pancake out the pan, I like giving the oats time to cook in the middle to avoid a raw oat flour taste. 

I wasn't sure how the batter would fare after sitting in the fridge for a day. The oats absorb the liquid and it becomes really thick, but thinning it out with a bit more plant milk worked great. Maybe even better as a make a head thing. I'm guessing oats that have soaked in liquid are easier to digest. So my new plan might even be to make the batter, let it sit over night in the fridge, and then thin out with plant milk the next morning for breakfast!

Topping Ideas for Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
Basically any way you enjoy eating a bowl of oatmeal, you can transfer to adding to these pancakes. I would undoubtedly add maple syrup to all variations suggested below.

• I love adding slices of banana and a drizzle of natural peanut butter between each pancake, then drizzling it with maple syrup. 
• Baked Apple Slices & Toasted Pecans
  
• Fresh Berries and Coco Whip
• Chocolate Chips cooked into the batter before flipping
  
• Chocolate Hazelnut Spread & Banana or Apple
  

Oats are a fantastic thing to include in your diet.
This recipe uses 100% oat flour.  All you have to do to make your own oat flour is blitz up whole oats in a food processor until it resembles flour, easy! Oats are definitely a staple in my diet, mainly because I love them, but it's also nice to know that they are good for you. Consuming oats regularly may help prevent heart disease, lower blood sugar levels, and help to maintain a healthy weight. In 100 grams of oat flour there is 13 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber and it's a great source of iron, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals. While I avoid added sugar in my diet most of the time, if I am going to consume it, like when I have pancakes, I like that I am in control of how much  I am adding. There are so many products out there where the first ingredient is sugar, and I whole heartedly disagree with companies profiting from selling us products that suppress our health. I avoid supporting them for the most part, though I'm sure I make exceptions once in awhile!

Yield: 6 - 8 pancakes, but depends how big you make them.
Ingredients:

          Dry:

• 1.5 cups rolled oats
• 2 tbsp vanilla protein powder (I use vega vanilla, because I love the flavour it gives. Linked Below)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon + a pinch of pie spice blend (or whatever fun spice you wanna throw in)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder

  
           Wet:

• 2 cups plant based milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Put your oats into a food processor and blitz until consistency of flour.
2. To your oat flour, add the rest of the dry ingredients and pulse to combine. 
3. Transfer to a bowl, and whisk in the wet ingredients. You might not need all of the plant milk, so add a bit at a time.
4. Preheat your pan over medium heat, add a bit of veg oil of choice.                             
5. Add a scoop of batter to the pan. Alternatively, just free pour, which is what I do. I cook one pancake at a time, and repeat until I've used all the batter.
6. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the top or they look a bit brown around the edges and they seem "set". Sometimes my batter doesn't bubble, maybe when it's on the thicker side, not sure. Flip and continue cooking a few more minutes. Repeat until you have used all the batter. See my recipe notes above for more detailed explanation. 
7. Serve with maple syrup, fruit or whatever fun toppings are your favourite!

Recipe Difficulty: Easy, but cooking the noodles perfectly does take attention to detail.

Recipe Tags:

• spaghetti aglio e olio
• pasta
• italian food
• vegan italian recipes
• budget friendly meals
• healthy recipes
• pasta with olive oil and garlic sauce

Authentic Aglio e Olio
Spaghetti aglio e olio is a traditional Italian pasta dish that has been enjoyed for centuries. The dish is thought to have originated in the southern regions of Italy, where it was likely made as a simple and inexpensive way to feed a large number of people using readily available ingredients. Garlic and olive oil have been staples in Italian cooking for centuries, and it is likely that this dish has been enjoyed in various forms for a long time. The addition of red pepper flakes, which is a common variation of the dish, is thought to have originated in the southern region of Calabria, where the use of spicy peppers in cooking is prevalent. Today, spaghetti aglio e olio is a popular dish all over Italy and around the world, and it is enjoyed as a simple, flavorful, and economical meal.

Recipe Inspired by Aglio e Olio
This is a simple meal inspired by Spaghetti Aglio E Olio. 
I sometimes (not always) like to add mushrooms and parsley to my spaghetti aglio e olio, perhaps that nulls being able to even call it spaghetti aglio e olio exactly, but it's my dinner and I love mushrooms, and I like adding parsley.  I also used multigrain spaghetti because I choose to eat whole grains more often than not. That is what is pictured in the photographs. I will say that in this instance, there is something to be said for using regular spaghetti. I think if you are making this for this first time, it might be nice to not use multigrain, I don't quite have the words...it just tastes "cleaner" if that makes sense. Multigrain spaghetti is nuttier and regular spaghetti maybe allows you to fully taste the garlic and olive oil sauce as intended. If you want something authentic, don't add the mushrooms and parsley, don't use multigrain spaghetti.  With that being said there would be other recipes where I'd think using multigrain pasta would be perfect. Depends on the individual dish. 

​Al dente pasta
An important part of properly prepared aglio e olio is to cook your pasta until "al dente".
"Al dente" describes pasta that should still be firm when bitten. The term means "to the tooth" in Italian. 

Antonio 
When my friend Antonio was visiting he made this dish for me. He is from Ischia, an island off of Naples. He too is a chef and he gave me a different perspective of what properly cooked "al dente"  pasta means to a Neapolitan. I'm pretty sure most of us in North America would just think " it's under cooked", because that was my first impression when I took a taste. (I would have bet money that my version of al dente was the correct version) But then he started explaining this regional preference, and as I was munching away I  started to appreciate the toothsome-ness of the spaghetti I was eating. Don't worry though, this meal will still be delicious whether or not you shave a minute or two off your typical pasta cooking time. 

Antonio making pasta Aglio e Olio

My Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies Recipe Notes
Are you looking for the best fudgy chocolate brownie recipe on the internet? It's your lucky day, you found it. These brownies are so good (and stupid easy). Peanut Butter replaces some of the oil, so in my mind that means they are healthier. They are super fudgy, chocolaty & vegan. This is the only chocolate brownie recipe I'm ever gonna need or want. I made them in a loaf pan, and it was the perfect size for a small batch of brownies. It makes 8 - 10, depending how big you slice them. This recipe is for all the chocolate lovers out there. While there is peanut butter in them, I find the peanut butter taste subtle. 

Can I substitute other nut butters?
​I haven't tried using other nut butters, but I wouldn't hesitate, and even want to try the recipe with almond butter or tahini. 

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Tomato Bruschetta
• Classic Bruschetta
• Appetizer
• Italian Food
• Easy Appetizers 

History of Bruschetta
Although bruschetta is mostly associated with the tomato variety, it can be as simple as toasted bread with olive oil. The word comes from the verb bruscare, which means "to toast" (a slice of bread). Bruschetta started in Ancient Rome.  Think slices of bread toasted over a fire & drizzled with a batch of freshly pressed olive oil. Eventually it spread throughout Italy, and different ingredients were added regionally. 

My Bruschetta Recipe Notes
Bruschetta is a dish that once upon a time I hadn't given much thought to. Probably because it's something I had really only in North American Restaurants, where time and time again I've been underwhelmed or disappointed. Soggy bread, shitty tomatoes....we've all been there.

While my friend Antonio was visiting from Naples, Italy, we made and ate A LOT of bruschetta. There was nothing complicated about it. Day old baguette that we had made, a nice fruity extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes from the supermarket that were tasty enough, garlic, dried oregano, fresh basil & salt. That's it. It is the kind of thing that doesn't even really need a recipe. If you start with good quality ingredients you can't really go wrong. But I took notes so that I could share what we ate and enjoyed. Now that this simple dish is on my radar, I can guarantee it's going to be a staple meal in my home. A simple salad and a glass of red on the side and I'm in heaven. 
​

Serves 2 

​Ingredients:

• 1 demi baguette, I prefer thick slices of bread to hold up to the juice from tomatoes. 
• 1 1/2 cup (300 g) tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) good quality olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• small handful of basil, chiffonade. 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Mix together tomato, olive oil, salt, garlic, oregano & basil in a small bowl. 
3. Toast slices of bread until golden and crusty on both sides, flipping over once. 
4. Remove bread from oven. Rub with a piece of garlic cut in half if desired. 
5. Top with tomato mixture
6. Garnish with more basil, a sprinkle of oregano and olive oil. (black pepper if desired...I was told that in Naples it's not used so I didn't add it this time, but I do love black pepper).