Feeling down? Treat Yourself To Pancake-Love! Sweet Freedom Saturdays

Sometimes life can throw you some sneaky punches, making you feel a bit melancholy. No matter your worries, often you just need to step back and take stock of the simple pleasures that make life so delicious. Hanging out in your jammies, building forts with blankets and pillows, eating pancakes and alliteration.

Yes, alliteration.

Like these Fluffy Fruited Flapjacks.

Ok, they’re actually Fluffy Fruited Pancakes, but I think Fluffy Fruited Flapjacks sounds much more Fun (get it, another “F”).

These really were amazingly fluffy – like crazy fluffy. But in a good way. Today we rocked them up with some banana goodness, but any fruit would make them smashingly good. I’m just sure of it. We also go to enjoy some real, authentic Canadian Maple Syrup hand delivered with love by our friend Kimianak. You really can taste the “special delivery” difference. Trust me.

I think my Sweet Freedom Saturday posts will grow more infrequent as I continue reveling in the summer sun and enjoy being outside and not being in the kitchen as much as possible, but I’m sure they’ll be a few SF posts between now and September!

Have you made anything yummy from Sweet Freedom this week ? Stay tuned for future Saturday installments of “Sweet Freedom Saturdays”. We’ve also got a Sweet Freedom Flickr Group – come join us! Other Sweet Freedom Saturday deliciousness here in the Fishbowl : Cocao Nibbles, Mrs. K’s Date Cake, Raw Apricot Bars, Tomato Spice Cake, Carrot Snack Cake, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Gingered Apple Muffins, Spiced Pumpkin Millet Pudding.

Spiced Pumpkin Millet Pudding : Sweet Freedom Saturdays

I have a love/hate relationship with breakfast. Breakfast foods are some of my very favourites – tofu scrambles, hasbrowns, pancakes…you get the idea. The problem is, I don’t really like eating breakfast when I get up. I’m not hungry, and I often need to get out the door for a run (well, that’s happening again, baby steps…) and when I get back I often don’t have time to prepare anything more complicated than fruit or cereal or a smoothie. I’m a mid-morning breakfast girl, or better yet a weekend brunch chica…give me yummy A.M. foods when I have both the time to make them and properly enjoy them.

Ok, it’s not a sexy picture…but sometimes life is more about fuzzy pajama pants and sweatshirts than bustiers, ok?

This creamy and delicious Spiced Pumpkin Millet Pudding is actually in the “Pudding” section of Sweet Freedom (hence the name), but as the recipe points out,

This pudding is rich and creamy enough to serve as a dessert, but nutritious enough to eat for breakfast as a cooked cereal.

Taking Ricki’s suggestion to heart, I thought Saturday morning breakfast would be both leisurely and delicious. Was it ever!

This was like eating pumpkin pie – I mean it. The taste replicated to a “T” the Pumpkin Pies I loved as a kid, but was nutritionally superior. I sometimes make plain Millet and add a little cinnamon for breakfast, but this blew my humble little peasant porridge out of the water. I actually subbed a sweet potato for the pumpkin (I need to wait for the Autumn to make a new batch of pumpkin purée – my stocks have been eaten), but with the addition of just the right spices, I’d have sworn it was pumpkin had I not made it myself. I also skipped the sweetener, because my sweet potato was so very sweet I didn’t need it. I did add raisins, and I tossed in some sesame seeds for a little calcium boost. I enjoyed my bowl with a splash of pain soy milk- yummy.

What I loved the most about this dish was that it tasted like a luscious, decadant week-end brekkie, but was full of delicious, healthy goodness.

Have you made anything yummy from Sweet Freedom this week ? Let me know! I’ll add a link to your post here. And stay tuned next Saturday for another installment of “Sweet Freedom Saturdays”.

And happy birthday Cheryl!

Peanut Butter Goodness Galore!

If you’re not a fan of peanutty goodness, this post will probably not interest you very much at all! It’s all about the peanut butter and here you’ll find it stealing the show decked out in some fabulous baked goodness…these glorious recipes will be in Celine and Joni’s upcoming vegan opus, 500 Vegan Recipes. I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait!

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Quick Bread

This dense & delicious loaf has just a hint of boozy goodness. I added bits of dehydrated bananas (but you could add any dried fruit!), and it was the perfect breakfast with a dollop of jam. This is one of my favourite tester recipes by far! POST UPDATE – CELINE JUST POSTED THIS RECIPE ON HER BLOG! NOW YOU CAN ENJOY THIS AMAZING BREAD!

Peanut Butter Sconey-Biscuits

Don’t let the “work-in-progress” name detract from their absolute deliciousness! These are peanut butter goodness incarnate. With just hint of sweet, these are a lovely marriage between a scone and a biscuit. Perfect with a cup of tea for an afternoon knosh or with a smear of jam for breakfast.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Oat Quick Bread

It’s not the bread’s fault I’m a klutz…despite being a crumbly mess (I tripped when moving it from oven to cooling rack), it was a fun breakfast treat – complete with oats, peanut butter and jelly – you just need to add a cup of joe and you’re set!

My oven is going to mourn the end of recipe testing for 500 Vegan Recipes…it’s going to be a long wait until November! If you just can’t wait, don’t forget to visit the flickr group – but don’t even try it on an empty stomach!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Hummus (no, not together, sillies!)

Then again, hummus and pancakes could be good together…I mean, a pita isn’t that different from a pancake, right?

Ok, anyway…before I get to the food, I need to send huge thanks to three amazing bloggers and friends : Celine of Have Cake, Will Travel, Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs and Diann of Eat’n Veg’n Vegan Food & Recipes. These three amazing ladies are participating in The 60-Day Project of birthday gifts for my mum, and their goodies have arrived safely chez elle (to her house). I spoke with Mammafish Sunday morning and she was giddy with birthday delight : Celine’s gift arrived on her actual birthday (what timing!), and Ricki‘s and Diann’s packages arrived the following day and she got to open them at her birthday dinner! She just loved everything and was marveling at your thoughtfulness and talent! You are all very appreciated! Merci!!!

I was feeling the need for some comfort food, and pancake brunch on Sunday is as good an excuse as any. I’ve made Chocolate Chip Pancakes before, but they often ended up burnt, or a little too done. These delicious pannycakes were perfect: fluffy and ever-so-chocolaty, and you’ll find the recipe in the upcoming 500 Vegan Recipes. You could smother them with jam or even peanut butter, but we went with maple syrup, of course…

Another test recipe which is more than worth mentioning is the Traditional Hummus :

I tend to fancy myself as a bit of a hummus snob, and seem to always have some freshly made in the fridge, but I have a confession to make kids : I have never, ever, had such creamy and silky smooth hummus. Ever. And it’s easy-peasy. So there. I don’t know what I did to get to be a tester for 500 Vegan Recipes, but I’m one lucky Shellyfish! I recognize the above photo has the personality of boiled potatoes, so how about this one:

And to end this post on a happy note I’d like to share this gem, in honor of National Poetry Month (in the U.S.). This is one of my favourite poems. Washington Post writer Richard Thompson compiled some classic “Bushisms” and penned this oeuvre back in 2002 (I think). I am incapable of reading this poem without laughing out loud.

Make The Pie Higher

I think we all agree, the past is over.
This is still a dangerous world.
It’s a world of madmen and uncertainty
and potential mental losses.
Rarely is the question asked
Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the internet become more few?
How many hands have I shaked? They misunderestimate me.
I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity.
I know that the human being and the fish can coexist.
Families is where our nation finds hope, where our
wings take dream. Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize society!
Make the pie higher! Make the pie higher!
I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful that the human and the fish can coexist! Now got knock down the tollbooth and have a happy Sunday.