food

2-Ingredient Banana Pancake Experiment

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2-ingredient banana pancake breakfast.

This past week, I saw a recipe on The Kitchn for 2-ingredient banana pancakes. It looked like a good idea for a quick high energy breakfast that might taste incredibly good. So this morning I decided to try it.

While the recipe is technically just two ingredients, there are several other ingredients mentioned as optional extras. I got a bit carried away and should have kept it simple.

I added a tablespoon of leftover granola, which is probably fine. I added a pinch of salt, some vanilla and baking powder. Also probably fine.

Here is where I veered off the road with my breakfast. Last year, I read an article in Brandeis Magazine about coffee flour.

Coffee flour, developed by Brandeis biophysicist Dan Perlman ’68, got media outlets and many other observers buzzing this winter.

Two decades ago, Perlman and nutritionist K.C. Hayes developed the “healthy fats” blend in the Smart Balance buttery spread. Now, on his own, Perlman’s invented and patented what he says is a healthier form of coffee.

Needless to say, I was intrigued. So I searched for coffee flour and ordered some from Nuts.com. The coffee flour has been sitting in my fridge lonely and unopened for months. So I decided to put a couple of tablespoons into this recipe. Well. It didn’t really work.

My excitement over this new recipe, and probably and ironically my lack of coffee, caused me to forget that the coffee flour should be mixed with regular flour.

Anyway, I took a picture of the pancakes. Not my best work! The flavor wasn’t great, but it was edible. Next time I’ll just stick with the two ingredients!

For the coffee flour, I’ll add it to the flour mixture that I keep in the fridge. Have you ever tried coffee flour?

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Photo Credit: The Kitchn

Lunch at VERTS Mediterranean Grill in Copley Square

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Lunch to go from VERTS Mediterranean Grill.

This was my lunch today! I had a chicken quinoa bowl from VERTS Mediterranean Grill. It was quite good and I have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow too.

I took my food to go and brought it back to my office, but took the picture while I was still in the restaurant. While I didn’t eat inside, the space is open and airy, plus there is outdoor seating as well.

VERTS is similar to other places like b.good, where you get a bowl and decide what you want in it. They have a menu that you can choose from or you can build your own bowl.

I love this concept, because it’s a really healthy way to eat. You get a lot of vegetables, protein and a healthy carb.

The only off thing was the utensils. They only have forks — no knives or spoons. A bit odd, but maybe it’s an oversight that they’re working on correcting.

Outdoor seating for lunch outside at VERTS.

VERTS has greatly expanded in Boston over the past year and they now have three locations — this one on Boylston Street, one on Summer Street and one on Washington Street too. If there is one close to you, definitely check them out!

As I wrote about VERTS before, they are based out of Texas, with several locations in Austin, Dallas and a Houston location as well.

With all the devastating news we’re hearing about Hurricane Harvey, my heart goes out to everyone impacted. The stories are unimaginable. I hope that everyone in all their Texas locations are safe and weathering the storm.

*Updated 7/30/2020* It appears that VERTS may have closed and is possibly under new management.

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Disclosure: Food was compliments of VERTS. Thank you!

Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage vs MorningStar Farms Sausage Patties

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Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage

My go to product for veggie sausage, veggie burgers and other veggie based foods is usually MorningStar Farms. I’ve tried so many different veggie products and always come back to them.

But I like mixing things up a bit sometimes and trying new products. I noticed Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage on sale this past week and decided to buy it. This morning I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised.

It’s a teeny bit more work making Gimme Lean sausages than MorningStar. It comes in a package where you scoop out the mixture, form patties, then cook it on the top of the stove. The cooking time was pretty quick though – about five minutes. The flavor and texture are quite good.

I imagine that I could cook it up without forming patties and using the sausage in a stir fry, sauce, frittata, quiche and more.

During the week, it’s much easier and faster to use MorningStar Farms sausages, because I microwave them for a minute and they’re done. But for other times, I can see using Gimme Lean. The company that makes them is Lightlife Foods and they have a wide array of foods, from pasta, to bowls and other snacks.

Have you tried any of their foods?

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Photo Credit: Lightlife Foods

Blueberries Make The Cake

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A simple single layer cake with lots of blueberries.

It’s July, so if you’re on Instagram, you may be noticing that everyone’s feed is filled with blueberries.

Whether you picked them yourself, found them at a farmers market, or bought them at the grocery store, ’tis the season.

My favorite cakes during the summer are simple single layer cakes. They aren’t too sweet. They travel well. Plus, since they aren’t frosted, they hold up in the heat.

One of the recipes that I use as a base is a Norwegian Apple Cake. I’ve been using this recipe for years, with a few changes. One of the easiest ways to adapt it is by changing the type of fruit.

I made the cake a few weeks ago using cherries. Everyone loved it, so this past week I used blueberries. Lots of blueberries!

I used two cups and the cake was bursting with blueberry flavor. Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a try.

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Summer Blueberry Cake
(makes one single layer cake)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups blueberries (washed, stems removed)

INSTRUCTIONS:
In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar and eggs. Stir in salt, extracts, baking powder and flour until well combined.

I use a regular size round cake pan, but a square or loaf pan would probably work fine too. I used to grease and flour the pan, but now I use parchment paper. So whatever way you prefer is fine.

Pour batter into a pan. Pour the blueberries over the batter and press into the cake.

The original recipe says to bake for about 25 – 30 minutes at 400 degrees. I’ve baked this cake a few times and am still adjusting the time and temperature. Blueberries are more wet than apples, so more baking time was definitely needed. The last time I baked this cake (July 13, 2019) for about an hour at 350 degrees. That seemed to work well. Everyone loved the cake and raved about the texture.

After the cake is done, I put it in the fridge and let it cool down. If you are taking it to go, maybe for a picnic, wrap it in foil,  pack it and be on your way!

Let me know if you try it and what you think.

Hey Boston! Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with Free Vice Cream!

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Vanilla ice cream with orange ripple, dark, white and milk chocolate chunks.

Happy National Ice Cream Day! One of my favorite days! Although, I celebrate by eating ice cream far more than once a year.

If you’re in Boston today, you might be able to get some free ice cream. Today, between noon and 4pm, the Vice Cream Truck will be patrolling Boston streets and walking around the areas where people are outside enjoying this beautiful summer day.

Plus, they will meet anyone who tweets “Today is National Ice Cream Day and I want @eatvicecream” along with their location.

Vice Cream truck shown at city hall plaza in Boston, ready to give out ice cream.

The Vice Cream Truck will be giving out samples of their most popular flavors: Choc of Shame, Bourbon Mash, Toffee Wife, Breakfast in Bed, Higher Grounds, Afternoon Delight and Minted while supplies last. The company also has an interesting back story.

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Vice Cream is all about unapologetic indulgence with eight super premium flavors and tagline “Live Life, Dig In.”

When Vice Cream Founder Dan Schorr was in college, he paid for school by driving a Good Humor ice cream truck during the summer. It was during those hot summer months that he saw first-hand the joy ice cream could bring people. Years later in 2015, life threw Dan a curveball when doctors told him he had cancer – an aggressive form of lymphoma.

After undergoing treatment that included chemotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Dan beat the disease and made a decision to not just live life, but indulge in it, which led him to create Vice Cream in Boston.

To Dan, ice cream is, and always should be, about unapologetic indulgence. Through the “Nice Vice” program, Vice Cream aims to bring smiles to cancer patients and their families by supporting various cancer charities nationwide, and at events like the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl and sampling Vice Cream at hospitals.

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I haven’t tried Vice Cream — yet. I’ve been trying to be good with Halo, but I’m intrigued and may indulge at some point.

Well, as I write this, it’s close to 1pm. They only have one truck, but they will do their best to get to everyone who tweets in the 4-hour timeframe. So time to get tweeting!

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Images: L’Orange A Trois and Vice Cream Truck courtesy of Vice Cream.