Carrot Cake Pancakes

Delicious, nutritious! I love the fact that I can put 3 cups of carrots into breakfast and my family will gobble it up. As always, I make a double-batch to freeze for later in the week.

I originally found this recipe on Pinterest, but significantly reduced the sugar and used whole-wheat flour.

Variations:
• Use half grated carrot and half grated apple
• Use grated carrot and grated raw beet
• Use only whole-wheat flour but increase the milk by 1/4 – 1/3 cup
• Serve with vanilla Greek yogurt, or plain Greek yogurt mixed with honey and top with chopped nuts of choice

Carrot Cake Pancakes
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Servings
8 - 10 pancakes
Servings
8 - 10 pancakes
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Print Recipe
Servings
8 - 10 pancakes
Servings
8 - 10 pancakes
Ingredients
Adjust servings: pancakes
Units:
Instructions
  1. Mix flour, sugar, baking power, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. In another bowl whisk eggs. Whisk in milk, vanilla and melted butter (or coconut oil).
  3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until combined.
  4. Stir in shredded carrots, chopped nuts, and chia; add coconut if using.
  5. Heat pancake griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat and brush with butter or coconut oil. Scoop about 1/4 cup batter into skillet, turn down heat to medium and cook 3 – 4 minutes per side until golden.
Recipe Notes
  1. Can add half Greek yogurt and half milk for more protein
  2. Always serve with fat from nature (a bit of butter on the pancake and/or protein (a scoop of Greek yogurt, quality sourced breakfast sausage)
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Spinach Pancakes

These pancakes from weelicious are yummy and fun. Move over green eggs and ham! I always love an opportunity to punch up the nutrition in breakfast and this is a perfect example. I also love tempting kids to eat something they might not otherwise want to. So without hinting at the reason for the green, I simply made them for brunch on a St. Patrick weekend and everyone, even the littlest guest, all of 18 months, ate their fill.

Because I usually don’t have buttermilk, I mix 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar) and let it sit 10 – 15 minutes before making the recipe.

 

Spinach Pancakes
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Spinach Pancakes
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Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. In a blender, combine the spinach, buttermilk, egg, and oil and blend
  2. until smooth.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
  5. Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat and grease with butter or expeller-pressed canola oil.
  6. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the pancake mixture onto the griddle, cook about two minutes.
  7. Flip the pancakes and cook for one minute longer and serve.
Recipe Notes

Modified from Weelicious.com: Spinach Pancakes

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Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

And oh lala! The zucchini makes these brownies lusciously moist. Plus the added nutritional benefit. The original recipe is from Fabulessly Frugal.

I modified by reducing the sugar by half, using coconut oil and spelt flour and changed up the frosting.

 

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
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Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
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Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9 x 9 baking pan wth coconut oil or expeller-pressed canola oil.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, combine oil, chocolate chips, and cocoa, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Stir in zucchini.
  4. Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt, until batter is well-combined, but don't over mix.
  5. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
  6. While the brownies bake, melt together the chocolate and coconut oil
  7. When the brownies come out of the oven, pour chocolate/coconut oil on and spread it evenly over the top. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then lift foil to remove brownies from pan, cut into pieces, and serve.
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Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

These cupcakes are hugely popular with all our friends and family. The hint of cinnamon, the richness of cocoa and the bits of chocolate make every bite delicious. The zucchini adds moisture and putting a vegetable boost into dessert is good for a mother’s heart.

They are so yummy, they don’t really need frosting. But I’ve made them so many times over the years, I’ve served them differently pending on what I had in the refrigerator: a cream cheese icing (blend cream cheese sweetened to taste with honey, real whipped cream with a tablespoon of cocoa folded in and sweetened to taste with powdered sugar or a chocolate butter cream icing.

For a super duper chocolate treat on a special occasion with a chocolate glaze (melt equal parts semi-sweet chocolate and butter or coconut milk). For these, I bake the cupcakes in a mini-muffin tin.

In general I do not use cupcake liners, they just go straight to the landfill.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
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Servings
8 cupcakes
Servings
8 cupcakes
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
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Servings
8 cupcakes
Servings
8 cupcakes
Ingredients
Adjust servings: cupcakes
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Grease muffin tin with butter or coconut oil.
  2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.
  5. Pour into muffin tin and bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 25 - 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Source

Epicurious: Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This is a delightful recipe from Cooking Classy. I modified it by adding fresh ginger, reduced the sugar and used coconut oil.

Rather than the Cream Cheese frosting from the original recipe, I made Whipped Orange Cream because I had heavy cream in my refrigerator.

But check out the original recipe with its marzipan carrots!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes
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Servings Prep Time
12 cupcakes 30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 cupcakes 30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
12 cupcakes 30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 cupcakes 30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
Adjust servings: cupcakes
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg for 30 seconds, set aside. Shred carrots as directed in notes below, set aside.
  2. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and brown sugar, then add eggs and using an electric hand mixer, blend mixture on low speed 30 seconds, until slightly pale. Mix in applesauce and vanilla extract. With mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in vegetable oil and mix until combined, then mix 20 seconds longer. Mix in half of the dry ingredients, then pour the shredded carrots into the bowl with the remaining flour mixture and toss in flour mixture to coat carrots (they'll clump together a bit but that's fine). Pour carrot mixture into the batter and blend until evenly combined.
  3. Pour batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean, about 19 - 21 minutes. Cool in muffin tin several minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Recipe Notes

Modified from
Cooking Classy: Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Healthy Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkins generally seem to be relegated to Thanksgiving pies. But pumpkins are nutrient-rich and add lovely flavor and texture to food. I’ve learned to keep a can or two of organic pumpkin puree (making sure to check label lists pumpkin as the only ingredient) in my pantry.

Pumpkin gives a nutritious start to the day in breakfast. I use pumpkin puree (homemade or canned) in oatmeal, breakfast breads (muffins and loafs) and pancakes/waffles.

Add some defrosted berries on top for extra yumminess and nutrition.

Or mash fresh fruit (berries, mango, peach) into a  couple of tablespoons of cream cheese, sweeten with some honey and make waffle “sammies” (one of my favorite concepts from Weelicious), a waffle sandwich cut into four for little hands to hold. Makes a wonderful breakfast-on-the-go (using frozen waffles popped quickly into the toaster), a fun school lunch or afternoon snack.

 

Pumpkin Waffles
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Servings
12 4-inch waffles
Servings
12 4-inch waffles
Pumpkin Waffles
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Servings
12 4-inch waffles
Servings
12 4-inch waffles
Ingredients
Adjust servings: 4-inch waffles
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat waffle iron.
  2. Sift first 7 ingredients into a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the remaining ingredients.
  4. Whisk the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture and whisk until smooth.
  5. Pour about 1/2 cup of the pumpkin batter into a waffle iron that’s been buttered or greased and cook according to manufacturer’s directions.
Recipe Notes

Serve with maple syrup or make into sandwiches using cream cheese and whatever other fillings you desire.

Allow to cool, place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, place in toaster oven or oven at 300 and heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Source:

Weelicious: Pumpkin Waffles

 

 

 

 

Source:

Weelicious: Pumpkin Weelicious: Pumpkin Waffles

http://weelicious.com/2010/01/14/pumpkin-waffles/

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Carrot Apple Muffins

Loaded with carrots, apples, pecans and raisins these muffins fill the belly and get the day off to a good nutritious start.

They can also convert from breakfast food to a teatime delight with cream cheese icing and coconut sprinkled on top. Simply mix 2–4 tablespoons of cream cheese with half that amount (1–2 tablespoons) of plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and just enough sugar to suit your taste.

carrot muffins
Carrot Apple Muffins
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18 muffins
carrot muffins
Carrot Apple Muffins
Print Recipe
18 muffins
Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil eighteen 1/2-cup muffin cups.
  2. Into a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cardamom, and salt and whisk in sugar.
  3. Coarsely shred enough carrots to measure 2 cups and chop pecans. Add shredded carrots and pecans to flour mixture with raisins and coconut and toss well.
  4. In a bowl whisk together eggs, brown sugar, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Core apple and coarsely shred. Stir shredded apple into egg mixture. Add to flour mixture, stirring until batter is just combined well.
  5. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them three-fourths full, and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Instead of spelt flour, use 1 cup whole-wheat flour and 1 cup white flour.

I like using spelt flour because it is more nutritious than white (wheat) flour, but is also light whereas whole-wheat flour makes the muffins dense.

 

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Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread

This is quite popular in our house—either as muffins or a loaf of bread. I make a double recipe to freeze some for week days. Before freezing the bread loaf, I slice it and place pieces of parchment paper between the slices; making it easy to pull out a frozen slice and pop into the toaster.

Sweet potatoes pack a powerful nutritional punch. They have over 400% of your daily needs for vitamin A in one medium spud, as well as loads of fiber and potassium. More about sweet potatoes here.

I also like the high fiber content in these muffins (slices); high fiber breakfasts help promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.

Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread
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To make muffins instead of a loaf,  brush the muffin tin with softened butter, coconut oil or expeller-pressed canola oil. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread
Print Recipe
To make muffins instead of a loaf,  brush the muffin tin with softened butter, coconut oil or expeller-pressed canola oil. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Butter and flour 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
  3. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl.
  4. Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in another, larger, bowl until blended. Mix in zucchini and sweet potato.
  5. Add dry ingredients and walnuts and stir well.
  6. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
  7. Cool bread in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around bread to loosen. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
Recipe Notes

Adapted from Epicurious: Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread

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