Multi-grain Pancake Mix

There's one thing that is especially nice to have while you are camping, and that is a good quality homemade pancake mix for breakfasts over the fire!

This mix is something we enjoy as a family, when we go up to the Boundary Waters and Quetico wilderness canoe areas in northern Minnesota and into Canada, or to the North Shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.

Because it is a dry/pre-made mix, it is very light to carry.  This is always a very good recipe to take on backpacking trips, hiking trips, or any kind of camping trip really.  And its much healthier than those store bought mixes that have a bunch of ingredients you cannot pronounce in them.  And when you use whole grain flours, that's the biggest bonus!  Talk about getting your FIBER in for the day!

We enjoy these for breakfast camping, with some fresh blueberries sprinkled in, and our special homemade maple syrup drizzled on top!

Give this a try this summer season, and let me know what you think!


Multi-grain Pancake Mix 
Yield: around a gallon zip-lock bag full

4 cups oat flour
4 cups barley flour
4 cups whole grain spelt (or wheat) flour
2 cups walnuts
⅔ cup arrowroot powder (or organic corn starch)
⅔ cup vanilla soy (or rice) milk powder, optional
½ cup baking powder
¾ - 1 cup organic sugar
2 TB fine sea salt

1.  Blend the walnuts and 2 cups of the flour in your food processor or high speed blender until the walnuts turn into a fine meal.  Pour into large bowl.
2.  Add everything else to the large bowl, whisk together very well.  Store in freezer bags in the freezer.  
3.  To Eat: Take 1 part dry mix to 1 part water, mix together.  The batter thickens as it sits, so you may have to add more water to the batter.  (The oats tend to soak up a lot of water.)  Cook on hot, oiled griddle until pancakes are done.  We like to sprinkle blueberries on the pancakes after we put them on the griddle.  Serve!  

*You may also use this in your waffle iron. 
*If you don't want to use dry soy or rice milk powder, you can leave it out.
*You can sub any flour for something else.  I really like the flavor of the oats, because it makes your mix very light and fluffly.  So, I usually keep the oats, and use whichever other flours I have on hand.  Barley is a light, fluffy flour too, so I like using it for this.  You could use 8 cups barley flour and 4 cups oat flour if you desire.  The mix of flours is completely up to you!  Just make sure you use 12 cups total.
*Gluten Free Alternative:  If you want to make this gluten-free, just use gluten-free flours.  I would suggest brown rice flour, sorghum flour, coconut flour, etc.

Homemade Chocolate Chips

Homemade Chocolate Chips

1 cup coconut oil
1 cup cocoa powder
6 TB maple syrup
1 TB pure vanilla
Pinch of salt

1.  Melt everything together in a double boiler over the stove, and whisk until everything comes together and is very smooth.  (Alternately, you may just melt the coconut oil, and whisk everything until it comes together and is smooth.  It tends to clump up this way easier, but you are always willing to try it this way.)
2.   Place batter on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, spread out thin with a spatula, and freeze for a couple hours or overnight until it hardens up.  Then, cut up with a knife into squares.  (Alternately: find a chocolate chip silicone mold, or a silicone pot holder, and pour batter into that.  Freeze for a couple hours or overnight until it becomes solid.)  Store in a freezer bag in the freezer at all times, until use.


Notes:
*If you are wanting to use carob powder, I would recommend tasting it before you add any maple syrup.  You may not have to add much sweetener at all, because carob is naturally sweet, unlike chocolate, which is naturally bitter.
*If you are wanting a neutral flavor, I recommend using the expelled pressed coconut oil instead of the extra virgin coconut oil.  The expelled pressed doesn't have any flavor.

Veggie Potato Pancakes

These potato pancakes were one of my favorite meals growing up.  For my special birthday meal, I always requested these!  To get me and my brother to eat our veggies when we were kids, my mom came up with this idea.  She would have us in the kitchen with her, grating all the veggies.  We had one large hand grater, so I always was the one to receive battle wounds from this meal.  But, it was so worth it.

There's no recipe involved here, its very simple.  All we would do, was shred about the same amount of potatoes, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, and an onion - and cook them up on the stove.  Its very easy and quick (especially if you have a food processor).  Anyone can make this!

It has been a while since I have made these Veggie Potato Pancakes for us.  I used to make them all the time when I had a garden in the summer, because they're a nice and fresh summer garden harvest meal.  Its a good way to use up those yellow and zucchini squash that seem to grow faster than weeds!  I made these for dinner tonight, and my 3 year old girl devoured them!  So, I thought you might like them, too.

Veggie Potato Pancakes

Yield: 6-8 servings

2-3 pounds russet potatoes
2 small zucchini squash
2 small yellow squash
2 large carrots, peeled
1 large onion
2 TB grape seed oil (or high-heat oil of choice)
Non-dairy butter, or oil

1.  In a food processor, shred everything.   
2.  Put the "batter" in a large bowl.  Drizzle about 2 TB of high heat oil in the bowl, and toss everything together with your hands.
3.  In a preheated skillet, add butter/oil to pan and let it shimmer.  Make 3 small hash browns in the pan.  sprinkle with sea salt, and flatten.  Cover, and cook over medium heat until GB&D (golden brown & delicious). 
4.  Uncover, flip them over, and cook for another 5-10 minutes uncovered until cooked through. 
5.  Serve hot with organic applesauce or sour cream.  These pair well with a hearty veggie meatloaf-style entree and a nice tossed salad, or just some soup and salad.


*Note: I buy my potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots all organic.  I highly recommend everyone to do the same, if it is accessible to you.  (The less chemicals and GMOs in our food, the better!)

Sweet Almond Cream

This is a nice, sweet topping to replace whipped cream at breakfast or dessert time.  Let me know what you think in the comments below!


Sweet Almond Cream
Yield: 2 cups

1 cup water
3/4 cup blanched almonds
3 Tbsp coconut milk powder (or ½ cup coconut milk)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp Celtic grey sea salt
2 Tbsp maple syrup (or Agave syrup)

1.  Blend in a blender until creamy.  Serve chilled.  Place on top of waffles or berries.  Store in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potato Latkes

This is a good recipe if you're wanting to incorporate some more nutrients and variety in your diet.  I'm a huge fan of starch.  Potatoes of any kind are so good for you, are packed full of nutrients, and fill you up.  And I can especially say that about sweet potatoes!

Packed with vitamin A, C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, potassium, fiber, vitamin B3, B1, B2, and Phosphorus... they're a food you can "literally" live on.  Seriously, no joke!  The okanawan's live on a diet of sweet potatoes!  You can do it too!

Enjoy these yummy, gluten free, Latkes!  And be sure to let me know what you thought of them in the comments below!  Happy cooking!


Sweet Potato Latkes
Yield: 6-7 medium sized latkes

4 cups sweet potato, shredded
1/2 medium onion, shredded
4 garlic cloves, shredded
1 tsp Celtic grey sea salt
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 Tbsp dried parsley (or small handful chopped fresh parsley)
1/4 cup olive oil

1.  In a food processor, shred the sweet potatoes, measure out and place in a bowl.
2.  Then place the onion and garlic and shred them in the food processor, add them to the bowl.
3.  Add sea salt, stir, let sit for a moment.  Then stir in brown rice flour and parsley, then stir in the olive oil.
4.  Fry in a skillet like latkes, (or bake) until brown on both side.  Serve with a dollop of Toffuti sour cream or Almond Sour Cream.

Hot Cocoa Mix

I made a bunch of this and gave it out to close friends and family for Christmas gifts this year!  Everyone loved it.  

 I use soy milk powder for it instead of regular dried milk powder.  I have never used regular cows milk powder, so I don't know what the outcome would be.  But, you may use whatever you like!  You are the chef, remember?!  I have also made this with rice milk powder for friends who are allergic to soy, and it turns out great.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!


Hot cocoa mix
Yield: about 6 cups

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (or carob, if desired)
2 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar
2 cups vanilla soy milk powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fine sea salt

1.  Sift everything together in a large bowl.  Then, whisk everything until combined.  Store in a glass container.

To Serve:
Place 2-3 large TB in a mug, add hot water or milk, stir.  Enjoy!