WIAW #36 + Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Hey friends! I hope everyone had an EXCELLENT Thanksgiving! 

I'm going to apologize right off the bat - I forget to take pictures of my Thanksgiving meal for WIAW this week. So, instead, you can read what I ate on Thanksgiving below!

Gardein's Holiday Roast...and some real turkey as well :)

Green Bean Casserole - The Post Punk Kitchen

Pumpkin Tiramisu - Chloe Coscarelli

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad - FitSugar

Mashed Cauliflower 

Here's a look at some other things I ate this week.....

{Left to right} Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Cake (recipe coming soon...)

Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes (recipe below)

Lunch at the Cincinnatian Hotel (items in picture: chocolate mousse cake and moscato)

Chocolate covered bacon

So....these Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

The recipe is THIS ONE, slightly modified. The recipe is good on its own, but EVERYTHING is better with chocolate. 

Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes

{Ingredients}

1 banana

2 eggs

Chocolate chips

Strawberries + sugar {optional}

{Directions}

1. In a small food processor, blend banana and eggs. You can mash the banana if you want, but I think the food processor is WAY easier. 

2. Allow to rest for a couple minutes (this allows the batter to thicken slightly).

3. Heat a lightly greased skillet to medium-high heat. Place one ladle of batter into pan. Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top.

4. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the surface, and the bottom is slightly brown. Flip to other side. 

5. Cook for about 30 seconds and then place on a plate.

6. {optional} Slice some strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes to create a sweet syrup. Spoon strawberries on top of pancakes. 

7. Enjoy!

Pretty straightforward.... right?!

Here are some things that will soon come to Passing Daisies! Get excited!

{Advent Calendar printable}
{More holiday gift guides}
{Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Cake}
{Whirlybird Granola review/giveaway}
{PASSING DAISIES BIRTHDAY LINKUP}*
{NuNaturals Review/giveaway}

*I'm looking for bloggers to participate in a link up with me and create a fun birthday recipe! I've got the details. EMAIL ME to find out more <3

Have a lovely week and let me know what you ate for Thanksgiving!

Passing Daisies Photography

Want to know who is the winner of the Stonewall Kitchen giveaway?

Mmmmmm, pancake mix. 

Congrats to #5, Billie Jean! Please email me with your contact info and I will get this beauty shipped right out to you!

♥ 

I've decided on a new task for the blog. 

For Christmas, I got this little beauty: 

Which means I can now take pretty decent pictures. Way better than my iPhone could ever take. 

So, my challenge is the go through all of my recipes and 1) remake them and make sure they are worthwhile recipes, deleting the ones that aren't, and 2) take better pictures for the posts. This way, my blog can become higher quality and be more enticing to my readers! What do you think? 

For those who want to see some of the pictures I've taken so far, or want to request photos being taken of something for your blog, please visit my Facebook page: Passing Daisies Photography. I'm hoping to upload some pictures of food related items shortly! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to the new year. We survived the Mayan apocalypse (which clearly was accurate), so we can all be thankful to be alive :) Right? 

Happy New Year! 

Product Review & Giveaway: Stonewall Kitchen

How about some pancakes?

No? 

What if I told you they were gingerbread pancakes?

I thought so.

I was recently contacted by Stonewall Kitchen, asking if I would be interested in reviewing any of their holiday baking mixes. Of course, my answer was yes. How can you say no to something as delicious as gingerbread pancakes?!

I've always been a big fan of Stonewall Kitchen's products. They have so much to offer - jams, jellies, cookie and brownie mixes, and so much more that I can't begin to describe. You'll just have to head over to their website and check it out for yourself! 

But back to the topic at hand - gingerbread pancakes. Holy moley, was I excited when this arrived on my doorstep: 

Gingerbread pancake mix and gingerbread syrup!!! Yum!!

I opened the mix and got cooking right away.

Just mix it up and throw in some chocolate chips for an added bonus...

Ta-da! You have gingerbread pancakes! 

Let me tell you - these were awesome. They tasted just like biting into a freshly made gingerbread cookie with pieces of crystallized ginger in it (no - that wasn't in the pancake mix, but it tasted like it!). They were spicy and wonderful. The gingerbread syrup was the perfect companion for these pancakes, and provided just the right amount of added ginger flavor. The syrup was extremely thick and gooey, which made it fun to pour on top of the pancakes. 

Now, let me ask you a question - would you like to win the same thing I received from Stonewall Kitchen? The prize I am shipping out to one lucky winner looks like this: 

Who doesn't want to win that? I mean, come on! You even win a free spatula! I didn't get one of those. I'm completely jealous of whoever wins this little beauty. 

Here's how to enter (leave a comment for each entry): 

Pin this contest on Pinterest (mention "PassingDaisies.net" in the comments section) & like Stonewall Kitchen on Facebook (MANDATORY)

Bonus entries:

1. Follow Passing Daisies on Google Friend Connect/Blogger

2. Subscribe to Passing Daisies on email

3. Email me if you are interested in being a guest blogger on Passing Daisies with a potential topic and link to your current blog (please make sure you can write a quality guest blog. I am willing to guest blog for others as well!)

That's all she wrote, folks. Contest ends on DECEMBER 25 (Merry Christmas!) at 5PM EST. Winner will be announced and contacted shortly after. 

Product Review: Seeds 4 Peace

Hey guys! 

I apologize for my rather depressing post a few days ago. I'm all better now - we're both really happy with our decision to break up and we are staying good friends. In fact, we are even getting Yagoot (frozen yogurt) on Sunday. I call that pretty good, right? 

Other news - I'm in love with my internship. I know I mentioned that before, but seriously - I love it, and I would be ecstatic if it turned into a job after I graduate. Which - isn't that scary? The thought of college graduation? These four years have flown by. I had no idea they would go so quickly! What the heck am I going to do after I graduate!? Scary. 

Fun things I did this week: 

Wine & movie night with the roomies. I <3 Bradley Cooper! 

Made hot chocolate peanut butter pancakes with my bestie, Blake

Made peach & plum crumble

Ate free cupcakes at work 

Enjoyed the view in Downtown Cincinnati where I work

Clearly, it's been a fun week. And did I mention that Tess and I (the other intern at work) are going to an Ingrid Michaelson concert. How cool is that?! I'm so excited!

Alright, I have another product review for you guys. This is the last one for a while, promise!

Let's talk about Seeds 4 Peace. I met this company while in Washington D.C. at the Fancy Food Show with my last internship, and I loved their product. The company was really friendly, and they sent me some samples of their product. It's a brand spanking new company, and they got rave reviews about their product at the food show. Pretty neat, hm? THey sent me three tubes of each of their flavors - 3 each of the sunflower seeds, and 3 each of the pumpkin seeds. Here are the flavors: 

Sunflower Seeds

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Chile Lime

Habanero BBQ

Pumpkin Seeds

Honey Mustard

Wasabi Soy

Cinnamon and Sugar

Honestly, I loved all of the flavors, but my favorites were the honey mustard pumpkin seeds and the chili lime sunflower seeds. Both are only 180 calories for the entire tube, which I think is pretty good for seeds.

I also really like that the tubes make the seeds easily portable. I throw them in my backpack and eat them in the middle of class when I need a snack and have been in class all day. My classmates always comment on how cute the package design is, which I totally agree. The package design is super fun! I highly recommend this company - since they are new, give them some love and order some for yourself!

Okay friends, I have to get up early for work tomorrow and I still need to shower, so I'm off. I love you all. See you soon! <3

Much love, 

Blackberry Orange Pancakes

I was in the mood for pancakes the other morning. You know, the morning when I got zero sleep the previous night because my mind was racing. The morning where I spent all my time working on my blog's layout instead of sleeping. The morning I saw another's blogger's recipe for chocolate orange pancakes. 

Those pancakes inspired me. 

I had some blackberries in the fridge I wanted to use, so I decided to put them to good use and make pancakes with them. Who knew they were so low in calories, even with 2 tablespoons of melted butter in the batter?! These are practically vegan - just sub Earth Balance for butter and voila! Vegan pancakes. Let me know how much you love them!

Blackberry Orange Pancakes
Based on my Cinnamon Coconut Pancakes 
Makes 8 pancakes

1 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 T. sugar
15 drops orange liquid stevia (you can omit this and use 3 T. of sugar instead if you wish)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. vanilla almond milk
1 t. vanilla
2 T. melted butter
1/4 cup blackberries
2 t. orange zest

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. 
2. In a smaller bowl, combine milk, vanilla, orange zest, melted butter, stevia, and blackberries. Mash the blackberries with the back of your spoon.
3. Combine the two mixtures and whisk until batter is smooth. 
4. Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat.
5. Using a 1/4 c. measure or a large ice cream scoop, pour batter into heated skillet, making only one pancake at a time.
6. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the top of the batter, then carefully flip pancake and cook until the other side is golden brown.

Nutritional Info

Servings: 8
Calories: 98

Carbs: 16g

Fat: 3g

Protein: 2g

What's you're favorite kind of pancake? 

Much love, 

Vegan MoFo #24: Mango Coconut Pancakes

Why hello there :) 

This recipe is based on my original Cinnamon Coconut Pancakes, and I thought it turned out super well ! I just re-vamped it a little bit by using Stevia instead of evaporated cane juice, two kinds of flour, and adding some unsweetened coconut flakes. Delicious! 

And the mango topping.... oh boy. 

So sticky and sweet, this is the perfect topping to send you into tropical heaven. Drizzle everything in agave nectar and enjoy a delicious and blissful meal.

Cinnamon Coconut Pancakes (Re-vamped!)
Based on Kim Barnouin's Maple and Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes

1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. Stevia
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 c. almond milk
1 t. vanilla
2 T. Earth Balance Coconut Spread, melted
3 T. unsweetened coconut flakes
Very SMALL amount of oil for frying

Mango Topping
2 mangos, diced
4 T. agave nectar

1. In a medium bowl, combine flours, Stevia, baking powder, baking soda, salt, coconut flakes, and cinnamon.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine milk, vanilla, and melted EB coconut spread.
3. Combine the two mixtures and whisk until batter is smooth.
4. Heat a SMALL amount of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. To do this, you can just lightly wet a napkin with oil and rub on the bottom of the skillet.
5. Using a 1/4 c. measure or a large ice cream scoop, pour batter into heated skillet, making only one pancake at a time.
6. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the top of the batter, then carefully flip pancake and cook until the other side is golden brown.

For the Mango Topping:
1. Place mango and agave in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Let cook until agave has evaporated, leaving the mango sticky and sweet and golden brown. 
3. For added flavor, allow the mango to cook until caramelization starts to occur. 

Assembly:
Take a pancake, drizzle with agave, place a spoonful of mango on top, and sprinkle with more coconut flakes. Yum!

Nutritional Info

Servings: 8
Calories: 168

Carbs: 31g

Fat: 5g

Protein: 2g

What is your favorite kind of pancakes?
Much love, 

Cinnamon Coconut Pancakes

Remember that review for Earth Balance Coconut Spread I wrote a few days ago?

Get ready for a DELICIOUS recipe I made using it!! :) 

I absolutely love pancakes. They are so freaking delicious. And, they can easily be made gluten free- just sub the all purpose flour for brown rice flour!

Most vegans know the book Skinny Bitch by Kim Barnouin and  Rory Freedman.
I based this recipe on the one from this cookbook, by Kim Barnouin. Great book!

The only sad thing about this recipe is that, as of today, I've decided to go gluten free (or at least, mostly gluten free!). Which means I can't eat this exact recipe unless I change it up as mentioned earlier (use brown rice flour!)

My carnivorous boyfriend liked these pancakes, which means they much be good, right? You can cover them in maple syrup or use the topping I suggest below! Or use both syrup AND the topping, that;s what I did...

Mixin up the batter....

Lookie! Bubbles!!!

Oh, yum. Golden brown deliciousness.

Cinnamon Coconut Pancakes
Based on Kim Barnouin's Maple and Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes

1 c. unbleached all purpose flour
3 T. evaporated cane sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 c. almond milk
1 t. vanilla
2 T. Earth Balance Coconut Spread, melted
Very SMALL amount of oil for frying

Optional Topping: Combine 2 T. EB Coconut Spread (softened for buttery spread or melted for use instead of syrup) and 1/4 t. cinnamon in a bowl.

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine milk, vanilla, and melted EB coconut spread.
3. Combine the two mixtures and whisk until batter is smooth.
4. Heat a SMALL amount of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. To do this, you can just lightly wet a napkin with oil and rub on the bottom of the skillet.
5. Using a 1/4 c. measure or a large ice cream scoop, pour batter into heated skillet, making only one pancake at a time.
6. Cook until you see bubles forming on the top of the batter, then carefully flip pancake and cook until the other side is golden brown.

Stacked high with lots of buttery topping.

Earth Balance Coconut Spread mixed with cinnamon. Super simple and delicious! Add some sugar if you want.

Nutritional Info

Servings: 8
Calories: 107

Carbs: 19g

Fat: 3g

Protein: 2g

Much love,