Pancakes (breakfast)

In my home country Iceland we would not use the word pancakes for this recipe. We call these skonsur, a word that was probably borrowed from the English word scone. Actually, I had been experimenting with Amercian pancakes, as we refer to the thick ones, when this recipe was born. It was on a Sunday morning when I was simply too lazy to whisk egg whites that I looked at the scribble in my notebook and thought to myself that I could probably turn this into skonsur with some minor changes. And I did. We like having these on Sunday mornings. My husband and I eat them with cheese and organic jam but the children tend to grab the pure maple syrup (or agave) for a more sugary taste - and sticky fingers! American readers please note: 1½ cup = 375 ml, so you will need about two tablespoons more if using 400 ml milk.

PANCAKES (BREAKFAST)

INGREDIENTS

• 325 g spelt flour (2½ cups)
• 2 tablespoons organic raw cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• 2-2½ teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• ± 400 ml milk/soy milk
• 2½ tablespoons coconut oil

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour, break the eggs into it and whisk them lightly
3. Add the milk slowly and whisk constantly and thoroughly until no lumps remain (I always use 400 ml milk)
4. Add the agave and coconut oil and combine well (if the coconut oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use)
5. Using a kitchen paper, smear the pan with a thin layer of oil and set the heat at medium-high (I use setting 6 of 9 for the first two pancakes and then I lower the heat to 5. When I find the surface of the pancakes becoming too dark, I lower the heat again and use setting 4 for the rest of the batter)
6. Use a ladle to pour the batter into the pan in one go and use the bottom of the ladle to spread the batter evenly. How long it takes to cook depends on the heat and the consistency of the batter. When the surface is completely covered with bubbles it is time to flip the pancake. The other side needs less time to cook and when it is done, transfer it onto a plate. Stack the pancakes to keep them warm (from the batter I get about 12 pancakes)
7. Serve the pancakes for breakfast with cheese and your favourite organic jam, or bring out the pure maple syrup (or agave), or whatever it is you like on your pancakes

Pancakes (icelandic)

In this house we cannot get enough of pancakes. There was a time when we made them almost every Sunday, and I'm not talking about American pancakes, as we refer to them, that are served for breakfast with syrup. Ours are larger and thinner (smaller than crêpes) and in Iceland they are served with jam and whipped cream - not lemon juice and sugar, as is common in Europe. The kids sometimes use organic or home-made chocolate hazelnut spread instead of jam. Some people like to drizzle them with sugar and roll them up and I remember eating a lot of those when I was a kid. When I look back it was my father that made the pancakes in our home (my mother was the waffle maker) and I also remember sitting in my grandmother's kitchen watching her make pancakes. Happy times! I find it best to use white spelt flour in these. I know that the common method is first setting the heat at highest and then making the pancakes at medium heat but I find it better to start with medium heat and cook the pancakes at medium-low. I guess it depends on what kind of pan you use.

PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS

• 250 g spelt flour (2 cups)
• optional: pinch of fine sea salt
• 2 eggs, free-range
• 500-550 millilitres milk/soy milk (2 cups = 500 ml)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (from a health food store)
• 1½-2 tablespoons coconut oil or other quality vegetable oil

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour, break the eggs into it and whisk them lightly
3. Add the milk slowly and whisk constantly and thoroughly until no lumps remain
4. Add the vanilla extract and oil and whisk some more until the batter is smooth (the consistency should be like thin cream). If you use coconut oil and it is solid, just place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use
5. Before I start making the pancakes I use a kitchen paper to smear the pan with oil and then I set the heat at medium. I lower the heat slightly before making the first pancake (from the batter I get 20-25 pancakes)
6. It is good to do a test pancake just to make sure you are using the correct amount of batter. Use a ladle to pour the batter into the pan in one go and swiftly use the bottom of the ladle to spread the batter evenly. How long it takes to cook depends on the heat. In my case it takes about 40 seconds for the pancake to turn golden on the bottom (use a palette knife/pan turner to lift the edge to see if it is done). Flip the pancake over with a palette knife/pan turner. The other side needs less time to cook and when it is done, transfer it onto a plate. Stack the pancakes to keep them warm
7. Serve with whipped cream (you can also use soy cream or cashew cream) and your favourite jam. In this house it is usually organic blueberry, red currant or raspberry jam. After you have added the jam and whipped cream, fold the pancake in half, then in half again to form a triangle. You can also drizzle the pancakes with raw cane sugar and roll them up

chocolate chip cookies with almonds and oats

I have to admit that it was my plan to post more recipes on the blog before the holidays but somehow other things got in the way. Let me make it up with cookies. I was baking with my kids on Thursday when I decided to do a little experiment and this recipe is the result. I baked the cookies again yesterday just to make sure that our taste buds hadn't been fooling us and they were just as good. My kids don't like dark chocolate so I use organic semi sweet chocolate in mine. You can also use organic milk chocolate if you want. And if you want to use more chocolate then that is fine too, just make sure you don't overdo it because the cookies are sugary enough.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH ALMONDS AND OATS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large egg
• 70 g raw cane sugar, organic
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons organic peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 30 g spelt flour
• ½ teaspoon gluten free baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 50 g rolled oats
• 70 g almonds, chopped
• 70 g organic chocolate, semi sweet or dark, chopped

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, combine the egg, sugar, agave nectar, peanut butter and coconut oil (if the oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use)
2. In a small bowl, combine the spelt flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder and add it to the wet ingredients
3. Add the rolled oats and chopped almonds and mix gently (I chop the almonds in a food processor)
4. Chop the chocolate, add it into the bowl and mix gently
5. Place baking parchment on a large baking tray
6. Drop a tablespoon of batter onto the baking parchment and make sure to leave some space between each cookie. I get about 24 cookies from the batter and bake 12 at a time
7. Bake at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 12 minutes
8. The cookies are soft when they come out of the oven so allow them to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool further or serving

dried fruit confectionery

If you think confectionery is something you can enjoy only occasionally then I am the bearer of good news. This lovely treat is packed with healthy ingredients so you can enjoy it every day without the feeling of guilt. I found the recipe in a Danish magazine called Bolig in 2008 and it became an instant favourite. I have not changed anything except that I use organic ingredients. Organic apricots, the brown ugly ones, are unsulphured but the orange, good-looking ones are not, so I recommend using organic. These are real treats with coffee and they are ideal for the snack box.

DRIED FRUIT CONFECTIONERY

INGREDIENTS

• 100 g dried organic apricots
• 100 g pitted dates
• 100 g desiccated coconut (I use coarse rather than fine)
• ½ teaspoon organic vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
• 25 g cocoa powder, organic/fair-trade
• 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil (I use 2 tbsp - if solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use)
• desiccated coconut or cocoa powder for coating

METHOD

1. Soak the apricots and dates in water for 30 minutes
2. Drain the fruits and place in a food processor along with the desiccated coconut and blend for about 30 seconds
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well in the food processor
4. Take a small portion of the mixture, mould it into small balls and roll them in desiccated coconut or cocoa powder
5. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container and serve straight from the fridge

VARIATIONS

• I have made these with 50 g almonds and 50 g desiccated coconut. I soaked the almonds with the fruits and then I added 2 walnuts in the food processor. The confectionery tasted really good. Some of it I rolled in desiccated coconut and some I did not coat.
• Sometimes I skip rolling the confectionery in desiccated coconut/cocoa powder. Instead I melt organic chocolate (in a bowl over low heat) and dip the confectionery into the chocolate, either completely or partially. I let it sit on parchment paper before refrigerating.