Blackberry Peach Crepes

I could eat breakfast all day, every day.

I always thought pancakes, crepes and other decadent delights were for people who had the luxury of time to spend hours preparing. Very happy to say that these are not only delicious, but super quick to whip up and pretty healthy as breakfasts go so they're guilt-free all the way around. Like most Italians, The Bear isn't a big breakfast eater - cappuccino and biscotti is his "sit-down" version of the first meal of the day - so I was super psyched to see him scraping the bowl before I even started cooking!

Blackberry Peach Crepes
makes six 6" crepes

1/2 cup soymilk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water (to thin if needed)

Garnishes
a handful of fresh blackberries
one peach, sliced
powdered sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and thin. If it gets clumpy or doesn't drip easily off the whisk, add a couple tablespoons of water. Transfer to a 2-cup measuring cup (for easy pouring) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the batter is refrigerating, have some coffee and prepare your fillings.

Melt a small pat of vegan butter in a skillet on medium heat. Pour out a small amount of batter and either swirls the skillet to create a nice, thin, round layer or use the backside of a ladle to lightly spread it into a circle. They should be thin enough to cook through.

Flip carefully when the top is covered with bubbles and starts to look set. Cook until lightly browned on each side.

Top with berries and peaches (or any other fruit you happen to have around) and a sprinkling of powdered sugar and serve with fresh-squeezed OJ - a beautifully bright way to start your day!

Strawberry-Mint Smoothies

One of my awesome Facebook fans gave me a wicked craving for a new smoothie and I Googled my way to this one. The caffeine kick from the green-tea makes it a great pre-workout drink - much lighter than my usual yogurt or nut-milk versions.

Quite a few people tried it immediately after I posted it and gave it rave reviews. So I made it for breakfast this morning and they were right - it was ridicdelish!!

For all you other smoothie-lovers out there, this one is a must-try.

Strawberry Mint Smoothies

Adapted from "Best of" Inn Cuisine recipe, courtesy of the Aska Lodge B&B
Makes three 1-cup servings

1-1/2 cups strong, chilled green tea (made with 6 standard tea bags - I refrigerated overnight)
2 cups frozen strawberries (or blueberries or whatever berries you like)
1 frozen banana, sliced into 1" chunks (if you forgot to freeze the fruit like I did, add some ice)
a small handful of mint leaves (optional)
3 tablespoons honey (or agave syrup if you don't do honey)

Blend everything on high speed until combined. Top with fresh berries or a sprig of mint. Enjoy immediately!

Note: I pumped it up with 2 tablespoons of ground organic flax seeds and some vegan protein powder for some extra energy before my 10-mile bike ride. Supplement yours as needed.

Mixed Berry Pancakes

Not to be confused with Larry's Sunday Buckwheat Pancakes, these yummy little suckers have the berries built in! (there are actually two pancakes in this photo - in case anyone was wondering...)

Blueberry Corn Pancakes
Adapted from Veganomicon
makes 8-10 pancakes

3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil (I left it out for a lower-fat version and they were fine)
1-1/4 cup plain soy milk (I used vanilla - yum!)
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (optional - but only because I didn't have any!)

1 cup fresh berries (I used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
canola (or some other light oil) cooking spray

Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, add them to the dry until combined and fold in the berries.  A couple of lumps are fine. Overmixing yields tougher pancakes.

Preheat a non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Spray pan with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan. Cook till bubbly and brown on bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until browned. Pancakes should be firm but not hard.

Top with fresh berries, bananas, powdered sugar, nuts or whatever your little hearts desire.