Breakfast Oatmeal+Muesli Pancake

From Ted King


While this may seem like a stick-to-your bones breakfast, a breakfast like this is recommended if you’re going to set out on your bike soon afterward. If that’s the case, you’ll easily burn these calories, you’ll fuel your metabolism, and your ride will be downright perfect. So in reality, it’s anything but literal-stick-to-your-bones as you’ll be lean and fit in no time flat, courtesy of the iamtedking pancake diet.

I find measuring to be tedious and therefore tend to just wing it when I make meals – which is often. But for the sake of mimicking this at home, I’ll ballpark the measurements the best I can.

1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup muesli
1/2 cup hot(ish) water
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
2 eggs
1 gallon or so maple syrup. Fake syrup simply won’t do.
… + whatever else you deem fit for flavor. I recommend any of the following: cinnamon, blueberries, bananas, crushed nuts, or chocolate chips if you’re feeling saucy.

Put oats, muesli, salt and hot water in a bowl and let it sit for just a minute. Most of the water will soak into the oats and that’s a good thing. Next add baking soda and eggs, plus anything additional you’re hankering for. This morning, for example, feeling a bit spicy, I went with cinnamon.

Oil or butter your pan. It’s fairly important that you use a small pan of the 6-8″ variety. The batter is rather liquidy, so it will spread out across the entire area of the pan’s bottom. A massive 12″ pan will probably just cause a headache and maybe a small mess.

The hot water won’t totally suffice in cooking the oat mixture, so you’ll want to continue to cook the oats/muesli on the relatively low heat. So whereas normal pancakes are cooked on a piping hot griddle, I recommend medium-low. Pour batter into the pan and wait 5 minutes or more. The pancake will become fairly tall and that’s a good sign that things are cooking and life is good. Pat yourself on the back and pour another cup of coffee. Then using a pliable spatula, try to get under the pancake to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan and to ensure the pancake will happily flip. I recommend getting an audience, taking a step back from the stove, and flipping the pancake dramatically. Practice is key so maybe you should make a dozen pancakes this morning. Cook the other side for 5 minutes or so and then saturate the pancake in enough syrup that should typically be reserved for a family of five.

Enjoy.

Sunny Point Cafe - Breakfast

The last post regarding Sunny Point Cafe was regarding dinner. This time we were there for a latish breakfast with my parents before they headed out. As mentioned before, you need to get here early on the weekend or do a really late lunch to avoid a big wait. Since we headed here during breakfast, on a Sunday, with a 2.5 year old, I was apprehensive. As luck would have it, we arrived and also were seated just before the big rush.

The breakfast offerings at Sunny Point Cafe are great and looking at the menu makes you plan when you can come back next for breakfast or that maybe we should make this a weekly or biweekly affair. So I forget what my mom had, I think an omelette. I forget what P had. I also forget what Bean Counter had, maybe french toast. However I do remember my dad had the short stack of Organic Orange Scented Gluten Free Cornmeal Hot Cakes: Surprisingly light hot cakes served with molasses butter and maple syrup. I had the Good Morning America America's Best Breakfast nominated Huevos Rancheros: Savory black bean cakes served with Snow Creek chorizo sausage, feta cheese, roasted tomatillo salsa, and herb tossed red skin spuds topped with two free range eggs any style, cilantro crema, and crispy tortilla strips with tofu chorizo.

Hot cakes: After breakfast my dad commented on how the hot cakes were pretty good, different. I initially took that as an aversion to something different from the typical conception of a hot cake. The next morning I tried the hot cakes that were left over. I can see where he would be somewhat averse if you were expecting a Bob Evan's hot cake. They had a subtle orange flavor, as is in the name, and were more "gritty," for lack of a better word, probably due to the cornmeal instead of bisquick or some other traditional batter. So while initially surprised by the taste and texture, I found them very good and would enjoy them for the next go around.

Huevos Rancheros: Wow. When I received my order I said something along the lines of: honey, we should have shared; or I'll be taking some of this home. Not so...ashamedly I ate the whole thing and resolved to have a small or nonexistant lunch. I can't imagine the damage this would do with the real chorizo sausage. As it is, this is a very unique and tasty rendition of the classic Huevos Rancheros. The black bean cakes were substantial by themselves, but with the eggs, tofu chorizo, tomatillo, cilantro crema, and spuds it was something else. It tasted so good. The kind of good where you are eating it, and before you know it you ate more than you are thinking you should or would, but you don't stop and it is gone.