Seedy Surprise Pancakes

When serendipitous pancake inspiration hits,  you gotta go with it. Last week, I unearthed a bag of chia seeds from a cabinet that I'd never opened, and shortly thereafter, saw a recipe in the New York Times for Beet & Chia Pancakes. I had to do it. 

We ran into some friends of friends at the farmer's market out in the country on Saturday and invited them to brunch the next morning. Perfect time to debut a new recipe. So I picked up some beets and had a plan: adapt the recipe to use my sourdough. 

Beet 'n Chia Sourdough Pancakes 

1 large or 2 medium beets (enough for 1/2 cup puréed roasted beets)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp honey (or sugar)

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter (or 1 cup yogurt & 1/2 cup milk)

3 tbsp chia seeds

3 tbsp olive oil 

Roast the beets (washed but skin on) in aluminum foil for an hour in a 350 degree oven. When done, puree in a food processor. Mix together all of the other ingredients and when the beet puree is cool, mix it in. Make and garnish as you would normal pancakes with butter and maple syrup.

These pancakes are utterly delicious. They make a nice surprise for guests. Don't take my word for it, though. Make them yourself! 

Red Kuri Hummus

New World Bar & Bistro in Albany featured pumpkin hummus on its fall menu last week. I appreciated it, but thought it could have been better. So I made some today from red kuri pumpkin. I think it turned out pretty good.

Pumpkin Chipotle Hummus

2 cups pumpkin, roasted
1/2 cup tahini
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
small bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp chipotle pepper

Blend all ingredients in a small food processor to desired consistency. Place a dollop on a plate, drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with chipotle pepper. Serve with carrots and celery.