Sunday morning pancakes

So, this is one of those posts that's really been a long time coming. Among my friends, I've become pretty well known for my pancakes. It all started with a sourdough pancake recipe that I found, that was simply amazing. Then the word got out, and people started coming by for breakfast on Sundays. And by the way, for those of you with dating lives, I can testify for the record that when guests wake up to the smell of pancakes cooking, it makes a good impression.

But, as with all things, there was a hitch.

Ariel is hypo-glycemic. Not radically so, but it's a periodic concern. And it's a family thing, too. All of her siblings' significant others have stories about the day they were introduced to Hulk-Smash Persing. When the blood sugars drop below a certain threshold, things can take a turn. And so, it's wise to keep too much processed sugar and white flour out of the mix. This goes for pancakes, too. As her brother Eli put it, "Pancakes for me usually involve a temper tantrum and a nap." So, sourdough pancakes, lovely as they are, were out. So, I decided to experiment a bit.

I'll probably play around with other recipes as I find them, but the version I've settled on for now is, in essence, the basic pancake recipe from the Joy of Cooking, but I substitute different whole-grain flours to fill in some of the white flour content. I also use natural maple syrup instead of sugar. The sugars in maple syrup are different, and more balanced somehow, in a way that I don't understand. I think it has something to do with the fact that maple syrup is just boiled down, and not refined like white sugar.

The first time I made this particular recipe, they were fantastic. And Ariel looked up at me later in the day, smiled, and said "Wow... I still haven't crashed from your pancakes!"

'nuf said.

Ingredient List
Dry Ingredients:
1/2 Cup white flour
1/2 Cup rye flour
1/2 Cup oat flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Small handfuls of things like chocolate chips, craisins, finely chopped apple, oatmeal, wheat bran, etc. I've been using oatmeal, chocolate chips and craisins for a while, and I like the flavor.

Wet ingredients:
1 Cup Milk
2 Eggs
2 tbsp light oil (canola, corn, or something else with little or no flavor)
3-4 tbsp maple syrup
Splash of Vanilla or Kahlua

This is for a batch of pancakes that will feed either 4 adults or 2 teenagers.  For just us 2, I've been making half-batches.

Start preparing by pre-heating the griddle or frying pan you plan to use. If the pan isn't fully heated when you pour the batter into the pan, the batter won't crisp as well, and will gradually heat up with the pan, instead of being heated quickly by the pan. There's a noticeable difference in texture otherwise.

Mix dry ingredients together, separately from wet ingredients. I do this because it's easier to get everything consistently mixed this way, and because it fluffs up the flour, which helps prevent clumps.

I fry pancakes in butter. I see no reason not to, as people who are so health conscious as to avoid butter, should also avoid pancakes, or frying pans in general. Also, the butter gives me a good indication that the pan is hot enough. If the heat is right, the butter will sizzle on the surface of the pan. If it's too cold, it will melt but not sizzle. If it's too hot, the butter will sizzle and then turn brown. I'm sure this still gives a very approximate temperature range. I'm also sure that pancakes are forgiving enough to still work out just fine. On my current electric stove, this is around medium heat. I've made pancakes on 4 or 5 different stoves in memorable pancake history, and medium is a good place to start experimenting, but every stove is different. That's why I rely on the butter to tell me what's going on.

Ladle the batter into the pan. When the edges start to lift, flip the pancakes. If I'm cooking for a crowd, I'll keep the oven on at 220, and flip finished pancakes onto a cookie sheet in the oven to keep them warm... if the kitchen isn't being overrun.

I pour pancakes 4 at a time in the griddle I have. If I'm down to the point where it's not going to be an even 4, I pour whatever batter remains into the griddle into one big pancake. I then announce to any interested parties that the harbinger of breakfast is upon us, and that they should get ready to eat.

Typically, they're already ready.

Kielbasa and Eggs for breakfast!

Ariel and I both like to eat eggs for breakfast. Recently, we've been eating them with kielbasa. Ariel has found that it carries her through more of her day than just having eggs for breakfast. And given her grueling schedule of late, that's been really helpful.

The procedure is pretty simple... I take a hunk of frozen kielbasa from the freezer, and slice it into very thin (1mm-ish) slices. That goes into a pre-heated skillet on medium-low, and it starts sizzling right away. And then I cook my eggs. I happened on the idea of using kielbasa after I'd sliced some up and cooked it for another dish. One piece was left in the pan by accident, and burned. Being the kind of guy I am, I picked up the burned piece and stuck it in my mouth. The crispy burned slice tasted just like bacon.

But is it healthy?

Like most Americans, I'm still pretty confused about whether or not eggs are good for you. Good or bad cholesterol, high protein, and so on. There was a recent study at Harvard that noted that men who ate up to 6 eggs per week did fine, but that those who ate 7 or more eggs per week had an increased risk for dying of anything in general. There are a lot of weird things going on in the study, and it's not very conclusive about why or how eggs would be a factor. But, Harvard gives a 6 egg limit, and the Mediterranean diet has a guideline of 4 or fewer eggs per week, so the message I'm taking away is that eggs should be eaten in moderation.

Moderation? I've heard for years that even unhealthy things can be eaten in moderation, and it won't be so bad. I take this with a grain of salt (in moderation) because I've heard for most of my life that some of the best things are REALLY unhealthy. And given what many Americans think of as an acceptable portion, a moderated portion may still be way too much. And given the way our news media functions, I'm waiting for them to come out with a study somewhere that says moderation causes a really ugly, flammable cancer of the sort that would condemn you to the stopped-up bowels of hell.

Thanks to the recent bacon mania, recipes from Bacon Explosion to numerous chocolate-bacon recipes, and even bacon recipes published by a cardiologist in Israel (WTF!!??!!) are running well beyond the bounds of what would be considered even marginally healthy. Bacon dipped in Chocolate is now being served at the same state fairs that made deep-fried twinkies popular. How such an evil coexists so peaceably with Bible Belt baptists is almost beyond me. Holy crap.

Restricting myself to 4-6 eggs a week sounds a lot healthier than a moderated portion of deep fried twinkies and chocolate covered bacon. But I'm not really in a position to point fingers when it comes to my love of fried swine. 

Like any other person who's been exposed, I do have a thing for bacon. And it's hard to wrap the mind around combining 'bacon' in a sentence with 'moderation.' Part of the reason I'm talking about kielbasa and eggs is that I find that kielbasa is a lot easier to use in moderation. The flavor is fantastic. But a little goes a long way, so it's easy to use a small amount. And I don't get the same cravings for kielbasa that I do for bacon.

Kielbasa is the polish word for sausage. It's not a specific recipe. But most of us in the US have a pretty specific flavor in mind when someone says Kielbasa. It's a pork-, or pork and beef- based sausage that's flavored with garlic and marjoram. I've been using regular, full-fat pork or pork/beef kielbasa, because I've found that it just tastes the best. I've tried turkey kielbasa. It smells great while cooking, but has no real flavor. And lite kielbasa's not bad, but it doesn't cook up as well without adding more oil (fat) to the pan. Full fat kielbasa tastes a little better, cooks easier, and it does leave some grease in the pan, so it's clear that some of the fat content is cooking off in the process. But it's not the oil-slick tidal pool of greasiness that you get when cooking bacon.

There are 3 real dietary health issues involved in bacon and its substitutes: Fat, Nitrates and Sodium.

Fat...

I looked up some of the basic nutrition info for this entry, and compared it with bacon.


2oz of bacon (around 4-5 slices): 302 Calories.
Calories from fat: 106: 4g saturated fat.
647 mg of Sodium.

2oz of Hillshire Farm Polish Kielbasa: 100 Calories.
Calories from fat: 140: 0g saturated fat, 6g monounsaturated fat.
570 mg Sodium

(other alternatives, for comparison)

2oz Butterball turkey bacon (4 slices): 140 calories
Calories from fat: 60: 2g saturated fat
540 Mg of Sodium.

2oz (7 strips) morningstar vegetarian strips: 210 calories
Calories from fat:140: 1.75g saturated fat, 3.5g monounsaturated fat, 10.5g polyunsaturated fat
805 mg of Sodium.

Clearly kielbasa isn't the healthiest meat in the world. But it's much better than bacon. (Both are healthier than anything labeled 'breakfast sausage,' but that's a whole other topic. ) And ounce-for-ounce, it's has fewer calories than turkey- or veggie- 'bacon'. Given the vegetarian reputation for being a healthier diet, I was surprised to find that the sodium in the vegetarian option was so much worse than any of the other options.(That said, I don't think it's loaded up with nitrates, so maybe it all balances out.)

Nitrates...

Meat products need to be cured in something to protect us from all kinds of microbial nastiness, and to keep the meat from rotting. And in the case of pork products, it also helps protect us from things like roundworms. Historically speaking, the discovery of how to cure meat was really important. Lacking the option to refrigerate, the ability to preserve meat for a long time enabled people to travel greater distances and explore areas of the globe that had been previously inaccessible.

Historically, meat was cured with salt and sugar. but more modern processes use nitrates, which have been linked with a whole host of health issues, including various kinds of cancer. Bacon is cured. So is Kielbasa. But uncured options have been appearing as people began to understand the health issues. Trader Joe's, of all places, has one of the best-rated uncured bacon options. (I've tried it... it tastes wonderful.) They also have an uncured pork kielbasa that I haven't tried yet... but it's on the list. Given TJ's reputation for quality, affordable food, and my experiences with their bacon, I'm pretty confident.

Sodium is another issue when eating kielbasa. 2oz, or 1/8 of a pound, has around 25% of the daily recommended dose of sodium. This is better by half than bacon, on par with turkey bacon, and definitely better than the morningstar strips... but still not ideal. But a little kielbasa can go a long way if it's sliced thinly. So we don't typically eat 2oz worth with our eggs.

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So, kielbasa is a healthier substitute for bacon. And nutrition-wise, it's pretty comparable to some of the other bacon substitutes. After doing the research and reading everything I just wrote, I'm almost ready to give a hearty, demoralized 'whoop-de-doo.'

But at the end of all of this, we're still talking about bacon and eggs. And bacon is not exactly the gold standard when it comes to healthy eating. So, take that statement without any grains of salt, since there's already enough salt in the sausage. The health issues aren't new to anyone, and this is still something that people do enjoy once in a while. Some people have turned to turkey bacon or a vegetarian equivalent. I'm just trying to offer something tastier.

Morning Muesli

I can't speak for everyone else, but I get stuck in a vicious cycle sometimes when it comes to thinking about things like the Mediterranean diet. I agree that it sounds great, I don't dispute the data that indicates that it's a healthier way to eat. But when it comes to thinking about actual meals, I completely come off the tracks.

7AM, coffee is brewing, this is not the time to try to think about what somebody on a whole other continent would eat for breakfast. How the hell do I know what they eat in the morning? Do they even drink coffee that early? I ran to Google, and one of the first links that came up explained that it was normal for Italians to eat cake and cookies for breakfast, and bacon and eggs for dinner. On the one hand, this is a meal plan I can get behind. On the other hand, even the demon on my shoulder is spouting a truly rich blend of profanity at the idea that this is being passed off as a healthy diet.

(Granted, the angel on my other shoulder has a foul mouth, too. I'm a complicated man.)

I don't think that regular Bircher-Benner Muesli is something I'd consider to be Mediterranean. I tend to think this because it's actually Scandinavian. But the basics are all there... whole grains, fruits, and yogurt. So, it's a stretch, but a comfortable one for me. My typical instinct these days is just to fry up a couple of eggs and some Kielbasa. Or eat processed cereal. Once in a while I'll go for oatmeal. Muesli seems like a healthier option.

Oatmeal, dried fruits and nuts, seeds, and so forth, is a good base. Chopped up apples adds a little more to the mix, and a few sliced grapes. The traditional version, according to the Mob-o-cratic internet, has a lot more fresh fruit than dried fruit, and the yogurt is just there to hold everything together, and soften up the grains.

The typical Swiss method of preparing muesli is to make it the night before, mix it in with some yogurt, and let it soak overnight. I'm in a much better mood in the evening, and all cylinders are firing. So I'm more likely to choose a healthier recipe. The concept of preparing the morning's meal when I'm actually awake (and not waking up) has proven to have a lot of merit.