Banana Pancakes - the semi-healthy version with lots of fiber

Do you like bananas? I do! I love them! I really liked them baked and I also love pancakes. The problem I have with pancakes though, is that they only fill me up for a short time and then I get hungry again, which is not so much fun. :-( This recipe combines all that and you won't regret trying it. Just trust me on this one. 

Let's start!
Rip a banana as violently as you can into pieces and throw it into a bowl pretending your a basketball pro. Yes, that is an essential part of this recipe and also makes you feel so good. Next add milk and the egg and a splash of vanilla extract. 

 

Next you will need to blend it all together. I used a hand-held blender for that. If you own a regular blender, just throw the ingredients together in there or if you don't own a blender all together mash the banana first and then continue with a mixer, the batter won't be as smooth though.

After you blend it together you will add the oats and then blend away - preferably in the beat of the song that is currently stuck in your head. 

The next step is to add the flour, baking soda, flax seeds and wheat bran to add a big load of fiber to your breakfast (or dinner if your having them for dinner - I won't judge you). You need to stir it all together until combined and it is a thick batter that looks like this: 

Heat up a skillet at medium heat and pour in some oil. Then add the batter and bake out the pancakes until golden brown. 

 I always end up with around 8 small and fluffy pancakes and that feeds two hungry students. They taste almost like those baked bananas you can get at some Asian restaurants. Serve them with fruit and some sirup (or honey) if you like. These also taste awesome when you add chocolate chips into the batter, which I am sure you will try when you like chocolate. 

Here are the Nutrition Facts for this yummy breakfast: 

The whole recipe in a nutshell:

Ingredients for 2 servings 

1 banana

1 egg

1/2 cup low fat milk

1/2 cup oats

3/4 cup (whole wheat) flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp flax seeds

1 tbsp wheat bran

oil for frying

- Blend the banana, egg, vanilla extract and milk together until smooth

- Next add in the oats and continue blending

- Now add the flour, flax seeds, baking powder and wheat bran and stir it all together

- Heat up a skillet over medium heat and bae out the pancakes in some oil until lightbrown

- Serve with fruit and sirup as you like

Orange chicken - american chinese food

Since I am back in Germany I have been missing the american-chinese cuisine which is different from german-chinese food. Yeah, right, I know I thought chinese food would be the same everywhere, too but it isn't :) So I did search for an orange chicen recipe and I found one but since I am who I am and even though we have a lot of weird food stuff at home (like tahini, I bet you don't have that! ;) ) we didn't have everything at home that the recipe required so I switched a couple of things up and ended up with a really yummy dish. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Orange chicken (4-5 servings)

4 chicken breasts (one for each person)

2 eggs

2 cups breadcrumbs

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups of orange juice

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium if possible)

a teeny tiny bit of chili powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch/flour/"Soßenbinder"

Oil for frying

1. Cut up the chicken into litte bite sized chunks and season them a little with spices you like. Beat up the eggs in a bowl and mix together the flour and breadcrumbs in an other bowl (deep plates work as well). Heat up some oil in a pan on the stove.

2. Throw the chicken into the bowl with the eggs ad stir it up until they are completely coated. Then roll the chicken pieces in the breadcrumbs/flour mix and add them into the pan. Fry 'em up until golden brown. Try one. You know you want to do that! They are yummy. If you are lazy you could use frozen chicken nuggets as well. I've done it. There is no shame in beeing lazy ;) 

3. Mix together the orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and rice vinegar in a stovepot. Bring it to a boil and add as much chili as you like (be careful, don't say I didn't warn you!) Season to fit your taste (you may want to add a little more sugar or soy sauce, that is up to you)

4. add the cornstarch/flour while stirring like crazy so you don't get clumps. The sauce is supposed to be a quite thick one so in case it is still too runny add some more starch. 

5. Add the chicken to the sauce and stir until it is all coated and then serve with rice and vegetables. 

If you like a lot of sauce you could double up the amount or if your are coking for less people stick to the recipe and half the chicken so you will end up with enough sauce to drown your rice in (that's what I do, rice likes to swim ;) 

A New Blog Is Born

 I started a new blog!

I really enjoyed my time in the U.S. as an Au Pair so I decided I would share some of my experiences with you :D
I will post about travel destinations, vacation tips, cooking and baking recipes, and whatever else I can think of.

Please enjoy and come back often!