Broccoli Pasta

I love pasta. I could eat it every day of the week. I eat it plain, with butter, with melted cheese, with store-bought/homemade red sauce, with creamy sauce and as you can see, with broccoli. I like to do broccoli because I feel like I am getting a bit more nutrition out of it. Plus it is delicious! Even my husband loves it and he has trouble with vegetables! It is super easy to make too which means it is often my go-to meal when I don't know what else to have. Lunch is a meal that I have a bit of difficulty coming up with so if I am home and there is broccoli in the fridge, this is it! Sometimes I add mushrooms too but this is just the basic recipe.

Broccoli Pasta
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Dry pasta
1 head broccoli
2-3 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons chicken stock (I freeze chicken stock in an ice cube tray and use a few at a time)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Parmesan cheese, to serve, if desired

Method:
1. Cook pasta. I put the pasta on to cook and then do the rest while it is cooking. They usually end up being ready at about the same time.
2. Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces. The larger they are the longer it will take for them to cook. Mince garlic.
3. Heat oil in a small frypan. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add broccoli to pan. Stir fry the broccoli for a few minutes.
4. Add chicken stock. Stir occasionally. Put a lid on the pan and turn the heat down. This allows the broccoli to steam and get a bit softer. I try to turn the heat off when it is still a bright green colour. This is when the nutrients are at their best!
5. Drain pasta and serve topped with broccoli. Eat! Yum!

Blueberry Oat Pancakes

I am a sucker for pancakes. Even more, I am a sucker for pancakes covered in maple syrup. Not the imitation stuff - real Canadian maple syrup. Yes, it costs about three times as much as maple flavoured syrup. Yes, it's worth it. And not only in the taste department. The only ingredient in Canadian maple syrup is Canadian maple syrup. No added sugar, flavours, or colours. No added anything for that matter. In my opinion, its the best natural sweetener around. Having said that, I still feel a bit guilty drowning my pancakes in it. Natural as it may be, it still has a high sugar content. Which is why these pancakes are perfect! There is no sugar in them so you don't have to feel bad about soaking them in maple syrup. Or honey or jam or whatever you like to put on your pancakes.

I am just going to come right out and say it: these pancakes are amazing. Even without maple syrup. The recipe came from an old recipe card my Mum gave me. She has fructose malabsorption so she used to make them and replace the wheat flour with oat flour. They were still amazing.

So here it is. The recipe you've been waiting for:

Blueberry Oat Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats (I didn't have quick oats so I just blitzed some normal ones to make them smaller)
3/4 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil which gave them a wonderful coconut-y flavour)
3/4 to 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Method:
Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients, but do not beat. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Add blueberries. Bake on a hot, greased griddle. Serve with more blueberries and topping of your choice. Or just plain!