insert cranberry obsession here

I thought that after the episode with the beets I would develop an aversion towards red foods in general, but that’s totally not the case.

This week when I went to go pick up my CSA box, I found a huge bag of fresh cranberries waiting for me to be used. Which would be great and all if I actually was in charge of cranberries for Thanksgiving on Thursday. Except I’m not.

After giving myself a day to scratch my head, I finally figured out the most obvious thing to do with them: incorporate them into my breakfast.

The last two mornings have been filled with cranberry toppings — and I’m pretty certain it’s not going to stop here. Once I get on a roll with something, I won’t stop.

Yesterday, it was pumpkin pancakes topped with cooked cranberries. I don’t think I’ve actually made pancakes quite like this — I’ve always used the pumpkin as a topper. The best part about cooking pancakes with pumpkin is the way your batter becomes larger. My pancake recipe cranked out 2 more pancakes than usual! Score.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

• 1/4 cup gluten free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/4 cup gluten free oatmeal
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp. flax + 3 tbsp warm water)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Combine dry ingredients (flour, oatmeal, baking soda) and mix together. Add the dry ingredients. Preheat a griddle to medium high heat and grease. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour pancake batter onto greased skillet. Flip once the pancakes bulk up and “bubble”. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side.

I wanted to keep the cranberries simple — I wanted them cooked, but I wanted them to be “popped”, so I did the following:

Popped Cranberries

• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 —3/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Place all into a small sauce pan and begin to cook over medium high heat. Let the cranberries begin to cook for 5 minutes, then “pop” them with a fork. Using a slotted spoon, drain the cranberries to add as a pancake topper.

I also had these pancakes with peanut butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. It was quite possibly the best breakfast I have had in quite some time.

This morning I used the remaining cranberries as a topper for my pumpkin oatmeal.

I also tried something new: Peanut Butter using TJ’s Peanut Flour.

It’s totally not for me. I think I would enjoy using it as a flour to make peanut cookies or as a mix in for Greek yogurt, but nothing can replace my peanut butter. It’s just not going to happen.

So, I gobbled up the fake peanut butter quickly, and added a tablespoon of the real stuff before the bowl was gone.

I might be back later, but I might not — I’m feeling kind of out of it today and my brain is really fogged up. Apparently my lazy town 1 hour nap today didn’t cut it.  So, if there are any crazy typo’s in this post, I apologize — onto laundry folding, my favorite task.

Question: Are you a cranberry lover or hater? What do you think about “powdered peanut butter”?

Tagged as: cranberries, powdered peanut butter, pumpkin oatmeal pancakes, pumpkin oats, real peanut butter