Southern Sundays

Happy Southern Sundays!

Welcome to my party! I hope eveyone had a wonderful week.  MGG and I had a "date" night last night.  We dressed up, and went out to Hollywood.  Dinner and a movie was on the agenda, and lot of walking around and people watching!  I love to people watch, don't you?  Especially in Hollywood.  It's full of some really bizarre things.  People of all kinds, locals and tourists.  So much fun!

At dinner I noticed that our restaurant had a extremely large section of dinner salads.  As I was reading all the different types and their ingredients, I thought "wow, I really need to make more fresh main course salad to eat.  Why not?  It's summer time, eating light is great, and the varieties are endless.  Plus it gives me an opportunity to try out some new homemade salad dressings. Sounds great, huh?  Look for some great salads to come in the next week or so!

What's your favorite salad?

On to the party.  Last week we had a great turn out.  There was such a great variety of goodies, I was drooling over each and everyone of them!

Two entries that you all viewed stood out from the crowd.  The exciting part is that both entries are from the same creative soul!  So I'll be featuring both those entires below along with my personal pick for good measure.

Congratulations on your featured entry!

Delishhh!

Chex Lemon Buddies

By The Daily Smash

Oh my!

Popeyes Style Fried Chicken

By The Daily Smash

Yum! My favorite!

Peaches and Cream Ice Cream with Raspberry Coulis

by Roz of La Bella Vita

and

WOW!

Watermelon Shrimp Salad

by Laura at Now Things are Cooking

Congratulations again to you all!  Stop by the creative artist's blog and say "Hi!".  I'm sure they love to hear from you.

So let's party!  I can't wait to see what you all bring this week.

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Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

Good Morning Sunshine!

It's time for breakfast!

How about a nourishing breakfast?

Then let's have my Strawberry Banana Pancakes!


How can that be nourishing?  Well I'll tell you.  These pancakes are low in fat, using low fat buttermilk, a moderate 2 carb count per serving, some nice fiber from the oatmeal, and some nice protein.  While they are a healthier version of a pancake, you will never know.  They taste just PERFECT!  As an extra bonus you get to make your own fruit syrup topping.  How fun is that?


This pancake make 8 servings.  That's 2 pancakes per serving that are about 4 inches round.   They are such a tender pancake...light and fluffy.  I just love this batter.


Kitchen tip:  Freeze any leftover pancakes.  You can heat them in the microwave or toaster during the week for a quick breakfast or use them as a base for a snack. 

As you all know I love my breakfast dishes...pancakes are an all time favorite that mom served regularly growing up.  My sister's family has a re-occurring pancake breakfast too!  This is just another variation on a classic dish, and a good one too!


What's your favorite way to serve pancakes?  or do you prefer waffles?


So enjoy a great breakfast this weekend with a serving of Strawberry Banana Pancakes.  The kids will love them too! 

Strawberry Banana Pancakes


serves 8 (2 pancakes each)


3 bananas peeled and sliced
1/2 sliced strawberries
1/4 c sugar-free maple flavored syrup (you can substitute the real stuff if you want!)
2 t lemon juice
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c flour
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1 c low-fat buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1 T canola oil
1 T sugar-free maple flavored syrup (you can substitute the real stuff if you want!)
1 t vanilla


In a small bowl stir together bananas, strawberries, 1/4 cup of syrup, lemon juice, and the cinnamon.  Set aside to use as the topping.


In a large bowl add flour, oats, baking powder and soda, and the salt.  Making a well in the middle add the buttermilk, egg, oil, 1 T of syrup, and the vanilla.  Stir until just moistened.  Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to soften the oats.


On a hot griddle, sprayed with cooking spray, spoon batter forming a 4 inch pancake.  Cook over medium heat until bubbles form on the top of the pancake and bottoms, edges are slightly dry and the bottoms are golden brown. (About 1-2 minutes)  Flip and cook the other side until cooked through and golden brown. (About another minute or so.)  Serve warm topped with the fruit and syrup mixture.

Fast & Fresh: Balsamic Glazed Green Beans

I have a perfect side dish as my newest "Fast & Fresh" entry.

My Balsamic Glazed Green Beans are the perfect seasonal side dish.  They compliment most every dish, and utilize fresh green beans, straight from the farmer's market (or grocery store!).  I recently made them with my Lemon Cilantro Chicken Scaloppini and they were great together.  


The fresh seasonal ingredients, minimal preparation, and quick cooking time qualify these as "Fast & Fresh"!


I adore this side dish, but I'm partial to green beans.  I'm sure that you and your families will enjoy this, and possibly become a favorite of your too!

Tell me, what is your favorite way to use green beans?


Balsamic Glazed Green Beans 


serves 4-6


3/4 lb fresh green beans
1 T. butter
3 T. shallots, minced
2 T. garlic, minced
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper


Blanch 3/4 lb. of fresh green beans in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, until tender crisp.  Remove from water.  While beans are cooking melt 1 T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 3 T. minced shallots and 2 T. of minced garlic.  Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing to thicken slightly.  Add green beans and toss to coat.  Serve.