Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the Greeks and Romans, who held festivals to honor and pay homage to the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. These festivals were held in the springtime, which symbolized rebirth and the fertility of the land and lasted several days with dancing, parades and games.
In the United States, President Woodrow Wilson signed a declaration in 1914 to set aside the second Sunday in May as a day to celebrate and honor mothers. Mother’s Day is typically celebrated in the United States with treasures such as homemade cards, painted macaroni necklaces, flowers and breakfast in bed for mom. I know that the kids and dad think that breakfast in bed is a treat for mom, but not when she gets up and there is a mess in the kitchen!
I decided to follow in the tradition of breakfast in bed for mom. Keep it simple by using a tray that will fit a plate, a glass with some juice, maybe a cup of coffee along with silverware and a napkin. Mom will love it if the kids make her a card and maybe pick a couple of flowers from the garden to decorate the tray. Mom will also love that the mess in the kitchen is cleaned up so she can relax on her special day.
Pancakes are easy to make, no need for box mixes.
With the added beans they are not only yummy, but also nutritious! Beans take the place of some of the fat in this recipe. Ever heard of branded pancakes? My children are in their 30’s and when they visit their grandmother she still makes them as a special treat. For the branded pancakes drizzle a little batter in the form of a letter. (Make sure it is a mirror image). After it has cooked a while fill in and around the letter until you have a regular shaped pancake. When you flip it over the letter should be darker…branded! These pancakes are not sweet, however you can add some sugar to the batter if you prefer.
Bean pancakes with real maple syrup and butter.
Pancakes
Adapted from Spilling the Beans cookbook (makes 8-12 pancakes depending on the size)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup cooked navy beans
- 2 cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a blender or food processor, combine the beans with the milk, eggs and oil and pulse until well blended. Puree until it’s as smooth as you can get it.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined; don’t worry about getting out all the lumps. Preheat a heavy skillet over medium heat and spray with a non-stick cooking spray or rub with oil. (Use a paper towel). Ladle the batter into the hot skillet, making whatever size or shape pancake you like. If you want to add berries or banana slices, do this as soon as you put the batter into the skillet. You can also add them to the batter if you want fruit in all the pancakes.
Turn the heat down a little and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, until the bottom is golden and bubbles begin to appear and pop on the surface. Use a thin spatula to flip them over to cook on the other side for about a minute.
Note: This is a great recipe for those picky eaters in your family that won’t eat their veggies. Make the pancakes in animal shapes such as a bunny to make breakfast fun!
Uncooked bunny pancake.
Cooked bunny pancake
Pizza for breakfast? Why not?
This pizza will be great anytime of the day. You can leave out the egg and add extra toppings for a lunch or dinner pizza. I make this two ways. For the first pizza I use premade pizza dough from the grocery store. It’s usually in the section with salami and pepperoni. For the second pizza I use a Boboli pre-made crust. If you are gluten free you can also make a cauliflower pizza crust like this one from onelittleproject.com.
This recipe was made using navy beans, but feel free to use other varieties as well.
Boboli crust pizza.
Sunny Side Up Breakfast Pizzas
Adapted from Spilling the Beans Cookbook (serves 4)
- 1 pound pizza dough or premade crust
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup cooked navy beans
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Any toppings you like, such as mushrooms, finely chopped purple onions, roasted peppers, bell peppers, or other veggies.
- 1 to 4 large eggs
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish.
Pizza dough.
For individual pizzas, divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each out on a lightly floured surface. To make one big pizza, roll it into an oblong oval, leaving it slightly thicker around the edge to contain the egg. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Bean pizza with Boboli crust.
Transfer the dough to a heavy baking sheet that has been sprinkled with flour or cornmeal. Spread the dough with pizza sauce; scatter the beans on top of the sauce and top with cheese and any toppings you like.
Bean pizza with store bought dough.
Crack an egg into the middle of each individual pizza or 4 onto the large pizza. Bake for 15 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden, the cheese is melted, the egg white is set and the yolk is done to your taste. Garnish with basil leaves.
Enjoy!
–Marilyn
