Baby bananas/Potato Pancakes/Lemon Poppy Seed Scones!

First of all, I picked up these cute bananas at the store this past weekend. I wanted to surprise my kids by putting them in their school lunches. I wish I could have been there to see their reaction! They said the kids at their table laughed and laughed! I actually tasted one and it tastes just like a regular banana!

Tonight for dinner was going to be a low key affair. The kids are back in school from being on Spring Break for a week, and I knew there would be lots of homework! I made Jennie-0 turkey kielbasa, some sauteed pea pods, and one of my daughter Emma’s favorite: potato pancakes!!

To make the potato pancakes:

4 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/4 onion, shredded
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 oz. feta cheese

I shred the potatoes in a big bowl. Once they are shredded, you kind of have to take handfuls of the potatoes out and squeeze the excess liquid out and transfer the potatoes to another bowl. Once all of the potatoes are squeezed mostly dry, add the rest of the ingredients. This is the first time I added the feta cheese and I wished I would have added more, it was so good. I actually cooked these in a skillet with 1 TB. canola oil and 1 TB. Earth Balance spread. That’s all I needed for the whole batch. I made about 10 potato pancakes out of it.

During my lunch at work, I do what a lot of you guys do…read food blogs! I came upon one I hadn’t been to yet, (which is always fun!). Allen at Eating out Loud made Lemon Poppy Seed scones. Those of you who have read my blog for a while, no I am a sucker when it comes to bakery muffins/scones. Back in my “I don’t care what I eat phase” I would get a huge ass muffin or scone and never think twice about it! That’s why I started my “Muffin of the Week” category. I must make my own muffins so I don’t detour on my way to work! I had all the ingredients, so I made them right after dinner!

I made mine a little differently than Allen, but they turned out awesome! In fact my exact words after eating one, was “I am so happy!”

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa flour (That was the last of the quinoa flour I just bought a few weeks ago!)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 TB. Earth Balance buttery spread (cold!)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 TB. poppy seeds
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup water

*If I would have used soy milk, these scones would be Vegan*

Preheat oven to 375. Grease (or I used Cooking spray) a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the margarine and using your hands just kind of incorporate it into the flour. Stir in the poppy seeds, lemon zest and lemon juice. In a measuring cup, add the 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup water together. Slowly add the milk/water until the batter is just moistened. It should look like thick biscuit dough. I did not use all the milk/water.

Spoon 1/4 cup sized plops of batter onto the greased cookie sheet. You have to make sure that there is a few inches between, because these babies are going to spread.

Mix a little powdered sugar with milk, and you can glaze the top!

Each scone is 179 calories and 6 grams of fat

So after working all day, I’m so glad I got some time in the kitchen, I was lucky that I didn’t have to assist in the homework situation tonight, which is nice!

Thanks for inspiring the scones Allen! I’ll be back to your site again!