Homemade Orange Julius and Blender Pancakes

One of the many things I like about a 3-day weekend is the extra time I have to add some specialness (probably not a word) to something that is often completely missed, or at best, given short-shrift. BREAKFAST fills this definition--most families don't eat breakfast together (if they eat it at all), and if folks do eat breakfast, it's often something crummy (boxed cereal, for instance).

Another thing I like about a 3-day weekend: sometimes we have company! And when we do, I especially like having some fun/special breakfast recipes up my sleeve. This past weekend (President's Day weekend) was just such an occasion, so I pulled out a couple tried-and-true that I used to make when the kids were little. Just to show how good these are, now that my "babies" are adults, they're still raving about them!

The first is my rendition of the popular Orange Julius. This is one of the first recipes I learned to make when I was a young girl (10 years old). Over the years I've goofed around with it--substituting half and half or vanilla yogurt for the powdered milk and part of the water, adding fresh orange sections to create a smoothie Julius, and using frozen cranberry juice (not cocktail) instead of the frozen orange juice. I have to say, every experiment I tried was good. Below is the basic recipe for the typical Julius. Play around with it and see what fun combinations you can come up with.

The second recipe is one I received when I took a wheat cookery class twenty-five years ago--blender whole wheat pancakes. It's become a family favorite. I like it because it's fast, easy, and loaded with nutrients because it starts with the whole kernel, instead of wheat flour. You have the benefit of 100% of the wheat germ in all its freshness and power! And because everything is mixed altogether in the blender, this is one fast and easy recipe to make. This is such a popular approach to pancake-making, that Dan and a family friend, Gentry, did a video demonstration for the DVO website showing how to do this!

If you like to add a little extra splash to breakfast now and then, give these recipes a try. But in the interim, why not share any special breakfast recipes YOU have? We're all in this together, remember, so let's share the good stuff. And until next time, here's to a fun and homemade breakfast and of course, happy cook'n!

BASIC ORANGE JULIUS (serves 4, unless I'm at your table, then it serves 2--ha ha ha)
In blender:
1/3 C powdered milk
1/2 C sugar, or honey, or agave
1 tsp pure vanilla (I love the clear Mexican Vanilla Dan and Kathy sell--the flavor is exceptional)
1 (6 oz can) frozen orange juice

Blend well; stop blender and add a tray of ice cubes (maybe 12-14). Serve immediately.

WHOLE GRAIN BLENDER PANCAKES (serves 8)
In blender:
1 C whole wheat kernels (can mix this up with spelt, barley, kamut, oat groats, etc.)
1 C milk (cold; OR 1/3 C powdered milk and 1 C water)

Blend on high for 2 min.

Add:
1/2-2/3 C milk (cold; OR 1/3 C powdered milk and water)

Blend on high 3 min.

Add:
3-4 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla (think Dan & Kathy's Mexican Vanilla)
1/4 C virgin olive oil (cold pressed; OR melted butter, OR melted coconut oil)
1 Tbsp honey, or agave
1/4 tsp salt

Blend well.

Add: 1 Tbsp non-aluminum baking powder (Rumford's is the brand I like best)

Fold in then start pouring batter immediately. Besides being loaded with nutrients, these are light and fluffy. Real crowd pleasers.