Wednesday, August 10, 2011

leftover steel-cut oat and broccoli scallion pancakes


I have been so crazy busy this week-between looking for a roommate, searching for an apartment and then signing the lease (I literally feel like I batted an eye lash and all this happened)-I have been so exhausted. Too exhausted to even go food shopping or cook food! (I know! And those are like, my two favorite activities!!)
So when I went to take a dinner break from sorting/ packing all my stuff, I didn't really have much to work with. I was actually craving falafel, or something similarly warm and crispy, but I didn't have ANY of the ingredients needed to make falafel:( What I did have was a big container of steel-cut oats I cooked up the week and a random array of vegetables. I just kinda grabbed whatever looked good and started mixing things together with the intention of making some sort of stir-fry or veggie burger. The outcome of concoction tasted JUST like the scallion pancakes I used to eat from the chinese restaurant near my house when I was younger-only wayy better (less greasy + more flavorful)
just like take-out, only better

Here's what I mixed together. The measurements are complete estimates because I just used what was leftover!
~1c steal-cut oats, cooked and cooled
~1/3c daikon radish, grated (or chopped, but I like to grate my veggies with a cheese grater, which is obvi not ever used for cheese;)
~3 scallions, chopped (white part included) plus leave some aside for a super-shmansy garnish
~1/4 broccoli florets, chopped into tiny pieces, excluding the stems (sorry stems!)
-1T ground flax seed mixed with 2T water, set aside to turn into a gel
-1T brown rice flour, or whatever flour you have on hand (all purpose would work)
-1 pinch of cumin
-1 pinch of cayenne or other spiced pepper (I used a lot because I love heat)
-salt and pepper to taste
-olive oil for pan (although cooking spray would work if you are trying to cut down on oil)

Mix all the oats and veggies in a bowl. Then add your spices and binders (flax "egg" and flour) While the oil is heating in the pan, use your hands to form a ball of the "dough" and then plot it into the pan. Let it crisp up a bit before using a spatula to flatten it into a pancake shape. Cook until both sides are crispy and brown, about 8 minutes total, depending on the size of your flame and how crispy you like it (or how hungry you are.) Serve with some chopped fresh scallions on top. Viola!
This would make a great appetizer to go with an asian stir-fry. Wow, I should really go grocery shopping!

No comments:

Post a Comment