Elle's Easy Street Sausage Cheddar Pancakes

I've been pouring through Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, stopping often to read passages aloud to Reid. It has us all the more inspired to eat local. Even O, who was recently munching on crispy, salty bacon at his grandparent's home, paused to ask them, "So, where was this pig from?"

Since we are only starting to see small, shy shoots of daffodils, there aren't many local veggies or fruits to spice up our Sunday morning pancakes yet.

Still, in the spirit of living local (& yummy pork!), we bring you . . . Elle's Easy Street Sausage Cheddar Pancakes* by way of our dear friend & talented cook. Since Elle has served tables at the Island's iconic Artcliff Dinner for years, Elle knows her pancakes. All food really-- I've begged recipes for every dish she has made, from her savory baked Thanksgiving squash to her refreshing gingersnap key lime ice cream sandwiches.

Elle's Easy Street Sausage** Cheddar Pancakes
This recipe couldn't be simpler. First, find local pork (we fed "our" pigs our compost all last summer). Then, buy your favorite box of pancake mix.

Add cheddar and sausage as pancakes cook on griddle. "Quite good with apple butter," says Elle.

These sausage cheddar pancakes remind Reid of a slow-cooker tamale pie that we make. They're a hearty pancake with a touch of sweetness. Hard to go wrong with sausage, cheese and syrup.

We get to know our animals very well. O is feeding Oprah here
at our neighborhood farm with our favorite farmer, Debby. 

Bonus: Elle's Lentil Stew Recipe
Chop 2 shallots and 8 dried apricots finely and saute with olive oil and a tbsp of cumin; salt & pepper to taste.

Deglaze pan with a cup of chicken stock add one cup of chopped carrot, one cup of chopped potatoes or sweet potato, one cup of chopped apple.

Transfer to a stew pot or crockpot add three cups of red lentils and five cups cold water, two cups of chicken or veggie stock, one cup of apple juice.

Simmer til lentils are soft add more cumin, salt pepper to taste.
Serve with a dollop of goat milk yogurt or a tbsp of goat cheese and chopped chives or parsley.

This also makes a great baby food. If you're not cooking for babies, you might also add white wine. No need to peel the potato or apple- skins add extra fiber and soften during cooking.



* This recipe was inspired by and adapted from Gina Stanley's Artcliff Diner special sausage cheddar pancakes with maple butter.

**Didn't we say our blog would feature healthy recipes? If you're skeptical of how in the world pork could be considered healthy, you can learn more at Weston A. Price Foundation.