Sarah Copeland is the founder of Edible Living blog. Here she shares three recipes from Every Day is Saturday, her new cookbook.

Chocolate Chip-Buckwheat-Banana-Pancakes

Serves 2-4 (makes 6 small pancakes) | Preparation: 5 mins | Total time: 20 mins

When it comes to breakfast, there are two kinds of moms: those who put chocolate chips in their kids’ pancakes and those who don’t. I’m a blueberries kind of mom. My sister is a chocolate chips kind of mom. Her chocolate chip pancakes have us whole heart and soul. My kids don’t have any shortage of sweets (to wit: visit the sweets chapter); between parties and holidays and my baking addiction, they’re far from deprived. But sometimes I want to be a chocolate chips at breakfast kind of mom. For those days, I have these pancakes. It would be unfair to call these pancakes either indulgent or healthy—they are a little bit of both. Most of all, these pancakes are a feeling my kids have when I’ve made them. They’re about me being that kind of mom, if only once in a while.

INGREDIENTS 

1 ripe banana
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
180ml whole milk or almond milk
70g buckwheat flour
50g quick-cooking or plain rolled oats (not thick)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
Unsalted butter or coconut oil
About 80g bittersweet chocolate chips
Honey, pure maple syrup, or powdered sugar, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1 Smash the banana with a fork into a smooth pulp (don’t be tempted to add the other wet ingredients before this is done).

2 Add the vanilla and milk and mash together.

3 In a separate bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

4 Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir gently, being careful not to overmix; you want to keep these pancakes light and airy. Too much stirring will make them gummy and dense.

5 Heat a cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium heat until evenly warm.

6 Add a bit of butter to coat the surface.

7 When the butter sizzles, drop 60ml of batter onto the skillet in batches, leaving 2 inches (5cm) between the pancakes. (Don’t make your pancakes big; they are tender because there’s no egg to bind the batter).

8 Cook until just starting to bubble around the edges.

9 Dot the pancakes with chocolate chips, then flip (they should release easily from the griddle).

10 Cook on the second side until just done, usually a minute or two (if the pancake stays on the heat too long, the chocolate will scorch), turning the heat to low if needed.

11 Repeat until all the batter is used. Serve warm with butter and honey.

GET AHEAD

Combine all the wet ingredients, and all the dry ingredients, and store separately in the refrigera­tor overnight. Stir the wet and dry together in the morning while you preheat the griddle.

DOUBLE UP

I always make two batches of these, but they are most tender when I mix up one batch at a time, start cooking them, then repeat, so I’ve given you a single batch here.

BUCKWHEAT FLOUR

Chances are your regular grocery store will only carry one kind of buckwheat flour, and whatever kind you get will work, but flours from different brands yield slightly different results. If your buckwheat flour seems coarse, and flecked with dark grey bits, you’ll get slightly darker pancakes (it’s what I used for the photo, and what I prefer). Buckwheat flour can also be labelled light, which is finer, a subtle grey colour, and yields a more delicate pancake. It can also lend an odd greenish hue, but they still taste delicious. My family never complains.

White Risotto with Corn, Carrots, and Kale

Serves 4 | Preparation: 15 mins | Total time: 1 hour

When we lived in New York City, we had a farm­ers’ market half a block from our front steps. Every Wednesday, we’d stroll down the block with Greta and let her pick three vegetables for dinner that night. Her combinations were good challenges for my cooking muscle. When summer slipped into fall one cool morn­ing, we brought home corn, kale, and young purple carrots, and this dish was born. Risotto is the ultimate comfort food—warm and filling—and when it comes right down to it, easier than most of us believe. Make this with your favourite vegetables in any season, adding more if you’re a veggie-centric sort, or less if you want mostly soothing rice. The white risotto combo (onion, rice, white wine, Parm) is a classic and morphs readily to your whim.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking vegetables
1 onion, finely chopped
400g Arborio rice
160ml dry white wine
5 to 5½ cups (1.2 to 1.3L) chicken broth or water, warm
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
56g unsalted butter
1 bunch young heirloom carrots (about 6), trimmed and scrubbed, halved lengthwise
½ bunch (45g) Tuscan kale, larger leaves torn or cut into pieces
2 ears corn, kernels cut from the cob
½ cup (15g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more coarsely grated for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2 Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.

3 Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has evaporated, 1 minute more.

4 Stir in 2 cups (480ml) of the warm broth and salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil.

5 Stir, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid has evaporated.

6 Add ½ cup (120ml) of the broth and con­tinue stirring, adding more broth ½ cup (120ml) at a time, until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is al dente, 20 to 25 minutes. Most of the liquid should be absorbed and the rice just cooked, with about ½ cup (120ml) broth remaining.

7 While the rice cooks, heat another 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

8 Add the carrots and brown slightly.

9 Add enough water to come about one-third of the way up the carrots and cook until just fork tender, but still deep in colour.

10 Add the kale and stir to wilt, 5 min­utes more.

11 Add the corn and cook until the kernels turn bright yellow but are still crisp, 1 minute more.

12 Season the vegetables well and use a slotted spoon to remove them from the liquid.

13 Stir in another ½ cup (120ml) broth to the risotto as needed; add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the cheese and stir.

14 Stir in the vegetables, or serve the risotto in bowls topped with the warm vegetables and coarsely grated Parmesan.

Chocolate Snacking Loaf

Serves 8-12 (makes 2 loaves) | Preparation: 30 mins | Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

By two o’clock most afternoons, all I can think about is chocolate. If you’re a chocolate person, you get this: sometimes a little sliver of bittersweet will do, but sometimes you need something a little more toothsome, like cake, but not quite—something really satisfying to tide you over until dinner with a big smile and very little guilt. This is that sort of thing: perfect for after school, tea with a friend, or even a late-morning snack on a special kind of day (read: big test, big meeting, big birthday kind of day). It’s delicious on the spot, but the fudgy qualities deepen each day, giving you a two o’clock chocolate fix for the whole week.

INGREDIENTS

280g semisweet chocolate, chopped
480ml buttermilk
280g all-purpose or 310g gluten-free flour, plus more for the pan
60g Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for the pan
1¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
340g unsalted butter
1 cup (200g) unbleached granulated sugar
1 cup (200g) coconut sugar or dark brown sugar
5 large eggs

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with the rack in the middle.

2 Butter two 8½ by 4½ inch (21.5 by 11cm) loaf pans and coat lightly with a mixture of cocoa and flour. Tap to release any excess cocoa and flour.

3 Place 170g of the chocolate (a little more than half) in a heatproof bowl.

4 Bring the buttermilk to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.

5 Pour over the chocolate in the bowl and set aside until melted; whisk together until smooth and let cool to room temperature.

6 Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.

7 Beat the butter and sugars together in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through.

8 Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one (the eggs may look slightly curdled—don’t worry, keep beating).

9 Add the flour mixture one-third at a time, alternating with the choc­olate mixture, and stir gently until completely com­bined. Stir in the remaining 110g chopped chocolate.

10 Transfer to the prepared pans and bake the loaves on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with just a few crumbs, about 1 hour. Be careful not to overbake; you want the inside to still be moist.

11 Let cool completely on a rack before unmoulding.

Every Day is Saturday by Sarah Copeland (Chronicle Books, £21.99)

Photography: © 2019 by Gentl + Hyers

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