Fried Green Tomatoes

I haven't made them in years (haven't had a garden), but they're SO good!! I need to track down somebody with some tomato plants and make some. I'm craving them now.

I use the same dry mix that I use for catfish breading, I just add milk and eggs to make it a batter instead of a breading.

(As always, these are rough estimates on measurements)

1 c all-purpose flour
¼ c cornmeal
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp garlic powder (the garlic & cayenne are optional, but I like mine a little spicier)
1 c buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
5-6 green tomatoes, cut into ¼" slices
vegetable oil (although bacon drippings work great and give extra flavor)

Mix the first six ingredients evenly. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add the buttermilk, mixing thoroughly before combining it with the dry ingredients. The batter should resemble pancake batter, so add additional buttermilk, if needed.

Heat oil in a skillet (between 375° and 400°, ideally).

Divide tomatoes into batches, doing only a couple of slices at a time. (If you overpack the skillet, your tomatoes will become saturated with grease and end up soggy). Dip the tomato slices into the batter and carefully put them into the oil. I usually do three slices in my standard sized skillet. Flip them halfway through cooking and drain on a wire rack to keep them from getting soggy before serving (can you tell I don't do "soggy?").

You can eat as-is or mix up a country gravy with the drippings to serve with it. I've always eaten them plain, but I know my Southern relatives eat them with gravy.

(As soon as I get some tomatoes, I plan on making them again and will post pictures then.)

Oatmeal Pancakes

Courtesy of Chuck Maldonado

1 c oatmeal
4 egg whites
dash cinnamon
dash vanilla
1-2 tsp agave sweetener (I used Stevia in the Raw b/c I didn't have agave)
Optional: Fresh fruit of your choice (I peeled & cut up an apple)

Put everything in a blender and mix on high speed until everything is blended well and it forms a thick milkshake-type texture. Measure out four scoops evenly onto a griddle (I used ¼ c measuring cup for accuracy). Unlike regular pancake batter, the middle of these will not bubble when they're ready to flip because the batter is too thick. You have to watch around the edges - they'll get tiny bubble holes and that's when you need to flip them.

You can serve with any kind of syrup you choose. I used natural apple syrup with mine and they were delicious.

Thanks again, Chuck for passing along this recipe! They were magnificent (and surprisingly filling)!!