Gluten-free Blueberry Pancakes

For when you're not in a rush! Every now and then there is that morning where you can actually slow down and have a relaxing breakfast. What a treat! Here's my favorite recipe for gluten-free pancakes. I don't know if it's because I haven't had a regular pancake in a looonng time, but these don't taste gluten-free to me. They taste like ...well.... pancakes. They are light and fluffy. I happen to have a lot of frozen blueberries at the moment because I stocked up when they were at their peak and the price was low - so they were perfect for these pancakes. I added them still frozen - no need to thaw. You can add any fruit, or anything else you want to the batter (I didn't say it, but you know I'm thinking chocolate chips :-).

I have an electric griddle that I like to use for pancakes. (Did you hear the one about the 500 mini-crumpets I made on this griddle....?? LOL). You can use a frying pan and make one at a time, but griddles are nice because you can make a bunch together. Here are two of the three I made at one time.



With pancakes, you want to cook the first side until the batter starts to bubble before you flip them. Call me crazy, but there's something very satisfying about flipping a pancake :-)



What's a good pancake stack size to you? 2? 3? More????



These really were good!



And I must have been really really hungry!



Oy....



You can use all White Rice flour or all Brown Rice flour, or combine the two to equal 1 cup. I also sometimes use half Buckwheat flour, and/or add ground Flax Seed (superfood!) for additional nutrition and fiber. I made 9 large pancakes from this batter. Needless to say, I froze the rest for another day. Honest, I did!!

Gluten-free Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Rice Flour (brown and/or white/or half buckwheat)
• 3 Tbs. Tapioca Starch/flour
• 1/3 cup Potato Starch
• 1/4 tsp. NuStevia powder (or 1 Splenda packet), optional
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 2-4 Tbs. Ground Flax Seed (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
• 4 Tbs. Buttermilk Powder (*see note)
• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 1/2-2 cups Water, approximately (I sometimes use half milk/half water; use the lesser amount if you like a thicker pancake)
• 3 Tbs. Canola Oil (I sometimes use melted butter)
• 1 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh

*Note: if you don't have buttermilk powder, you can leave it out, or use milk instead of water. You can even add a little lemon juice to the milk to give it a little tang if you want to.

Directions:
If you're using an electric griddle, preheat it to about 350 degrees. Otherwise, heat your frying pan or gas griddle as you normally do. I usually add a little butter.

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Add the water, vanilla, eggs, and oil and beat just until blended. A few lumps are OK.
3. Pour onto hot pan. When they start to form bubbles, flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
4. Serve them up with your favorite toppings!

Tip: To get an 'even' spread of blueberries in your pancakes, instead of adding them to the batter, drop them one by one onto each pancake after you pour them on the griddle. This also keeps them from breaking up in the batter and turning the batter blue :-)

---

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Bar - Breakfast on the Run

Here we have it. Completely Healthy. And Gluten-free. And No Added Sugar. And Vegan. Any other requests??? This dense, chewy breakfast or snack bar is completely no-guilt and very satifying. It's great with a hot cup of coffee, or a cold glass of milk. I'm pretty sure these are very kid-friendly, too.

Like so many things I bake these days, you can add other ingredients to make it your own. I think sunflower or pumpkin seeds would be good, and maybe a little cinnamon. These keep for a few days at room temperature. Personally, I like them cold, so I keep a few in the refrigerator, and freeze the rest, thawing as needed.

And no matter what I tried, I could not make these look pretty in the picture (they do, however, look better in person though, like so many of us ;-)



Hmmmmm..... maybe this one.


Oh well.... never mind...

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Bar - Breakfast on the Go (Gluten-Free, No Added Sugar, Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rolled Oats
• 2/3 cup finely chopped or ground Almonds
• 1/3 cup unsweetened Coconut
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 oz good quality bittersweet or dark Chocolate, chopped small
• 14 oz of very ripe Bananas (about 4 bananas)
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/4 cup Peanut or Almond butter
• 1/2 cup Dried Fruit (I like cherries or apricots)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease or line a 9 X 9 baking pan.

1. In mixing bowl, combine the oats, ground almonds, coconut, and salt. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine the bananas, vanilla, and nut butter. Mash thoroughly.
3. Add the Oatmeal mixture to the bananas and mix well.
4. Gently add in the chopped chocolate and dried fruit.
5. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan, and bake for about 25 minutes.
6. Let cool completely before cutting into whatever size bars you wish.

Easy, huh?

---

Your Basic Gluten-Free Cookie

Here's the thing - this is a great base for a gluten-free cookie. What I mean is - you can add anything to it you want to to make it your own. Chocolate (white and/or dark!!), Candied Ginger, different kinds of nuts or dried fruits, ....whatevah! The possibilities are endless.

In my case, I had a bunch of ingredients I wanted to get rid of - starting with some dried mango. Not an ingredient I usually keep around - I bought some for a candy recipe I tried (one that went terribly wrong...). Dried mango is a little strange - or maybe it's just the dried mango I happened to buy at Trader Joes. I needed to chop it up - but it didn't chop. Unchoppable. So I ended up ripping it into little pieces. LOL.

Anyway, I also had some dried cranberries, dried cherries (my favorite!), and some slivered almonds. Oh - and some coconut. So I came up with a recipe that I thought would work - and it did!

The thing that's so great about this cookie, besides it's flexibility, is the texture. It's nice and thick, with a slight crunch, and it's chewy in the middle. I think it make a great Chocolate Chip cookie. I would try it as CCC this week, except I already have a gluten-free Chocolate Chip cookie dough in the refrigerator resting..... until Friday morning when I'll bake it. Why is it resting? Because it's the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie - gone gluten-free!!!!!! But that's a story for another day :-)

So - these are the cookies before they went into the oven. I scooped them with my middle size scoop, and then flattened out the top just slightly, keeping them thick.



and 16 minutes later.....




And yes, they taste as good as they look. Go ahead, make them yours!

Basic Gluten-Free Cookie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Chopped Dried Mango
• 1/2 - 1/3 cup Juice (Orange, Apple, etc.)
• 1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened slightly
• 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup White Sugar (I will use less next time)
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 cup Sorghum flour
• 1 cup Brown Rice flour
• 1/2 cup Tapioca starch/flour
• 1/2 cup Potato Starch
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup Coarsely Chopped Nuts
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Flaked Coconut
• 1/2 - 1 cup Dried Cherries, Cranberries, etc.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).

1. Simmer orange juice and mango in a small pan over medium-low heat for 8 minutes. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, Xanthan Gum, and salt, and mix with whisk or fork.
4. Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Fold in the nuts, dried fruit, and coconut to evenly combine.
6. Scoop onto parchment lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Flatten the top slightly.
7. Bake approximately 16 minutes. They will not brown much on top. Remove from oven and leave the cookies on the sheet for 5-10 minutes. Then move them to a cooling rack.

Makes about 40-44 2 1/2" cookies. You can make them smaller, but you will have to adjust the baking time. Enjoy!

---

Peach (or Nectarine) Chicken Salad

It's what's for dinner! Or lunch! This simple salad is light and refreshing, great for a summer meal. It's low in fat, but very satisfying.



I've made this for many friends this summer - and have been asked for the recipe - so here you go.

Peach (or Nectarine) Chicken Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cubed cooked chicken
• About 3 fresh peaches or nectarines, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium cucumber (I like English), seeded and chopped
• 3 Tbs. finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 lb string beans, cut into 1" pieces, and steamed lightly.

Mint Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, chicken, cucumber, string beans, and onion; set aside
2. In a blender combine the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, mint, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Adjust the flavor to taste.
3. Pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat.
4. Optionally, cover and refrigerate to chill.
5. Serve over chopped lettuce.

It's especially good with a sprinkle of feta cheese. Enjoy!

P.S. those are apricot halves with a couple of blueberries, just for fun.

---

Summer Fruit Cake - Gluten-free!

Success!! After an unsuccessful attempt at this gluten-free cake (pilot-error), I had to try again. Delicious Organic Nectarines are on sale this week at Whole Foods - I could not let the opportunity pass. Yesterday, I actually left an important ingredient out - big DUH - but I after tasting it I realized that I need to tweak the recipe anyway, to get the taste I was looking for. The recipe I've included below was adapted from a Peach Cake recipe at the Karina's Kitchen blog. I made just a few changes. I am very happy with the result.



It's a slightly different taste than the non-gluten-free version I made a few days ago, but definitely delicious. I didn't dare make it in a tart pan - way too much batter. It definitely stands out as a cake though. The before (look familiar?):



And the after:



I used a combination of sugar and Agave. Next time I will likely cut back on the sugar - it doesn't need a lot, in my opinion.

Summer Fruit Cake - Gluten-Free

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup Agave nectar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
• 2 cups Gluten-free flour mix
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Summer fruit (I used 4 medium-to- large nectarines, peeled and sliced)
• Optional: a light sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar for the top

Directions:
Grease or spray a 9" or 10" cake pan (I highly recommend a springform pan). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat well.
2. Add the Agave, vanilla, and yogurt and continue beating (don't worry if the batter looks clumpy - it will smooth out after you add the dry ingredients.
3. Mix together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Add flour mixture to batter and blend well.
5. Add the eggs, and mix until blended well.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and spread to cover the entire bottom using a knife or spatula.
7. Arrange the fruit on the top of the batter.
8. Optionally sprinkle lightly with sugar-cinnamon mix.
9. Bake for about 40-45 minutes.

Allow to cool a bit before cutting. Eat warm or at room temperature. I'm thinking I need to go fill that empty coffee cup. Now! :-)

---

Summer Fruit Cake

Continuing with my kitchen play with wheat and sugar, probably the last for a while, I made a Summer Fruit Cake with peaches and blueberries. Wish I had taken a 'before' picture of it - it looked like sooo much fruit. But by the time it baked up, the fruit got eaten up by the dough. It's in there - really it is. So next time - even more fruit! This recipe can use any fruit - even winter fruit like Apples! But with summer fruit at it's best, it's fun to find different ways to use it in baking.



I made this using a tart pan, even though it's a cake. A big tart pan (11"). So it came out kind of short (low??). Still tasted great though. I would definitely recommend using a 10" tart pan, or a 9 or 10" springform pan.




The other great thing about this recipe is it's really quick and easy to make. Go for it! Oh... and later this week, I'm going to make almost the same thing, but wheat-free and low sugar. Honestly!

Summer Fruit Cake (from thathomesite.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• pinch of salt
• Summer fruit (I used 7 medium peaches and a bunch of blueberries
• Optional: a light sprinkle of cinammon-sugar for the top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray the bottom of your baking pan.

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat well.
2. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt
4. Add flour to batter and mix.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and spread to cover the entire bottom using a knife or spatula.
6. Arrange the fruit on the top of the batter.
7. Optionally sprinkle lightly with sugar-cinnamon mix.
8. Bake for about 40-45 minutes.

Allow to cool before cutting. Eat warm or at room temperature.

---