Tag Archives: gluten free

gluten free pancakes

The Joy Of Pancakes: 5 Gluten-Free Delights

by dairy, gluten free, pancake,

There’s nothing quite like pancakes. Just about every culture I can think of has some sort of a recipe for them.  And many people enjoy them, not just for breakfast, but sometimes even dinner.  This can sometimes be a challenge for those who are dealing with gluten-sensitivity issues.

Whether it’s full-on celiac disease, an allergy to one or more grains, or digestive issues that simply don’t agree with consuming grain products, it can be somewhat difficult when you want to enjoy a pancake.

  1. Gluten-Free Berry Cheese Pancakes

This is a wonderful alternative to traditional pancakes. High in protein and very delicious, it’s easy to make, and you won’t miss the flour.  Obviously, if you’re sensitive to dairy you’ll need to substitute your favorite non-dairy cream cheese instead.  

Gluten Free Berry Cheese Pancakes

Start your day on a delightful note with these gluten-free berry cheese pancakes. Made with a combination of gluten-free flour, creamy cheese, and fresh berries, these pancakes are both nutritious and indulgent.
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Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, brought to room temperature and cut into cubes
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons organic butter, divided
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 strawberries fresh strawberries, sliced
  • Maple syrup, optional

Instructions
 

  • Add cream cheese, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla extract to a food processor or blender
  • Blend on high until completely smooth
  • Heat a large pan (or griddle) to medium heat
  • When hot add ½ tablespoon butter to the pan, spreading to cover
  • Pour small pancakes onto the pan (approximately 3) — leave space in between so they don’t run together
  • Cook until the edges just begin to turn brown and the pancakes are set, about 3 minutes. 
  • Carefully flip each pancake and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until bottom is golden brown on the bottom
  • Transfer cooked pancakes wire rack and keep warm (I like to use my microwave oven for this.  It’s over the cooktop and it’s an insulated box. Don’t put pancakes on a plate as the bottom ones get soggy if you do)
  • Repeat until all the pancakes are made
  • Serve pancakes topped with berries and maple syrup, if using
    Enjoy!

2. Banana Oat Pancakes

This recipe is simple and delicious. One of the things that my family likes so much about it is that the pancakes are very fluffy.  You don't realize that these are whole-grain oat pancakes they are that light and airy.  The bananas combined with the cinnamon and nutmeg make it a delicious way to start your day.  I also like having another great recipe that allows me to use up any almost over-ripe bananas.

banana oat pancakes

King Arthur Flour's Banana-Oat Pancakes

Try these banana oat pancakes for a wholesome twist on a breakfast classic. Packed with fiber-rich oats and sweetened naturally with ripe bananas, these pancakes are as nutritious as they are delicious!
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Ingredients
  

  • 3 small bananas mashed
  • 2 T. unsalted butter melted (use organic)
  • 1 T. lemon juice
  • 1 T. sugar (I reduce this to 1 t. as the bananas when they are this ripe have a lot of natural sugars)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C. oat flour
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Stir together the mashed bananas, butter, lemon juice and sugar in a medium bowl.
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a small bowl.
  • Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
  • Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened.
  • Check to be sure the batter is thin enough for your pancakes; you may need to add a touch of milk or water (I never do)
  • Let the batter sit 10 minutes before using.
  • Heat a nonstick griddle or heavy skillet.
  • If your surface is not non-stick brush it lightly with vegetable oil.
  • When the surface is ready spoon batter 1/4 C. at a time into the pan.
  • Let the pancakes cook on the first side until bubbles begin to for around the edges, 3-4 minutes.
  • When the pancakes are just beginning to set flip then and let them cook on the second side, about 1 1/2 minutes more.
  • You can sprinkle toasted walnuts over the batter just before cooking as an extra treat.

 

3. Ricotta Pancakes with Honey-Glazed Plums

The inspiration for this was a click-through Twitter post that brought me to Almost Bourdain's (AB's) blog, which I recently discovered and like. He credits his inspiration for this recipe to Bill Granger, I credit my inspiration to him. It's kind of neat how that works, we're all connected by this idea of ricotta in pancakes, but we each put a slightly different twist to it; all of them, I'm sure, are very delicious.

Ricotta Pancakes with Honey Glazed Plums

Indulge your taste buds with these luxurious ricotta pancakes topped with honey-glazed plums. The creamy texture of ricotta cheese combined with the sweetness of honey-glazed plums creates a decadent breakfast treat.
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Ingredients
  

  • For the pancakes:

    1 1/3 C. ricotta cheese

    3/4 C. buttermilk (for a little tang to offset the honey glazed plums)

    4 eggs separated

    1/2 C. fresh ground oat flour

    1/2 C. fresh ground brown rice flour

    1 t. baking powder

    1 t. vanilla

    pinch salt

  • For honey-glazed plums:

    2 plums

    2 T. honey

    1/2 t. cinnamon

    2 t. butter

Instructions
 

  • Pancake instructions:
    Beat egg whites until peaks form, set aside
    Mix ricotta, egg yolks, vanilla, and buttermilk together until well blended
    Mix together flours, baking powder and salt
    Gently add flours into ricotta mixture
    Gently fold egg whites into mixture until just blended
    Grop by 1/4 C. measure into medium hot, greased pan
    After 2 minutes flip to cook other side
  • Instructions for plums:
    Cut plums into bite sized pieces
    Toss with honey and cinnamon
    In a medium-hot pan melt butter
    Add plum mixture and stir until plums begin to soften just a little (about 7 minutes)
    Serve pancakes with plums on top

4. Classic Pancakes

These pancakes are very fluffy, combining the oat flour and the buttermilk.  The whole grains soften a bit by letting the batter rest for a few minutes and soaking up some of that buttermilk to help make the pancakes fluffy and delicious.

Tip: The batter for this recipe does tend to be somewhat thin. It’s best to make smaller pancakes so you can flip them easily.  Or thin the batter out a tiny bit more with some coconut milk and make a crepe-style pancake instead.   so you may find smaller pancakes easier to flip.

Buttermilk Oat Pancakes

Buttermilk Oat Pancakes

Sometimes, nothing beats the simplicity of classic pancakes. These pancakes are a timeless favorite, Whether fluffy or thin, topped with maple syrup or fresh fruit.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 C. oat flour
  • 1/2 C. brown rice flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 T. melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1 T. sucanat

Instructions
 

  • Mix the dry ingredients together
  • Beat the egg
  • Add beaten egg and other liquid ingredients to the dry mixture
  • Let mixture sit for 5 minutes
  • Cook in pan lightly greased with coconut oil
    Enjoy!

 

5. Strawberry Sheet Pan Cakes

Hosting a brunch or feeding a crowd? These strawberry sheet pan cakes are the perfect solution. Baked to golden perfection in a sheet pan and topped with fresh strawberries, these pancakes are as convenient as they are delicious. Get the recipe here: Strawberry Sheet Pan Cakes.

 

Gluten Free Sourdough Baking Class

by baking, gluten free, Uncategorized,

Recently I was invited to take part in a gluten free sourdough baking class. Taught by Kasey Lobb, a registered dietician nutritionist, the class promised to teach us how to make a delicious gluten free sandwich loaf from scratch. We would also go home with a starter of our very own in order to replicate the process in our own kitchens.

I confess I love cooking classes.  It’s super fun to teach them and I certainly enjoy doing that, but it’s also great when you have a chance to take a class and learn from someone else. Kasey was a wonderful instructor.

The class was held at a friend’s house and there were 10 of us, each paired up so we could share one of the Kitchen Aid mixers.  Taking us through the process of what we were doing and a breakdown of the ingredients, Kasey, did a great job of explaining everything.

We started with the liquid ingredients, which included some starter from an impressively large jar.  She’d been feeding it for days in order to have enough for the class.  It was bubbly and fragrant in that fabulous way that starter is supposed to be. 

One of the things that I appreciated about the class is how Kasey apparently has a similar mindset when it comes to food labels. She carefully explained each ingredient, why she’d chosen the ones she did, and how everything worked together to support the dough.  In addition to the gluten free sourdough base we used egg, sugar, yeast, water, GF baking blend, nutritional yeast, ground flax seeds, and psyllium husk fiber.

After mixing the liquid ingredients we mixed together the dry ingredients and then put them both together.  At each step of the process Kasey would demonstrate what we were supposed to be doing and then come around offering assistance if people needed it. She wanted us to not only hear, but also see  and understand why it the batter needed to look and feel the way it did.

Eventually we had our beautiful loaves tucked into their loaf pans and from there into the oven.  At which point we were able to enjoy a snack that Kasey had prepared of the sandwich loaf we were making that she jazzed up with soaked fruit and seeds.  It was mouthwateringly delicious. This bread was so fabulous…how fabulous was it?... everyone wound up going back for a second slice. Nicely dense with a good level of hydration it wasn’t dry like most commercial gluten free breads.  Best of all it didn’t have excessive plant gums.   It’s one of those breads that doesn’t need anything else, it’s amazing all by itself. 

Luckily we were all given the recipe, plus a couple of others to take home with us.

That evening I carefully fed my starter and set it up to make sourdough pancakes for breakfast the next day.  My starter is obviously a new one so it’s not super bubbly, however the pancakes were delicious with a hint of sourdough tang.

Now it’s been fed, put to bed, and is waiting for the next baking adventure.

One of the best things about this class for me was learning about a new kind of baking pan that is much better for batter style breads than regular baking pans.  It gives the loaf more form so that it can rise higher and will be better for sandwiches.

Here’s the supply list:

  • 2.2 pound Pullman Loaf Pan - Made with carbon steel it’s silicon lined with no PFOAs or PFASs, has a vent at the bottom (you use parchment paper when making batter breads), and a lid in case you want perfectly square bread
  • Konsyl Psyllium Husk Powder - This helps keep things together since there is no gluten in this mix, it also provides fiber and density for the bread
  • Nutritional Yeast - Provides a little bit of B12 and also adds delicious flavor to the bread
  • Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour - This is Kasey’s recommended blend
  • Active Dry Yeast - Slightly different than instant yeast although I believe both would work for making this kind of bread
  • Gluten Free Sourdough Starter - If you don’t have the opportunity to take a gluten free sourdough baking class or you don’t have a friend who has starter to share, the good news is you can get your own and start from scratch

It was a wonderful class and I’m delighted that I had the opportunity to spend time learning how to do this. If you’d like to take a class with Kasey be sure to check out her website Appetite To Travel.

If you have the chance to take cooking classes I encourage you to do it.  You’ll learn something new, have fun doing it, and gain a new skill that you can add to your kitchen repertoire.

 

gluten free

Understanding Gluten Free

by gluten free, health, ulcerative colitis
I've realized that I need to put together this post on gluten free.  I've been writing about the topic for a while but mostly in smaller posts either on Facebook or Twitter.  But there still seems to be some confusion out there about gluten so I'm answering a number of questions and putting it all in one place.

What is gluten?  

Gluten is a composite of gliadin and glutenin and is the active protein which makes flours sticky enough to rise when baked into  bread products.  The more gluten there is in a grain the more stretchy the flour made from that grain will be, and the more it can rise.

What's the big deal about gluten?  

For those who have autoimmune disorders such as Celiac Disease or an IgA deficiency eating gluten can provoke an inflammatory body response and is very damaging to the intestinal system. It can cause a wide range of digestive difficulties including diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, pain, and damage to the intestinal tissues.  Additionally many people who suffer from Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (such as Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis) find that they do not do well when they eat gluten. Trudy Scott, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution notes in her book that there are a number of clinical studies showing that gluten can also provoke anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.  Trudy provides easy to understand instructions for a gluten elimination challenge on her blog.

Which grains have gluten? gluten

Fewer grains are glutinous than non-glutinous; they are easy to remember using the mnemonic BROWS. That stands for Barley, Rye, Oats, Wheat, and Spelt. While oats do not contain gluten they are often grown near, stored with or transported with grains that do contain gluten so there is a concern regarding cross contamination.  Therefore many people who need to avoid gluten choose to buy certified gluten free oats.  All of the other grains do not have gluten; these include quinoa, teff, amaranth, corn, rice, buckwheat, and millet.

Gluten free does not mean low carb

I have heard that there are some people who think that if a product is gluten free that also means it is low carb.  Grains by their nature are higher in carbohydrates; so gluten free grains (any grains really) do not qualify as low carb.  It is important to note that some grains are lower in carbohydrates than others.

Gluten free does not mean whole grain

Sadly many people in the search for gluten free don't stop to consider that the healthiest way to eat grains is in their whole form.  A whole grain contains the outer bran, the endosperm, and the innermost germ where the beneficial oils are.  Unfortunately many gluten free products available on the market are not made with whole grains.  They are made primarily with the starchy endosperm.  Whole grains are important as the fiber and the germ help to slow down how quickly your body can absorb the simple carbohydrate of the endosperm and also helps to balance blood sugar levels.  The fiber is also important for digestive and bowel health.  Eating a diet high in simple carbohydrates can cause weight gain, intestinal problems, and other health problems.

Gluten free is NOT a weight loss plan

I am not certain how this concept got it's start.  The only supposition I have (and this is my personal thought, not substantiated as yet by any studies) is that people who went gluten free and lost weight did so either because they lost the "false fat" from inflammation, or because they changed their entire nutritional plan.  By being mindful of the gluten in their food they were also mindful of other aspects of their eating which in turn lead to weight loss.

Gluten free for athletes

This appears to be true.  While there are currently no definitive studies regarding this issue it seems many athletes are going gluten free and finding that they feel better and anectdotally report better performance.  Articles about gluten free athletic performance have appeared in magazines such as Men's Health.  And according to the website The Gluten-Free Athlete a number of professional athletes are following this diet.  If you are interested in trying this you can either stop eating gluten and see how you do, or consider taking using Trudy's gluten elimination challenge.

How pervasive is gluten

People who need to avoid gluten because of health issues need to be aware of the fact that gluten not only appears in food but also in many personal care products.  Our skin is our largest body organ and anything we put on it gets into our system.  Gluten can be found in lipstick, lotions, moisturizers, and shampoo products.  It is important that you read the ingredients on these labels as well as on your food if you need to avoid gluten.