Tag Archives: lactose-free

Pancakes II

This recipe is very similar to the other gluten-free, dairy-free recipe I posted here.  However, in an attempt to stick as close to my elimination diet as I can (and still eat pancakes, of course), I’ve left out the eggs… and added a few more things. So, here is the gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free version!

Dry Ingredients:

6 cups brown rice flour

6 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons cinnamon

After combining the dry ingredients, add:

1/2 cup apple sauce (no sugar added)

1/2 cup honey

6 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup milled flax seed mixed with 3/4 cup water and set until it gels (5 minutes?)

5 cups coconut milk (no sugar added)

Stir all the ingredients together.  The batter will be slightly runny, like cake batter.  However, while it sets it will gel until it’s more like brownie batter.  This is OK! I used coconut oil to grease the pans.  Not only does this eliminate any soy from the non-stick spray, but it makes the pancakes crunchy and delicious.

Make sure the skillet gets up to heat so that it sizzles a little when you add the batter, but not so hot that it burns before the top side is almost done.  The pancakes rise the best when they are allowed to cook mostly on one side and then flipped for only 2-3 minutes on the other side.

The vinegar helps the pancakes rise well and the flax seed helps hold the batter together… one would hardly notice there were no eggs.  Except my tummy.  It’s oh-so-very happy I left the eggs out.

Look at them rise! Cook with a lid over the pan to help cook the top side and create a thicker pancake.

Look at them rise! Cook with a lid over the pan to help cook the top side and create a thicker pancake.

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Saturday Morning Pancakes

Blueberry Pancake Happiness Blueberry Pancake Happiness

Pancakes are one of my favorite foods.  When I was little, my parents made pancakes for us every weekend: round pancakes, bear pancakes, turtle pancakes, initial-letter pancakes.  And they were delicious!

These days, gluten, soy, sugar, and dairy aren’t my friends, but  I really don’t like the idea of giving up my pancakes just yet.  So, after some trial and error, I’m happy to present “The Free” pancakes.

Ingredients:

3 cups brown rice flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tablespoon milled flax seed

3 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon Grapeseed oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs (can be omitted for egg-free pancakes, they just won’t be as thick)

2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (can also use rice milk (nut-free option) or coconut milk)

Add the dry ingredients first, then stir in the rest.  Some extra milk may need to be added.  The batter will need to be thicker than normal pancake batter, so make sure it isn’t too runny. Pre-heat your griddle — medium-high at first, then you may need to turn the heat down so they don’t burn. Make sure to use a non-stick skillet with a lid so that a.) the pancakes will actually flip and b.) they rise well.  I usually cover the pancakes while they are side 1 and let them cook most of the way with the lid on.  The bubbles that surface should pop and leave little holes when the pancake is ready to flip. Because of the ingredients in these pancakes, the cooking time will be longer than white-flour or buttermilk pancakes.

Some notes:

  • There is not a lot of oil in these pancakes. Make them in a non-stick skillet, otherwise the results will be disastrous.
  • I like to sprinkle any combination of chopped bananas, walnuts, pecans, strawberries, apples, blueberries (whole), and crumbled bacon (seriously) to the top of the pancakes as soon as I put them in the skillet.  Chocolate chips and peanut butter chips are also fun. I don’t like them in my pancakes, but I hear other people do.
  • If you don’t have milled flax seed, just add another tablespoon of oil.
  • For a corn-free option, omit the baking powder and use 3 teaspoons of baking soda. They won’t rise as much.
  • This morning, my brilliant friends put a combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in the microwave for several minutes to make berry syrup.  Don’t add sugar.  It is amazing.
Dangers of not using a non-stick skillet. And this was one of the better ones. Dangers of not using a non-stick skillet. And this was one of the better ones.
Blueberry pancake in progress. Blueberry pancake in progress.
Using a lid helps bake the pancakes so that they rise. So good. Using a lid helps bake the pancakes so that they rise. So good.

Summer Cooking: Strawberry Bread

With the coming of summer, strawberries are very plentiful. I enjoy strawberries a lot – if I could live off them, I would. This recipe is probably one of the least healthy a person could use, but it makes for a delicious, summery quick bread. Really, it’s so good and a crowd-pleaser.  Enjoy!

Oatmeal Strawberry Bread

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Avocados – they’re not just for guacamole anymore

Since I started drinking almond milk, I thought I’d try making pudding with it.  I don’t know what I did wrong, but it never firmed up in the refrigerator.  And I left it in there all day. Recently, I came across some recipes for chocolate pudding made with… avocados.  I like avocados, and since I’ll eat anything once (and I was really wanting pudding), I decided to give it a try.  My family and my friends who’ve been brave enough to try it have liked it.  It’s a very rich pudding, but very good.  The key is to mix it until it’s completely smooth.  Little lumps of avocado kind of ruin it… and it doesn’t keep well.  The picture at the end of this post is from my first attempt (using a blender) and you can see the lumps still in it.  My second attempt didn’t have any, and it tasted much better.  So, if you are making this and the pudding looks like my pudding in the picture, keep mixing until it doesn’t. :)

When judging serving sizes for the pudding, I’d say that one avocado will make enough for two people.  It’s a pretty rich pudding. But, it’s also very healthy.

You will need:

-2 avocados

– 6 Tablespoons cocoa

– 6 Tablespoons honey or agave nectar

– 1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil

– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

– pinch of salt

Add these all together and mix.  I used a mixer, since I don’t have a food processor and my blender didn’t do well the first time I made this.  When everything is mixed together, I do a taste-test to see if I need to add more cocoa or sweetener.  When you’ve got the right taste, cover and put in the refrigerator until it’s chilled through.  I usually leave mine for 45 min- 1 hour.  Then, enjoy!

Chile Colorado with Rice

CHILE COLORADO:

– 1 15oz. can Red Enchilada Sauce (I used Las Palmas Mild Sauce, and it was very spicy)

– 1 15oz. can Tomato Sauce (I really only used this to control how spicy the sauce turned out.  If you like it really spicy, you won’t need this much; if you like it mild, you might need more.)

– Oil

– Minced Garlic (5 Tablespoons)

– 1 – 1 1/2 Tablespoons Oregano

– 3 1/2 lbs. stew meat

– 3 cubes of beef buillon

Pour oil in a medium – large stockpot.  Cut the stew beef into smaller pieces (so as to be easily put in tortillas).  Brown the stew meat in the oil and 2 Tablespoons of minced garlic.  Then, pour in enough water to cover the meat, add three beef bouillon cubes.  Bring to a boil, then cook on med-low until the meat it cooked (about 1 1/2 hours).

While the meat is cooking, combine the Enchilada Sauce, Oregano, and Garlic.  Let it heat through and then add tomato sauce until the level of spiciness suites you.  Let the sauce stay heated on low until the meat is cooked.

When meat is finished cooking, drain the water from the meat and add the sauce.  Cook on low to allow the flavor of the flavor of the sauce to cook into the meat.

This makes 9-10 servings.

RICE

-2 Cups long grain white rice

– 1 1/2 – 2 Tablespoons Mexican Chicken Bouillon

– 1 Tablespoon Paprika

– 2 Tablespoons Oil

Pour the oil and rice in a skillet (I used one with high sides, so that I could add the water and cook the rice without transferring pans).  Stir so that all the grain are coated.  Fry the rice on med-high heat, stirring frequently, until the grains are becoming translucent, adding the chicken bouillon and paprika part-way through.

Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil, then cover with a lid a simmer about 20 minutes (or according to the package).

I used corn tortillas to put the meat, rice, and beans in.  I poured oil in a skillet, so that it was just cover the bottom of the pan.  After heat the oil on med-high (little bubbles will appear, but it won’t be boiling), I added one corn tortilla at a time, cooking it for about 5-10 second, then laying them on a towel to drain.  This makes the tortilla flexible enough so that it won’t break.