Gluten Free Blondies and Pancakes

Howdy!   I hope everyone has been enjoying their weekend so far!

It's been so beautiful outside.

Gluten Free Vegan Blondies

I made these treats above this past week.  I found the recipe at Sarah Bakes Gluten Free Treats.

They came out a little dry for me but they tasted pretty good.  I made some tweaks to the recipe due to the dryness. I also used my own gluten free flour blend.  My adjustments are listed in parenthesis in the recipe)

gluten free vegan blondies

adapted from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free

*makes 16 bars (only made 12 for me)

• 1/4 cup coconut oil(I used Earth Balance and melted it)
• 1 cup brown sugar(1/2 C)
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups Sarah's gluten free flour blend
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 3 T. non dairy milk
• 1/2 cup dairy free mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 8x8-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  In microwave safe bowl, melt coconut oil on high for 30 seconds until completely melted.  In large mixing bowl, combine melted coconut oil and brown sugar.  Add pumpkin puree and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  Mix in the flour blend, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add chocolate chips.  Pour mixture into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Cool in pan for 10 before cutting.

These pancakes would look a lot yummier with some Earth Balance/walnut oil and pure maple syrup drizzled on them right?  Well they were!  Ha ha ha.

I'm always on the lookout for the perfect gluten free pancake and I think these really are them!

gluten free vegan multigrain pancakes

adapted from Sarah Bakes gluten free treats

gluten free vegan multigrain pancakes

makes 10-12 pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups Sarah's gluten free flour or your own
• 1/4 cup certified gluten free oats, ground into flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal(millet flour or another gluten free flour)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups almond milk or any other non dairy milk
• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance or coconut oil melted
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*note- if there is not xanthum gum already in your gf flour blend than add 1/2 tsp. to this.

In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oat flour, millet flour or other flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In medium bowl, mix together the non dairy milk, melted Earth Balance/coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. The batter will thicken as it sits.

Heat large skillet over medium low heat. Coat with cooking spray or a tablespoon of coconut oil. Add 1/4 scoop of batter to the pan and slightly smooth out. Flip pancake when golden brown on the underside and can easily be lifted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook on other side. Repeat with remaining pancake batter. Serve warm. 

I hope you enjoy these recipes!  We did!

ciao!

Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sorghum/spelt pancakes with sauteed bananas. Can you smell the sweet, carmalized smell of the bananas and cinnamon? Yum. I made these for my son who had his knee lock up on him again last week. I felt bad for him unable to walk and being very uncomfortable so I thought at least this might take his mind off of the pain for a bit. It did thankfully!

For lunch I used up left over veggie burger that I made the previous night. It was a very tasty recipe that I will have to post at a later date when I make them again. Served in a rice tortilla, shmeared with hummus, lettuce, cucumber and grated carrot.

For dinner....drum roll please. Tofu Marsala, mash taters and steamed brocollini. The potatoes were made with veggie broth and drizzled with a delicious olive oil from Global Gardens that's located right here in the Santa Ynez Valley, Los Olivos. I will post more about this olive oil next time. In the mean time check out the recipe below from EATING WELL.com. If you can use fresh thyme, use it. Note my changes in the parenthesis.

4 servings
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used spelt flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu, drained, rinsed and cut crosswise into eight 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large shallots, minced (or medium sweet onion)
1 teaspoon dried thyme(or 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme)
6 cups sliced cremini, or (baby bellas)

1/2 cup dry Marsala wine

1 cup vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
(you can also use sage to change it up a bit for the cooler weather and for a different taste)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Whisk 1/4 cup cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Pat tofu with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge 4 tofu slices in the flour mixture, add them to the pan and cook until crispy and golden, about 3 minutes per side. Place the tofu on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining tofu, adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent scorching.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, shallots and thyme to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots are slightly soft and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in Marsala and simmer until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
Whisk the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch with broth and tomato paste in a small bowl. Stir into the mushroom mixture, return to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy, about 4 minutes. To serve, spoon the hot sauce over the tofu. (I put the tofu back into the saucepan to soak up sauce a bit then plated it)

Ingredient Note: Marsala, a fortified wine, is a flavorful and wonderfully economical addition to many sauces. An opened bottle can be stored in a cool, dry place for months—unlike wine, which starts to decline within hours of being uncorked.

Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes and a trip to a local organic farm stand

Some pickings from the organic farm. I picked the largest fennel at the stand. The blueberries pictured here are less than half of what we picked. We just couldn't stop eating them! The organic blueberry farm has 13 different varieties of blueberries. My son probably ate a good half a pound just while we were picking.

Check out these carrots! These weren't even the widest ones at the stand. They are called

Champagne Carrots and they thrive in rich soil so they don't need to grow as long as regular carrots, but they grow wider. I measured the middle one and it's 2 1/4inch wide. Crazy huh!

Buckwheat gluten-free pancakes, recipe from the PPK. These are topped with freshly picked blueberries and maple syrup. These pancakes are really really good and have now become one of our regular breakfast meals. Here is the recipe below but with my changes.

Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes
Makes 8 five inch pancakes

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (or flax meal)
2 tablespoons tapioca flour (cornstarch or arrowroot would be okay, too)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or organic sugar)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (they taste just as good without the vanilla)

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all flours, flax seeds, tapioca, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Create a well in the center and add the remaining ingredients. Use a fork to mix well for about a minute. Let the batter rest, and preheat a large, non-stick or cast iron pan over medium-high heat.

When pan is hot, spray with a thin layer of cooking spray and use an ice cream scooper to pour batter and form pancakes. I did two at a time, but do as many as you can fit. The pancake should start to form little air bubbles, but not as much as “normal” pancakes do, so don’t worry. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Keep warm on a plate covered with tin foil until ready to serve.

Serve with Earth Balance, maple syrup and fresh fruit.