Chocolate Pancakes

These are a fun breakfast surprise and no more "unhealthy" than any other pancake. The chocolate seems decadent, but doesn't come with the calorie count of chocolate desert. The boys opted for simple powdered sugar to top these with while I put some crushed strawberries on mine with a bit of powdered sugar. I opted for the lesser amount of sugar in the pancakes, but without the sweeter topping, they could use a bit more.


This is one to definitely repeat.

1 1/4 c flour (GF Mix - I used 1/2 c millet, 1/2 c potato starch, and 1/4 c oat flour)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t Xanthan gum (if using gluten free flours)
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 c raw or brown sugar (1/2 c if you want a sweeter cake)
2 T cocoa powder
2 T oil
1 c milk (cow, rice, nut)
1 egg (or replacer)

Stir dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, wisk the wet ingredients. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Heat your a griddle and oil it with coconut or sunflower oil. Pour about 1/3 c of batter and cook until bubbles start to burst and the batter stiffens. Flip and cook the other side for another minute or two. Serve with powdered sugar, maple syrup, macerated berries, whipping cream, or your topping of choice.

Mango Salsa

Here's a lovely sweet and spicy mix that tastes like pure summer. This works great with chips, in a salad, or with chicken.

1 Mango, finely diced
8 Roma Tomatoes, finely diced
2 Jalapenos, finely diced
1/4 t Salt
1/2 Fresh Lime, juiced
1 t Sugar
1 T Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Give this about 30 minutes to let the flavors meld together. But yes, it can be eaten right away if you can't wait and it still tastes good.

Summer Jicama Salad

For those of you not familiar with jicama - it's a white bulb with a fibrous texture, also known as a Mexican Yam. It's fairly plain tasting, but adds crunch and a hint of sweetness, similar to like a carrot. It contains vitamins C, A and B, along with calcium. To eat, peel the exterior and then thinly slice or grate (my preference) the jicama.

A couple of years ago I posted a different recipe for a jicama salad - (Jicama Lime Chicken Salad) which I love, but I was looking for something a little more on the sweet side. This is what I came up with for a family get together over Memorial  Day weekend. You could definitely add chicken to this if you wanted protein in it.

SALAD
1 head of Romaine, chopped (or two hearts)
2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped ( I remove the seeds/juice and use just the flesh)
1 c Sweet Corn
1 c Carrots, shredded
1 c Jicama, shredded & drained*
Optional Crunch Factor (I wish I had added something like wonton strips, tortilla strips, or chow mein noodles for a bit of salt & crunch to the salad)

* The longer shredded jicama sits, the more the moisture comes out. I just squeeze the liquid out with my hands. You could use a towel or press into a strainer.

DRESSING
-- Wisk ingredients together or shake in a sealed container. Add a little bit at a time, depending on how much lettuce you use, you may not need the whole amount.
1/4 c Lime Juice
1/4 c Oil (I used sunflower oil)
1/4 c White Sugar
1/2 t Cinnamon
2 t Sesame Seeds
1 t Sesame Oil (optional)

Fruit Pizza Toast

I hosted a Christmas brunch for friends and served a variety of dishes that were red and green - including this lovely. It can easily be adapted to most dietary restrictions.

Bread (French, Gluten-free, etc.)
Butter, Palm Shortening, or Vegan Spread
Cinnamon-sugar
8 oz Cream cheese (or vegan alternative)
1/4 c Powdered sugar
2 T Milk (cow, nut, rice, hemp)
Fruit sliced thin

This simple tasty treat is a great way to use up bread (gluten-free or regular) that is starting to go stale. Spread a thin layer of butter, vegan spread, or palm shortening on small slice of bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake in a 300 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on top of each piece of toast. Top with your favorite slices of fruit and enjoy.

No Bake Energy Bites

I found this recipe for No Bake Energy Bites and adapted it. These are great for breakfast and a quick snack. They are rich and strong flavored. I listed what I used in red.

* 1/2 c Nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter)
* 1/3 c honey
* 1 c old fashioned rolled oats
* 1 c shredded unsweetened coconut (or wheat bran/germ, oat bran, some ground flax seed, ground nuts or sesame seeds.)
* 2 t vanilla
* pinch of sea salt
* 1-2 t your favorite spices or spice combination (optional - I used 1/2 t cinnamon)
* 1/2 c other add-ins (roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc)

Mix together the nut butter, honey, vanilla and salt if needed. Then mix in the remaining ingredients. I used
equal parts sesame seeds, coconut and mini chocolate chips. Mix well. Allow to chill slightly and then roll dough into 1-2" balls.

Keep refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to use. Makes approximately 18-24 depending on size.

Vegan Buttercream Frosting

Here's my go to frosting right now. Note, if you refrigerate the left over frosting, be sure to leave time for it to warm up before you need to use it. It hardens significantly after refrigeration, but will warm enough to use again. It tastes great.

1 c Palm oil shortening
3 c Powdered sugar
1 1/2 t Vanilla extract
1/4 c Almond Milk
1/2 t Cinnamon (optional) of 2 T Cocoa Powder (optional)

Blend all ingredients together until light and creamy. Works well for cake frosting (pipping bag or spatula), on crackers, with fruit, stuffed french toast, or straight from the bowl.

Caramelized Banana Sundaes

Oh this little piece of heaven. Please forgive the rotten picture, but I was so excited to eat this little treat tonight that I didn't have the patience to get a decent picture of this sundae. I only use this less than stellar picture so that you can see the caramel on the bananas. This is similar to a Bananas Foster but without the liquor and expensive price tag in a restaurant.

1 T butter or coconut oil
2 T brown sugar
1/4 t vanilla or vanilla powder (optional)

In a non-stick skillet heat ingredients until smooth and bubbly. Add in 2 bananas split lengthwise (I also cut mine in half), cut side down and do not move them so that the sugar can caramelize to the banana (1-2 minutes). Remove and serve immediately with ice cream. Pour any remaining caramel in the pan over top.

I may regret trying one out. So much for a healthy banana.

Cucumber Cranberry Salad

This salad is definitely a new favorite. It has great texture. There are crisp veggies, smooth creamy cheese, and crunch from the sunflower seeds. The medley of salt and sweet leaves you wanting more. A double batch of this salad would work great for a brunch, picnic, shower/party, or family gathering.

2  Cucumbers, seeded & finely diced
1  Apple, cored & finely diced
1/4 c  Celery, finely diced
1/4 c  Crumbled Feta Cheese (optional
1/4 c  Dried Fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins, etc)
1/4 c  Sunflower Seeds (or chopped nuts)
1/4 c  Poppy Seed Dressing (Start out mixing in 1 T at a time)

Finely dice the cucumbers, apple, and celery – then toss together with the other ingredients. Add the salad dressing just before serving so that it doesn’t get soggy.

This cool cucumber salad is a great pair for your summer time meals, picnics, brunch or parties.

Chip Supreme

No great recipe here, but rather one of my favorite snacks right now. I found these lovelies last winter in a random bin at Walmart and haven't found it since. That is until yesterday when I found them at Sydney's Health Market... Woo Hoo!

Let me introduce you to Chip'ins. If you love popcorn, you will love these. The light crisp texture of a chip, the salty flavor, the tender flavor of popcorn, and completely gluten/dairy/soy/egg free.

There are no artificial ingredients. I love when there are very few ingredients to read on the back of packaging... corn, sunflower oil, and sea salt.

That's it.

Warning, you may hate me for sharing this with you. Because once you start, you may not be able to stop.

Carne Asada Marinade

On our last freezer cooking adventure, we made a carne asada  marinade. We put the steak in a gallon freezer bag, put all the ingredients in a blender to mix it up, and poured the marinade over the steak.  Grill the meat to medium and allow the meat to rest/cool a bit before slicing. Be sure to cut the steak thinly, cross-grain to keep it as tender as possible.

When I pulled the steak out to make the tacos this week, it turned out tender and flavorful. My son couldn't get enough of it. This is a great way to use a less expensive cut of meat, and not a lot of it to feed the whole family. Serve with lots of veggies (peppers, onions, lettuce, tomatoes/salsa, etc) and a bit of sour cream.

3/4 c Oil (I used olive oil) - I'd use 1/2 c next time
1/4 c Lime Juice
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 t Cumin
1 t Salt
1/4 t Pepper
1/4 t Chili powder (optional)

Bok Choy Slaw

I had a huge, mature bok choy from my CSA box last week. The flavor when they get that large tends to get a bit large, so it needs some stronger flavors to go with it. I didn't use the dark tops of the bok choy because it was rather tough and very strong, but I finally diced diced the base and mid portions.

4-6 c Bok choy, finely chopped
1 c Carrots, shredded or finely chopped
3 T Oil (I used sunflower)
2 T Vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
3 t Sugar
1 t Sesame seeds
1/2 t Poppy seeds
1/2 t Sesame oil
squeeze of lime

Toss the bok choy and carrots together. Whisk or shake together the remaining ingredients and add to vegetables. Serve immediately or allow the slaw to set and flavors to mesh together.

It's a fairly nice change from traditional cole slaw, but similar enough to the original.

Veggie Experimentation

Our family joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm this summer. We bought a share of an organic farm. Each week we get an assortment of vegetables, several that I've never tried before. It really forces me to experiment and broaden our vegetable horizons.

Some experiments have been successful. Others - not so much. I have learned that I really don't like radishes, in pretty much any form. HOWEVER, if I dice them up small they made a good replacement for onions in salsa. Their sharp taste offered a nice kick to sweet tomatoes.

Kohlrabi is one of the oddest looking veggies you've ever seen. I had no clue what to do with the thing.I did want to make my Jicama Lime Salad, but jicama is really expense in North Dakota and they come this of my child's head. I can't bring myself to spend that much money on a root veggie. So I replaced it with diced kohlrabi and it did quite well. I did miss a bit of the sweetness, but I added a touch more sugar to the dressing and it was wonderful. Next time I'll shred it rather than dice.

I have NEVER like peas. However, I have never had fresh peas from the pod. The smaller ones were so sweet that it was like popping candy. I couldn't get enough of them. I'm a believer now.

I managed to eat a different salad everyday last week with the most amazing lettuces. I didn't realize that when you cut into fresh lettuce that there is a milky substance that comes from the veins. Obviously I've never had really fresh mature lettuce before.

I've got a wealth of cucumbers and zucchini waiting to be tackled next. I have some great new ideas to try out and hope they taste as good as they sound.

Summer Strawberry Pie

This gluten-free version of strawberry pie was a HUGE hit at a backyard party last week - with all the people that COULD eat gluten. The combination of oat flavor and texture was wonderful.

I also wanted to find away around using products with artificial flavors and colors. I think that it is pretty close to the original, and darn tasty.

CRUST:
1 3/4 c Oat flour*
2 T Flour or Potato Starch or Corn starch
1 T Sugar
1 stick of Butter

In pie pan, melt the butter. Mix in the oat flour, starch, and sugar and pat out in the pan and around the edges. The crust will slide down a bit in the pan as it bakes and consolidates so push it as high up the sides of the pie pan as it will go. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool.

* I pulsed gluten free oats in an coffee grinder until fine flour was produced.

FILLING:
1 c Sugar
2 T Corn Starch
1 c Water
1/4 c Mashed Strawberries
1 t Unflavored gelatin (about 1/2 a Knox packet)
1 1/2 lb Strawberries

Mix sugar and corn starch together in a saucepan. Add water, stir often and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add jello powder and mashed berries. Cool until lukewarm but still pliable.

Place cleaned and cut strawberries in the cooled pie crust. Pour cooled (but not cold) filling over the berries. Refrigerate and allow to set. Serve with whipped or ice cream.

Strawberry Pie - Traditional

This is the strawberry pie that I grew up with. It was one of my favorites and I loved when my mom would make it for us. This was the recipe that I picked to add to our class 5th grade cookbook (which 90% were desserts - go figure).

CRUST:
1 stick of Butter
1 1/3 c Flour
1 T water

In pie pan, melt the butter. Mix in the flour and water and pat out in the pan and around the edges.  Prick holes in the pie crust with a fork. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool.

FILLING:
1 c Sugar
2 T Corn Starch
1 c Water
4 T Strawberry Jello mix
1 qt Strawberries, cleaned & hulled

Mix sugar and corn starch together in a saucepan. Add water, stir often and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add jello powder. Cool until lukewarm but still pliable.

Place cleaned and cut strawberries in the cooled pie crust. Pour cooled (but not cold) filling over the berries. Refrigerate and allow to set. Serve with whipped or ice cream.

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie Option

Corn Toppers

It doesn't get much better than corn on the cob in the summer. The 4th of July is just around the corner and corn is likely on many of our menus. The sweet, juicy and crisp kernels are great on there own, but the right topping can make it over the top amazing. I have lots of fresh herbs coming from my container garden and I chopped a bunch of them for dinner tonight and the corn was AMAZING.

I melted a little bit of butter and let some fresh chopped flat leaf parsley hang out in the warm butter to infuse the flavor. Topped with a bit of sea salt - it was so good. I've got plans to try some of these options over the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Butter w/parley & lime
Butter w/cilantro & lime
Butter w/basil
Butter w/basil & lemon
Butter w/thyme
Butter w/thyme & lemon
* Butter can be replaced by Earth Balance dairy-free spread for dairy-free or vegans

Applying melted butter in a measured and moderate amount can be a bit difficult. I just used a butter knife to drizzle it on and spread it around. It worked, but it wasn't very efficient. Next time I think I will use a pastry or basting brush.

On to enjoy more tastes of summer.

Limeade

So my son found a bottle of lime juice in the refrigerator and wanted to drink it straight. He should be thankful that I convinced him to wait.

He loves citrus drink (lemonade in particular) so I figured he'd love Limeade. He did. I found a great idea online about making a concentrate so you can make it as you go. This is going to save a whole lot of time.

Limeade (makes 3 cups)
1 c Limeade concentrate
2 c Water

Limeade Concentrate
1 c Lime juice (6-8 limes)
mixed with simple syrup
   - 1 3/4 c  Sugar 
   - 1 3/4 c Water

CONCENTRATE - Heat water and sugar until all the sugar dissolves. Add juice and allow to cool (or pour over ice when mixing the Limeade). 

LIMEADE - Add a ratio of water to concentrate (over ice if hot) and allow to chill. Serve cold.

Caprese Pinenut Pizza

This pizza is a seasonal sensation. I have fresh basil from my herb container garden. Real tomatoes are starting to appear in the store - you know the ripe kind. Put them together with freshly grated mozzarella, loaded tomato sauce, and pine nuts for a tasty and sophisticated pizza. 

There is something amazing about toasted pine nuts. They aren't cheap, but just a few add such great crunch and flavor. I keep them in the fridge for little splurges and to make pesto.

As a texture eater, crunch is one of the best things you can add to any dish. This pizza has the pine nuts for crunch along with toasted mozzarella and a crisp crust. Under that crisp surface is the stretching gooey cheese and a fresh sauce.

Spray the edge of the crust with a little oil and sprinkle with salt, sesame seeds, crushed herbs, or whatever you enjoy before baking.

The crust:
2 c Unbleached Flour
2 c Wheat Flour
1 1/2 c Water
2 T Olive Oil
1 t Italian Seasoning
1/2 t Sea Salt
1/4 t Garlic Powder
2 t Yeast

Throw it all the bread machine and let the paddles do the work for you. Spread out on parchment paper, add your choice of toppings and bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. I put a bit of basil on the flavors to bake in and sprinkled on fresh chopped basil after it came out for the fresh taste.

Time Crunch Method - add topping to your favorite frozen cheese pizza. Reserve some fresh basil to sprinkle on after it finishes baking.

Ice Tea Slushies

On a hot summer day it is really hard to beat the taste of an icee/slurpee/slushie (whichever term you use for a blended ice drink). However, I am not a fan of the super sweet/artificially colored and flavored syrups from which the are made. I've made lemonade slushies before with good results from the kids, but I thought I'd make one from one of my own summer time favorites - lemon sweet tea.

Can I just tell you that sweet tea is a weakness for me? I know the vast amount of calories that they can contain, so I usually make my own to try to control the calorie count - which is better but not great. So this slushie idea is great because I get the volume without sacrificing flavor, and the taste without all the calories. Win-win.

I started with about 2 c of ice in a blender and poured in 1 1/2 cups of tea (pick your favorite brew). I blended until it reached the right consistency (about 90 seconds on mine). I did end up adding a bit more tea to get it right, but that was more for the sake of my cheap blender than it was for the drink.

I filled a large sports bottle with me and hit the road (hence no picture - I'll try next time). It lasted far longer than an actual tea would because my mouth could only handle so much cold before needing a break. The slushie lasted the road trip to bring a meal to a friend recovering from surgery and made it for a nice summer drive.

This one is DEFINITELY going in the stack to make again. Now if I could justify a better blender...

Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins

Here is the promised recipe for gluten-free zucchini muffins. This is a spin off of my amazing (and healthy) zucchini bread.  This is one of the truly successful gf baked products that I've been really pleased with in a long time.

1 cup Chickpea flour
2 cups Oat Flour (I ground up Bob's Red Mill GF oats)
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
3 tsp Ground cinnamon
3 Eggs (or replacer)
1 cup Applesauce
1 1/4 cup White sugar
1 cup Brown sugar
3 tsp Vanilla extract
2 cups Zucchini, grated
2 tbs Milled flax seed

1. Grease and flour muffin cups or use paper liners for 24 muffin. Preheat oven to 325 degree.
2. Sift flours, salt, xanthan gum, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans, and completely cool on a wire rack.

Makes 24 muffins.

Dairy-free Beef Stroganoff

I've posted a recipe before for Beef Stroganoff before. I still really like it, but I can't feed it to my son with a dairy allergy. It was a favorite, so I needed to find a way to make it safe.  What we came up with was really good.

In a crockpot add:

2-3 lbs of Steak, cubed (any inexpensive cut will work)
1 pkg Beef Stock concentrate + 2 c water or 1 can beef broth
2 t Onion Powder
1/2 t Celery Salt or powder
1 T Minced Onion
1/4 - 1/2 t Salt

Cook on high 3-4 hrs or low for 7-8 hrs. When meat is fork tender, drain off liquids into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add 1/4 t pepper and wisk (if soy isn't an issue, add 1 T of Worcestershire). Make a slurry by mixing 1 T or cornstarch to 2 T of water. Slowly wisk into liquid until desired consistency is reached. Return sauce to meat.

Serve over rice or egg noodles. If you miss it, mix in 1 t of sour cream to non-allergen eaters portion. I really didn't miss it at all.