Quinoa Pancakes

It's pretty cold across most of the nation.  Cold weather and healthy carbs are a satisfying combination.  The desire to hibernate is present, so instead of tanking up on low-density carbohydrates, choose healthy, whole grains instead.  How about pancakes for breakfast?   

 

Quinoa Pancakes

1 1/2 cups quinoa flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vitamin C crystals
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups water or fruit juice

Mix together flours, baking soda, salt, and vitamin C crystals. Combine the oil with water or juice and wire whisk them together. Create a well in the flour mixture. Add the liquid and stir together. Bake pancakes on hot griddle until dry on top and browned on the bottom. Turn and cook the second side.

Serve with pure maple syrup. Garnish with something colorful and pretty like an orange wedge, banana slices, or fresh strawberry. Enjoy!

Makes 2 dozen pancakes.

 

*If you can't find quinoa flour, try blending whole quinoa in your blender and making it freshly ground.  Make your own vit. C crystals by pulverizing a vitamin C tablet from your medicine cabinet.

Aunt Mabel's Potato Pancakes

Sometimes it takes some thought to come up with interesting and new ideas for family meals. My husband loves potatoes and could eat them three times a day! Although I like them too, I will admit to getting bored with them sometimes. Recently I remembered a recipe that my Aunt Mabel has always been famous for ~ Potato Pancakes! They are delicious served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We prepared them as 'cabin fare' and served ours with catsup and a dairy-free ranch dressing, but Aunt Mabel always served hers with creamy cucumber dressing (also very tasty). Here's an adapted recipe of her famous pancakes.

Aunt Mabel's Potato Pancakes

8 medium potatoes, raw and grated

1 1/2 medium onions

1 package silken tofu, firm*see note below

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

oil

Heat oil in a large skillet to fry the pancakes.

Shred raw, peeled potatoes using a carrot grater. Put in a large bowl. Mince the onions. Add to the potatoes. Next add the tofu, salt, and baking powder. Mix well.

Use a large spoon and spatula to add the potato mixture to the oil. Brown on one side, flip over, brown the other side. Repeat if necessary (so the potatoes are cooked through) then remove to a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Serve with your favorite dressing or maple syrup.

*Instead of tofu (or with the tofu), use a flour for binder such as soy flour, fava bean flour, a gluten-free flour blend, or all-purpose flour. It works nicely. For a non-vegan version, add eggs and omit tofu.

Biscuits & Chocolate Gravy

Craving chocolate, I sought to find some in the house. I couldn't find anything stashed away, but remembered a recipe that came in my email yesterday for Chocolate Gravy. I found it and adapted to my own vegan and gluten free version. Served over fresh, hot gluten free biscuits and sprinkled with chocolate chips, it was delicious! It's creamy, rich smoothness hit the spot.

Chocolate Gravy

3 tablespoons of gluten-free flour blend
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 cups of soymilk
2 tablespoons of Earth Balance margarine
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Combine dry ingredients and place in a small saucepan. Whisk in soymilk, blending until lumps are gone. Cook on medium high heat until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat and add Earth Balance margarine and vanilla. Stir until completely blended. Serve over hot biscuits. Also good on pancakes, crepes, toast with peanut butter, or waffles.

Enjoy!

A Blueberry Day

"Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Boston, MA), blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Using a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), researchers have shown that a serving of fresh blueberries provided more antioxidant activity than many other fresh fruits and vegetables."

http://www.blueberry.org/nutrition.htm

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Based upon these good facts, it's a good idea to incorporate blueberries into your diet. Fortunately they are delicious and easy to wash and freeze for out-of-season use. Blueberries are yummy eaten fresh and out of hand. But there are other great ways to eat them too. A handful of frozen blueberries added to a fruit salad makes a colorful presentation. Blueberries added to Swedish Fruit Soup enhance the soups colors and vibrancy. Many love blueberry pie and most families probably have their 'favorite' recipe for it that has been handed down through the generations. This morning we raided the freezer and decided to make blueberry toast. If you've never tried it, you really must. It's a pretty tasty way to start the day!

Blueberry Toast

1 pint fresh blueberries or 2 cups frozen blueberries
3 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate, frozen
2 - 3 Tbsp. agave syrup
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
2 - 3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Place all ingredients except cornstarch in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and add cornstarch (mixed with cold water to form slurry). Return mixture to a boil and cook for three minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Serve over toast spread with almond or peanut butter.

Makes four servings.

Yummy Treats for the Sweet

Valentine's Day is a special day; a day to prepare a favorite food for one you love. Especially if the day before you packed your darling a lunch and forgot to make him a sandwich he could actually eat! After ten years of gluten-free eating, you would think I would remember to use gluten-free bread! How could I be so absent minded?

The recipe for this favorite family dish is here (scroll down). It's so much fun to make and even more delicious to eat! Although it's called 'corn' custard, don't be fooled. It's not a corn casserole, but rather a sweet and delicious cornbread with a gooey, thick custard inside. Grandma's recipe wasn't vegan, nor gluten-free, but I've successfully converted it --- no one would know the difference --- and it's a delicious breakfast treat for all.

I hope you enjoyed your special 'sweethearts' day!

Celebrate Apple Day

Over at Storybook Woods, Clarice and her family are celebrating "Apple Day". It's any day you choose during the fall where you enjoy apples in some form or another. Eating an apple by a cozy fire, baking something yummy with apples, or lighting an apple candle are all ways one can enjoy "Apple Day". It's obvious that apples are enjoyed by Clarice's family. We enjoy apples in our family as well. Since we live next door to a very large Fuji apple orchard, they have become our favorite variety of apple. Gleaning after harvest is an annual family affair and we really love the tree-ripened apples each year. Did you know that an ideal Fuji has a 'water-core' center? It's the only variety I know where orchardists desire this trait. In celebration of this wonderful autumnal event, I'm sharing some favorite family apple recipes in celebration of this fun day.

Aunt Polly's Apple Cake

This recipe was introduced to me when I was dating my husband. It was a favorite dessert made by his mom for both camping trips and company dinners. A dense, moist cake --- it is favored every time!

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup oil
3 eggs or egg substitute
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup nuts
1 cup coconut
3 cups diced raw apples

Beat sugar, oil, eggs, and vailla for 3 minutes. In another bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Fold flour into sugar mixture with a spatula. Add nuts, coconut, and apples, folding carefully. Bake in a tube pan for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F.

* may substitute liquid natural sweetener for sugar; reduce by half.
**cake is still delicious if oil in recipe is cut in half.

Puffy Apple Tarts

This recipe is one adapted from one of my favorite cookbook authors. Once I was blessed to be able to attend one of her cooking classes --- such fun! She was as nice in person as I expected she'd be.

4 cups Fuji apples, peeled, cored, sliced and chopped
1 cup apple juice, unsweetened
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Sucanat
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. apple juice or water
2 boxes (17.3 ounces each) Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets

In a medium saucepan, bring the apples and 1 cup juice to a low boil and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, vanilla, Sucanat and maple syrup.

In a separate cup dissolve the cornstarch and liquid. Add to above boiling mixture ad stir until thickened. Remove from heat. Thaw and carefully remove pastry sheets from the first box. Keep them refrigerated until 15 minutes before use, or they become too sticky to work with.

Lightly flour a large cutting board or cutting surface and a cookie sheet or baking stone. Open first sheet of pastry onto floured surface. Spread with half of the apple filling to 1/2 inch from edges. Top with remaining pastry sheet.

Using a 2 1/2 inch ravioli press, cut out 9 squares. Using a paring knife, cut around the edges of the press to help make the cuts all the way through the dough.

Gently remove the squares and place them on your floured baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. It is not necessary for the tartlets to be sealed.

Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until nicely puffed and brown.

Repeat above procedure with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

Apple Burritos

This is something great to make ahead and keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve. A sweet and healthy 'fruit burrito', a delicious sauce adds moisture and even more flavor.

8 apples, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. maple flavoring
6 tortillas
1 3/4 cups plus 1/4 cup apple juice
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
toasted coconut

In a large saucepan, add apples, water, raisins, walnuts, vanilla, and maple flavoring. Cook over medium heat until apples are softened.

Fill tortillas with apple mixture and roll up. Place filled burritos in a casserole dish, seam side down. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 3/4 cups apple juice and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil.

In a measuring cup combine 1/4 cup apple juice and arrowroot or cornstarch Add to heated juice in saucepan. Reduce heat to simmer and stir constantly until thickened.

Pour sauce over burritos and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle toasted coconut over top just before serving, if desired.

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The Schnauzer table runner was made by my mom in honor of our dog family --- Libby, Fiddlesticks, Jetta, Raspberi, Coco, and Tia. I know, they look like Scotties --- but we pretend.