Basic Gluten Free Pancakes Recipe 2.0

I originally shared this post  for basic gluten free pancakes on Tuesday February 23, 2010.  I'm proud to say this has been one of the most popular & enjoyed recipes on Gingerlemongirl! (Thanks Dad!) Today though I wanted to share a slight variation on the recipe to thicken the batter slightly without the use of gums.

Shauna over at Gluten Free Girl & The Chef has recently been experimenting with recipes that use no xanthan gum or guar gum. Here is her recent recipe for gluten free whole grain gum-free muffins! I plan on making these this week.  In 2008 and 2009 I also experimented with using little or no gums and I agree with Shauna, I think for most gluten free recipes you don't need them. I plan on creating more recipes this year without xanthan or guar gums. The biggest challenge in not using xanthan gum or guar gum is creating good tasting gluten free yeast breads, but we'll worry about that another day.

For now though... let's talk pancakes. These pancakes are great as is... but a question I've received often is how to make the batter a bit more thick. It's a thin batter because there is no xanthan gum or gluten to thicken it up. However, you can easily make this batter a bit more thick (and make pancakes just as delicious) by adding ground flax seeds that have been mixed with boiling, hot water to create a gel. This will thicken your batter -- not as much as xanthan gum would -- but enough to make a thicker batter that works great to get pancakes that are more round and have a better shape.



So if you tried these pancakes in the past, but wanted a thicker batter, here you go. The same recipe with a single addition of the ground flax seeds mixture. Please give these delicious & easy gluten free pancakes a try and tell me what you think!


Dad's Best Pancakes (Made Gluten Free)
-Or- Basic Gluten Free Pancakes
Adapted by Carrie Forbes @ Gingerlemongirl.com
(Free of gluten, casien, and soy)
(Printer-friendly recipe)

Dry Ingredients
3/4 cup brown rice flour -or- millet flour -or- sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
3 tablespoons gluten free rolled oats -- really adds some great thickness to the batter 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds + 2 tbsp. boiling hot water = mix & set aside for 5 min. to gel - then add to wet ingredients.

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl add all dry ingredients and whisk together thoroughly. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the vanilla, an egg, 1 cup of non-dairy milk, and the oil. Whisk wet ingredients together with dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed. You will have a very wet, but slightly thick batter that will cling to the whisk. Brush skillet or non-stick pan with olive oil or non-stick spray. Heat pan on medium high heat until it's hot enough to make a drop of water sizzle. Pour a few tablespoons - 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the top and pop and the edges are slightly dry. Flip and cook the opposite side for 1-2 minutes. Serve piping hot with casein free margarine or ghee and real maple syrup!

Enjoy!

Thoughtfully,
Carrie

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Weekend Setbacks

2008 Flashback

January 19, 2008 - Gluten Free Crescent Rolls

As you know I've been monitoring my food intake very closely lately. I've been journaling, writing down what I eat along with just being much more conscious about my food choices. (And not eating those awesome gluten free crescent rolls! If anybody figures out how to successfully make them dairy free you have to let me know!)

I had a wonderful weekend visiting family. The only downfall was my food choices. Actually it wasn't the choices, but the portions. It's amazing how quickly I want to revert back to large portions if I'm not actually writing down what I'm eating. Emotional eating can quickly follow.

So back to the basics this week. Portion sizes in check. Last week I found these really cute lunch boxes online and I purchased a set. It's similar to a bento type lunch, but it's all one container which is really convenient! Today's lunch was brought in the cute lunch box. Somehow packed lunches seem much more appetizing when they are in cute containers. Yes?

Setbacks are frustrating for me. I want to beat myself up. I get frustrated that I don't see immediate results when I drastically change my eating habits. And these feelings often revert back to emotional eating... which can revert to messy counters... which can revert to eating out. It's one big messy cycle.

Yet even though I do have a few dishes in the sink today (and really it is only a few -- much better record than before), and even though I just went through a few days of emotional eating... I'm jumping back on track today.

How do you handle food/activity/emotional setbacks?

Thoughtfully,
Carrie

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My Previous Post in One Photo:

Resistance is not only futile - it'll screw up your mind grapes.

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Like An Animal

 A couple of comments on the last post inspired me to further my explanation of the fundamental mind-shift I am pursuing personally. I responded in the comments, and want to add to those points here:

I always had a good attitude toward food. I always enjoyed fresh fruit & veg, loved meat, and treated junk food as occasional indulgences, but never really thought about it. Going low-carb, then primal, then carnivore, and eventually paleo - that's what screwed up my attitude towards food and, most of all, my body. Exercising 'mindful eating' immediately makes you over-think eating. Just eat real food, and your body will stop you when you've had enough. Counting anything will mess you up. I sure learned that the hard way.

So much of the primal/paleo movement revolves around humanity's return to earlier states of civilisation - even pre-civilisation - when it comes to how we eat and live. We're not eschewing the creature comforts of housing, electricity, transport, etc - the only area we really concentrate on is food. Yet, we seem to pursue this return to an animal, natural state in such an unnatural way.

Every pet I've ever had, growing up, was given big bowls of food, which were topped up as needed. There were usually a few animals living with us at any one time, yet there was always left-over food in the bowl. There was more than enough for everyone. The pets ate when they were hungry. They knew food was always there. They didn't overeat. They didn't eat as much as possible in case food was not going to be available later - they knew it would be.

We live in the exact same situation, and yet we spend so much energy over-thinking food. We use food as a crutch for when we are stressed, bored, stuck for something to say, etc. Whilst many health ills do come from eating the wrong kind of food - no one debates that living on refined carbs is unhealthy - most of us have enough money to ensure we can access and store a wider range of foods. We're not forced to subsist on the refined carbs that result in insulin resistance and physiological hunger. If you are eating meat, eggs, fruit & vegetables, but find yourself craving doughnuts, then the issue is more likely to be psychological. Even if you have a physiological disorder such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc, and you need to take care with what you eat, you should not find your life revolving around food. I know people with severe food allergies who are more relaxed around food than I have been!

The attitude of being "strict" is a signal of neuroticism. A success/fail attitude is unnatural. Dieting does not make sense if it involves actively monitoring your food intake, actively denying yourself foods that your mind obsesses over. There's nothing natural about pushing yourself to do something your body doesn't want you to do. There may need to be a mind-shift to find yourself actually craving healthy foods, but if you're forcing yourself to be strict and dieting, you usually find yourself craving junk. There's a hint that something's wrong.

I'm not really saying that the individual is in the wrong; we're just products of this weight-focused culture. So few of us eat naturally - the media and societal-pressures consistently reinforce the idea that we're WRONG - the wrong size, eating the wrong food, thinking the wrong thoughts. Existing like animals is derided.

The primal/paleo movement is all about getting back to our natural lifestyles as evolution dictated, and yet we end up going further away from nature and into dark places of restriction and self-disgust when we make "mistakes", or covering our psychological issues with food in the guise that it's fine because it's paleo! Sites like PaleoHacks have certainly enhanced that perfectionist/neurotic attitude. Gosh, even Richard Nikoley of "Free The Animal" seems to be rapidly reversing the mind-set proclaimed by his blog's title, although he is still much more relaxed (I hope) than many other paleo endorsers out there. Hopefully as the hype passes, that attitude will recede and those of us who believe in evolutionary nutrition and medicine will find the groove of natural eating behaviours along with a relaxed lifestyle.

I'm not putting food up on a pedestal, like the vegetarian who dreams about bacon just because they won't let themselves eat it. Animals don't do that. Damaged, neurotic humans do. I can eat whatever I want. I desire healthy, nourishing foods because they give me energy and make my systems run smoothly. Sometimes I crave junkier food, and I'm permitting myself to satisfy that craving. Sometimes I feel fine after it, sometimes I feel a bit sick, but I never feel guilty. I am aiming to eat like an animal - food is there, and I eat it if I need it.

I aim to live like an animal as well - Mark Sisson advises us to play, to avoid poisonous things, to get enough sun, to avoid stress... My pets do all of this. I can too. I had been trying to off-set work stresses with relaxation activities like massages and sunbathing. I'm starting to think that this is the wrong mind-set as well - but there will be more about that as time goes on. In the meantime, I am spending time making and selling jewellery, and am also starting a new vocal group. These activities are my pleasures, and - if I wanted to - they could also be my primary sources of income. I do not find them stressful, or the minor stresses are far outweighed by the pleasure and relaxation associated with the activities. With two weeks left before teaching resumes, I will be living like an animal as much as possible. After teaching resumes, I will see whether the stressors outweigh the pleasures. If so, I might have some decisions to make...

I am still the Girl Gone Primal, and going primal now means a lot more to me than just following a diet. Maybe I should add a "now with more primality" sticker across my banner :)

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Yoga That Calms

Many people ask me how yoga is different from other exercises, particularly in regards to stress. I mean, when you really think about it, you do wonder at times..."How is it that wrapping my leg over my head, folding forward and twisting all at the same time is supposed to calm me?" The answer is... it CAN'T! Not on it's own anyway.






Doing these things by themselves will only

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Dairy Free Creamy Almond Curry Sauce (dairy free, vegan, raw)

This curry sauce can be made raw or cooked. Both taste great! Try this over veggies, as a soup or if your diet allows, some sprouted brown rice.






Dairy Free Creamy Almond Curry Sauce


Ingredients:



1c almonds, soaked 8 hours or overnight (or sub 1/2c pistachios for 1/2cAlmonds)



1/2 of a med onion diced, for raw sauce choose a sweeter onion like a Vildalia Onion(or try this

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Gluten Free 2-Ingredient Fudge Sauce Recipe

One of my favorite blogs of all time is "Heather Eats Almond Butter." If you're not a fan you should be! Heather's blog is fun and full of simple, easy recipes and she just had a lovely little daughter.

Heather lost weight several years ago and even after having a baby has maintained a healthy weight. She eats almond butter... among other healthy things!

One of the struggles I've had is that I really love healthy fats! Natural almond butter, peanut butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, etc.. you name it and I really love it!

Part of my problem was that I was simply eating too much of it... you can have TOO much of a good thing! Too much of a healthy food!

So if you decide to make this "healthy", dairy free, gluten free chocolate sauce... make sure to keep your portion in check! 1 tablespoon has about 55 calories... and 1 tablespoon is just enough of a treat to add to my morning bowl of 1/2 cup of gluten free cooked rolled oats!

This "not really a recipe" was sort of an accident. Heather, of the above mentioned blog, had a post on a 2 ingredient fudge that she made. She used coconut milk and baking chocolate. BUT... being the "ADD, prone to not paying attention" kind of girl that I am. I didn't fully read the directions. She used 16 oz. of baking chocolate. My chocolate bar was only 4 oz. And therefore, I ended up with a lovely & decadent chocolate SAUCE, rather than a fully formed fudge! And really after figuring out the calories on this delicious concoction... I'm glad I only used 4 oz of chocolate! lol!!

This is not a really sweet fudge sauce since we don't add any sugar, but it's so creamy, rich and delicious! Enjoy!

Gluten Free 2-Ingredient Fudge Sauce Recipe
free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy protein (the chocolate does contain soy lecithin)
makes about 1 1/2 cups of chocolate sauce
that's about 24 tablespoons at roughly 55 calories per tablespoon - so use it sparingly!

1 (12 oz.) can of full fat coconut milk - Native Forest is my fav brand - No sulfites
4 oz. dairy free chocolate - I used 4 oz. of  Lindz 70% chocolate bars

Directions:
Melt the chocolate bar over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the coconut milk and stir consistantly for about 3-4 minutes until the sauce is slowly simmering and is a deep chocolate color. Pour into a glass jar and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. The sauce will be thick enough to hold a spoon upright in the container. Makes 24 servings!  Add a tablespoon to your oatmeal, your ice cream! Enjoy as a treat!

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