Gluten Free Pancakes

These pancakes taste even better if you make them the night before and let the flours soak overnight. Gluten free pancakes tend to taste a little grainy compared to the regular ones. Allowing the mix to sit in the fridge overnight helps the grains to soften up and taste more like regular pancakes.

Ingredients:

2 tsp ground flax meal

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup arrow root starch

1/4 cup brown rice flour

Optional* 1 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 eggs separated

2/3 cup kefir or buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla

5 tbsp butter melted and cooled slightly

2 tbsp honey or sugar (I used coconut sugar)

Preheat a skillet to medium heat.

Mix all dry ingredients well in a large bowl. 

Mix egg yolks with kefir and vanilla in a small bowl. 

Separately, whip egg whites with a whisk until frothy. 

Add yolk mixture to dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add honey and butter, mix well. Next, blend in egg whites until fully mixed. 

Add about a tsp of coconut oil or butter to preheated skillet. Scoop or ladle about 1/4 cup of mixture at a time, allowing it to brown a few minutes before flipping. When it is ready to flip,  you will see bubbles starting to form around the edges, as shown in the picture below. The second side should only take about 1 to 2 minutes before ready. Enjoy!

Scrambled Eggs, Veggie Style

Add some spice to your morning routine! We are trying to incorporate veggies into all our meals and this is a great way to start off your day with them. Of course, you could try different veggies. This is just one example how you can add veggies to breakfast.

Ingredients
6 eggs
4 tbsp milk or water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Start off by preheating a cast iron skillet or other skillet to medium heat.
In a medium size bowl, about 4 tbsp water or milk and eggs. Whisk well.
Add the sun dried tomatoes and olive oil to skillet. Allow them to heat about 30 seconds and then add eggs. Stir eggs as they cook. Once almost cooked, add chopped spinach and mix well. Remove from heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Sharing Homemade Tiramisu with my Lovely Sister!

I made a yummy gluten free Tiramisu this week and was able to share it with my sister. Desserts are even better when you can share them with the people you love!
This is a very easy recipe to make. But, it does require espresso, which gives it a rich flavor. Since I don't have a good espresso maker, I found myself at Starbucks asking for 10 shots of espresso.. hehe!
Tiramisu happens to be a dessert that both my sister and I love, and we were happy to indulge in this one since we both eat gluten free. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
*And of course, you could use regular lady fingers if you do not eat gluten free.

One taste of Hazelnut coffee and she's hooked! It's even more delicious when paired with Tiramisu!

Good until the last bite! 

A special thanks to my sister for being my model and enjoying my homemade Tiramisu with me!

Ingredients

1 (5.3 oz) box or 15 gluten free lady fingers 

About 8 or 9 shots espresso (you could use coffee, but it wont have as rich of a flavor!)

2 tsp dark or golden rum

2 1/2 tbsp cane sugar

8 ounce container mascarpone cheese

4 egg yolks

3 tbsp cocoa powder

Pour espresso into a large shallow baking dish to cool. Once cooled, place lady fingers in espresso for about 10 seconds on each side, allowing espresso to soak in. Don't over soak them, as this may cause them to fall apart. Remove and layer half of lady fingers evenly into a smaller, 8 inch baking dish. Set the others aside, out of the espresso.

Blend sugar and egg yolks in a mixer at medium speed for about 5 minutes until pale yellow and thick. Add rum and 1 tbsp espresso. Mix well.

Add half of the mascarpone mixture evenly on top of lady fingers. Sprinkle half of cocoa powder on top evenly. Add the rest of lady fingers on top of cocoa. Add the rest of mascarpone mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle the rest of the cocoa powder on top. Now you have two layers of lady fingers, mascarpone and cocoa powder. It just needs to sit at least 8 hours in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. 

**We tasted ours early and the lady fingers were still crispy. This is how you know it is not ready. The longer it sits, the better it will taste. After one full day, the lady fingers will absorb more flavor and soften. This is when it's best. Enjoy!!

**Caution is suggested in consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, it is recommended that you use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell. 

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Stuffed Bell Peppers

I feel good about posting this recipe since it has many healthy ingredients. Its got plenty of vegetables that are chopped and blended in, brown rice for whole grains, and beef for protein. I also found it easy to prepare, and got some house work done while they baked. If you are short on time, you could chop and prepare the veggies on the day before. This  makes the  total cooking time much shorter.
I also found that what gave this meal a great taste was seasoning and browning/carmelizing the ingredients before stuffing the peppers.
For those who would like a meat-free version, simply saute veggies with some chopped portabella mushrooms for protein(5 grams in 1 cup) and mix with the cooked rice. Baking time may be shorter without meat, watch until golden brown.

Ingredients

Cooked brown rice- made with 1 cup rice and 1 cup water, 1 cup beef broth-use all natural/organic

10 bell peppers in various colors- 9 seeded and tops removed, 1 chopped

5 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 lb carrots, finely chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

1 diced tomato

1 cup finely chopped spinach

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

pepper and salt

Optional- about 1/2 cup of tomato ketchup or tomato sauce to top peppers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add bell peppers and about 2 tsp salt. Boil for around 3 minutes. Stir with a spoon, making sure they are completely submerged. Flesh should be slightly softened and colors bright. Depending on how big the pot is, you may have to do a couple of batches if they do not all fit. Drain and set aside to cool.

Heat a large skillet at medium high heat. Add oil and onions and saute until tender. Add the one chopped bell pepper, carrots and garlic and continue cooking until tender. Remove from skillet and add to a large bowl.  

Season beef with salt and pepper. Put the beef in the skillet at medium high heat and brown until almost cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Add spinach, parsley, tomatoes, and cooked rice to bowl with onions and carrots. Gently mix. Season with oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.  Next  add in beef.  Now, all ingredients are in one bowl. It may be easier to put on gloves and mix with your hands at this point.

Once all ingredients are mixed, drizzle about 1 tsp of olive oil inside peppers and fill peppers with beef mixture. Add 1/4 cup of water to a baking dish and arrange peppers in it( you may need more than one dish). Optional- you may put 1-2 tsp of tomato ketchup or tomato sauce on top of each stuffed pepper. Bake 40 to 50 minutes until the internal temperature reaches about 160 degrees.

Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Good Morning! These sweet muffins make a perfect morning snack! They are light and have a nice aroma of cinnamon and sweet apple taste. There are options listed to add a little more health- added carrots or raisins if you would like. Sometimes simple is better, and that's how we enjoy these muffins !

Ingredients
1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar- (We use coconut sugar, but you can use regular sugar here)
Optional- 1/2 cup natural brown sugar (not needed if using coconut sugar)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter (melt half way and stir well so its not too hot)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 green apple, cored, peeled and diced into small pieces
1/4 cup dried shredded unsweetened coconut

Optional:
1/2 cup chopped nuts- walnuts or pecans are good in this recipe
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, brown sugar if using, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Break up any lumps.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture, stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix. Add apples and coconut. (you may now add nuts, carrots or raisins if using). Again, stir gently and carefully not to over mix.
Spoon batter into about 12-16 lined muffin cups(depending on if you add optional ingredients) until 2/3 full. Bake 25- 30 minutes until fully cooked. Toothpick should come out clean.