Month: June 2013

Gluten Free (Almost Vegan) Oatmeal Pancakes

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Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes
3 cups gluten free oats
1 cup gluten free flour (all purpose works best but feel free to try whatever you have on hand)
 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp honey, raw sugar, or whatever sweetener you prefer
Pinch of salt
2 cups almond milk
4 tbsp vinegar
2 eggs (or flax eggs)
4 tbsp coconut butter, melted
These pancakes are a spin-off of a recipe my family has been making for a long time now and they are by far the best pancakes I have ever had. But I wanted something a little more baby and vegan friendly. To make these vegan, I would simply substitute the eggs for flax eggs. However, for those of you who don’t know flax is not something men should be eating a lot of as it lowers their testosterone. No, it doesn’t lower it by much, but testosterone decreases with age as it is and it is an important hormone, therefore, I don’t feed it to my husband, and he likes pancakes 😉 hence the eggs in this recipe.
 If you want these completely vegan, the first thing you should do is make your flax eggs by adding 3 tbsp water to 1 tbsp fresh ground flax meal (for one ‘egg”), whisking as you go. Then place them in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (the longer the better) while you mix the rest of the ingredients.
Back to the pancakes! The first thing you want to do is make your ‘buttermilk’ from the almond milk and vinegar. Stir the almond milk and vinegar together and let it thicken while you mix the dry ingredients (about 5+ minutes). From here it is pretty straightforward; throw all the dry ingredients together, and in case you’re wondering a little extra cinnamon never hurt anyone. Add in whatever sweetener you like, then pour in the almond milk and vinegar ‘buttermilk,’ eggs or flax eggs, and then your melted coconut butter. Either using a spatula or hand mixer, mix it up. I use about a 1/4 – 1/3 measuring cup to pour my pancakes dollops on the pan, but whatever works for you! This makes about 7-10 pancakes depending on the size. Serve with fresh strawberries or raw maple syrup for a delicious and healthy breakfast!

Black Bean Lettuce Wraps with Savory Rice and Quinoa

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Yumm!! I love easy, fresh and flavorful summer meals! Follow the recipe below to enjoy these as much as we did!
Black Bean Lettuce Wrap
1 head lettuce of your choice
2 cups black beans, cooked and chilled.
1 avocado
Favorite salsa (homemade recipe featured here)
Handful of sunflower seeds
1 batch of my featured Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Savory Rice and Quinoa
1 cup rice and quinoa blend
1 cup vegetable broth
¾ cup water
½ small onion
2 cloves garlic
Splash of safflower or other oil of your choice
I used the TruRoots brand of Sprouted Rice and Quinoa blend, but you can just as easily use just rice, just quinoa or your own mix of the two; note that this recipe is for a blend of quinoa and rice so the water and cooking directions may not be the same for rice or quinoa alone. Moving on, set a pot with the water and broth to boil. In the mean time, dice the onion and mince the garlic and get them heating in a pan with the oil on low to medium heat. Rinse your rice and quinoa and drain it well, then dump it in the pan with garlic and onion. Sauté it all together until fragrant and once the water is boiling, dump it all in the pot, turn the heat down to low and cover for 25 minutes or until water has been absorbed. While the rice/quinoa is cooking, start prepping your wraps and all of the fixings by following the rest of the directions below. After the 25 minutes are up take it off the heat and let it sit still covered for another ten minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve!

This is a super quick and easy meal with a ton of flavor and texture. Good for lunch or serve it with some rice and quinoa for a clean, fresh dinner! Start by washing your lettuce, you want big, beautiful leaves of whatever your favorite lettuce might be; romaine, butter, even collard leaves are a more adventurous but super nutritious option. Set your lettuce out to dry while you slice up the avocado. From here you just throw it all together. I took a small rubber spatula and spread a good amount of hummus onto my romaine leaf and then piled on some beans. Next I laid 4-5 slices of avocado on top of my beans, spooned a strip of salsa down the middle and sprinkled on the sunflower seeds for some more texture.