Gluten Free Pancakes

Gluten Free Pancakes

I found all of these flours at Wegmans grocery store (just in case you were wondering.)  I made fresh butter this morning (which is super simple!),  and I used the leftover buttermilk in my pancakes.  I have used milk substitutes as well with mostly success--soy and almond.  I haven't tried rice milk.

3/4 cups buckwheat flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1 tsp xantham gum
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 cup of fresh buttermilk
3/4 cup of milk
1 heaping T brown sugar
2 farm fresh eggs, beaten
2 T fresh butter, melted

Preheat the pan/skillet with oil on your stove over less than medium heat (you'll have to get a feel for your cooktop.)  Mix all ingredients together lightly (you don't want to overmix pancakes!)  I've found gluten free batters tend to "puff up" as they sit, so in between batches I will use equal parts oil/butter and milk to "water it down" as needed.  Place a scoop on the pan and spread it out some.  Let it cook until you see some bubbles or looks cooked around the edges (or smells burnt....haha.)  Flip it over until it is done!  You can serve it with fresh fruit, real maple syrup, or cinnamon and sugar.  You can also add those things to the batter right in the pan or in the bowl.  Enjoy!

Noodle Soup

I love Chicken Noodle Soup, but there's just one little problem--I don't eat chicken!  Here is my "recipe" for the soup.  Everything is an approximation because you can add more or less of the things that you like!

"Chicken" Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
Egg Noodles (Betty Crocker Cookbook):

• 2 cups of white or whole wheat flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water

Soup:

• chopped Garlic (I used about 2 cloves)
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• Quart of vegetarian vegetable stock, I used organic Swanson
• chopped up vegetables:
  carrots
  celery
  onion
  green pepper
  beans--I used Chinese Noodle Beans
  any other veggies that you like!  Just make sure you try to chop everything the same size so that they cook the same.
• 3/4-1 1/2 cups water
• salt, pepper to taste

Instructions:

Make the noodles earlier in the day so that they have time to dry (at least 2 hours). 

Noodles:

Pour the flour into a medium sized bowl.  Make a well in the flour.  Add the egg yolks, egg, and salt to the flour, and mix well.  Mix in water 1 tablespoon one teaspoon at a time until dough is stiff but easy to roll out.  Divide dough up into 3-4 parts so that it is easier to roll out.  Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it's about paper thin.  I cut my noodles about 1/2 inch wide using a ruler and pizza cutter.  Lay aside on a cloth to dry for at least 2 hours.  

Soup:

Place the onions, any garlic, and olive oil in a medium sized pot on medium heat.  Cook until the onions are tender.  Add the broth, water, and chopped veggies to simmer over medium heat until the veggies are soft, but not falling apart.  Add the noodles and cook for about 5-10 more min.  Add salt or pepper to taste.  Voila!  Your soup is done.  

I chopped everything up further and gave some to Jack...he loved it!

The Best Pickle Ever!

I saw that Tammy posted a pickle recipe, so I thought I would put my favorite up.  I found this recipe on the web as a Claussen type of pickle.  I tweaked it to my taste:

Claussen Pickle Recipe

4 Quart Jars

Ingredients

• ·  Cucumbers to fill the jars
• 1/3 cup instant minced onion
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
•  1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 4-8 heads fresh dill (put 2 small ones or 1 large one in each jar!)
• 1 dried hot pepper for each jar
•  1 1/2 quarts waters
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup canning salt

Directions

1. Slice your cucumbers how you like them (slices, quarters, halves, or just leave them whole!  I've tried them each way and it doesn't seem to make a difference.)  Add the dill and hot pepper with the cucumbers into the jars.
2. Boil liquids and seasonings to dissolve the salt then cool.  
3. Pour the liquid over the pickles and let sit on the counter turning them occasionally for three days.
4. Place in the fridge.  You can do a taste test in a week or two!

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Mmmm...I love curry.  And there is so much variety, and many are vegetarian recipes.  This one is based off a recipe I got out a "Simple Suppers," a Moosewood Cookbook ::love::.  I tweaked it to make it even more nutritious and tasty.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Some chopped up Onions (the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, but I didn't use that much!)
Vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the soup pan
1 1/2 tbs grated peeled ginger root
1 1/2 tbs curry powder
1 t Chinese chili paste (optional: makes it very bite-y!)
1/2 t salt
1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained
1 15 oz can of lentils, drained
1 quart of vegetable broth (or water)
a head of cauliflower ( I used 2 frozen quart bags full)
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (I unfortunately didn't have any, so I put some canned tomato juice in it)

                                "Sambal Oelek"Chili Paste

 I first got all my spices together: curry, ginger, salt, and Chinese chili paste (I also added a little garlic).  Then I coated the bottom of a soup pan with vegetable oil.  I diced up the onion and sauteed it in the soup pan on medium heat.  Once they were soft, I added the spices until it made a nice yellow "sauce," about a minute or two.

 Then I added the chick peas, lentils, and vegetable broth.  Cover and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, cut up the cauliflower into bite sized chunks.  Add the cauliflower and tomatoes, and let cook until they are soft.

My little helper teething on frozen cauliflower!

When the cauliflower is soft, spoon about half the soup into the blender and puree it.  Pour the soup back into the pot, and you're finished!

YUM!