Banana Pancakes

Lately, I've been trying to reduce my calorie intake while still staying satiated.  A lot of overnight oats, low-carb high-protein muffins, and eggs.  I prefer the eating style of many small meals/snacks throughout the day (What? I like variety!) rather than 3 big meals--it helps me keep things in check and satisfy my desire for many tastes.  But this leads to not being able to partake in some of my favorite breakfast indulgences (I would kill for a full English brekkie one of these days).

Sometimes, though, you just want something.

It's been months since I've had pancakes.  I just..haven't let myself make them, which I guess is a good thing, because for a while there I was just baking up a storm constantly.  Pancakes would have just added to the torrential carb downpour :P.

Those of you in the paleo/gluten free/low carb world know the pain of flat, sad pancakes that barely hold together on the pan, let alone once they're on the plate and covered in your choice of syrup, fruit, nut butter, or what-have-you.  Not only am I tired of eating those kinds of pancakes, but I'm tired of serving them to my disappointed friends and family.  I feel like it's an insult to the glory that is delicious stacks of pan-baked comforting goodness that pancakes should be.

I delved into my new-found baking knowledge and decided to pull out the ingredients I have found most helpful in the last year, and I did it.  I made the fluffy paleo pancake that doesn't involve a million eggs, cheese, or coconut flour.  (Don't get me wrong, I love coconut flour...for some things.  But its texture and flavor often overtakes and puts me off.)

Are they low carb?  ...kind of?

Each serving of 3-ish pancakes has 21g net carbs.  I mean, we all know that's mostly the banana.  But it's worth it to me.  'Cause bananas are delicious.

Also, as with all things MyFitnessPal, I take some of these "facts" with a grain of salt.  It did, in the beginning, tell me that 2 bananas had over 2000 calories.

The recipe is as follows:

Dry:

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 cup arrowroot starch (or your starch of choice--you could also use tapioca to keep it paleo)

2 T ground flax meal

1 t psyllium husk powder

1 scoop unflavored whey protein (could also use vanilla)

1/2 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

Pinch of salt and cinnamon

Wet:

2 medium overripe bananas

2 egg whites

2 eggs

Optional: sweetener to your taste

Combine all dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined.

Add bananas and pulse until mixed in, then add eggs.  Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, to allow the psyllium powder and flax to "gel".

Ladle onto a medium-hot griddle and cook until bubbles are popping in the center of the pancakes.  Flip and cook for one minute more.

Makes about 8 "normal" sized pancakes.

Serve immediately with your choice of toppings!  Maybe a little bacon on the side, too...

Vegetarian Moussaka

Moussaka is essentially the Greek lasagna--there are thousands of recipes for it, and everyone says theirs is the right one.  I learned recently that the "traditional" topping may not be a bechamel sauce, but a yogurt mixture, which sounded great to me!  So I decided to try it out!  I actually prefer the flavor to the bechamel, and it feels a bit more, I don't know, nutritious.

I love moussaka, and my mom requested it this week, but I wasn't feeling a heavy meat-filled meal.  So, we did a vegetarian version with lentils, which came out delightfully!  Even better the next day!

Ingredients:

500 grams eggplant, thinly sliced (about one LARGE eggplant, or two small ones/2 lb.)
250 grams zucchini, thinly sliced (about two medium/1 lb. zucchini)
250 grams Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced (about 2 medium/1 lb. potatoes)
2-3 T. olive oil

Filling:
1 cup cooked lentils
2 carrots, diced
2 stalk of celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 T. cider vinegar
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. gluten-free soy sauce
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. fennel seeds
14 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
Salt & pepper to taste

About 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Topping:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
Pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon
1 t. fresh thyme leaves
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Toss your eggplant and zucchini slices in a large bowl with some salt.  Allow to sit and sweat out their water for at least 30 minutes.  Rinse and pat dry on a few layers of paper towels.

Toss eggplant, potatoes, and zucchini in olive oil until lightly coated.  Preheat your broiler and place a rack on the highest slot.  Spread the vegetables over a few foil-lined cookie sheets, in single layers, and broil for 5-10 minutes, until lightly browned on top and tender.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Now preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large, lidded skillet, heat 1 T. oil over medium heat.  Saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until cooked through and lightly browned.  Add in your spices and allow them to "bloom" (i.e. until you can REALLY smell them), about 2 minutes.  Toss in the lentils, vinegar, sauces, and tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and partially cover the pan.  Cook until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is thick and pasty (30 min. to an hour).  Taste and correct seasonings to your liking.

Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 inch glass/ceramic baking pan.

Arrange 1/3 of your vegetables in the bottom of the pan in the order of:  eggplant, potatoes, zucchini.  Spread half of the lentil filling mixture over this, and top with half of the feta.  Repeat.  Then, for the last layer, reverse the vegetable order (zucchini, potatoes, eggplant) and you are done assembling!    Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.

While that's baking, in a food processor, combine the topping ingredients until smooth.  Once the first bake is finished, remove the moussaka from the oven and remove the foil.  Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.  Spread the yogurt mixture over the top of the dish and place back in the oven, uncovered.  Bake for 30 minutes more, until the top is lightly browned and the sides are bubbling.

Enjoy alone, or with a lovely Greek salad!

Banana Bread Pancakes

I don't post many breakfast recipes because I'm always looking to recreate that perfect gluten-y pancake, without the gluten of course.  So far, I haven't quite found it.  Every time I think I have, it never works twice.

That being said, I really like these.  We always have overripe bananas on hand, and who doesn't love banana bread?  They're not too sweet, the texture is great, and they're pretty hearty as well.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I like to use half oat flour (oats pulsed into a flour in a processor) and half sorghum blend)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. sugar
2 T. canola oil
2 eggs
1 overripe banana, mashed
1/4-1/2 cup milk (cow, plant, whatever)

Instructions:

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

In another bowl, combine eggs, banana, and oil.  Mix into the dry mixture.

Add milk to the batter until it reaches a pancake-batter consistency (this will vary depending on your flours, so add as much as you need).

Cook on a heated griddle, until the edges are golden brown and air bubbles are popping in the center of the pancake.  Flip over and cook for 2 minutes more.

Of course, you need the bacon as well.  Duh.

Serve immediately with maple syrup, butter, and lots of fruit!  This makes 8-10 pancakes.

Would you like some pancake with your fruit?

Chunky Apple Pie Granola

High protein snacks are what I go for, and who doesn't want some tasty homemade granola on their yogurt every day?

This recipe is super easy, and can be low-sugar, low-fat, AND high-protein with the aid of protein powder.

And it's vegan!

Ingredients:

2 cups GF rolled oats
1/4 cup hemp protein powder (or protein powder of your choice)
3/4 cup nuts of your choice, roughly chopped
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup Splenda (OR 1/4 cup brown sugar)

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. maple syrup

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Mix all wet in a small bowl.

Combine and adjust applesauce/sugars until you get sticky chunks of granola (not too wet!).

Bake in your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring everything around once or twice during baking.

Once done, you can toss in whatever dried fruits you like.  It makes about a quart, and is DELICIOUS.  Store in an airtight container!

Sour-Cream Apple Coffee Cake with Oat Crumble

Sometimes you need a really good, dense coffee cake to satisfy those winter-driven sugar cravings.

And I wanted streusel/crumble on top, so I combined two recipes.

Both are from Carol Fenster's 1000 Gluten-Free Recipes, which I highly recommend, if only for the baked goods recipes.  The rest are kind of blah and can be found readily on blogs throughout the internet.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1/2 cup melted butter/canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. lemon extract (optional)
1 cup sour cream (this can also be swapped out for plain Greek yogurt)
2 cups Carol's sorghum blend (35% sorghum flour, 35% potato starch, 30% tapioca starch)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger (I used fresh)
2 cups diced Granny Smith apples

Crumble:

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup Carol's sorghum blend
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans, but walnuts or almonds can be used as well)
2-3 T. maple syrup
2 T. brown sugar
3-4 T. melted butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter and (gf) flour a springform pan for the cake (this makes cake-removal easier and looks really nice--if you want to use a normal cake pan, just make sure it will all fit).

In a large bowl, mix your oil/butter, eggs, and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add in your sour cream and extracts.  Mix until smooth.

In a separate smaller bowl, mix together all your dry ingredients.  Add them in batches to the wet mixture and mix until combined.

Stir in your diced apples and freshly grated ginger.

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While your cake has begun baking, mix together all the topping ingredients until there are chunks of crumble-topping.  If it's not sticky enough, add more syrup.  If it's too dry, add more butter.  

When your cake has 15 minutes left of bake-time, crumble the topping over the cake and lightly press down.   Don't burn yourself! 

Bake until finished, and allow to cool a bit before popping the sides off of the pan.  

Enjoy!  This is also amazing with a little scoop of ice cream.

Old-Fashioned Sorghum Molasses Drop Cookies

I like these gluten-free cookies because they don't require three or four different kinds of gluten-free flour in the recipe, just one!  And they are delightfully chewy, like gingersnaps, only a bit less ginger.

I pulled this out of 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Fenster--if you're gluten-intolerant/celiac/allergic, I highly recommend it!  Everything I've made out of it is fantastic.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened/room temperature
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1/4 t. vanilla extract
2 cups sorghum flour
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. xanthan gum
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 T. granulated sugar (for rolling)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper/another non-stick element.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth.  Add in the egg and beat until combined.  Do the same with the molasses and the vanilla.

In another small bowl, combine the sorghum flour, cinnamon, ginger, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.

Add it in batches to the wet mixture, using an electric mixer.

When well-mixed, either immediately make your cookies, or refrigerate the dough until you are ready.

Take a small spoon, scoop out the dough, and roll 1-inch balls of dough between your hands, rolling them in the sugar once formed.

Place them on your baking sheet and flatten them slightly.  You should end up with 24-30 cookies.

Bake in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until they are cracked and golden-brown all over.

Enjoy!

Chunky Beefy Pumpkin Chili

It's fall, and that means sometimes we need some delicious stick-to-your-ribs, hearty food.  Chili is one of my favorite things--it is so healthy for you, and yet so tasty and satisfying!

This makes a TON of chili.  I froze half of it.  So cut the recipe in half if you want.

I'm trying to write this up from memory.  I apologize if I miss something!

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-inch knob of ginger, minced or grated
2 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2.5-3 lb beef roast (mine was shoulder), cut into 1-inch cubes
1-2 T. chili powder (to your preference)
1 T. cumin
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
3-4 cups chopped or whole tomatoes (this is approximate, use to your taste)
2 T. tomato paste
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 15 oz. cans of beans of your choice (I used kidney and black)
2 cups fresh pumpkin, chopped into 1-inch cubes
Salt to taste (at least 1 t.)

Instructions:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Add the onions and saute until translucent.  Add in the garlic and ginger, chipotles, and bell pepper, and saute for a few more minutes, until fragrant.

Toss in the beef cubes and cook everything until the beef is browned.

Add in the spices, and saute for a minute or two (let the spices bloom!).

Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, pumpkin puree, and beans.  Bring to a simmer and cover, cooking for 20-30 minutes or until the beef is tender and cooked-through.

About 20-30 minutes before serving, add in your fresh pumpkin chunks, and cook until tender.

Taste and correct any seasoning and add salt.

Serve hot with your choice of toppings!  This is also fantastic leftover.



NOTE:  You could easily make this vegetarian/vegan by removing the beef.  Also, I think subbing sweet potato or another squash for the pumpkin would 100% work.  All of this could also be tossed into a slow-cooker and allowed to cook all day/night!

Mulled Apple Cider (Booze Optional)

Something simple and warming for these cool/cold fall nights!

Ingredients:

6 cups unpasteurized apple cider (or, you know, whatever you can find)
10-15 whole cloves
4 3" cinnamon stick (my store has 3 or 6", so I thought I'd specify)
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 1" knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 orange, halved, and zest sliced off in thick chunks
3/4 cup of rum (or, you know, to your taste/boozy preference) (optional)

Instructions:

Combine everything together in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Strain into a pitcher/bowl.

Serve hot!