Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

"I see the pancakes." you say, "NOW GIVE ME THE COOKIES."

Well, I understand your confusion. You've never had one of these pancakes before.

Seriously, these guys taste so much like real oatmeal cookies. There's some kind of wonderful magic in oats that I've discovered since going gluten free. You can either get Gluten Free Oat Flour or if you aren't that concerned about small amounts of gluten (or if you aren't even gluten free at all!) you can just grind up some oats in the food processor to use as your flour. 

To make them even more oatmeal cookie-ish, you can add some whole oats, chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, etc. Pretty much anything you would put in an oatmeal cookie would be great.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

(Makes about 5 pancakes)

1 cup oat flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk (I used coconut milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
 Optional add-ins: whole oats, chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, nuts, etc. 

Stir together the oat flour, cinnamon, sugar, baking powder, corn starch and salt.
Beat the egg with the oil, milk, and vanilla and then add to the dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in any add-ins.
Lightly grease a skillet and wipe off extra grease with a paper towel (you shouldn't have to grease between pancakes either. This Helps them to brown more evenly and beautifully. Heat the skillet on about medium heat.
Fry pancakes until the bubbles pop on the top and then flip and cook until done.

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Candied Pecan Berry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Today, I'm bringing you a lovely, rainbowy, salad that I posted on the other blog. We always add cream cheese so it's not dairy free, but you could easily swap out the cream cheese for some grilled chicken for a proteinous meal. Enjoy.

 

Candied Pecan Berry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Other variations on this salad: You can use any combination of nuts, fruit, and cheese that you want. Sometimes I use mandarin oranges and cashews, sometimes I use apples and walnuts, you could use soft goat cheese, blue cheese, or feta cheese instead of cream cheese, you could add chicken or bacon, just be creative!

1 cup pecans
1/4 cup  brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
kosher salt
Romaine lettuce 8 oz. (I used two really small stalks)
Sliced strawberries, about a cup
Blueberries, about 1/2 pint
About 1/4 of a big red onion
4 oz. cream cheese (leave out for dairy free)
Poppyseed Dressing (recipe below)

Grease a piece of parchment or wax paper and set aside. In a large pan (I use non-stick) combine the pecans, brown sugar, and butter. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the sugar is pretty much melted into a syrup (it doesn't have to be completely melted if you don't want it to be). Spread onto prepared parchment paper and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Cut up the lettuce, onion, and cream cheese (if using). To cut the cream cheese into chunks, you'll want to use a big, sharp knife and wet it between slices. If you're having trouble, you can always just pull it into chunks.
Layer the lettuce, berries, nuts, onion, and cream cheese. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

For the Dressing:

1/2 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar (I usually use apple cider vinegar, but you can also use white vinegar)
1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard

Whisk well.

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Thai Peanut Chex Mix

Hey guys. I made this Chex mix for the other blog. The wasabi peas have gluten in them, but you can definitely leave them out and use gluten free pretzels if you want. Find the recipe here.

Shrimp Sushi

 So I just posted some sushi on the other blog. Sadly the seafood salad I used to fill those was loaded with gluten and dairy so I decided to make some with shrimp.

This is kind of a play off of a California roll since it has an avocado, but I unfortunately had no crab meat to use.

Shrimp is cool too though.

To make your sushi you're going to need some nori (aka sheets of seaweed... don't freak out)

You'll also want some wasabi to dip your sushi in. It comes in a powder and you just add water. It's very strong so you don't need a lot. 

You'll also need some sushi rice. It has to be SUSHI rice or it won't be sticky enough. 

Place your nori on a bamboo sushi mat and cover about 2/3 with rice. 



Add your shrimp and avocado and roll it up. 

Make sure you have a nice, firm log.

If you want to you can make a little hole with your pinky...

And stick in a shrimp tail. Like so:

Shrimp Sushi

1 1/2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
About 4 sheets of nori
1 avocado, cut into long thin slices and tossed with a little lemon juice to prevent browning
About 16 big cooked shrimps, tails removed (leave some meat on the tail when you cut it off)
Wasabi and soy sauce for serving 

Bring the rice and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the vinegar, sugar, and salt.

Lay a sheet of nori on your mat. Place some rice onto about 2/3 of the nori and press with damp fingers until about 1/2 inch thick. Line a thin strip of shrimp along with some avocado in the middle of the rice.

Using your mat, roll into a log and seal tightly. Cut with a serrated knife. Repeat with more nori until you're out of rice. Make a little whole in each sushi and stick in the tail. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce

Homemade Chocolate Covered Coconut Marshmallows

 

Hey guys. Guess what. I just posted these over on Yammie's Noshery and I just realized that they're actually gluten free. You're welcome.

Homemade Coconut Marshmallows 

2 packets (4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1/4 cup coconut milk 

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup corn syrup

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the gelatin, extracts, coconut milk, and salt. Let this rest while you cook the sugar.

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook over about medium high heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches 238ºF. 

Pour the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture as you beat it. Beat for about 10 minutes. Pour into greased 8x8 inch pan (it will be very sticky, so don't worry about scraping the bowl unless you want spiderwebs of marshmallow all over your life). Allow to set until firm (maybe about an hour or something). Cut into squares (or cut with small cookie cutters) and toss in a little more powdered sugar. Dip in melted chocolate and toasted coconut if you want.

Gluten Free Flour Tortillas

Greetings my fellow gluten feeders! I have for you today a new recipe for gluten free flour tortillas. They're pretty much the easiest form of bread to make in the whole wide world and they're great for everything from tacos and quesadillas to egg salad. Plus, unlike other gluten free tortillas, these do not break, crack, or crumble.

First you just make your dough. I was making a double or quadruple batch or something here, so ignore the quantity.

The dough should be soft, not sticky.



Roll it out nice and thin on a surface lightly dusted with corn starch or tapioca flour. If you have one of these nifty lifter things, that's a plus.



I think it's called a cake lifter, though I would never try lifting a cake with that.

Your tortilla will now be thin and floppy.



So you shall flop it right onto a hot, ungreased pan.

Once it starts bubbling, flip it. Then when the other side has some nice brown spots, it's done.

Now you have tortillas that are bendable...

 

 
...and tear just like a regular tortilla.

I was gonna say they're tearable, but, well... that sounds terrible.

Gluten Free Flour Tortillas
Makes about 5 big tortialls

1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup water

Mix together the rice flours, tapioca flour, white sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Mix in the shortening with your fingers until well combined. Add the water and mix well. If the mixture is still dry, add a little more water. Heat an ungreased skilled on medium-high heat. Roll out tortillas and cook each one on the hot pan until it begins to bubble. Then flip it and cook until the bottom has some brown spots. They're the best if you stack them on top of each other as they come out (this softens them up a bit). You can also throw a slightly damp towel over the top one. These keep pretty well in a plastic bag in the cupboard. 

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Gluten Free Hostess Cupcakes

Whether you've been missing Hostess since they went bankrupt or since you've gone gluten free, you're sure to love this new and improved GF version.

And don't tell the folks over at Yammie's Noshery, but I actually made theirs gluten free too. They'll never know the difference.

Hostess Cupcake Copycat

For the Cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour mix
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup soft butter (or lard, my sister swears it makes it way more moist)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup brewed, cooled coffee or water
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and sugar. Add the butter or lard and mix for about a minute. Add the oil and continue mixing until the mixture looks like wet sand. Combine the milk, coffee or water, and vanilla and add all at once. Beat for about 30 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Fill tins 1/2 full. Bake about 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen (I think).

For the Filling:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter (or use a whole cup of shortening if you want it to be dairy free)
6  cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup coconut milk

Beat together the butter and shortening until smooth. Alternately add powdered sugar and coconut milk. Beat until fluffy.

For the Chocolate Glaze:
1/2 cup butter (or non-dairy butter or shortening)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 cups powdered sugar

Melt together the butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until melted. Stir in the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix until smooth.

Assembly: Cool cupcakes completely. Pipe the filling into the cupcakes with a long skinny cake tip (mine is a Wilton 230). Fill just until the top looks like it's about to crack. Peel off the cupcake liners and dip each cupcake into the glaze. Pipe the a swirl of the filling onto each cupcake using the same tip.

(Cupcakes based on King Arthur Flour)