Saturday, October 30, 2010

Teff Banana Pancakes

Well here is the second recipe I made at the gluten free event I attended. So many people find pancakes to be a comfort food...and they are. I could eat pancakes every day, that is how much I love them. And there is no one style I like better than others. So when I needed to find one that could satisfy and still be good enough for gluten free folks, I knew I had a challenge in front of me.

Usually I make all my dishes at home before releasing them onto my unsuspecting public, but this was one of those dishes I knew(hopefully) that I would not mess up. It paid off. The recipe was a hit and turned out picture perfect. I think there was one person in the back that cried, for he had not had pancakes in such a long time. So this is for all those folks who have had to give up a very important comfort food.

2T flax seeds, ground
2 bananas, ripe (or ripened, frozen and thawed out)
1&1/2 cups vanilla milk (soy, almond, hemp, rice)
1T vanilla
1T honey
1&1/2 t olive oil
1&1/2 cups teff flour (Teff is a grass grown in Ethiopia)
1T baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t cinnamon
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Grind flax seed (or use pre-ground flax seed, more commonly known as flax meal) in a coffee grinder, until powdery. In a medium bowl add banana, vanilla, milk, honey, and 1/2 oil. Blend well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine teff flour, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon. Stir in banana-milk mixture.

Heat your skillet or griddle to a medium heat. Using tablespoon measure, scoop up the batter and pour on to hot griddle. Cook pancakes for 3-4 minutes, or until holes appear, or a dry rim forms around thee outer edge of the pancakes. Flip and cook for another minute or two. Serve plain or with syrup or yogurt.

These were fantastic and I would be hard pressed for anyone to tell me these were not traditional pancakes. Make them and see for yourself.

Quinoa Tabouleh with Chickpeas

I suddenly realized how long it has been since I posted any new recipes and it is pitiful. this was a dish I found when I was asked to make a couple of dishes about gluten free. I know a little bit about gluten free issues, but not so much so that I could teach a class about it. However, I can talk about cooking.

The lady who puts together the calender at the health food store
I work in asked me to find a dish or two to make at a special event, and this one struck a cord, only because Tabbouleh is such a traditional dish in the Mediterranean diet but is made with cracked wheat. Not good if you are adhering to a gluten free diet. In comes quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). Other than changing the wheat to quinoa, this dish is pretty much like the traditional tabbouleh, but this was oh-so-good. So now, on to the recipe.

1 cup white quinoa, drained and rinsed
1&3/4s water, boiling
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1T lemon juice
1T white wine vinegar
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 cup canned chick peas (make your own whenever possible)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint (or 1/4 cup if mint is dried)(spearmint is preferable)
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Rinse and drain the quinoa. Bring the water and 1/2 t salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, and reduce the heat to low. Cover pan, and simmer until grains are dry, fluffy and tender and the white germ ring shows, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil (olive oil being added last) lemon juice, vinegar, 1/2 t salt and black pepper to taste. Stir into the hot, cooked quinoa(for better absorption flavor). Transfer to a bowl, and let cool. If refrigerating, bring to room temperature before adding thee other ingredients. Combine the tomatoes, green onions, cucumber, chickpeas, parsley, and mint and let stand for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Add to the quinoa and toss gently.

This was a wonderful alternative to the traditional tabbouleh. And can easily be served and for those with gluten issues they can still enjoy the best of both worlds and us traditionalists miss out on nothing.