Gluten Free Pancakes Recipe Almost Paleo Friendly

Serves: Yields 10-12 4" Pancakes

Ingredients

Dry Stuff

• 1 cup of gluten free all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoons flax
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Wet Stuff

• 200mm cup of Rice Cream (or preferred nondairy sub - we use rice milk)
• 50mm Water to dilute Rice Cream
• 1 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon of honey (mixed with maple syrup and melted briefly in microwave)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Egg (both white & yoke)

Instructions

1. In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together flour, flax, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. I added my rice-cream/water first, only 1/2 cup initially, then mixed, then added 1/4 cup at a time there after to make sure it wasn't too runny;
3. Add vanilla, maple syrup, honey and applesauce;
4. Mix until you get the lumps out of the batter. You don't want it to be too thick or too runny. There's a happy medium and 1 cup of slightly diluted rice cream  should be just about right.
5. Mix in the egg
6. On a heated griddle or pan on your stovetop (medium heat), begin to cook pancakes about a 1/4 cup of the batter for each one.
7. Cook 1-2 minutes until they start to bubble and can edges easily flip. (NOTE: This is a thick mixture and it doesn't bubble as much as milk pancakes.
8. Flip over and cook other side. DO NOT overcook and dry them out. Take of heat as soon as inside is moist but no longer runny.
9. Serve warm with fresh fruit toppings, or freeze for later, or pack them up for lunch!

Pavlova - Traditional & Re-Engineered

Meringue Cake:

• 4 large (120 grams [4.25 oz] ) egg whites Note, no yoke whatsoever!
• 1 cup (300 grams [7 oz] ) superfine (castor) sugar
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)
  
• 1/2 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract or substitute a little vanilla sugar for castor sugar

Topping:

• 1 cup (240 ml [8 oz] ) heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams [0.7 oz]) granulated white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Options:

Traditional (the way mum used to make them before she became ill):

• Fresh fruit
  
• kiwi
  
• strawberries
  
• raspberries
  
• blackberries
  
• passion fruit
  
• peaches
  
• pineapple
  
• or other fruit of your choice
  

Myk's version:

• Caramel sauce
  
• Chocolate sauce
  
• Grated chocolate
  

Preheat oven to 130 degrees C [250F] and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 18CM [7 inch] circle on the paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in.

Gently spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.)

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the outside is dry and takes on a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)

The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.

Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours.

Serves 6 to 8.

Steamed / Baked Salmon with Ginger, Yoghurt and Lemon.

This is my new favorite meal. Once again it is the result of an experiment.

I'll be back soon with the recipe.

Picky Eater Proof Pea & Ham Soup (and vegies…shhhhh!)

48 out of 49 kids give thumbs up!
(49/49 if you count the bribe)

I am not sure if this is my most requested or my most pushed recipe. (Pushed meaning I cook it assuming that it would have been requested had I given the eaters the opportunity to choose :)

We first realized that we were on to something when A&H came over for dinner one cold Finnish night. We had my Pea & Ham Soup the night before and had lots left over. A&H have two boys, rather than "wasting" the expensive baked salmon that I had prepared for the grown-ups, we served the boys and our Princess-I the leftover soup. The kids scoffed it down with delight. The youngest didn't finish everything so H decided she'd finish off her son's the last few spoonfuls. "A" tried it too; they both had seconds and said it was the best they’d had…. Then we had the salmon.

When I arrived back in Iowa I had D&S over for dinner with their three great boys. Their youngest "J" (all three are Js actually) is a very, very picky eater. He ate all of his soup.

On Sept 28 '08 my princess brought her best friend "E" home for dinner. E, is full of laughter and joy, a real pleasure to have around. But, she is bar none the pickiest eater I have ever encountered. I knew this would be the biggest test so out came the soup. Princess-I ate all of hers with nice manners and really enjoyed it. E obviously didn't want to hurt my feelings, by saying that the dish horrified her (low risk as she only speaks Finnish and I don't); she sat politely at the table with a teaspoon full of P&H soup in her hand for twenty minutes! I kid you not , in that time she must have smelled that cold wet blob on her spoon every sixty seconds. My heart was broken, my 100% run rate was at risk so I placed a shiny €1.00 coin on the table before her. Princess-I translated for me: "If you finish his soup you can keep it”. It took another 10 minutes, but she did it!

Enough of my yarns, here’s the recipe:

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8-12 hours

YOU NEED A CROCK POT FOR THIS! And unfortunately my Finnish freinds, they don't seem to be available here. I had mine sent by a friend in the UK.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham (or food processor it even smaller)
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups of dry split peas
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery with leaves
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 400 grams of frozen cauliflower (Trojan horse veggies for kids)
• 400 grams of frozen broccoli
• 2-4 teaspoons of curry (or more)

Myk's tip: Celery doesn't come in "small". Avoid waste, cut it up into cup size lots, wrap each lot separately in glad wrap and freeze. Use them later on for other soups (not good for anything else after freezing.

I think the curry is the most important ingredient. One day I just threw it in to see what would happen; we haven't gone without it since. I haven’t seen another P&H soup recipe with curry, but it is unanimously agreed by friends and kids to be what makes it really good.

Preparation:

In a 4-6 litre/quart crock pot, combine all ingredients. Peas and ham in first.
Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
Just before serving use a potato masher to mash some of the peas in the soup for a thicker consistency. I like to use one of those electric choppers with the little blades on the end to really mash everything up. But my bride likes the ham to be a little chunkier.

Freezing:

This soup freezes very well, I like to double the ingredients and have enough left-overs for a few meals (crock pot capacity permitting). Be sure to let it cool for a couple of hours as it retains its heat for a long time and will thaw out the stuff around it in the freezer.

Serves 6-8