A Pancake For All Seasons

Since I started this blog roughly 2 weeks ago a lot of things have happened, most notably, an EF4 tornado that came within a mile and a half of our house. Luckily it "hopped" over us after destroying a few adjacent neighborhoods and the airport. So, now that the winds have settled, at least for the moment, I have been inspired to post my first "Must Have" gluten-free/sugar-free/milk-free recipe. If you are someone who is bound to a gluten-free existence, I hope this recipe makes you feel like one of the gang again.

I got this recipe from Living Without's Holiday Guide 2010. Of course I messed around with it to "kick it up a notch" (Emeril would be so proud) but even the original recipe tastes just like those fluffy, warm, white flour pancakes slathered with creamy butter and hot maple syrup from your childhood. Please remember to make sure your baking powder and vanilla extract are labelled gluten-free.

2 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (because I have a love affair with cinnamon)
2 small scoops Pure Stevia Extract (use the tiny scoop that comes with the bottle)
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk of choice (I use plain rice milk)
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons canola oil (or coconut oil if your pocketbook can handle it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gluten-Free Flour Blend, makes 4 cups
2 cups white or brown rice flour
(If you like a healthier pancake try 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour and 1/2 cup buckwheat flour - yes it is GF)
3/4 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum


1. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. in a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs, and oil until blended. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until just combined. Add additional milk if you choose to have a thinner batter.
3. Heat a cooking vessel over medium-high heat and lightly coat with oil. I cheat and use cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan or griddle and smooth out to desired thickness. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until you see little bubbles popping open on the surface, then flip.
4. Savor the deliciousness.

Starting Up

So I decided to start a blog. I don't know if anyone will read it, but I have a lot of things on my mind (namely recipes) that I just have to get out. I hope cyberspace will enjoy what I have to say. And if not, I hope it is a gracious audience, allowing me to wax poetically on all subjects gluten-free.

I've been steeping this idea of sharing my successes (and failures) in cooking and baking with my Gluten-challenged friends in order to help ease the stress and confusion of the radical alteration in lifestyle and diet brought about by Celiac Disease and various other offenders. It was a difficult road when I first needed to eat gluten-free, full of botched biscuit attempts and unpalatable pizza mixes. I was determined to enjoy the fullness of life and food again, and I set out on an expedition to seek out new and better recipes and resources. I eventually found myself helping a local gluten-free bakery research and develop new recipes. A passion began to grow in me, always thinking of how this recipe could taste better, or how that recipe could be altered into a new, exciting creation. People began asking me for recipes. ME, a girl who couldn't scramble an egg growing up. I am now determined to save others the trouble, time and money of frustrating experimentations that lead to a flavorless existence.

I hope to point you all in the direction of the "wicket gate" of the gluten-free life. Stay tuned.

Eat well and prosper!