It's Just the Beginning

I'm still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing, as well as posting and getting the format right, so forgive me. In time it will be better. (I couldn't quite figure out photos yet, so they may come later!)

To start,

I've decided to begin this blog with the intention of tracking my gluten-free journey (for lack of a better word). It's only been a few weeks since I said no to wheat and other gluten products in my diet, and I've been feeling better from it already!

My grandad was diagnosed with celiac disease as a young adult, and has been living healthily and gluten-free since then! (He's in his eighties now). I have not been diagnosed with the intolerance from a doctor, although I have been tested numerous times, wheat still seems to negatively effect me in all sorts of ways, and some I am only just discovering now.

For instance, my skin has improved since removing gluten from my diet! And thankfully, seems to (finally!) be on the mend after months. I've had eczema and psoriasis most of my life, so its amazing to see a significant difference from something seemingly simple once started.

I've also noticed a huge change in my mood, days are no longer stretches of time that I do not enjoy, and school, who would have thought, is actually exciting to go to each day! Its amazing now, I'm much happier, despite waking up at 6 am each morning, I am full of energy!

This September I've started my grade twelve year of school (Last Year!) and I expect to be busy with dancing, volunteering and other sports at school, so of course, I need to be feeling my best without complications from anything! In previous years I've always found it hard to juggle lots of things going on at once, with homework and tests among dance and competitions, but this year, just maybe, this change in my mood will carry on, and I'll just slide through my last year easily! (Though friends in older grades have never said this was the case...)

But right now, I'm enjoying the moment, and what better way than filling that craving for baked goods (gluten-free banana muffins right out of the oven anyone?) with cooking and baking, which I've been doing loads these past few weeks.

To start my lazy Sunday off in just the perfect manner, and to start this blog and the journey (must find a better word!) that will ensue, I gathered the family to make a typical Sunday brunch meal, with that gluten-free twist of course! - Banana Pancakes!

Ever since I was very little, my dad would wake up before everyone else and whip up some amazing crepes to urge us out of bed on those lazy days. They weren't gluten-free then, but boy they were good, so I felt it would be extra special if dad and I could make these pancakes together today, and maybe (perhaps too wishful?) he would venture into gluten-free cooking, and attack a recipe of gluten-free crepes to usher me out of the thickness of my blankets on another rainy Sunday morning.

So we dressed in cooking aprons, me in my too-small apron from years ago, and dad in the floral housewife apron (good thing I took photos!), and set to measuring our flours and gathering ingredients.

And it went well! Dad cooked of course, with all his experience at pancake flipping, I couldn't exactly deny him, and I gathered ingredients and mixed the batter. Mum set the kettle for coffee, and the dog wandered around the kitchen for scraps while the cat dozed in the corner. It was a good morning.

Instantly, it smelt amazing. Warm banana pancakes ... It's heavenly just thinking about it. So I better just post the recipe before I get too reminiscent.

Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes
Adapted from Pig in the Kitchen's Banana Pancakes Recipe
Click here for printable version.

Since we aren't vegan, we used an egg instead of the egg replacer mix used in the original recipe. I've made breads without eggs and they've never bonded together properly, and ended up crumbly and dry, so if this is a first time attempt at pancakes, I would recommend sticking with the egg unless you don't eat them!


We used rice milk in this recipe because of the excess in our pantry, as we ended up buying extra right before I found out about almond milk, and realised I preferred it much more! I don't drink milk, although my parents do, because of the taste. I usually alternate between using almond milk and cow's milk in my recipes, but I've found that either works.

Also, a quick note when cooking them, these pancakes need a bit of time to cook thoroughly through before you flip them, otherwise they'll fall apart. So keep the frying pan on medium-low temperature, and wait a little longer than you would with regular pancakes.

Ingredients

100g white rice flour
50g sorghum flour
50g almond flour (or meal)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 tsp baking soda

1 egg
1/4 c brown sugar
1 c of rice milk (or almond milk), and you may need a bit more depending on the consistency of the flours

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200°F and put a plate in the oven to heat up.

Combine the flours and the baking powder in a large bowl, until mixed. Making a bowl in the center, add the egg.

Next add the brown sugar and rice milk, whisking until the batter is mixed and quite thick.

Add the baking soda to the mashed bananas, and slowly add to the flour mixture. Whisk again until the batter thick, but still runny. (At this point you may need to add more rice milk - but do this slowly!)

Heat up oil (I always use grapeseed oil for cooking) in a frying pan over medium-low heat, and then pour about 1/3 c of the batter into the pan. Wait until just after the edges begin to bubble, and then flip! (Or get someone else to do this, in my case).

Transfer the cooked pancakes to the waiting plate in the oven to keep warm.

Delicious when served with frozen blueberries and real Canadian maple syrup!

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Think of Me Gluten-Free: It's Just the Beginning

09 September 2012

It's Just the Beginning

I'm still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing, as well as posting and getting the format right, so forgive me. In time it will be better. (I couldn't quite figure out photos yet, so they may come later!)

To start,

I've decided to begin this blog with the intention of tracking my gluten-free journey (for lack of a better word). It's only been a few weeks since I said no to wheat and other gluten products in my diet, and I've been feeling better from it already!

My grandad was diagnosed with celiac disease as a young adult, and has been living healthily and gluten-free since then! (He's in his eighties now). I have not been diagnosed with the intolerance from a doctor, although I have been tested numerous times, wheat still seems to negatively effect me in all sorts of ways, and some I am only just discovering now.

For instance, my skin has improved since removing gluten from my diet! And thankfully, seems to (finally!) be on the mend after months. I've had eczema and psoriasis most of my life, so its amazing to see a significant difference from something seemingly simple once started.

I've also noticed a huge change in my mood, days are no longer stretches of time that I do not enjoy, and school, who would have thought, is actually exciting to go to each day! Its amazing now, I'm much happier, despite waking up at 6 am each morning, I am full of energy!

This September I've started my grade twelve year of school (Last Year!) and I expect to be busy with dancing, volunteering and other sports at school, so of course, I need to be feeling my best without complications from anything! In previous years I've always found it hard to juggle lots of things going on at once, with homework and tests among dance and competitions, but this year, just maybe, this change in my mood will carry on, and I'll just slide through my last year easily! (Though friends in older grades have never said this was the case...)

But right now, I'm enjoying the moment, and what better way than filling that craving for baked goods (gluten-free banana muffins right out of the oven anyone?) with cooking and baking, which I've been doing loads these past few weeks.

To start my lazy Sunday off in just the perfect manner, and to start this blog and the journey (must find a better word!) that will ensue, I gathered the family to make a typical Sunday brunch meal, with that gluten-free twist of course! - Banana Pancakes!

Ever since I was very little, my dad would wake up before everyone else and whip up some amazing crepes to urge us out of bed on those lazy days. They weren't gluten-free then, but boy they were good, so I felt it would be extra special if dad and I could make these pancakes together today, and maybe (perhaps too wishful?) he would venture into gluten-free cooking, and attack a recipe of gluten-free crepes to usher me out of the thickness of my blankets on another rainy Sunday morning.

So we dressed in cooking aprons, me in my too-small apron from years ago, and dad in the floral housewife apron (good thing I took photos!), and set to measuring our flours and gathering ingredients.

And it went well! Dad cooked of course, with all his experience at pancake flipping, I couldn't exactly deny him, and I gathered ingredients and mixed the batter. Mum set the kettle for coffee, and the dog wandered around the kitchen for scraps while the cat dozed in the corner. It was a good morning.

Instantly, it smelt amazing. Warm banana pancakes ... It's heavenly just thinking about it. So I better just post the recipe before I get too reminiscent.

Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes
Adapted from Pig in the Kitchen's Banana Pancakes Recipe
Click here for printable version.

Since we aren't vegan, we used an egg instead of the egg replacer mix used in the original recipe. I've made breads without eggs and they've never bonded together properly, and ended up crumbly and dry, so if this is a first time attempt at pancakes, I would recommend sticking with the egg unless you don't eat them!


We used rice milk in this recipe because of the excess in our pantry, as we ended up buying extra right before I found out about almond milk, and realised I preferred it much more! I don't drink milk, although my parents do, because of the taste. I usually alternate between using almond milk and cow's milk in my recipes, but I've found that either works.

Also, a quick note when cooking them, these pancakes need a bit of time to cook thoroughly through before you flip them, otherwise they'll fall apart. So keep the frying pan on medium-low temperature, and wait a little longer than you would with regular pancakes.

Ingredients

100g white rice flour
50g sorghum flour
50g almond flour (or meal)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 tsp baking soda

1 egg
1/4 c brown sugar
1 c of rice milk (or almond milk), and you may need a bit more depending on the consistency of the flours

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200°F and put a plate in the oven to heat up.

Combine the flours and the baking powder in a large bowl, until mixed. Making a bowl in the center, add the egg.

Next add the brown sugar and rice milk, whisking until the batter is mixed and quite thick.

Add the baking soda to the mashed bananas, and slowly add to the flour mixture. Whisk again until the batter thick, but still runny. (At this point you may need to add more rice milk - but do this slowly!)

Heat up oil (I always use grapeseed oil for cooking) in a frying pan over medium-low heat, and then pour about 1/3 c of the batter into the pan. Wait until just after the edges begin to bubble, and then flip! (Or get someone else to do this, in my case).

Transfer the cooked pancakes to the waiting plate in the oven to keep warm.

Delicious when served with frozen blueberries and real Canadian maple syrup!

Labels: , , , , ,

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