Gluten Free Protein Pancakes

Happy National Pancake Week! I have a yummy new pancake to share with you in light of the holiday.

Due to some allergy issues in the family, I was recently advised by our physician to not give Bambina gluten until she is at least 1. This was a bit disheartening as we are just starting to explore the world of solid foods and doing Baby-led Weaning I want her to be able to eat what we are eating. So I decided to play around with some pancakes this morning to make something tasty for us, but gluten free for her. These came out nice and fluffy and with the extra eggs, cottage cheese and yogurt the Hubby commented that they filled him up more than normal pancakes which is always a plus around here!

Gluten Free Protein Pancakes

3 eggs

3/4 c. cottage cheese

3/4 c. yogurt (I mixed plain and vanilla)

2/3 c. *rice flour

1/3 c. oats

1 tsp. baking powder

Heat griddle to a medium heat and lightly grease. Mix ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.

Pour batter onto preheated griddle with 1/4 c measuring cup. Flip when small bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and continue to cook the other side (approximately 2-3 minutes per side) until batter is no longer runny. Makes about 10 4-5 inch pancakes.

*If you don't need them to be gluten free just substitute the rice flour for white or wheat flour.

Enjoy!

Hawaiian Chili

I have a recipe creation to share with you all from last night. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I meshed ideas from a few different sources added in my own twist and this was the result.

Hawaiian Chili

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 can (28 oz) baked beans ( I used Bush's Onion Baked Beans)

2 cans (14 oz) kidney beans

2 cans (28 oz) chopped tomatoes

2/3 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained (the whole can would probably be fine too if you like pineapple)

1 heaping tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder (adjust to your spiciness preference)

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

1 tsp thyme 

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain fat if neccessary. Add remaining ingredients. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve and enjoy.

(This makes a fairly large pot of chili. It works great at our house since hubby is a chili lover, but don't say you weren't warned!)

Healthy Banana Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

I always LOVED baked oatmeal growing up, but with a half cup of butter and a cup of sugar it isn't the healthiest way to start your day (though the taste was delish!). I am happy to report that their are much healthier alternatives out there for baked oatmeal that are equally tasty, though. I found this one and this one that I liked the sounds of and merged them into my own version using ingredients I almost always have on hand. Pantry staples = easy weekday breakfast with little planning necessary. And that my friends, makes this mama happy.

Banana Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

3 c. Oats

2 tsp Baking powder

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Cloves

1/4 tsp Allspice 

1 Egg

2 c. Milk

1/2 c. Vanilla Yogurt

2 Bananas, mashed

1 c. Pumpkin

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a lightly greased baking pan and bake at 350 for approx. 40 minutes or until center is no longer wet. Serve warm. (Optional, top with a dollop of yogurt, sliced bananas, milk and syrup...) Enjoy!

It also works great to cook it up in the evening. When morning rolls around just warm up a piece for a quick 5-minute breakfast. 

Italian Herb Bread

This is one of my favorite go-to bread recipes. It tastes amazing. And, really how can you go wrong when you're using basil, oregano and garlic! I usually mix it up in the bread machine and bake it in the oven, but it works just as well using a stand mixer with a dough hook or going the old fashion way and kneading it by hand (then you get your arm work out in for the day, too!) though you might want to add a bit extra flour so it's not as sticky if you're kneading by hand.

Italian Herb Bread 

1 1/4 cup Water

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Sugar

3 1/2 cups Flour
2 tsp Yeast

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Dried Basil

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 cup grated Parmesan (option)

Dump all ingredients in your bread machine and set to dough mode. When it's complete, remove dough and place into a greased bread pan and let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. 

Let cool a bit before slicing (if you can restrain yourself!).

Cottage Cheese Enchiladas

I was so happy to stumble across this recipe one of my Pages Documents the other day! It's a recipe Mom used to make growing up and I thought it was long gone. So now it's going up on the blog so I'll always know where to find it to share with you all.

Cottage Chili Enchiladas

4oz. can whole green chiles

12 corn tortillas

8 oz. sharp American, Jack or Cheddar

1 cup sour cream

12 oz. cream style cottage cheese

14 oz. can mild enchilada sauce

Salt, pepper

Drain chiles, remove seeds & rinse.  Cut into 12 strips.  Fry tortillas in hot oil a few seconds on each side & drain on paper towels (or warm for a few seconds in the microwave to make them more pliable).  Cut half of cheese into 12 strips.  Shred remaining cheese. Combine sour cream, cottage cheese, salt & pepper.  Spoon heaping T. of mixture on each tortilla & top each with a strip of cheese & chili.  Roll & place seam side down in 9 x 12 pan.  Combine remaining sour cream mixture & enchilada sauce.  Pour over enchiladas.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake @ 350 degrees 20-30 mins.

Krab Chowder

Leave it to me to modify a modified soup recipe, but this is one of my favorite go-to soups and it's hearty enough to satisfy the hubby as well. You can find the original modified version  here at Taste of Home, but this is the more budget friendly version that I have come to make.

Krab Chowder 

• 3/4 cup each chopped onion, celery and carrots
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups 2% milk, divided
• 1 lb imitation crab meat

In a large pot, cooke onion, celery and carrots in butter until tender. Stir in broth and seasonings. Add potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until potato is tender.

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup of milk until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in crab meat and remaining milk. Heat through but do not boil.  (Makes 3 quarts)

Honey BBQ Meatloaf with a Twist

I love the taste of meatloaf. I don't love that it takes a whole pound of meat and in our house we don't usually get even two meals out of it. My solution? Sneak in some lentils for to double the volume and protein at a fraction of the cost. I tried finding an existing recipe for what I had in mind, but nothing quite matched. So I used my go-to meatloaf recipe as a base and doubled it.  But here is the twist, I only added one pound of ground beef and swapped out the second pound for lentils. 
         It turned out to be a win-win. We get twice as many meals with the same amount of meat and after six years of marriage I finally have a lentil recipe that is hubby approved! (In other words, the flavor of the lentils is completely undetectable. Honest. It would not be hubby-approved if it you could still taste them!)

Honey BBQ Meatloaf with a Twist

• 2 tsp beef bouillon granules
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2/3 cup honey barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• ketchup

In a small saucepan cook lentils in 2 cups of water for 20-30 minutes until tender (more instructions here).

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed. Spread into two loaf pans or a 9x9 casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for approx. 1 hour. Top with ketchup if desired and bake for 5-10 minutes more.

Chicken Alfredo Rice (a.k.a. We're out of groceries!)

This little recipe came from a need for a quick easy dinner and not a lot of groceries in the house! We were pleasantly surprised with the results, though.

Chicken Alfredo Rice

2 cups uncooked brown rice

2 cups milk, divided

2 cloves garlic (more or less to taste)

1 tbsp butter

2 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese

1 tsp salt

1-2 chicken breasts, diced

2 tbsp flour

1 c. shredded parm. cheese

1  (28oz) can diced tomatoes

Cook brown rice in 4 cups water. 

In a separate pan saute garlic in butter add chicken and cook through. Add cream cheese and flour to make a roux of sorts. Add milk and stir till thicken. Add tomatoes (slightly drained). Cook until heated through. Serve over brown rice and dinner is on the table.

(If your rice is already cooked then it will only take a matter of minutes to pull it all together!)

Wholesome Almond White Chocolate Cookies

Today I have a little something to give your body a break from all the rich, wonderful holiday food this week if it needs it. I wanted to make a cookie that would satisfy my sweet tooth, but still provide my body with some nutrition. So I came up with these Wholesome Almond White Chocolate Cookies. I used what I had on hand, but I think dark chocolate would be great too or dried fruit like cranberries or raisins to make them even healthier. The batter isn't super sweet, but I think with the white chips it's a perfect balance. Also, the texture of the cookies is more of a cakish/muffinish cookie than a dense chewy cookie. If that strikes your fancy then here's your recipe.

Wholesome Almond White Chocolate Cookies

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 mashed bananas

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups oats

1 1/2 cups whole wheat baking flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup slivered almonds

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

In a large bowl mix butter, bananas and brown sugar until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add but do not mix yet, oats, whole wheat flour, baking powder and baking soda. Now mix them all in together (I find that this method prevents the need for dirtying two bowls but has the same effect). Add in almonds and chocolate chips. 

Drop spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. 

So tell me, what's your preference for cookie textures cakey or chewy?

Pumpkin Pumpkin Cake

My experience in the cake decoration area is pretty much non existent so I was thrilled that my pumpkin cake actually turned out. Or shall we say a pumpkin, pumpkin cake. That's right, a pumpkin spice cake shaped like a pumpkin. Sound complicated? It's not I assure you it is not. Little to no artist ability required, thank goodness. So here's how it went down...

I used this Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe as my base, but did 1.5x the amounts and made a few changes to give me two bunt cakes two work with.

Then I made the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting exactly as the recipe states no changes, no modifications, to increasing the quantity. (Shocking, I know.)

Once my cakes and frosting were made and the cakes were cooled it got to the fun part! 

I started by trimming off the bottom of each cake giving me a flat surface to work with.

Then I spread frosting on the flat surface of one of the cakes, enough to cover the cut part and give the other cake something to stick to. This will be the bottom half of the pumpkin. I gently lifted the other cake on top placing cut sides together. It thankfully slightly resembled a pumpkin! 

With the remaining frosting I drizzled the top of the cake letting the frosting run down the sides to give it an "artistic" flair.

For the stem I rolled up a brown paper grocery bag and stole some leaves from my fall decor to give it a little more character. (Yes, they are maple leaves on a pumpkin. Please don't tell.) 

And voila, a Pumpkin-Pumpkin Cake is created. So festive, but really so simple!

Pumpkin Pumpkin Cake (makes 2 smallish bunt cakes)

2 c whole wheat pastry flour

1 c all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1.5 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 scant teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 scant teaspoon ginger

1/2 scant teaspoon cloves

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup canola oil

6 eggs

Preheate oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix first 9 ingredients. Blend until combined. Mix remaining ingredients together and stir into flour mixture just until all the flour is incorporated. 

Pour half the batter in an oiled bunt pan (I used a canola oil spray and it worked well). If you have two bunt pans you can pour the other half of the batter into your other bunt pan. If, like me, you only have one you will repeat this process with the remaining batter after the first cake is done baking.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan until cake is only warm to the touch not hot. Carefully release the cake from the sides of the pan if needed with a knife (a plastic knife works well for this so you don't scratch your pan) and gently flip over and remove cake. Repeat process with the second half of the batter if necessary.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

I cannot take any credit for this recipe. It came from a friend, but I wanted to share it on here so I don't forget it.

Chicken, Bacon and Ranch Pizza

Preparation time: 15 minutes   Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups diced, cooked chicken

1 cup ranch dressing

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1⁄2 tsp each, salt and coarse ground pepper

cornmeal for dusting

prepared pizza dough

4 small vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 cups Colby and Monterey Jack blend

10 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Directions:

1. Combine chicken, dressing, pressed garlic, salt and black pepper in large bowl; toss to coat.

2. Generously sprinkle Pastry Mat with cornmeal; place dough onto center of mat. Roll dough to a 12-in. (30-cm) circle. Place dough onto Pizza Pan, gently stretching to cover bottom. Top crust with chicken mixture and tomatoes; sprinkle evenly with cheese and bacon (Freeze at this point if desired).

3. Thaw. Bake in a 425* oven for 10 to 15 minutes or till bubbly.

Artisan Bread in 5

I know there are several copies of this floating around the web, but I have been loving the Artisan Bread in 5 recipe. It's such an easy way to have fresh bread with minimal work and minimal time!

It literally takes about 5 minutes to mix up and the dough lasts for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Per usual, I don't follow it to the letter - I usually bake it at 350 degrees and forego the the pan of water in the over. Using half white and half wheat works well too, but sometimes requires a bit more water to be used.

Here are some of my favorite variations to the recipe so far:

Italian Herb Bread - starting with the basic bread dough add 

1.5 - 2 TBSP of Italian seasoning

1 tsp of garlic 

sprinkle loaf with a bit of garlic salt prior to baking for an extra touch

Rosemary Bread - starting with the basic bread dough add 

2 TBSP dried rosemary 

1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Serve with olive oil for dipping.

Garlic Thyme Bread - starting with the basic bread dough add 

1.5 TBSP dried thyme

1 tsp of garlic

Soon I want to try it for pizza dough so I will let you know how it goes when that happens.

Now go bake some bread!