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!

Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Muffins

I started out wanting to make these Cranberry Sweet Potato Muffins, but per my usually style I didn't have all the ingredients I needed. So instead of waiting to go the store I reengineered the recipe a bit and came up with these Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Muffins.

Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Muffins

2 Tbsp oil

1/4 c. plain yogurt

1/4 c. brown sugar (increase sugar to 1/3-1/2 c. for a sweeter muffin)

1 mashed banana

1 c. pumpkin purée

1 egg

1/2 c. milk

1 c. cottage cheese

2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp allspice

Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Scoop into greased, paper lined or silicon muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until centers are no longer sticky.

I have to admit I still really want to try the original recipe, too. Sweet potatoes in a muffin just sounds yummy!

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. 

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.

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?