Coconut Flour Pancakes

Okay. You know I have to be pretty excited about a recipe if I am actually posting to my blog. You know, my blog that hasn't seen me since May of this year....and infrequently before that. And I used to blog. Before Kitchen in the Market. It kinda eats up a lot of my time.

Back to the recipe. I have been eating gluten-free for about 3 years now (!), but have had some difficulty finding a pancake recipe I really liked....and that the family liked. This is the one.

gluten-free Coconut Flour Pancakes

Coconut Flour Pancakes
makes about 12 pancakes

1C brown rice flour
1/3C coconut flour
2T tapioca starch
2T baking powder
1T sugar
2T coconut oil, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4C milk


-whisk all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl
-create a well in the center and add the wet ingredients
-stir together until blended (the coconut flour may clump, so try to get them incorporated)
-if the batter is a little too thick add about 1/4C milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency. (coconut flour is high in fiber and will soak up quite a bit of liquid)
-let sit while griddle heats up
-using a 2 oz (#16) scoop, pour batter onto heated griddle 
-cook until golden brown on underside (some bubbles will form on top, but not as much as regular flour pancakes), then flip to cook other side

Enjoy!

recipe: 2 great summer sauces

Recipes from my demo at the Morningside Women's Group today!

The Romesco was served with roasted shrimp, and the Sweet Pea + Mint spread was served on top of bite-sized crostini rounds with chive blossom garnish.

Romesco Sauce
makes about 2C
1 1-inch thick slice of crusty bread, crust removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large tomato
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup almonds
2 medium red bell peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Place almond, garlic,
bread and tomato on baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast almonds until
fragrant and bread is crusty and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove
almonds and bread and continue roasting garlic until soft and tomato until tender,
about 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and remove skin from
tomato and peel garlic.
• While other ingredients are roasting in the oven, roast peppers over an open flame on
a gas stove or grill until the skins are blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with
plastic wrap and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Remove
charred skin, seeds, and cores.
• Place tomato, almonds, peppers, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, salt, and pepper in the
bowl of a food processor. Purée until smooth. Add bread as needed to thicken, and
process until smooth. Taste and season with additional salt and cayenne pepper as
needed.
• Place in and airtight container and place in the refrigerator until cool. Store
refrigerated up to 5 days.

Sweet Pea + Mint Spread

makes approx. 1 1/2 cups

1 10 oz. bag frozen organic sweet peas, thawed (such as Sno Pac)

1/4c fresh mint leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil

Salt + Pepper

Chive Blossoms for garnish (optional)

-Place peas, mint + lemon juice in food processor

-Pulse to incorporate

-With processor on, drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency

-Season with salt + pepper

-Serve atop crostini or crackers + garnish with chive blossoms.

This spread is also outstanding on top of fish or thinned to sauce pasta!

Equipment: Kids' Tools in the Kitchen

I've been getting a lot of questions about how to get kids involved in the kitchen. What's safe? What's fun? What do you do?

Here are some great tools to make meal prep a fun, safe + family friendly affair!

Cutting = scary! However, there are 2 tools that can make it a bit safer for the little ones.

1) Pumpkin Carving Knife: yes, that one from the kit! It has a safety blade that isn't as sharp as a regular knife, and  is just right for little hands. Great for slicing vegetables + fruits.

2) Zyliss Pizza Wheel: I've written about this before, and it's still a great choice. The handheld wheel gives kids more control over their motion, and keeps their little fingers out of the way. Great for cutting pizza (of course), slicing lunchmeat, chopping herbs, cutting hard veggies (carrots)

Of course, always make sure an adult is supervising any cutting by a child. 

A few ways kids can get involved in meal prep:

• cutting
• measuring (AJ loves to measure anything)
• stirring
• shaking (place dry ingredient in a plastic bag, seal and have them shake)
• pushing buttons (on your food processor, mixer, etc.)
• washing (give them a sink full of soapy water and let 'em go...just no breakable items)

Have fun!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

Fall is finally here! Soups, chili, warm mugs of yumminess. Aaaaaah. 

Here is a quick and easy meal to throw together in the slow cooker and come home to lovely smells and dinner ready......

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

serves 8
cook time: 6 hours


1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C dried lentils, rinsed
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
6C water or veggie broth
3T chili powder
2T cumin
1t oregano
salt, pepper & cayenne to taste
1T balsamic vinegar
1T honey
sour cream and green onions, sliced for garnish

-place first 5 ingredients in slow cooker in order listed
-cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until lentils are almost tender
-add dry spices to chili and stir
-continue to cook for 1 more hour or until lentils are tender
-adjust seasoning with salt, pepper & cayenne
-add vinegar and honey and let sit about 10 minutes to incorporate flavors
-garnish with green onions and sour cream, if desired

Meat Eater Versions:

add any of the following proteins and reduce lentils by 1/2
    -1.5# boneless leg of lamb , cut into 1 inch cubes
    -1.5# beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes