Gluten Free Autumn Pancakes

I have been continuing on with my pancake craze with this beautiful cooler weather!
If you have been lucky enough to get to any of your local farmers markets as of late, you are hopefully enjoying the fall bounty of fruits and veggies that this fantastic season provides. 

With apples being super fresh & plentiful, I just had to try transforming a wonderful pumpkin apple pancake recipe I saw on the TV show, The Chew.
The original recipe is made with traditional gluten filled flour plus an apple sauce topping.  I traded out the flour & skipped the topping all together, and could not be happier with the results.  

(Get the original recipe here)

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Apple Pancakes

Using all Organic Ingredients

The prettiest pancakes were gone too quick!

1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour (or Sorghum, Almond flours)

1/4 Cup Arrowroot Powder

1/4 Cup Tapioca Flour

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Real Salt

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Vanilla Bean

1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/8 tsp Ground Ginger

1 Egg (room temperature)

1 TB Ghee or Coconut Oil, melted

1 Cup Almond or Coconut Milk

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree 

1/3 Cup Apple, peeled & diced

Ghee, or organic butter as needed for pan frying

Pure Maple Syrup to taste for top

Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl (flours, baking powder, salt & spices).  

Mix in all remaining ingredients except maple syrup, until no lumps are present.  Try not to over mix.  
Pour about a 1/4 cup of the batter onto a hot cast iron skillet, on medium heat, with enough ghee to coat the pan.  Flip pancake when edges become golden & top is filled with bubbles breaking the surface. Repeat until batter is gone, or can save batter in a mason jar for use the next day. 
*If you save the batter for later, just be sure to let it come to room temperature before cooking with it.

Happy Cooking & Pancake Eating!

Eating with the Seasons: Winter Vegetables

In our home we are very conscience about eating foods that are in season for our area here in the North East.  Winter is obviously the most challenging season for vegetables, and by the end of it we are jumping for joy when the spring crops start to come in!  At the same time the limitations can fuel our creativity to come up with new and interesting ways to cook the same old winter veggies.

Seasonal eating is important for many reasons.  It is for the health of our bodies, as well as the health of the earth.  When a vegetable is picked at the right time of year it is the absolute highest in vital nutrient content.  It also means you are eating what is appropriate for your region, so your food is not traveling to you from thousands of miles away.  

You can always try growing some of your own winter vegetables, its easier than you think!

Winter Squashes

Butternut, Spaghetti, Acorn, Pumpkin, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicata, Kabocha, Sweet Dumpling

Recipes featuring winter squash 

Curried Butternut Squash Soup, Zucchini (or Squash) Pancakes, 
Herbed Spaghetti Squash Side & Pasta Bake, & Pumpkin Bread

Kale

Green, Purple, Dinosaur, Scotch Curled, Leaf & Spear, Siberian
Recipes featuring kale
 Meat Pie with Greens, Fancy Spiral Meatloaf
Throw some chopped kale in a soup, or simply steam and toss with your other favorite veggies

Mushrooms

Shitake, Crimini, Clamshell, Trumpet Royal, Pioppini, Oyster, Maitake, Enoki, Portabello
Recipes featuring mushrooms
 Chicken Marsala, Egg Fu Yung, Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup, Millet Stuffing,
Simple Savory Mushroom Gravy

Onions

Brown, White, Yellow & Red
Recipes featuring kale
 Brown Rice Vegetable Quiche, Deli Style Macaroni Salad, Greek Chicken Egg Lemon Soup

Leeks   
Recipes with leeks
Corn, Collards & Bacon (& leeks), Leek Pie
Add leeks to soups, greens or meatloaves to add something different.

 Cabbage 

Green, Red, Savoy, Napa
Recipes with cabbage
 Egg Fu Yung, Seasonal Stir Fry
Or you can make your own coleslaw, add it to any vegetable dish, or create a cabbage salad.

Brussels Sprouts
Type of Cabbage
Recipes with brussels sprouts
Braised Dijon Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Sprouts with Balsamic

Parsnips 

Recipes with parsnips
These are fantastic if you roast them in the oven with other root veggies like, carrots & beets.

Carrots

Rainbow, Yellow, Baby

Recipes featuring carrots

Coconut Topped Carrot Cupcakes, Seasonal Stir Fry, Crock Pot Curried Lamb, Vegetable Lo Mein, Zucchini Carrot Loaf, Millet Stuffing, Greek Chicken Egg Lemon Soup, Carrot Coconut Salad

*Most of the recipes listed can be found in my cookbook & healthy eating guide,

"Organic, Gluten-Free & Delicious"