Saturday, March 12, 2011

Gluten-Free Apple Apricot Pancakes


Ever get that hankering for some good old fashioned, made-from-scratch pancakes, but worry about feeling too sleepy afterward to get on with your Saturday?  
Here's a gluten-free version I've developed that's flavourful yet not sugary, satisfying yet won't put you into a Carbohydrate Coma.

Photo: E. Cherevaty 03-12-2011
HOW TO MAKE 'EM
Dry ingredients:
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour*
1 TBSP ground flax seed1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup to 1/3 cup chopped pecans or other nuts (set aside)

Slice apple into thin horizontal slices, so that the middle of the apple gives you its pretty star cut-out. Remove seeds. Drizzle apple slices with fresh lemon juice and set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients (EXCEPT apple and nuts) together in a mixing bowl.

Wet ingredients:

2 dried apricots, finely chopped (yes, they're a "dry" ingredient  but they'll soften nicely with a bit of a presoak here)
1 organic free range egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup grapeseed and/or coconut oil**
1/2 cup rice milk
3/4 cup water
1-2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract

Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  
Preheat skillet to medium heat, adding just enough coconut and/or grapeseed oil to lightly coat it. It's ready when you can place a tiny drop of batter in the pan and hear it sizzle.
Make a small well in the dry mixture and add wet mixture to dry. Stir until just combined. Fold in nuts. If you'd like to thin the batter, add water or rice milk a small amount at a time. Pour about 1/3 cup amounts of batter at a time into the hot skillet to form four pancakes of 3-4" diameter. Once small holes appear on the surface (approx. 3-4 mins), place an apple slice on top of each and then flip 'em!  Cook on the apple side for 4-5 minutes or until golden.
 

Yield: Makes about 6 hearty little pancakes. Enjoy them with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, a drizzle of maple syrup or spread with almond butter.

BONUS: NATUROPATHIC KITCHEN-EY TIPS 
Wouldn't be an naturopathic doctor's blog without 'em, so here goes:
*1. I got my gluten-free all-purpose flour is a mixture of gluten-free flours including tapioca, amaranth, chick pea (protein bonus!)...My source was the Bulk Barn in Guelph, but you can also experiment with your own combinations of gluten-free flours.
**2. For the oils, I softened about 2 TBSP coconut oil at room temp and mixed it into enough grapeseed oil to top up to 1/3 cup.  Coconut oil is solid when cool/cold, so having all ingredients at room temp will allow for smoother mixing.
3. Why is it OK to fry with coconut or grapeseed oil? While true that frying oils is generally not ideal, if it's Sunday brunch and pancakes are just going to be on the menu, choosing a cooking oil with a high smoke point, e.g. coconut, grapeseed or ghee, rather than pro-inflammatory, omega-6-rich oils e.g. peanut, canola, corn, will help to minimize oxidative load coming from cooked oils and fats.
4. I love my cast-iron skillet for even, just-right cooking of almost everything, from omelettes to rice/lentils to soups and even gluten-free PANCAKES! Iron cookware increases iron content of foods cooked in it, especially acidic foods like tomatoes. Thanks to my mom who passed this pan down to me when I settled in Guelph. It cooks like a charm, and reminds me of mom cooking with it to prepare meals with love.

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