Saturday, May 22, 2010

Banana Rice Mini Pancakes

These taste like whole-grain pancakes, so unless you're some strange and elusive species of pancake hater, don't be scared of the title. The recipe is super simple and I have whipped up a batch when I was too time crunched to get a traditional dinner on the table before the time of inevitable baby meltdown.


When I learned of my son's allergies to wheat, peanuts, dairy, eggs, and soy I momentarily went into panic at the thought of trying to figure out what to feed both of us. Someone directed me to the book Food Allergy Survival Guide, by Vesanto Melina, Jo Stepaniak, and Dina Aronson. The book is geared towards veganism, but I've found it to be a great resource for wheat-free, dairy-free, egg free baking. Like the independently minded person I am, I always switch up recipes to suite my own needs. I've simplified things quite a bit based on what's in my kitchen right now and what have proven to be "safe" for my son thus far. You'll need:
  • 1C uncooked Lundberg Rice (or other trace-safe rice)

  • A cheapie electric coffee bean grinder. Just make sure it was never used previously to grind nuts or other allergens. If you're lucky enough to have a fancy flour grinder you can also use that.

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Clabber Girl baking powder (or other gluten-free, nut trace safe b.p.)

  • 1 very ripe banana

  • 3/4C water

  • Bionaturae Olive Oil (or other nut-trace safe oil)

Place 1/2 the uncooked rice in the grinder. Set the settings to the finest grain possible. On my grinder this is "espresso". Run the grinder twice, or until rice is a flour-y texture. Then pour the flour into a medium-sized mixing bowl and repeat grinding instructions for the rest of the rice. In the bowl, combine the flour & baking powder, then mash in the banana. Pour in the water last. Work the ingredients together until you have a somewhat smooth consistency with some small lumps.

Drizzle a pan with the oil. Allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes, then use a large tablespoon to drop batter onto the pan. I use one tablespoon for the kid's pancakes and two tablespoons for mine. Cook a few minutes per side, until light brown. Serve warm with preferred topping. My son likes them plain, but I slather on Earth Balance and syrup. Note: Earth Balance contains soy.

Friday, May 21, 2010

My Jake Dog

Time flys! Life has changed so much. Not too long after my last post, we found out one of our dogs was terminally ill. We had a few last days together before he passed. It's still hard to believe we lost him so quickly and that he's gone forever. I love this guy! I'll never forget my Jake, the sweetest soul ever!