Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free Pancake Recipes

I realized it has been a long time since I updated my blogs, I apologize. Of course, most of us are making New Year's Resolutions and I hope to keep this site and my other, Lulu's Gluten Free, updated more frequently.

Unfortunately, I have many health challenges. I am having difficulty pushing through low energy coupled with working more as well as raising my son and running a household.

The recipe below was one I had hoped to post in the fall, but apples are still plentiful even though my favorite, Jonathan apples are gone. There are many others that are tasty.

If you are looking to reduce carbohydrates, use Granny Smith, these tart apples have the least amount of sugar. Use cooked applesauce if making these for someone below the age of two or peel your raw apples.

I was inspired to make pancakes using fall apples. I also wanted pancakes to be egg free as well. Gluten free pancake mixes tend to be quite expensive although they are easy to use. I enjoy Arrowhead's GF Pancake and Waffle Mix. The addition of corn flour gives a delicious crisp to the finished product.

This recipe is easy to make and surprisingly requires no syrup. We did enjoy them with applesauce from last week's post.

There are two recipes with variations that can apply to either. I find the oatmeal pancakes are easier for me to digest as they contain less sugar than gluten free mixes and I don't get tired as easliy after eating them. I have stopped using maple syrup as well for the same reason. I don't want to eat a breakfast that has be nodding off half an hour to an hour after eating. Unsweetened applesauce is a delicious topper with pancakes. I used to give my kids this to avoid them having too much sugar in morning.

Enjoy!

Spiced Apple Pancakes

1 c. unsweetened organic applesauce or you can puree two apples with the peel (unless you are feeding a little person under the age of 2) in a food processor use a little water until you get consistency of applesauce
1 c. almond milk (easy almond milk 1 Tbsp. raw almond butter with 1 c. water, blend)
1 tsp. flax meal
2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. brown rice flour
pinch of ginger and nutmeg
1 tsp. Saigon cinnamon
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Combine flax meal to cornstarch in a bowl, mix well and make a well in the center. Combine almond milk and applesauce, add to well and stir until mixed. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cook 1/3 c. of batter in oiled cast iron skillet over medium heat and flip when pancake looks dry. Continue until all batter is gone. Can be stored in refrigerator in storage baggie or container for a 3-4 days.

Serve plain or with unsweetened applesauce. Try one without any condiments, they are delicious as is!

Approximately 4-6 pancakes

Another Pancake recipe

1. almond milk
2 Tsp of flaxseeds
1 c. oatmeal
2 Tbsp of GF oats
1 Tbsp liquid coconut oil or light olive oil
1 Tbsp of vanilla extra


Place ingredients in order listed in a blender. Blend well. Over medium heat, heat your skilled and lightly oil using coconut oil. When hot place 1/3 c. of batter in pan, flip when top appears dry and I usually like to use my spatula to poke it and make sure it is cooked.
Repeat until batter is gone, this batter will keep in fridge for a few days.

Variations:
Apple Oatmeal Pancakes
Place same spices in apple pancakes in your blender and blend well. Use unsweetened applesauce instead of syrup. I like using applesauce like this and I find I don't have any carb crash later since I avoided the syrup, even using real maple syrup.

Blueberry Pancakes:
Place blueberries frozen or fresh on top of batter after you pour it, I strategically place them, but you can add as many or little as you like!

Chai Spiced:
1/2 tsp each of cinnamon, cloves, and 3/4 tsp. cardamon, add to blender and blend well.

Banana pancakes:
Use applesauce pancake recipe above but substitute 2 bananas that are ripe and mashed and add 1/2 tsp of nutmeg to spices listed. Or use oatmeal recipe (also add 1/2 tsp of nutmeg) and place small pieces of banana on top of batter in pan, chopped walnuts could also be added.

Chocolate Chip:
Dot batter with a few dark chocolate chips that are gluten and dairy free, mini chips can also be used.

Almond Cakes:
Use 2 tsp of almond extract instead of vanilla. Blanched, slivered almonds can add a nice crunch and texture. Sprinkle them on top of pancake batter in pan.

I usually make some pancakes and keep them in the fridge for a week. I usually eat two small ones for breakfast. They could also be frozen, just use parchment or wax paper between each pancake prior to freezing. Wrap well or use a sealed plastic bag. Warm in toaster oven. Avoid use of microwave, if it can kill your germs on a kitchen sponge what is it doing to the nutrients in your food?

Enjoy and Happy New Year!!

Another Use for Zucchini

Instead of buying an expensive package of gluten free pasta, break out your mandoline to slice zucchini into spaghetti strips, fettucine style.

Then serve it raw or lightly steam it in some flavored water or broth. I used some garlic powder and vegetable broth. I gently cooked it on low for a few minutes. Removed and top with cashew cheese and raw tomato sauce.

Raw Tomato Sauce

3 ripe tomatoes quartered
1/2 c. soaked sun dried tomatoes, unless you have oil packed, no soaking needed
6 Kalamata olives
1/4 onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning or equivalent fresh herbs such as basil and oregano

Blend all and top on top of zucchinetti!


Enjoy!

Day at Hippocrates Health Institute

Dear Friends,
I must admit to being a delinquent blogger. I have lovely blog written on how to juice using a blender, but hate to put it up without the step by step pictures which are at home on my husband's computer.

For my Colorado friends, the grand opening of Living Fuel, a green smoothie stand is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, July 3rd at the Urban Homesteading market, an indoor year round farmer's market. Hope to see you there! Please check Living Fuel for updates.

For two years I have endured Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have come to a place where it is very well controlled but do not want to live my life with it or the medications I use, namely Plaquenil, Minocin and intravenous Clindamycin and Naproxen. I have come far with eliminating foods that exacerabate my condition. I have realized that I won't be happy until it is in remission. I will win this battle.

I have decided to utilize a health institute called Hippocrates to get the tools for the battle.
Hippocrates Health Institute (HHI) is a health facility that specializes in an all raw, sprout and wheat grass based nutrition plan to restore health. They deal with many difficult issues such as cancer and autoimmune diseases as well as wanting optimal health, weight loss and diabetes.




Below is day one at HHI.
The Hut, a meeting place at HHI

continued at.....

http://www.living-fuel.com/

Why Should We Think Outside of the Bread box?

As a practicing nurse practitioner, I have encountered many patients experiencing various, multiple food intolerances and/or allergies. What I am finding is that it becomes increasingly difficult to give up foods that are causing physical or mental symptoms when they are reliant on replacing those very foods in a different form. For example, it is great that we can find gluten free blogs and web sites that have done an excellent job of making copy cat recipes of our favorite gluten laden favorites. There is nothing wrong with having some GF cake, cookie or bread on occasion. What is actually happening though is that GF foodies are having these items with a much higher degree of frequency. These foods contain many different forms of carbohydrates resulting in sugar addiction as well as weight gain and adverse health consequences from relatively high sugar content. These constant feedings of our desire to have foods that remind of us of our gluten laden favorites that we miss make passing up on the gluten laden goodies when we encounter them more difficult.

Another reason to avoid succumbing to these food replacements is the pocket book. I was in a womens group earlier this year and one of my friends is GF as well as 4 of her kids. She had a limited amount of grocery money for a given week and was so worried she couldn't feed her kids because she couldn't afford GF bread and other processed (boxed, bagged or canned) GF products during that week. When we rely on these processed convenience products it can really take a toll on our pocket book as noted in this article, "The Expense of Eating with Celiac Disease". In my GFCF menu planner, I strive to ensure that the foods presented in the recipes are 1. affordable, 2. simple to make, 3. nutrient dense, 4. family friendly, and 5. creative. Unfortunately, kids are being trained to desire GF processed cereals, granola bars, cookies, breads, waffles and frozen foods, all loaded with tons of sugar. A high sugar nutrition plan can cause children to have difficulty with behavior and concentration as well as packing on the pounds. Children are growing and developing, requiring critical nutrients not found in processed foods.

Processed foods that are lacking nutrients, will keep us unfulfilled and constantly hungry. And we will find ourselves in a vicious cycle of wanting the very foods that are not giving our bodies the nutrition they need to heal and be well.

The natural, organic and health food industry has us tricked into thinking because it is organic, natural or labeled healthy that it truly is health food. These are processed foods masquerading as health foods in an expensive store. If labels are carefully reviewed most of these products will be loaded with unnecessary sugar and calories with little to no nutrients.

We have assigned agave to be the sweet substitute of choice because it has a lower glycemic index, yet it still IS a refined sugar just as organic cane sugar, raw sugar, and honey.All may have varying degrees of positive qualities, but they will cause your blood sugar to rise, insulin to be released and increase in inflammation in the body (think of an infected wound or asthma attack as examples of inflammation). Roller coaster blood sugar levels lead to emotional upheaval as well and continued craving for the very thing that is causing the emotional distress that drives our desire for our favorite comfort foods.

This is why thinking outside the bread box is critical. Think of how to enjoy food, eat to live not live to eat and don't look for a piece of GF bread, pasta, tortilla or cookie around every corner. Once you give it up completely, you will find that only an occasional sting of the GF cookie bug will hit you and its ok to bite!

If you found this article useful, you can find more like them, with more detail in my GFCF menu planner.

P.S. Here is an article on GF foods and tax deductions.

Jalen, The Gluten Free Cat

We adopted this cat from the Denver Dumb Friend's League after my cat, Kitty died. We had Kitty for 14 years and we missed her. We decided to get another cat to keep our other kitty, Simba company. This cat's name was Tyler when we took him home. Since he didn't look like a Tyler we changed his name to Sammy. That was fine for the first two years we had this cat. Then I started noticing that when I called my son, Jalen, the cat always showed up. His name is now Jalen. He will still answer to Sammy but in a less than enthusiastic manner. As if he is trying to be compliant, an unusual trait in a cat.

A few years ago I made some delicious gluten free (not casein free) oatmeal raisin cookies for my husband. A few straglers were remaining in a ziploc baggie in the kitchen. I noticed they disappeared but chalked it up to my husband taking them to work. As I am vaccuuming the house, I find a familiar baggie that had been ripped open by sharp teeth and it contained half eaten oatmeal raisin cookies. Who was protecting his loot, but Jalen the cat? Mind you he has never stolen gluten laden oatmeal raisin cookies.

Last year, I left a loaf of gluten free bread on the kitchen counter. What cat would steal a loaf of bread, none that I had ever had? Of course, if it was a packet of raw meat, I wouldn't leave it unguarded, but I felt safe with bread. About 10 minutes later I hear a thud on the kitchen floor and I see the cat dragging the loaf of bread toward the basement steps. I stole his booty from him all to the disappointed he expressed with his eyes and crest fallen face.

So, now we don't leave any gluten free treats out for long or unsupervised in Jalen's presence. We do however leave gluten laden foods out on the counter that he never touches. Hmmmm.... And, yes he eats gluten free cat food.

Zucchini! Zucchini! Calabacitas!

Calabacitas is a lovely zucchini and corn dish that rounds out the summer nicely. A Mexican side dish, it can also be a main dish when served with corn tortillas, arepas, a salad or on top of a salad or potatoes.

Zucchini straight from the garden is great in this dish. Of course there is nothing wrong with buying at the store or local farmer's market. This year was my first year growing squash. I learned the hard way, that zucchini can grow to be quite large if you don't remove them from their vine. Smaller zucchini will have more flavor. It is fun to grow large zucchini, but I found they are hollow and I wonder if the nutritional content is lessened by its overgrowth.

Roasted corn is sweet and a treat to enjoy. Corn is actually a grain and can cause people who are sensitive to sugar some distress in regards to the stability of their blood sugar. If that is a concern for you it might be wise to avoid corn and other foods that convert to sugar readily such as white potatoes, white rice and many gluten free products that are high in carbohydrates. These products contain tapioca/corn or potato starches, white rice flour and/or sorghum flour. When eating anything that is high in sugar, adding additional fat to the meal will slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream.

Onions contain antioxidants, assist in the repair of our cells and can detoxify. Onions are best raw or lightly steamed.

Green chillies are abundant this time of year. Green chillies can be found roasted in many places in your locale. Chillies contain capsaicin, an anti-inflammatory chemical that is found in topical muscle/joint rubs. They also contain Vitamin C and A. When working with chillies wearing gloves will prevent the capsaicin and oils from the plant getting on to your skin. Wash your hands after working with chillies. If you work with them using your bare hands, don't touch your face or eyes after contact with the chillies as the oils can be retained on your skin and burn your eyes when you touch them. This can occur even after washing your hands.

Calabacitas

1 4 oz. can of diced green chilies

2 ears of roasted corn, shucked (raw is ok too)

3 small zucchini

1 onion diced

olive oil

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

In a skillet coated with olive oil over medium heat, saute the zucchini and onions. Saute lightly, add chilies and corn. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper.

Gluten Free Casein Free Menu Planner

When I was growing up, food allergies were rare. Some people could not have shellfish, but it was unheard of to have a life threatening reaction to peanuts. Today nut free schools are commonplace, thousands of gluten-free products are showing up in local Wal-Marts, and everyone knows someone who is avoiding sugar, dairy, soy or some other food that is common in the Standard American Diet (SAD).

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, barley, triticale, spelt, and/or cross contaminated in oats. Casein is the protein found in all animal dairy products. Casein is also found in many processed foods.

Celiac disease is a digestive disorder that causes the body to attack the small intestines when wheat/rye/barley and/or spelt products are consumed. These grains contain the gluten protein. The journal Gastroenterology noted in 2005, "Celiac Disease is one of the most common lifelong disorders worldwide." Symptoms vary widely and can include: fatigue, mood disorders, diarrhea/constipation, poor growth (in children), hair loss, neurological problems (seizures, impaired concentration and/or memory), anemia, mouth ulcers, abdominal pain, bloating, infertility, anxiety, depression, bone pain, weakness, liver disorders and/or malnutrition issues such as osteoporosis. Many who suffer from autoimmune disorders have gluten intolerance without intestinal symptoms. I gave up gluten, then reintroduced it a few weeks later. Within hours it felt like I had been hit by a truck.

At the age of 11, I became tired and very pale. I was diagnosed with mononucleosis and severe anemia (a shortage of red blood cells), which almost required a blood transfusion. Diagnosis: none. Treatment: take 6 iron tablets daily. After this episode I had chronic strep infections almost every two weeks for the next 7 years until I had my tonsils removed at age 18. I had almost constant antibiotic use during this time. In my 20's I discovered a goiter, had symptoms of low thyroid function (hypothyroid) and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease, which is the leading cause of hypothyroidism in America. It is considered an autoimmune thyroid disease which eventually results in malfunction of the thyroid (which regulates metabolism, body temperature, and generally making the whole body run the way it should). Then I started down a road of chronic fatigue, depression and a constant state of feeling unwell. I have also had eczema every since I can remember, suffered from a terrible premenstrual syndrome and started to have very heavy, painful periods.

Finally, 4 years ago, I saw a Denver gynecologist who is an integrative doctor utilizing alternative and conventional therapies with a focus on health. For those who don't know (men), women often use gynecologists as their primary care physician. I told her about my mood issues, female troubles, poor thyroid and constant fatigue. She did a test for anti-gliandin antibodies (antibodies which indicate gluten intolerance) and they were sky-high.

I finally had a diagnosis! Over the course of 20 years, I had seen too many doctors to count. This is common for those who are suffering from a gluten and/or dairy intolerance. Multiple trips to different doctors, lots of testing, no results, no diagnosis and no help. The median time for diagnosis is estimated at between 8-11 years with a patient seeing at least five different physicians. Finally, I had an answer and some relief from many of my symptoms, mainly the fatigue and depression.

I tell my story because it is the story of many Americans. Millions of Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases, depression, fatigue, neurological problems, mood disorders, poor digestion and/or irritable bowel syndrome (what a diagnosis! - those who have it already know their bowels are irritable). The underlying problem is a food intolerance (or multiple food intolerances) leading to malabsorption of nutrients needed for cellular repair and maintenance. At age 11, my anemia was a symptom of the food intolerance. Because gluten intolerance is insidious in the ways it shows up, it is difficult to find unless you know what to look for. Since it is not confined to the gut, testing for it can lead to false positives and false negatives.

Modern conventional medicine continues to view gluten intolerance or celiac sprue as an intestinal disease. Reviewing the studies regarding this issue, we find it is a systemic, inflammatory problem that can manifest itself in any part of the body.

Health care practitioners who treat those who have autism will mandate a gluten and casein free diet as part of an overall treatment plan. Why? Wheat and dairy are considered the staples of life - why take that away? There are many reasons why so many people cannot tolerate gluten and casein. Some can no longer break down the protein(s). Intestinal inflammation can ensue, causing a "leaky gut," a permeable intestinal wall leaks out these undigested proteins, and for those with autism, and possibly other disorders of the brain, these peptides get lodged in the brain. Brain inflammation is found in many with mood and neurological disorders. Alzheimer's has been characterized as a brain on fire. See a brain scan here: http://www.loni.ucla.edu/~thompson/AD_4D/dynamic.html.

Some of the reasons these staples are wrecking havoc are: over consumption of gluten/flour products, premature introduction of grains into the infant diet, hybridization of wheat, artificial processing of flour, inappropriate preparation of grains, pasteurization and homogenization of dairy products, all of which causes damage to the enzymes that breaks down gluten or casein.

There are long term consequences to gluten intolerance, as it can over stimulate the immune system, causing systemic inflammation in the body. Intestinal lymphoma , autoimmune disorders and premature death can result from a chronic state of inflammation if an affected individual continues to consume gluten despite having intolerance . This happens because so many people are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed or fail to comply with a gluten free diet

What's the solution? If you suspect that gluten and/or casein (these two culprits tend to work together) are the cause of your ill health, I advocate a trial abstinence from both of these proteins. The abstinence period should last at least 3-4 months, and then reintroduce each one, separately. Gluten and casein are different from other food intolerances in that they can have a lag time of up to 4 days to show any symptoms. If you find that abstaining from gluten improves your symptoms, you should continue a gluten-free diet. LivingGlutenfreeCaseinfree.com offers a 4 week menu plan to help get started with a gluten-free diet.

CJ's Roasted Off the Cob Corn

Fresh corn is such a blessing every summer. Who doesn't love a cob of corn fresh off the grill, dipped in a lot of butter? My son, CJ shucked this corn, buttered it up and just used simple seasonings, heavy on the pepper for a kick!

This is the same corn but it is off the cob.

Enjoy!


CJ's Roasted Off the Cob Corn

8 ears of corn
water
4 Tbsp. butter or casein free vegan margarine
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Soak the corn in a large stockpot at least 8 hours, we soaked it overnight. Remove from water and grill over medium heat turning every 3-5 minutes
grilling for a total of 15-20 minutes.
Remove husks, shuck the corn and combine in a bowl with butter or margarine. Season with salt and a lot of fresh ground pepper.

Summer Calls!

Farm Fresh Vegetables call us!


Now that the sun is out, birds are singing and flowers are blooming, it is time to get outside and get your vitamin D. The sun makes plants grow and helps us to get vitamin D. Vitamin D comes from the sun to you within 15 minutes of exposure. This will give you about 10,000-15,000 IU of vitamin D3. Calcitrol, a hormone that comes from vitamin D3 is needed to prevent heart disease, cancer, helps to form bone, assists in cell growth and hormone balance. If you have had difficulty with gluten and/or casein intolerance you may have inflammation in your digestive tract and need to supplement with vitamin D3 to facilitate healing as well as maintaining a gluten and casein free diet.

If you can't or don't want to get sun exposure, you can supplement vitamin D3 (natural form) by taking supplemental D3, consume fish, or take cod liver oil. I encourage you to get a baseline serum (blood) test of your vitamin D level, 25-hydroxyvitamin D level. The optimal level is 50 so if you below that, please work with your health care provider to take supplemental vitamin D3 until you reach that level. If you have any difficulty with seasonal depression (affective disorder), you might find supplemental vitamin D helpful during the wintertime.


Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce

1 whole orange, I used Cara Cara orange, peeled using a paring knife
1 TBS. dried onion
3/4 c. ketchup, either without any sugar or high fructose corn syrup (Whole Foods 365 Brand has cane sugar)
1 TBS. Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
1/4 c. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Chipotle powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red cayenne pepper (use more if you desire more heat)
3 TBS. Light Agave Nectar

Place orange in food processor or blender and blend until pureed. Place pureed orange in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Use this sauce on any type of meat or even fish you would like to barbecue. Grill and baste with sauce frequently during cooking.

Or...

I used it on 6 organic chicken legs. I seasoned the legs with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Placed them on a foil lined, oiled baking sheet. I basted the legs with the sauce and baked them at 375F for 30 minutes, increased the heat to 400F and basted them again, after 10 minutes I reduced the heat to 375F and added the last layer of sauce baking for another 10-15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes after removing from oven and serve.

Tamari Potatoes

4 organic potatoes of choice, cleaned, scrubbed and diced
2 TBS. dried onions
4 TBS. Tamari
2 TBS. extra virgin olive oil

Combine the onions, Tamari and oil in a bowl. Mix well and add potatoes. Toss to coat potatoes and bake at 350F for 30 minutes until fork tender.

Summer Salad

1 1/2 c. cut green beans, defrosted or fresh (steam for 5 minutes first)
1 c. kidney beans
1/ c. navy beans
2 ears of white corn shucked (soak for two hours prior to using)
1/4 c. diced red onion
1/2 red pepper diced
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Agave nectar
3 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar (not distilled, Bragg's)

Combine beans to red pepper. Over low heat in a saucepan, add the water, oil, nectar and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Pour over the salad and toss well. Better if refrigerated overnight as flavors have time to meld.