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Recipe: Gluten-Free Chocolate Oatmeal Pancakes

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Pancakes are such a great way to experiment with ingredients.  I love trying out new combinations.  Traditionally I make pancakes once during the weekend as I know this is one thing my daughter will absolutely eat.  I find that once I started eating gluten-free, I am in a constant state of experimenting with foods, especially what flours and flour blends make the tastiest combinations.  It takes a lot of trial and error.

I have tried some pancake mixes that I just couldn’t stomach and others than just melt in my mouth, and I think these pancakes are pretty tasty.  I have also tried combining my own flours, but the one I always come back to is Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix, this contains almond meal…and really, unless you have an allergy, you can’t go wrong with almond flour, it makes everything taste better, in my opinion. My other secret ingredient for pancakes is buttermilk.  It just gives them a nice, fluffy texture, and I refuse to make pancakes without it.

And for this particular pancake recipe I used a newly discovered product to me, Midnight Moo chocolate syrup at Trader Joe’s. I finally got around to trying it, and now it will become a staple in our house. My daughter loves making chocolate milk with this.  But really, who wouldn’t?  This recipe also includes oats, so it is important to be sure you are using gluten-free oats, I like to use Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free rolled oats.

This recipe takes a little bit of planning, because you need the oats to soak in the buttermilk for at least an hour.  I will sometimes do it the night before and let it sit in the fridge.  If you would like to leave out the oats, just use 2 cups of the gluten-free flour mix, and omit the soaking.

Chocolate oatmeal pancakes

1 cup gluten-free oats
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
—————————-
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use grapeseed oil)
2 eggs
1/4 cup chocolate sauce (I used Midnight Moo from Trader Joe’s)
2 T sugar
—————————-
1 cup gluten-free flour mix (I used Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
Combine the oats with the buttermilk and let sit for at least an hour, or do the night before and leave overnight.
After soaking, mix in the eggs, vanilla, oil, chocolate syrup and sugar into the soaked oats.
Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Blend until combined.Let batter sit for 15 minutes.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Ladle the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Lightly brown (or cook until you like it) on both sides and serve warm.

I am definitely adding this recipe into my pancake rotation – my daughter loved them, which also includes my regular oatmeal pancakes with fresh fruit, pumpkin pancakes with caramelized bananas, buckwheat blueberry pancakes, and my all-time favorite eggnog pancakes. What are your favorite pancakes?

Thirty Minute or Less Gluten-Free Meal Ideas

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We are all busy.  Before the gluten-free diet it was easy to swing by the closest fast food restaurant and pick up dinner.  Now, though it is possible, I try to avoid it.  Following the gluten-free diet forces me to think more about my food choices.  If I choose to eat out, whether it be fast food or a sit-down restaurant, I have to consider whether or not I can eat safely.  Safely means gluten-free, it doesn’t take into account any of the other health problems that may result from frequent dining out on higher sodium, higher calorie or higher fat foods.

One way I try to avoid falling into the trap of picking something up on the way home is meal planning.  I try to meal plan on Sundays before I head out to the grocery store so I have everything I will need for those meals in the house.  Once that step is complete, I try to prep as much as I can on Sunday or Monday so that I have less steps to prepare the meal on the day it rolls around.  If meat needs to be defrosted, I use our second refrigerator for that.  Notice that I used the words “I try”.  There are times that this doesn’t happen and there are times that it does, but I don’t follow through on the plan.  I am not perfect – none of us are.

I try to have a back up plan in place for those days when I have failed to follow my plan.  Keeping supplies on hand that are shelf-stable or can be frozen is one way to be prepared.  Here is my list of pantry and/or freezer items that I try to keep on hand:

  • Ground beef or turkey
  • Prego three cheese spaghetti sauce
  • Gluten-free pasta
  • Brown rice
  • Quinoa
  • Black beans
  • Garbanzo beans
  • Chebe foccacia or pizza mix (can easily be made into a pizza crust)
  • Eggs
  • Potatoes
  • Hormel chili with beans
  • Edamame
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Udi’s gluten-free pizza crust (freezer)
  • Taco seasoning (or a blend of your own – cumin, chile powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, etc.)
  • corn tortillas

Several quick meals can be created from the ingredients I listed above.  Dinner doesn’t have to be elaborate, just enough to get the tummy full and the body refueled.  Some of our quick, go-to gluten-free meals that take 30 minutes or less are:

  • Tacos – Brown ground meat, season & serve in corn tortillas with a side of salad and corn
  • Spaghetti – Brown ground meat & dump in a jar of Prego; boil pasta and toss with meat sauce.  Serve with green salad.
  • Chili with brown rice/quinoa.  Serve with a green salad.
  • Breakfast for dinner – fried or scrambled eggs, frittata or omelet.  Serve with fried potatoes and a large bowl of fruit.  Add fresh spinach to scramble for extra nutrients.
  • Pizza – Spread diced tomatoes (or Prego sauce) on an Udi’s gluten-free crust.  Top with mushrooms & cheese (or whatever you like).  Serve with a green salad.
  • Rice/quinoa bowls made with beans or edamame.  Add roasted vegetables to the mix.  Serve with a side of gluten-free garlic toast.

Some things I do on Sunday to make my week easier:

  • Cook enough rice or quinoa for a few meals & keep in the refrigerator or freezer
  • Slice vegetables for salads
  • Clean & slice fruit for salads/sides (some fruit goes bad faster when cut, so use caution)
  • Clean & cut vegetables for sides or use in meals.  Roasting vegetables brings out a unique flavor.  Store roasted veggies in the fridge for adding to salads, omelets, rice bowls or pizza.
  • Occasionally I will buy a rotisserie chicken (or even roast one myself) to use in lunches & dinners through the week.

Another option to consider is using a crock pot.  I don’t do this a lot, but when I do I freeze some of what I make for fast go-to meals.  Some crock pot meals that freeze well:

  • Pulled pork – pork loin + 1 –2 cups of white vinegar, salt & pepper cooked on low for 8 hours.  Toss with your favorite BBQ sauce.  Serve and freeze leftovers.
  • Pork & sauerkraut – boneless pork loin or boneless chops + 1 bag sauerkraut + salt & pepper.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve over mashed or baked potatoes and freeze leftovers.
  • Pot roast – boneless chuck roast + carrots + potatoes + onions + salt & pepper.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with a green salad and freeze leftovers.
  • Roast chicken – roll up several balls of foil & place on the bottom of your crock pot.  Season your chicken and place the chicken on top of the foil balls.  Roast on low for 8 hours.  Serve as you wish and eat leftovers for the week.

While using the crock pot obviously takes longer than 30 minutes, the prep should only take minutes in the morning before you head out the door for work and then you have most of your meal ready when you get home.  If you are looking to get more creative with your crockpot, check out Stephanie O’Dea’s “A Year of Slow Cooking”.

Gluten-Free on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

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Hilton Head Island, SC has been a favorite of mine since I was little, and now we go as a family at least once a year. It is a nice, easy getaway from Atlanta. Typically we cook our meals at the house, in addition to keeping costs down, I don’t have to worry or stress about cross-contamination at restaurants.

But on this recent visit, we decided to explore a little bit, and since going gluten-free this was my first time actually eating out there.  I tried to do some research before our holiday and ask for suggestions, but the only responses I received were for chain restaurants.  And while I appreciate that chain restaurants are expanding their gluten-free offerings, those are restaurants I can go to anywhere, whether I am in Hilton Head or on the west coast.  I really wanted to find something unique and local.

We happened to have some friends staying on Hilton Head at the same time and they suggested meeting at The Sea Shack for dinner. One look at the website and it looked like a gluten haven, but after calling and being reassured I could order fish grilled, I felt a little better.  When we arrived, it really did look like a shack in a very-unlikely area.  Nothing fancy, yet  had a line out the door at 7pm.  Seeing all the fried items, I was a little apprehensive…ok, a lot apprehensive.  It is the type of place you go to the counter and order, so I asked several questions, while holding up the line and placed my order.  I ordered plain, grilled salmon, with grits and cucumber salad.  I also asked them if they could grill my fish on a clean surface and not to add any seasoning. They seemed pretty knowledgeable and  pretty sure their seasonings were safe, but I didn’t want to risk it, especially on vacation.  This reminded me why going to a restaurant for the first time when it is packed is not the best idea.

Thankfully, the dinner was delicious.  I looked longingly at my daughter’s hushpuppies, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and left there feeling great.  I will definitely be back on our next visit.

Another night during our visit, I really wanted to take a break from cooking and do something easy. This time I went against my philosophy of “no chains” and decided to order out from Mellow Mushroom, which I have yet to try since going gluten-free.  I miss the days when I could eat the gluten-filled Mellow Mushroom crust and it smells so good, but I was happy I could still go there and order a pizza.  The gluten-free crust only came in a 12″, so I ordered a Mega Veggie on gluten-free crust, and a Greek salad (the dressing is gluten-free).  My husband and I were very pleased with the pizza, and sharing that and a salad was more than enough.  We even had enough salad for lunch the next day.

On our last night, we decided to go out one more time, and this time we tried Land’s End Tavern at South Beach Marina in Sea Pines. We choose this place based on the pirate theme…there was no planning or calling ahead for this one.  I figured I could order grilled fish if nothing else.

Luckily, before being seated, I asked the hostess about gluten-free options and she told me she also had celiac and went through the menu and marked everything that was safe.  And let me know anytime a dish has fried fish, it could also be done grilled.  She also told me they had a separate fryer just for fries, so I was exited about this.  But, then she went on to say how while she has celiac, she will sometimes cheat – my confidence just dropped.  When we sat down I asked the server to confirm about the fryer and he said no, they are all fried in the same oil. That nixed my chances for tasting my daughter’s fries.  I ended up ordering grilled fish (swordfish) tacos with crispy corn tortillas with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.  The fish tacos were very tasty and I felt great after the meal.  My husband ordered the same as me, but fried, and after tasting mine, he said he preferred mine.  Plus, the grilled is much healthier.

All in all, my three experiences eating out while we were in Hilton Head were a success, and I would be happy to revisit all three of these places. My conclusion when visiting a beach side restaurant, stick with simple…grilled fish, grilled or steamed veggies and potatoes.  But always ask questions about exact ingredients and preparations.

Gluten-Free Dining Options in Washington D.C.

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During a recent trip to Washington, DC for the Fancy Food show, I got to experience a little of what the area has to offer gluten-free diners.  Can you imagine having gluten-free pizza and pasta delivered to your front door?  Frankly, I before I experienced it myself, I could not.  One night when we were beat from walking the show floor all day, where we ate food samples most of the day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Delight gluten-free team decided to order dinner in.  We ordered gluten-free pizza, gluten-free pasta and a Greek salad from Mamma Lucia’s, a place that happens to deliver to our Executive Editor’s area of town.

I could hardly believe that we could just call the restaurant, place our order and then wait for the order of gluten-free food to appear in about 30 minutes.  But in fact, that is exactly what happened!  I was in the mood for pasta and salad but managed to snag a small piece of pizza from one of the two gluten-free pizza boxes as well.  The pasta was very good and the pizza, made with a Still Riding Pizza crust, was surprisingly tasty!

For lunch one day, we enjoyed standard lunch fare from Lilit Café.  Not only do they offer gluten-free French fries and onion rings, they offer gluten-free sub rolls and sandwich bread!  It was a little overwhelming to decide what to order with so many options, but I settled on a Chicken & Cheese Philly sandwich on a roll.  It did not disappoint!  I’m pretty sure you could get away with serving the sandwich I had to a gluten eater and they’d never question the roll.  It just tasted like a sub roll – no odd texture or taste – just great bread!

One evening we went to Austin Grill for a Tex-Mex dinner.  The place has a great gluten-free menu and there were many terrific looking items to choose from.   For the first time in over five years, I was able to order chicken enchiladas (made with corn tortillas, of course) with a red sauce.  My meal came with rice and beans, but all I really cared about was the delicious enchiladas! The food is made with very fresh ingredients, yet the prices are very reasonable.  There are several locations of Austin Grill in and around our nation’s capital.

It seems that the gluten-free set in DC and the surrounding areas have it made in the shade!

Review: Gluten-Free Rice Krispies

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When I heard about the new Kellogg’s cereal coming out, I could not wait to try it!  I’m really not sure why since I didn’t eat cereal regularly when I ate gluten, but it probably has something to do with the fact that I never understood why most mainstream cereals, including those without wheat in them, contain barley malt.

For the last couple of months, people have reported finding the gluten-free version of Rice Krispies (yes, there are two versions now) at various stores in other states.  Finally, after checking the cereal aisle once again at Publix last weekend, I found the gluten-free Rice Krispies!  And to top off the exciting find, Kellogg’s cereals were on the 2-for-1 Publix special so I got the box for 50% off!

My husband immediately mentioned that I better plan on eating all the cereal by myself (he knows I don’t really care much for cereal unless making a snack mix with it since he didn’t care for Rice Krispies with or without gluten in them.  I explained that I’d figure out a way to eat the whole box myself.

Monday morning arrived and I decided to open the new cereal and give it a try.  I poured some milk over the cereal and sure enough, that familiar snack, crackle and pop sound was music to my ears!  Remember how much fun that was to hear when you were a kid?  Well, this big kid still thinks it’s fun as can be!

So, how does the new cereal taste?  In all fairness, I have to admit that I probably have not had gluten Rice Krispies in well over 20 years.  But if memory serves me well, this cereal tastes just like I remember the traditional version tasting.  It simply tastes like Rice Krispies, period.

The gluten-free version of Rice Krispies is made with brown rice so it offers a bit more in terms of nutrition than the white rice (gluten containing) version.  There are also very few ingredients which kind of surprised me, but in a good way.  There is no high fructose corn syrup in the cereal either, which is a more common ingredient in mainstream cereals that the average consumer is aware of.

It is great to see Kellogg’s getting into the gluten-free marketplace and hopefully, more mainstream companies will finally figure out that the gluten-free diet is not a fad that is on its way out.  In fact, it’s just getting started here in the good old U.S.A.  Who knows?  Maybe the company will introduce gluten-free versions of Cheese-It crackers and even Pop Tarts eventually!

*Be sure to check out our own Kim Bouldin’s review of gluten-free Rice Krispie treats here! There are many recipes for Rice Krispie treats on Food.com, but remember to use gluten-free cereal to make them and all gluten-free ingredients as well.