Gluten Free (GF) Brown Rice Flour Pancakes!

I was in a Saturday morning pancake kind-of mood. Sadly, I hadn't gone grocery shopping in too long to mention (damn vacation getting in my way!:)) I was craving blueberry pancakes, but there were no blueberries ANYWHERE! (Ha! Okay. There were probably blueberries a couple blocks away at the closest market, but leaving my apartment was out of the question.) I decided I would settle for traditional pancakes sans blueberries. With that thought, a frown started to creep onto my face. As I'm shuffling through my cupboards looking for something I know doesn't exist, I actually unexpectedly find something that does exist- Brown Rice Flour!!! The excitement rushes in and I think to myself 'now this is something I can work with!!" The frown quickly dissipates and reforms into a smile! YAY! Breakfast is going to be a success!!

Brown Rice Flour Pancakes Recipe

Serves: 3-4

Time: 5 minutes for batter preparation. Cooking time varies.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour

2 tbsp white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup 1% cow's milk

2 tsp canola oil

Directions:

1. Heat skillet with oil

2. Mix all ingredients together using a wisk

3. Pour 1/4 cup batter at a time to make pancakes!

4. Enjoy with some syrup! YUM!

(GF rice flour pancakes recipe found after the fact! I like the pictures, too!)

The Cranberry Bread That Just Wasn't Meant To Be

I prepped the ingredients.

And got the camera ready.

The ingredients were mixed and into the oven they went.
And out they came...

...transformed and looking so lovely!

Looking lovely, until they didn't anymore! :(

Lesson Learned. Not all recipes on the internet are fool proof. This should have been a delicious bread. Should have been... should have been... should have been... but wasn't. Back to Betty Crocker, I say! :)

BBQ Tofu

So the title of this one might be a biiiiiit misleading. I live in the city and I don't own a grill (nor am I allowed to.) But, I did what all of us city dwellers must do- compromise and find the next best fit! A few weeks ago I was wandering and stumbled across one of the many farmer's markets in Harvard Square. Lucky for one local seller, I was in a shopping mood. (Although, unbeknownst to her, it's not all that challenging to persuade me to buy things- food or clothes!) What I bought that day was a locally made bottle of BBQ sauce. Although there were many varieties I bought the variety entitled "Sassy Mo'Lassy." (I'm not sure I'm ready to admit I bought this less for the delicious taste and more for the name of the product. Plus, you can't go wrong when buying local anyway!!!) (Find out more about the product here!)

BBQ Tofu Recipe:

Prep time: 0-24 hours (see below)

Cook time: on average 15 minutes (see below)

Ingredients:

Sassy Mo'Lassy BBQ sauce

1 block firm tofu

canola oil

Directions:

1. Open tofu and drain liquid.

2. Place tofu between two plates. Place a heavy object on-top to help squeeze out extra fluid. Let sit for at least 20 minutes.

3. Slice and dice tofu into approx one inch blocks

4. Place half of the diced tofu in one container and the other half in another container. Add 2 tbsp of BBQ to each container. Close lid. Shake. And let sit for 1-24* hours.

5. After tofu has had time to soak up the yummy sauce, it's time to cook it! Heat 1 tsp canola oil on medium-low in a cast iron pan.

6. Place tofu in pan and turn frequently. Cook time depends. If you want to just warm the tofu, time is usually <10 minutes. If you want the tofu to be a little crispy, I would cook approx 20 minutes or until you see the tofu browning.

*The longer you let the tofu soak in a sauce, the stronger flavor it will have. One hour works, but I've really begun to enjoy the 24 hour soak!!

Make It a Complete Meal:

What's a complete meal you ask? A complete meal = starch + protein + vegetables. We've got the protein covered here. I happened to have a box of lentils and frozen green beans. I followed the instructions on the box and boiled my frozen green beans. Here's your chance to be creative! Fix and prepare you're favorite starch and summer time vegetable!! Enjoy!!

Vegetable Pita (with a KICK!)

Are you looking for some spice in your life?! Me too! Lucky for you you've come to the right spot. It's summer time and the moment is here to cook with local and fresh ingredients. And I've got a quick one for you!

Vegetable Pita (with a KICK!)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serves: as many or as few as you like

Ingredients:

Joseph's pita

green beans

tomato

red pepper

olive oil

salt

black pepper

crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse, dice and chop all vegetables. You choose the variety.

2. Add 1 tsp oil to cast iron pan and warm over medium heat.

3. Add green beans and red pepper.

4. Sprinkle salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper.

5. Stir occasionally.

6. Add tomatoes and stir.

7. Remove from heat and place in pita.

VOILA! Yummy meal in less than 10 minutes!!

Sumer Time Sweet Treat- Homemade Popsicles

Summer's not over yet and sometimes we all just want a tasty treat. Women's Health magazine was two steps ahead and released six recipes for frozen pops. I tried making the 'Blood Orange & Cream' pops twice. Below are two varieties of the recipe!

Orange & Cream Popsicle Version One

Ingredients:

1 small orange

1/8 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup orange juice pulp free

1/4 cup 1% milk

Directions:

1. Chop orange into small bite size pieces

2. On high, boil sugar and water stirring until water is dissolved.

3. Add oranges and lower heat. Stir for a minute or two.

4. Remove mixture from heat and add in vanilla, milk, and orange juice.

5. Pour mixture into popsicle molds.

6. Freeze for 8 hours!

Of Note:

Blood oranges are not in season in August so I used a regular navel orange. It wasn't my favorite, but it works. Blood oranges are in season in TX from December to March and in CA from November to May. (Courtesy of wiki.) I also used less sugar than the original recipe recommended.

Nutrition Facts:

68 calories per pop

Recipe makes 4 pops

Orange & Cream Popsicle Version Two

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar water/simple syrup

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup orange juice pulp free

1/2 cup 1% milk

Of Note:

Blood oranges are not in season and I didn't love the texture of the orange, so in round two I eliminated the orange. For anybody who likes to make delicious tasty (alcoholic) drinks, a typical staple is simple syrup. Why turn on the stove in the heat of the summer when simple syrup is sitting on the counter, waiting patiently to be used?! :) I also wanted more of the creamsicle-y feel so I increased the milk portion and decreased the OJ portion. The end product is a lighter in color popsicle with a more creamy texture! :)

Directions:

1. Mix simple syrup, vanilla, OJ, and milk together.

2. Pour mixture into popsicle molds.

3. Freeze for 8 hours!

Nutrition Facts:

75 calories per pop

Recipe makes 4 pops