Apparently yesterday was National Pancake Day. I totally missed that one. And quite honestly, I am beginning to think there is a day for everything. My kids always love a good pancake, so we’ll still be celebrating this really important holiday, just a day late.

So, if you are like me and didn’t even realize there was a National Pancake Day, let alone observe it yesterday, here are some great recipes so you can celebrate pancakes at your house. Happy gluten-free baking and Happy Pancake Day!

Cinnamon Syrup

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pear Pancakes

One Bowl Pancakes

Banana and Cinnamon Teff Pancakes

Breakfast, Holidays & Special Occasions gluten free pancakes

We are still enjoying fresh, local blueberries here in Oregon, so I decided to whip up some blueberry sauce for breakfast. You can literally make this sauce in a couple of minutes, which makes it perfect for breakfast (or an impromptu dessert topping). If you have a kid that enjoys cooking, this is one of those super easy, yet super delicious, recipes they would probably enjoy making themselves.

This is a very basic recipe, with no fancy ingredients; which is the way I think a berry sauce should be. I do like a little sugar in the sauce, however, if you are watching your sugar intake or have really sweet berries, you might want to reduce or eliminate the sugar.

I think the slightly sweetened sauce is perfect for pancakes or waffles, but it would also be delicious poured over ice cream or pound cake for dessert.

You could use frozen blueberries in this recipe if you don’t have fresh. Also, I like the sauce fairly thick, but if you find it is too thick for your liking, you could reduce the cornstarch to one tablespoon or if the sauce is already prepared, you could always add water a tablespoon at a time to get the desired consistency.

Blueberry Sauce

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• dash salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups blueberries

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt, whisking to combine. Add water and stir or whisk until dissolved and smooth. Add blueberries and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until mixture is thickened, about one minute. Remove from heat and serve warm or cold.

Breakfast, Cooking With Kids, Desserts, quick and easy, Sauces & Dressings gluten-free blueberry sauce

I am not much of a morning person. So, other than the occasional weekend breakfast, I simply grab a piece of fruit or a yogurt in the morning before starting my day.

One thing I do “make” on a busy weekday morning is a smoothie. They are super easy and healthy too. Kids seem to have mixed feeling about smoothies, I know plenty of kids that love them, but my kids aren’t huge smoothie fans. I think this could be due to the fact I try to make mine really healthy, aka no added sugar. But, I have found they are more likely to enjoy a smoothie if it isn’t too sour.

The best smoothies start with the best fruit. Using really fresh, sweet fruit (in this case cantaloupe) will produce a really sweet smoothie. Also, the type of yogurt you use will effect the final product. I opted for some Honey& Strawberry Greek Yogurt I had in the fridge. It’s nice and thick, so the smoothie doesn’t get too runny and the honey adds just enough sweetness. However, you could just use regular Greek style yogurt and add a tablespoon or so honey, sugar, maple syrup, etc if needed.

Cantaloupe may not seem like the most obvious smoothie choice, but we really enjoyed this version. And since the recipe only requires a cup of melon, it’s a great way to use up some leftovers.

I think adding bananas, mangoes, or some coconut water would be a great way to turn this into a tropical treat, perfect for a hot summer day.

Cantaloupe Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

• 1 cup cubed cantaloupe
• 1/2 cup Greek style yogurt (I used honey & strawberry flavor)
• about 1 cup crushed ice

1. Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Breakfast gluten-free smoothie

I hate frying. That being said, my kids miss doughnuts. I bought a couple doughnut pans, and have successfully made pumpkin, chocolate, and banana ones (I’ll post the recipe soon).

These baked doughnuts are always a hit, especially with my youngest who never had the regular fried variety. But my husband and teen know that an old-fashioned, fried doughnut is its own special treat; one that can not be made in the oven!

I have tried on several occasions to make gluten-free fried doughnuts and they were all messy failures. Well, finally I saw a recipe for Vegan Apple Doughnuts from Elizabeth Barbone. Since Barbone is one of my favorite gluten-free cookbook authors, I knew I had to give her recipe a try.

The recipe was simple (but had some confusing ingredients/instructions/typos), so I had to improvise in a few places. The result? Really nice tasting, apple doughnuts and doughnut holes. The next day…gross, dense, doughnut-shaped things. I tried another batch with applesauce, but no luck; these doughnuts do not store well. Leftovers just don’t taste good. I am guessing it is the lack of dairy, maybe some sour cream would help these store better? But seriously, how many batches of fried doughnuts should I make?

So, yes these are gluten-free apple doughnuts are delicious warm and they are vegan, which means egg-free and dairy-free too! However, you have to eat them all or give them away shortly after they are made. But, they are a nice treat and a great dessert to serve for a special breakfast or brunch. We made a batch for Mother’s Day since we had a combination of gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free guests. It made for a great treat that everyone could enjoy!

And the kids will most likely love to help cut out the doughnuts. What could be more fun than helping make fresh, warm doughnuts on the weekend?

The cut out dough…

And all coated with cinnamon-sugar and ready to eat!

Apple Cider Doughnuts

Makes 12 doughnuts and 12 doughnut holes.

If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can simple mix by hand with a wooden spoon. I tried it and it works fine, but you might have to knead the dough a little with your hands before rolling out.

• 2 1/4 cups white rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 3 tablespoon flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup very warm tap water
• 1 1/4 cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• cornstarch for dusting counter
• oil for deep frying (I use canola in an electric deep fryer)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar +1 teaspoon cinnamon for the baked doughnuts

1. In the bowl of stand mixer, combine rice flour, potato starch, cornstarch, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and xanthan bum. Mix on low to combine.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed meal and water; stir and allow to stand for a minute to soften. Add the flaxseed mixture, apple cider, and oil to the dry ingredients. Mix until a dough forms (dough will be a little sticky).
3. Dust the counter with cornstarch (I actually use a silpat mat) and place dough on top. Pat dough with hands, or roll with a rolling pin, until dough is 1/2 inch thickness.
4. Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels and place cinnamon-sugar mixture in a shallow dish or bowl (a pie plate works great!).
5. Heat oil to 375. I use an electric fryer, but you can use a heavy, deep pan (like a Dutch oven); you’ll want at least 1 1/2 inches of oil.
6. While the oil heats, using a doughnut cutter, cut dough into rounds, dipping the cutter into cornstarch or rice flour if necessary to prevent sticking. If you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use a 2 1/2 inch round cutter and a 3/4 cutter for the center. Gently roll the center pieces to form balls for doughnut holes!
7. Gently place doughnuts into hot oil and fry for about two minutes; or until doughnuts rise. Using tongs, or the handles or two wooden spoons, carefully flip doughnuts (if you have an electric fryer, this step is unnecessary). Fry doughnuts for an additional minute. Remove doughnuts from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate to drain briefly before rolling in cinnamon-sugar. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
8. For doughnut holes, fry one minute on each side. Drain briefly on paper towels and roll cinnamon-sugar.
9. Allow doughnuts and doughnut holes to cool several minutes before serving (you don’t want to burn anyone), but they really are best served fresh and warm!

 

Breakfast, Desserts gluten-free apple doughnuts, vegan gluten free doughnuts

Chances are if you have kids or grand kids you are familiar with the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham. Being that it was just Easter, you might have some leftover ham in the fridge, add some wilted spinach and some scrambled eggs and what do you have? Green Eggs & Ham…at least my version of this storybook dish.

I realize not all kids are going to be easily sold on eating spinach in their eggs, but this dish is super tasty and a fun change from scrambled eggs. My kids eat spinach and most vegetables, so it wasn’t too weird for my preschooler.  I opted to use small-curd cottage cheese to add creaminess and some “cheese” flavor. However, the end product does not have a distinct cottage cheese flavor, nor its clumpy texture. The cottage cheese virtually melts into the eggs.

I just used some leftover diced ham, but crumbled bacon, or diced lunch meat would also work.

Truthfully, I would cook this for myself. The flavors go wonderful together and there is plenty of room for substitution with cheeses (I think Parmesan or white cheddar would be great, although not as low-fat as cottage cheese), and the addition of some fresh herbs or garlic would also be nice.

I think you could get a stronger green color by wilting the spinach and cooking the eggs simultaneously in the same pan; however, I was concerned the texture of the eggs would be compromised, so I decided to cook them separately. The end result is a soft, creamy, and slightly green dish.

So grab the book of the bookshelf and whip up some Green Eggs & Ham with the kids. Chances are, they will always remember this meal!

*I cooked this with my 4 year old, so I didn’t get a lot of pictures. Having a preschooler cracking eggs and trying to help doesn’t leave a lot of time for Mom to grab the camera. Although this dish required a lot of supervision and cleaning at my house, and older child should be able to make this with little or no help.

Green Eggs & Ham

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 a shallot, diced
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup small-curd cottage cheese
• about 1/4 cup diced ham
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add spinach and shallots and cook until spinach is wilted; about 2-3 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine eggs and cottage cheese; using a fork, whisk to blend. Heat pan over medium-high heat (add a small amount of cooking spray, oil, or butter if you are not using a nonstick pan). Add egg mixture, stirring often, until eggs begin to get firm and clump. Add the ham and cooked spinach mixture into the eggs, and continue to cook until eggs are cooked to desired doneness (they are going to be a little softer than traditional scrambled eggs).
3. Serve warm.

Breakfast, Cooking With Kids, Kids Cook Monday greeen eggs and ham