Nutty Oat Pancakes

Mmmmm... #insert smile here#

In case you were wondering... that was a description of how my day started.

Sleeping in until the alarm went off, laying in bed for another 15 minutes before actually getting up, making these delightful pancakes and still sitting at the kitchen table in my sweats with my coffee as I write this. What a beautiful way to start a Sunday. (Well, minus the fact that it is insanely windy outside..might hinder today's run a bit.. But that is beside the point!)

I've mentioned this before but ever since eliminating gluten, dairy, yeast and a slew of other randoms that I won't get into, my boyfriend and I rarely get to enjoy the same weekend breakfast like we used to. You see, weekend mornings used to consist of massive breakfasts with one of us cooking and the other one constantly making suggestions (okay... maybe just me making suggestions). But now, we each make our own breakfast, still sharing the morning at the kitchen table with our coffee and newspaper, but - it just isn't the same.

I have had this recipe bookmarked for MONTHS now, just waiting for a weekend to make a hardy breakfast while lounging around the house until #sigh# the school work has to get started. Well my friends, today was the day! As I'm getting closer and closer to my college graduation *Ah!* I've been feeling less and less motivated to hit weekends hard with studying and projects. Which is why, as I said, today was the day for these wonderful homemade pancakes - courtesy of Nancy from The Sensitive Pantry.

Nancy has a wealth of recipes that are perfectly catered to the needs of us with food intolerance and sensitivities. Most of her recipes are gluten, egg, dairy and soy free. PERFECT for what I need!

She created these Banana Walnut Oat Pancakes, in which I made only a few minor changes based on what I had in my fridge. Make sure to check out her recipes, they are wonderful!

Here is the recipe with my few changes...

1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water

3/4 cups sorghum flour
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 c plain soy yogurt + 2/3 c water (whisk until smooth)
1/2 large banana
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup walnuts (finely chopped)

Mix the flaxseed and hot water and let sit as you assemble the batter. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the soy yogurt and water and whisk until you've reached a smooth consistency (similar to soymilk). Add in your very mashed banana, oil and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add wet ingredients to the dry mix, add the flaxseed mixture and stir. Fold in the walnuts. The batter is fairly thick at this point - you can either leave as is or add water 1-2 tbsp at a time until you've reached a thinner batter. (*I added about 1/2 c of water total.)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, adding a little butter to grease the pan. Plop two spoonfulls on top of each other in the pan and smooth out to form a nice 3-inch wide pancake. (I could fit 3 pancakes in my pan at a time with this method.) Continue to do this until you've used all of the batter, making sure to add a little butter to the pan before cooking each new batch. *Nancy's recipe makes 12 three inch pancakes, I ended up with 13 pancakes in total (probably from adding the extra water).

The oats and sorghum flour provide a natural sweetness to these pancakes, while I may be a bit biased towards the sweet scale - they were perfect for me! If you like your pancakes sweeter just be sure to add a healthy dose of pure maple syrup. Yes, that's right, I'm telling you to load it on :)

One sidenote I must mention is that these are not your typical light and fluffy from-the-box pancakes. They are hardy, dense and will fill you up (but of course this is a very good thing!) I found that 3 pancakes was the perfect serving size, leaving me satisfied but not overly stuffed. I topped my yummy pancakes with about 1tbsp pure maple syrup, fresh blackberries, banana chips and a dusting of cinnamon. DELISH!

I highly recommend making these pancakes on your next lazy weekend, or heck, maybe even as a breakfast-for-dinner meal! I have some left over and am fully planning on snacking on them as the day goes on :)

Lastly, I went ahead and calculated the nutrition facts. This time, not so much for you (though I'm sure you are happy to have them!) but for me as I'm really trying to up my calories to gain some weight - hey, I'm training for a half marathon here people! So... here they are...

Nutrition Facts for Nutty Oat Pancakes

per serving: 3 pancakes

239 calories

31g carbohydrates

6.7g protein

4.5g fiber

*with my toppings these come to about: 453 calories, 40g carbs, 7g protein, 5g fiber*

Have a lovely Sunday, smile, be kind and do something amazing!

Savory Herb Amaranth Crackers

Can I just say... I love crackers. What better way to satisfy hunger than with something crunchy, savory with garlic and herb flavors, yet a hint of sweetness... I'm talking about a cracker of course!

If you haven't noticed through my recent posts... I'm on a bit of a cracker streak right now. The first ones I made - Wannabe Wheat Thins, Gluten Free! - kicked off this cracker train and let me tell you... this is one heck of a trip.

I've amazed myself at the art of creating a crunchy, normal-tasting cracker that is, of course, gluten and dairy free. There is something so... empowering... about creating a recipe that really works! (See blog title... no pun intended ;-) )

I stumbled upon this Savory Crackers recipe in my search for graham crackers. I of course saved it to my recipe bookmarks (yes, I do have a folder specifically for recipes - several in fact that are organized by snack, meals, breakfast, dessert, etc.) for a "free time, stress relieving" Saturday. I have been trying to exclude rice from some of my snacking options so I modified this recipe just a tad to come up with the most incredible gluten free cracker.

I think I've drawn you in enough so here it is... Savory Herb Amaranth Crackers...

Dry Ingredients
1/2 c amaranth flour
1/4 c tapioca starch
1/2 tsp zanthan gum
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp herb de provence
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp sesame seeds (toasted slightly on a small fry pan)

Wet Ingredients
2 tbsp oil (I used half grapeseed oil, half olive oil)
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp unsweetened soymilk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Combine dry ingredients through sesame seeds. Slightly toast seeds in a small fry pan over low heat, watch carefully so they don't burn! They are ready when they begin to turn golden and are fragrant - add to the rest of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the wet ingredients and mix into the dry ingredients until fully incorporated and a ball of dough has formed.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the ball of dough in the flour (I used teff flour for this but amaranth works fine too). Roll out the dough until it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (adding more flour as need to avoid sticking). Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into a rectangle shape with straight edges, then proceed to cut small squares (about the size of wheat thins), puncture with a fork 2-3 times on each square and transfer squares to your prepared baking sheet. Reshape the imperfect dough (this is the leftover dough that was outside of your initial rectangle) into a ball and repeat the process until you have used all of the dough. (You may end up with a few imperfect cracker shapes but these are the ones you test before showing people! heehee). Bake for about 12 minutes, then check for doneness. the crackers from the outside of your rectangle will cook faster - these usually end up thinner than the others. If this is the case remove these crackers and place on a cooling rack, then place the rest of the crackers back in the oven until done (this may take up to 5 more minutes). Once all crackers are finished let fully cool on a wire rack and store in a bowl on the counter for easy-access munching. (I believe the crackers retain their crunch-factor much better when stored in an open bowl rather than an airtight container.)

Now... to provide you with even more greatness I calculated the serving size and nutrition information.

What's that you say?? Thank you?!

Oh, no problem! You're so very welcome! (she says with a smirk)

This recipe makes about 38 crackers for 3 servings (give or take a few crackers)
One serving = 12 crackers
228 calories
24g carbs
4g protein
2.5g fiber


*If you are worried that 228 calories seems a lot for only 12 crackers just remember, homemade crackers are always thicker and denser than the store-bought variety. Also, the primary flour used is amaranth which is a very healthy grain filled with protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied.


Well, there you have it! Enjoy these crackers and only share a few... they are too good to give away!

The PERFECT bite size snack!

Tofu Spinach Lasagna

I'd heard it done before, but it still sounded a bit weird... turning tofu into ricotta? Hmm... I had to try this out for myself.

I found this recipe on the lovely Whole Foods website. Seemed pretty simple and I had most of the ingredients, so with the following minor substitutions this lasagna was born...

Ingredients (with my substitutions)

1 (14-ounce) package soft tofu (not silken), drained 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1/2 large onion, finely chopped 
1/2 pound italian sausage
14 oz package button mushrooms 
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
12 oz package frozen cut spinach 
2 cups tomato or marinara sauce 
2 eggs, beaten 
1 tbsp potato flour
1 (16-ounce) package gluten-free lasagna noodles (I use DeBoles - they are precooked!)

To Prepare

For the filling, coarsely crumble tofu onto a lint-free dish towel. Wrap tofu in the towel and lightly press out excess moisture; set aside. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add italian sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until mostly cooked through. Add mushrooms, garlic, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and pepper and spinach, cook until spinach has fully thawed (about 10 minutes). Add a heaping spoonful of the marinara sauce and stir to incorporate. 

Whisk eggs and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl. Add potato flour and whisk until well blended and slightly thickened. Unwrap tofu, crumble it into small pieces and add it to egg mixture. Stir well; set aside. 

If you are using precooked noodles move to the next step. If your lasagna noodles are not precooked, cook noodles according to package directions in salted boiling water, but reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes. The noodles should be slightly firm, as they will continue cooking in the oven. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Begin assembling the lasagna: ladle a spoonful of the sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and spread it out evenly. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Place 1/2 of the tofu mixture on the lasagna sheets along with about a 1/2 of the sausage/spinach/mushroom mixture, distributing it evenly. Repeat layering one more time with 3 lasagna noodles, the rest of the tofu mixture and the sausage mixture. Finish by covering the top layer with shredded mozzarella (if you tolerate dairy) or, my favorite, use Diaya Mozzarella Style Shreds. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove foil and turn on broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese just begins to brown. Remove from oven, set aside uncovered and let stand about 5 minutes, then slice and serve. 

As there isn't much sauce in the lasagna itself I heated about 1 cup marinara sauce to top each slice when plated. Make a simple salad to accompany this dish and there you have it - Tofu Spinach Lasagna! Mmm Mmmm so good!

Side note: I didn't tell my roommate there was tofu in it (because I knew he wouldn't eat it) and ya know what he repeatedly had to say about it? "This is really good!" Give this recipe a try and don't tell your guests what the filling is... I promise they'll never know! ;-)

Ooey Gooey Quesadillas, Dairy Free!

I can honestly tell you that I don't have the words to describe how excited I was to have a REAL quesadilla that actually tasted like a one! I have had a few bites of cheese here and there over the last several months but not a full meal... Dairy has probably been the hardest thing for me to give up but.. my body seems to be happier without it so I have managed to fight my cravings.

I found shredded soy cheese at Vitamin Cottage and thought I'd give it a try (they have many brands, try them all and find your favorite!) I was a little weary about it at first since my last dairy free cheese purchase turned out a little less than... tasteful.

When I opened the bag and tried a little sample I was AMAZED! The best way I can describe the flavor is to relate it to the box mac 'n' cheese you had when you were little... that Velveeta-type, melts-in-your-mouth deliciousness ;-)

Back to the recipe... we had lots of leftovers in the fridge that were at that "eat it or throw it out" stage so I thought hmm what to have for dinner.... QUESADILLAS! They have endless possibilities for fillings and can be personalized to your liking. I filled mine with leftover homemade sloppy-joe, you can find the recipe here. This time around I made it with ground turkey instead of beef, give it a try if you don't eat beef, both taste great but I must say the beef has just a touch more oomph in flavor. I follow the recipe to the tee (except for adding twice as much carrot) and it is always a huge hit.

To prepare your quesadilla follow this tried and true method:

Gather the ingredients you'd like for the filling, place on one half of a tortilla (I use teff tortillas, you can use whatever you have on hand), top with the delicious soy cheese. Warm a medium skillet, use butter or any butter-like spread you have and grease the bottom of the pan. Carefully place the tortilla into the skillet and butter the top side. Wait a few minutes and flip, wait a few more minutes and there you have it! Both sides of the tortilla should be crispy and the filling should me melted. Use a pizza cutter to slice the quesadilla into as many pieces as you like. Eat as is or serve with salsa. Last but not least... enjoy!

TV Dinner

Tonight, my boyfriend is having dinner with some buddies on the hill and our roommate won't be home until later. So... it's cooking for one. I actually really love these nights because the possibilities for dinner are endless! I can have whatever looks good or sounds good - and all I have to worry about is pleasing myself :-)

I've had the last bit of my smoked salmon in the fridge for a while and it needed to get used up so here is what I came up with...

1 serving smoked salmon (whatever brand/flavor you like)
1/3 c shelled edamame
1/3 c corn (I'll admit I used the canned sweet corn but it still works!)
1 serving sweet potato fries (or whatever sweet potato or other potato you have...leftovers are easiest)
olive oil

Mix it all together, microwave until you've reached the temperature you like best.


I know it doesn't seem like anything special but when you have the place to yourself, a TV in front of you and a few hours until Jersey Shore premieres...(yes... I've gotten sucked in... ) it's easy to relax with this comforting yet extremely nutritious meal!

Enjoy!