Buckwheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Kid-Approved Buckwheat Pancakes!

My energy levels have been very low for the past couple of weeks and added sleep has been of no help, so I started the Wild Rose Detox program yesterday morning.  I've done this one many times in the past few years and the results a person will get from doing this 12-day program are amazing.  There is a large variety of allowed foods, along with a great recipe book available to purchase, which makes it much easier to stick with than some other detox programs out there.  The most recommended foods, which you can eat as much of as you want are: fish, almonds, buckwheat, brown rice and millet.  I don't eat millet myself, as it contains a substance which suppresses thyroid activity.  Consumed in small amounts is considered safe, however, I'd rather stay away from it as I already have an underactive thyroid: hypothyroidism. 

While eating a very healthy diet, I need to keep it economical.  This isn't easy when buying gluten-free and organic!  When I started shopping this way,  I was spending way too much on groceries.  Over the years, I've learned that if I buy the whole food and make recipes from scratch, my penny goes much farther. 

Let's take pancakes for example. I've bought pre-made gluten-free pancake mix once before.  My boys really enjoyed them, but they were a bit crumbly and quite light.  They were able to eat half the box in one sitting and that's not economical for me!  This buckwheat pancake recipe includes only whole foods, nothing's been turned into a flour, which means I, too, can eat it! (for myself, I've realized it's not just the gluten-free I need to follow, but also to not eat any grain or legume that's been processed into a flour).  This is the first pancake recipe that I make with buckwheat that my two sons liked, so, even though I have another buckwheat pancake recipe on this blog, here's a second one!  They are so hearty and fluffy and are not at all crumbly.

buckwheat pumpkin pancakes

6 eggs

2 cups hulled buckwheat

1 cup water

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

coconut oil for frying

1. In a medium bowl, whisk 6 eggs. 
2. Add buckwheat and water, let sit for 30 minutes to soften the grain.
3. Pour in blender along with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix until the mixture turns into a batter.  Some small grits left in the batter is just fine.
5. Preheat frying pan to medium-high.
6. Add some oil to coat the bottom of your pan and drop in batter by large spoonfuls.
7. I make mine about 3 inches in diameter.
8. My kids eat them with agave syrup drizzled on top, and I have it with a mixture of almond butter and apple sauce, which I prefer to syrup anyways!  I had them this morning at room temperature and they were great.  Even better was if you can pop them in the toaster when eating them as leftovers.

Yields about 30 pancakes.

Note: This is quite a large batch.  If you'd like to try a smaller batch first, just try cutting the ingredients down.  Use 2 eggs, 2/3 cup buckwheat, 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup pumpkin gpuree, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  This will give you very similar results.

Pumpkin puree tip: I've mentioned this before, one thing I haven't yet tried is making my own pumpkin puree.  That is one of the very few things I buy pre-made, although it is just organic pumpkin, but it is in a can and the ones who make it themselves would never go back.  Maybe next year when the pumpkins come out, I will buy some and freeze a bunch!  But for now, I buy it pre-made and for the recipes I use it in, never use the whole can.  No matter if I have the best intentions to use the left-overs in a few days, it usually doesn't happen and I throw it out. 

Two weeks ago I made some pumpkin cookies and put the rest of the pumpkin puree in the freezer.  I thawed it out yesterday to make these pancakes and it was great.   The texture does change a bit, so I probably wouldn't use this pre-frozen pumpkin puree to make, say, pumpkin pie filling as it's not as creamy, but for recipes such as the ones on my blog, it's a great way to make another one of my ingredients last!

                                   

Curried Rice Salad

This is one of the recipes I made this past weekend on one of my power cooks.   It was a productive weekend that resulted in healthy desserts, guacamole, soups, pakoras and this wonderful rice salad, in my fridge, ready to eat.  For a gal like me, spending hours in the kitchen is time well spent and enjoyed!  I realize not everyone enjoys cooking or have the time to spend hours in the kitchen:  this salad will take minutes(not counting cooking the rice) to make and you'll have this in your fridge ready for easy lunches or side dish to your meals.

I've been making this salad regularly for the past two years, and I still relish at the flavour of this dish.  I make a large batch and place in two-cup containers for easy lunches.  Mornings for most of us are already hectic enough.  Being able to go in the fridge and grab a couple of containers that contain my healthy breakfast and lunch to bring to work is worth so much to me!  I've never frozen this salad as peppers would get soft, but it lasts a good week in the fridge.  If using meat instead of almonds, which I've never tried, would shorten this time for sure.

curried rice salad

6 cups brown rice, cooked (2 cups uncooked)
1 cup roasted almonds, chopped (bake whole raw almonds at 350 degree oven on cookie sheet for 15 minutes)
1 cup celery, diced
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/2 red onion, diced finely
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine rice, almonds, celery, peppers, onion and cilantro.
2. In smaller bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, curry powder, salt and pepper together.
3. Pour dressing into salad mixture and stir well.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste(add more curry powder, salt, etc.)

Yield: 10 cups.  If this is too large an amount, especially when trying it out for the first time, just cut the ingredients in half!

Note: For nut allergies, try using 2 cups of cooked diced chicken instead of the almonds.

Beef Tacos with Fried Plantains



Beef Tacos - NOT from a box !

The first time I made my own plantain chips was in Nicaragua.  We were on vacation there for 2 months and invited our new neighbours to come over and watch the Superbowl.  Tony and Michele who are from Vancouver, go to their beautiful vacation home in San Juan del Sur for a few months every year.  They quickly became very dear friends of ours.  Well Tony and Michele, lucky duckies, are back there now and will be for a few months.  So this post is for you guys!  I'm sure you're having a blast in your backyard oasis, stargazing, hanging out at the beach and eating the awesome food!  We miss you!

In my previous life, tacos always started with the purchase of a box containing taco shells, salsa and spice mix for the beef.  There is definitely a fresher taco to be had than that!  Seriously, those boxes make life easier, yes, but only short term.  We are healthier and feel so much better when we take a bit more time to make our meals with whole, natural foods!

beef tacos

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 medium roma tomatoes, pureed in food processor with skin on

cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper

1. In a medium frying pan on medium-high heat, cook ground beef until almost done.
2. Add onion and garlic, cook until onion is soft.
3. Add tomato puree and spices.
4. Stir, cook, taste, adjust spices to your taste!
5. Suggestions for toppings: lettuce, diced tomatoes, Guacamole, shredded cheese and salsa. 

Paleo, Candida and Wild Rose D-Tox: Serve on lettuce shell (no cheese!!)

Gluten-Free: Serve on corn tortillas

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plantain chips

green plantains

oil, for frying (I use grapeseed oil)

salt

1. Peel plantains
2. Slice thinly with a slicer.  (You can also slice them lengthwise)
3. Heat pan to medium-high, put about 1/2 inches oil and fry in batches, making sure to separate the plantains before placing in the oil.
4. Stir often, until just starting to turn golden brown.
5. Put on paper towel to absorb excess oil and sprinkle with salt.

Note: Green plantains can be very tricky and difficult to peel.  My friend Jorlene in Nicaragua, showed me the way the locals do it, just follow these steps: http://latinfood.about.com/od/cookingbasicstips/ss/peelplantain.htm.  On TV, I've seen green plantains parboiled, with skin on, prior to peeling.  This made peeling much easier, but I've never tried it.  I'd rather save myself (or hubby) having to wash another pot!
           In Nicaragua, they serve plantain chips with a mayo/ketchup mixture.  Or have them plain and enjoy!

Carrot Soup

Easy peasy carrot soup!

As with most weekend mornings, my sunday morning started with a power cook.  It's when I have the most energy to chop, cook and clean, many times over.  It's my favourite time in the kitchen, and afterwards, have prepared, healthy food for my family for at least a few days.

One of the recipes I made this morning was my Mom's carrot soup.  It's really easy and simple to make and the flavour of this soup is amazing.  It's not always easy to get my kids to have their quota of vegetables every day and this soup sure helps!

carrot soup

5 cups water
2 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
1/4 cup basmati rice (for paleo, simply omit the rice.  It will still be nice and creamy)
1 onion, chopped 
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Put all ingredients in a large pot.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Let it cool for a bit, then blend in food processor, blender, or with handheld blender until smooth.
4. Return to pot, add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Heat and enjoy!  

Rice tips: There are many different kinds of cooking rices out there.  Make sure to use a rice that cooks in less than 30 minutes.  

                If I have cooked brown rice in the fridge, I use 3/4 cups of it instead of the basmati rice, resulting in an equally smooth textured soup.

Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

Gluten-Free Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

Imagine sending your kids to school every day with a chocolate brownie in their lunchbox and knowing that it's healthy!  I know, the black bean thing is a little offsetting, but you need to try making these brownies at least once to see how amazingly simple and delicious this recipe is.  

The first time I tried a chocolate black bean recipe was in a birthday cake for my nephew a few years ago and I was very pleasantly surprised, as was everyone else who ate it, children and adults alike.  My sister has been treating my nephew's ADHD naturally and has accomplished amazing things.  It has been years of changing many things in their lives and one of the major shifts was the foods they put in their precious bodies.  If anyone reading this has ADHD, children with ADHD, or is curious how healthy changes in our daily lives can change our whole lives, please click here to read about their journey.  

Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

2 cups black beans (cooked and drained)

3 eggs
1/2 cup agave nectar or honey

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth
2. Pour into lined 9" square pan or divide into 12 muffins cups (I like the muffins for easy school snack)
3. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
4. Let cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack as they need to set a bit so they don't break
5. Once completely cooled, store in refrigerator for up to a week.
6. These also freeze very well!  Enjoy!

Tip: I cook large batches of beans and freeze them in 2 cup portions to make this recipe easy-peasy!     

       I've also seen this recipe calling for canned beans.  Just rinse very well and measure the same.

Update: I now add a few dairy free chocolate chips to each filled muffin cup.  We enjoy them even more!