The holiday season is in full swing! Like most of you, I’ve been so busy with the season, cooking up a storm, entertaining guests and getting ready for Christmas. I have some advice for you! Slow down. Enjoy your family and friends. Savor the moment! Why not take a slower pace this weekend and start the day with these decadent gluten free apple fritter pancakes:)
They are actually really easy to make, because of this wonderful gluten free pancake mix from XO Baking Company that I found at Home Goods! You can also find it on Amazon, but at double the price. Yikes. Whenever I see it on the shelf, I buy every box!
The Best GF Pancake Mix
As you know, I make as much as I can from scratch, but this mix contains simple ingredients and lightly sweetened with pure cane sugar. It’s gluten free base is cassava flour, potato starch and coconut flour. This great combination of ingredients produces a beautiful, fluffy pancake!
I bored a few weekends ago and was inspired by my last Honey Crisp apple to make an apple fritter pancake. I just chopped up the apple into small bite sized pieces and roasted it up with a little butter (or coconut oil), cinnamon and brown sugar for about 10 minutes.
Apples, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar
While the apple is cooking, make the pancake mix per package instructions. Carefully, fold the apple mixture into the pancake batter.
To make, add butter or coconut oil to a hot cast-iron pan or skillet…I like to add a little extra to make the pancake more crispy! Use 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and flip when tiny bubbles form on top. I enjoyed these with pomegranates and plenty of maple syrup. Enjoy these on a chilly morning, savoring some calm, with family and friends!
I’m not much of a baker, but every once in awhile, I get a huge craving for waffles. Something about the crunchy texture is simply appealing to me.
A stack of gluten free waffles
These take a bit more effort, so I tend to make them on the weekend and make an extra batch to freeze for a future quick fix;) One of the featured base ingredients is quinoa flakes.
Quinoa Flakes
It takes the place of GF oats and adds a bit more protein to the waffles. On the flip side, this is one of the only recipes that I will feature a few funky GF ingredients, that might not be considered ‘healthy’ to some folks. As always, I recommend moderation! Enjoy sparingly. Live a little!
The first step is simple. In a large bowl, blend the coconut milk or almond milk with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 3 minutes. The purpose of the vinegar is to active the baking powder (later in the recipe). No fear! It does not add any flavor to the waffles! Melt your butter and add it to the milk mixture, along with the vanilla and maple syrup (honey would be good as well)! Whisk your wet ingredients until nicely incorporated.
Let the milk and apple cider vinegar sit for 3 minutes!
In a separate bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. Don’t forget your salt! I also added basil seeds (similar in texture and nutrition to chia seeds) and shredded, unsweetened coconut. Feel free to add your favorite nuts, puréed fruits or cacao here! Make these waffles your own:)
The dry ingredients
Now you can blend your wet and dry ingredients. Once your waffle batter is thoroughly mixed, let it sit for 10 minutes. If the batter gets too thick, add more milk (a 1/4 cup at a time, should be good) until, you get the desired consistency.
To get lots of small waffles, I use 1/4 cup of batter per waffle, to get big waffles, I use 1/2 cup, placing it right in the middle of the waffle pan. They come out crispy and not too sweet.
Jason’s Waffles
Today’s nut butter
Vicki’s Waffle
Jason tops his with tons of fresh fruit and drowns his in maple syrup. I top mine with nut butter and fruit. If you have leftovers, simply place them in a ziplock bag and throw them in the freezer. To reheat, just pop them in a toaster:)
My Favorite GF Breakfast Waffle
2015-06-09 10:27:49
Serves 6
A slightly sweet, breakfast waffle that is GF and very adaptable!
1-2 TBS shredded coconut, cacao nibs or your favorite chopped nuts
1 1/2 TSP baking powder
A pinch of salt
Instructions
Mix milk with the vinegar. Let the mixture rest for 3 minutes. Melt butter. Whisk butter, vanilla and maple syrup to milk mixture. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Carefully combine the wet and dry ingredients. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. Add 1/4 additional milk or more, as needed, if batter becomes too thick! Using 1/4 cup of batter per waffle will yield 12 small waffles. Use 1/2 cup batter per waffle to yield 6 large waffles!
Notes
Top with your favorite fruit, syrup or nut butter!
Can be frozen for up to a month and simply reheated in the toaster!
Ok. I’m a sucker for a good cookie, but being gluten free for the last 3 years, has seriously hampered my Cookie Monster mentality. Most of the GF cookies that are commercially available, are filled with processed flours, binders and unhealthy oils. So, I set out to create my own version of a healthy cookie. I stumbled upon the idea of a healthy bar….some people call them bliss balls. I love these! They are easy to make, they are raw, GF, dairy free, grain free, sugar free and adaptable. They are NOT fat free, but I’m ok with that. Say yes to healthy fats:) I eat them with my coffee for a quick, protein filled breakfast, before a long hike or to cut my sweet tooth craving in the evening. I limit myself to 2 a day.
They are pretty, aren’t they?!
So this recipe is a version of what you can find all over Pinterest. The biggest difference, is that I found this great company, Nikki’s Coconut Butter, that produces coconut butter in a variety of flavors. The ingredients are healthy and straight forward. Most have honey or maple syrup added for sweetness, but they are not too sweet. Plus, all of the available flavors offer great inspiration for other flavors of energy bites!
I love this stuff….no added nonsense!
I’m going to use this as a base for many other variations, but give this one a try!
1 Jar (2oz) of Nikki"s Coconut Butter (Dark Chocolate Fudge)
¼ Cup Peanut Butter
¼ 1/4 cup raw Cacao Nibs
Shredded coconut to dust
Instructions
Place all ingredients into a food processor, adding 2 ingredients at a time. Blend until a thick 'dough' is formed. Form into small, bite sized balls. Coat evenly with shredded coconut. cover and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days!
