Almond Flour Pancakes

 I used regular milk for these and they were great

Almond Flour Pancakes

Prep Time: 10minutes mins

Cook Time: 10minutes mins

Serves 2

These fluffy almond flour pancakes are a hearty, delicious breakfast or brunch! This recipe makes 6 small pancakes. If you're serving more than two people, you may want to double it.

Ingredients

• 1⅓ cups blanched almond flour*, spooned and leveled (see note)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup almond milk, plus more if needed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the spooned and leveled almond flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir. If your batter is very thick, stir in more almond milk until it resembles the photos above. If it's too thin, sprinkle in a touch more almond flour. (See photo in the blog post for batter consistency).
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the pan with a little olive oil and use a ¼-cup measuring cup to pour the batter onto the pan. (Note: these are more delicate than regular flour pancakes so it's important to make them small). Cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes per side, turning the heat to low as needed so that the middles cook without burning the outsides. I usually turn my heat lower after each batch as my pan starts to hold residual heat. Almond flour pancakes darken a little quicker than pancakes that use regular flour.
• Serve with maple syrup.

Notes

*Super-fine blanched almond flour or homemade almond flour (that uses slivered blanched almonds) is best for this recipe.

Use the spoon and level method when measuring flour so that the flour in your measuring cups doesn’t get too packed down. Too much flour will result in a thicker batter and denser pancakes.

Recipe from https://www.loveandlemons.com/almond-flour-pancakes/

Creamy Vegetable Soup

I think this would be yummy with or without the chicken. I added it so that my picky eaters might be more likely to eat some of it. And, of course, you can adjust the add-in vegetables to your liking.

Creamy Vegetable Soup (With or Without Chicken)

Broth:

1 lb zucchini, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 large onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves (can be left whole)

2 c. chicken broth (or vegetable)

2 c. water

1/2 tsp each garlic and onion powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 c. milk

salt, to taste

Soup Add-ins:

1 T. butter or oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 large onion, diced

1.5 c. carrots, sliced

1.5 c. celery, sliced

1 small bell pepper, diced

1.5 c. cooked chicken, diced (optional)

3/4 c. frozen peas

Combine all the broth ingredients except the milk in a pot, cover with a lid and bring to a good simmer. Lower heat and simmer about 15 minutes until the zucchini is very soft.

Remove from heat and add the milk. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add salt to taste.

For the remaining add-ins, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add all the vegetables except pepper and cook for 3 minutes, then add pepper and cook 2 more minutes or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. Add the broth, chicken and peas. Bring to a gentle simmer for 2-3 minutes until the peas are cooked. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

From Recipetineats.com

Loaded Greek Salad

 Delish!  I didn't add the sugar into the dressing.  

Loaded Greek Salad

prep time 15 MINUTES total time 15 MINUTES

An amped up version of a classic Greek salad with avocado, artichokes, garbanzo beans, and more!! The tangy Greek salad dressing is ready in seconds and is a major flavor booster! Naturally gluten-free and vegetarian!!

INGREDIENTS

Salad

•  1 small red onion, sliced into thin strips

•  1 medium English cucumber, diced small

•  2 medium Roma tomatoes, diced small (another type of tomato may be substituted)

•  2/3 cup black kalamata olives, pitted

•  12 ounces artichoke hearts

•  1- 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

•  4 ounces feta cheese

•  1 medium Hass avocado, cubed

Greek Dressing/Vinaigrette

•  1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for final drizzling if desired

•  2 to 3 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar (balsamic is stronger and will give more bite)

•  2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

•  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

•  1 teaspoon dried oregano

•  1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

•  3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

•  2 to 3 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Salad:

• Add all ingredients to a large bowl; set aside.

For the Greek Dressing:

• Add all ingredients except sugar to a small bowl and whisk vigorously to combine. Taste, and optionally add the sugar. I personally couldn't go without it because I use the higher end of the spectrum of both vinegar and lemon juice. As desired, add more oil, vinegar, salt/pepper, etc. as desired. Tweak the ingredients to make it your own and suit you.

• When you're happy, pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat evenly.

• If desired, add a final drizzle of olive oil over the salad, and serve immediately.

• Yield; 8 servings

NOTES

• After being dressed, I suggest consuming salad as soon as possible, but it will keep airtight for up to 3 days in the fridge noting that it will become more watery as the vegetables release their juices and the avocado oxidizes.

https://www.averiecooks.com/loaded-greek-salad/

Chicken and Rice Soup

This is so good! We're all nursing colds over here so I thought soup would be in order for dinner and this one was delicious! The original recipe didn't call for cream, but I saw lots of creamy rice soup recipes so I decided to add some to this and we loved it. You can do it either way. And I just realized I forgot the garlic when I made it, but I think that would be delicious too!

Chicken and Rice Soup
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1 bay leaf
2 quarts (8 c.) chicken broth
1 c. water
1 c. long grain white rice
2 c. cooked shredded or chopped chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. cream, optional

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil. Add the vegetables, thyme and bay leaf. Saute until the vegetables are softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the chicken broth and water; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and simmer over medium-low until the rice is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Add the chicken about 5 minutes before the rice is done cooking. When the rice is done, remove the bay leaf, stir in the cream and heat it through, but don't boil it again.

Recipe adapted from TwoPeasandTheirPod

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

One of my favorite things about this soup (other than its flavor) is that it is so filling! I think that can be hard to find with vegetarian meals sometimes. It calls for golden raisins, which I listed as optional. I must say, though, that golden raisins are so much tastier than regular ones. Why aren't they as common? Are green grapes harder to grow??

Also, my split peas took closer to an hour to soften. This is probably an altitude thing, but could also be because they were old. So take that into consideration when making this.

1 c. yellow split peas (green would work too)

1 c. red split lentils (or regular)

7 c. water

1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 T. fresh minced ginger 

2 T. curry powder

2 T. butter or ghee

4-8 green onions, thinly sliced

1/3 c. golden raisins, optional

1/3 c. tomato paste

1 14-oz can coconut milk

2 tsp. salt

cilantro for serving, optional

Rinse the split peas and lentils until no more murky water drains from them. Place them in a large soup pot, add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the carrot and 1/2 T. of the ginger. Cover and simmer for 30+ minutes, or until the split peas are soft. (Mine took closer to an hour).

Meanwhile, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until is is fragrant, being careful not to burn it. Set aside.

In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, add 4 of the green onions, the remaining ginger and raisins. Saute for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add tomato paste and saute for another minute. Add the curry powder and mix well.

When the peas are soft, add the tomato mixture, coconut milk and salt; stir well. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The soup will thicken quite a bit. You can add more water, a little at a time if you want it thinner.

Serve with chopped fresh cilantro and more green onions, if desired. Can also serve over rice or farro.

Yield: 6 servings

From 101cookbooks.com

Baked Gingerbread Oatmeal

This is totally the wrong season to post this, but if I don't do it now, I may never remember! I love this oatmeal served with milk!

Also, I finally started buying gallon jugs of molasses. I just bought one from Amazon because I got tired of running out after 1 or 2 recipes with the little jars. I've had mine now for almost a year and I'd estimate that there's between 1/3 to 1/2 left. (I also use it for making bread, so I use it a lot). Just thought I'd pass along that idea!

Baked Gingerbread Oatmeal

2 c. oats
1/4 c. ground flax seed or wheat germ, or some of each
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-2 tsp. ground ginger (2 is too much for me!)
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. maple syrup
2 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. chopped dates or raisins, optional (I've never tried them)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix. Fold in the dates, if using.

Spray an 8x8 inch pan or line with parchment paper. Pour batter into pan, and bake for 25-30 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If doubling, a 9x13 pan takes more like 40 minutes to cook.)

Serve with milk, maple syrup or egg nog. Or serve with whipped cream!

From: monicaswanson.com

Cold Slaw and Hot Slaw

Becky and I were discussing how we both like cabbage so I thought I'd share an easy old pioneer recipe. It's originally from The Skillful Housewife's Book, 1846, but it's updated here by The Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook. :) I think it's good both ways, cold or hot.

Cold Slaw and Hot Slaw
1 head (2 pounds) cabbage
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. pepper

Slice or shave cabbage very thin, cutting out the core.
In a large pot, scald together butter, vinegar, salt and pepper.

For hot slaw: Add cabbage to hot mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently until just tender, about 10-15 minutes.

For cold slaw: Pour warmed dressing over cabbage and toss to mix.

Flourless Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Mmmm....Mia and I whipped up a batch of these delightsome cookies the other day.  They are a little bit like  Go To Bed Mints, only chocolate, and a little chewier inside.  They're chewy, crispy, chocolaty, yummy.  The original recipe didn't call for marshmallows....Mia and I added those because that just sounded good.  : )  The batter is stiff to mix up so it might be best to use a stand mixer - my hand mixer was working pretty hard.

Flourless Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• mini marshmallows 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and sea salt. Add in vanilla. Whisk in egg whites until just moistened. Add in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon thick fudgy batter onto cookie sheets in small mounds.  Gently press 3-4 marshmallows onto each cookie. Chill for 5 or so minutes to keep them from spreading too much when they bake.
4. Bake for 14 minutes or until tops are glossy and lightly cracked.

Notes

These cookies are considered “gluten-free” if using gluten free chocolate chips.

Recipe altered slightly from creativekitchenadventures.com

Brazilian Cheese Buns - Pão de Queijo

These are similar to the scrumptious cheese bread that you get at Rodizios or Fogo de Chao.  Soooooo good!  When I mixed up the dough, it was too "runny", so I added more of the flour, as directed....but I added it too quickly and therefore added too much, which made these a little dry and stiff.  So if you need to add extra flour, just do it a little at a time.  The dough should be about like cream puff dough.  The flavor is excellent. 

Brazilian Cheese Buns

(Pão de Queijo )

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups tapioca flour or gluten-free tapioca starch

2 teaspoons minced garlic

heaping 2/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan, Romano, or aged Asiago cheese

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a mini muffin pan.

2) Put the butter, water, milk, and salt in a saucepan, and heat till the butter has melted and the mixture has come to a full boil. While the mixture is heating, put 2 cups of tapioca flour into a mixing bowl.

3) Pour the boiling butter mixture over the tapioca flour, beating to combine. Beat at high speed till the mixture becomes smooth and elastic-looking; this will happen very quickly.

4) Beat the garlic and cheese into the dough till well combined.

5) Stick your finger into the dough. If it's uncomfortably hot, let it sit for a couple of minutes to cool a bit; you don't want to cook the eggs when you beat them in. If it seems hot but not burning hot, continue with the next step.

6) With the mixer going, gradually dribble in the beaten eggs, beating till well combined and smooth.

7) Fill the mini muffin pan - each can be filled to the top.*

8) Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, till they have a freckled appearance (from the browning cheese), and they're beginning to color a bit. Remove them from the oven, and serve hot.

Yield: 18 to 20 buns.

*The original recipe said to use a cookie scoop to drop the dough in balls about the size of a golf ball  onto a greased cookie sheet.  So you can do that instead, if you don't want to use a mini muffin pan.
*A note from the website:
We’ve found that tapioca starch/flour varies in its absorption capabilities. If you’re gotten this far and the batter is thinner, more like cake or pancake batter, beat in additional tapioca flour/starch till it’s thick enough to hold its shape when you scoop some onto a baking sheet. It should be the approximate consistency of cream puff batter: when you plop it onto the pan, it should settle slightly, but not spread into a puddle.

Any left overs can be warmed in the microwave before serving.

Recipe from kingarthurflour.com