When I first began cooking gluten-free, I was sorely disappointed with the pancake recipes out there. Pancakes were always so nice for a quick dinner, but the gluten-free recipes I tried were either bland, gummy, or both. The gumminess was the most disheartening; no matter how long I cooked them, it was as if they never cooked through.
That is where this recipe comes in. Cornmeal pancakes, or Johnny cakes, offer a great alternative because of the smaller amount of flour. The result: flavorful and gummi-less pancakes at last! In fact, I would say these are downright fluffy.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place cooling rack on baking sheet and place in oven (to keep pancakes warm).
Whisk coconut milk and lemon juice together. In a large microwave-safe bowl, mix 1-1/4 cup of the lemon juice/coconut mixture, cornmeal, and coconut oil. Cover and microwave for 90 seconds. Set aside for 5 minutes, keeping it covered. Get griddle preheating on medium-low heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, potato starch, xanthum gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Whisk remaining lemon juice/coconut mixture into cornmeal mixture. Mix in dry ingredients. Set aside for 3 minutes.
Spray griddle with non-stick spray or lightly brush with oil. Place 1/4-cup amounts of batter on griddle. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until lightly golden brown.
Serve. My favorite way is with strawberries and honey.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
Microwaving the cornmeal softens the grains quite a bit. Combining lemon juice with So Delicious Coconut milk provides the necessary acid to react with the baking soda to provide lift.
This is a new favorite recipe for me because I have all of these ingredients on hand all the time. It’s one that can be done quickly too. So quickly that I am entering it in the So Delicious Fast and Fresh Dairy-Free Time Trials Contest in the 15-minute category.
Casseroles don’t photograph well. My apologies. Nevertheless, this recipe was so good I decided to just throw caution to the wind and post the picture anyway.
The dish is Spaghetti Amore. This was one dish that was an absolute staple in our house when I was growing up. When my angel mother found a recipe that all of her six kids would eat, who can blame her for making it so often? It was easy, and cheesy, and was synonymous with comfort food.
I remember making it for my roommates once, and right after we were done, one roommate said she felt like playing board games like she would do with her family after a Sunday dinner. Yes, it is good. Yes, it is easy. But is it healthy? Well, I would have to say the answer is, no.
The original
Ground beef, condensed cream of mushroom soup, condensed tomato soup, grated cheese, and spaghetti would likely not qualify as ‘healthy’. Condensed soup that contains wonderful things such as high fructose corn syrup, potassium chloride, monosodium glutamate (MSG), soy protein, yeast extract, and the always ambiguous ‘flavoring’ and ‘modified food starch’. And let’s not even talk about the sodium levels.
So now the task was to make this dish so it is less processed, more healthy, and also more allergen-friendly. Swapping out the mushroom soup for real mushrooms, and swapping out the tomato soup for tomato paste and tomato sauce were a delicious start. Thickening with rice flour instead of ‘modified food starch’ or wheat flour was the next step. I also substituted turkey for the beef, and just swapped out the cheese for a dairy-free cheese. I have to confess, I was surprised at how well this matched the original.
1-1/4 cup dairy-free cheddar cheese (daiya), divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook pasta according to package directions, cooking at the low end of the suggested cooking time. Drain (You want it to be al dente because it will continue to cook in the oven. For example, the pasta I used said to cook 6-9 minutes, so I only cooked the pasta for 6 minutes).
While pasta is cooking, cook ground turkey in large pot until completely cooked through. Remove from pot and set aside in a separate bowl.
In the same pot, heat margarine over medium heat. Add onions, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir to combine and then cover. Cook for about 5 minutes until mushrooms release their liquid.
Uncover and cook until water is almost all evaporated. Add garlic and tomato paste. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in rice flour and cook for one minute, making sure the mushrooms and onions are coated with the flour.
Slowly stir in chicken broth, scraping bottom of pot to get any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add tomato sauce and coconut milk. Stir until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of cheese until combined. Stir in cooked turkey, and cooked pasta. Pour into 9x13 dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
This dish freezes well. Cool slightly on counter first, then cover with foil and cool completely in fridge before putting it in the freezer. Cook, covered, in 350 degree oven for about 60-75 minutes, or until heated through and bubbling.
If a total vegan dish is desired, just double the amount of mushrooms.
By One Fine Tomato
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
I love taking these old family standards, and recipes of my grandmothers and figuring out how to make them more allergy friendly. If you have one you’d like me to take a stab at, let me know!
It’s funny to think that 10 years ago, exotic food to my family and me was Olive Garden (no offense). I don’t think I knew anything about Thai cuisine or Indian cuisine or had even heard about it. My first experience with eating Indian food happened 5 years ago at a gas station in the small town of Logan, Utah.
Yes, you read right, a gas station.
And yes, it was in Logan, Utah.
The Tandoori Oven in Logan is a tiny restaurant attached to a Sinclair Gas Station. I discovered it while going to school at Utah State. You wouldn’t think it by the looks of it, but the food was amazing! I immediately fell in love the warm spices and flavors of Indian food, and wanted to try my hand at recreating it.
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (I use a microplane)
4 clove garlic, minced (I also use a mircoplane)
1-1/2 cup potatoes, 1/2" dice (about two large)
1-1/2 cup cauliflower florets (about half a medium head)
3 cups carrots, 1/2" dice (about 5 medium carrots)
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced (or not seeded if you like heat)
1 8-ounce can unsalted tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-1/2 tablespoon favorite curry powder (I like a madras style)
1 cup frozen green peas
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
Basmati rice, for serving
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until tender. Mix in ginger, garlic, jalepeno, and curry powder, and continue cooking for 1 minute, until very fragrant. Stir in potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, tomato sauce and water. Season with salt. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in peas, red bell pepper, and coconut milk into the pot. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice. Enjoy!
Back to what I mentioned at the beginning of the post (the part where my family’s idea of exotic food was Olive Garden). What’s funny, is that now, when I ask my mom what she would like me to cook for her, she always requests this dish.
