Breakfast
Take your gluten free pancakes to the next level with this buttermilk apple pancakes recipe. They’re dairy free and vegan too.
Ok, I know it’s not apple season yet, but I just can’t wait until fall to dig into some apples. I’ve been buying gala apples by the 5lb bag and can’t seem to make them last long enough. I cannot wait until we can go apple-picking and grab some fresh ones – hopefully we can actually make that happen this year.
Anyways, I’m all about some apple and these gluten free pancakes include it in not one, but three ways. Feel free to stick to just one, but why stop there when you can get triple the apple action? I may have called them “buttermilk” pancakes, but don’t be fooled – these pancakes are dairy-free and gluten-free too.
By adding apple cider vinegar {wait, does that mean there are apples FOUR ways?}, to the Almond Breeze Almondmilk, you can “fake” a buttermilk-like effect.
For super apple power, top these gluten free pancakes with chunks of apple {I like to sprinkle mine with lemon juice and cinnamon} and add a dollop of fresh homemade apple butter.
Apple Buttermilk Gluten Free Pancakes
by Heather Neal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour {I use oat flour}
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups Almond Breeze Almondmilk Original
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4-1/2 cup diced apples
- apple butter {store-bought or easy apple butter recipe here}
Instructions
Mix apple cider vinegar and almond milk together. Set aside.
Combine remaining ingredients except apples.
Stir in milk mixture.
Gently fold in apples.
Heat a skillet to medium; cook pancakes several minutes on each side. {Flip when you see air bubbles or the edges start to dry.}
Serve with extra apples & apple butter on top.
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For more recipes using almond milk, check these out –>
Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls
Vegan Queso Blanco
Green Monster Cubes
Chocolate Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls
Toasted Almond Scones
Vegan Chocolate Chip Sticky Buns
This post was originally sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk.
Day in Life
These are my favorite kinds of posts to read, but I never write them. I’m always trying to wait for a “normal” day but those don’t exist. So here’s today, just because.
5:30 Wake up. Swear it could only be 3am and I still have more time to sleep, but no, it really is time to get up. I hear KB up, so I sneak into the closet with my computer to get some work done. Yes, I’m hiding in my closet. It’s rare that KB will wake up and stay in his room so I don’t want to ruin it by walking past his door – then the jig will be up for sure.
6:15 He’s had enough. KB’s standing at the door hollering at me to feed him some pancakes. I consider 6:15 a victory, so I go rescue him. First things first, I make coffee. STRONG coffee. I make gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate chip pancakes while KB simultaneously “helps” and gets into trouble. He’s in time-out twice before the clock hits 7. He’s going through a phase. Ahem. I start some dishes and turn the dryer back on to fluff yesterday’s forgotten clothes.
7:00 We curl up on the couch and watch Kate & Mim-mim while I scroll through my phone and complete the all-important task of checking various social media outlets. I consider how lazy I’m being but don’t do anything about it.
7:20 Playtime. Put dishes up, fold laundry. Play some more. Pack lunch. Super exciting things.
8:10 K and I get dressed. Another victory for the day and it’s not even 9: I’m wearing real clothes.
8:40-9:15 Preschool drop-off. This kid loves school and it’s one of the few places where he doesn’t put up a screaming crying fight when I leave. I love school too.
9:15-12 Starbucks. I haven’t been out of the house by myself in at least two weeks. The husband’s been gone for a week and school is closed a ridiculous number of times this month. I order an Americano and work furiously for the next almost three hours. It’s never enough time. Work today means writing a few articles, editing some pieces, and putting the finishing touches on a presentation. My butt doesn’t move the whole time except to pee and my Garmin vivofit is silently scolding me by turning red. Dedicated work time is few and far between; I have to take advantage of every minute.
12:00 I dash home to let the termite inspector in and grab some lunch before I have to fight a toddler for what’s on my plate. While I shove food in my face I squeeze in some dinner food prep and pack an extra lunch for KB for later in the week.
12:45-1:30 Preschool pick-up. I fully appreciate my adult time, but can’t wait to pick my little guy up. We take advantage of the almost-60-degree-heat-wave and burn some energy on the playground.
1:55 Naptime. I try to get him down before 2 so I can hop on a conference call.
2:35 KB has other plans. No nap today. I finish my call while pulling out all my tricks to silently distract my toddler that’s bouncing off the walls.
3:45 We have cabin fever {even though it hasn’t really been a bad winter yet} so we head out to a local park to go “hiking”.
I’m pretty writing this next part but I’m going to imagine this is how the rest of the day goes…
5:30-7:30 Head out to a local high school to give a nutrition presentation to the football team and their parents. Fun stuff. Get home just in time to wrangle KB into bed.
8:00 After sitting in the hallway for a few minutes while KB falls asleep, I silently creep downstairs doing my best to avoid the stairs that creak. I shovel dinner into my face like I haven’t eaten in days, instead of hours. Tonight’s menu:
Paleo spaghetti squash casserole. I should probably post the recipe because it’s surprising good, and that’s coming from me, an anti-spaghetti squash-er.
9:05 Catch up on an episode of Big Bang Theory with the husband then head up to bed. I read a few chapters of my current book.
9:45 Zzzzzzzz. #lame.
Linking up to Mom’s Little Running Buddy & Peas & Crayons!
Things I love
There are a lot of things I love. I thought I’d share a few with you. 😉
This gluten-free pancake mix. There’s a good chance I’d use this even if I didn’t need it to be gluten-free. A lot of GF blends are gritty and bake weird {take a long time} but this one just bakes and tastes like normal yummy pancakes. I literally buy it in bulk from amazon.
These headphones {ps these were a freebie from an upcoming fitfluential campaign}. I almost broke up with listening to music while a workout {which is pretty much a deal-breaker at the gym} before using these. I prefer the fit of the cheapo headphones that use to come with ipods back in the day. The fancy schmancy ones tend to fall out of my absurdly tiny ears. These actually stayed put during my jaunt on the treadmill yesterday and the sound quality is amazing. {By the way, I’m up to 3 consecutive, pain-free running minutes-3 cheers for PT}.
This bag. Speaking of the gym, this is my new go – to bag {in pearl}. I’ve actually been using it for the gym and for work. It’s padded in all the right plaves, has tons of zippered pockets, and is made of antimicrobial material- a must for gym locker rooms. It’s a hybrid backpack duffel bag which is interesting. Full review coming next week, but FYI they are 40% off this week. {And they’re monthly giveaway is a yoga bag!}
This office. Anyone want to come make mine look like that?
What are you loving lately?
Breakfast
Four weeks ago I embarked on the Grain Brain challenge: 30 days of a gluten-free, low-grain, high-fat diet to optimize brain health.
I will freely admit I followed it like crap for the first two weeks. At home my meals were veggie, protein, and fat-centered, but I had two weekends away and no interest or desire to plan ahead and eat something different than everyone else. I’d just spent the better part of a year with a restricted diet and had no intention of going back to that.
The second two weeks were different. I can’t honestly say it was with any intention of protecting my brain function {although I could probably use that}. It was about this time that my doctor hypothesized that I too, like my son, am allergic or intolerant to dairy, wheat, and soy. Yaay fun. More on that convoluted story another time. The gist is, I started doing better following the Grain Brain diet guidelines.
The idea behind the Grain Brain eating style is:
- Fat is and always has been a fundamental pillar of our nutrition. In fact, the
human brain consists of more than 70 percent fat.
- Good fats, like DHA omega-3 found in fatty fish and algae, help to reduce
inflammation and certain vitamins, notably A, D, E and K, require fat to get
absorbed properly in the body.
- In Grain Brain, Dr. Perlmutter explains what happens when the brain encounters
common ingredients in your daily bread, why your brain thrives on fat and
cholesterol and how you can spur the growth of new brain cells at any age.
The nutrients Dr. Perlmutter recommends adding to your diet in supplement form
are alpha-lipoic acid, coconut oil, DHA derived from fish, fish oil or algae,
probiotics, resveratrol, turmeric and vitamin D.
{Plus turmeric and vitamin D.}
Here’s a little of what I ate that meets the guidelines {as well as being dairy and soy free}:
{Rice with veggies, cajun chicken sausage, & kimchee; chicken salad-salad with apples, celery, & walnuts; butternut squash soup –that’s the kiddo’s portion
.}
Breakfast was the hardest part for me, as I wake up wanting carbs, carbs, and carbs. I like oatmeal, pancakes, and cereal, not eggs, bacon, and veggies. I finally, finally found a solution: grain-free pancakes –that I actually like. {Personally I think the popular Paleo banana-egg pancake is nasty.} The protein of an egg without the taste of an egg, the fat of coconut oil, the natural sweetness of apples {and the not-so-natural sweetness of chocolate, cough, cough.}
Here’s my go-to recipe for the moment. Let me know if you have another favorite!
– 1/4 cup coconut flour
– 1/4 cup almond meal
– 1/4 cup applesauce
– 1 scant tsp baking powder
– 3 eggs
– cinnamon & any other spices (allspice, nutmeg, etc.)
Do you have any favorite grain-free meals?
Breakfast, Recipe
I don’t know about you, but I kicked off the new year the only way I saw fit: with coffee and pancakes.
I know I’m supposed to be making resolutions and statements of grandeur about how kick ass this coming year is going to be and how I rocked 2012, but let’s be honest: that’s boooooring. And except for having an awesome kiddo, I kind of let 2012 slide on by.
So instead I’m going to talk about what I know best. Pancakes. The best breakfast around. They’re not just for weekends anymore. More specifically, dairy free gluten free pancakes that actually taste worth eating.
These pancakes are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan. Here’s the thing about baking gluten free and vegan pancakes: they tend to end up heavy and dense, not light and fluffy. They get even heavier if you try to stick with more whole grains and less starch {the starch makes up for the lack of gluten}.
But after many {many} practice rounds {yes- I eat a lot of pancakes}, I came up with a fluffy alternative. Whole grain, gluten free, dairy free, and not disgusting. See, I told you it was good way to kick off the year.
by with a Side of Sneakers
- 1 1/2 cups whole grain gluten free flour blend: 1/2 cup each of buckwheat, brown rice, and millet
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1 T cornstarch
- 1 T flax meal
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4c almond milk + 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 c applesauce
- 1 T blackstrap molasses
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Optional: pecans and dairy free chocolate chips
Prepare vegan/dairy free buttermilk by combining almond milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
Whisk together dry ingredients.
Stir in buttermilk, applesauce, and molasses.
Stir in optional mix ins. Let batter rest for a few minutes.
Pour pancakes onto medium hot griddle. Cook for a few minutes on each side- you’ll know it’s time to flip the pancake when the edges start to look dry and bubbles appear.
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How did you kick off the new year?!
