Easy & Healthy GF Chocolate Pancakes

Gluten Free Chocolate Pancakes

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tiny pinch salt
• 1/4 cup oats

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2. Fry on a nonstick surface! (very very important that the pan is nonstick. My other pans couldn’t handle this batter)
3. Serve with a healthy drizzle (dousing) of chocolate ganache (1 tbs of chocolate chips melted in 2 tbs heavy whipping cream)!

On a side note, my camera is still broken :( Luckily I have this picture from before it broke. 

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

Unless I’m baking for a particular reason (a present, a party, to try making a new dessert), I don’t usually follow recipes. There’s something liberating about blending ingredients without any idea of what the end result will be. It’s the ultimate trial and error method for learning how ingredients interact - and I’m a trial and error sort of person (did you know I once spent 2 days making vegetarian marshmallows 3 different ways). 

For a while I would just make simple cakes and biscuits, but lately I’ve been having more fun, working quinoa and beans and oatmeal into the baked goods I make. I just throw ingredients together and scribble down in what quantities, and usually, the end result is fine! 

An example “recipe”

This method is how I somehow ended up with this gluten free pumpkin bread (which I’m pretty excited about, not gonna lie).

It wassuper easy to make, and it’s not dry NOR gummy like many gluten free baked goods tend to be. I’m already thinking about all the possible variations: chocolate cake, banana cake, carrot cake, everything cake. Yum~

I topped it with this cream cheese frosting, but I’m sure most anything would taste good.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
• 1/4 cup gluten free protein powder
• 1/4 cup potato starch (I’m willing to bet tapioca starch would work too - and it’s easier to buy think.)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 ounces plain greek yogurt*
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 2 tbs syrup (maple, honey, or pancake syrup)
• 2 tbs oil
• 1 egg

*The final bread had a bit of tanginess from the yogurt. I liked it, but will probably replace with applesauce in the future.

1. In a food processor, blend the oatmeal until powdery. Add the protein powder, potato starch, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and pulse a couple times until combined. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, pumpkin, syrup, oil, and egg.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Whisk about 30 seconds.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for around 30 minutes in a greased 8x8 pan, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
5. Top with frosting, and serve.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Berry Syrup

Pancakes and I have a shaky history. 

I remember my brother Jonathan took me to an iHop when I was younger, around the time my dad switched to a raw food diet and cut my access to all “junk food” off, and being completely astounded by the sheer number of syrup flavors, let alone pancake combinations, served. Of course, at that time, all food not raw or completely natural had a negative stigma attached to it, so my experience was only slightly tainted by the guilt of eating white flour and sugar (the horror!). Still though, they were delicious and definitely fueled the love for pancakes I have today.

Pancakes and I are on good terms now. I haven’t been to an iHop since (turns out, they’re really not that delicious compared to homemade ones), rather I prefer to make my own pancakes. My favorite part of homemade pancakes is making syrups to go along with them, a process which is actually super, super easy. Berry syrup, caramel syrup, pudding (?), the toppings for pancakes are endless.

I’m definitely going to be making pumpkin pancakes sometime soon, but for now, these super simple, but delicious, buttermilk pancakes ought to suffice. 

Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/8 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Stir together the flour, baking soda, sugar,and salt.
2. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and butter.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, and GENTLY fold together. Do not overmix.
4. Cook on medium heat until golden brown.

Berry Syrup

• 1/4 cup pancake syrup (I used this sugar-free syrup, and I highly recommend it. It’s delicious!)
• 1/4 cup diced/crushed berries (I used about 3 strawberries and 2 blackberries)

1. Combine the syrup and berries together in a pan. Boil until the syrup is thick and the berries are cooked.
2. Serve with buttermilk pancakes! (Or basically anything)