Gluten-Free Oatmeal-Raisin Pancakes!

Homemade Oatmeal-Raisin Pancakes - another fun pancake alternative.  Why?  Because we love pancakes around here, so I'm always playing around with the recipes.  I've actually discovered these are a yummy to-go breakfast.  Sandwich a couple with a little butter and it's like a toast or bagel alternative.  Of course, they are also delicious hot with butter and maple syrup, too!  The thing I really like about this recipe is that the raisins don't get mushy (like what happens in some recipes or breads.)  Yum! Enjoy!

Whipping up a batch of fresh oatmeal-raisin pancakes. I love these huge electric griddles, so I can cook a ton at once! 

Delicious served with dollops of butter and maple syrup. 

Gluten-Free Oatmeal-Raisin Pancakes!

Makes ~20 (I make them all sizes, so this is just a guess)

Whisk together dry ingredients: (it's important to mix dry ingredients first in gluten-free cooking)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup whole rolled oats (GF if celiac or sensitive)
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Mix in thoroughly:
2 eggs
4 Tbsp oil 
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
~1/2 cup raisins (more/less, to taste)

Let batter rest while you preheat your skillet to a medium-low to medium heat.   Cook spoonfuls of batter like regular pancakes.  Place cooked pancakes on a platter/plate to serve.

 Delicious served with butter and maple syrup, though I find they disappear without anyone putting them on a plate (they seem to eat it plain, like a delicious piece of cinnamon-raisin bread).

Once cooled, these freeze really well and can be defrosted for a yummy snack or breakfast!  Enjoy!

BBQ Style Topped Salmon

I whipped a couple big salmon dishes together for a recent family dinner, and both were a hit.  This one was a spicier, more BBQ-style topped salmon.  When you brine the fish, I find it keeps it moist and really flavorful upon cooking.  Yum!

BBQ Style Topped Salmon, ready for baking! 

Flavorful BBQ Style Topped Salmon, ready to eat! 

BBQ Style Topped Salmon

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Mix together a saltwater brine:
2 quarts water
5 Tbsp salt

Soak/brine 1.5 lb salmon filet for 15- 20 minutes.   Pat salmon dry and set on foil-lined baking tray.

Mix together in a bowl, then spread on top of salmon:
1/4 - 1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp minced garlic

Salmon topped with mayonnaise spread - yes, it kind of has a cinnamon-sugar look, but definitely a nice spicy taste! 

On top of mayonnaise spread, place:
1/2 vidalia onion or red onion, thinly sliced
drizzle of favorite BBQ sauce (make sure it's gluten-free)

Ready for baking! (or you can BBQ off-heat aiming for a similar overall temperature in your BBQ)

Bake salmon at 425 F for 20-22 minutes, or until nicely cooked at thickest point. (Thinner cuts may take less time, thicker may require a few extra minutes).

Delicious served with white or brown rice - ideally seasoned with garlic, onions, parsley, squeeze of fresh lemon, salt and pepper during cooking.  

Our Favorite Plain Waffles!

Plain waffle recipe - requested by my sister.  It's been buried within my apple-cinnamon waffle recipe, and I agree it's about time plain, delicious waffles get their own post.  This batch will serve my family for breakfast with a few left over, but I often double (or even triple) the recipe if I want to make extras to freeze for easy morning breakfasts!  Enjoy! 

Fresh, yummy waffles - ready to eat! 

Kristin's Fabulous Gluten-Free Waffles!!!

Makes 18 waffles (...if you consider each square as a waffle. I fill my iron 3x for this mixture)

Whisk together in a bowl: (It's important to mix dry ingredients first in GF cooking)

½ cup brown rice flour

½ cup white rice flour

½ cup tapioca starch/flour

¾ tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar (white or brown sugar work equally well)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (optional, but adds a nice nutty flavor and fiber)

Mix separately:

1 ¾ cup milk (lactose-free and dairy-free options work, too)

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

Whisk wet ingredients with dry ingredients just until smooth.  Leave to sit 5-10 minutes. (This allows the batter to thicken a bit.  It will seem too runny at first, just let it sit!)

Batter mixed and ready for cooking!

Bake in your waffle iron according to instructions.  I tend to cook mine a bit longer to get a nice crunchy outside (my preference).  You can also quickly butter your waffle iron to get an extra crunch on the outside, as well.

This is how much batter I spoon onto my waffle iron.

Here they are finished!

Once the waffles are done, place cooked waffles on a cooling rack.  This is important!  This keeps the waffles nice and crisp.  Also, once they cool, it’s easy to pop them in a Ziploc and freeze them.  Re-heat in your toaster oven for a tasty breakfast!

Waffles cooling on a cooling rack (until they're snatched up and eaten!)

Serving ideas:

Serve plain (especially if you used apples), with syrup, with berries, with whipped cream, or with nutella. Enjoy!
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Tasty Collard Greens

Collard greens are a southern staple, which is why it was rather ironic I began cooking them while living on Prince Edward Island.  This is my favorite method for cooking collard greens. I love the spiciness the jalapeno adds to the dish.  You can use a green or red jalapeno (I like the color).  Collard greens are a nice, healthy green side dish to add to any BBQ style meal. Happy, healthy cooking! Enjoy!

Tasty, spicy collard greens with red jalapeno (or green)

Tasty Collard Greens

Saute over medium heat:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red jalapeno, diced (remove seeds if you don't want it as spicy - the seeds are the spiciest part of the hot pepper)

Add and mix in:
1 lb collard greens, sliced and diced (with thicker stems removed)
2-3 cups GF chicken stock (homemade chicken broth/stock or Asian mushroom seasoning work well. I also like using a GF bouillon paste)

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer at a lower heat for ~40 minutes.

Salt and pepper, to taste. 

A great accompaniment to any Southern-style meal, like BBQ Shrimp & Cheesy Grits, Homemade Pulled Pork & Cheesy Biscuits, an easy roast chicken from the grocery store, etc. Serve and Enjoy!

Cooking up fresh collard greens - yum!