Coconut Flour Pancakes

 I told myself I would share more coconut flour recipes this coming year. One reason is because so many people are suffering from gluten issues (coconut flour is gluten and grain free) and I also feel that it's good to have diversity in the diet, so not always relying on wheat or wheat related grains for all baking purposes. There's also the fact that I have a ton of coconut flour on hand and want to find some excellent uses for it.  My family has some gluten sensitivities. We are blessed that they aren't extreme, but I do like finding ways to cut down our gluten intake whenever I can. 

For my first coconut flour recipe, I'm actually sharing a recipe from one of my favorite blogs Nourishing Days. If you aren't familiar with Shannon's site, please check it out. You'll love everything she has to share, from wonderful recipes (which are often gluten free friendly) and fabulous nutrition info., to great giveaways.

By the way, have no hesitancy about trying these pancakes, thinking there's no way they could be as good as those fluffy white flour ones. You would be missing out. These coconut flour pancakes are wonderful. They're nice and fluffy, just like regular ones, plus they have a higher protein content, so they tend to stick to the ribs a bit more. 

What You'll Need

serves ~4

4 eggs, room temperature

1 cup milk - cows milk or coconut milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey or a pinch of stevia

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

coconut oil or butter for frying

How You'll Do It

1. Beat your eggs for about two minutes, until they are light and frothy. Then mix in milk, vanilla and honey or stevia. 

2. In a second bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Don't be surprised by the thinness of the batter at first. The coconut flour will thicken tremendously within a minute or two. 

3. Melt coconut oil or butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Use a couple tablespoon of batter for each pancake. Pancakes should be no larger than 2"-3" in diameter. Cook on first side until the top begins to firm and the bottom has browned and then flip. I think these pancakes cook a little slower than regular ones, so don't rush them.

Serve hot with butter and pure maple syrup! 

Enjoy!

Jarlsberg Swiss Cheese Souffle

Recently, Jarlsberg sent me a beautiful wedge of their Swiss cheese to use in a recipe. My mind began wheeling with ideas of what I could do with it. The recipes I could create are endless, like my favorite grilled cheese sandwich, a cheese fondue, perhaps a creamy cheese soup, or better yet, a delicious breakfast quiche! To be honest one of my favorite ways to eat cheese is simply sliced up with some fresh bread and fruit. It's an easy lunch or snack and this Swiss cheese has such a lovely flavor it doesn't need to be overly embellished. As I thought through my recipes, I decided to try something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but never seem to get around to – a souffle! They are always so beautiful to look at and are perfect for just about any meal and especially for brunch. With the holidays just around the corner, it's time to start figuring out what you'll be serving your guests or what special treats you'll want to make your family. To me, a souffle is certainly a special treat and they always taste wonderful!

Not your traditional morning oatmeal, other grains to try instead.

It's 6 AM and breakfast is on my mind! I think breakfast is the most important meal of the day and easily the one most often skipped by the majority of us. Instead of taking the time to sit down to a well balanced meal, we run out of the house or start on our to do list with a granola/health bar, a cup of cold cereal or forgo the whole meal all together. Advertisers have us believing that we can get our daily vitamins in fortified cereals/breakfast bars and those oh so healthy foods will give us the energy we need to get through our day. Ah, how misleading those advertisements are. I won't delve to much into this one, at least not now, but just because a cereal/breakfast bar says it has 100% of your daily vitamins doesn't actually mean that your body can absorbs those vitamins. Most mainstream cereals/breakfast bars are filled with synthetic vitamins and sadly our bodies are not able to absorbs vitamins in this form, at least not as well as vitamins from whole, natural foods. Getting past the synthetic mess, next look at the list of ingredients on the package of your cereal/breakfast bar. If there are any words you can pronounce or don't know what they are, pitch it. That's a good cue that most likely what your eating really isn't good for you.

If you are in a time crunch in the morning, it's time to try and restructure the morning. I certainly know how busy the morning can be. Hence working at 6 AM on this post so I can hopefully get a couple things done before the kids are up! :-) My husband and I used to always eat breakfast together, however he now leaves for work at 6:45 AM and rarely are the kids up at that time, so now he makes breakfast for himself and takes it to work with him. He's then able to have a well balanced meal and also get his day started by checking email and doing all those other activities that fill the beginning of the day. I always try to eat with my son, so I wait till he is up and then we typically have a well balanced meal of eggs, yogurt, fresh fruit, some toast and a large glass of fresh whole milk. It's quite a bit of food, but by doing a full breakfast I am able to balance my sugar lever (I've always had a bit of a problem with hypoglycemia) and give my body the healthy calories and vitamins it needs to give me energy for my day. Plus, when your body is content because you've met it's nutritional requirements you don't find yourself needing or wanting to snack. This has it's pluses since typically when I grab a snack I'm not grabbing the healthiest thing for my body!

Okay, with that all said, back to the point of this post. Who wants to eat the same thing everyday for breakfast? I always used have oatmeal once or twice a week, but then I saw a 5 grain cereal recipe in Nourishing Tradition by Sally Fallon and thought it sounded interesting, so I gave it a whirl. The cereal recipe includes 2 cups of wheat or spelt, millet, short grain rice, barley or oats and split peas or lentils (yes you read correctly peas or lentils is in this cereal mix :-)). You mix your ingredients together and then coarsely grind them and store them in your refrigerator
until your ready to use the mixture. This ended up being a very satisfying meal, more so then just oatmeal which always tended to leave me hungry an hour later and a bit shaky from too many carbohydrates and not enough protein.

Now I incorporate anywhere from 3-5 grains, always including quinoa because it's a complete protein. I typically mix together enough dry ingredients so I have 1 - 1 1/3 dry cereal mix, I then mix this with about 2 1/2 cups of water and a couple tablespoons of whey or yogurt and let it all sit together on my counter overnight.

"All grains contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects. Soaking allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits."
~Nourishing Tradition by Sally Fallon, page 452

After my grains have soaked, I dump them and their liquid into a medium size pot and add some sea salt, about 1/2 tsp. and cook them covered over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, if you've ground your grains they may cook in as little as 5-10 minutes. If you choose to not soak your grain, do realize that it will greatly increase their cooking time, up to about an hour or so.

Once the hot cereal is cooked, top it with a variety of nuts, fresh or dried fruit and even some shaved coconut meat (a favorite with my son). You can add just about anything you want like butter or cream and even incorporating 1-2 egg yolks. Be creative here and have fun trying new foods.

Below I've included some of the grains and nuts I use and their health benefits. This is hardly a comprehensive list of nutritional information. Check out the links to read more about each item. A couple of other grains to consider and that I don't have pictured below are kamut, spelt and rye. One of the goals here is to try and get away from eating the typical and trying to incorporate more variety into the diet. I've heard that one of the reasons we see some of the food allergies that we do is because of the lack of variety in out diet. We over consume the same foods like eating to much wheat or peanuts, which can then stress our digestive system ultimately causing food allergies in ourselves and our children.



Steel Cut Oats
Health Benefits: Contains manganese, selenium, vitamin B1, dietary fiber, magnesium, protein, phosphorus, copper, folate (folic acid), vitamin E and zinc

Interesting Fact: "The modern oat draws its ancestry from the wild red oat, a plant originating in Asia. Oats have been cultivated for two thousand years in various regions throughout the world. Before being consumed as a food, oats were used for medicinal purposes, a use for which they are still honored."
~ World's Healthiest Foods, article on Oats


Cracked Wheat
Health Benefits: Contains protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc

Interesting Fact: "Wheat is the largest and most important grain crop in the world and has been cultivated since 7,000 BC."
~The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook by Nicola Graimes

Cracked wheat contains all the same nutrients as wheat berries, since it's simply wheat berries that have been crushed. If you are normally one who likes to eat wheat germ or bran, consider eating cracked wheat instead. It's almost always wiser to eat a food in it's whole form instead of isolating one or two parts. Good rule of thumb, the less it's processed the better it will be for you! Wheat bran is actually a bi-product of white flour production.



Barley
Health Benefits: Contains fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and B vitamins.

Interesting Fact: "Barley, one of the first crops cultivated by man, has been used as a food and medication since biblical times."
~ Wholehealthmd.com

The most nutritious form of barley is called pot barley, however we more often see pearl barley in our stores. Pearl barley has been husked, steamed and polished, so it looses some of the extra nutrients that is contained in the bran, which has been removed.



Millet
Health Benefits: Contains B vitamins, iron, zinc, calcium, manganese,

Interesting Fact: "Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. It is mentioned in the Bible, and was used during those times to make bread. Millet has been used in Africa and India as a staple food for thousands of years and it was grown as early as 2700 BC in China where it was the prevalent grain before rice became the dominant staple."
~ Whole Grains: Millet by Karen Railey

"Millet is highly nutritious, non-glutinous and like buckwheat and quinoa, is not an acid forming food so is soothing and easy to digest. In fact, it is considered to be one of the least allergenic and most digestible grains available and it is a warming grain so will help to heat the body in cold or rainy seasons and climates."
~ Whole Grains: Millet by Karen Railey



Brown Rice
Health Benefits: Contains zinc, niacin, vitamin B6, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, fiber

Interesting Fact: "Because the bran is not milled away, brown rice contains four times the amount of insoluble fiber found in white rice--a prime reason for eating brown rice instead of white."
~ Wholehealthmd.com



Quinoa
Health Benefits: Contains iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin, B6, niacin, thiamine, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, protein (it is a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids)

Interesting Fact: "It has been cultivated in South American Andes since at least 3,000 B.C. and has been a staple food of millions of native inhabitants. The ancient Incas called quinoa the 'mother grain' and revered it as sacred. Each year at planting time it was traditional for the Inca leader to plant the first quinoa seed using a solid gold shovel! Quinoa was used to sustain Incan armies, which frequently marched for many days eating a mixture of quinoa and fat, known as 'war balls.'"
~ Quinoa from the Andes by Karen Railey



Split Peas
Health Benefits: Contains soluble and insoluble fiber, folate (folic acid), iron, selenium, manganese, zinc, phosphorus, thiamine, potassium and some protein.

Interesting Fact: "The modern-day garden pea, from which dried peas are made, is thought to have originated from the field pea that was native to central Asia and Europe. Dried peas have been consumed since prehistoric times with fossilized remains being found at archeological sites in Swiss lake villages. Peas are mentioned in the Bible and were prized by the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome."
~The World's Healthiest Foods article on Dried Peas

Peas and lentils (listed below) both decrease harmful LDL cholesterol in our bodies which can help fight against heart disease. They are also high in fiber, which helps the colon and bowels work properly . One other great benefit of fiber is it can slow down the rate sugar can enter into our bloodstream. This can be beneficial to those who have diabetes.

Lentils
Health Benefits: Lentils are very similar in health benefits as split peas. They also contain soluble and insoluble fiber, folate (folic acid), iron, selenium, folate, manganese, zinc, phosphorus and thiamine, potassium and some protein.

Interesting Fact: "Lentils are believed to have originated in central Asia, having been consumed since prehistoric times. They are one of the first foods to have ever been cultivated. Lentil seeds dating back 8000 years have been found at archeological sites in the Middle East. Lentils were mentioned in the Bible both as the item that Jacob traded to Esau for his birthright and as a part of a bread that was made during the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people."
~The Word's Healthiest Foods article on Lentils



Sunflower Seeds
Health Benefits: Contain an excellent amount of vitamin E, as well as, folate (folic acid), copper, magnesium, selenium, protein, zinc and other B vitamins

Interesting Fact: "While sunflowers are thought to have originated in Mexico and Peru, they are one of the first plants to ever be cultivated in the United States. They have been used for more than 5,000 years by the Native Americans, who not only used the seeds as a food and an oil source, but also used the flowers, roots and stems for varied purposes including as a dye pigment."
~The World's Healthiest Foods article on Sunflower Seeds



Pecans
Health Benefits: Contain vitamin A, vitamin E, folate (folic acid), calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, several B vitamins, zinc, protein

Interesting Fact: "New research, published in the August 2006 issue of Nutrition Research, shows that adding just a handful of pecans to your diet each day may help inhibit unwanted oxidation of blood lipids, thus helping prevent coronary heart disease. The researchers suggest that this positive effect was in part due to the pecans’ significant content of vitamin E – a natural antioxidant. Pecans contain different forms of vitamin E, which protects blood lipids from oxidation. Oxidation of lipids in the body - a process akin to rusting – is detrimental to health. When the "bad" (LDL) cholesterol becomes oxidized, it is more likely to build up and result in clogged arteries."

"In addition, landmark research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry (June 2004) found that pecans rank highest among all nuts and are among the top category of foods to contain the highest antioxidant capacity, meaning pecans may decrease the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s."
~National Pecan Sheller Association, article on pecans Nutrition in a Nutshell



Walnuts
Health Benefits: Contain ellagic acid, copper, manganese, tryptophan, omega 3, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, phosphorus and postassium

Interesting Fact: "Walnuts have often been thought of as a "brain food," not only because of the wrinkled brain-like appearance of their shells, but because of their high concentration of omega-3 fats. Your brain is more than 60% structural fat. For your brain cells to function properly, this structural fat needs to be primarily the omega-3 fats found in walnuts, flaxseed and cold-water fish. This is because the membranes of all our cells, including our brain cells or neurons, are primarily composed of fats. Cell membranes are the gatekeepers of the cell. Anything that wants to get into or out of a cell must pass through the cell's outer membrane. And omega-3 fats, which are especially fluid and flexible, make this process a whole lot easier, thus maximizing the cell's ability to usher in nutrients while eliminating wastes--definitely a good idea, especially when the cell in question is in your brain."
~The World's Healthiest Foods, article on Walnuts

"Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is involved in inducing and regulating sleep and is also a powerful antioxidant, has been discovered in walnuts in bio-available form, making them the perfect evening food for a natural good night's sleep. "
~The World's Healthiest Foods, article on Walnuts



Almonds
Health Benefits: Contain calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, dietary fiber, protein, potassium

Interesting Fact: "Almonds are a very good source of manganese and a good source of copper, two trace minerals that are essential cofactors of a key oxidative enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Superoxide dismutase disarms free radicals produced within the mitochondria (the energy production factories within our cells), thus keeping our energy flowing. Fortunately, Mother Nature supplies both mineral cofactors in almonds. Just one-quarter cup of almonds supplies 45.0% of the daily value for manganese, and 20.0% of the daily value for copper. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) also plays at least two important roles in the body's energy production. When active in energy production pathways, riboflavin takes the form of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) or flavin mononucleotide (FMN). In these forms, riboflavin attaches to protein enzymes called flavoproteins that allow oxygen-based energy production to occur."
~The World's Healthiest Foods article on Almonds

Kishk Granola - A Yummy Cereal

Are you a fan of cereal, but try to avoid the "not so healthy for you" stuff that's sold at the store, which I might add is basically every type of cereal sold? Yes, even the "healthy" stuff really isn't good for you. That's me, at least I try to avoid the stuff at the store. The only time I ever eat cereal is at night as a snack and I like to have some on hand for when guess come, because those who visit us never seem to be the big breakfast eaters that my husband and I are.

This is a recipe from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. It's easy to make and is a much healthier version to store bought cereal, even in comparison to traditional granola.


What You'll Need

• 4 cups yogurt
• 4 cups cracked wheat
• 1 cup chopped,*crispy nuts of your choice, like almonds, pecans and/or walnuts
• 1 cup dried coconut meat sweetened or unsweetened
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit, like raisins, apples, apricots
• 1/2 cup Rapadura, (pure organic sugar cane)

• Large mixing bowl
• Mixing spoon
• Cookie sheets or food dehydrator
  
• Sharp knife
• Food processor - optional
• Measuring cups

*Crispy nuts are raw nuts that have been soaked in water with a bit of salt added to it. You soak the nuts overnight and then dry them out in a food dehydrator or a 150 degree oven. If you don't have crispy nuts on hand you could alternatively use raw nuts.

Once again, the habits of traditional peoples should serve as a guide. They understood instinctively that nuts are best soaked or partially sprouted before eaten. This is because nuts contain numerous enzyme inhibitors that can put a real strain on the digestive mechanism if consumed in excess. Nuts are easier to digest, and their nutrients more readily available, if they are first soaked in salt water overnight, then dried in a warm oven.
~Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, page 512




Getting Started

1. In a large mixing bowl mix together the 4 cups of cracked wheat and the 4 cups of
yogurt. Cover the bowl and place in a dark place or cover with a towel and allow to sit for 24 hours. We are making a fermented dish called kishk which originated in the Middle East.

2. After 24 hours, spread kishk mixture as thinly as possible on oiled or lined cookie sheets and place in 150 degree oven overnight. Most ovens don't go down this low, I have done it at 170 degrees, which is the lowest temperature my oven will go down to. This works, but I'd do it during the day, so you can occasionally check on it to make sure it isn't baking, but instead drying out. You'll know it's baking because it will start to turn a darker brown, like when making cookies. If you go the 170 degree route, turn your oven on for a little while then turn it off and leave the door closed. Alternatively, you could use a food dehydrator for this step.

Note: It's really important to spread the Kishk as thinly as possible. The first time I did it, I left it a little thicker in places and it was so much harder to chop up (which we'll do in the next step), I couldn't even break it down in my food processor.

3. Once kishk has completely dried out, either using a knife or a food processor, chop until it's coarsely crumbled. I think using the knife is easier. I found that the food processor over chopped some of it and left other pieces in chunks to large to eat.



4. Place chopped kishk into a large bowl and add the rest of your ingredients. Mix well then place into a zip-lock bag or an airtight container.

Kishk granola can be stored at room temperature for several weeks or in the fridge for longer.
Eat it just like granola with milk or cream or sprinkle on yogurt.

Pancakes!

For those people who know me really well, they'll likely know about the special place pancakes have in my heart! Before I had my son and a more structured routine it would not be a surprise if you wandered into my home and saw me eating pancakes at 9:00 at night as my "dessert" (at least hopefully it was my desert and not just dinner)!

Now they make their appearance on the weekends accompanied with a delicious breakfast. I thought I'd include the recipe on pancakes now because they contain the two foods I just showed you how to make in the last week.

This pancake recipe does take a bit of planning just because you start it the night before you want to eat them. It is taken from Sally Fallon's cookbook Nourishing Tradition. This is an excellent cookbook for those who are interested in informing themselves on traditional methods of cooking. It also contains a wealth of information on nutrition and where Westerners have gone wrong with their diets. I highly recommend it, even if you aren't a cook, for the nutritional information it contains. If you are able to get your hands on it, know that it takes baby-steps to fully embrace all of the cooking techniques. They are very different from what we are accustomed to in America and many of the recipes contain ingredients that the majority of us have never heard of. It's helpful to have a local co-op near-by, as many of the ingredients she uses could be purchased at one, versus at the local grocery store. She also gives resources in the back of the cookbook to help you purchase items that aren't readily available.

What You'll Need (This recipe makes about 10-15 pancakes)

• 2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour, preferably freshly ground (I used spelt for this batch)
• 2 cups plain yogurt, kefir or 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk (the original recipes says two cups buttermilk, but I think it makes the pancakes to thin and then you are left adding more flour the next morning)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for cooking the pancakes in
• Medium size bowl
• Mixing spoon or whisk
• Large frying pan
• 1/3 measuring cup

Getting Started
The night before you want to enjoy your pancakes, mix your flour with your yogurt, kefir or buttermilk. Cover the bowl and leave it on the counter or in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours. Strange huh? I promise you won't get sick from leaving yogurt, kefir or buttermilk out on the counter! : - ) This step helps breakdown the phytic acid, complex starches and proteins in the flour to ease digestion and helps your body more easily absorb the vitamins found in grain.

In the morning when you're ready to prepare your pancakes, add the rest of the ingredients listed above, mixing with a little milk or water (if necessary) to achieve the desired consistency. Below is a picture of what my batter looked like once all the ingredients were mixed together. If your batter is too thin, you may want to add a bit more flour. The thinner your batter is the thinner your pancakes will be.


Next, melt several tablespoons of butter in a skillet and using your 1/3 measuring cup, scoop out the batter and pour into skillet. I personally think medium is about as high as you want to cook these pancakes. They cook more slowly than traditional pancakes and you don't want the outside to get overly done and be left with a doughy inside. Yuck! All the normal pancake rules apply when trying to decide when to flip these babies. Wait until the pancakes are beginning to bubble some and the edges are becoming slightly cooked.

The picture below shows the batter still needs to cook for a couple more minutes before flipping the pancakes.


Since we aren't cooking in a professional kitchen and instead make our pancakes in batches, turn your oven on to 170-200 degrees and put an oven proof plate or a cookie sheet in the oven. As your pancakes finish cooking, throw them into the oven while you cook the rest of the batter. This way you'll have deliciously warm pancakes and the butter that you MUST put on top, because it's just oh-so-good, will melt and soak right in! : - ) Yum!

To mix things up, try adding blueberries or other fresh fruit to your pancake batter. Pecans and walnuts are also excellent. If you prefer a little sweeter batter, you could try adding 1-2 tablespoons of sugar or Rapadura. All of these additions should be made in the morning right before you cook the pancakes.

When it's all said and done just be sure to top your pancakes with butter and some organic maple syrup and enjoy! Oh, if you have left-overs, these store great in the freezer or fridge. My favorite way to reheat them is in the toaster. They get warm on the inside and just slightly crisp on the outside – a little like waffles.