Friday, August 30, 2013

Food Fact Friday: Plantain Pancakes (Gluten Free!)



 
I hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend and that you take some time to take it slow.  Maybe you will even get a chance to make these delicious pancakes!  
 I dislike it when bloggers sound overly "oozy" about all the "amazing" and "crazy-good" recipes they post but I have to say that  this may be one of the best gluten free (GF) pancake recipes I have tried!  Now admittedly I haven’t tried every gluten free pancake recipe known to man but often as I have searched online or flipped through GF cookbooks, I have found myself discouraged by both the length and contents of the recipe’s ingredient list.  More often than not I have most of the ingredients but am sadly lacking coconut flour or xanthan gum…etc etc.  I simply can’t go and buy out-of the-ordinary new and exotic  ingredients each time I wish to try  one recipe when who know if I will use that ingredient again? 
Make the recipe too complicated (even for my all-things culinary and adventuresome spirit) and I won’t make it. 
But when I saw these plantain pancakes online, they seemed different.   Their simplicity attracted me first.  I confess that plantains are not  were not a regular staple in my fruit basket; however, all the other necessary ingredients were within easy reach and the plantains lay only 1 mile off in the fruit display at Sprouts.  I thought I would give it a shot. 
I was far from disappointed.  
These pancakes win 4.5 stars for being both simple and true to the texture of their namesake… pancakes!    Truly these are incredible!  I don’t know much about its properties of plantains but something about them give this breakfast the “real-deal” pancake texture with greater simplicity than even non-GF recipes.  I hope you try these.  Enjoy! 

Ingredients:


  1. Peel plantains (I find it easier to quarter them before I peel them) and place pieces in your blender or food processor.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender or food processor and process until it forms a smooth batter (about 1-2 minutes).
  3. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a frying pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat.  Pour batter into the frying pan until your pancake is the desired size.
  4. Let cook 4-5 minutes on the first side, until the top looks fairly dry with little bubbles in it (just like regular pancakes!).
  5. Flip!  And cook on the second side for 1½-2minutes.
  6. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little more coconut oil to your pan as needed. 

Additions (Cathryn’s Notes):
~ I think this recipe demands some additional sweetness so I added some sweetened coconut and my favorite spices (cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg) to the mix.   The outcome…very harmonious!
If you would like to add some more flavor try making this coconut cream (see below) to blop atop the delicious hot flap jacks.  (I didn’t, so if you do it let me know how it turns out!):

Ingredients (Maple Coconut Cream):

◦1 can full-fat Coconut Milk or equivalent amount of homemade coconut milk
◦2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (use Grade B syrup for the most intense flavor)

1.    Let the can of coconut milk sit still at room temperature for at least 24 hours (mine are still all the time on the shelf in my cupboard; this basically just means don’t toss a can into the fridge right out of your shopping bag).  Then gently (no shaking!!!!) place the can in your fridge overnight.  If you are using homemade coconut milk, pour it into a jar and let it sit on the counter for 2-3 hours after making it, then carefully put it in the fridge overnight (or longer).

 2.    Carefully remove the can/jar and open it.  Spoon out the thick cream from the top half of the can into a small bowl.  Avoid getting any of the coconut water which has separated to the bottom (I like to use that coconut water in smoothies).

 3.    Stir the maple syrup into the coconut cream and place it back in the fridge until ready to eat.

 Source: Paleomom.com

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