Gluten Free Breakfast Crepes Recipe

I finally discovered how to do a gluten-free easy breakfast crepes recipe to replace my old favorite French pancakes recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. Breakfast crepes are a light and tasty substitute for ordinary pancakes, and these are gluten free, too!

I use my own mix of sour cream and jam to fill the breakfast crepes; you may want to use your own favorite filling instead. If you have it, lemon curd is a great substitute for jam in this recipe.

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GLUTEN FREE BREAKFAST CREPES

I. Dry ingredients:

3/4 cup gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Flour)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free)

2 tablespoons of either confectioners or granulated sugar 

II. Liquid ingredients:

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Grated lemon rind (optional)

III. Filling:

(See below)

IV. Topping:

A small amount of fruit preserves or jam

Confectioners sugar

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Instructions for Crepes:

Sift the flour, then sift again with the rest of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients into the center of the flour mixture. Quickly mix together the ingredients using a whisk, working out the lumps in a few strokes. If not, don't worry—a few lumps are okay. 

Heat a skillet with a few drops of cooking oil. I use a paper towel to thinly grease the bottom and sides of the skillet. 

NOTE: I use a 9 or 12 inch skillet for larger and thinner pancakes, which is about 8 French pancakes, enough for two hungry people. If you want thicker pancakes or more servings, use a smaller skillet (5 or 7 inch). 

Use a measuring cup with a handle to dip a small amount of the batter from the mixing bowl, and pour into the center of the heated skillet. Immediately, swirl the batter out and over the bottom of the skillet (not the sides!) until evenly coated. Pancake will look thin.

Cook over medium heat until the sides begin to loosen, which won't take long. Have a spatula ready, then scrape under the edges and carefully loosen and flip the pancake.


Cook for 30-45 seconds more and then turn out onto a platter to cool. 

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Filling:

Adjust the amount of filling according to the number of pancakes you plan to make. The following mixture works for 8 large breakfast crepes. Use filling according to your own tastes and the type of filling ingredients that you have on hand. I use sour cream and jam, as follows.

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons (or more) natural blackberry preserves

Mix together in a small bowl and apply towards the outside third of the pancake only, and spread out to both edges. Do not apply filling to the other two-thirds of the pancake. Roll into a long tubular shape and tuck the edge under as you place it onto the platter. 

Once all breakfast crepes are filled and on the platter, sprinkle with confectioners sugar and apply a dot of fruit preserves to each crepe. Delicious!

This recipe serves 2-3 people, makes 8 large crepes.

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Easy Recipe Banana Bread Gluten Free

This recipe for gluten-free banana bread is taken from a simple banana bread recipe from my recipe files that dates back to the 70s. I have updated that banana bread recipe using gluten-free ingredients, and added walnuts and raisins.

If you are looking for recipes using ripe bananas, this is excellent. I always freeze ripe bananas for later use if I plan to make banana bread from scratch.

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EASY RECIPE BANANA BREAD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have all ingredients at room temperature before beginning.

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cup flour (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour)

Resift the flour with:
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder (gluten-free)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend until creamy:
1/3 cup shortening (I use butter in place of shortening or margarine)

2/3 cup sugar (substitute brown sugar or coconut sugar, or a mixture of sugars to equal 2/3 cup)

3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Beat in:
1 to 2 beaten eggs

2 very ripe bananas, mashed (or use thawed frozen banana pulp)

Stir in, one or both, as desired:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup small raisins or other dried fruit

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Instructions:

Add the sifted ingredients in about three parts to the sugar mixture. Beat the batter after each addition until smooth. Mixture will be thick. Place the batter in a greased bread pan. Bake the bread for about one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Turn out onto a rack and let cool. Slice and serve.

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& 

Chicken with Rice and Olives (Spanish Style Chicken Rice)

My mother had a quick and easy Spanish rice recipe that she would make when she was in a hurry. I wanted to update that recipe and I discovered a way to make a very easy chicken rice recipe that tastes like Spanish rice, but I substituted long grain brown rice.

I used boneless chicken thighs and my favorite gluten-free vegetable broth in this recipe. With the addition of chipotle pepper sauce and green manzanilla olives, this dish tastes like a flavorful Spanish rice.

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CHICKEN WITH RICE AND OLIVES

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon olive oil

4-5 peeled garlic cloves, sliced and crushed with a little salt (see Garlic and Salt Crush below)

5-6 carrots, sliced in 1-inch pieces, or small bag baby carrots cut in two

1/2 fresh red bell pepper, diced

1/2 fresh green bell pepper, diced

Fresh ginger (optional), one slice

1/2 small onion, diced into 2-inch pieces

1 small chopped tomato (optional)

Sea salt as needed to taste

1 quart (32oz) vegetable broth (I use Trader Joe's boxed broth)


Chipotle chile pepper sauce (See below for preparation)

Old Bay seasoning (optional but adds color)

1 cup water

1/2 cup uncooked long grain brown rice

12 green manzanilla olives, without pits

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Instructions:

Add the olive oil to a heavy stew pot and heat slightly. Add the sliced, crushed garlic and stir quickly in the oil until slightly browned. Roll out the boneless chicken thighs and arrange them in the pot, making sure there is enough oil covering the bottom of the pan so they do not stick. Increase the heat to medium high. Turn frequently and allow to brown slightly.

Garlic and salt crush:

Slice garlic with a sharp broad knife on a smooth cutting board. Sprinkle a small amount of sea salt or fine-grind kosher salt, then mash the salt into the garlic with the flat side of the knife. Scrape the garlic-salt mixture into the oil in the pot and allow to brown slightly. Garlic and salt crush is excellent for flavoring salad dressings and pizza sauce, too.


Pour the contents of the vegetable broth (1 quart) into the pot and cover with a lid. Allow to cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the chopped onion and sliced carrots. After another 5 minutes, add the red and green bell pepper. Stir after adding each ingredient, and cover the pot again afterward.

At this point, prepare the chipotle chile pepper sauce as directed* Add to the pot and stir. Taste to be sure there is enough flavor, if not add salt to taste. Add Old Bay seasoning if desired. Add ginger slice if desired—crush slightly with the side of the knife to release flavor.

My recipe calls for Embasa chipotle in adobo sauce—use the brand of your choice. Follow directions below and use only a little bit! It's very hot but it gives a hearty smoky flavor. Embasa brand chipotle peppers can be found in the Mexican food section of the grocery store.

Chipotle pepper sauce:

Using a teaspoon, take out 1/2 to 1 tsp of the sauce from the can and mix with 1/2 cup tap water. If you get a bit of the chile, no problem; just mash it together with the water. Discard the big chunks, however.

Set aside to add to ground beef mixture.

Reserve the rest of the can in a small glass Mason jar and keep in refrigerator to use another time.

Allow the broth to cook for another 20 minutes or until the chicken meat is cooked and starting to shred apart. At first, it will look like a thin soup, but after a time, the broth will be reduced. Stir the pot, and then add 1 cup water to the soup to thin it a bit. Now, add 1/2 cup of uncooked brown rice and stir well. Break apart the chicken thighs as you stir. Replace the cover on the pot, and allow the soup to continue simmering on medium low heat for 20 minutes. Don't allow to boil dry.

Just before serving, add green manzanilla olives and stir into the chicken rice mixture. The flavors of the chicken, bell peppers, chipotle pepper sauce, and olives combine nicely to make a dish reminiscent of Spanish rice. Top with a bit of hot sauce, if desired.

Anna's Easy Mix Cocoa Cake (Gluten Free version)

Anna's "Wesson Oil Cake" is one of my mother's recipes that I found in my index card file, although it was barely readable because of the discoloration of the paper. The blotches and creases tell me that it was a well-used recipe! I remember my mom preparing this cocoa cake recipe from scratch many times when she was in a hurry.

I have made Mom's Easy Mix cocoa cake recipe gluten-free in this recipe. Although it didn't rise as high as I remember my mother's cake did, it still tastes great, like rich cocoa brownies.

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EASY MIX COCOA CAKE

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups cake flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour)

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1/2 cup Wesson oil; alternatively, a healthy cold-processed cooking oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

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Directions:

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Sift the flour, then measure it and resift three times with sugar, cocoa, salt, and soda, the last time sifting into a large mixing bowl. Add buttermilk (or sour milk), Wesson oil, egg, and vanilla. Beat until all ingredients are blended, about 30 seconds. Add boiling water, beat another 30 seconds.


Pour into an ungreased pan lined with paper. Bake in a moderately slow oven at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, then increase oven temperature to 350 degrees for 15 minutes longer.


Remove from oven, cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Once cooled, cut into squares. Sift powdered sugar over the top if desired.