Hootin' Annies with Homemade Salsa

My sister-in-law makes this amazing breakfast, also called German pancakes, when we all get together. I finally asked her for the recipe and we love it. I have to admit, this gluten free version is not quite as satisfying, but it certainly is enjoyable and still a hit with the kiddos. 99% of the family eats these with syrup. I'm the 1% who enjoys salsa with it. And in an effort to cut out as much sugar as possible, I think salsa is a great substitute. Anyways, you'll get a fun surprise when you pull these out of the oven. They puff up on the sides!

Ingredients:

Hootin' Annies

6 eggs

6 TBSP Butter

1 cup milk

1 cup gluten free flour mix 

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if not included in mix)

Salsa

1 can whole tomatoes

1 onion, quartered

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp thyme leaves

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp cilantro

1/4 tsp cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450*. Place butter in large glass casserole dish and put in oven on middle rack. Make sure there aren't any racks above the dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl until there are no lumps.

2. When you pull out the melted butter in the casserole dish, just pour the batter in the dish. Don't mix. Just leave it and put back in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

3. While Hootin' Annies are baking, mix your salsa. Dump all ingredients in your blender and pulse for 1-2 seconds until all chopped and mixed. Add roasted green chile if you have it. Fresh is best!

Zippy Twist- if you wanted to do them sweet, with syrup, I recommend trying unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk for these. My girls loved the added flavor with their maple syrup!

Asparagus Casserole

I know this picture doesn't look the best. But I'm finding casseroles rarely look appetizing in photographs. Let me assure you, this was delicious! I made enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Yeah.

We didn't have any leftovers. 

My girls gave me and my husband a run for our money. 

Initially, I planned on making brown rice to pair with this. 

However, even the best laid plans fall through when you ruin pot after pot of rice. 

I have a personal vendetta against brown rice now. 

One day, I swear I will come out victorious. 

But for now, I admit defeat so the casserole stood alone.

No one cared though. 

In fact, I think rice might have ruined it.

This was our dinner, but I think it could be an excellent breakfast as well.

Ingredients:
2 bundles fresh asparagus (1.5-2 lbs. asparagus. Chopped in 1" pieces)
1 cup chopped spinach
1/4 cup chives
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 eggs
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Layer prepared asparagus on the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer mushrooms, chives, onion and cheese. If you use sharp cheddar, you can get away with using less cheese for the same amount of flavor. Cover with spinach.

2. Whisk eggs, milk, cream, and lemon juice in a bowl for 5 minutes. Pour on top of spinach layer. Smooth  the top so that egg mix and spinach is distributed evenly. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until casserole is not jiggly like uncooked eggs. Then add just a sprinkling of cheese and broil for 3-5 minutes.

3. Enjoy!

Green Eggs and Salsa

I'm starting to find that most of my meals are accidental. I try to find recipes to fit what I have in my fridge,  because I mainly just shop what's on sale. I find when I buy what's in season I can stretch my dollar further. So, I'm usually missing several ingredients for most recipes I can find. But this meal was truly accidental, because I set out to make fried eggs, over easy. Since I was using leftover bacon grease, I didn't take the gristle in the fat into account and broke two yolks before I gave up and decided to go for scrambled eggs. I'd just been to the farmer's market for the first time the day before, (more on that experience later) and decided to try the greens with it. After tasting the eggs, spinach, chives, and cheddar cheese, it was still missing something. The zing of salsa made this breakfast. I like El Pinto's salsa best. It is  made fresh daily and canned for the masses. It's not loaded with preservatives and thickeners which often have gluten. You have to use it within one week of opening. Anyways, my husband, daughter and I were all full after our first servings and still wanted more. I've never seen a two year-old ask for "more green stuff" in their eggs. But mine did.   

So next time you break your egg yolks, toss in some fresh spinach, chives and cheddar cheese. Top it with salsa and have fun enjoying your taste buds shake maracas and dance the samba across your tongue!

Coconut Flour Pancakes

Ironically, before I quit gluten, I was never a big fan of pancakes. I kind of rejoiced, actually, that now I had a valid excuse to turn them down without openly admitting I (shhh) didn't like them. Pancakes? Oh, they have gluten in them. I can't eat them. That's too bad. Darn!

I'd had coconut pancakes before and they were pretty much the only pancakes I didn't feel like I needed a full glass of milk to wash them down with. I'm also not a big milk drinker, either. So that's really saying something.

My husband, on the other hand, (and children for that matter) can't get enough of pancakes. He grew up with a tradition of pancake breakfasts on Saturday morning and we've carried it on as much as we can. How we were going to replace this tradition was going to prove especially difficult.

Then, as if inspired, a friend of mine posted this recipe on Facebook and I took it and tweaked it a little bit. 

I doubled the recipe. It only makes 6 cakes in a single batch. Second, I used only coconut options. I think it gave the pancakes a richer flavor. And finally, I found I liked just a little bit more coconut flour than it calls for. Let's just say I've had no problems scarfing these bad boys down! The other plus? They are more nutritionally dense than pancakes made with refined white flour. Win!

Ingredients:

6 eggs 
6 tbsp coconut oil
6 tbsp coconut milk
3 tsp  honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
8 tbsp coconut flour
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder (Click for List of Gluten Free Baking Powders)

Directions: 
1. Melt the coconut oil. Over low heat in a frying pan works best. You don't want to damage the fats by doing it in the microwave in high heat. Mix together all the wet ingredients.

2.Add in dry ingredients. Mix well.

3. Melt coconut oil on skillet over medium heat. Scoop a little less than 1/4 cup batter and pour on the skillet. Pancakes will be about 4-5" wide.

4. You can butter them, and/or just add 1 tbsp pure maple syrup. For the whole plate. Not each cake.

If you're gonna go sweet, make sure it is unrefined. Although, it is truly best to skip it altogether because of the honey in the batter. You really don't need it. Slice some bananas and fry up some bacon. Voila. The Saturday tradition lives on.

Asparagus Fritatta

Instant hit, all around! My 2 year old had three helpings.

Ingredients:

6 Eggs

1 1/2 cup diced asparagus

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to broil. Saute mushrooms and asparagus. Pour in water. Cover and let steam for 10-15 minutes. 

2. Scramble eggs in a bowl. When asparagus is soft, pour in egg scramble. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute. 

3. Move pan to oven to broil for 1-2 minutes.

4. Cut into fourths.