KALE RICE

Release your held breath, America. The wait is over! Below is the legendary recipe for kale rice. As you may know, I don’t typically measure when I cook (they say the best cooks wing it like that!), so you may need to tweak it at home for your taste buds. Without further ado ...

Rice
1 ½ cup brown rice
2 ½ - 3 cups water

About 1 hour ahead of time, cook rice in rice steamer or in a pan on the stovetop. When it’s done, stir to fluff, and set aside.

 

2 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
½ bag kale (prewashed saves times)
Shredded carrots
Black beans
Cranberries
Pumpkin seeds (can use chopped almonds or sunflower seeds)
Spices: I don’t measure, so sprinkle first item the most and so on … Cumin, dill, garlic powder, curry, little ginger, little turmeric, tiny pinch of salt.

Lime (or lime juice) – not added while on stove

Heat a large pan or wok with olive oil. Once heated, saute onion about 2 minutes. Pour in up to half the bag of kale and carefully stir ‘til it wilts down a bit. Add spices, pumpkin seeds and cranberries. Stir. Add black beans and stir carefully. Add cooked rice and stir. You may need to add another dose of seasoning (taste to see). Add shredded carrots and stir. Turn off heat.

Put a serving of kale rice in a bowl and squeeze juice from 1/3 of a lime over the top. Enjoy!

This makes a HUGE batch, enough for a few days, but it gets tastier and tastier each time. Can eat cold or reheat … don’t forget the lime after each heating. I try not to cook it with the lime already added … tastes fresher doing it after it has been heated. Blessings!

 

 

Gluten-Free Pancakes

I try to eat healthy ... very healthy. But, being human, I do occasionally get a jones for pancakes. And when it comes to pancakes, I am a connoisseur. They must be fluffy, light, visually appealing, and not gushy. I like to be able to peel them, meaning rake up the top layer with my fork and eat it before enjoying the fluffy bottom. Crispy edges are pretty awesome too. So, a few years ago, my husband and I ate at IHOP sometime around Christmas. They had added gingerbread pancakes to their holiday menu. OMg, those things rocked! Since then I have been trying to replicate a gluten-free version. An edible gluten-free version. It happened earlier this year.

 

Before my discovery, my experience with gluten-free pancakes didn't excite me. We non-glutenites typically settle for flat, tasteless cakes if we’re even able to find establishments offering such fare. Most times, we just go for the grits or gamble with regular pancakes and suffer the consequences later. Pancakes are comfort food, they're childhood memories, they're home & family. It's tough to just give them up. But, now, there's no need! I’ve stumbled upon a recipe for the tastiest, fluffiest gluten-free pancakes I’ve ever eaten. The trick is in the preparation. Follow directions and let me know how yours come out.

DRY Ingredients

1½ c. flour (a sorghum flour & tapioca flour blend is great, spelt or brown rice flour works too)

2 tsp. sugar (or stevia or xylitol)

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. flax meal

[For “gingerbread” pancakes: Add sprinkles of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger (clove and allspice optional) to taste.]

WET Ingredients

¾ c. plain yogurt (can use plain rice or almond milk, but yogurt makes them yummy)
1 egg
1 T. canola oil (can use olive oil)
¼ tsp. lemon juice
A little hot water

IMPORTANT: Mix DRY ingredients and WET ingredients in separate bowls. While stirring, add dry ingredients to wet. Mix well. Batter should be thick. Add a little hot water to activate baking powder and thin out batter to pancake consistency. Set batter aside for up to 8 minutes while pan or griddle is heating up. Make sure pan is hot before cooking. Then, cook pancakes as usual. Serve with maple syrup, jam, peanut butter or your favorite topping.