What's For Breakfast?

Since discovering my gluten allergy, I have avoided most flour based breakfast foods. That means no pancakes, waffles, crepes, biscuits and/or muffins...so sad!!! A lot of the gluten free recipes are super gross...grainy consistency with weird gumminess going on from too much xanthan gum! I've been experimenting with gluten free breads and have discovered what works and what totally doesn't work!!! This morning I decided to whip up a little Dutch Baby, gluten free style, and it was amazing!!! Here's the recipe for all of you breakfast food fans!!!

My Dutch Baby right after taking it out of the oven!

Gluten Free Dutch Baby

4 Servings

2 tbsp butter

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 c milk

1/4 c tapioca flour*

1/4 c sweet white rice flour*

pinch of salt

Lemon wedges

Powdered sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the flours and salt and whisk the batter until it is smooth.
3. Place butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place skillet in oven to melt the butter. Once the butter is melted (about 5 minutes), remove the skillet and swirl the butter around to make sure the pan is coated. Pour in the batter and place skillet back in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed up and browned on the edges. 
4. Remove your Dutch Baby from the oven! It will deflate immediately...so don't freak out! Cut it into 4 pieces and serve, squeezing lemon juice onto each serving and then sprinkling with powdered sugar! 

*You can also use 1/2 c. all-purpose gluten free flour instead of the combo I used...or regular all-purpose flour as far as that goes! 

Thai Tuesday!

True confessions: I have the constant urge to ditch all of life's responsibilities jump on the nearest plane or steamer ship and head off to a great adventure!!! Sadly my pocketbook does not allow for this kind of galavanting...so instead I took an afternoon to read through some of my more exotic cookbooks in the hopes of having the scent of a foreign land fill the air! As I cracked open The Original Thai Cookbook by Jennifer Brennan I had no idea what I was in for! It was like I was reading a letter from a dear friend who had invited me on their summer vacation and was enticing me with tales of far away places! It was a dream come true!!!! I was whisked away to a land of noodle vendors, where the sweet scent of lemongrass drifted through the evening air and I knew I needed to whip up a Thai feast! I concocted a menu, after liberally marking recipes I wanted to make, and decided on the following: Kao Dom Gai (Chicken & Rice Soup), Pra Ram Long Song (Braised Beef & Spinach), Pad Woon Sen (Fried Cellophane Noodles) and Kanom Kluk (Coconut Pancakes). Everything was delicious but the winner of the savory dishes was the Pad Woon Sen!!!! Salty, crispy, garlicky with a hint of fish...HOLY MOLY was it amazing!!! Below is the recipe for the Pad Woon Sen...but if you want the other recipes you'll have to hit up your local used book store to find a copy of this amazing cookbook!!!  Now go have an adventure!

The book that started it all!  

Pad Woon Sen

The recipe:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped (I put in 10...but who's counting?!)

1 1/2 c. raw shrimp (can use chicken or beef)

8 oz. cellophane noodles (bean thread noodles), soaked in hot water until soft, drained and cut into 3" pieces

2 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp ground black pepper

4 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded

1 c. bean sprouts

1 heart of celery (4 inches of the bottom of a stalk of celery works great!), finely chopped

1 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped

In a wok, heat the oil and fry the garlic until golden. Add the shrimp and cook until just turned pink. Place in the noodles, stirring and tossing. Make a hole in the center of the mixture and pour in the eggs. Slowly stir the eggs until set and the break and mix them with the noodles. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Stir in peanuts, bean sprouts and celery and cook until heated through. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve. 

Additional ideas: you can also add in shredded carrots and sliced tomatoes for more vegetable goodness! This recipe lends itself to additions of deliciousness! 

Serves 4