It is time for Secret Recipe Club reveal day!  Woo-hoo!  What is the Secret Recipe Club?  It’s a lot like Secret Santa, but with recipes.  Each month you are assigned a blog.  After selecting a recipe from that bloggers repertoire, you make and post it on reveal day.  It is a great way to find fun recipes and blogs.  I like how it gets me to actually sit down and go through another person’s blog.  Blogs are a lot of work and take time to put together.  Instead of skimming through just the new stuff (as is usually easier when we see a new blog) it is fun to really sit down and go through what else the blog has to offer.  Fun stuff!

This month I was assigned Debbie’s blog Debbie Does Dinner Healthy.  I really enjoyed going through her blog.  The pics are wonderful and the recipes all so delicious sounding.  I had a hard time picking one to try…  Then I noticed she had a BUNCH of pancake recipes on her blog.  She likes breakfast for dinner, just like me!  But which to choose?  She has Apple Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup, Gingerbread Pancakes, Amish Bread Pancakes, Blueberry Pancakes, Banana Pancakes, Peanut Butter Pancakes, and even a French Silk Pancake Recipe.  But I finally settled on the Carrot Cake Pancake.  Yum!  To make them gluten and dairy free, I started with my regular gluten free pancake recipe and tweaked it using Debbie’s recipe for the spice and carrot proportions.  My family loved these with maple syrup and begged me to make them again!  They are going into our pancake rotation.  🙂  Thanks, Debbie!

Gluten & Dairy Free Carrot Cake Pancakes

Makes about 18 pancakes

 

2 cups gluten free bean based flour blend (see below)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup unsweetened gluten & dairy free milk substitute (ie: almond, rice, etc.)

2 cups finely grated carrot (about 4 medium carrots)

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

3 Tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar

2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla extract

 

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients together until blended then add to the dry ingredients.  Stir until blended together.  There will still be some lumps, but try not to have too many.  If you want the carrot bits to be even smaller, use and immersion blender to mix the pancake batter.  Cook 2-3 Tablespoons of batter per pancake in a preheated lightly oiled pan as you would regular pancakes, flipping pancake over when there are bubbles on the surface and the bottom is golden brown.  Serve with your favorite topping and enjoy!

 

Bean Flour Blend (from the “Gluten Free Gourmet,” Bette Hagman)

Mix ahead and use in recipes calling for Gluten-Free Flour Mix:

2 cups Garfava Bean Flour
1 cup Sorghum Flour
3 cups Tapioca Flour/Starch
3 cups Cornstarch or Arrowroot

I find that many recipes which call for a gluten-free flour mix work better using a blend of bean flours combined with other gluten-free flours.   These blends are higher in fiber, protein, and other nutrients, have a great smooth texture, and are more filling and satisfying than blends higher in rice flours.  Bean flours work best with flavorful recipes that compliment and mellow the nut-like, slightly bitter flavor of ground beans.  I have had wonderful results using bean flour blends in cookies, chocolate and spice cake, brownies, quick breads and muffins.

Wondering what everyone else made?  Check out the links below!