PBJ Pancakes and Crepes

Need a healthy pancake recipe that works for everyone? 

The consistency is like your traditional pancake and crepe...

but it has some secrets.

IT IS REFINED-SUGAR

REFINED-FLOUR

AND GLUTEN FREE!

This recipe is great because it makes pancakes or crepes.

You can of course use the batter for any style pancakes like chocolate chip, banana walnut, or apple cinnamon. The crepes can also be stuffed with banana and homemade Nutella, strawberries and chocolate sauce, or anything you wish!

Ingredients:

(makes 1 serving)

• 1/4 cup gluten-free oat bran (or oat flour *pulse oats in a food processor or magic bullet for a flour consistency)
• 1 egg
• 1 small banana
• 1 tbs ground flax seed, optional
• 2 tbs or 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• blueberries (fresh or frozen), optional
• nut butter of choice, optional
• coconut oil or butter, for greasing the pan
• (you can also add in a tsp of cinnamon and/or vanilla extract to your batter if you would like)

Directions:

• combine all ingredients in a blender of food processor to get a smooth consistency 
• (***** if you are not using a blender or processor, be sure to smash the banana really well before mixing it into the batter - a fork will do the trick - *you may want to peel it and slice it first, and maybe warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave in a separate bowl to make it easier*)
• Add 2 tbs of milk for pancake batter OR
• Add 1/4 cup of milk for crepe batter
• if the batter seems too thick, it may be because you used a larger banana - just add more milk until it reaches the consistency of the batter you need 

• heat a skillet on the stove and grease with butter or coconut oil 
• pour batter onto greased skillet into desired pancake or crepe size
• optional: if making traditional style blueberry pancakes*** top with blueberries now, but I do not recommend adding to crepe batter because the batter is so thin and will not flip easily with heavy blueberries
• flip when golden brown on the bottom and tiny bubbles start to form on the top
• cook other side until golden brown and remove from heat
• top with nut butter of choice and blueberries! (of course you can still go the traditional butter and syrup route - I also like a dollop of yogurt if they're just blueberry)

• For melted nut butter sauce - mix nut butter with hot water until desired consistency (can also heat up in the microwave or stove top)
• For blueberry sauce - I heated frozen berries in the microwave ;) but you can also use the stove top and add some maple syrup to make it sweeter if you would like
• For the crepes: stuff with fresh blueberries/blueberry sauce and/or nut butter before rolling and topping

Zucchini Crust Pizza

This pizza is ready to eat in a about 30 minutes! Its fairly simple, and a great option if you are trying to skip the dough. You can also use it for any kind of pizza you like! Try white (ricotta), sausage and onions, veggie, or even buffalo chicken.

Before the oven

Crust Ingredients:

(Makes 2 smaller crusts or 1 extra large)

2 large zucchinis

2 eggs

2/3 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

pepper, to taste

Toppings of your choice

Toppings:

Shown here is Classic Margherita Pizza: a little sauce, fresh tomato slices, fresh sliced mozzarella, and fresh basil. But you can add any toppings of your choice! Just be sure to cook any meat before adding it to the pizza and sauté any vegetables that you don't want raw before adding them to the pizza as well.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F
2. Cut off the ends of the zucchinis and shred in a food processor
3. Place in a microwavable bowl, cover and microwave for two minutes stirring half way through (You are steaming the zucchini in its own juices)
4. IMPORTANT: in order to make the crust you have to squeeze out as much liquid from the shredded zucchini as possible
• A cheese cloth would work well here, but if you don't have one like me then you can double up and a couple sheets of paper towel
• Lay out the towels or cloth and scoop onto it some of the cooled microwave zucchini 
• Wrap it up loosely and squeeze the zucchini out over the sink (be careful not to rip through the paper towel and lose the zucchini in the sink)
5. Empty the squeezed zucchini from the paper towel into a new bowl
6. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini (You may have to re-squeeze the already squeezed zucchini if water is still collecting in the bottom of the bowl or if the zucchini still feels like is holding a lot of water)
7. Mix in a separate bowl the rest of the crust's ingredients
8. Add the zucchini to the mixture
9. Scoop out half of the mixture onto a pizza stone or baking sheet lined with parchment paper for two small pizzas, or dump the whole thing to make 1 large one
10. Smoosh the crust "dough" into a pile and press down to form a round pizza crust (about 1/4 inch thick)
11. Bake your crust in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges are browned
12. Remove the crust from the oven and change the oven to broil 
13. Add your toppings of choice and broil for 3-5 minutes (watch closely so it doesn't burn!)
14. Enjoy your tasty paleo pizza

Recipe adapted from the wonderful Apples to Zoodles "Perfect Paleo, Vegan Zucchini Pizza Crust"

Balsamic Roasted Eggplant and Veggies

A Sweet Side Dish 

They're also perfect for topping burgers and salads!

Notes:

• You can use any vegetables in this recipe, but I definitely recommend keeping the eggplant because it pairs great with the balsamic. It also adds a nice texture to the mix of vegetables!
• Add 1-2 more tablespoons of oil for crispier vegetables (coat with oil, but do not saturate your vegetables as they will become soggy)
• The thinner the vegetables, the crispier they will become and the shorter the time they will take to roast (adjust oil accordingly - again coat, but do not saturate your vegetables)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium eggplant
• 1 large carrot
• 1/4 white onion
• 3 whole white mushrooms
• 2 tbs of avocado oil (or other high-heat cooking oil)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 tbs balsamic vinegar

Directions:

• preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• slice all of your vegetables into roughly the same sizes in thickness (length doesn't matter)
• place all of the vegetable slices in a bowl 
• add salt , pepper, balsamic vinegar, and oil
• stir everything together to coat the vegetables evenly
• place the coated vegetables on a sheet pan (or multiple pans) in an even layer - avoid overlapping as they won't get crispy when roasting
• bake for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through 
• turn the oven off but allow the pan(s) to sit in the oven for ten more minutes 
• remove the pan(s) and allow the roasted vegetables to cool for ten minutes
• enjoy!