I had no energy to struggle with them so I modified the recipe and decided to bake them in the oven. I ended up with Falafel Cookies. And you know what? They were actually pretty good and very handy to kill some small hungers along the day. Next time when I am on the way, I will make sure to have the falafel cookies in a handbag.

Ingredients

• Walnuts – 1 cup
• Boiled chickpeas – 2 glass pots from AH/Jumbo/other or 1 big pot from Turkish shop
• Onion – 1 small,
• Petersly – 1 cup
• Garlic- 2 gloves
• Egg – 1
• GF flour (all purpose or chickpeas flour)- 3-4 spoons
• Baking soda – ½  teaspoon
• Cumin – 1 ½ tea spoon
• Olive oil (to spread on surface)

Preparation steps

1. Pulse walnuts in a kitchen processor (until you have small chunks) and then transfer them to a big bowl.
2. Drain chickpeas very well. You can additionally dry them on a paper kitchen towel. Then pulse them in a kitchen processor until you get very tiny chunks. After, add them to the processed walnuts.
3. Chop an onion and the petersly. Add them to the other ingredients in the bowl.
4. Press garlic and add it together with cumin, GF flour, soda and an egg to the rest of ingredients. Mix everything.
5. Spread baking paper on a baking tray and form cookies from the prepared ‘falafel’ mixture.
6. Before placing the tray into the oven, spread some olive oil on the surface of each cookie.
7. Bake in a pre-heated to 180 degrees Celsius oven for about 15-20 min. Adjust baking time accordingly when needed.

Cheers,

Kati xxx

For the last couple of months, other than reading about pregnancy and newborns, I was experimenting in a kitchen with new & old recipes.

Now, as I am getting heavier and I spend more time sitting, I thought of sharing some of the recipes with you.

Below, you can find a recipe for well-known in Poland ‘RACUCHY’. It is a kind of small thick pancake resembling the American pancake, but with apple (or berries) inside.

Ingredients

• All-purpose GF flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill) – 300 g
• Baking soda – ½ teaspoon
• Brown sugar – 1 spoon
• Eggs – 2
• *Almond or soy milk – 1 glass
• *Soy yogurt – 1 spoon
• Salt –  a pinch
• Apples (rasped; big holes on grater) – 2 middle size
• Cinnamon – 1 tea spoon
• Vanilla extract – 1/3 tea spoon
• Optional: blueberries –a couple of spoons
• Fat for frying

Preparation steps

1. Peel and rasp apples. Use the big holes on a rasper.
2. Mix together in a big bowl all dry ingredients:  GF flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract.
3. Then add eggs, soy yogurt and – while mixing – gradually almond milk.
4. After mixing everything thoroughly – add rasped apples (and eventually berries or other fruits)
5. Fry small portions on a hot oil.
6. For an optimum polish experience – serve with a powdered sugar on top : – )

They are so delicious! You can use w/e topping you like, for instance (soy)yogurt and/or apple puree : – )

Have fun cooking,

Kati xxx

I am not an expert in making gluten free dumplings. This year I made GF dough for dumplings for the first time. I was lucky, it worked out very well!

Ingredients for dough (for about 20-25 dumplings)

• GF flour mix – 200 g (I used the one from Celiko to make pasta. It contains 65% rice flour and ~35% potato starch)
• GF flour mix for bread *– about 1 cup (I used Doves Farm flour mix for brown bread)
• Any GF flour for covering the working space on which the dough was rolled (about half cup)
• 2 eggs
• 4-5 spoons of water (20 ml)
• 1 spoon of oil
• Pinch of salt

*The flour mix for bread from Doves Farm contains Xanthan Gum. I believe that this hydrocolloid made the dough strong enough to form dumplings of it. If you plan to use other flours in your recipe, makes sure your flour mix contains a gum as well or adds some to it.

Ingredients for filling

• Sauerkraut (mine contained carrot)
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Salt and pepper

Preparation steps – Filling

1. Boil water in a pan.
2. Drain sauerkraut and place it in the boiling water for about 10-15 min. Afterwards, drain in very well.
3. Cut mushrooms in tiny pieces and fry on ghee.
4. Cut onion in small pieces and fry on oil.
5. Cool the boiled cabbage and cut it so it doesn’t contain long strings of cabbage.
6. Mix cabbage, fried mushrooms and fried onion together. Use salt and pepper to adjust the flavor to your own taste.

Preparation steps – Dough

1. Place 200 g of GF flour mix to the bowl. Add 2 eggs, 4 spoons of water and 1 spoon of oil. Mix together.
2. Slowly keep adding the flour mix for bread to the dough and keep kneading with your hands. Don’t add the entire cup of flour at once. Knead for about 5 min. In the end you should obtain an elastic ball of dough. If necessary: add more flour or water.

Preparation steps – Dumplings

1. Boil salty water in a pan.
2. On a surface covered with Gf flour roll the dough into a thin layer (about 5 mm thickness).
3. Cut circles in the dough using a cup.

4. Take one circle and place it in your hand. Using a spoon place small amount of the filling in the middle of the circle. Then, form half-moons filled with the cabbage. Grab the edges together between your fingers and stick one to another. It needs to be done gently as the dough is not extremely strong. It is strong enough if you handle it with care.

5. The formed dumplings place gently in a simmering boiled water (keep the fire low). Let them boil like this for about 3-5 min. Make sure that the dumplings are well sealed and don’t open in the boiling water.

6. Hot dumplings can be served with cut into small pieces and fried onion or it is possible to fry them after cooling them down.

*I didn’t freeze my dumplings but I did store them in a closed container in a fridge for 2 days and they were fine.

Have a Merry Christmas <3

Waffle is a kind of dough baked between two hot plates and it tastes divine. The last time I was visiting my home town I could only ‘enjoy’ the smell of it. When I saw a waffle making machine while shopping a couple of months after, I put it in my shopping basket immediately (here, you can see where I bought it). You should smell the air while the waffles are being baked. It is just one more thing I refuse to miss out on. I am not going to allow the celiac disease to take away waffles from me!

Ingredients

• Eggs – two
• Honey (or sugar) – 4 spoons (optional; I enjoy them when less sweet as well)
• Vanilla extract – 1/2 spoon (optional)
• Almond milk – ½ cup
• Gluten free flour – 1 cup of Schar mix C OR 2 cups of almond flour (they have different water holding capacity thus different amounts are needed)
• Salt –  a big pinch
• Baking soda – ½ spoon
• Baking powder – ½ spoon

Necessary appliances

• Waffle making machine
• A bowl
• A spatula
• A kitchen mixer
• A spoon to transfer the dough to the waffle making machine

Tips

• If you want your waffles crunchy – use the Schar’s mix C
• If you want your waffles soft – use the almond flour (it contains more fat thus forms softer texture)
• It is possible to use other flours; these two are the only ones I tested so far. Flours have various ability to hold water, depending on the content of the flour, different amounts will be needed
• I allow my waffles a slightly longer time in the machine for more crunchy texture
• Great idea for a quick dessert – without the need of baking a cake; plus if you use fat free flours – it is milder on your digestive system

Preparation steps

1. Beat the eggs with salt, honey/sugar and vanilla extract using a kitchen mixer
2. Afterwards add the almond milk and mix all together
3. In another bowl mix flour with the baking powder and baking soda
4. Add the flour mixture to the eggs and mix all together
5. You can add extra water/flour to obtain ideal consistency (it should be more dense than the dough for the European pancakes)

Although buckwheat flour is usually used to make savoury crêpes, I prepared sweet pancakes of it. By adding a pinch of sugar and cinnamon they gained new delicious aroma and flavor. They tasted best with apple pure, fresh berries and sprinkled with chocolate-orange sauce.

Highlights

• Glutenfree & Lactosefree &Soyfree
• Paleo / Vegan/ Vegetarian
• Breakfast/ Lunch/ Supper

Ingredients (for 2-3 persons)

• Buckwheat flour – 1 cup (160 g)
• Almond milk – 1 cup (250 ml)
• Raw egg – one (big)
• Salt – a pinch
• Sugar – a pinch (optional)
• Cinnamon – ½ tea spoon
• Fat to fry pancakes

Needed appliances

• A bowl (to mix all ingredients)
• A kitchen blender/mixer (I used immersion blender)
• A soup/sauce spoon (to apply the dough on the frying pan)
• A frying pan and a spatula- to turn the pancakes

Preparation steps

• Weight or measure 1 cup of buckwheat flour to the bowl
• Add raw egg, salt, sugar and cinnamon
• Blend everything for about 1-2 minutes until liquid-ish dough with a smooth consistency is obtained
• Preheat a frying pan with a small amount of fat
• Use soup/sauce spoon to transport the dough on the frying pan
• Fry each side for a couple of minutes. You can use spatula to turn the pancakes around unless you are good with flipping them around in the air ;-)

They were best when still warm but I enjoyed them cold too and still had an amazing meal. My favorite additives are: apple pure, fresh fruits and chocolate sauce. Roasted almond pasta is a great pancake spread too, or homemade raspberries sauce, homemade berries jam etc.

Cheers,

• Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nuts free
• Only 2 ingredients
• 5-10 min preparation time
• Filling quick meal
• Breakfast or Lunch
• Endless variations

Ingredients

• Eggs – 2 big (or 3 small)
• Corn flour – 2 full spoons
• A little spoon of sugar
• A pinch of salt
• Fat for frying  (ghee gives a wonderful flavor to it)
• Whatever you want to put on your omelette (my choice: almond pasta and homemade raspberry puree or fresh fruits)

Needed appliances

• A bowl
• A fork
• A spoon
• A frying pan

Tips

• You can use vanilla sugar for extra flavor or add a pinch of fresh vanilla to the ‘dough’
• Or you can skip sugar for a more salty version and add herbs of your choice (this version goes well with cheese on top)
• The consistency of the ‘dough’ should be thicker than that of a ‘dough’ for pancakes
• Variation: I added a couple of spoons of puffed quinoa to the ‘dough’
• If you are like me from a couple of months ago – you will probably skip the ghee and use oil for frying; it’s fine but your are missing on something really good! ;-)
• You ca try to use other g-f flours but I think corn flour fits best

Preparation steps

1. Beat eggs in a bowl using a fork
2. Add corn flour, salt and sugar
3. Beat all ingredients together until smooth ‘dough’
4. Fry your omelette like a pancake

Enjoy your meal,

• Initially developed as a breakfast but turned out to be suitable even as a ‘cake’ with your tea/coffee
• Breakfast/Lunch/Snack/Cake/Dessert
• No added sugar
• No sophisticated kitchen accessories needed

Ingredients

• Oat flakes – 2 cups
• Almond milk – 1 cup
• Raw egg – 1
• Nuts – 0.5 cup (I used Brazilian nuts ‘Dutch: Paranoten’)
• Apple – 1
• Pear – 1
• Banana – 1
• Frozen forest fruits  – 2 cups (I used one box of the frozen fruits from AH)
• Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
• Cinnamon – 2 teaspoons
• Fat to coat the oven dish (I haven’t used it and the bottom was a bit stacked to the dish)
• Optional: dry fruits (I haven’t used them)

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Tips

• Oat flakes could be replaced by buckwheat flakes
• Instead apple & pear – it’s possible to use fruit puree
• I used homemade almond milk – recipe

Needed appliances

• A bowl to mix ingredients
• A spoon
• A fork and a small bowl to beat the egg
• An oven dish
• Oven preheated to 190ºC

Preparation steps

• Place 2 cups of oat flakes, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl
• Beat an egg and mix it with almond milk in another bowl
• Mix the content of both bowls together (oat, cinnamon, baking powder, egg and almond milk) and leave it for 15 minutes so the flakes can absorb the moist
• In a meantime cut nuts, apple, pear and banana in small pieces.
• Mix everything together and put it in the (optionally: coated with fat) oven dish.
• Distribute the frozen fruits on top.
• Place the dish in the oven and bake it 25 minutes in 190ºC.

Enjoy your meal,

• ten free
• Delicious
• Greatly filling meatless dinner

Ingredients

• Gluten free pasta lasagna
• Red sauce
• Vegetables (I used what I had in a fridge: onion, carrots, paprika, cauliflower and champignon)
• Fresh parsley and garlic
• Rasped cheese

Tips

• You can use any vegetables you want or currently have at home
• You can make your own red sauce if you like or use a bought (gluten free) red sauce
• You can add ground meat or beans (e.g. chickpeas) to the sauce
• You can leave the cheese out or use lactose free cheese

Needed appliances

• A cutting board and knife
• A pan/frying pan to pre-cook vegetables
• A spatula to mix vegetables
• An oven dish
• A soup serving spoon
• An oven

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Preparation steps

• Pre-set the oven to 180ºC
• Wash and cut all vegetables
• Stew (fry/wok) vegetables; I started with carrots and onions and after 2 minutes I added the rest of vegetables
• When the vegetables are soft – add the red sauce to the pan (when using pre-made one like me)
• Add a cup of water to the sauce to decrease its viscosity (in the end it shouldn’t be dense). Stew all for 5-10 minutes
• Take the oven dish and pure some of the sauce (choose the liquid without vegetables) to cover the bottom of the dish
• Place the dry pasta on a thin layer of the sauce & cover the pasta with more sauce and vegetables (Repeat it few times so in the end you will have 4-5 pasta layers)
• Cover the last pasta layer with sauce and rasped cheese
• Place it in the oven (180ºC) and keep for at least 40 minutes

Important: Recently, I noticed that my oven works faster than other ovens. It’s possible that you need to prolong the baking time. You can stick a fork in the dish after 40 min to check if the pasta is soft.

Enjoy your meal,