Paleo Lemon Pancakes: A Lesson in Chemistry

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I love making pancakes on the weekend and lemon pancakes in particular are one of my favorite.  I always tell people to switch up my other pancake recipes to try new flavors based on what’s in season, but I have a hunch that no one does. ;(    People get scared to switch the recipe ingredients! So, I am writing this to ensure that you try these lovely pillows of goodness. The chemical reaction that happens with the baking soda and lemon juice creates bubbles which result in that buttermilk pancake texture that everyone is so familiar with!  If you like lemon, you will not be disappointed.  It almost makes me think of Forest Gump and the shrimp thing….lemon larabars, lemon shortbread, lemon pancakes, lemonade….mmmmm!

Paleo Lemon Pancakes

makes 6 pancakes (double if you have kids or a heavy appetite!)

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (about juice from 2 lemons, top off with water if you need to in order to get 1/2 cup)
  • zest from 2 lemons
  • 1 dash vanilla
  • 1 pinch salt

Directions:

Whish dry ingredients together.  Then whisk in eggs (this forms a pasty dough). Add the lemon juice and whisk (this produces bubbly effervescence!  I don’t remember why from chemistry but my guess is that the baking soda and lemon juice are reacting.  This is what makes the light and fluffy texture.)  Add vanilla and salt.  Fold in the lemon zest.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add fat of choice so the pancakes don’t stick.  Cook until bubbles start forming on the outer ring.  Flip and cook for a couple minutes on the other side.  Drizzle with pure maple syrup or blueberry sauce!

Paleo Waldorf Tuna Salad

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Paleo Waldorf Tuna Salad (the clothes make the girl)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans tuna
  • 2 green onion, chopped
  • 1 tart apple, chopped
  • handful pecans, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • enough homemade mayo (or Greek yogurt if you do dairy) to coat to your liking

Mix it all together and enjoy!

I will say that I bring this as a side dish to events a lot of times because it is a quick, easy, tasty protein dish that doesn’t have real temperature needs.   You obviously wouldn’t want to leave it out in the sun for hours, but it doesn’t require a crockpot or any other fancy contraptions.  I don’t like tuna salad…at all; however, this tuna salad is one I eat by the spoonful.   You won’t be disappointed!  and it’s apple season….

Homemade Coconut Milk Ice Cream

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I couldn’t wait.  I had a bunch of friends in town this past weekend and one of them kept going to get ice cream!  I usually don’t think that much about ice cream, however, she was not helping the matter.  So, when I was at the health food store, I thought about picking up a small container of coconut milk ice cream.  I took a peek at how much I pay for that little bad boy, and I was like OMG!  I pay over 7 bucks for a tiny container.  So, that was a good sign that I shouldn’t wait any longer to do my homemade ice cream post.  I got the recipe from my friend Cathy, and here it is:

Mocha Nut Brownie Ice Cream.

Ingredients:

Ice Cream Mixture:

  • 2 C. Coconut Milk (basically a whole can, I put mine in the frig to get it cold before I started – not necessary, but thought it would help it get thick)
  • 2 Tbsp. Honey
  • 1/4 C. Chilled Coffee
  • 1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

Nut Crumble Mix-In:

  • 1/2 C. Unsalted Cashews
  • 1/2 C. Pitted Dates
  • 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder

Preparation:

There are two parts to making this ice cream; making the ice cream mixture itself and then making the nut crumble mix-in.

To prepare the ice cream mixture, combine the Coconut Milk, Honey, Chilled Coffee, and Vanilla Extract in a blender and mix together well.

In either a food processor- combine  Cashews, Dates, and Cocoa Powder mix until they are crumbly.

Pour the ice cream mixture into the ice cream maker and I let mine run for about 20 minutes.  As it gets thick you then spoon the nut mixture into the machine as it is still churning to get it all mixed in.

It cost me pretty much the price of a can of coconut milk…maybe $2.  Whatever you decide to use to flavor it will decide how expensive it is.  This particular variety probably cost about $4 in mix-in ingredients.  The batch I made gave me about 5-6 cups of ice cream.  My friends and I ate it all in one sitting so I didn’t have any to store, but you could put in the freezer.  That would be at least 2 containers of my regular, store-bought version!

Rating:

Ease: 5 stars (the ice cream maker does all the work!)

Price: 5 stars (cost half the amt of the store version…without preservatives!)

Worth the trouble: 5 stars (Passed for amazing ice cream to those that knew no different)

Taste: 5 Yum!!!!

What does your trash say about YOU?

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I just got back from walking my dogs, and I started thinking to myself as we were on our way to the park. We walked past house after house of recycling bins. My first thought is how great it is that people are taking the initiative to recycle, but then I start to notice the product containers INSIDE the bins! Yikes! Many were full of pop cans, pizza boxes, cracker boxes, alcohol containers, and plastic condiment containers. I have no idea what the health status is of those individuals, but I can imagine many are probably battling weight issues, heart problems, digestive complaints, and glucose tolerance issues. So, I was thinking about a hypothetical scenario (I do this all the time by the way!): let’s say you were to leave your children with a family for the next year and all you could use to make the selection was a sneak peek at their trash. Would you choose to leave your kids at the house that had tons of pop cans, cookie boxes, and alcohol containers or the house that had jars from almond butter, cans from coconut milk, and plastic egg containers? I do not know what the answer would be, but I do know that I would personally leave mine with those that I perceived to be healthy! I would choose the trash with things that would assure me that my children were growing up healthy and active. Does your trash reflect the home that you would choose for your children? Just a thought…..

I’d like to take a side note and say that many of the healthiest options don’t have packaging at all! Therefore, many of the healthiest homes would have the least amount of trash, too. Positive for health and the Earth!