Hearty Pancakes for Two Recipe

Kayleigh here. I really love experimenting around in the kitchen and coming out with recipes that are not only great imitations of the regular gluten-filled item, but are just the perfect amount for Jason and I. Cooking for two can get really frustrating when all you can find are recipes that make a dozen, or enough to feed the average family. But more often than not, I find that there's some simple trick or secret ingredient that will let you make a smaller batch without having to toss half an egg or buy heavy cream only to use a tablespoon of it.

While waffles usually end up being our go-to last minute breakfast (boy, I love owning a Belgian waffle maker!), I've found that just using the same recipe for waffles and pancakes just doesn't quite seem to cut it- soft and spongy waffles are great, but that's not what I'm looking for in pancakes. Sure, there's not much of a difference, but it was about time we got to the drawing board and came out with the perfect, small scale gluten free recipe for us.

These pancakes get a heartiness and wholesome texture from the buckwheat flour, but enough leavening from the egg and baking powder to keep it from being too dense and flat. In this batch, I chose to add dried cranberries and roughly chopped pecans to the batter, but add whatever you like! Just don't forget the real maple syrup.

Hearty Pancakes for Two

Ingredients:

1 egg
2 TB Sugar
¼ Cup Milk
Pinch Baking Powder
¼ Cup Buckwheat Flour
1/3 Cup Tapioca Flour
1-2 Drops Vanilla Extract
Pinch Salt
Toppings or fillings (chocolate chips, blueberries, dried cranberries, pecans, etc)

Directions:

1) Combine all ingredients in a bowl, adding any desired fillings after everything else has been stirred together.
2) Butter up a stovetop pan and set on medium heat. For a thicker, fluffier pancake, use a pan with a small diameter so the pancake completely fills it, and put a lid on top so it cooks all the way through. For thinner pancakes, add a bit more milk and use a large pan.
3) Cook on the first side until the top is covered in little bubbles and you can see the sides starting to firm up. Flip, then cook until desired brownness.

Jason here. So to start I should mention I always eat my pancakes with chocolate chips, so on top of the maple syrup this pancake was very sweet. Just how I like it. These pancakes came out with the perfect texture. The outside had a slight crispness to it, and the inside nice and fluffy. I felt the pancakes themselves had a slight sweet taste to them, perhaps from the vanilla extract. I like that the pancakes are quick to make, with little clean up. That and we can make exactly how much we want that morning. I’ve mentioned it before, but I usually like smaller breakfasts so it helps having a recipe that can scale to any number of people.

Enjoy your delicious pancakes, I recommend a nice fresh glass of milk.

Buckwheat Spinach Ravioli Recipe

Kayleigh here. So, I know this is a terribly belated post if I want to make it holiday related, but I'm going to go ahead with it anyways because I think it is darn good any day of the year. What dish am I talking about? Ravioli.

Not just any ravioli, though. Homemade, fresh-off-the-presses spinach buckwheat pasta, enrobing a rich mixture of creamy ricotta cheese and tangy Parmesan. Top it off with a simple tomato sauce and some more grated Parmesan, and you have got a beautiful plate of warm, hearty goodness that is sure to satisfy!

Really, the best part of this recipe is how much faster it goes with two or three sets of helping hands working on all the different pasta making steps. Get one person mixing the dough another flouring the cutting board and prepping the folding space, and a third making sure the filling is ready on time. If you've still got hands to spare, put them on drying out the spinach, or getting garlic bread ready for the oven! It really pulls everyone into the kitchen, and makes an event out of dinner prep. So go ahead, invite those friends over early, and lure that better half of yours into the kitchen. You have pre-dinner entertainment built right in!

Buckwheat Spinach Ravioli

Pasta Ingredients:

2/3 Cups Frozen Spinach (if using fresh, cook and wilt it first)

1 Cup Buckwheat Flour

1 Cup Brown Rice Flour

½ ts Guar Gum

2 Eggs

1 ts Olive Oil

pinch of salt ( about ½ ts)

1 Cup Ice-cold Water (DON'T just add all of this in!)

Filling Ingredients:

2 Cups Ricotta Cheese (or one 15 oz container)

1 Egg

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 ts Oregano

1 Clove Garlic, minced finely

Directions:

1. Thaw the frozen spinach in advanced, or microwave for 30 seconds at a time until room temperature. Using a paper towel and a strainer, remove as much water as possible.
2. If you have a good blender, pulse the spinach along with the eggs until the spinach is finely minced. If not, simply mince the spinach by hand. If the pieces are too large, it can make the noodles fall apart.
3. Mix the two flours and Guar Gum together in a large bowl, then add salt, spinach, eggs, and Olive Oil. Mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Now, using a teaspoon, add a tiny bit of the ice water at a time, until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball of dough. If the mixture gets too runny, add more Buckwheat flour. Keep the remaining water on hand.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured (or oiled) cutting board and knead until the dough is no longer sticky, adding flour or oil if it starts to stick to the board.
6. Use a rolling pin to spread the dough out, until it is about ¼ inch thick- you may need to divide the dough in half, depending on the size of your cutting board. Then, cut the uneven sides so the dough forms a rectangle.
7. Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients in another bowl. Nothing fancy here.
8. Going back to the cutting board, score lines into the dough every 2-3 inches vertically, then do the same horizontally, so you make a grid. Spoon a generous teaspoon onto half of the squares. Use your own judgment here- you want to seal the edges, so don't try to overfill.
9. Now, dip your finger in the cup of ice water, then run your finger along each edge of a filled square, then place an empty square on top of it, pressing down gently. Using a fork, go around each edge and press the tines in, making sure each side is sealed completely. Do this to all the squares.
10. Prepare a pot of boiling water, and dump all the ravioli's in, cooking for about ten minutes. They will brighten in color slightly and start to float when they're done, but I suggest pulling one out to check, too.
11. Coat the serving plate in a thin layer of tomato sauce, then add in the ravioli's, topping with more sauce and some shredded/grated Parmesan cheese. Make sure to put a thin layer of sauce anywhere the ravioli may touch each other, since they will stick once they've cooled down some. Serve alongside a fresh salad and a loaf of garlic bread, and enjoy!

Now, you'll probably end up with some extra filling, but there are tons of things you can do with it, including a mini lasagna, chicken Parmesan, or calzones. You can even enhance a potato pancake recipe by adding this into the batter- grill that richness right in!

Jason here. So I have never associated raviolis with the holidays, and I have never heard of anyone else either. However, watching Kayleigh’s face light up as she explained just how it brought everyone together for dinner, is enough to convince anyone that raviolis are the only thing you eat on Christmas. The green, red, and white colors certainly help.

To convince me though, they would also have to be tasty. Gluten free pasta has been one of those items, that I have found to be a little more grainy in texture then the original. I was pleasantly surprised to find these we’re not grainy at all. They were less elastic and springy then traditional pasta, but it was hardly noticeable and didn’t affect the taste at all. I expected them to taste heavily of spinach, but I can safely say that they really did just taste like a more flavor filled pasta. To be fair, I do enjoy spinach. In the end I also love cheese filled dishes, so the extra Parmesan I loaded on top really took these to the next level for me.