A lovely combination.
I am trying to change the way I eat. It is not easy with travel and a lot of social activities, but when I pay attention to what I am shoveling into my gullet, things seem to be easier on my body and mind. For the last three months I have avoided eating wheat or wheat products and refined carbs. I feel much better and other than a few wistful glances at the cannoli in Rome, it has been pretty easy. I have been tested for gluten intolerance and I’m fine, so don’t go on about that. This is my choice and since I see some marked results in my mood (partly sunny) and skorts (loose again), I am not going to complain.
Ah, Kauai. How I miss you.
In my quest for new foods that will keep me satisfied, I started hunting around the internets for breakfast recipes. I came across a lot of mentions of coconut flour. I have been using a lot of coconut milk for smoothies and other things and love it, so I figured I would give it a go.
Coconut flour is a strange thing. I think that coconuts are fatty delicious nuts, but when you extract out all that oil, you are left with a lot of fiber and some protein. Let’s embrace that shall we? The recipe comes from a Paleo way of cooking. I’m not going down that road either, but the concepts surrounding the way of eating intrigue me. The recipe is high in protein (eggs and coconut flour), low sugar (honey) and low carb (coconut flour). I like the results and honestly, so have others (excluding TH, who is not a fan). It leaves me with more pancakes than I need, but they freeze and keep well. I modified the original recipe to remind me of places where flip flops are required and coconuts fall from palm trees just like in the cartoons.
Serving suggestion.
Coconut pancakes with lime, ginger and vanilla (adapted from www.paleospirit.com)
Makes 18 3”pancakes
4 eggs at room temperature
½ cup coconut flour
1- 1 ¼ cup coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, dairy milk, any liquid will do, but coconut milk has a rich flavor and the vanilla coconut milk I used is a little sweeter
2 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 T honey (you can use sugar or any sweetener)
½ t cinnamon
¼ salt
¼ t dried ginger powder
½ t lime zest (zest a quarter of a lime)
Oil for skillet I used coconut oil, but would work great with canola or butter.
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with liquids until well blended. Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients and whisk or mix until no lumps remain. If the batter looks too thick, slowly add more liquid until you are happy with the consistency.
Over low-medium heat, melt fat of choice in your skillet of choice. Turn down the heat to low and start making pancakes. Be patient, these pancakes do not like high heat. When the top of the pancake appears to be drying and there are the telltale bubbles forming, it is time to flip them over to the other side. Keep pancakes warm until you finish the batter.
I served them with lime curd I made, some lovely tropical fruits on the side and chicken sausage.
Bon Appetit!