Rice Flour Pancakes and Apple Butter

So, we made Rice Flour pancakes the other day and we all love them.  The most interesting note about the recipe is that my oldest, A, loves pancakes and waffles but always wants to drench them in maple syrup.  However, she has had these pancakes for breakfast two days this week and eats them plain (with just a little bit of butter).  I am pretty proud of her for enjoying the taste.  I have to admit, that I made apple butter a few weeks ago and really enjoy topping the warm pancakes with cold apple butter, it's delicious (I will add that recipe below too).  Here is the Rice Flour pancake recipe:

Rice Flour Pancakes

from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook p. 109

1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups hemp, soy, almond, or rice milk
1 organic egg (note: they recommend using 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax seeds whisked with 3 tablespoons boiling water to replace the 1 egg if needed in any baked recipe)
2 tablespoons melted virgin coconut oil or organic butter
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or agave nectar

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.  (You can place the dry mixture into a glass container and store in your pantry to have on hand for when you are pinched for time.)
2. Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently mix together.
3. Heat a 10-inch stainless steel skillet over medium heat.  Add a little virgin coconut oil or organic butter for cooking.  When the pan is hot, add about 1/2 cup batter.  Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the top begins to bubble, flip and cook for a minute or so more on the other side.
Variations:
- add 1 mashed banana to the batter for banana pancakes
- add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the milk and fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter for blueberry 'buttermilk' pancakes
- add 1 grated apple and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter for apple cinnamon pancakes
- replace half of the rice flour with amaranth flour for a more nutrient-dense pancake

My notes:
- I have tried soy and rice milk and both are great.
- I have also tried the egg-free tip and it turned out equally great.
- I also like to put the 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in for the taste; however, when I added the frozen blueberries, the batter became really thin and hard to work with so I will have to play around with it.
- I think the batter cooks very quickly (more quickly than the recipe states so I flip them when I see bubbles).

Slow Cooker Apple Butter


from Simply Sugar and Gluten-free p. 48

4 to 5 pounds apples, cored and sliced
1/2 to 1 cup unsweetened frozen apple juice concentrate, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg)
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Place the apples in a large (5 to 6 quart) slow cooker.  Melt 1/2 cup apple juice concentrate in the microwave or on the stovetop and pour over the apples.  Sprinkle the apples with allspice, cloves, nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and the salt.  Gently stir with a large wooden spoon.  Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.
2. Check the apples after 8 hours.  If they need to be cooked longer, leave the slow cooker on.  If the apples are soft, puree with an immersion blender while the apples are still in the slow cooker.  Or you can transfer them to a food processor or blender and puree in small batches.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding the remaining 1/2 c. apple juice concentrate and the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for sweetness, if desired.  Continue to cook on low with the lid off until the apple butter is thick.
3. Store in glass jars in the refrigerator for two months, or freeze.

My notes:
- I used a huge bag of sliced, frozen apples that I received from a friend, from her parent's farm.  I put them directly into the slow cooker and it worked perfectly.
- I cooked the apple butter for about 14-15 hours, uncovered for the last hour.
- I did not blend it, we enjoy serving it a little chunky.
- I also did not add the extra apple juice concentrate or cinnamon.  In my opinion, it is the perfect amount of sweetness with just the first ingredients added in the beginning.

ENJOY!!!