Recipe for ChickPea Flour Pancakes with Mango (Gluten-free)

So, today when I came downstairs I was greeted by the most delightful fragrance... fresh, ripening Mangoes... or they were fresh however many days ago they were picked in Mexico (a couple of thousand miles away).

But in any case, they smelled absolutely delightful.

 They reminded me of our first meeting with our little granddaughter during a rendezvous with her parents and her in Hong Kong (while they were living in the Philippines).  My dear daughter-in-law brought us a gift of ripe, luscious mango (green) from the Philippines.  Each wrapped in its own tissue.  Each personally selected for us by our daughter-in-law, who knows about such things!

I thought to myself, hmmm, what would go good with these Mangoes (my today's Mexico Mangoes, that is)?  What sort of gluten-free meal can I make?

I checked out the net and decided that a recipe for an Indian Pancake (called Pudla) make with chickpea flour sounded alluring.  It is described as a kind of chickpea chapati.  It was also described as a big hit at barbecues.  That didn't sound exactly what effect I was looking for.  But on the positive side, it was gluten-free!

I changed the recipe from a curry-flavoured savory flatbread to a sort of sweet pancake-chapati.  I added in some natural Stevia Powder because in my experience chickpea powder can be sort of bitter.  It did help.  I also used Almond yogurt instead of the usual dairy yogurt (since I am vegan) but I am thinking that the dairy yogurt is probably a better match, by a little.

So, here is the recipe as I made it:

Measure out all your ingredients in advance:

• 1 C. Chickpea Flour (called Besan in the Indian aisle of the food store)
• 3/4 to 1 C. Water (or maybe more)
• 2 tsp. of Yogurt (or Almond Yogurt or other Nut or Soy Yogurt)
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Cardamom Powder
• 1 T. natural Stevia Powder (optional)
• Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt
• about a 1/4 C. of Coconut Oil
• 2 Ripe Mangoes, peeled and cut up (or fruit of choice)
• Splash of Maple Syrup

Method for making the ChickPea Flour Chapati-Pancakes ( Pudla)

1. Combine the Flour, Yogurt and 3/4 C. Water, stirring until smooth.
2. Consistently stirring in the same direction at all times, add in the Cinnamon, Cardamom, Stevia and Sea Salt.
3. Let the Mixture sit for at least 15 minutes to absorb the water.
4. During the 'resting' time, put a very thin layer of Coconut Oil on a griddle or in a flat-bottom frypan
5. Heat the pan on a Medium burner.  Take a clean damp cloth (as in something you just took out of your drawer where the clean cloths are, not out of your sink) and gently wipe up most of the oil in the pan (it might help to be wearing a silicone glove for this part of the operation... and move quickly)
6. When a drop of water sizzles and bounces off the pan, pour about a 1/3 of the Pudla batter into the pan and spread thin, like a chapati, for about 6-8" in diameter.  (If the batter seems too thick, add more water, little by little, until it is like thin pancake batter).  Let it cook until there are lots of bubble holes (a couple of minutes?).  Then turn.
7. Drip or dab about 1/2 tsp. of Coconut Oil on the pancake surface.  Turn again and drip or dab about 1/2 tsp. of oil on the other side.  Turn one last time for a few seconds, and then put on plate.
8. Mound on the fruit.  Splash on the Maple Syrup.  Chewy but satisfying.  These gluten-free 'pancakes,' or pudla,can also be gently rolled up when cooler with mango, or whatever fruit and maybe some kind of whip inside.

To see the original gluten-free ChickPea Pudla / Pancake recipe click HERE. 


What I like about these Chickpea Pudla / Pancakes:
I like the fact that the ingredients are more or less 'whole foods'... there are no feathery starches, processed sweeteners, or the need to use the gums that sometimes create digestive issues.  There are no nuts, for people who find them difficult to digest.  The 'fake' non-dairy Almond yogurt worked just great.  You can make smaller pancakes (6- 5" ones) and feed 2 adults in a substantial way, or make the pancakes bigger and serve a hearty meal in a single household and at about 400 Calories (including the Mango), you have a great start to the day without all the cholestrerol found in eggs and bacon,etc.  The Gram or Besan (names for Chickpea flour) also has a good amount of fiber (10 g in 3.5 g of flour), Magnesium, Phosporus, Protein, Iron and Potassium.

Other recipes with Chickpea Flour: 
How to Make Farinata a Ligurian dish (Italian Gluten-Free Chickpea Pancake)
How to Make Pakoras (Indian breaded Vegetables)

Recipe for Gluten-Free Salty Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip-Cranberry Cookies (Vegan, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free)

We have been invited tomorrow for lunch with friends and I've been asked to bring dessert. I have already eaten enough with R. to know that she rarely eats dessert. What can I take that she will enjoy? She told me that growing up in the '50s in Northern Europe her diet was mostly potatoes, rye bread and salty oatmeal,and that salty oatmeal is a particular comfort food. She also told me she eschews most sweets, but does like bitter-sweet chocolate. So, I went in search of a gluten-free chocolate chip salty oatmeal cookie recipe. The internet is great that way. Here is an adaptation of another recipe (that is an adaptation of yet another)*. It is super! I've just adjusted it to use what I have available (and because I don't ever use canola oil). Hope you enjoy it too!

• 1 C. Coconut Flour

• 2/3 C. Steelcut Oats, ground in food processor

• 1 C. Palm Sugar (or other sweetener of choice)

• 1 tsp. Cinnamon

• 1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt

• 1 tsp. Baking Soda

• 1 T. Chia Seed, ground in coffee bean grinder (or blender)

• 3/4 C. unsweetened Applesauce

• 1/2 C. Virgin Coconut Oil (melted)

• 1 tsp. GF vanilla extract

• 2 C. certified GF Rolled Oats

• 1/2 C rehydrated Cranberries, chopped

• 1/2 C. GF Chocolate Chips

• Celtic Sea Salt to garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Process Steelcut Oats in food processor (or coffee bean grinder or grind by hand?) until it is like a rough flour. You're looking for texture here, but without the unchewable bits.
3. Combine all dry ingredients except for 1 cup of Rolled Oats and Chocolate Chips and whirl together in food processor just until combined.
4. Add in all wet ingredients except for rehydrated Cranberries.
5. Briefly process wet mixture into dry mixture. (Or stir together)
6. Pour into a bowl and stir in drained Cranberries. (I added warm water to mine to rehydrate them, but you could add lemon and ginger, or juice-- experiment and let me know what worked for you).
7. Once mixed, allow to sit for 5 minutes. Then add remaining Oats and fold in Chocolate Chips. (Try not to sample too much of the product ;-)
8. Form dough into roughly tablespoon size balls, space them two inches apart on a lined baking pan, and flatten to approximately 1/2". I baked mine on a silicon mat, but the recipe I adapted this from suggests that parchment paper also works well.
9. Sprinkle with Celtic Sea Salt (or kosher salt) and lightly tap salt crystals into the dough.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. After removing cookies from oven, wait for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool for an additional 15-20 minutes.
10. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
*recipe is a doubled adaptation of one by Jonathan Itchon at http://thecanaryfiles.blogspot.com/2011/12/ratio-rally-vegan-salted-oatmeal-cherry.html