Lavender Tea Bread (gluten-free, egg-free)

(Adapted from this recipe)

INGREDIENTS: 
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. dried lavender flowers
190 grams King Arthur gluten-free multipurpose flour

90 grams garbanzo bean flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. xanthan gum
6 Tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. plain yogurt

METHOD: 

Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat milk with lavender almost to a boil, then steep until cool. Mix flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt together in bowl. In another bowl cream butter and gradually add sugar, then yogurt, beating until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with lavender milk, in three parts. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, drizzle with a simple sugar glaze with more dried lavender added to it.

Gluten-free, egg-free honey and raisin scones

(Adapted from the recipe in The Pooh Cook Book: Recipes by Katie Stewart)

INGREDIENTS:
80 grams all-purpose gluten-free flour
60 grams garbanzo bean flour*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
1 ounce butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
4 tablespoons milk

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and move one of your oven racks to the top third of the oven. Mix the flours, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Add the butter, and rub it into the dry ingredients until it's evenly distributed. Add the sugar and raisins and mix them in, and then add the yogurt, milk, honey and xanthan gum. Mix until everything is combined, and let it sit for a moment so the xanthan gum can absorb some of the liquid.

Scoop the dough out onto a floured board, dust the top with a little more flour, and flatten it to about 1/2" thickness, shaping it into a rough rectangle as you go. Cut into about 8 squares and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment. Bake on the upper rack for 12 minutes, until the scones are golden brown. Let them cool slightly before eating.

*If you use Bob's Red Mill all-purpose flour, just use 140 grams. It already has the bean flour.

Buckwheat Pancakes/Crepes

These were good. Really good. I followed this recipe but I cut it down because 3 cups of buckwheat a) exceeds what comes in a 1-pound bag, b) contains all your calories for a whole day and c) is a lot. 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup buckwheat groats (raw, not kasha; I used Bob's Red Mill)

water

salt

fillings!

Put the cup of groats in a large bowl and add a generous amount of water. Let it soak at least 9 hours. (Read more at the link regarding why).  It will get slimy; this is OK. Strain the water out and rinse the slime away, then put the groats in a blender and just barely cover them with water. Add a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. If you don't think it's quite thin enough, add a smidge more water and blend again. 

Put a nonstick pan over high heat. Melt some butter, and when the foam dies down, pour some batter in. Quickly use a spatula to spread the batter out so it's thinner. Work quickly, because these cook fast. Once the batter sets on the first side, flip. I found these held together very, very well, so flipping was easy. In fact, I'll probably use a thinner batter next time to see if I can get the crepes thinner. Cook on the other side until cooked and a little browned. Set this crepe aside, add more butter to the pan, and repeat until you're out of batter.

I filled ours with Greek yogurt/strawberries/a little sugar for sweet crepes, and melted cheddar and baby arugula for savory. I also filled a leftover small one with Nutella. All of them were really delicious, but play with other filling ideas and see what you like best!

Chia-Seed Pudding

I know it sounds like weird hippie food, but I really love chia seed pudding, partly because it's so healthy and partly because it's so easy to make. It comes out a little like tapioca pudding without the cooking. It's also super versatile -- you can put all sorts of flavors in it. Here's one combination I like, which is a riff on certain Indian ice cream flavors:

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup coconut milk (not "lite")
1.5-2 T chia seeds
1.5-2 T rosewater
1 teaspoon ground ginger or cardamom
1 teaspoon to 1 T honey

Put all the ingredients into a 1/2-pint mason jar and put the lid on. Shake vigorously. Open it up and taste it, and adjust -- if you want more rose or spice flavor, add that, and if you want more sweetness squeeze a little more honey in. When you've got it where you want it, close the lid on the jar and put it in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Makes for a good dessert, afternoon snack or breakfast treat (especially with fruit added).