Enjoy Life Pancake and Waffle Mix Review

I tried this mix as pancakes first and found them a little too thin and the batter too runny. On my second attempt with pancakes I added a little less water than was recommended and they turned out much better. They were great with blueberries mixed in and topped with greek yogurt and maple syrup. I found the texture to be a little more moist in the centre than I would have liked, but overall the taste was good and they were super easy to make. 

Although the mix worked great as pancakes, it didn't work at all as waffles for me. They just fell apart; I couldn't get them to come out of my waffle iron without crumbling, no matter how much I oiled it. Sad day. 

The instructions for the box say to use 2 cups of mix at a time, but I just did 1 or 1/2 cup at a time and adjusted all the other ingredients accordingly. I've made 3 meals out of the mix and still have some left. This mix costs $8.49, which is an okay price for how much you get.

I also love that they've included ancient grains for more fiber and protein, making these pancakes much healthier than most that come from a mix, gluten free or not. 

Texture                       2 stars

Taste                          4 stars

Quality Ingredients      5 stars

Cost                           4 stars

Overall rating              3.75 stars 

Enjoy Life Foods Mixes Review

I was super excited when Enjoy Life asked me to review their new line of dry mixes! Not only are they free of the top 8 allergens, but they also contain probiotics, ancient grains (like teff, buckwheat, millet and quinoa)  and 5 grams of plant based protein per serving. Here is a photo of the print out they sent to me with some more info on the products.

My favourite thing about this review is the effort Enjoy Life put in to the blogger packages. They are pretty amazing! Complete with a branded spatula, oven mitt, stirring spoon and pizza cutter; they really went above and beyond with their blogger love! I had to show off the box to my friends and family and everyone was totally jealous. I am actually pumped about the oven mitt because my old ones are starting to wear out :) 

Isn't it adorable? I think they should make this available to purchase on their website as a gift box. It would be a great care package for a student or as a Christmas gift. I'm sure anyone would love to recieve this beauty in the mail. 

I will be reviewing the 5 Enjoy Life mixes: muffins, brownies, pancakes/waffles, pizza crust and all purpose flour blend. Click on each link for a full review. 

Muffins

Brownies 

Pancakes/Waffles 

Pizza Crust 

All Purpose Flour Blend

Quinoa Pancakes

Gluten Free Quinoa Pancakes

I can't believe I haven't posted for nearly a month! I started back to work full time September 4th, and between that and my husband coaching football, this last month has been a bit of a whirlwind. I haven't been doing much baking or even cooking lately, but I did have time for a quick batch of leftover quinoa pancakes.

They work best if made quite small

(serves 2-3 people)
Ingredients

1 cup cooked Quinoa
1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour
1/4 cup Buckwheat Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Oil
1/4 cup Milk
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (optional)

Directions

Beat together eggs, oil, milk and quinoa.
In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients.
Stir dry ingredients into wet until no lumps remain (besides the quinoa).
Cook pancakes in hot, oiled pan, using about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
Flip pancakes when top begins to bubble.
Serve with syrup, fruit, etc.



Cook in hot, oiled frying pan

Flip when bubbly

Serve with syrup and fruit













Pumpkin Pancakes

I made this recipe in order to use up some leftover pumkin and to try out my Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. I love pancakes (as you can probably tell from looking at my recipe index page) and I love pumpkin, so I figured this was a match made in heaven. I wanted to use both coconut oil and some coconut flour I picked up from the bulk barn. I searched high and low for a recipe that included all my special ingredients, but it was not to be found. So, naturally, I made one up. I threw together a couple somewhat healthy flours and the basic pancake ingredients (baking powder, eggs) with my coconut oil and pumpkin puree. I added 1 cup of milk to start, but after attempting to pour my first pancake, realized I would need much more. I ended up with 2 cups of milk and almost 1/2 cup water before I got it the right consistency. The amount of milk needed will probably vary depending on your brand of flour, so start with less liquid and adjust from there. I like my pancakes flatter than most, so I keep my batter quite thin.

If you want to substitute 1 1/2 cups of your favorite flour blend for the flours I listed in the recipe, you may not need as much added liquid. Start with 1 cup milk and add more if you need to. If you don't have coconut oil, you can use any other oil or butter/margarine instead.

As always when working with coconut oil, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature (especially eggs and milk). I actually microwaved my milk a bit before adding because my eggs were too cold and the oil was solidifying. I'm not very good about planning ahead and letting the eggs get to room temp (it takes longer than you'd think). Just don't microwave your eggs or they will cook!

(makes 12-15 large thin pancakes)

Ingredients

1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour
1/2 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Tapioca Starch
1/4 cup Buckwheat Flour (or millet flour)

1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
      (or use equivalent amount of pumpkin pie spice blend)

1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
3 Eggs
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil (melted)
2 cups milk

You can add up to 1/2 cup water depending on your preferred pancake thickness.

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine flours/starches, salt, sugar, baking powder and spices.
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, melted coconut oil and 1 cup milk. Make sure ingredients are at room temperature.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and add the rest of the milk and water if necessary.
Pour batter into oiled nonstick pan, flipping when bubbles start to pop on the surface.

I added a little more liquid after taking this pic

Variations: add chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter

German Pancake with Caramelized Apples

My mom used to make a regular (wheat) german pancake often when I was a kid and I loved that we got to have something so dessert-like for supper. She would always top it with fried apples and icing sugar. The other day I was trying to think of something a little more creative to do with the abundance of apples sitting on my counter, and I remembered this recipe from my childhood.  Luckily, my mom has developed a gluten-free version of a german panckae using our light flour blend.

I tried out this recipe the other day for supper and I was surprised at how easy and simple it was to make. The batter is mixed in a blender and baked in a pie plate, minimizing the kitchen mess. I also cooked up some breakfast sausages to add some protein to the meal.

The german pancake is denser than regular pancakes and has a bit of an eggy texture. If you've never had it before I highly recommend giving it a try. I know I will be making this long lost meal from my childhood again soon.

makes 9 inch pie plate. serves 3-4 if paired with sausage, etc. (you could double the recipe and make in a 9x13 pan)

Ingredients

1/2 cup gf flour blend (light flour blend)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
2/3 cup milk
3 eggs
2 T butter or margarine
1/2 t vanilla (optional)

Caramelized Apples
2-3 med sized baking apples cored and thinly sliced (sour ones are best)
1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions

butter in pie plate and milk/egg mixture in blender

Preheat oven to 425 F. Put the 2 T butter in a 9" pie plate and place in the oven to melt and heat up.
Meanwhile, blend eggs and milk together in a blender. Add flour, baking powder, sugar and vanilla to the blender and blend until no lumps remain (30 seconds to a minute).
Take the pie plate out of the oven and pour the mixture in. Some of the melted butter will float on the top.
Bake for 18-22 minutes until the top starts to turn brown.

batter

prepared pie plate

ready to bake

after baking

While the pancake is in the oven, caramelize the apples in a frying pan.
Melt the butter/margarine in the pan on med-high heat. add sliced apples (peel is optional) and sprinkle cinnamon on top. (fried pears or peaches would make great alternatives)
Fry until apples start to soften. When only a minute or two remains, add the brown sugar to the apples and stir until they are coated in a brown sugar syrup.

with brown sugar

When the pancake is done, remove from the oven and cut into slices (the puffed up pancake will fall a bit at this stage - this is supposed to happen).
Top with the caramelized apples and icing sugar and serve with breakfast sausages, bacon, or ham.

Crepes

gluten free crepes

This recipe is great for dessert, breakfast, or dinner crepes. Just add your favourite fillings! I like strawberries and whipped cream the best.

They are super easy to make. The only gluten free ingredients you need are tapioca starch and rice flour. You can store any leftover batter in the fridge for fresh crepes the next day!

(makes about 14-16 crepes)
Ingredients

1 cup rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk (may need a bit more)
3 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp icing sugar (optional if you want crepes to be sweetened)
Directions

Combine flour and salt in a bowl.
Make a well in the flour and whisk in eggs and milk until batter is smooth. It should have the consistency of light cream.
Stir in melted butter.
Cover and place in fridge for at least half an hour.

thin batter

Stir batter again and heat up a non-stick pan (or crepe pan) on medium-high heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot pan and swirl immediately to form a very thin coating on the base of the pan. Flip the crepe when the edges begin to curl up a little (1-2 minutes). Cook on the other side for another minute or 2. Serve with your favorite fillings.

the edges start to curl up

Filling Ideas

Strawberries, Icing Sugar, and Whipped Cream
Sliced Bananas and Nutella (right side of picture at the top of the page)
Jam or Pie Flling with Ice cream
Peaches and Coconut Cream Sauce
Raisins, Brown Sugar, and Sour Cream (my Dad's favorite... I think it's a dutch thing)
Ham and Cheese with a Poached Egg

ham and cheese with poached egg

strawberries and cream with powdered sugar

Buckwheat Pancakes with Coconut Cream Sauce



gluten free buckwheat pancakes

I love the flavour buckwheat gives to these pancakes! Despite the "wheat" in the name, buckwheat is gluten free and actually in the same family as rhubarb. Buckwheat flour is a very healthy substitute for other gluten free flours. Even many gluten-eaters make buckwheat pancakes instead of wheat for the health benefits and interesting taste. I get buckwheat flour from the bulk barn.

The Coconut Cream Sauce is a must for coconut lovers! It's easy to make and goes well with fruit or other kinds of syrup on any pancake.
(makes 8 large pancakes)
Ingredients

2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch (or rice flour, or a combination of both)
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp oil
1 mashed banana, blueberries, etc (optional)

Directions

Combine dry ingredients.
Add beaten eggs, milk and oil.
You can add more or less milk depending on how thin you want the batter.
Cook on non-stick frying pan on medium heat.

Coconut Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar (more or less to suit your taste)
1Tbsp corn starch
3 Tbsp milk

Directions

Pour coconut milk into a small sauce pan.
Mix corn starch with milk until no lumps and add to sauce pan.
Add sugar and stir to combine.
Heat to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for a few minutes until sauce starts to thicken (it will thicken more upon cooling).
Remove from heat and serve with buckwheat pancakes and fruit.

Pancakes (or Waffles)

gluten free pancakes

This is one of my favorite gluten free recipes created by my mom. Most people can't tell the difference between these and pancakes made with wheat flour. This recipe also makes amazing waffles!
These go great with homemade coconut cream sauce (recipe here) and peaches.
(makes about 4-5 medium sized pancakes)
Ingredients
1/2 cup light flour blend (or your favorite gf flour blend)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
2 dashes salt
2 Tbsp oil
1 egg
1/3-1/2 cup milk (depending on how thick/thin you like your pancakes - I usually add 1/2 c milk and they turn out more like flapjacks)

Directions
Mix together all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Beat egg in a separate bowl.
Add all wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until no (or almost no) lumps remain.
Cook pancakes on a nonstick frying pan with a small amount of oil.
They are ready to flip when some of the bubbles on top pop and the batter doesn't fill in the hole right away.

Top with fruit, syrup, whipped cream, or whatever you like!
I often double the recipe and store the leftovers in the fridge for a yummy breakfast throughout the week.

Variations
add a mashed banana (can even add some chocolate chips!)
add 1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
add 2 tsp ground flax for some omega-3's!