I spent so much time last weekend reading up on the effects of gluten on the intestinal membranes, that I decided to go gluten free for a couple of months to see if that would help me with joint/muscle pain considering the high volume of training I’m doing lately. I have a history of inflammation/gout in my family on my mother’s side, and one of the reason’s I decided to go to the Natural Gourmet Institute was to develop techniques and recipes that would keep me and my family healthy for the rest of our lives. I’ve always known that grains have been a source of irritation for my system for the last several years, but it’s been irregular. Sometimes I can eat tons of breads and pastas, and it doesn’t bother me, but then suddenly joint pain will flare up in yoga class. So, if I can cut it out for a month, and see the effect when I re-introduce it in April, then I’ll know for sure how careful to be with it and in the meantime I want to have fun with creating recipes using gluten-free grains: amaranth, teff, sorghum, rice, wild rice, quinoa, corn and buckwheat and millet. The first thing I made were these crepes, to have in the morning either with fruit and maple syrup, (carb load day), or with some creme cheese and smoked salmon and boiled egg (regular morning breakfast)…I did mix in some vanilla protein powder to up the protein and add a slightly sweet note, (sort of like a biscuit), and I have a whole tub of powder to use up before I leave India next month, but that is optional. You can skip it and just add a dash of real vanilla and a drop or two of liquid stevia to have the same effect, minus the protein.
What you’ll need…
1 egg
1/3 cup corn flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
pinch salt
enough cold water to make a thin batter
Whisk the egg in a large tupperwear bowl. Mix the 3 flours, protein and salt together, and then stir them into the egg, until it becomes lumpy. Slowly whisk in the water, until you get a thin batter, about the consistency of a heavy sauce, (I don’t make this crepe batter quite as thin as a wheat based batter as the crepes can break more easily). Cover and store in the fridge until the morning. The batter is good for about 3 days. To make the crepes, simply get a non-stick skillet up to med-high heat, add some clarified butter or ghee, and when it’s melted and slightly bubbling, ladle in the batter to form a 4″ disc. Let it cook until the edges start to brown and small bubbles form in the middle, and then flip over. Top with your breakfast of choice, and enjoy!
