Pancake, Waffles, Strawberry Tarts, and a Giveaway! Oh My!

Have you "met" Ricki Heller yet? If not, there are two things you should know about her. One, she makes the anti-candida diet look fun. And two, she does a pretty good impersonation of Ellen Degeneres dancing.

If that's not enough to make you love her already, then know this. She has the best pancake recipe I've tried since going gluten-free. Yes, it's better than mine. I admit it. After trying Ricki's pancakes, I want to go back and redo my pancake recipe!

Ignore the so-so photos. I was too busy eating them to take good pictures. Why are they so good? They're fluffy. They have lemon zest, which gives them a little something different. And they have a tiny hint of sweetness so that you don't even need to use maple syrup. Of course, pancakes are always better with syrup... But if you're avoiding sugar, like me, you can eat these plain and be perfectly happy. 

I had the good fortune of having Ricki send me a copy of her e-cookbook, Good Morning! Breakfasts. This is a wonderful collection of breakfast recipes that are all vegan, gluten-free and anti-candida friendly. And since I wanted to try out Ricki's book, I decided this would be the perfect month to adopt Ricki for Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger. Zoe at Z's Cup of Tea is hosting this month, and for once, I managed to make more than one of my adoptee's recipes. And now that I've had a taste, I want to make more.

So what did I make?

First, there were Whole Grain Waffles with Walnut Cacao Nib Butter and Apple-Cranberry Compote. All of these recipes were from her e-cookbook, and they were delicious. I'm definitely making the Apple-Cranberry Compote at Thanksgiving this year instead of buying cranberry sauce. It was sweetened with stevia, and it was amazing! I used pecans instead of walnuts in the Walnut Cacao Nib Butter, and I was practically swooning. As for the waffles, they had that wonderfully chewy texture that I love. Quinoa flour has a very strong flavor, so you'll want to be sure it's a flavor you like before making these. If you're not a fan of quinoa, I'm betting you could easily swap it out for another flour like sorghum.

Up next were the pancakes, and I already told you how much I loved those.

This morning, I made Ricki's Tart Crust, but instead of a savory filling like she has in her recipe, I made a strawberry tart. It was the perfect way to start my day. (I didn't eat that all myself; my housemates had some too!) I overbaked the crust a bit, but that was because I was kind enough (or something enough) to invite the friendly Jehovah's Witnesses in while I baked. My housemate saw who was coming, took her strawberry tart, and ran to her room. But I was in a good mood, so I invited them in. They come to our door at least once a month, usually in the pouring rain, and I figured as long as I was baking, I might as well invite them in for a cookie or two.

Conan wanted a cookie too. Here he is, doing what he does best. Staring me down, and waiting for a crumb to drop so he can pounce on it. I'm pretty sure the look in his eyes is his, "I can't believe you're eating in front of me again, and won't give me a piece," look. He looks pretty annoyed, doesn't he?

Now, are you wondering about the giveaway? I'm not the only one who gets to benefit from Ricki's generosity. She's giving away a copy of her e-cookbook to one of you as well! And seriously, this is a cookbook you want. How can you win this?

This giveaway is now closed.

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Check out the list of recipes in Ricki's e-cookbook and come back and tell me which recipe you would want to make first.

3. Link to this post on Facebook (and leave a separate comment letting me know you did it).

4. Link to this post on twitter (and leave a separate comment letting me know you did it). 

5. Link to this post on your blog (and leave a separate comment letting me know you did it).

This giveaway will be open until my birthday, June 28th. That way, I can give one of you a present too! And speaking of birthdays, have you made a cake for my birthday challenge yet?

Zoe will have the roundup of Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger posts up in the next week, so stop by and see who else got adopted this month!

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