Poached Eggs Over Lentils and Rice

This is a filling and satisfying meal.  The toppings and garnishes are what really give the flavor a punch and add visual interest. This would be good served on a bed of green salad and with parsely added on top,  too. Toasting the rice before adding the water makes it fluffier and faster to cook. Serves about 6 people as the main dish.

2 cups brown rice

2 cups red lentils

1 onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion)

2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped

4 to 6 teaspoons seasoning mix (I used Rub With Love Chicken Rub)

6 eggs (or 1 per serving depending on how many people you're feeding)

Garnishes such as cooked or raw vegetables, salsa, sour cream or plain yogurt

Flaked sea salt (We like Maldon sea salt flakes ) 

Olive oil (or whatever oil you prefer)

Preheat a medium to large pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom, about 2 tablespoons. Pour in 2 cups of dry brown rice (I actually used a mixture of brown, wild and red rice) and stir while heating. There should be enough oil to lightly coat the rice and keep it from sticking. 

Add a chopped onion, 2 to 3 cloves crushed garlic, and about 4 to 6 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning mix. Continue stirring the rice until the popping sounds subside somewhat and the rice seems evenly toasted. Add 4 cups of water and 2 cups of red lentils. Bring to a rolling boil, then put the lid on the pot, turn off the heat, and leave the pot sitting on the burner. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice and beans are tender.

Poach an egg for each serving, and serve on top of the lentils and rice. Sprinkle flaked sea salt on top to taste. The flaked salt adds an amazing flavor and texture to just about any food.

Garnish with your choice of cooked or raw vegetables (I used some leftover sauteed carrots, celery and onion), salsa, sour cream or plain yogurt, and chives and/or parsely.

Basic Yam (Sweet Potato) Puff

This is a simpler (and closer to the original) version of the Spiced Sweet Potato Puff recipe I posted previously.

4 large yams (sweet potatoes, the dark orange kind)

¼ cup butter

2 well-beaten eggs

⅓ cup sugar

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Pare potatoes and boil until tender, then drain--or, for a richer flavor, bake them in the skins and then peel them. Mash and add remaining ingredients. Beat well and transfer to buttered casserole. Dot with additional butter and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30-40 minutes.

Oven Pancake (A.K.A. Dutch or German Pancake)

Oven Pancake

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt about 2 to 3 Tbsp butter in baking dish, then tilt to coat sides of dish.

Beat together:

1 cup flour

1 cup milk or milk substitute (I use slightly less rice milk, as it doesn’t thicken as much)

6 eggs

¼ teaspoon salt

Pour batter into ban, bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until pancake is puffed up and browned around the edges and solid in the middle

You can serve this plain, with sweet toppings (lemon juice and sugar, fruit, syrup, etc.) or savory toppings (sausage, onion, omelette-type or pizza toppings). If you plan to serve it as a sweet dish, you may wish to add a touch of safe vanilla to the batter.

For a variation, layer sliced fruit sprinkled with a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar in the greased baking dish before adding the batter. The batter will run underneath the fruit and result in a more dense, custardy texture.

Gluten-free Banana Waffles

This is the gluten-free version of the Banana Waffle recipe I've been making lately. You can use any GF flour, but keep in mind that different flours may absorb more or less liquid, so you may need to adjust the amount of milk substitute.

2 cups flour (I use 1 and 1/2 cups brown rice flour plus 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour a.k.a. gelatinous rice flour, or it's even better with 1 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup coconut flour, and 1/2 cup sweet rice flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar, optional (I usually leave this out or use an unrefined sugar such as palm sugar)
3/4 tsp. salt

2 mashed ripe bananas (about 1 cup--I'll add a third one if they're extra-small)
3 eggs, beaten
1 and 1/2 cups milk or milk substitute (I use rice milk)
1/3 cup melted shortening or oil (coconut oil works great)
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

(or, if preferred, you can use buttermilk or diluted plain yogurt [1/2 cup yogurt, 1 cup water or milk] instead of the milk and omit the vinegar)

Blend or sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the bananas and other wet ingredients and mix well. Then mix together the wet and dry ingredients just until the flour blend is moistened. Bake in a hot waffle iron until crispy and brown on the outside and the amount of steam coming out of the waffle decreases.

Depending on your waffle iron, you may or may not need to grease the iron between waffles. With mine I usually find I can oil it just at the beginning of the batch and they don't stick.

The great thing about these waffles is that the bananas make them so sweet and moist, you don't even need toppings like syrup. We just eat them plain as finger food. :)

You could add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of vanilla and/or cinnamon if desired. To turn these into an extra-special treat or a dessert, you can add chocolate chips (and maybe top with whipped cream).

Fluffy Baked Eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking dish, either by rubbing oil on the inside or putting a little butter or coconut oil inside and heating in the oven long enough to melt, then tipping it to coat all sides of the pan.

Prepare your eggs just as if you were going to make an omlette or scrambled eggs. For me, this means beating my eggs and adding a dash of milk or milk substitute. Add salt and dried dill to taste. I use a very generous amount of dill. You can either mix these in or just sprinkle them on top after you pour the eggs into the pan.

Bake until solid but not too brown--for a 6 egg batch, I bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

This is so simple, and amazingly delicious. And you don't have to stand over it stirring it the whole time it's cooking. :)

Flaxseed egg substitute

For 1 egg: 1 Tbs ground flax seed, mixed with 3 Tbs hot water

For 2 eggs (in some recipes, this amount can substitute for 1 large egg): 2 Tbs. ground flax seed, 1/4 cup hot water

You can either just let this sit for a while and then add to the recipe, or you can cook the flaxseed and water until gelled, let it cool and then if desired you can whip it to add more lift to your baked goods. You may need to add 1-2 Tbsp more water for the cooked and whipped version.

Another thing I've done when I want to substitute for 1 to 4 eggs is just add 1/4 cup or so of flaxseed meal to my recipe and increase the liquid a bit if needed. Flax seed contains quite a bit of oil, so you may be able to omit or reduce other oils in the recipe. It's pretty flexible, so you can play with the amounts without hurting your baked goods too much.

I do recommend using ground flax seed, or grinding it in a coffee grinder or spice mill to release the oils and the nice sticky compounds in the flaxseed that make it a good binder in baked goods.

If you're trying to make something like waffles and they are sticking, either grease your griddle better or try adding another tablespoon of flax seed and the corresponding amount of water.

Spiced Sweet Potato Puff

This is an old family recipe with some modifications--I doubled the eggs, used 1/4 cup honey instead of the original 1/3 cup sugar, and added pumpkin pie-type spices. I think I actually prefer it without the spices, or with just the cinnamon, but it's good both ways. I use whipped cream instead of the traditional marshmallow topping, or it's good with no topping at all.

It turns out quite fluffy.

4 large sweet potatoes (the darker, sweet deep orange kind often called yams or garnet yams in U.S. markets), cooked and mashed (drain water if boiled)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
4 eggs, thoroughly beaten
1 tsp salt (I put in slightly less)
2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Scant 1/2 tsp ginger (optional)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or maple syrup(optional)

Butter large baking dish (I used 9" x 13" x 2")

If mashed sweet potatoes are still warm, stir butter in and allow to melt. Add honey, and eggs and mix well. Add dry ingredients (either mix together or add baking powder last), beat until well-blended, and pour into baking dish. Dot with butter if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm or cold, topped with whipped cream if desired.

Gluten-free Chocolate Zucchini Quick Bread

This recipe is egg-heavy, because I find we do better with a lot of protein along with our sugars. With all the eggs, it's sort of a brownie/cake/quiche cross.

This cake is not super-sweet; I'll even serve it for breakfast. If you like your coffee cake or dessert heavily sweet you may want to add an extra 1/4 cup of honey or other sweetener, or mix in chocolate chips.

For the eggless version, try my Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe with regular or gluten-free flour.

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Oil or grease a 9" x 13" pan (I used a glass casserole dish; a metal pan may cook faster)

Peel zucchini and cut into chunks--about 2 small or 1 large zucchini.

Sift together in large bowl:

3/4 cup brown rice flour (or any other gluten-free flour)
3/4 cup ivory teff flour (or any other GF flour)
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 Tablespoon (1 and 1/2 teaspoons) baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

In pitcher of large blender, combine:

1/2 cup plain yogurt or applesauce (you can substitute safe chocolate or vanilla yogurt, pureed pears or a dairy substitute)
Enough zucchini chunks to make 2 cups of puree

Blend up the yogurt and zucchini, adding more zucchini until it makes a total of 2 and 1/2 cups combined puree.

Add to blender:

1/4 to 1/3 cup oil (I used grapeseed oil, but any mildly flavored oil or melted butter will work)
1 cup honey
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional--omit if you are avoiding corn, gluten, alcohol or fermented foods and are not sure if your vanilla is free of these items)


Process zucchini mixture in blender until smooth.

Pour zucchini mixture into dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Fold in 1/2 to 1 cup nuts or chocolate chips if desired. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean.

Let it cool for a few minutes before trying to cut it, but you can serve it a bit warm if desired. Your family won't even know they're eating their vegetables for dessert!

Chebe Grainless Dutch Oven Pancake

This is a grain-free (and gluten free) version of the famous oven pancake--that fluffy egg dish also known as dutch babies, Dutch oven pancake, or German pancake. It's really more like a quiche or like a big popover or quick bread than like pancakes. Definitely a favorite dish at my house, we eat it for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner.

It goes beautifully with sweet or savory topping (sausage is especially good for a savory version). Usually I add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup and we eat it like bread without any other topping.

(Update: This is no longer a safe food for us, now that we're limiting excitotoxins.)

This version is made with Chebe bread mix--a tapioca-based grainless bread.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Coat an 8.5" x 11" or 9" by 13" baking pan with 1 to 1.5 tablespoons oil or melted butter.

Beat together:


• 5 eggs


• 1/4 cup milk, dairy substitute or other liquid


• 1 to 1.5 Tablespoons additional oil (I used grapeseed--you could probably leave out the additional oil, but it's really good with the oil in it)


• (Optional)--1 Tablespoon sweetener (I used Grade B maple syrup), 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 teaspoon herbs, or other flavoring of your choice.


Mix in:

• 1 packet (7.5 oz) Chebe All-Purpose Bread Mix


Don't overbeat, but mix it in until all the large lumps are broken up and it's looking fairly smooth.

Spread mixture into greased pan with spatula.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. It will puff up, and then fall as it cools. Cut into slices and enjoy!

*Note: This recipe only qualifies as sugar-restricted if the sweetener is omitted.

*Important: If you're sensitive to excitotoxins or extremely sensitive to MSG, you may want to avoid this recipe. The modified tapioca starch in the Chebe bread mix is a potential source of excitotoxins.

Grainless Banana Pancakes or Scramble

In our house this recipe is just called "Banana Eggs".

Mash 1 banana, add 3 eggs, beat well. Or, combine banana and eggs in blender and puree. Add 1/16 to 1/8 tsp of salt and, if desired, a dash of cinnamon or vanilla. (Remember, if you use vanilla or other flavoring extracts, check to see if it's free of your allergens.)

Preheat frying pan and cook over medium heat until golden-brown, turning to cook both sides. You'll know the pancakes are ready to turn over when they are golden-brown on the bottom and solid enough that a bubble popped in the middle leaves a hole that doesn't refill.

You can also make a delicious banana scramble just by stirring the mixture frequently as it cooks. This will make a more tender, less brown concoction similar to scrambled eggs.

I make this recipe with 2 bananas and 6 (or 8) eggs for my family. It's great as a snack or maybe even dessert, as well as for breakfast. No added sweetener needed!