Olive Pasta

This is an absolute favorite at my house.  If all you eat is spaghetti when your family has pasta, it's time to branch out and try something new!!  If you need a gluten free pasta, we've had good results with Tinkyada rice pasta.  Since I'm not getting paid to advertise, I can tell you with good conscience that it is cheaper to buy on Amazon by the case.

1 box penne or rigatoni
A total of 12 oz chopped olives:
     1 can black olives, drained and chopped
     Green olives, rinsed and chopped (and de-pimiento-ed) to make up the balance
2 oz bottle of capers, drained and rinsed
6 cloves garlic, halved
3 (14 oz) cans of whole tomatoes - drain one, partially drain the second, keep all the juice from the third.  Run a knife through the toms in the can just to chunk'em up a bit.
1 TB oregano
a sprinkle (or more) of red pepper
olive oil

In a pasta pot, start heating the water for your pasta.  In a wide, tall-sided skillet heat olive oil (a couple of passes around the pan, maybe 6 TB?), garlic and red pepper over medium-low for 4-5 minutes.  You want the garlic to give off its flavor but you don't want it to burn.  Smash the garlic with the bottom of a wooden spoon and remove.  Have a lid handy and put in the rinsed capers and then quickly cover the pan - it will spit a lot when you put the capers in the hot oil.  After a minute or two, add the tomatoes and smash any big pieces with your spoon.  Stir and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir in the olives and oregano.  Let the sauce simmer on low while you cook your pasta.  We like it with lots of Romano cheese.  If you are used to drowning your pasta in sauce, be warned: this is salty, and you don't want more sauce than pasta.   Go easy, you can add more if you need it. ;)

Buckwheat Gluten Free Pancakes

These pancakes are very tasty, and if you have a wheat grinder of your own the flours are so inexpensive to grind yourself.  If you need the flours to be strictly gluten free, use a grinder that has not ground gluten grains.  I usually double the recipe.

1 TB melted butter
1 TB coconut oil (or skip the butter and use 2 TB c. oil)
1/2 to 1 TB honey
1 egg

1/2  cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup corn flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB arrowroot powder

Melt the butter, oil and honey together.  I use an oven safe dish in the toaster oven, but you could just as easily warm them in a pan on the stove.  Let cool.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the liquid ingredients and the egg.  Add about 1/4 cup water, and start whisking together.  Keep adding water until the batter is the right consistency, depending on whether you like your pancakes thin or poofy.