the thing about having gfgfs and gfbfs {gluten free girl friends and gluten free boy friends} is that brunch is sometimes a real scary meal. especially in my family when it's not uncommon for brunch to mean cinnamon rolls with a side of bagels wrapped in pancakes after an amuse-bouche of scones. and french toast. and how about a quiche?

so i was real proud of myself yesterday afternoon when i flopped out of bed and managed to make some super yummy pancakes that simply happened to be gluten free.

ergo: i did not feel bad for eggboy, who is gluten free, when i used up the last of his smoothie berries and then proceeded to be a little cba about making him eggs. tee hee.

cornmeal pancakes

these are quite dense and cakey, like an actual cake that you've just made in a pan. they're best straight away, while they're still super hot. so none of this waiting for all of them to be done cooking business.

1 c corn meal

1 c corn flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp + a pinch salt

1/4 c white sugar

3/4 c milk

1 egg + 2 egg whites

2 tb vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

butter, to grease the pan

optional: blueberries, jalapenos, chocolate chips... anything mix-ins you please

in a large bowl, whisk to combine corn meal, corn flour, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. mix in milk, egg, vegetable oil, and extracts.

in a separate bowl, beat egg whites and pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. gently fold these into the cornmeal mixture.

melt butter in a pan over medium heat. pour in about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. drop in your mix-ins of choice. cook for a few minutes on either side, until lightly brown.

enjoy while you're still standing over the stove cooking the rest of the batter.