Hey there, Wellness Warriors! Thanks to all of you who contributed such amazing recipes to last week’s Wellness Weekend event. I am loving how many people are creating healthy, whole foods recipes–without refined sugar!
I thought that all of the recipes from last week were terrific–I want to make them all! Some of the standouts were:
Chai Chia Protein Bites from Spabettie (besides the cute anagram-like name, you won’t believe how easy these are to make!)
Butterscotch Tahini Bars from Sketch-Free Vegan (another super easy recipe that sounds almost too decadent to be healthy!)
Ribolitta from Green Gourmet Giraffe (which manages to sound fabulous while including two kinds of beans).
I hope you’ll join in again this weekend. There are so many options for healthy foods. . . whether or not you’re vegan, remember that many salads, veggie side dishes, pasta dishes, desserts, smoothies, and more are naturally vegan and can all be included!
Here’s How to Participate (PLEASE READ THESE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY BEFORE LINKING UP!):
The event occurs once a week, starting Thursdays at 8:00 PM my time and running until Monday at midnight throughout the summer.
Simply link up a recipe you made (and posted about) within the past week that contains health-supporting ingredients (see list below). Use the Linky Tool at the bottom of the page.
Please link the post with your recipe, NOT your blog’s home page.
You may submit more than one recipe, but please follow the guidelines for each one individually.
Please be sure to mention this event and include a link back to this post so that others can find all the recipes posted!
Feel free to use the blog badge, above (or see the left sidebar of this page–if you need the html code, let me know and I’ll send it to you). Many thanks to Adrienne of Whole New Mom for setting up the badge code for me!
As always, I hate to remove links, but will do so if they don’t comply with the guidelines.
What your recipe CAN contain:
Any good-for-you, whole foods, especially those with antioxidant properties or “functional foods” (ie, offering naturally medicinal or health-promoting qualities–such as garlic, coconut oil, all vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.)–but any fresh, real food is welcome!
Natural sweeteners (coconut sugar, agave, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, stevia, Sucanat, rapadura, coconut nectar, yacon syrup, etc.)
Vegan ingredients (even if you’re not vegan, OF COURSE you can still play along! You’ll be surprised at how many foods are naturally vegan; and if not, there are many subs you can use for eggs, milk or butter–include vegan options and we’re good to go!).
Note that this is NOT AN ACD-ONLY EVENT. Any real food ingredients that are sugar-free and vegan are more than welcome–so use that maple syrup, those mushrooms, that nutritional yeast, miso, etc! I’m just looking for healthy, whole foods recipes.
What your recipe cannot contain:
White flour, white sugar, or any highly refined, highly processed ingredients
Anything almost entirely artificial (ie, most boxed mixes, fast food, unnaturally colored cereals or other foods, etc.)
Animal products (meat, chicken, fish or seafood, or their by-products, gelatin, eggs, dairy, butter or honey)
“Hey! Why was my entry removed?”
Most likely, an entry is removed because it doesn’t link to this post. Other reasons are because it includes ingredients not in the guidelines or the link leads to an advertisement or a business blog. Please read the guidelines before posting!
[Sometimes, you just want a dish that's quick and easy--no fuss. I've decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so simple to make that no recipe is required. Here's today's "Flash in the Pan." (For other FitP recipes, see "Categories" at right).]
I know that every gluten free baker has her or his own favorite GF “mix.” Some like a more starch-based mix; some like a more protein-based one. My first approach (for these pancakes) was to combine a little of each type of gluten free flour (that is, the grains, the legumes and the starches), but of course there are also nut flours and coconut to contend with these days. This is why I love gluten-free baking so much: the possibilities are endless!
While I’m neither a chemist nor an official pastry chef (though I did take some courses in our local chef’s program–so much fun!), I’ve got more than 40 years’ experience baking in the kitchen, first with Mom, then on my own, now with The Girls giving me their intense, blink-free “border collie stare“ whenever I pull out the food processor. (“Well, duh, Mum! Remember Pavlov? We’ve figured out that the processor usually means there will be something for us when you’re through.“) Using the final product as my gauge, I recently came up with a new gluten free all-purpose mix of my own that I replaced one-for-one instead of wheat all-purpose flour in existing recipes. I’ve now made cupcakes, pancakes, waffles and cookies, and they’ve all come out great!
What’s the reasoning behind my mix? Well, first off, I knew the major grain would be millet. I rarely eat wholegrain millet on its own, but I find that millet flour provides the same mild, neutral base as wheat flour–it holds up well with intense flavorings and is unassuming enough to serve as a perfect foil for delicate flavors like lemon or vanilla. I also wanted to include a bean-based flour for its higher protein content, plus starch. My favorite starch these days is potato starch since it’s grain-free and, I find, serves very much the same purpose that cornstarch did in my glutenous baking. I combined it with arrowroot, which is a little lighter than the potato.
To determine the flour ratios, I decided to check out the protein content in regular (wheat) flour and try to approximate the same in my mix. I knew that gluten-free flours don’t produce the same results as wheat unless combined, but also that gluten is, itself, a protein.
According to Fine Cooking magazine, all-purpose wheat flour contains 9-12% protein. Millet flour weighs in about the same. So, of my remaining flours, I wanted a similar protein content of about 10-15%, just like the wheat (and the millet). Bean flour contains more like 20-25% protein, and starches have almost nil. So, I reasoned, the half of the mix that is millet already approximates the composition of wheat flour; and the bean flour should be measured out to about half the other two combined (to decrease its protein content by half, to about 12%). In other words, for each 1 part millet, I needed 1/3 garfava and 1/3 each of potato and arrowroot. And–voila!–I had the ratio for a perfect gluten free all-purpose mix.
My first thing I made was the Toasted Coconut Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, pictured above. The result: an incredibly moist, tender crumb and fabulous chocolate-coconut flavor.
Next up: pancakes! I made my own Fluffy Fruited Pancakes from this blog using my all-purpose mix along with 1/2 tsp xanthan gum instead of the spelt. The HH gobbled these up in record time:
I also made another batch of my Carob Refrigerator Cookies with the new flour, as well as buckwheat waffles for breakfast this morning (though we gobbled them up before I could snap a pic, they looked just like the ones I made last time, below).
As a rule, I still love using different blends of gluten-free flours for my current baking. After all, I don’t always want a totally neutral flavor–sometimes I’d like the quinoa, or amaranth, to shine through. On the other hand, I’d love to be able to revamp all of the spelt-based recipes on this blog, one by one. . . and this is the all-purpose flour I’ll use to do it.
Do you have a great all-purpose gluten free mix that you use? Which one is it? Feel free to share a link or the recipe in the comments!
This is a great basic all-purpose gluten free flour mix that you can use anywhere you’d use all-purpose wheat flour, in the same proportion. For recipes that require pastry or bread flour, you might like to play around with the ratios or even use other flours instead of one of the ones listed here. I haven’t added xanthan gum since some people avoid it, but I generally include 1/2-3/4 tsp (2.5-3.5 ml) xanthan per cup when I bake with this flour.
2 cups (270 g) millet flour
2/3 cup (100 g) garfava flour (you can use chickpea instead)
2/3 cup (120 g) potato starch
2/3 cup (90 g) arrowroot starch or powder (or substitute tapioca or cornstarch)
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a whisk until the flour is evenly blended. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator if you won’t be using it within a week or 10 days (will keep up to 6 weeks in the fridge). Measure as you would wheat-based all-purpose flour. Makes 4 cups.
[No Gluten, Get Happy: The easiest way to bake gluten-free is with no flour at all! How about Happy Hemp Two-Bite Brownies?]
Welcome to Day Nine of the blog event from Diane over at The Whole Gang, 30 Days to Easy Gluten-Free Living! The objective of this event is to show you all how easy it can be to eat gluten-free. And today, I’m going to talk about baking.
Baking, gluten-free.
Whew! I think my hair just got a new ‘do after the breeze that whooshed by as hoards of you ran for the exits! For those of you still here, grab a cup of tea, have a seat, and settle in as I explain why, after a lifetime of baking with wheat, I’ve come to love gluten-free baking even more.
In a nutshell, here are my five top tips to create amazing baked goods–all without stress, anxiety, or trauma (and of course, no gluten!).
[My first time using sweet rice flour (also called glutenous rice flour: Red Bean Pastry Cookies. You can, too! ]
1. Something New: Gluten Free
When I first learned that I’d have to adopt a gluten-free diet (as part of the anti-candida regime I’m following), I was more upset about having to give up baking than having to give up gluten per se. As someone who’d been baking since I was about six, I simply couldn’t imagine a life without delicious baked treats!
In Stage 2 of the diet, as soon as I was able to start incorporating flours back into my recipes, I pulled out one of my favorite recipes (I think it was a carrot loaf), and baked it up using brown rice flour in place of the all-purpose wheat. Hmmm. . . .can you say, “brick”? Or how about, “Crumbly, totally tasteless brick” at that!
It wasn’t until I realized that baking gluten-free is an entirely new endeavor that I finally began to learn about–and appreciate–gluten-free baking on its own merits. If I moved to Florida from here in Toronto (and believe me, deep in February, I’ve often thought about it), I wouldn’t expect to wear the same winter clothes over there, now, would I? Or if I started dating a new guy (no worries, HH, this is for illustration purposes only), I’d never expect him to have the same taste in wine, like the same music, or dance the same way as the previous beau, either. So why should gluten-free baking work exactly the same as glutenous baking? Once I “got” that reality, the rest was easy.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel (or wheel of foccacia, either, for that matter). Whenever I begin a new enterprise, I first check out what the authorities in that field have done before me. I rely on their wisdom and experience to get me started. In the case of gluten-free baking, I began by using all-purpose mixes that would allow me to substitute one-for-one instead of wheat flour, and baked up several batches of my favorite sweets that way first. By using tried-and-true flour mixes, I knew that my baked goods would work and would give me a feel for what goes into an all-purpose gluten free flour mix.
What’s in an all-purpose mix? Well, to answer that question you’ll need to consider a bit more about glutenous versus gluten-free flour. Here are some key points:
i. Gluten-free flour has no gluten (duh).
Gluten is the protein in wheat that acts as “glue” to bind together the baked goods. It provides texture and holds things together. Without it, baked goods crumble and break apart like dried-out sandcastles on the beach. By combining different gluten-free flours in one mix, you help to alleviate that effect. (Another trick is to add a binder that replaces the gluten–see number 3, below).
ii. Wheat flour comes in only a few varieties, but varieties of gluten-free flour are almost endless.
In fact, this is one of the reasons I love baking gluten-free: most of us grow up used to the neutral, bland flavor of wheat in baked goods. Gluten free flours, on the other hand, are often derived from other grains that confer their own distinct taste. Amaranth and quinoa offer a sturdy, almost mineral flavor; buckwheat is earthy and nutty; teff resembles a combination of carob and cocoa; rice is mild and delicate; and so on. In addition, there are loads of non-grain gluten free flours; major categories are starches (cornstarch, tapioca, arrowroot, potato starch, etc.); bean and legume-based (chickpea, garfava, bean, soy, etc.); and nut based (coconut, almond meal, hazelnut, etc.). For a fairly comprehensive list of gluten-free grains, starches and flours, check this post.
iii. The best gluten-free baking uses a combination of flours. I know that some of you out there will disagree on this point, and certainly there are some gluten-free recipes that use only a single flour (often millet, sorghum, oat or almond, in my experience). But since gluten-free flours are so different from wheat and each is unique, I find that my best baking projects combine different flours depending on my mood, the recipe and the kind of result I seek.
For instance, muffins or quickbreads work better with more hearty flours such as quinoa, amaranth, or sorghum; light and delicate results follow when you use a greater percentage of starchy flours or mild-flavored grains like rice or millet; and sandy, chewy cookies seem to work best with a combination of all three main types of flours (grain, bean, starch). As you experiment in the kitchen and learn more about the types of flours, you’ll discover which flavors and textures you like best in your own baking.
But no one wants to waste ingredients while they’re learning, right? So for those who are just beginning, I’d recommend the following all-purpose mixes I’ve tried from some of my fellow gluten-free bloggers:
Maggie’s Bean Free Blend: I used this for a pie crust and it was fantastic–light, flaky, delicate.
As I mentioned above, gluten is the “glue” that helps to bind (and to a lesser extent, leaven) baked goods. As a result, the best gluten-free baking usually includes a binder meant to replace the gluten. The most common binder is eggs, but since I don’t use those, I add flax meal or other vegan egg replacers in my baking. Other binders include fruit purées, nut meals or flours, or nut butters (I tend to use nut butters more than meal; I also sometimes use seed butters, such as tahini or sunflower seed butter).
However, in recent years, most people also use xanthan gum, a powdery substance that you sift into your flours before you mix up your batter or dough, which creates results a lot like gluten in baked goods. You can also use guar gum. I’ve also seen recipes calling for agar agar (a vegan gelatin) as a binder as well, when xanthan gum isn’t used. As a general rule, most flour blends use about 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) xanthan gum per cup of flour; for more sturdy baked goods such as muffins or scones, you may need to add a wee bit more (up to 1 tsp/5 ml per cup). I always use an egg replacer plus the xanthan gum; after all, glutenous recipes contain eggs and gluten, right?
[Yes, you can still have light-as-air, cakey Whoopie Pies, gluten-free!]
4. Lighten Up.
Gluten free flours tend to produce a slightly heavier product than wheat flour (another consequence of losing that gluten!). As a result, I always add a bit more leavener to my gluten-free creations than I used to with my wheat-based baked goods. If a wheat-based recipe calls for 1 tsp (5 ml) of baking powder per cup of all-purpose flour, with my gluten-free mix, I use 1-1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) instead (plus about 1/4 tsp (1 ml) extra baking soda for heavier flours). Again, you may need to experiment a bit as you go, but that’s a good rule to start.
Yes, pun intended: those of us who must eat gluten-free are already going with our guts, of course! But it’s also important to learn what works for you and your digestive system, then experiment until you find those ideal recipes. For me, too many starchy ingredients cause a recurrence of my candida symptoms, so as much as I love fluffy, feather-light cupcakes and cakes, I don’t bake too many of them these days. Luckily, I also love fudgy, dense chocolate brownies and cookies–and they have made several appearances on this blog since I went gluten-free.
[Hazelnut Melting Moments. . . a Divine Gluten-Free Cookie--and thank goodness that Chocolate is Gluten-Free! ]
5. Have Some Fun!
So that’s why I love gluten-free baking: it allows me to be inventive as I mix up something different each time. I can tailor the final flavor and texture to match the character of the particular baked good, whether light and airy or more substantial and dense. And I can benefit from the varied nutritional profiles of the different flours when I bake, instead of producing baked goods that all offer the same set of nutrients over and over in their flour.
Like any creative endeavor, cooking is never quite the same each time we do it; and the same is true of gluten-free baking. If you approach the task with a bit whimsy and a bit of adventureousness–like a playtime in the kitchen–you’ll find that gluten-free baking is fun, satisfying, and really easy, after all.
There will be a whole month of 30 Days to Easy Gluten-Free Living posts on Diane’s blog. Here’s a list of all the topics and contributors:
With all of my 175 students’ assignments, exams and final marks finally submitted–I am now officially on holidays until 2011–whoo hoo! That makes me one very celebratory gal. Par-tay, I say!
And how about having everything all ready to start cooking my big holiday meal?
Um, no. (Insert sheepish expression here).
“Mum, did you say, ‘sheep?’ I’m half border collie, you know. And just being off-leash at the trail is enough of a party for me!”
In an ideal world, I would not only know exactly which dishes I’m cooking, but would have prepared an entire rehearsal Christmas dinner already, expressly for the purpose of photographing and writing about it for this blog (excuse me while I guffaw).
For the past two years, the HH and I have shared an Indian feast at Christmastime with the CFO, who’s made the trek from Montreal. The CFO isn’t able to join us this year, and I have a feeling that the multi-course Indian buffet will also make itself scarce, at least for this year.
I do have a couple of great ideas for potential dishes I’ve been wanting to try (and about which I’ll post, post-holidays.) But what with the HH’s accident; frenzied shopping for a new car; a fire at the campus where I teach resulting in only TWO days to mark all my students’ exams and submit them; a last-minute invitation to appear on a local daytime TV show (which happened this very morning)–I haven’t yet decided exactly what we’ll be eating at the festive table. Throw in a couple of doctor’s appointments, a visit to the vet, a haircut and typical holiday-time social activities, and there has been precious little time to cook.
If you’re like me and still thinking about what to prepare, I thought I’d share this list of some of my favorite holiday-worthy recipes (many of these are not yet listed in the Recipe Index–updating it is one of my new year’s projects!).
All are ACD-friendly recipes (ie, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, egg free, low glycemic) unless otherwise specified.
And to everyone who’s celebrating this time of year: have a wonderful holiday season!
[This year, I decided to offer a "Festive Freebies" series in which I give away some of my favorite food products. . . hand-picked by me! These are things I already loved and actually eat (or use) regularly, and which I'd love to share with you. Here's my second Festive Freebie--click here to enter!]
Well, it’s the holidays, which means it’s time for all of us to dip into the chocolate (and peppermint, and cranberries, and eggnog, and pumpkin. . . okay, basically, it’s time for us to pig out.)
Whatever you’re mixing up this holiday season, I’ve got a wonderful pack of baking ingredients–my favorite of which is chocolate, of course–to give away. I use this chocolate exclusively these days in my baking. But even as a consummate Chocophile, I understand that there’s more to baking than 100% cacao. So hop over to the giveaway page to read more about my baking staple and a bunch of other cool ingredients you can win!
Click here to read the giveaway details and enter!
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS PAGE. . . GO TO THE GIVEAWAY PAGE (a requirement of BlogHer, whose ads appear here) INSTEAD. THANKS!
Anyone who has read my blog through all four seasonsfor at least a monthregularly once knows that I really (really) hate the cold weather. And while autumn also heralds delicious root vegetables, warming spices, Thanksgiving and Halloween, to me it’s just the precursor to winter. Bah! To help mitigate the chill this October, Kim of Affairs of Living and I present you with another Sweet or Savory Kitchen Challenge–this time, with a special twist. So read on, learn about our latest key ingredient, and join in on the fun!
Now, you’ve most likely heard or read about at least one of the “superfood” seeds currently being touted all over the internet: flax, chia, hemp. And while all three are wonderfully nutritious and offer all manner of health benefits, they sometimes overshadow the more common specimens that are equally healthy in their own right. This month, we’re focusing on one of those better-known seeds:
SESAME!
Sesame seeds are inexpensive, delicious, packed with nutritional benefits–and available year-round. In other words, a perfect ingredient for our first SOS Challenge of autumn!
According to one of my favorite websites, World’s Healthiest Foods, sesame seeds (sesamum indicum) “may be the oldest condiment known to man dating back to as early as 1600 BC.” One Assyrian myth, in fact, claims that the gods drank sesame wine right before they created the earth. They are also considered to be the first seed that was cultivated specifically for their unique taste and are the most cultivated seed at present. And who is not familiar with the common expression, “open sesame”? The term refers to the manner in which the seed pods burst open when the seeds are mature, and was introduced in the classic legend by Ali Baba in the Thousand and One Nights.
These tiny, oval gems (available in a varietyof shades from beige to brown to red to black) are also a highly nutritious food, one that is a staple in most vegan households because of their high calcium content. Tahini (sesame paste) or nondairy milk made with sesame can add a valuable boost to your calcium intake. In fact, sesame seeds offer up a good variety of other minerals, too: they’re considered a “very good” source of manganese and copper, plus a “good” source of magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber. In addition, they contain two types of lignans (sesamin and sesamolin), antioxidant-like substances known to help stave off all kinds of chronic illnesses, from high blood pressure to liver damage; and they can help lower cholesterol levels.
And they’re not just for hamburger buns any more! Sesame seeds lend themselves to all kinds of cooking. Like many seeds and nuts, they can be lightly toasted to bring out their optimum flavor. If ground to a paste, they produce tahini, a key ingredient in all kinds of Middle Eastern foods from hummus to falafel. I also love using it in place of nut butters in much of my cooking, from sauces to desserts. They’re also the key ingredient in one of my favorite seasonings, Japanese gomashio, which I sprinkled here.
It’s worth noting that our digestive tracts are unable to break down the outer hull on the seeds, so whole seeds will serve only as a source of insoluble (unabsorbed) fiber and will pass through your system intact. To benefit from the sesame oil inside the seeds, they need to be cracked or ground.
Whole seeds can be stored at room temperature for several weeks; or freeze for longer storage periods. Once the hull is cracked, however, the seeds must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. An exception is sesame oil, which is incredibly stable and resists rancidity even over long periods of time and changes in temperature.
And now to make this month even more fun. . .
For the first time, October’s SOS event will feature a guest sponsor–and prizes!Our sponsor (sorry, BlogHer stipulates that I can’t write about them on my main page) is generously donating ELEVEN prizes! That’s right: the first ten entries will each receive a bag of organic sesame seeds, and one lucky (random) winner will win a $50 shopping spree to buy their own choice of healthy products. To enter the giveaway, you’ll need to register before linking up below (see details here), or you can simply share a recipe as you always have before without registering. The challenge will run until October 31st. (Please follow the usual SOS guidelines for recipe ingredients.) As always, at the end of the month we’ll post a roundup of all the recipes and showcase a few favorites.
Yep, autumn just keeps getting better and better. . .
Want to know more? Details about how to use the seeds and how you can win one of the prizes are posted here.
It’s time for the very first SOS (Sweet or Savory) Kitchen Challenge Roundup!
When Kim and I first introduced the first SOS Kitchen Challenge last month, we decided to choose an ingredient that we both liked and that would suit both our specialized diets. But we had no idea so many of you also adored the ruby root as much as we do!
We were also blown away by the immense originality, innovation and culinary creativity in so many of the recipes we received. And so many beet based dessert recipes–you folks sure know the way to this girl’s heart.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this, our first, event. We’re looking forward to many more great roundups of your recipes!
And so, let’s get right to it. Feast your eyes on these amazing beet-based dishes:
The Sweet:
Chaya from The Comfy Cook (New York) has created a stunning sweet Beet Nut Bread with grated beets that look like little ruby gems in each slice. The bread is gluten free and easily made vegan.
Claire from Bok Choy Bohemia created an innovative, colorful Golden Beet Dessert Lasagna. The briliant gold, red and yellow of this dish really do evoke thoughts of summer sunshine and sunsets. Claire’s naturally-sweetened dessert is also gluten free, vegan, and sugar free.
Another sweet invention comes from Alchemille of Alchemille’s Secret Garden (California). She created a Super Natural Beet and Lavender Sorbet, which she then froze into popsicles for a sweet beety treat! These are grain free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, and sugar free.
Shayne of Eat a Vegan (Illinois) offers us another incredibly inventive sweet treat using our favorite root: Beet Snowballs! These yummy bites are a coconut-covered orbs filled with nutritional goodness and the flavor of a sweet. What could be better? Vegan, sugar free and gluten free.
Here’s an inventive Peanutty-Beet Soufflé from Gaby of La Reina Batata (Houston). Gaby combined a classic nut butter and the brilliance of beets for one yummy dessert (even if it isn’t bright purple, as she hoped).
Aubree Cherie of Living Free (Kennet Square, PA) contributed a visually stunning, sweet raw beet slaw. A newbie to beets, Aubree declares her love of the raw veg–and created this masterpiece. This sweet slaw is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and sugar free.
My co-host Kim’s take on a sweet beet recipe are these amazing Dairy Free Beet and Cherry Creamsicles. The color is stunning and they sound like just the thing for the warm weather that’s around the corner! They’re gluten free, vegan, and ACD-friendly.
My own sweet contribution is my Brilliantly Beet Smoothie, a quick and easy breakfast (or any time) magenta beverage that’s refreshingly delicious. Vegan, nut free, gluten free and ACD-friendly.
And the Savory:
Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe (Melbourne) was our first entrant for this challenge with Beetroot, Greens and Chickpea Curry. This mild curry sounds like a perfect dinner with chickpeas, beet greens, coconut milk and tomatoes plus some aromatic spices. As Johanna says, this savory curry is also “effortlessly vegan and gluten free,” and goes well with brown rice.
Scrumptious from In My Box (California) submitted this Russian Beet Salad, or Vinegret, based on a salad she used to eat as a student in Russia. The addition of potato and peas (plus another secret ingredient) makes this particularly intriguing. The sweet-savory recipe is gluten-free, nut-free and vegan.
Aubree also cooked up a batch of yummy Burgers that Can’t Be Beet, an adaptation of the beet burgers that kicked off this event. Aubree’s use amaranth, rice flakes and a bunch of interesting seasonings to make the burgers her own. They’re gluten free, vegan, dairy free and sugar free.
Hannah from Bittersweet offered up this amazing Golden Carrot Soup. Doesn’t it look incredibly rich and creamy, even without added cream? Hannah’s soup is sweet enough to suggest dessert–but would be a great savory addition to your meal. The soup is gluten free, vegan and sugar free.
Alisa from One Frugal Foodie cooked up a clever Pepperoni Beet Rice and Greens. Alisa thinks the beet greens in this dish confer a mild flavor, like spinach. And the beet “pepperoni” smells just like the real thing as it cooks! Her savory dish is vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free and low sugar.
These Tarragon Pickled Beets from Mom of Gluten-Free Edge are both sweet and savory. Based on a Harvard-style recipe, the beets would make a great accompaniment to just about anything. This sweet and savory dish is gluten free, nut free, soy free and sugar free.
Chaya (New York) from My Sweet or Savory (gotta love that blog name!) contributed a second recipe in this dish of Orange Beets with Almonds, which can be either sweet or savory, depending on seasonings. And this is perfect for those quick dinners at home–a single-serving recipe! It’as also gluten free and sugar free, easily vegan (use vegan butter).
Ellen from I Am Gluten Free sent in this wonderful savory Curried Beet Salad, a medley of contrasting flavors, textures and colors that sounds divine. It’s gluten free, sugar free and dairy free and vegan.
Lindsay from Kitchen Operas (Toronto) welcomes spring with this vibrant Magenta Beet and Lentil Salad inspired by a recipe from Mark Bittman. Thes salad is very versatile and allows for many variations. It’s also gluten free, nut free, and vegan.
Rachel from My Munchable Musings (Sammamish, WA) brings us not one, but two incredible beet dishes, both with roasted beets: the first is a savory Beets with Pistachio Butter (does that not sound divine?) that’s gluten free, vegan, and sugar free:
Alexa from Lexie’s Kitchen (Cheyenne) mixed this Roasted Pignoli Beet Salad for garlic lovers. . . not to mention pine nut lovers! The color is stunning as well. It’s also corn free, gluten free, nut free and easily ACD-adaptable.
Lisa, the voice behind the blog Vegan Cookbook Critic (Toronto), submitted this Beautiful Borscht Salad, a wonderful melding of Russian borscht and Lisa’s raw foods diet. And it truly is beautiful: just look at the color palette on this salad! It’s also vegan, gluten free, raw and sugar free.
Kim went for a Caramelized Onion, Beet and Rhubarb Compote that’s both a little savory and a little sweet. Try this over waffles, as Kim did, or instead of chutney with an Indian meal–yum! It’s gluten free, nut free, vegan, with an ACD-friendly variation.
My own savory contribution was the Beet Burger recipe I used to kick off the challenge. These burgers are easy to make and really tasty on their own or with all the fixins. They’re also gluten free, vegan, and ACD-friendly.
Even Kim’s Dad got in on the fun, with this recipe for Beet Burgers adapted from Greg Stagbouer! These are gluten free and vegan, with Dad’s own “secret” ingredient–his own seasoning mix!
(Adaption of a recipe from Greg Stagbouer, “Beet This Burger”)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon finely grated raw beet
½ cup cooked oats (quick or regular rolled oats)
1 cup uncooked oats (quick or regular rolled oats)
½ cup walnuts, coarsely ground
¼ cup almonds, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons chopped pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon Vegix seasoning or instant vegetable bouillon
¼ cup minced carrot shreds
¼ cup minced celery
¼ cup minced onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon Dad’s Seasoning Original Blend
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
¼ teaspoon dried minced garlic
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free)
1 tablespoon water
Mix all dry ingredients well in one bowl, then add all vegetables, cooked oatmeal, and liquids.
Blend well until it has the look and consistency of ground beef. Form into patties and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the burgers to firm up.
Cook carefully on a grill or saute in a pan with some olive oil until crispy brown and heated through.
Serve on whole wheat buns (or gluten-free buns) with your choice of condiments and toppings. Makes 6-8 burgers depending on size.
* * * * * * * * * *
Thanks, everyone, for contributing such an impressive array of recipes and making this inaugural SOS Challenge such a success! Stay tuned for the announcement of next month’s ingredient at the beginning of May.
I know; who says things like, “It’s the berries” any more?
Okay, well, I admit that I do. I also say “take umbrage” (and said it even before I knew the Harry Potter connection), “just chillaxin’“ and, sometimes, “the cat’s pyjamas” (but only when I feel like teasing The Girls).
But honestly, this recent revision in my diet that now permits the occasional appearance of fruits like raspberries, black berries or blueberries is, indeed–well, the berries.
After my recent success with a stevia-sweetened upside down apple pancake, I decided to go one step further and aim for muffins. Unlike the pancake, these babies are portable as a snack, or even breakfast (not that a holistic nutritionist such as I, who always spends enough time preparing and eating proper meals , ever has to eat on the run–say, in my car, for instance, as I drive to a dentist appointment because I’m so totally overscheduled and behind on work that I was up until 12:47 that very morning marking student assignments and then slept through the alarm and hit “snooze” twice before rushing out of bed and waking the HH while shrieking, “I’m going to be late for the DENTIST!” as I dashed into the shower, dressed at record speed and headed out like Bugs Bunny’s tasmanian devil on the hunt for prey, pausing just long enough at the kitchen counter to grab a muffin–no, no, goodness me, I never have to resort anything like that!).
After I received my healthy baking kit this week, I got to thinking about baking muffins that I’d be allowed to eat. These lemon-blueberry lovelies are light yet dense, providing a moist, airy crumb that’s just right as a backdrop for organic blueberries that have been scattered hither and thither (I also say things like “hither and thither, apparently). I used dried blueberries (sweetened only with apple juice) and so felt they’d be acceptable as a treat on this phase of the ACD. If you prefer, use fresh or frozen berries (but don’t thaw the latter before stirring into the batter).
I may have mentioned before that I regularly bake muffins or quick breads so the HH has something healthy at work alongside his coffee each morning (hmmm. . . . I wonder if the organic, whole foods ingredients in my goodies cancel out the hydrogenated fats and chemicals in the coffee whitener at the office? Naw, didn’t think so). Now, he long ago became accustomed to whole spelt flour and natural sweeteners instead of wheat and sugar, but how would he react to GF flours and stevia? Only one way to find out. I went to work. By the time the HH returned home from his day at the office, the house was infused with the heady aroma of lemon zest.
“HH, honey, how about a taste of a delicious, yummy, moist lemon-blueberry muffin?” I asked innocuously. He stopped to look at me.
“It’s one of those weird candida things, isn’t it?”
[Freeze frame on Ricki's face. The Dilemma: does she lie and only later tell him what's in the muffin, after he eats it? Or does she tell him the truth, and risk his refusal to even try?]
“Candida things aren’t weird,” I said, and left it at that.
“Okay, I’ll take a taste. . . .” I stared intently. He nibbled on the muffin’s domed top. This was followed by another nibble, then a fuIl bite, which was followed by a second, and a third. . . before I knew it, the muffin was gone!
“Hmm. Lemony. And the blueberries taste pretty sweet. ” He began to rummage around for another. Sweet Success!
Even if you haven’t worked with stevia before, I bet you will enjoy these as a light, not-too-sweet breakfast treat or snack. Seriously, they’re far out. A gas. Just swell. And the berries.
And Happy Hannukah (or, if you prefer, Chanukah) to everyone who celebrates!
Blueberry Lemon Muffins
These are a substantial, moist and light muffin for breakfast or snacks. Don’t worry about what seems like a lot of lemon flavor from the extract and zest here; whole grain flours can be overpowering, and you’ll need to compensate with more flavoring if you want to detect lemon in the final product.
1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini (sesame paste), or use cashew butter if you’re not a sesame fan
1/4 cup (60 ml) sunflower or other light-tasting oil, preferably organic
1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp (10 ml) finely ground chia seeds
1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened soy or almond milk
25-35 drops stevia, to your taste (the muffins will taste a bit less sweet once baked), or 1/4 cup (60 ml) agave nectar*
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 tsp (5 ml) pure lemon extract or 2 tsp (10 ml) lemon flavoring (flavoring is less intense)
finely grated zest of 2 medium or large lemons
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) dried blueberries (or use fresh/frozen, unthawed)
1/2 cup (120 ml) amaranth flour**
1/2 cup (120 ml) brown rice flour
2 Tbsp (30 ml) coconut flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) garbanzo-fava flour or chickpea flour
1 Tbsp (15 ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, or grease with coconut oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the tahini and oil until smooth. Add the applesauce and stir well to combine, then whisk in the chia seeds. Add the milk, stevia, vanilla, lemon flavoring, lemon zest and vinegar, and stir until well combined. Gently stir in the blueberries to coat them.
In a medium bowl, sift together the amaranth flour, brown rice flour, coconut flour, garbanzo-fava flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the dry ingredients over the wet and stir just until combined.
Using a large scoop or a 1/3 cup (80 ml) measuring cup, scoop generously and fill muffins tins very full. Bake in preheated oven 30-35 minutes, rotating pan around halfway through, until very well browned on top and a center muffin tests done. Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely. Makes 12-14 large muffins or 12 large muffins and about 6 minis. May be frozen.
* You can replace the stevia with 1/4-1/3 cup (60-80 ml) agave nectar if you like, but reduce the milk by 2-3 Tbsp (30-45 ml) if you do.
** Amaranth has a distinctive, nutty flavor that some may find too assertive for these muffins. For a milder flavor, substitute millet or more rice flour for the amaranth.
[I thought it would be fun to run a little series over here at DDD: I'll profile one one of my favorite foods, or a food that I've recently discovered and enjoyed, over several days. For this fifth edition, I'm focusing on cilantro. The series is presented on an occasional (and entirely arbitrary) basis, before I move on to the next lucky comestible. This is the first entry on cilantro.]
The other day, the HH and I were discussing the possibility of taking a short trip to Boston to visit my cousin CBC. “That would be so much fun,” I blurted out spontaneously, “I’ve got a couple of friends in Boston!” When he asked whom, I stammered, “Well, blog friends.”
Before I started blogging, I couldn’t have fathomed how one could consider a virtual (no pun intended) stranger to be a “friend.” Yet it’s true–I feel as if I’ve made friends in cities across the continent and even around the world through this l’il blog, and my contact with them is often more consistent and frequent than it is with my “local,” live friends.
Well, thanks to my blog reader, cookbook tester, and friend Courtney, I came home last week to a package that contained these:
Don’t you just love receiving gifts in the mail? The GardenSac bags (on which the card and brown rice are resting) are made from 100% cotton and can be used for any kind of shopping. And, as Courtney and I discussed, they’re terrific because the open weave allows you to easily see what’s inside. With most stores here in the Toronto area recently switching to “pay-for-plastic” policies (and some offer credit if you bring your own reusable bags), this is a perfect, and very timely, gift! And I don’t know how Courtney guessed, but I love wild rice. I’ve already made a wonderful Confetti Salad with it–which I’ll blog about anon. Thanks again, Courtney!
And as if last week wasn’t already great enough, I found out that I’ll be presenting two recipe demos from Sweet Freedom(one on Saturday and another on Sunday) at the upcoming Vegetarian Food Fair in September! Billing itself as “North America’s largest annual vegetarian festival,” and with stellar keynote speakers like Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (author of The Joy of Vegan Baking and The Vegan Table) and Brenda Davis (co-author of Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan), the Fair promises to be another spectacular event this year. It’s scheduled between September 11 and 13 at Toronto’s Harbourfront. Come on out and say “hi”!
Whew! And now, time for some zingy, spicy, nutritious and delectable food!
Having grown up on a farm, my dad must have felt a strong affinity for the earth, because even after working six days a week and keeping incredibly long hours, he always grew a garden in summer. Granted, it was a fairly small garden; still, growing up my sisters and I were regularly graced with fresh tomatoes in August, plus the occasional cucumber, red pepper, or propitious esculent each season.
One year, he decided to try out sunflowers. Why sunflowers? Beats me. Maybe he thought they were pretty (come to think of it, if their wallpaper choices are any indication, my parents did lean toward all things floral). I remember being astonished at how tall the stalks grew, capped with golden saucers that towered over my own eight year-old frame, and how the actual seeds filled the center of the scalloped disk, encased in their rigid black shells. When summer ended, we roasted the seeds in the oven, and my sisters and I continued to snack on them through Hallowe’en (at which point they were unceremoniously chucked in favor of candy, of course).
Remember the Jack Nicholson-Morgan Freeman groaner, The Bucket List? Well, self-indulgent male menopausal buddy flicks aside, I’ve recently been thinking about my own version of the list, and activities that are most important to me in my lifetime. One of the items I’ve added to my personal bucket list is “grow a real garden.” Believe me, this is quite the proclamation coming from She Who Shrinks from Anything Insectoid. Also, a startling revelation from She Who Recoils at Anything Snakelike. Oh, and don’t forget a shocking assertion from She Who Guards Against Anything Even Remotely Germ-Infested or Bacteria-laden. Why, then, it makes perfect sense that I’d choose to spend my time on my knees on the dirt, digging into earth rife with microorganisms, the habitat of myriad insects and worms–and often visited by garter snakes.
I’m not sure what it is, but as I get older, I see what must have appealed to my dad about a garden. Nurturing the seeds, coaxing infant seedlings until they stretch sunward, ultimately unfurling in full bloom, just taps into my (otherwise untapped) maternal instinct somehow. (“And don’t forget having dogs, Mum! That taps into your maternal instincts, too, right? Hopefully the ‘you must feed your children’ maternal instincts.”)
Which brings me to this post’s Lucky Comestible: cilantro.
I determined early that my garden absolutely had to contain cilantro–lots and lots of cilantro. Now, I know that cilantro is one of those herbs one either loves or loathes. Like the ability to curl your tongue or whether or not your earlobes are detached, a penchant for cilantro appears to be genetically predetermined. Some people perceive it as “soapy and perfumey” while others can’t get enough. Having begun life in the former camp, I now find myself firmly entrenched in the latter.
Like so many herbs, cilantro (also known as Chinese Parsley) confers a plethora of health benefits besides the usual vitamins and minerals (though it’s no slouch in those areas, either–only 9 sprigs of the delicate plant provide almost one third of your daily Vitamin A, nine per cent of your daily Vitamin C, plus iron and calcium).
More importantly, the green pigment in cilantro represents chlorophyl, a powerful detoxifying agent and blood purifier. Cilantro is known to be a chelating herb, which means it draws heavy metals out of the system by encouraging the liver to produce bile so they’ll be excreted. In his monumental tome, Staying Healthy with Nutrition, Dr. Elson Haas includes a recipe for “Anti-Radiation Soup” that relies on the cleansing properties of cilantro to help flush the body of toxins produced due to radiation. I always have the soup after any necessary X-Rays (and, according to Haas, the soup was “shown to reduce radiation sickness after the Hiroshima bombing”).
If you’re one of those people who comes down on the “loathe” side of cilantro, I’d urge you to give it another try. You’ll find that the next few posts here at DDD will focus on this fragrant and fragile herb. Of course, you can always substitute parsley for some or all of the cilantro in these recipes– but why not live dangerously? That’s one more item you can check off your own bucket list.
Fresh & Spicy Cilantro Sauce (suitable for ACD all stages)
This sauce is perfect for summer with its brilliant shade of emerald and cool, tangy, tongue-tingling flavor. The tart lime juice melds beautifully with the smooth nut butter and fragrant cilantro here. And while we ate it spooned lightly over Jessy’s Brown Rice Veggie Burgers, it would be a perfect sauce for any meal-in-a-bowl of your choice, or even tossed with cold noodles for a zingy summer salad.
1 to 1-1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves and thin stems (depending on how much you like cilantro)
1/2 large jalapeno pepper (remove seeds for less heat)
juice of 2 limes
1-2 Tbsp (15-30 ml) water, if necessary to reach desired consistency
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) pumpkinseed butter; or use sunflower or almond butter (use raw butter for an all-raw version)
1 fresh green onion
pinch fine sea salt
Blend everything in a blender until it comes together in a smooth, light, vibrant green sauce (you may need to push down the sides of the blender a few times until everything is incorporated). Taste and adjust seasoning. Makes about 1/2 cup (120 ml). Will keep, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.
[Welcome to the new home of Diet, Dessert and Dogs! I'm still tweaking the format and layout of the blog, so please bear with me while I update some links, combine some page tabs, etc. It should all be up and running smoothly within the next week or so!]
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Coombs Family Farms, an organic farm in Vermont that specializes in “all things maple,” to see if I’d like to sample some of their syrup. Since maple syrup is a well-loved staple in my kitchen and many of my baked goods feature it as a key sweetener, I was delighted to accept their offer and eagerly awaited the package.
A few days later, I received this:
A bottle of their certified organic syrup, along with a maple-leaf shaped piece of maple candy!
Anyone who’s ever consumed real maple syrup can attest to its unique flavor–sweet, slightly smoky, with an appealing, earthy aroma. Made from the sap of maple trees, it’s naturally rich in minerals (per volume, higher in calcium than dairy milk!). The syrup is available for purchase in three grades of A (light, medium and dark) and one of B–each darker and more intensely flavored than the last. I was sent a bottle of grade B, an intense, soulful auburn that was so thick and deep it was nearly opaque. As soon as I removed the cap, the maple perfume escaped to envelop the room with that distinctive scent.
Now, I’ve enjoyed maple syrup for many years. Like pretty much everyone raised in Quebec–the heart of Canada’s maple country–I consider myself a maple aficionado, if not an expert. Maple syrup is ubiquitous in La Belle Province: you can find it on every checkered tablecloth in every greasy-spoon breakfast diner, cheerily lining the shelves in corner grocery stores, awaiting the call in every kitchen cupboard. When I was in grade school, each spring our class would make an annual trek up north for “sugaring off” parties, where freshly tapped, warmed maple syrup was poured over vast expanses of pristine snow to create a kind of maple taffy that we kids scrambled to scoop up with plastic spoons. I might even classify myself as a bit of a maple syrup snob, in fact, one who’d never even consider trying the artificially flavored stuff from that iconic slender-waisted bottle.
Still, despite my fine maple sensibilities, I’ve never really thought it essential to buy organic maple syrup. For one thing, the price is usually, shall we say, immoderate. In addition, I’ve always recalled a conversation I had with a student once in a sociology of food course I was teaching. She mentioned that her family owned a local maple tree farm. There was really no difference between organic and non-organic syrup, she explained, since most maple trees aren’t sprayed with pesticides anyway (unless infected by some vermin or another). I filed away that bit of information and continued to purchase my regular (non-organic) variety.
Well, let me tell you, that student got it wrong (luckily, she wasn’t writing a test at the time). Now that I’ve tasted the Coomb’s organic version, I’m not sure I can go back to my generic brand. Their syrup is outstanding, with a rich, deep amber color and more intense maple flavor than I’ve ever tasted. It’s perfectly sweet and subtly smoky, with a heightened maple essence that lingers gently on the palate, enduring like an unexpected compliment.
Seriously, I may not be able to tolerate my old brand any more. To heck with the price–I’ll just have to be more judicious in my use of it, I reckon. Or else use a bit less and savor every drop more. Or simply ignore the cost entirely (I suspect that a pawn shop may come into play at some point). Seriously, it’s that good.
My first taste of the syrup was straight, poured onto the Lemony Almond Pancakes I wrote about a few days ago (I wanted to sample the delicacy in its pure, unadulterated state before combining it with other ingredients). The flavors melded beautifully, the maple’s presence strong enough to match the zesty lemon while counterbalancing the slight sourness of it. The HH practically asked to drink the stuff straight out of the bottle (but I wouldn’t let him, of course, as I was saving it for my subsequent kitchen experiments). He did manage to polish off the maple candy in one sitting, however–I got barely a nibble!
With such a winning flavor, I opted to design a cookie that would really showcase the unique taste that is “maple.” I concocted these Maple Flax cookies (sorry, the two of you who are also on the ACD; these are NOT ACD-friendly–I created this recipe a couple of weeks ago). They are naturally gluten free (and even flour-free, in fact). In this case, the light, chewy texture was a natural outgrowth of my desire to minimize other ingredients in order to allow the natural maple to shine through. And you will most definitely taste it, with every chewy, sticky, sweet and maple-y bite.
Thanks again to everyone at Coombs Family Farms for allowing me to sample this extraordinary product. Now my only lament is that I can’t find any more of it here in Toronto!
They’re not quite Irish, but since they contain oats, I can claim a Celtic connection, anyway. . . Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!
P.S. It’s time for another Sweet Freedomgiveaway. . . stay tuned for details next post!
Maple Flax Cookies
Looking somewhat like oatmeal cookies, with a crunchy exterior and chewy center, these intesely maple-flavored treats will please everyone. Whole flax seeds add bulk, while the oatmeal and flax meal both contribute heart-healthy soluble fiber.
1/2 cup (60 g) whole old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick cook)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, solid at room temperature*
3 Tbsp (45 ml) pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp (30 ml) Sucanat or other unrefined evaporated cane juice
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp (30 ml) finely ground flax seeds
3 Tbsp (45 ml) whole flax seeds
1/4 tsp (1 ml) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 ml) baking powder
1/8 tsp (.5 ml) fine sea salt
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray.
In the bowl of a mini food processor or coffee grinder, whir the oats until they resemble a coarse meal. Pour the meal into a small bowl and set aside.
To the unwashed processor bowl, add the coconut oil, maple syrup, Sucanat and ground flax seeds. Blend until combined well and smooth. Set aside while you measure the rest of the dry ingredients, or at least 2 minutes.
To the bowl of oats, add the whole flax seeds, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and mix to distribute everything. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir to create a sticky “dough”.
Using a melon baller or teaspoon, drop the mixture onto cookie sheet about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Do not flatten the cookies (they will spread on their own).
Bake 10-13 minutes, until puffed and cracked on top and dry on the edges. Allow to cool completely before removing from sheet (they will firm up as they cool). Makes 8-10 cookies. May be frozen.
* If your room temperature is warm enough that the coconut oil melts, place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so to firm up before using in this recipe.
