Grain Free Croutons

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

My mom requested “White bread” croutons as well as cornbread croutons for her stuffing so I threw this recipe together this afternoon. It turned out better than I expected.

1 1/2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup garbanzo-fava flour
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400*F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl, add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add wet ingredients and stir until well mixed. Pour out onto the parchment paper and spread out with the back of a spoon. An extra piece of parchment paper can be used to smooth and even out the layer of dough. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and slice down and across the pan with a pizza cutter or knife into crouton sized cubes. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the tops are crusty and slightly toasted. Let cool then break apart at the cuts. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

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Gluten Free Cornbread Croutons

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

Stuffing in my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. This year I offered to make croutons for my mom so I could eat it. I read through half a dozen recipes online and came across someone’s ingenious idea: spreading the dough out on a baking sheet and cooking it in a thin layer then cutting it into cubes with a pizza cutter. Last week I did a test batch and it worked beautifully. Herbs and oil can be brushed over the top before slicing if you want to add more flavor. I did 3 tablespoons olive oil with a teaspoon each of dried thyme and dried sage on my test batch since I used them in salads.

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 cup water
1/2 cup golden flax seed meal
1/4 cup grape seed oil
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp stevia powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400*F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl, add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add wet ingredients and stir until well mixed. Pour out onto the parchment paper and spread out with the back of a spoon. An extra piece of parchment paper can be used to smooth and even out the layer of dough. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and slice down and across the pan with a pizza cutter or knife into crouton sized cubes. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the tops are crusty and slightly toasted. Let cool then break apart at the cuts. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

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Savory Grain Free Pie Crust

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

After months of looking online, I found six inch ceramic pie pans on sale at my local grocery store. Last night I made mini chicken pot pies in them. I experimented with garbanzo-fava flour. It’s not something I usually work with since the legume flavor is pretty strong but I bought it specifically for savory pie crust. It turned out better than I hoped.

I patted the bottom crust into the pie pans and rolled out the top crusts in between two pieces of plastic wrap. Due to the almond flour, the top crusts broke and cracked when I transferred them onto the pies. I patted them back together. I’m not sure if chilling the dough after rolling it would help or not. I may try it next time.

2 cups almond flour
1 cup garbanzo-fava flour
1 egg
6 Tbs coconut oil, room temperature
1 Tbs water
1 tsp salt

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, cut in coconut oil with a pastry cutter or fork until it resembles course meal. Add egg and water and mix until a crumbly dough forms. Pour out onto a pastry board or parchment paper and form into a disk. Wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. After resting, cut dough into two pieces, the top crust side about a quarter size smaller than the bottom crust. Pat the bottom crust into the pie pan and roll out the the top crust between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Bake pie according to the recipe.

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

I had a sweet tooth the other night so I threw these cookies together. I added corn starch to improve the texture and it worked out better than I expected. They’re crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, which is my definition of the perfect cookie. They’re so good I’m going to make something similar as a pie crust for my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

2 eggs
1 cup hazelnut meal
1 cup date sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Add wet ingredients and stir until the dough forms. Either drop dough onto cookie sheet several tablespoons at a time or roll into balls. Flatten cookies with the back of a spoon and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the outside is crispy.

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Quinoa Zucchini Pancakes

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

I made these for breakfast last week and liked them so much I also made them for dinner. I used previously frozen and then thawed zucchini or summer squash but fresh would work as well. The pancakes are dense and savory but delicious. So far it’s my favorite use of quinoa flour, which has a nutty, slightly bitter flavor that pairs well with squash. I used my favorite non-dairy cheese, Daiya mozzarella shreds but any shredded cheese or faux cheese product should work. I’d like to try this recipe with green onions added but I didn’t have any in my fridge. Maybe next time. This recipe makes two decent sized pancakes so is perfect for two people when served as a side dish or one person if served alone.

1 medium zucchini or summer squash, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup non-dairy cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbs vegetable oil

Pat shredded squash dry with a paper towel. In a medium bowl, add squash, quinoa flour, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix until the squash is coated in flour and spices. Pour the beaten egg into the squash mixture and stir until combined. Preheat a frying pan with the vegetable oil. Form two equal patties out of the squash mixture and fry until brown and crispy on both sides.

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Dietary Changes, Again

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

I’m seriously considering making another huge change to the way I eat now that I know my health crisis is likely caused by mold illness. I won’t make changes until I speak with my doctor and get lab tests confirming mold illness and leptin resistance (which often goes hand in hand with mold illness).

The lead researcher of mold illnesses, Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, recommends the No Amylose Diet to help his patients lose weight and recover from the systemic inflammation and hormone imbalances caused by mold illness.

Amylose is a natural polymer made up of glucose. Eliminating foods high in amylose and glucose helps burn fat without increasing blood sugar. It’s similar to the Paleo diet and the Atkins diet only it’s less restrictive and much easier to understand than the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

The basics of the diet:

  • Eat at least 6-8 ounces of protein per day.
  • Don’t fast or skip meals.
  • Avoid vegetables/legumes that grow underground including potatoes, peanuts, carrots, beets, and tapioca. The only exceptions are onions and garlic.
  • Avoid simple sugars like table sugar, honey, agave nectar, and corn syrup plus maltodextrins. Stevia, sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners are okay.
  • Avoid the cereal grains wheat, rice, barley, oats, and rye. Corn is okay (other than corn syrup).
  • Avoid bananas and plantains. Other fruits are okay.
  • Avoid commercially prepared fruit/vegetable juices. Fresh squeezed juice is okay.

This isn’t too far away from the eating plan I had to follow when I was at my sickest. Eating gluten, potatoes, and sugar increased my inflammation symptoms. I can now eat limited amounts of all three but if I eat too much I feel the effects. Eliminating them and other foods is worth it if I can further improve my heath.

Posted in Specialized Diets | 2 Comments

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

I make this as pudding more often than ice cream but it freezes beautifully and there’s enough fat in coconut milk that you don’t need an ice cream maker, though use it if you have one. The ice crystals will be smaller so the ice cream will be smoother if it’s churned by machine.

I use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder. I discovered I like the richer flavor more than regular cocoa powder. Substituting a half teaspoon of almond extract for vanilla is delicious, too. I haven’t used peppermint extract, yet, but it’s on my to try list. I prefer chocolate over plan vanilla because it does a better job of masking the coconut flavor. I love coconut but I use so much of it that I don’t want my ice cream to taste like it, too.

1 13.5oz can of full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup agave nectar
3 Tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour into a freezer safe container with a lid, glass is best. Put in the freezer. Take out of the freezer every hour and stir it well for 3 or 4 hours. Before serving, remove it from the freezer for at least 5 minutes to allow it to soften slightly.

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Green Tomato Chutney

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

Autumn hit before the last of my tomatoes had a chance to ripen. They started rotting on the vine before they changed color. I picked the good ones and started looking into green tomato relish recipes. None of them really tickled my fancy so while I was at the library I asked one of the librarians who does a lot of canning what she did with her green tomatoes. She suggested chutney. I liked the idea, especially since curry is a mainstay in my diet. I got apples from my parents’ trees and used at least two different varieties.

I threw all the fruit and veggies in my food processor and pureed it in batches. It’d be possible to do it by hand but very time consuming.

I put the spices in a muslin culinary bag meant to be retrieved from a dish after cooking. It worked beautifully. If you don’t have a culinary bag, a tea ball or several layers of cheesecloth tied off with butcher’s string will work.

I froze mine so I’m not sure how this recipe will hold up to canning. It may need more vinegar to be suitable for canning.

I’m surprised at the versatility of this recipe. I’ve eaten it on chicken curry, on rice noodles alone, as a jam on flatbread with hard cooked eggs, and as a sauce with beef and rice. The librarian also suggested baking it on brie with a curry sauce.

4 lbs green tomatoes
4 apples
1 onion
2 jalapeños
5 cloves of garlic
zest of one lemon
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbs salt
1/2 inch ginger root
4 green cardamon pods
4 cloves
2 star anise

Core and quarter tomatoes. Peel, core and quarter apples. Remove seeds and veins from the jalapeno peppers, if desired. It will be hotter if you leave them in. Puree the tomatoes, apples, onion, jalapeños, and garlic in a food processor in batches. Add to a large stock pot with lemon zest, vinegar, honey, and salt. Stir well. Add spices in a culinary bag or tea ball and place in the pot with the chutney. Cook on low until reduced by at least a quarter, stirring often. Remove the spice bag after cooking.

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Black Bean Chili

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

The tail end of a typhoon blew in yesterday so it was perfect weather to make chili. I used black beans my mom grew and dried as well as an onion from her garden. I often add a half pound of ground beef or turkey to the recipe but kept it meat-free this time. If adding meat, brown it with the onion and garlic before adding the other ingredients. As always, this is seasoned to my taste. It may be a little too spicy for some people so if concerned about the heat start with a 1/4 teaspoon of chipotle powder, taste test it near the end of the cooking process and add more if desired.

Dried beans take time to cook but it’s always well worth the effort. As a bonus, they are also cheaper than canned or frozen for those who don’t have access to home grown beans.

5 cups water or vegetable broth
2 cups dried black beans
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs mild chili powder
1 Tbs smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

In a medium saucepot with a lid, sauté onion & garlic in oil until onion is translucent. Add other ingredients, stir well and cover. Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 3-4 hours until the beans are cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

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Crock Pot Almond Milk Yogurt

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Vandy Roadifer

Yogurt is a very good thing if you have decreased amounts of microbes in your gut but not so good if you’re sensitive to dairy products. I found a local source for non-dairy yogurt using coconut milk or almond milk; however, the sugar content is much higher than I like. After much research and experimenting, I came up with this fairly easy recipe. It relies on commercial yogurt for the necessary bacteria since I couldn’t find an inexpensive source for non-dairy yogurt starter. Once you make one batch, save a half cup of yogurt to use as a starter for your next batch. Depending on ones sensitivity to dairy products and availability, the commercial yogurt can be made of cow’s milk, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, almond milk, coconut milk or oat milk. Someone I know has even used yogurt with fruit in it with success.

My first attempt at yogurt making I used arrowroot powder and agar agar to thicken it but it didn’t turn out well. I switched to products I’m more familiar with: corn starch and gelatin. It means the recipe isn’t vegan but then neither am I. I used three packets of Knox Gelatin which equals 7 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin or 0.75 ounces. It’s very gelatin-like in texture and my next batch I may decrease the gelatin by one packet and increase the corn starch but for now, this recipe works.

I didn’t sweeten or flavor my yogurt since I like the neutral almond quality. I’ve eaten it with stevia and fruit, with honey, in borscht, in crepes, and as tzatziki.

Update: I made the changes I discussed above (decreased gelatin to 2 packets, increased corn starch to 1/2 cup) and it turned out beautifully, more creamy and less like Jello. I made the changes to the recipe below. I also tried an almond coconut milk blend and I think I like it better than the almond milk alone. In the future I’ll make a straight coconut milk yogurt.

8 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup corn starch
0.50 oz powdered gelatin

Sterilize the bowls, pots and utensils you’ll use by pouring boiling water in them or soaking them in boiling water for several minutes. Add 4 cups almond milk to the crock pot and turn it on high. Bring two cups of almond milk to a boil in a medium saucepot. In a small bowl, pour one cup of almond milk. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the top of it to bloom. In another small bowl, add one cup almond milk and corn starch. Whisk together. Add the corn starch slurry to the boiling almond milk and whisk until the almond milk has thickened. Add the gelatin and stir until the gelatin has melted. Pour the thickened almond milk into the crock pot with the rest of the almond milk. Whisk well. Heat the almond mixture in the crock pot up to 140*F. Turn off the heat and let the almond mixture cool down to 105*F. This may take several hours. Once cool, remove approximately two cups of the almond mixture and whisk the yogurt into it. Return the almond yogurt to the crock pot. Stir well. Cover the crock pot with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place the lid on top of the towel and let sit for 8-12 hours. The longer it sits, the more bacteria is formed. After it rests, stir well and pour up into airtight containers. Store in the refrigerator. The gelatin will set up in 2-4 hours and it will be ready to eat.

Posted in Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Sauces, Side Dish, Snack food, Specialized Diets | 2 Comments