I can’t believe it’s not wheat…

Usually this type of phrase is reserved for a blonde haired fabio when he’s talking about margarine.

But this particular phrase has been coming out of my mouth lately. Even more so from members of  my family.

I never used to be one for baking bread. In fact the last time I contemplated baking bread, we had a bread making machine in the kitchen.

Since turning GF I’ve added a couple of breads to my kitchen apron belt. Banana bread, peach and apple bread, raspberry and sultana bread, chocolate banana walnut loaf, apricot and lemon cinnamon bread and pineapple and coconut loaf to name a few.

But it didn’t happen overnight. I can remember my first triumphs and most clearly, my first and biggest failures.

Failures in rise, texture, dryness (as in too much), under cooked or the biggest failure, the taste.

Lately however I have seemed to have gotten my groove on and since becoming GF nearly 12 months ago, I’ve noticed I’ve influenced a few around me to also give it ago.

Most prefer it. In fact, most don’t even miss it. I know I don’t. ‘

I used to think I wanted wheat or the products containing it so it’s  funny how since finding out that these products and the gluten within them are the reason that I’ve been so ill in the past has managed to turn me off them completely.

The secrets to a wheat free existence? It’s all in the staples. I thought I would share some of mine 🙂

Plain GF flour – for basic baking, slightly dry texture but good for pancake or muffin base. Why waste time trying to combine multiple flours when some of the pre-done (bob’s) flour is one of the best you can get?

Coconut flour – good for adding a bit of extra flavour but don’t use it as a complete substitute or it will end up feeling like you are eating a mouth full of coconut fluff. Crumbly and dry.

GF baking powder – my godsend and secret weapon for rising or at least lifting

Coconut oil – awesome for solidifying chocolate type biscuits or adding moisture to cakes. Think rich chocolate crackles or chocolate Torte.

Olive oil – great for muffins and biscuits

Maple Syrup – sweet hit without the spike in glucose

Chia seeds – Brings together mixture without drying it out

Bi-carb soda – an extra hit for rise

Buckwheat flour – perfect for pancakes or for savoury mini muffins/Quiches

Self raising GF flour – I hardly use this, find it isn’t as smooth or nice as Plain and can be a bit too dense

Polenta – excellent for adding some density to cakes

Almond Meal – my go to for creating friand type consistency or a good crunch in biscuits. Also combine it with LSA and dates for a wicked crumble on top of muffins or use as a crunchy base for tortes.

Quinoa flakes or Quinoa – great for adding to peanut butter/sultana cookies for crunchiness

Rice flour – Combine it with some almond meal for a near perfect shortbread type consistency for biscuits

Cinnamon/Allspice/Nutmeg – love these spices perfect with nearly everything including pumpkin, herb and fruit based recipes

Almond milk – the best for cooking/baking. It’s creamier and better consistency, rice milk doesnt combine as well and soy can be a bit too harsh

Dates/sulantas – when needing moisture these do the trick I add them to most of my recipes.

Honey – Used sparingly, no more than a tablespoon per batch adds a touch of sweetness

Ricotta/greek yoghurt – when mixed with maple/honey and a bit of lemon can make the best icing or filling along with cane sugar-free jam.

There are plenty more but these are my basic essentials, I would love to hear of any other GF/SF/DF tips for cooking staples out there 🙂

x

J

 

 

blowing a chocolate raspberry kiss..

So as a little thank you to the hospital staff for all their care, compassion and understanding last week I though I’d send them a chocolate raspberry kiss.

Well an edible one anyway.

Along with some choc raspberry nut biscuits, I sent up some kale and carrot muffins, apricot and banana muffins and a couple of choc cherry muffins. All made GF, LF, DF, EF and vegan friendly chocolate.

Thought I’d share a pic of the biscuits. Saved a couple for home and they don’t look like they will last the day 🙂

x

J

 

Entering the kitchen with abandon..

‘Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all’  – Julia Child

It’s safe to say I’ve been a busy girl. Just yesterday I baked a batch of peanut butter quinoa cookies, citrus ginger muffins, an orange chia cake and some raspberry/orange muffins.

All basically to test recipe modifications out and also to stock the kitchen with goodies for morning tea for the week.

But also because I couldn’t keep the smile off my face the entire time.

The best part always for me is two-fold. Seeing the final result come out of the oven and the faces of people when they eat it. I don’t actually eat a huge amount of what I bake. Just a sample here and there. It’s mainly to hear and see the delight of others.

So as I ponder the next experiment I thought I’d share some of my favourite cooking quotes. They really convey just how wonderful I feel baking in this gf, sf, lf world. The happiness that flows when there is nothing but ingredients spread across the bench, a spoon in my hand and the oven glowing in the background.

For the love of baking and food……

 

‘There is no love sincerer than the love of food’ – George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish writer

‘Good painting is like good cooking; it can be tasted, but not explained’ – Maurice de Vlaminck

‘The best seasoning to food is the love you put in it.’ – Anonymous

‘The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.’  ― Julia Child

‘Until I discovered cooking, I was never really interested in anything.’ ― Julia Child

‘…no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.’ ―  Julia Child

and who better to sum it up then this fellow…

“C is for cookie, it’s good enough for me; oh cookie cookie cookie starts with C.” – Cookie Monster, Sesame Street

ah cookie monster a man after my own heart 🙂

x

J

Boom chia wow wow…

So for those who missed the memo. Goji berries are passe’. Acai are old hat. Chia seeds are the new black.

You know when an obscure super food has gone mainstream when your grandmother shows you the woolies brand packet she just bought of it.

I’ve never been one to follow trends and hype. You’ll never catch me reading the dan brown series (hated it, too predictable) or the girl with the dragon tatoo series (too dark and obsessive). I’m the same with my food.

However, since going GF I noticed just not only much sugar was in GF recipes but the butter and dairy that was thrown into the mix to make it taste good and appear more normal.

What does this have to do with the humble black chia seed? A lot. It’s in baking that this little seed which has no taste of its own and looks just like an everyday poppy-seed dons it’s superman cape and takes charge.

Not only can I replace Dairy/Butter products with it, but I can add it to recipes to keep muffins, cakes and biscuits from drying out.

By adding one tablespoon of the chia seeds to eight parts water  a little known wonder can be created called chia seed gel. It tastes like a bowl of nothing. But put it into a recipe and it absorbs all the flavours in the recipe as it own.

It sounds like a lot of trouble I’m sure, but when you consider that by using the gel you are removing up to 75% of the fat in most of the recipes, you’ll find yourself starting to get excited.

The best part is the chia gel functions as a hunger suppressant by slowing down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates in the system, thus ensuring that you stay full for a longer period without sudden peaks in blood sugar.

The chia gel acts in the digestive tract like a broom, cleaning out your intestine as it makes its way through the system. This action helps to clear the body of toxins as well as foods that may be slow in passing through the system, like meats and dairy products which are low in fiber.

I’m no chia seed junkie or cheerleader but since discovering it, the whole family is hooked. A serving (teaspoon) of the seed has:

• 15 times more magnesium than brocoli
• 18 times more Omega 3 than Salmon
• Six times more Calcium than Whole Milk
• Three times more iron than Spinach
• 30 percent more Antioxidants than Blueberries
• 15 percent more Fibre than Flaxseed

No simple feat for any single food. But it does come with a draw back. Calories. In just one teaspoon (8 grams) it has more than 68 calories. The equivalent of  nearly a cup of raspberries.

So it’s all about moderation with the seed. While the national nutritional guidelines have no limit to how much you can eat of the super food, there can be too much of a good thing.

As with all food fads I’m sure the hype and excitement around the seed will eventually die down but for once, some of its celebrity is actually deserved. So for now the humble chia seed will always have its own spotlight in my kitchen cupboard.

x

J

 

almonds make the world go round..

I don’t why, but lately I’ve been waking up dreaming of anzac  and jam drop biscuits. The texture, the sweetness and crunchiness.

It’s true, I’m a biscuit junkie. So with this in mind, I decided to do some experimenting.

To most it sounds like fun. To my family, they know what this can mean. Thrown tea towels. Sighs and swearwords streaming from the kitchen. Burnt, flat and overly dry samples. Taste testing is fraught with mood swings and tears. Experimental baking is a dangerous sport in this household.

I was determined not to let these biscuits turn out like the last (peanut butter nut – too dry) or like the johnny cake biscuit episode (dried as hard as cement and as about as tasteless as it too).

And I ended up with a combination to make Martha Stewart cry with joy. The Maple Fruit drop was born.

The best part, it’s a simple and healthy recipe that can be replicated time and time again.

The Goods:

2 Cups of Almond Meal

400g of almonds/walnuts/cashews or pecans

2 Tablespoons of Honey

100ml of Maple Syrup

15 Raspberries

10 Dried Prunes

250ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut oil (heat the coconut oil first so its a liquid

1 Tablespoon of Ground Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon of All Spice

Put all the nuts in the processor and process until they are ground up into fine, smaller chunks. Don’t grind them to dust. Pour into the almond meal and mix evenly. Add the rest of ingredients, except raspberries and prunes. The mixture should be moist and sticky. Roll into small balls and put on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place them 5cm apart (they spread quite a bit) and make a small hole in the middle of each one. Put a raspberry or prune in the holes. Bake at 180 degrees for 35 minutes until they are turning brown. Rotate the tray after 10 minutes to enjoy even baking.

 Remove from the oven and allow them to fully dry and set before moving onto a tray or container. They will be very soft when they come out of the oven. If for some reason they have spread too far and joined each other, then use a spatula to cut them apart without lifting. Once cooled, they will have hardened. Serve with coffee or as a snack for a bit of energy.

They are delicious and the best part is all the ingredients are incredibly good for you. I’m quite happy to be able to bypass the added sugar of jam, by adding natural fruit. Raspberries cook perfectly for a tart taste. Otherwise you can try blueberries, apricots or apple. You can mix it up and add sultanas to the mixture as well for added moisture.

x

j

make like ginger and snap to it

Ok I have officially died and gone to biscuit heaven.

After eight failed attempts at baking GF and SF  biscuits I have finally found a recipe that doesn’t sacrifice the taste or texture of the real thing.

Thank goodness for Babycakes and their GF/Vegan cook book. Bless you Erin McKenna and your epic ginger snap recipe! (pg 69) I’ve amended it slightly to take out the evaporated cane juice and substituted with honey.

As a result I was able to create a tasty stack of ginger snaps that my family are now devouring as I write. My guess is the tower will topple in the next hour or so.

The Goods:

3/4 Cup of Coconut oil (or olive oil)

1/3 Cup of homemade or store-bought unsweetened apple sauce

1 Teaspoon of salt

3 Tablespoons of Molasses

2 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract

3 Tablespoons of Honey

2 Cups of Plain Gluten Free Flour

1/4 Cup of Flaxseed Meal (Flax meal)

1 Tablespoon of Ground Ginger

1 Tablespoon of Mixed Spices

1 Tablespoon of Nutmeg

2 Tablespoons of Cinnamon

1.25 Teaspoons of Xanthan Gum

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

In one bowl mix the oil, applesauce, honey, salt, molasses and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flour, flax meal, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula careful add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed. Scoop dough onto baking sheets, spacing portions about 10cm apart. Gently press each with heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake for 15 minutes and rotate the sheets after nine minutes. The finished result will be crisp on edges and soft in centre.

The ginger and molasses flavour give them a real kick and snap. But be warned, they are incredibly moreish. Make sure you don’t get them too brown in the oven, otherwise they turn bitter.

Hurray!

Me: 1

Gluten: 0

x

J