Dairy Free - Soy Free Fruit Smoothie

First of all, I apologize for the lack of posts.

Part of it has been because of the lack of mental energy to do anything extra.

Part of it has been because of my obsessive habit of "All-Or-Nothing": 

If I don't have have time to do something REALLY WELL, I don't want to do it at all! 

:(

An Indian summer is upon us, I am taking advantage of the warm days to enjoy smoothies.

My ingredient measurements are a little vague...I rarely measure anything but go by "lumps" or "spoons".

I'll do my best to put that into tablespoons and cups for you.

This recipe makes a frozen treat for two.

Dairy/Soy Free Fruit Smoothie

3-4 Tbsp.     coconut milk (more if you want it richer and creamier)

1                  farm-fresh raw egg, preferably organic (if you only have access to store bought 

                    eggs do not use raw egg because of increased risk of salmonella)  

1                  ripe banana

1 tsp            psyllium husks (optional)

1 tsp            flax seed (use more if you like to)

2 tsp            flax seed oil (optional)

dose for 2 people of vitamin D3 drops (optional)

2 cups         frozen fruit - any variety or mix

1                 thin slice of lemon, including peel if organic (this gives a little sparkle of flavor)

1 cup -/+    water as needed to help smoothie turn over in blender 

Directions:

-Put all ingredients into blender. 

-Blend until smooth and creamy, adding water as needed and tamping down to help it move.

-Divide into two large glasses and enjoy along with good conversation.

Breadless Breakfast

Not only am I avoiding gluten, dairy, soy and nuts...but right now I am also having to avoid yeast, most sugar and simple carbohydrates. That makes breakfast a bit of a challenge!
Pictured is my current most favorite, satisfying breakfast: One fried egg (or poached), 1 piece bacon or ham or a little shredded chicken, stir fried vegetables (mix of whatever I have on hand and reheated from the night before to save time) with salsa on the side. So, even when the rest of the family is eating muffins, pancakes or toast, I am very satisfied with my delicious, filling breakfast.

For lunch I usually have a bowl of vegetable soup (homemade from leftovers with sliced vegetables and homemade broth added). Sometimes I have a flax wrap filled with raw or stirfied veggies and Dijon mustard.
My afternoon snack is usually fruit: an apple or an orange, grapefruit, or small smoothie.
Supper is whatever the family is eating...with some modifications. I eat little or none of the starch (potato, rice, whatever), a large helping of vegetables (steamed or stir fried) with a piece of meat the size of the palm of my hand. Since I have a very demanding sweet tooth :) I do usually have some dessert at supper: a cookie or a small piece of pie for example.

Eating this way has almost healed me of my long standing UT infection and the gas/bloating from too much yeast in my system. Plus I have more energy - a very welcomed bonus!

Blender Pancakes - Again

I know I have posted this recipe before, but here is an updated version with pictures:
This recipe starts with whole grains that are soaked for at least 12 hours (or up to 5 days). It is really one of my favorite recipes. I have given up eating almost all baked goods - except for Sunday dessert and these pancakes! With the soaked grains, they are very easily digested and full of goodness. I prefer when the grain soaks at least 3 days as I like the sourdough taste. I dry leftover pancakes to make canapes. I place them on the oven wrack on the lowest setting (I think my oven goes down to 150 degrees) and leave until crispy and dry. They are delicious dipped in garlicky olive oil and eaten with salmon and lemon. :)
You may want to thin your batter more then I have, depending on how thin you like your cakes.


1 cup whole brown rice
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
1/2 cup millet
3 cups pure water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Combine the grains (you can go ahead and substitute any other gluten free whole grain for the buckwheat or millet) in a 2 qt container (I use a 2qt canning jar). Mix lightly and cover loosely (I use a coffee filter over the top of the jar with a rubber band to secure it). Let sit in a warm place overnight or up to 5 days - it has been my experience that any longer and it tastes too sour. If you are not going to use it after this time, just pop it into the fridge for a few days.

3 eggs
1/4 cup oil
2 Tbsp honey
Combine with the soaked grains and liquid in the blender (depending on your blender, you may need to do this in two batches). Puree until smooth.

1 cup tapioca or potato starch
1 tsp guar gum
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Sift dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour the puree mixture over the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Spoon onto a hot, greased griddle. Flip when bubbles form and the cakes are golden brown. Delicious with blueberries.

Egg Free Apple Sauce Muffins

These muffins were adapted from the recipe on Daily Pleasures. I was hesitant to try a recipe without eggs as I have felt that gluten free baking really needs eggs to turn out well. These muffins were a very pleasant surprise - they turned out moist, soft and surprisingly light. On the second day, they were a little bit dry, but a few seconds in the microwave restored them to a fresh state. I was so pleased to post a recipe that my "egg-free" friends can use.
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup honey or sugar
1 1/2 cup thick apple sauce
1/2 cup water

METHOD: Just as a note, if your apple sauce is runny, you will not need to add as much water. Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add all wet ingredients and mix well. Spoon into greased muffin tins or paper muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon if desired. Bake at 385 F for 20 min. This makes 12 muffins. These smell wonderful while baking. Raisins would be a lovely addition.

Waffles

My family enjoys when I make a special brunch on Sundays. Waffles are the kid's favorite choice. These turn out light and crisp and are nice to store in the freezer to heat in the toaster as needed. (Yes, this is my husband's breakfast - I interrupted him to take a picture of his meal) :)

GLUTEN FREE WAFFLES

2 cups rice flour

1 cup tapioca starch

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

4 eggs

3 cups water

1/2 cup oil or melted butter

METHOD:
Sift dry ingredients together. Whisk eggs, water and oil or butter together and then stir it into the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter.

Pour 1/2 cup of batter into a hot waffle iron and cook until the waffle stops steaming and is lightly brown and crisp.

Serve hot or keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. If you are freezing them, let them cool on racks. Freeze on cookie sheets and when hard, place in bags.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

I mentioned in the last post how I had been working with breads this last week. I used the Potato Bread from the last post to make a Cinnamon Roll Loaf that has received rave reviews by the family. It turned out soft and moist on the inside with a crusty outer crust. We always have a special brunch on Christmas morning and this year, I plan on serving this bread. :) It is, like most gluten free baking, best eaten fresh. Once it is a day old, warm in microwave.

First of all, I made a single loaf of potato bread, following the directions in this post. If you make the whole recipe, you will have two loaves: you can half the recipe to make one loaf...or you can make the whole recipe and have one plain loaf and one cinnamon roll loaf.

Next, I mixed the filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup rice flour
Use a fork to mix well and cut in the margarine.

Grease a pan to bake the bread in. I used a small oval roaster as it had a nice shape. If you use a loaf pan, use a large one - not the regular size as it will be too small.

Then lay out a tea towel that has a smooth grain (not waffled) and dust it liberally with tapioca starch.

Scrape the bread dough into a pile in the center of the tea towel. This is a very soft dough and it would be impossible to work with any other way.

With a spatula, spread the dough into a rectangle shape - about as wide as the length of your pan. I spread it about 3/4" thick. It may make it easier to keep dipping your spatula in water as you spread the dough to keep it from sticking.

Spread the cinnamon-sugar-raisin mixture over the dough, leaving about 2" at the end uncovered so it will seal after rolling the dough.

Now gently pick up the end of the towel opposite the end that you left the 2" plain. As you lift the towel, the dough will start rolling.

Keep lifting and rolling the dough until it is almost at the end. Then with one hand, pick up the bottom end of the towel, hold it over your greased pan and let the dough roll into the pan.

It should look something like this. I have made this bread three times and it rolled different every time - once tearing the dough a little... but in the end, it turned out fine and looked nice.

Let rise and bake according to the potato bread recipe instructions and ENJOY! The bread below was delicious, but the swirl was a little lopsided... my subsequent efforts turned out more even. ;) The last time I baked this, I iced the loaf which was nice.

Be sure to shake the tea towel outside to remove most of the starch before laundering. :)

Betty's Corn Bread or Muffins

My first efforts at gluten free corn bread were very dry and crumbly. Consequently I was delighted when a friend passed on her recipe which turned out beautifully moist and tasty. I have altered the recipe slightly, but it is very close to Betty's original.

CORN BREAD

2/3 cups butter or margarine (I use light olive oil)

1/2 cup sugar or honey

4 eggs

1 2/3 cups milk or milks substitute (I use coconut milk)

1 1/2 cups rice flour

1 cup tapioca starch (or a mix of tapioca and potato starch)

1 cup corn meal

2 tsp guar gum (I use 1 tsp xanthan gum)

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

METHOD:

-Cream butter (or substitute) with sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs and milk.

-Sift dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

-Add the four mixture to the creamed mixture and mix till smooth.

-Pour into a greased 9"x13" pan or 16 greased or papered muffin cups.

-Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

We use corn bread as a side with stews and soups as well as well as for breakfast.

Hamberger "Bun" Solution

Anyone who has is forced to eat gluten free, has also been forced to be creative. One area that we have had to be creative in is sandwiches. In particular: hamburgers.

Now my husband really misses having a good old hamburger... you know, light bun, grilled paddy, pickles, lettuce, tomato, mushroom, onion, relish, mustard, ketchup... the works.

We have tried baking different kinds of buns, but none have really turned out how he likes them: light. We just have to face the fact that GF breads are denser and heavier than wheat breads. So we came up with another solution...

"The Pancake Burger"

OK, don't turn me off, I am serious! My husband says this tastes almost like a McDonald's burger - and that the pancakes are about as thick as a McDonald's hamburger bun, anyways. :)

So, now when we have a BBQ, we make up a batch of these little pancakes that just fit the hamburger paddies perfectly. They are tidy and easy to hold onto and make us feel like we are eating a real hamburger again.

By the way, this recipe makes fine breakfast pancakes, too. Since I avoid yeast, I keep some of these in the freezer to toast for lunch to eat with my chicken salad or whatever. They really are a solution for a lot of problems at our house! :)

BASIC PANCAKES

1 cups brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

2 Tbsp glutenous rice flour* or instant mashed potato flakes*, optional

pinch of xanthan gum (less than 1/8 tsp)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oil

2 eggs

1 cup water or milk

METHOD:

-Put all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

- Add the oil, eggs and water all together and whisk until smooth.

-Pour onto a hot, greased griddle in small rounds. Turn when the edges appear dry and they are browned.

*The glutenous rice flour does NOT have gluten in it... it is just ground from a sticky rice. I get it in the oriental section in my grocery store.

*Make sure that the mashed potato flakes are gluten free.

The purpose of the glutenous rice flour or the potato flakes is it makes the pancakes more moist and gives them a nicer texture.

Blender Pancakes

For this recipe, you do not need any ground flour! You first soak the whole grains to soften them, and then puree them in the blender. If you savvy the taste of sourdough pancakes, soak the grains for about 3 days. It will start to bubble and smell like sour starter.

1 cup whole brown rice

1/2 cup buckwheat groats

1/2 cup whole millet

2 1/2 cups pure water (no chlorine)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

3 eggs

1/4 cup oil

2 tbsp honey or sugar

1 cup tapioca starch

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp baking powder

METHOD: In a large jar or bowl, combine the grains, water and lemon juice. Cover with a towel and let soak overnight or up to 5 days (tastes quite sour).

Pour soaked grains and liquid into the blender. Puree until smooth. If you have a large blender (like a Vita-Mix) you can do the next step in the blender. If not, pour the puree into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Whisk until smooth.

Drop batter onto hot, greased fry pan (cast iron works the best because of the even heating). These pancakes will cook at a slightly lower temperature, for slightly longer time than regular pancakes.

Fresh or frozen berries are a wonderful addition to these pancakes. My personal favorite is making these pancakes without berries but serving them with whipped cream and a thickened berry sauce. I make it from fresh or frozen berries and I can sweeten with natural cane sugar or real maple syrup for a much healthier (and tastier) topping than commercial syrups.