I Tried Quinoa Flour!!!

Ok, so if you are one who has been following some of my posts and have read the one on Gluten-Free Flours, you will remember that I talked about seeing Quinoa Flour in the store, but hadn't tried it yet.

I tried it this week...  and here is my story.

In its raw state it has a similar texture to buckwheat flour when rubbing between your fingers, seemed about the same density, and very close in color.  The smell was not quite as strong as buckwheat, it did however have a light quinoa smell (of course, that makes sense.).

So, because it costs a little over $7 per pound here, I decided to buy just a pound and try it.  I contemplated for a few days on what I would make with this expensive ingredient.  It would have to be something that I could make with 100% quinoa flour, no other flour mixed in, to see the full results of this, and since I only had a pound it would have to be a small batch of something.  Also, it would have to be an item that, if ended up having a strong flavor, could be slathered with something to cover up any possible offensive flavor, like butter, cream cheese, frosting or a sauce.... because at that price, it was not going to be thrown away!  And I was going to have to wait to make something until I was absolutely sure on what item it would be, there were going to be no regrets with $7 at stake here!

So, yesterday, upon getting out of bed, realized (and yes, this is how my thought process went at the time)...  "I have nothing for breakfast this morning (with five hungry kids, my step-kids being here too)... gotta make something...  What is it gonna be?? What do I have?  No chocolate chips...  no baking cocoa...  no blueberries in the freezer...  Maybe I could do some sort of muffins, that don't include any of those things... nah, just muffins the other day...  Ooo apples, I have four apples!  Apple muffins??  No, just did those...  oh yeah..  Hhhhmmm, what could I put apples in for breakfast?  Oh, a coffee cake would be nice... and I will have to make a "regular" apple coffee cake, for those who are not gluten-free because the gluten-free stuff is so expensive... wait... expensive???  Hey! *light bulb moment* I will use the quinoa flour for this!  This cake has that warm vanilla sauce that I can drizzle over it, which will be great if it doesn't come out as good as I am hoping..."  And that is what I did.

I made a small batch that used all but about 3/4 of the quinoa flour that I had, just enough to mix in with the buckwheat flour in another recipe experiment later on.  The batter was a good consistency, but the flavor had a somewhat strong quinoa aftertaste.  I love quinoa, but wasn't sure that I would like it in cake form.  However, this recipe did have enough apples and sugar to probably override some of it.  Maybe cooking it would subdue the flavor some.  The cake rose nicely when baking, and held its rise while cooling.  Could this be?  It was amazing!  Sometimes the gluten-free products either won't rise because the flour is too heavy OR they may rise a little bit in the oven, but then fall a little bit as they cool and become heavy.  As I said in the "gluten-free flours" post, so far the best results have come from the buckwheat and corn flour (masa harina) combination - although not a good answer for anyone who has to avoid corn, my son luckily can have corn, so it has been good for what I have been making.  The real proof would be in the texture and flavor, of the marvelous wonder.  Cutting it, it felt very soft and tender, and, noticing a few crumbs sticking to the knife.. still moist??  Hhhmmm, so NOT like most of the other gluten-free products.  The cake was still quite warm as I was cutting it and removing it from the pan, so it was very tender.  Once the cake was plated, it looked so close to a "regular" coffee cake, and smelled delicious.  The taste was awesome!  It only had just a slight quinoa aftertaste, but it was so light and fluffy, tender and delicious.  Even at room temperature this cake stays soft and moist... WOW.

I wish that I could afford this flour to use it for everything!  I did do a little bit of price research online, and Amazon.com sells it, averaging anywhere from $4.50-$9.50 per pound, this wasn't including shipping from what I could see... sometimes you can get free shipping and if that is the case some of the brands would be a decent deal,  but I will have to continue my research on this.  I will most likely get more (small amounts at monthly intervals probably) and see how it works with other recipes.  For now this will be my "special treat" flour, or maybe my "really good gluten-free cake" flour or...  ok, I'll just stop there.

For the recipe please see post named:  "Apple Coffee Cake w/Warm Vanilla Sauce" (Coming Soon...)

Shrimp Wiggle

Nope, it doesn't wiggle on the plate, or in your belly, but makes you wiggle when you eat it because it is so good!  :o)  This is another one of our favorites and a traditional food in my area.  My Mom made it when I was a kid, it actually was not my favorite thing back then... but now, it is a dish that I thoroughly enjoy.  My son and daughter love it!  They would eat it for several meals in a row!  My son would probably eat it for breakfast, matter of fact, I think he has before....  hhhmmm, I know he has had fish chowder for breakfast in the past.  When that kid likes something, the meal that it is usually associated with is irrelevant!

Typically, Shrimp Wiggle is a bechamel sauce (creamy milk-based white sauce) with tiny Maine shrimp and baby peas in it, then served over biscuits for a hearty, stick-to-your ribs, comfort food.  Since traditional bechamel sauce is thickened with a roux, which is a mixture of butter and flour, I have adapted this recipe for gluten-free by using cornstarch as a thickener.  You can use arrowroot, if you cannot have corn products.  I added some butter into the sauce as well, because I didn't want to totally lose the rich flavor that a bechamel usually attains from the butter in the roux.  This recipe can be adapted into many other dishes.  I use this same method for making sausage gravy, except that I sautee turkey sausage, then make the sauce in the same pan with some of the dripping after removing the cooked meat,  adding the meat back into the sauce, once it is thickened - I find it is just easier to whisk in the cornstarch without dealing with all the chunks of sausage.  If you have a dairy allergy you could easily use the same method and substitute out the milk for a combination of white fish stock and vegetable stock... the end product would be basically a gluten-free  veloute sauce, it would not be as white colored of course, but I bet it would still be delicious.  You can create your own dishes with this sauce, or use it in a different application other than over biscuits...  have fun and be creative!  Please leave comments and let me know what you try!

6 c. milk (any % you like, I typically use 2%)
6 Tbs cornstarch
4 Tbs. cold water
3 (4 oz.) cans of tiny Maine shrimp, drained, reserving liquid
1-1 1/2 c. baby peas (petit peas), frozen, cooked and drained
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat milk in large sauce pan until steaming...  (watch carefully... it will boil over quickly as it gets to the boiling point)  While milk is heating combine cornstarch and water in small bowl and whisk with a fork until dissolved to make a cornstarch slurry.  When milk reaches the steaming point, pour in cornstarch slurry in a slow steady stream while whisking constantly.  Continue whisking and watch very carefully - milk should thicken as it begins to boil.  I like to turn the heat down to medium - medium/high during this stage, the milk can still boil over if brought to a boil too quickly.  As soon as it thickens, turn the heat down to low, still stirring occasionally, add the shrimp and cooked peas to the sauce.  Continue stirring occasionally until hot.  If you find that the sauce it too thick to your liking, you may add some of the reserved liquid from the shrimp or more milk...  if you think you would like it thicker, you can add more cornstarch slurry, however do this before adding the shrimp and peas simply because you will have to increase the temperature of the sauce to boiling point to thicken the cornstarch.  If the shrimp and peas are in there, they will overcook and fall apart.

Enjoy on the gluten-free, egg-free biscuits (as shown in picture above)...

Biscuits (GF/EF)

Gluten-Free/Egg-Free biscuits are another one of our staples here, where I don't buy the pre-made, gluten-free breads, and am still working on a good recipe for that.  We like them for breakfast, toasted on a hot cast iron pan or with supper in place of regular bread...  sometimes with a burger on them, using it as a bun.  It took me a little while to get them to come out somewhat tender and not too dry, while still holding together.  Most recipes were either way too hard, heavy, dry, crumbly, or just plain tasteless!  Finally this one is nice- soft enough to eat with just butter, and sturdy enough to eat with sausage gravy or shrimp wiggle.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

I do use Bakewell Cream for these...  I am a fan of the biscuit recipe on the can, and that is what I use for my "normal" biscuits.  This is an adaptation from that.  Bakewell Cream is a Maine made item, I never used to be able to find it outside of the state, not sure about now.  If you live in an area where you cannot purchase this in your local grocery store you can order from this website:  http://www.newenglandcupboard.com/bakewell-cream.php, and I tell you it is worth it to get it.  I like to use it in some recipes in place of the baking powder (the substitution ratio is on the can).  You can substitute baking powder in place of the Bakewell Cream if desired: 1 tsp baking powder for every 2/3 tsp Bakewell Cream.  The results will not be quite as good, but it will still be a decent biscuit.

Regarding other allergies:  you can use any form of dairy-free milk for these, or all buckwheat flour if you cannot have the corn, or if you run out, like I do occasionally.  I have not tried another form of fat in these, other than shortening which works, but I do not use anymore, due to avoiding the hydrogenated fats.  Coconut oil may work in its more solidified room temperature form, I have not tried this yet...  I would not use vegetable or olive oil however.

2 c. Buckwheat Flour
3/4 c. Masa Harina
2 tsp. Bakewell Cream
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbs Butter (or you can do 3 Tbs butter and 3 Tbs cream cheese, also comes out delicious!)
2 Tbs Flaxseed egg substitute
1 1/4 c. cold milk

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  Mix the dry ingredients together.  Cut in the butter (and cream cheese if you chose to use it) into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, the fat pieces should be smaller than the size of baby peas.  Add the flaxseed mixture and cold milk and stir until all is moistened.  This dough will be very soft and tacky, but not so tacky that it is impossible to work with.  If that happens simply add a little more of one of the flours.  You don't have to worry about over mixing these, because there is no gluten to get tough.  Although be careful not to get too much flour, or the result will be a dryer more crumbly biscuit.  Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and pat out with your hand into a circle that is about 3/4" thick.  Cut with a floured biscuit cutter and place biscuits on a greased sheet pan.  They may seem quite soft when moving them to the pan, this is ok, simply use an offset metal spatula to move them they will bake up nicely!  I like to place them together so that they touch to help them rise upwards instead of spreading out, it also keeps the sides of the biscuits soft and not dry.  Please remember, they will not rise as much as "normal" biscuits, this is ok, they should still be soft and tender inside.  Place pan in oven and bake for 5 mins and then turn the oven off, keeping the door shut, bake for another 5-10 mins until firm to the touch and bottom should be golden brown.  The tops don't always get very brown, that is ok, just don't judge their "doneness" by that!

Glazed Chocolate Doughnuts (GF/EF)

Really???  Gluten-Free/Egg-Free Glazed Chocolate Doughnuts??  Is that possible??  When my son asked for these for his birthday (he doesn't care for cake), I thought, "Ok, something I haven't done before...  matter of fact I haven't seen anyone make a gluten-free/egg-free doughnut around here (the area I live, in general) yet..  is that possible?"  Although I guess I haven't done a lot of research on that one yet either.  So I was up for the challenge.   I was sure that I could come close, and I have to say, they turned out rather good!  My husband made the statement, "Hey, they look like donuts!".  Yeah, that was part of my goal. ;o)

They are deep fried just like a regular doughnut.  I used vegetable oil, since we also avoid using any hydrogenated fats.  I do not own a deep fryer, so I used a pot with a candy thermometer, so regulating the heat was a little challenging, but not impossible.  I did find that they cooked through much faster than a regular doughnut, possibly due to the lack of eggs.  I probably left them cooking a minute or two too long worried that I would end up with a doughnut that was raw in the middle.  I am sure that may have added some to the fact that they came out just a little bit dry.  I am going to hopefully try another batch in a week or so and see if I can get it perfect.

So, I am not posting a recipe yet, in hopes that I will have a great recipe up here in the future instead of just an ok one, but wanted to post the results of the doughnut experiment because I was so excited that they came out so close to perfect! Now, even though they were not perfect, I was still impressed, and so was my son who has not had any doughnuts for over 6 months.  Needless to say we had one happy birthday boy around here tonight!  Yay! 

Cornbread (GF/EF)

Cornbread...  A staple at our house with chili, rice and beans or at cookouts.  Sometimes we eat it for breakfast with molasses on it, delicious!  It took several tries to get a recipe down that stayed moist due to no eggs and that had a soft texture with no added wheat flour in it.  This is finally it!  This is good with cranberries in it too, for a change up.  Any dried fruit could be added and it could be baked in muffin tins to make a delicious breakfast muffin, with jam or molasses, or Sun Butter (made from sunflower seeds, for those allergic to nuts...). 

1 c. Yellow Cornmeal
1 c. Masa Harina
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 c. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 c. Flax seed egg substitue (see info on the "Egg Substitutes" post)
1 1/2 c. Milk
1/2 c. Applesauce
1/4 c. Melted Butter

Combine and whisk all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Measure in all the liquid ingredients and whisk by hand until smooth.  Pour into a greased 8" square or 9" round pan, or greased muffin tins.  Bake at 350 degrees until top is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean, a crumb or two on the toothpick is good, but should not look gooey.  Remove from oven and let rest 5-10 mins before cutting.  This is delicious served warm, and it even stays moist at room temperature!  We love this recipe!
Yeilds:  about 12 servings/or 12 muffins if using a muffin tin.

Buckwheat Pancakes (GF/EF)

These pancakes come out soft and tender, of course not as light as a regular pancake but superior to most other recipes I have tried for Gluten-Free, Egg-Free.  This particular recipe does have milk in it, but it works great with other non-dairy milks if you are dairy-free.  One of our favorites is the almond milk, but it also works great with soy, coconut, and rice.  I have made pancakes with part orange juice as well - makes a great orange ginger pancake, by adding about 1/2 tsp ground dry ginger.  Be creative with these!  We like them with apples and cinnamon or blueberries.  They are good with mini chocolate chips as well.  Sometimes I just add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the plain batter just to liven up simple pancakes.  And, of course, always serve them with REAL maple syrup!


1 1/2 c. Buckwheat Flour*
1/4 c. Granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
2 Tbs. oil (vegetable oil, light olive oil, or coconut oil)
1 c. Milk (regular or non-dairy)
1 tsp. vinegar
1/4 c. flaxseed egg substitute (see info on "Egg Substitutes" post)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs. applesauce

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Add all the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry, and whisk until smooth.  That is one beautiful thing about working with gluten-free flours, you really can't over mix a batter.  For instance, with regular pancake batters or muffin batters made with wheat flours, over mixing will produce a heavy, tough product.  I have not found this to be true of the gluten-free flours.

Pancake is ready to flip!

Heat a skillet to medium low heat.  When skillet is hot, grease it with butter.  I use butter to grease pan, but again if you are dairy-free, veg oil, coconut oil or light olive oil will also work.  Ladle batter onto skillet into pancakes, I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup as a ladle for small pancakes, or a 1/3 cup measuring cup for slightly larger pancakes.  Flip pancakes when they start to get bubbles on the top and edges and parts of top look set.  See photo to the left.  Both sides should be a nice golden brown color.  If the pancakes are not getting golden but are cooking through, turn the heat up, if the opposite is happening where they are getting too dark, but the middle is not setting up fast enough to turn them, turn the heat down slightly.

This recipe makes about 8 pancakes when using a 1/3 c. measuring cup as a ladle.  Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, reheating them quickly on a hot skillet works great!  They are also good eaten like toast with Sun Butter or almond butter (if you can have those.).

*This recipe does work well substituting 1/2c Masa Harina for 1/2 c. of the buckwheat flour.  I do this when I am running low in buckwheat flour, but have plenty of Masa.  

 YUM!  ENJOY!

Thin Pizza Crust

This pizza crust comes out thinner and crunchier than a regular pizza dough.  I guess some would compare the final product to the texture of a frozen, ready to cook pizza that you can purchase at your local grocery store.  We do like this crust a lot!  The batter is very easy and versitile, as well as the finished crusts.  This recipe uses mainly garbanzo bean flour, so it is super healthy, with lots of protien and the flavor goes great with the pizza sauce and any toppings you like.   (unfortunately I have no pictures of this yet, but will post one the next time I make it.)

1 c. garbanzo bean flour
1/2 c. cold water
1 T olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated onion
1/4-1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbs flax seed egg substitute mixture (see info in the "Egg Substitutes" post)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until totally smooth.  This is almost fail proof, you could blend it for 30 secs or several minutes and results won't change as long as the batter is smooth.  This should look like a pancake batter consistency, may need a little more water added, just add a couple tablespoons at a time until you get the desired consistency.  You can refrigerate this for up to three days until ready to use.

When ready to cook the batter:  Heat a 12" cast iron pan over medium heat, until it begins to smoke (but you don't want to fill your house with smoke, lol).  Example: my stove burners have heat levels that go from 1-10, 1 being low, 10 being high, and I put it on 5.  Place 1 Tbs of butter in the pan and let it melt. (if you are dairy free, coconut oil or olive oil should work fine for this).  When the butter is completely melted, ladle about 1 c. of batter into middle of the pan, the batter should spread out a little bit when put in there, but not run to the edges by itself.  Use an offset metal spatula (like one you would use to frost a cake...) to spread the batter almost to the edges of the pan.  Essentially you are making a pancake out of this batter.  Let this cook on the first side for about 5 mins or until the top of the batter no longer wet to the touch, and it will look like it is smoking from underneath and will be browned, similar to how a tortilla may look, but not black.  Carefully, using a large round shaped spatula, flip this large "pancake", and cook until the second side is browned.  Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.  When these are cool they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days until using.

When making the pizza on the crust:  I like to use canned crushed tomatoes, spreading this onto the crust, and then sprinkle on the sauce a combination of granulated onion, granulated garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper, sometimes some parmesan cheese, and then the pizza cheese and toppings*.  For those of you who are dairy free or vegan, feel free to use whatever cheese you like.  Then bake in a preheated 475 degree oven on a cookie sheet or pizza pan until cheese is melted and bubbly, sometimes a few golden spots are good, and the crust should be slightly crunchy/crispy on the bottom.


This recipe makes one crust.  I like to quadruple this recipe to get 4-5 crusts and keep a couple of the crusts on hand in the fridge for lunches or spur of the moment gluten-free meals.

* My son's favorite topping is the Hormel Non-Cured Pepperoni, comes in a small brown and red box- it has no nitrates/nitrites or other preservatives.  I love this pizza with caramelized onions, diced tomatoes, and other veggies!  A lot of times I will eat this crust over the original pizza crust!

Molasses Crinkles, Gluten-Free/Egg-Free

A GLUTEN-FREE COOKIE IS A HAPPY COOKIE!

These cookies are absolutely delicious!  They are soft and chewy with only a slight buckwheat taste and the texture is not too far off from a regular "glutenous" molasses crinkle.  This is one of those recipes that my daughter and husband likes even though they have no allergies.  And it is so easy!

1 stick of butter (4 oz.)
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. flax seed egg substitute (see information in the Egg Substitutes post)
1 1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1 c. masa harina
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves

Cream together the butter, sugar, molasses, applesauce, and flax egg substitute in an electric mixer.  Add the buckwheat flour, masa harina, salt, baking soda cinnamon, ginger and cloves and mix until well combined.
Refrigerate dough for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Roll into 1" balls and dredge in granulated sugar.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 mins at 350 degrees.  They should be slightly soft when touched in the top with finger, but not gushy.  After removing from oven let cool on baking sheet, removing them hot will result in breakage.  Makes about 2-2 1/2 dozen cookies.  Store in an airtight container, they stay moist and delicious for up to a week, if they don't get eaten up first!!  :o)

If you like molasses cookies or ginger snap type cookies...  you will love these!

Gluten-Free Flours

Buckwheat Flour

Kasha

Buckwheat Flour

Even though the name includes the word "wheat" it is not a type of wheat at all.  It is actually a seed that is in the rhubarb family.  In seed form it is referred to as "kasha" and you can find it toasted or raw, it can be cooked in boiling water and eaten as a side dish, like you would a pilaf.  I have tried this and really like it as a savory dish, not so much as a cereal.  My son did not like it at all!  In flour form it has a wonderful texture, very soft like a light or white whole wheat flour, when you touch it.  It bakes up lighter than any of the rice, potato or tapioca flours that I have tried.  Also at room temperature, the baked product is softer than when using the rice flours, which are heavy and dry at room temp.  This is one of my favorites to work with so far!  There is a light variety and a dark variety, at this point I mostly use the light since it has a milder flavor than the dark, it is more appealing to my son.  Buckwheat flour in general has a much stronger flavor than regular white all-purpose flours.  I compare it to a strong whole wheat flavor, that does come through as an undertone in many of the baked items.  My opinion is that I would rather have a little bit of the flavor with a much better textured item in relation to other gluten-free flours, that may be mostly flavorless, but produce very heavy baked items.


Masa Harina

Masa Harina (corn flour)

A delicious flour made from corn!  It is the same flour that is used to make corn tortillas.  If you have ever heard that corn has gluten in it, that is correct, however, to my understanding, it is a different type of gluten so most people who only have wheat gluten allergies can have corn gluten.  I know of a few people who have to avoid corn gluten as well as wheat gluten.  Many of the recipes posted in this blog contain a combination of buckwheat flour and masa harina.  If you are not able to have corn gluten, please do not use the masa, simply use all buckwheat.  It works just as well.  I use the masa combined with the buckwheat because the masa has a slightly sweeter flavor than the buckwheat so it seems to balance the stronger flavor of the buckwheat well.  I would not advise using all masa in a baked item without combining it with another flour.  The baked item will tend to be heavier, although it will retain some moisture.

Garbanzo Bean Flour
What I like about this flour:  It is very high in protein - a super plus when feeding an ADHD child :o), and it is great for savory applications such as pizza crust, the flavor goes especially well with it.  I would not recommend this flour for baked items simply because of the strong "beany" flavor.  Although I love garbanzo beans in general and also hummus, this flour is just a little too overwhelming in the flavor department for most of my baking.  However, I am going to try it for brownies at some point, I have heard that it works pretty good for that, but have been apprehensive about it due to the intense flavor of it.  I hate throwing out food - and wonder if that would be the outcome. I will keep you posted as I find out!

Quinoa in grain form

Quinoa Flour
Ok, so I am dying to try this flour!  I just saw it in the natural food store the other day, but didn't have enough funds that particular day.  It is a little more expensive than the buckwheat and the masa harina, but I LOVE quinoa grain itself cooked like a pilaf or made into a salad.  The quinoa grain, white or red variety, is said to be a "superfood", in that it contains complete protein, so it can substitute for meats.  Would love to hear comments from anyone who has tried this flour.  I am going to try it out soon and will post my results!

Rice, Potato, Tapioca Flours
I have found that these flours work well when combined with other flours or in a baking mix.  I don't care for the results of baked goods made with just one of these or a combination of just these three.  The flavor is ok, but the texture tends to be grainy, and the final product, when cooled to room temperature becomes very heavy and dense.  At that point, it is only good to eat if reheated, but even still, it's not quite the same as fresh.

Gluten-Free Baking Mixes and All-Purpose Flours
I do not use very many baking mixes simply because I usually have so many ingredients on hand doing everything from scratch.  Also many of them have the xanthan gum (or other gums) that I try not to use very often.  I have used "Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix" because a friend gave me a bag of it to try.  It contains rice flours, tapioca and potato starches, almond meal, buttermilk, xanthan gum, and leavening such as baking powder/soda.  This is not a mix that is acceptable for people with tree nut allergies or dairy allergies.  I did try it, and I admit that it worked pretty good.  I tried out the chocolate chip cookies that were on the back of the bag, and it was a decent product.  Still, for the price, I can make a larger variety of items out of the buckwheat and masa combination.  It would be worth the price for a special recipe that worked the best with only that mix it, or for a treat on a special occasion.

For the all-purpose flours, I have tried the "Gluten-Free King Arthur Multi-Purpose Flour" and the "Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour".  I am a King Arthur fan when it comes to their regular wheat flours, but not so with the gluten-free.  I found it to be WAY over priced, first of all, and the quality of the baked items was not so great that I was willing to keep paying the almost $8 for 24oz.  It is mainly comprised of the rice flours with potato and tapioca starches, so at room temp most baked items were very dense and solid.  The "Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour" was not a success in my book either, however I do know of a few people who use this for most of their gluten-free baking.  I found it to be overly strong tasting and still did not find that the texture was as mouth appealing as the masa or buckwheat.  This flour contains mainly potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, garbanzo bean flour and fava bean flour.  I think maybe it is the bean flours that I don't care for in this one too.  Although, like I said before, I love beans in general, but am not having good success with flavor in using their flours in sweet baked goods.

Egg Substitutes

Egg Substitute Powders

When I first found out that my son was allergic to eggs, I immediately went out and purchased the "ENER-G" brand egg replacer to use in baked products.  It works ok, but the ingredients include cellulose gum and carbohydrate gum.  I am actually trying to avoid using any of the "gums", xanthan gum included, due to the findings that it may cause problems in the digestive track over a long period of consumption.  From my understanding some people never experience adverse reactions to it, and some do.  At this point I figured it is safer for my son not to have to deal with another possible health issue.  I do use an all-purpose baking mix such as "Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix" (can be purchased on Amazon.com if you can't find it in a local store) very ocassionally and it does contain the xanthan gum.  So I am not saying that I am boycotting the stuff, just being careful of the amount that we consume.

Ground Flax Seed
The best one I have found so far is ground flax seed.  Mixing one tablespoon of the ground flax seed with three tablespoons of warm water and letting it sit for a few minutes will result in a very eggy textured mixture.  This amount is equivalent to one large egg in the use of baking.  You can also use the ground flax seed to replace xanthan gum that is in recipes if you choose to.  Usually if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of xanthan gum, one tablespoon of the dry ground flax seed will work.  If you are working with a recipe that has eggs and xanthan gum in it, simply omit the xanthan gum and just make the substitution for the eggs...  it should work beautifully!  And what's more is it is an extremely healthy addition to the recipe, where as the powdered egg substitute is mostly starches and gums...  very little nutritional benefit.  With this flax mixture you can mix a bigger batch of it (1 cup ground flax seed and 3 cups warm water, it's always a 1:3 ratio), let it sit until it looks gooey like an egg consistency and keep it in an airtight container in your refrigerator.  It will be ready to use when you need it for up to a month.  Simply use 1/4 c. of this mixture for every egg that you are substituting.  In most recipes where I have used this substitute the end product comes out very close to a product that has eggs in it.  I have also experienced that you will have a better result from this substitute if it is from the big batch method and has been in your refrigerator for at least a day or longer.

Fruit Purees
Sometimes, in addition to the flax seed substitute I will use one to two tablespoons of applesauce or prune puree to add moisture to a recipe.  I do not use them for the complete substitution, because they do not have the binding qualities that eggs and flax have, but they work amazingly well for adding moisture.  You may have used the purees before for substituting fats or a portion of the fat in a recipe in baked items, I still occasionally do this from time to time as well, depending on the recipe. 

Chia Seeds
I have not actually tried the chia seeds yet, but have heard greatness of them!  From my understanding they work the best if they are ground into a fine powder and then used in the same ratio as the ground flax seeds:  one tablespoon seed powder to three tablespoons warm water, let sit for a few minutes until the mixture is thick and gooey, equals one egg.  When I finally get around to trying these I will let you all know what I think, but would love to hear comments from anyone who has tried them.  The people who I have heard of trying them all love them!  And yes, these are the same seeds used in the famous chia pets...  who knew...?

These are all substitutes for baking, you cannot make scrambled eggs out of any of these... LOL... that is what my son asked when he first saw the box that said "egg substitute", and he was so disappointed! :o)  There may be more substitutes than these that I am not aware of yet.  If you have tried anything other than these, it would be fun to hear about it!  Please comment!

WELCOME!

Welcome to Living Free!

This is a blog to help anyone out there who may be struggling with specialty diets.  It is a challenge to change the way you eat and figure out food substitutions or answer the question: "what do I eat now?"  My son has several food allergies:  all wheat products, gluten, eggs, peanuts, yogurt, and oats, so we are experiencing this challenge first hand.  We found out about his food allergies just six months ago at ten years old, and he was so worried about what he couldn't have.  So we talked about all the things he could have and what an adventure it will be to try so many new foods and to feel better on top of it!  So we went shopping together to look at the new options and we read recipes together to see what we wanted to try next.  We have learned many new things and I have developed many new recipes and figured out some great substitutions.  I have seen my son become a new person with a new outlook on life!  It is simply amazing!

On top of all of this I have met so many people who are struggling, or know someone who is struggling, with a change in eating habits whether by necessity or by choice, and I want to share what I have learned.  I want you to be able to experience the same change in life that my son has, so, this blog is meant to help you and become a resource for you.  Here you will find recipes and substitution ideas for many allergy situations as well as vegetarian/vegan options and any other resources that I find that help us, I want to pass that along to you!  I am still learning and desire to post as I learn and as I make new things, I will share.  I hope that you will intern also share your thoughts and ideas on things that you try and figure out as well. 

So in light of living free of your allergens:  Enjoy reading, learning, cooking, and most of all EATING!