Buckwheat Pancake Mix

Awesome  Corn-Free & Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes

The company is 123 Gluten Free and it is Allie’s Awesome Buckwheat Pancake Mix. I have it in the aStore on page 6 of the corn-free baking items list.

For those of you who are new to the gluten-free scene, buckwheat is not really wheat. In fact it is a distant cousin of beets. The buckwheat is really a seed. The seeds are packed with nutrients and this is one of the few vegetable items which have all the essential proteins for a complete protein.

I made them as suggested, but the batter is thin. When I got to the end of the box I didn’t have enough mix to follow the directions, so I improvised and the following recipe is quite thick and filling:

1 1/4 cup of the mix

1/2 cup powdered buttermilk

2 eggs

3/4 cup almond milk

plenty of plump blueberries

Cook as directed on a hot griddle.

Making up a batch of pancakes without adding the fruit is something which can be frozen and heated in the toaster. Just let them cool, separate them with plastic wrap, and freeze in an airtight container.

You can even use them like a sandwich wrap if you make them the original way on the box and make them big enough. Wrap them up in the plastic wrap by putting it on the plastic wrap and folding the edge of the wrap up over one edge of the pancake, then gently roll the pancake up and seal it into the plastic wrap.  These should store in the fridge for several days.

There are a bunch of recipes inside the box which I can’t wait to try out!

Stay Healthy,

Lyn

 

 

Awesome Corn-Free Mayonnaise Substitute

I was searching for mayo which doesn’t have white vinegar (Made from corn) and found the following product at Better Health store. I am sure that most health food stores would order it for you if they do not carry it.

Grapeseed Vegenaise – Dressing and Sandwich Spread.

Ingredients: Expeller-Pressed Grapeseed Oil, Filtered Water, Brown Rice Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, Non-GMO Soy Protein, Sea Salt, Mustard Flour, and Lemon Juice Concentrate.

When I opened the jar I smelled it before I put it into my salad because I have purchased other substitutes and was very disappointed. It smells just like mayo! It is really amazing.

The simple salad I made was:

Chicken Waldorf with Dried Cherries

Ingredients: 2 Cups chicken chunks (from left over roasted chicken breast), 1/2 large apple chopped up, 1/2 cup dried cherries, walnuts, 2 tbsp. chopped water chestnut, and 1/4 cup mayo. More mayo can be added if you like a creamier salad. Just mix it all together in a large bowl and serve on a bed of lettuce if you want a pretty presentation.

© Lyn Watson

Saving Undercooked Banana Bread

My new recipe for banana bread turned out really yummy, but it ended up being too moist and seemed undercooked to me. I sliced it into 1/2″ strips, placed it on parchment paper over a cookie sheet, and cooked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (Cooking time will depend on how moist your quick bread is).

It created a type of soft biscotti without having to roll dough. I really like it!

The EnerG pure rice flour is a bit finer grind than Bob’s Red Mill white rice flour (I have both in my aStore). I may try Bob’s Red Mill next time I make banana bread…

Following is the new recipe I used. I suggest that you reduce the amount of liquids used if you want a dryer cake:

Corn-Free, Wheat-Free, & No Oil Banana Bread

 

1 Cup EnerG pure rice flour

1 Cup blanched almond flour

¼ Cup amaranth flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp. Hain featherweight baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. powdered ginger

1 tsp. guar gum

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla (Non-alcohol)

½ cup applesauce – unsweetened

1/2 cup warm water

¾ cup almond milk – unsweetened

3 extra ripe bananas

½ cup honey

1 cup walnuts if desired

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a sheet cake pan. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together making sure to crush the clumps of almond flour. In a small bowl scramble eggs, vanilla, and almond milk together; add the sugar, water, and applesauce. In a second small bowl smash the banana and cream it with a fork. Add the egg mixture and the bananas to the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Batter will be quite wet. Add nuts if desired. Pour into the 13 x 9 baking pan and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The edges will pull away from the pan and it will be quite brown, but it will be very moist.

 

© Lyn Watson

Corn-Free & Wheat-Free Banana Bread

Corn-Free & Wheat-Free Banana Bread

 

1 cup EnerG pure rice flour

1 cup blanched almond flour

1/2 cup amaranth flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp. Hain featherweight baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. powdered ginger

1 tsp. guar gum

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla (Non-alcohol)

1/4 cup oil

1 cup warm water

3/4 cup cream or almond milk

4 extra ripe bananas

1 cup brown sugar (With no added caramel color)

1 cup walnuts if desired

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a sheet cake pan. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together making sure to crush the clumps of almond flour. In a small bowl scramble eggs, vanilla, and cream together; add the sugar, water, and oil. In a second small bowl smash the banana and cream it with a fork. Add the egg mixture and the bananas to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Add nuts if desired. Pour into the 13 x 9 baking pan and cook for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The edges will pull away from the pan and it will be quite brown, but it will be very moist.

 © Lyn Watson

Using Quinoa

I prefer Eden Organic white Quinoa. It has a milder taste than the red does.

One thing I have learned to do is to add some to other things rather than trying to make a main meal out of it. If you do this you will be adding a great deal of fiber, an impressive array of nutrients, and an excellent source of complete protein to your meal. You can find out more about its health benefits here: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

I have found that I can go a long time without feeling hungry again if I add just 1/4 cup cooked quinoa to a bowl of old-fashioned long cooking oatmeal. I put the quinoa in when adding the oatmeal to the boiling water. My favorite combination is to add sliced banana, cinnamon, ginger powder, and a little low-fat milk or almond milk.

Adding quinoa to chili or soup is also a great way to get more from your meal. Keep in mind that it is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach, so anything that goes with this veggie will most likely go with quinoa. You can add it to your salad too. I am going to also try adding it to a baked good or two and will let you know the results of that.

A quinoa main meal recipe will be available for you once I perfect it. In the meantime, the best way to use it is to make a batch  as advised on the back of the bag and keep it in your refrigerator (Keeps about a week in an airtight container), so that you can quickly add it to your meals.

Hope you enjoy it!

A Cake Brownie With No Corn and No Wheat

This recipe was a big hit with family and friends!

Corn-Free and Wheat-Free Nutty Cake Brownie

 

2 Cups Almond Flour

¼ Cup Amaranth Flour

½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

½ Tsp. Sea Salt

1 Tsp. Baking Soda

½ Cup Honey (Raw with no additives)

3 Large Eggs

1 Tbsp. Alcohol-free Vanilla

½ Cup Pumpkin Puree

¼ Cup Walnut Oil

1 Cup Walnuts *If desired

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13” x 9” baking pan. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Scramble eggs and vanilla together in a smaller mixing bowl. Pour the oil then the honey into a glass measuring cup. Add both containers of liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon till smooth (You may need to smooth out a few lumps with your spoon). Mix in the pumpkin puree and nuts. Pour into the baking pan, push it up to the edge, and flatten out the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean (Keep an eye on it if you bake it longer or it will burn quickly).

 

**Alternate recipe ideas: Add 1 Cup of chunks of dark chocolate; Add frosting of your choice; Add more of the following ingredients: ¼ Cup Honey, ¼ Cup Pumpkin, ½ Cup Oil and add 1 less egg for a moister brownie.

© Lyn Watson

Adapting recipes

I was in need of something chocolate, so I scoured the cookbooks I have for the right recipe, but as always, I could not use all the ingredients in the recipe I landed on. I have tried adapting the same recipe in two different ways within the last couple of days.

The recipe called for agave and vanilla extract. Extract is made with alcohol and that is derived from corn – so that item is Out. The agave is something I tried in other recipes and was not too thrilled, so I decided to use honey instead.

My first attempt was very sweet and I cooked it just a tiny bit too long, but it turned out to be a good brownie consistency. Encouraged by that I came up with a new recipe and I love it! It is perfect cake brownie consistency, not too sweet, is good as is, but I will be adding to the recipe soon. I have already had two thumbs up on this one.

More on this later.

How To Save A Baking Flop

I followed a recipe off of a box today and added just a couple of things, which made it a flop. Not a total disaster, but not an excellent end product. The following recipe is how I save my flops:

 Banana Bread Pudding

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease the bottom and sides of a large 3″ deep baking dish. Use a large mixing bowl to combine the following ingredients:

4 large eggs whisked

2 cups 2% milk

1 cup almond milk

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon non-alcohol vanilla flavoring

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

2 ripe bananas, sliced

Any baking flop chopped up into 1″ or smaller pieces

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans if desired

Whisk the eggs first, add the other wet ingredients, and mix well. Put the chopped baking flop into the bowl and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, banana slices, and the nuts if desired. Toss to coat everything well again. Pour into the baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until it is browned on top (It can still be bubbling and that is okay). Serve warm with maple syrup drizzled over it.

Blueberries make an excellent addition to this mixture, but the more you add the less firm the pudding will be. Add about 1/2 – 1 cup with the banana slices.

© Lyn Watson