Pantry List

So I thought I would take some time to put together a basics lists for those 'strange' items I have in my cupboard.

Flours
Sorghum is the main one I use. It tastes the best in my families opinion.
Millet - I usually use this in cakes or cupcakes as it makes a nice moist crumb and has a nice flavor
Brown Rice - This is an easy basic flour but I only use it in half amounts since like any rice flour it can provide a grainy texture.
Buckwheat - This is a high protien flour that I have been experimenting with lately and have had great success. It makes a denser product but tastes fabulous
Potato and tapioca starch - These are necessary to use for 1/3 of the total flour so it's not a gluten free brick. It adds lightness and air to the texture. Not really nutritionally satisfying in any way but necessary. Some recipes call for 1/2 the total flours to be starches but I prefer to keep it to a minimum.
Arrowroot flour or Cornstarch - I use these in things that need extra binding power or thickening like pudding or icing or pie crusts, gravies, soups, sauces.
Quinoa - I use this flour sparingly in things because of the strong flavor. It pairs well with chocolate. It is very high in protien. It has all the necessary amino acids.
Quinoa flakes - These work well as oat substitutes. They cook up quickly and make excellent brownies and crumble toppings.

Fats
Olive oil - This has a lower fat content than most but does have a strong fruity flavor
Grapeseed oil - I use this a lot mainly because it provides a very nice moist texture and isn't high in saturated fats
Earth Balance soy free margarine - This is pricey but works really well as a butter substitute for flavor and texture. It makes fabulous cookie. It's made of healthy oils. No trans fats here.
Lard - I use this for greasing and try not to use it for anything else. It is full of saturated fats.
Ghee - This is clarified butter and it is very easy to make your own. Please don't pay $10 for a small bottle. It takes the casein out of the butter. I've been using it sparingly because I haven't been sure if my daughter will react. So far so good.
Coconut oil - This is a whole post unto itself. I use this a lot in baking and in frostings and crumbles. It does have a coconutty flavor. It is a very nourishing fat.

Milks
Hemp milk - This is full of omega 3's but has a grassy flavor so I use it in baking so that the flavor is masked.
Almond milk - This has a very nutty flavor that pairs well with lots of spices. I use this one a lot since it seems to take on the flavor of whatever I am making. It's a bit thinner so it doesn't make a nice yogurt or anything
Coconut milk - We use this almost daily. For a while we could get the tetra paks of So Delicious at our local health food store but it seems they stopped stocking it. It hasn't been available for weeks. So we are limited to the cans. I use this in curries and in puddings, pie fillings, whipped toppings, yogurt. Anything that needs a rich and creamy texture.

Cheese
This is a hard one. I haven't really found anything I like the flavor of. The daughter isn't particularly picky she likes her daiya cheese substitute (no soy, no gluten, no dairy). I can't stand the stuff.
I made a raw macadamia nut cheese that tastes like cream cheese but it's still gritty so no one likes the texture but it works in scones that call for cream cheese.

Eggs and binding agents
We don't have a sensitivity to eggs here but I try to add substitutes in where it works since we tend to overdo the eggs around here.

Chia seed - This is fabulous stuff high in protien and fiber and omega 3's. One tbsp ground with 1/4C water makes one egg and works better than flax. It doesn't leave that gummy texture to the baked goodies.
Flax - I use this when a recipe calls for it. 1tbsp ground with 1/4C water for one egg. I only use it if the recipe is tried and true with it.
Xantham gum and Guar Gum - I am trying to move away from xantham since it is a bacteria that produces mold and guar gum is a natural plant product. We get a lot of xantham in the prepackaged gluten free products we eat anyway.

Sugar
I almost never use white sugar anymore. Unless I'm making something finicky for the first time and need it to turn out exactly right.
I try to use lower glycemic index sweeteners or at least less processed ones. There are so many pesticides in white sugar.
I substitute brown sugar in a lot of things. It still has a high glycemic index but not as high as refined white sugar.
Honey has a glycemic index of 70 compared to 95 of white sugar. It works well in breads and muffins. It is a humectant. When used as a food additive, the humectant has the effect of keeping the foodstuff moist. Maple syrup and agave are also humectants.
Maple syrup - the real stuff. Has all kinds of vitamins in it and has a glycemic index comparable to honey.
Molasses - This sweetener has vitamins in it as well but it has a very distinct taste so it only works in certain kinds of recipes. My kids love molasses cookies.
Agave Nectar - This is my sweetener of choice but tends to be a bit more pricey. It's the main ingredient for making tequila. It has a glycemic index of 30! It has a fabulous flavor that is very comparable to brown sugar. We love this stuff.
Coconut sugar and nectar - I've never tried the nectar. The sugar makes great powdered sugar with slight molasses undertones. It is difficult to find and I do not believe our local health food store carries it. I ordered online from www.upayanaturals.com. I could do a whole post on coconut substitutes. Hmmmm maybe I will...
Stevia - We are not big fans around here. It has a strange aftertaste in my opinion. It has the lowest glycemic load of almost nothing and you only need a few drops to sweeten things.
Date sugar and Palm Sugar - I haven't tried these yet.
Sucanat - This is the most natural cane sugar. It has a lot of the vitamins left. It has very big granules and molasses undertones. I pulse mine in the coffee grinder before using it in the recipes.

My tip is that if you are looking to change your diet pick one section and find a substitution that works. Then once you get used to that change another section. I would personally start with substituting the sugars if you are a baker. Start with the fats if you aren't. The big thing is do not go out and buy everything on this list. Pick one from each section that sound interesting to you.

Yet another giveaway

I just rearranged the house and we are making a playroom since we are all sleeping in the same room right now why not put the toys in one room. I have my living room back! So the next thing is to get the toys and the books down from M's old room. But..... I have nowhere to tidily store the books. So I want to win this BEAUTIFUL bookcase. It takes up hardly any space and they can organize their own books by title.
Here's the link to Sugar Pop Ribbons Giveaway

Trying to win the spunky coconut's new cookbook and you should too

Here's the link to gluten free easily where the giveaway is.

Ramblings: Rockin' Green GIVEAWAY!!!!

Ramblings: Rockin' Green GIVEAWAY!!!!
I'm trying to win some funk rock and you should too.
Funk rock takes away ammonia stinkies and burning diapers.

Pumpkin Seed Flour Cake GF, CF, SF

I made my first fondant cake the other day. It was a lot of fun and totally delicious. More and more I am making treats that taste delicious but are also healthier. I found this pumpkin seed flour cake at The Whole Life Nutrition. This blog has never ever let me down. Her recipes have fabulous helpful tips that made me the gluten free, casein free, soy free baker I am today. This cake looked delicious and of course she would serve it with something fruity but I thought it looked like a cake that would hold up under fondant. Nothing I've ever made from her recipes has been crumbly or brittle. Let me tell you this is the moistest, most delicious chocolate cake I've ever eaten and it was extremely easy to make. Finding the pumpkin seed flour was a little trickier. However my local health food store carries Omega products and they ordered it in for me.
I had made the fondant the week before and apparently it keeps in the fridge for months in an airtight container. I tinted it with Wilson's icing tint and rolled it out using a ton of icing sugar. Someone gave me a tip to use cornstarch instead so I'll be trying that next time. I watched a few youtube videos on cake decorating and I was off and decorating. It was actually pretty easy. My kitchen did look like a snowstorm had hit it though and my children did ingest a lot of the fondant in the process. But we had a blast. Everyone who tasted the cake loved it even those who have no allergies and are not gluten free. This is my new standby birthday cake. It looks like it would hold up to a mold. Since M wants a spiderman bust for his 5th birthday. Wow 5.... But I digress. I dirty iced the cake with a regular buttercream first (well regular for us I subbed coconut milk in for the milk and used earth balance soy free version margarine for butter). Do you like my new terminology? I am learning cake lingo.

Guitar Playing

A Hankering for some chocolate and peanut butter

I love making healthy tasty treats for my kiddos. Things that I don't feel guilty giving them before dinner. Because we all know dessert tastes better before dinner. I am on a mission to learn to make treats and food that the whole family enjoys and can eat. D's food challenges make it the most difficult and M's add to it. There is a blog called the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen that has taught me to be a pretty excellent gluten free, casein free, soy free baker and cook.
There was a roundup of lunch ideas and these cupcakes were featured. I changed the recipe quite a bit (no longer vegan) so I'll show you my adapted version here as well as the dairy free, soy free peanut butter frosting recipe that I created. These were a huge hit with the whole family and no belly aching accompanied them.



Gluten-Free, Soy-Free & Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Chocolate-Almond Cupcakes

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened hemp milk)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 cup tapioca starch or arrowroot flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 cup almond meal
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xantham/guar gum
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup grapeseed oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray or line a cupcake pan with liners. Combine the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl to create a “buttermilk”. Let this mixture sit for at least five minutes. Sift together flours and remaining dry ingredients. It is important that you sift – no one wants a white lump in their chocolate cupcake! Add the maple syrup, vanilla, egg and oil to the non-dairy milk “buttermilk”. Stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches. Stir just until combined. Spoon into cupcake pan (a little more than 3/4 full since they don’t rise very much) and bake for 20-22 minutes. Test one cupcake with a cake tester or a knife. MAKES 12 CUPCAKES.

Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Peanut Butter Frosting

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1.5-2 cups powdered coconut sugar
1/3 cup coconut milk

Directions
Cream oil and peanut butter together until fluffy then add .5 cup of icing sugar and mix until completely incorporated. Slowly mix in coconut milk until creamy. Then add another cup of icing sugar and whip until fluffy. Add more coconut milk if necessary to make it the right spreadable consistency.