Apple Cinnamon Syrup

This is great on pancakes! Less sugar than straight syrup.

2 cups apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

In saucepan, mix together cinnamon, sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk in apple and lemon juice. On medium high heat, stir until thickened and bubbly, then cook 2 minutes more. Pour into glass liquid measuring cup, and serve while warm.

Can be stored in fridge for leftovers, just reheat. Add a bit of juice if too thick.

Try other juice and flavoring combinations. Cherry with almond extract is good. Orange juice is good for pumpkin pancakes. So is the apple syrup!

Ginger Carrot Salad Dressing

My favorite sushi restaurant serves salad with ginger carrot dressing. It is so good! Since first trying it, I have wanted to make it myself. I finally looked online and tried it out, adapting the recipe I selected. I really enjoy it. It's been really good on kale salad- chopped fresh kale, red cabbage, and carrots. (And sunflower seeds too!) This is what I did:

1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup vinegar*
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped(prepare for blender)
2 tablespoons peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Smooth in blender. (You may alternatively use a food processor to finely chop)

*Next time I want to try 1/4 cup vinegar. Personal preference; my husband didn't think it was too strong.
I want to try having some of the carrot finely shredded, and set aside to stir into the rest of the blended dressing.
Original recipe calls for honey; I just thought I would prefer the taste of agave, and I have it on hand.
Recipe calls for rice wine vinegar; I don't know the difference in flavor; I used what I have. Also calls for extra-virgin olive oil. Recipe also calls for toasted sesame oil in addition. So there are a lot of small differences you could play around with.

My recipe is adapted from "Carrot Ginger Dressing" from cookieandkate.com. I recommend going directly to this website; she has beautiful pictures, and you can see her original recipe and try it out or vary your own!

Rice Oat Garbanzo bread

Basic Rice-Oat-Bean Bread

2 cups oat flour, 2 cups rice flour(brown or white), 2/3 cup cornstarch, 1 1/3 cup lentil or garbanzo*
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 1/2 cups coconut/almond milk, rice milk, or water**
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce + 1 T. ground chia seed or
      2 T. ground flaxseed(flaxseed meal)

Combine dry ingredients, including yeast and sugar, in mixing bowl.

microwave milk or water until 120-130 degrees, about 3 1/2 min. if milk from fridge, 2 1/2 min. if room temperature milk or maybe 2 min for water from tap.
Meanwhile, mix with a fork chia/flaxseed and applesauce.

When liquid tests to temperature, add to dry mixture. Mix in oil and egg substitute(chia/flaxseed and applesauce). Mix on high 3 1/2 min.

Turn into small loaf pans, filling about 2/3 full.  Fills 2 medium small and 4 small pans all together. Rise 45-60 min. Then bake 375 degrees for 35 min.

I am guessing 50 min. if using regular sized loaf pans, but I don't use this size for wheat free baking.

*This mix of flour is my mix that I use most for baking, other than just the 50/50 combo of rice and oat. I usually mix large batches with these ratios of flour, and store in freezer. I grind the rice flour, white or brown or usually both, in my grain mill. I grind lentils and oats in my Vitamix. These should work in a regular blender as well, with batches of 1-2 cups perhaps. Garbanzo flour can be milled in my grain mill, but it is slow, so often I prefer to use lentils or sometimes I buy garbanzo bean flour.
**can also use vegetable water from cooking potatoes, beets, or bean juice from cooking dry beans. Or leftover fruit juice.

Other things to try:

Can experiment with adding some sweet rice flour, maybe 1/4 cup in addition to the other flour or in place, 1 tsp. vinegar, and 1 tsp. gelatin. Each of these things I have heard can help texture. Vinegar is  used instead of dough enhancer. Gelatin is to add protein for structure. Right now I prefer to use very basic and few ingredients.


ratios to try:

1 1/3 rice, 2/3 oat; 2/3 garbanzo, 1/3 cornstarch total: 3 cups
2 2/3 rice, 1 1/3 oat; 1 1/3 garbanzo, 2/3 cornstarch total; 6 cups

OR 1 1/2 rice, 1/2 c. oat, 2/3 garb, 1/3 cornstarch: 3 cups
3 cups rice,  1 cup oat, 1 1/3 c. garb, 2/3 cornstarch : 6 cups

 OR 3 cups rice, 1 cup oat, 1 c. garb, 1 c cornstarch

OR 3 cups rice, 1 1/2 cups oat, 1 c. garb, 1/2 c. cornstarch


April 27, 2016

variation:

Wanted to use 2 cups sweetened plum puree from freezer for part of liquid, so then just mixed 1/4 cup of that with ground chia seed and set aside, instead of applesauce, then mixed remaining 1 3/4 c. plum puree with 1 3/4 cups rice milk and heated up. Left out vinegar and sugar. (plum puree already has plenty). Added another 1/2 cup rice milk afterward, heated again, batter needed thinned.

note:
-Used new yeast. This is rapid rise. I heated liquid to 120 degrees. I just noticed the yeast I used before, Active Dry yeast, according to its package instructions, was supposed to be mixed with and soaked in lukewarm water, 90-110 degrees. The Rapid Rise yeast instructions on packet say can be added straight to dry ingredients, which I did, and heat liquid 120-130 degrees. Good to know!
-The plum puree was making use of some yummy ripe plums that got mashed in my groceries! I was sad they were mashed, but decided I could de-pit them right away and freeze them for later use. I cooked them I think, and put in glass pint jar in freezer. A couple days ago I pulled them out to thaw, for use today in recipe.