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.

Johnny Cake

Eva's Johnny Cake (like cornbread, but not as dry)

1/2 c. margarine[3 T. coconut oil + 1/4 c. + 1 T. canola oil ]
1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs[1 T. gelatin mixed with 2 T. water- mix just before using; and 1/4 c. coconut yogurt-no sugar]
1 3/4 c. buttermilk[rice milk + 1 T. lemon juice]

1 c. cornmeal[together substituted 1 3/4 c. flour mix with millet in it- 4 Rice, 4 Oat, 3 Millet, 1   Cornstarch; and then added 1/4 cup millet more coarse ground- used VitaMix] more like 1/3 c. millet
1 c. flour[see above under cornmeal]
1 tsp. xanthan gum
2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda[used 1/2 t]
3/4 t. salt

Cream margarine and sugar; add eggs and milk. Add dry ingredients. Pour into greased and floured    8 X 8 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

[My adaptation- in liquid measuring glass, combine rice milk and lemon juice, then oil. Let sit 5-10 min. Cream coconut oil and sugar. Mix gelatin and water from tap. Add to oil and sugar. Add coconut yogurt and combine. Stir together dry ingredients, then add to creamed mixture. Coat glass pan with oil, and pour batter. Mine was thicker than cake batter but more thin than quick bread.]

notes: used combo of coconut and rice because it makes taste creamy, buttery. Friend shared how half and half rice milk coconut milk tastes like dairy. In cooking pancakes and muffins, I have found it tastes buttery. Yum!

using coconut oil allowed me to cream sugar a bit- added canola oil to the liquids and creamed only sugar and coconut oil. Could do same thing with shortening instead of coconut oil- would cream even more.


11/19/15  excellent!  check ++

1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 c. sugar
1 T. ground flaxseed meal
1/2 c. coconut milk(Thai Kitchen) + coconut dream beverage to equal 1 1/3 cups with flaxseed
 [total about 1 1/4 cup liquid, but coconut milk is thick]  + lemon juice 1 T.

1 c. cornmeal(used 1/3 cup Bob's mill corn flour and 2/3 cup fine white cornmeal instead)
1 c. flour(white/brown rice, garbanzo bean, cornstarch)
1 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt

batter seemed too thick(expected more like cake batter) but turned out light and tender!


Note:
We like using Fine White Corn Meal instead of regular cornmeal. I know cornbread is gritty, and people like that, but we prefer this fine meal instead! No need to get the Bob's mill corn flour in addition, I just had some to use. Really could use either one instead of course ground corn meal, if you like your cornbread to be more smooth.

sunflower seed butter

3 cups roasted sunflower seeds, unsalted
1/3 cup canola oil

In Vitamix, start on variable, speed 1 and quickly increase speed to 10, then turn to high. Use tamper. In one minute you should hear a high pitched sound. Then watch for butter to flow. At this point you should hear a low laboring sound. Stop.

Caution from Vitamix recipe book: Over processing will cause serious overheating to your machine! Do not process for more than 1 minute after mixture starts circulating freely.

Notes:

-may roast seeds in pan or in oven. 3 cups seeds and 1 T. canola oil.
-use immediately and freeze whatever you won't use immediately. The sunflower seed butter gets "nippy" as it sits, even in a half hour or so. May store in fridge for a couple days if you don't mind some "nippy-ness." But it gets more nippy the longer it's there. It doesn't seem to get this way in the freezer. Interesting I also had frozen sunbutter that has thawed a couple days in fridge and it hasn't had the nippy-ness either.
-yummy to mix equal ratios unflower seed butter and frosting, with optional chocolate chips or raisins, crushed cereal (plain cheerios or chex) and form into balls. Freeze immediately(in ball form, so easier to eat partially thawed) what you won't eat in one sitting.

Variation: Almond butter- roasted almonds and 1/2 cup canola oil. Pour off excess oil next day.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Original recipe(not allergen free), from Rhonda Hair, pumpkin recipes

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2 1/4 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. each ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg

1/2 c. margarine

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. pumpkin

3/4 c milk

3/4 c. each nuts and raisins

Adapting without wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts:

April 27, 2016
Sweet potato cupcakes, double batch

1 cup oil- 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup canola

3 cups brown sugar

1/3 cup applesauce + 1 T. ground chia seed

1 1/2 cups Coconut Dream drink

4 c. flour of choice

1 1/2 t. xanthan gum

1 t. soda

4 tsp. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

Cream oil and sugar, then add applesauce and chia seed and mix. Add coconut milk and flour, slowly mix until flour won't fly then mix on medium high for a couple minutes. Turn into muffin tins. I made 18 muffins plus one 7X11 glass pan, to fit it all on one rack. Bake 375 degrees 23-25 min.

notes:

-light and fluffy! moist, flavorful. 

-Great with coconut-vanilla frosting I make.

-sweet, try reducing sugar to 2 1/2 cups. 

-find Coconut Dream on shelf in grocery store,    Tetrapak shelf stable

-Try reducing sugar to 2 1/2 cups, if using sweet potato puree.

-for flour this time I used a mixture of rice, oat, garbanzo, very fine cornflour, and cornstarch. 10 cups rice, 5 cups each oat and garbanzo, 2 cups cornflour, 2 cornstarch. Stored in gallon bags in freezer. 

Pumpkin Bread

April 27, 2016 sweet potato bread

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup sweet potato puree and 1/4 cup Coconut Dream Drink, unsweetened
     (when I used homemade pumpkin puree I used 1 1/2 cups and no milk)
1/3 cup applesauce and 2 t. ground chia seed

2 cups flour of choice
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Blend dry ingredients. Blend wet ingredients and stir into dry until incorporated.
Turn batter into 4 small loaf pans, 350 degrees, 35-40 min.

Flavorful, moist, tender but not crumbly. A bit heavy- settled a bit, but great texture.

Great with orange glaze(pictured above), or regular glaze on top. Or with coconut-vanilla frosting between two slices. Good for school lunches this way.


notes:
find Coconut Dream Drink on shelf in grocery store, Tetrapak shelf stable
-today flour was from mix I made:
10 cups rice, 5 cups garbanzo, 5 cups oat, 2 cups cornflour, 2 cups cornstarch
-batter seemed thicker than should be, so I added 1/4 cup milk to some, but that wasn't as flavorful. Consistency after baking was pretty much the same. So I would keep batter slightly thick as is.
-last time I made with homemade pumpkin puree. That was really yummy, with the coconut-vanilla frosting I make. I prefer pumpkin puree, but have sweet potato puree on hand to use. : )

delicious strawberry shake

My kids loved a shake I made for supper yesterday. I really enjoyed it too; only thing I would do differently is less sugar. I think kids would disagree  : ) 

2 cups Coconut Dream Beverage*

About 4 cups whole frozen strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

Blend and enjoy fresh!

*look on shelf at grocery store - it is a Tetrapak shelf stable version

Applesauce Cake

Applesauce Cake

I made this for breakfast this morning. It's neat I can use the rule of thumb for oil, sugar, and flour that I use for making cookies, whatever oil amount I use, I double for sugar amount, then I double sugar amount to get flour amount. 1/2 cup, 1 cup, 2 cups. The difference for the cake is just more liquid and spreading into bar form.

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup applesauce + 1 T. ground chia seed

1 cup oat flour
1 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
dash salt

add non-dairy milk if needed to thin batter*

Bake 13X9 pan 375 degrees for about 25 min.

*I wasn't sure whether to add extra liquid to this, I wasn't using a recipe, so I baked in two smaller pans.(about 8X8 each) Pan one as I recorded here, and pan two had coconut milk stirred in(maybe 1/3 cup for half the batter). Two of us preferred the batch without added liquid; it had really good flavor and was still moist and soft and fairly fluffy. Two other family members preferred the batch with coconut milk added- they loved the extra fluffiness. It was fun to experiment and get good results both ways!

Dairy Free Orange Julius

2 cups Coconut Dream Coconut Drink

 8 ounces orange juice concentrate(half of 16 oz family size)

10 ice cubes

1/3 cup coconut cream (I use cubes I have frozen in trays and keep in freezer in quart size bag)

                                            (Note for me: 6 star cubes)

1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla, opt.

Original recipe uses dairy milk. I have substituted canned coconut milk, combination of water and coconut cream, and combo of coconut and rice milk. I like the fresh taste of the boxed coconut dream. We buy the shelf-stable version and keep a few boxes at a time. 

A favorite cake!

Yay! It has been a challenge to make a good basic, but flavorful gluten free cake. But the most recent cake my family made was a great success! It has a really good basic flavor and great texture. And, it's good cold, right out of the fridge! Most gluten-free baked goods are gritty when cold. Not this one!  It could have to doing with my new grain mill; it can grind very fine flour. I home ground garbanzo beans and brown rice for this cake.

What's funny is that my daughter and I first made a cake mix cake, which I thought had a good chance of turning out. But it didn't. Haha, the simple cake fell through but the one from scratch turned out! Things happen! It's all a part of the learning and the experience. (I think I made the batter too thin with the cake mix cake. It was about 1/4" tall. I cut it up into pieces and stuck in a freezer bag to later mix with pudding and strawberries. : )

Here is what we did for our new favorite from scratch cake:

Adapt Better Homes and Garden Yellow Cake recipe:

On the left are original ingredients; on right are my substitutions
if nothing appears on right side; use what is called for on the left

2 1/2 cups flour                     1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
                                              2/3 cup garbanzo bean flour
                                              1/3 cup cornstarch
                                              1 tsp. xanthan gum
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt                            1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter or margarine     2/3 cup canola oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs                                    1/4 cup applesauce and
                                               2 tsp. ground chia seed, mixed
1 1/4 cups milk                      1 1/4 cups Coconut Dream coconut drink
                                               and Rice milk
                                               (I used 3/4 c.coconut drink and
                                               1/2 cup rice milk
                                               may use canned coconut milk

Grease pans with canola oil, if not nonstick. (We used nonstick layer pans this time). 2  9" rounds, 2 8" rounds, or one 9" X 13." In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. In mixing bowl, cream sugar and oil. Add vanilla and egg substitute and mix. Add milk and dry ingredients. Mix 2 minutes. Bake 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, checking if toothpick comes out clean. If in layer pans, cool 10 minutes, then invert on cooling rack or on plate. If making cake more than a few hours ahead of time, place in fridge after it has cooled. To help frosting to spread more easily, place cake in freezer for a couple hours or so, then frost while cake is firm on outer crust.

Top with fudge frosting, adapted from Better Homes and Garden:

On the left are original ingredients; on right are my substitutions
if nothing appears on right side; use what is called for on the left

No-Cook Fudge Frosting

4 3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder            1/2 cup semi-sweet
                                                                     chocolate chips, melted*
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened          1/2 cup dairy free spread
                                                                     (I used Smart Balance*)
1/3 cup boiling water                                   1/3 cup Coconut Dream,
                                                                     microwaved hot
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine powdered sugar and dairy free spread. Add vanilla, melted chocolate and hot coconut milk. Mix with electric beater.

*I substituted chips because I had no cocoa. To melt chocolate chips, stir in pan on stovetop on very low heat. May want to add coconut oil or shortening(like 1 T) to smooth texture. (my chocolate chips were a bit rough and dry, probably heated a bit too fast at first, but stirring with a bit of coconut oil smoothed them out). Another method is simply to microwave the chips, beginning with 30-60 seconds in microwave, stirring, and returning to microwave and stirring in 30 second intervals until smooth.

*check labels, many types of smart balance have dairy

I think this would make a great tres leches cake(gluten-free, diary free egg free see http://www.theprovidenthomemaker.com or a good carmel cake with carmel topping.

My children decorated my daughter's birthday cake.

It was so fun for them to get to do it!

Using a Quickbreads Formula to bake muffins, pancakes, and more, without a recipe!

Using a Quickbreads Formula to bake muffins, pancakes, and more, without a recipe!

 My family has been enjoying muffins over the past year, for snacks, breakfast, on the go lunches-  thanks largely to a "Quickbreads formula" that my sister shared with me! Using a formula allows me to bake without needing a recipe, fit whatever allergy needs we have, use whatever I have on hand, and have a nice variety of muffins! It has been freeing, exciting, and empowering!

You can use the structure to meet your needs and use endless creativity!

The formula is taken from "The Chameleon Cook: Cooking Well With What You Have"

by Rhonda Hair, http://www.theprovidenthomemaker.com/ and adapted by she and I for baking with allergies.

Learn the core formula for quickbreads and what role the ingredients play.

Do this with practice; have fun experimenting! So much of baking is preference, and you can tweak ingredients. How sweet do you want, how much oil, what flavors do you want to come through? Texture more hearty or lighter? Don't be afraid to change ingredients and amounts. The quickbread formula allows this flexibility. Do know that baking is chemistry as well as an art. The more you understand the roles the ingredients play and how they interact, the more  creativity you can have! Expect that not every item will measure up to your top nicely, risen, tender favorite! Regardless, have joy in the learning of using and enjoying what you have available(and what you can have)!   Enjoy each item for what you like about it.  : ) Kind of dense? Well, maybe it still has good flavor. Not much flavor? Maybe you can add something that boosts it.  It's so nice to learn to make your own variations. You  can control so many preferences(including nutrition) that you do not get in a mix. Experiment and take notes on what you like. Find out what happened on things that didn't work so well.  Involve your kids so they can learn too!  Some things may merely be edible; others very satisfactory! Just  keep baking! You will become more flexible and able to produce satisfying, wholesome food for your family!

Basic Quickbread Formula for Muffins:

2 cups flour

1 T. baking powder or 1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 -1 tsp. salt

1/4-3/4 c. sugar

about half as much liquid as flour- 3/4 c. -1 c.

1 egg or substitute   (put this with liquid and count it towards total liquid amount)

1/4 c. - 1/2 c. fat

Stir together dry ingredients. Stir together wet ingredients. Combine these two mixtures and stir just until combined, not until smooth. Divide into greased muffin tins and bake at 375 about 20-24 minutes, or until just golden.

Quickbread Formula for pancakes:

2 cups flour

1 T. baking powder or 1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 -1 tsp. salt

1 tsp- 1 Tbsp. sugar

as much liquid as flour

one egg per cup flour*

up to 4 T. oil /melted butter

*Note: I find, when substituting eggs with applesauce, flaxseed, coconut yogurt- works better to just substitute amount of one egg per 2 c. flour. May add 1 tsp extra baking powder for lightening,  if using baking soda already. I don't like more than 1 T. total baking powder with 2 c. flour.

 Simple syrup: 1 c. water, 2 c. brown or white sugar. Boil until sugar dissolved. Store in fridge. Flavor variations:  1-2 capfuls of maple flavor, 1 tsp of coconut, almond, or lemon flavor.

Fruit juice syrups: 2 cups juice, divided; 1/4 cup sugar, 2 T. cornstarch+ enough juice to make paste.  In medium bowl, stir cornstarch and around  3 T. juice - enough to make paste. Heat remaining juice in  pan on stove. When hot, pour some juice into cornstarch paste, stirring. Then pour mixture into pan. Stir, bubbling, until thickened and translucent.

Thickened fruit purees: try applesauce, nectarine, pear sauce, strawberry, prune puree. Blend  fruit, adding liquid if needed,  and thicken with half/half instant fruit jel(modified cornstarch) and sugar. Can make large batch and store in freezer. Some fruits need acid added to prevent from browning. If so, stir in OJ concentrate or lemon juice. Extra special to add sliced  strawberries, blueberries, and coconut on top of fruit puree, especially on waffles! 

Basic Quickbread Formula: Ingredients

Flour can be all-purpose, whole-wheat, or other grains. (NOTE: here is my sister's version, she generally uses wheat...but see my blog post "Baking Quickbreads without wheat." Stir as little as possible or the food will become tough, from gluten forming. Remember COLD and QUICK (mixing) for tender quickbreads. If you use whole wheat flour, add a few more tablespoons of water; the bran in whole wheat makes it absorb about 1/4 -1/3 more. Whole wheat is also heavier; you can increase leavening by about 1/3(add 1 tsp. if using 1 Tbsp. in recipe) to compensate. Or use 2 T. less flour for each cup of whole wheat flour. See post "gluten-free quickbreads" or look below Ingredients list.

Cornmeal can be used in place of half the flour. Rolled oats can too, but it takes 2 c. rolled oats to equal 1 c. flour. You can also use breadcrumbs, the crumbs from the bottom of the cereal box, leftover oatmeal or other cooked breakfast cereal. Figure the last two are roughly half water and half ‘flour’; adding 1 c. leftover oatmeal would be about ½ c. ‘flour’ and ½ c. liquid.

Fat can be oil, butter, shortening, coconut oil, etc. Sour cream, cream cheese, or mayonnaise can be used, but figure they’re about 1/3 actual fat and around 2/3 c. liquid. Fat adds flavor and makes breads tender, partly by inhibiting gluten. You can swap out some or all- of the fat for applesauce or other fruit puree. Swapping all of it out will make the food a little rubbery. If you want flakiness,“cut in” the butter or shortening/coconut oil. A shortcut way is to melt it instead, cool slightly, and then stir in your VERY COLD liquid. It will clump, which is what you get with cutting in. Another shortcut is to grate frozen butter into the dry ingredients.

Liquid can be water, milk, buttermilk, fruit juice, vegetable juice, broth, leftover gravy. You can also use mashed or pureed fruit or vegetables. Figure they’re about half water, so 2 c. mashed bananas is about 1 c. liquid.

Sugar can be granulated sugar, brown sugar, chopped dates or other dried fruit, honey (use ¾ as much, the other ¼ is water), molasses or corn syrup (reduce water). A small amount (1 tsp.) adds a little flavor and helps with browning. Use only a little for a savory food, ¼- ½ c. for lightly sweet, and ½- 1 c. for quite sweet. Higher amounts of sugar actually act a little like liquid when cooking, making them heavier and more dense. Sugar also adds tenderness. Brown sugar and honey are hygroscopic.

Eggs are added to help bind (give structure, bind), to make more tender (yolks are high in fat), and add color and richness. They also do a little leavening; one egg leavens about as much as ½ tsp. baking powder. I usually just call that a bonus and not reduce leavening. If you have to leave out eggs when you should have added them, add ½ tsp. baking powder for each egg omitted.

NOTE: See my post

Leavening here is baking soda or baking powder. Baking soda is alkaline; when it mixes with an acidic ingredient it forms carbon dioxide bubbles, leavening the food. It also helps foods brown as they cook. Use it when you’re using lots of brown sugar, or honey, molasses, buttermilk, sour milk, vinegar (think 1-2 Tbsp.), juice, mashed fruit, chocolate. Baking powder is a combination of an alkaline (baking soda!), an acid, and a filler to keep them from reacting in the can. 1 tsp. of baking soda has the leavening power of 1 Tbsp. baking powder. Most baking powder now is ‘double-acting’; it first starts bubbling (leavening) when mixed with any liquid, then again during the heat of cooking. Use it if you have very little acidity in your dough or batter. You can use some of each, though.  Note by Melissa: For example, if converting a basic muffin recipe that uses  1 T. baking powder to use orange juice for the liquid, you might  add 3/4  tsp. baking soda, and drop down  1 T. baking powder to 1/2 Tbsp.  If using 1/2 tsp. baking soda, might use 2 tsp. baking powder with it.

 Spices and flavorings: includes vanilla or other flavorings, zest, powdered herbs and spices, fresh chopped herbs. Use three times as much fresh herb as you would of dried. Try the ‘sniff test’ before adding something: smell what you’re mixing, then smell the flavor you’re thinking of adding. If they smell good together, they’ll taste good together. Start with less; you can always add more.

Mix-in Ingredients: savory ones include chopped ham, bacon, sausage, onions or green onions, chopped or shredded cheese. Sweet ones include chopped fresh, canned (drained) or dried fruit, chopped nuts (toasted for best flavor), chocolate chips, coconut, shredded carrots or zucchini. Use between ½ and 1 ½ cups total. Use a favorite food (i.e. banana splits) for combination ideas.

Toppings for muffins, to add before baking:

Sprinkle each muffin with ½ t. sugar for a crunchy, sparkly top.

Sprinkle with streusel: 2 T. softened butter + 1/4 c brown sugar + 1/2 c  flour, oats, or coconut; mix well.

Sprinkle with coconut topping: 1 T. softened butter + 1/4 c sugar + 1/2 c. coconut; mix well.

Sprinkle with nuts or nuts and brown sugar mixed together.

 Toppings to add after baking:

Dip the tops in melted butter after baking, then dip into cinnamon and sugar.

Brush with lemonade concentrate, maple syrup, or other syrup.

 Gluten-free* Quickbreads

 wheatdairyeggnutfree.blogspot.com

Substitute various  flour combinations to meet your needs and preferences. If you can't have wheat, this is a benefit for quickbreads: non-wheat flours help avoid possibility  of tough texture from overstirring and forming gluten.  I do use a little xanthan gum  to give some structure, otherwise quickbreads  can be very crumbly and the texture a  bit powdery.  The rule of thumb is 1/2 tsp per cup flour, but I have found 1/4 tsp per cup works better for me- I think because oat flour doesn't need the xanthan gum as much.

I like hearty,  wholesome baked goods, so for muffins, pancakes, quickbreads, drop cookies,

I generally use one of two mixtures that are mostly whole grain:

     50% brown(or white) rice flour,  50% oat flour

          Ie: 1 c. oat flour*/1 c. brown rice flour

     33% rice flour(brown or white); 33% oat flour, and 33% bean/starch mixture(half bean/half starch*)

           Ie: 3/4 c. oat flour, 3/4 c. rice flour, 1/4 c. lentil flour, and 1/4 c. cornstarch.

 Each of these flour blends I grind and mix in large quantities, and store in gallon bags in freezer. Whole grain flour loses flavor and nutrition more quickly at room temperature. 

 Here are the blends in easy to use formula to multiply and make large quantities:

1 part (brown or white) rice flour, 1 part oat flour*

3 parts rice flour, 3 parts oat flour, 1 1/2 parts bean flour, 1 1/2 parts starch

 A good all-purpose blend without oats:

     2 parts (brown or white) rice flour, 1 part tapioca, 1 part cornstarch or potato starch

The texture of batter may be a bit different than you are used to. If you are unsure if your batter is good consistency, you may wish to test bake one item first. Adjust if needed, take notes , and keep baking!

*Bean flour:  I usually use lentil bean- it's easy to grind in a blender! Ground white beans also work well, if you have Vitamix/similar  or grain mill. If purchasing bean flour, garbanzo is a favorite.

*Starch can be cornstarch, tapioca starch, or potato starch, or combinations of these. For the past three years I have simply used cornstarch- it's easy and economical for me to buy in bulk, and I am happy with my baked goods. Tapioca starch and potato starch do offer nice texture additions, and actually, I've heard that combining these starches tends to work well, if you want to experiment. : )

Homegrinding: Oats and lentils easily grind in a regular blender. You can grind most any other grain with a Vitamix or grain mill.  Purchasing one of  these may well more than pay for itself.

*Note: I am aware that oats can be purchased with gluten-free certified seal if needed; however I understand that some who cannot have gluten do not tolerate oats. www.livingwithout.com has lots of ideas for more flour blends.

Gluten-free Quickbreads

Rhonda Hair, taken from The Chameleon Cook: Cooking Well With What You Have

www.theprovidenthomemaker.com ; adapted by Melissa Lords

Adapting recipes for a wheat-free diet

Wheat has several characteristics. Recipes use wheat for structure, binding, fiber, gluten (an elastic protein), as well as for flavor. When you can’t have wheat, it usually takes a combination of ingredients to do wheat’s job; see suggestions below. Options include nut flours (finely ground nuts); coconut flour; rice flour; potato flour; potato starch; tapioca flour; cornstarch; garbanzo, lentil, or other bean flour; and other ground grains: millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, buckwheat, corn, and lots more. You can grind your own at home using a grain mill, or running ½-1 cup in your blender or food processor for a couple minutes. Oats*, quick or old fashioned, grind especially easily. Lentils do too. Some flours have strong flavors, some are nearly flavorless. Experiment to see what you like. If you need to have the binding, chewiness, and elasticity gluten gives, you can use xanthan gum or guar gum- ½ tsp. per cup of other flour for quick breads, 1 tsp. per cup of flour for yeast breads. In some things, like tortillas, simply using very hot water will help your substitute flour act ‘gummy’. In regular recipes that depend on avoiding gluten formation, as in quick breads and non-rolled pie crusts, it’s actually a benefit to use these alternate flours.

Fiber content of these flours varies tremendously; low-fiber flours tend to have very little flavor (which lets added flavors shine through) and produce a lighter finished product. High fiber flours have more nutrition and more flavor. It works well to combine flours from each category.

Low fiber

White rice flour

Potato starch

Potato flour

Tapioca flour

Cornstarch

High fiber

Oat flour*

Any bean flour

Lentil flour (it’s in the bean family)

Amaranth flour

Quinoa flour

Millet flour

Teff flour

Nut flour

Coconut flour

These alternate flours tend to absorb more than regular flour does, and they are more dense. Because of this, the recipes will turn out better if you increase the liquid, the fat, and the leavening by 10-25%. Baking time may also go up 5-10 minutes. Take notes on what you try, and how it turns out. You’ll learn lots and become more confident in baking.

www.livingwithout.com has articles that give rules of thumb and understanding of how to use these flours.

Remember you must carefully read your ingredient labels to be sure they are allergen-free.

 *Note: I am aware that oats can be purchased with gluten-free certified seal if needed; however I understand that some who cannot have gluten do not tolerate oats. www.livingwithout.com has lots of ideas for more flour blends.

Egg-free muffins/pancakes using Quickbread Formula
wheatdairyeggnutfree.blogspot.com

egg substitutions per egg: 1/4 c. applesauce, other fruit puree, yogurt(coconut, soy included),   gelatin, 2 T. extra liquid.

Common specific substitutions per egg:

      3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce per egg + 1 tsp extra baking powder total(NOT per egg)

      1 tablespoon flaxseed meal  + 3 tablespoons hot water. (Let stand, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until thick. Use without straining.)

     1 packet unflavored gelatin, 2 T. warm water. Do not mix until ready to use.

Egg adds binding for quickbreads(helps hold it together/less crumbly). Applesauce, banana, pear, apricot or prune puree all help bind, among other fruits.  Flaxseed meal,chia seed or gelatin do good job as binders. If you don't mind some crumbliness, you may try just adding extra liquid. Try different substitutions and take notes. Each type of binder yields a little different texture.  Knowing this helps me choose what I want in which circumstance. Sometimes I will go for more tender crumb, knowing it won't be a muffin to take on the go!  Sometimes I select a binder that I know will give a sturdy muffin for a packed lunch.

Eggs contribute leavening - you may wish to add extra baking powder or soda, but not over 1 T. baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda per 2 cups flour.  I often add 1 tsp. extra baking powder if recipe has  baking soda.  

Syrups and toppings for waffles and pancakes

Simple syrup: 1 c. water, 1 c. brown or white sugar. Boil until sugar dissolved. Store in fridge.

Flavor variations:  1-2 capfuls of maple flavor, 1 tsp of coconut, almond, or lemon flavor.

Fruit juice syrups: 2 cups juice, divided; 1/4 cup sugar, 2 T. cornstarch+ enough juice to make paste.  In medium bowl, stir cornstarch and around  3 T. juice - enough to make paste. Heat remaining juice in  pan on stove. When hot, pour some juice into cornstarch paste, stirring. Then pour mixture into pan. Stir, bubbling, until thickened and translucent.

Thickened fruit purees: ie applesauce, nectarine, pear sauce, strawberry, prune puree. Blend  fruit, adding liquid if needed,  and thicken with half/half instant fruit jel(modified cornstarch) and sugar. Can make large batch and store in freezer. Some fruits need an acid added to prevent from browning. If so, stir in OJ concentrate or lemon juice.

Fruit puree is extra special  topped with fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, and coconut.

Three syrups we frequently make:

Apple Cinnamon 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!

*Sugar reduced to 1/4 cup is also good.

Maple Syrup

2 c. water, 2 c. white sugar, 2 tsp. maple extract. Look for all natural, it's available in stores now! 

See simple syrup recipe above.

Brown Sugar Syrup 

2 c. water, 2 c. brown sugar. See simple syrup recipe above. Delicious on wholesome oat-lentil waffles! 

Raspberry Filling

Great for filling a cake and serving on top.

This is great to fill or top chocolate cake! Also great for ice cream topping. You can keep it in the freezer.

6 c. raspberries, frozen or fresh
2 c. sugar
1 c. apple juice

Two methods: cook or prepare fresh. We like it both ways. You can experiment with the juice - it doesn't have to be apple. You could even just leave out the juice, I imagine. : )

Cooked:
     Puree raspberries with apple juice and sugar. Heat and thicken with cornstarch- use 1 T. cornstarch for 1 c. puree.

To thicken with cornstarch: heat berry puree. In separate container, mix cornstarch with equal amount water to form a paste. When puree is hot, pour a bit into the cornstarch mixture, stirring. Then pour and stir cornstarch mixture into entire pan of puree. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and translucent.

Uncooked:
Puree berries/sugar/juice. Thicken with instant clear jel(modified cornstarch) to desired consistency. For 3 c. puree, I added about 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup clear jel.

To thicken with instant clear jel(modified cornstarch): Mix clear jel in separate container, with equal amount sugar. The sugar helps the jel to blend in mixture with fewer lumps. Pour instant jel/sugar mixture in steady stream while constantly stirring, to avoid lumps. I actually keep my puree in the blender and add jel in a stream while blending on low. Probably works to just pour it in blender and then immediately blend, I've just feared lumping so haven't tried. : )

Fudgy Frosting

Ever had chocolate boiled milk frosting? I love it. I'm so happy I can make it dairy free!

To celebrate my husband's birthday, we had chocolate cake, with fudgy frosting and raspberry filling. I used my sister's Chocolate Boiled Frosting recipe, and replaced the dairy milk called for with coconut milk. The recipe called for 3 sticks of butter(for a yield of 4 cups frosting), and I tried it without any at all, and then with a bit of Smart Balance buttery spread added. It was good both ways. The buttery spread did add a nice rich dimension, but I don't think I would have liked the full amount called for in the recipe. I think I used about 1/3 c. of spread, for a half batch. (2 c. yield).  I'll post the original recipe, and then what I substituted, marked with --. You can experiment using the original recipe to make various kinds of dairy free cooked frosting!

Boiled Milk Frosting

1 1/2 c. sugar (dark brown sugar for Caramel Frosting)
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. whole milk -- use coconut milk or coconut cream
2 tsp. vanilla
3 sticks butter, cut into Tbsp-sized pieces -- use dairy free product. Full amount not needed.
     I used Smart Balance buttery spread* and added to taste. It was much less the amount than called       for here. If you use coconut cream, probably want to use even less butter.

In a small saucepan, stir together sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly stir in the milk. Bring to boil over medium heat, cook and stir until very thick, about 5-7 min. Cover and cool to room temperature. Add vanilla, then beat in butter, 1 piece at a time. [Note I just added a spoon full of spread at a time and beat it in]. If frosting's a little too soft, let stand at room temperature for 1 hr. to firm up. If storing until later, refrigerate, the let sit on counter 2 hrs or until softened. Beat 1 min. to re-fluff. Makes 4 cups.

Chocolate Boiled Frosting: Add 1/4 c. cocoa and 2-4 oz melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate to the hot cooked milk mix. [ I didn't have diary free chocolate in the house as usual, so I just added 1-2 T. extra cocoa instead. No problem. Frosting was delicious! Perfect to compliment our chocolate cake and raspberry sauce! ]

*Check for casein and whey in Smart Balance, most types have either one or both. The fully diary free one presently is the light version, but it can change.

Deliciously Wholesome Oat-Lentil Waffles

1 cup dry lentils                               
3 cups rolled oats                           
3 t. baking powder    
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. salt                     

4 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In blender, grind lentils to make flour.* Add oats, baking powder, sugar,  and salt, and blend until fine flour mixture. Add water and oil. Blend until well mixed. Mixture will thicken as it sits. If desired, let sit for a few minutes then  blend again. Add water if necessary for consistency. Pour into oiled and heated waffle iron.

*Blender must be completely dry- so lentils pulverize into a powder. Note that this recipe is large for a regular blender. Try making 1/2 of the recipe if you are not using a powerful blender such as Vitamix.

Split peas, lentils, and white beans all make great waffles. Substitute  any of these; lentils grind well in regular blenders; white beans are harder to grind, but powerful blender(ie Vitamix) or coffee grinder do satisfactory.The original recipe these waffles evolved from uses garbanzo bean flour. See post "Garbanzo-Oat Waffles."

Garbanzo beans give the  creamiest and lightest texture of the bean-oat combos  I've tried. But home-grinding  lentils is so much more economical and practical for me, and  I do like the nutty-like flavor of the lentils. I also like the wholesome texture.

We enjoy waffles several times a week. This is probably the most utilized recipe I have! I make a big batch at a time and place waffles on a cooling rack as they're done. After breakfast, I put extra waffles into a gallon-size freezer bag and freeze. During the week, I can just gently microwave the waffles to reheat them(it takes just a few seconds). You can also place them directly into a toaster.

Toppings

Fruit puree is great on top(applesauce, nectarine, pear sauce, strawberry, prune puree). These fruit purees may be made when the fruits are peak season and on sale, then stored in the freezer. Just blend  fruit, add liquid if needed to puree, and thicken with fruit jel(modified cornstarch) if desired. Some fruits need an acid added to prevent from browning. Orange juice or lemon juice goes great with peach puree.

Fruit puree is extra special when topped with fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, and coconut. 

Apple juice syrup is another topping we enjoy. Simply drizzling the waffles with honey is another thing we often do, especially for waffles on the go(for lunch away from home).