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Gluten Free Banana Cake… Happy Easter!

Gluten Free Banana Cake with Teff Flour for Easter

Happy Easter!  I hope you have enjoyed this beautiful weekend with family and friends.  Things were so busy around here that I did not get to making those yummy marshmallow peeps that we had done last year… but I did manage to make the marshmallows!  You see them in the picture next to the GF Banana Cake as I cut them into cubes and sprinkled unsweetened coconut flakes on top of them.  If you need that recipe again, just follow the link to Z’s Cup of Tea.

I was hoping for a light cake for the finale of our Easter dinner that everyone could enjoy… and I mean everyone!  So, it had to be gluten free, refined sugar free, egg free, dairy free, nut free and use only Teff and Tapioca Starch flours.  Yikes… Sometimes baking in this house gets tedious!!  However, this cake came together so easily that I had to share it.  I would make it again and again given that we have ripe bananas on hand.

Gluten Free Banana Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Teff flour
• 1/2 cup Tapioca Starch flour
• 2 Tbls ground flax seeds
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup coconut milk

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cake pan or square baking dish with parchment, taking care to oil the sides of the pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the ingredients with the mashed bananas and coconut sugar.  Begin with 1/4 cup coconut milk, reserving the rest.
4. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.  Then turn the mixer on medium high for a minute.  The batter should resemble cake batter and not be too stiff.  If it is too stiff, slowly add the additional 1/4 cup coconut milk.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula.  Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.
6. The cake should have a light spring back when you touch the top when it is done.  Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.

We served this cake with mango sauce and homemade agave sweetened marshmallows.  The mango sauce is easy to make:  Blend 1 cup of ripe mango in a food processor until pureed, then drizzle in 2 Tbls melted coconut oil with the processor running at the end.  Chill before serving.  It is a great snacking type of cake, light and not too sweet.  If you are able to have refined sugar, a dusting of powdered sugar would be great on top.

Happy Easter!  I hope you enjoy some of our silly, rather “minion-like”, egg decorations!!  

from → GF Holidays, Gluten Free Recipes

An Easy Avocado Sauce

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Avocado Sauce

Boy is everything green around here! So much so that my husband actually had to mow the lawn the other day… in March!  I don’t think that has ever happened. It sure has been an amazing early jump into spring here in the Midwest. Something we are not used to in March; but, hey… we will adapt!

Speaking of “amazing” things, I am always amazed at the many uses for avocados. I come across many recipes for puddings, dips and sauces with this nutrient dense fruit. However, I find myself always making guacamole!  Well, tonight I was in the mood for something green to go along with our squash noodles. In a hurry, I decided to try an avocado sauce… mostly because what I had in mind would only require a quick whir in the blender rather than slow cooking something to perfection. Avocado’s usually end up bitter and brown if cooked, so the ingredients I had tonight were perfect for a dinner sans the stove. I have to say that this sauce turned out so great! Here is the recipe I came up with:

Raw Avocado Sauce (GF and DF)

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 – 1 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/4 tsp Braggs Seasoning blend
• 1/4 tsp Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (or fresh squeezed lime juice)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out all the flesh and place in a blender bowl (you could mash by hand if you do not have a blender).
2. Add the remaining ingredients, starting with 1/2 cup of milk at first.
3. Blend on high until the sauce is creamy and somewhat thick. If it is too thick, gradually add more milk until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Note: the amount of milk you use will depend on the size of your avocado. Mine was on the small side, so I only needed a little more than 1/2 cup of coconut milk.
4. Taste for seasonings and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
5. Serve over hot noodles of your choice.

We had this sauce over gently blanched yellow squash that I made into “spaghetti style” noodles using a spiral slicer. You could have it over any noodle of your choice. Without meat, the avocado made the meal as it provides plenty of filling, healthy fat. To give you the details, about 75% of avocado’s calories come from fat which is mostly of the monounsaturated kind. This little pear shaped fruit has more potassium than bananas and is rich in the B vitamins, foliate, vitamin E and K. One of the other great qualities about avocados is that they have a high fiber content, with 75% being insoluble fiber. They are also very low in cholesterol and sodium. We enjoyed the “pasta” with green peas. Some other toppings you could try are: shredded parmesan cheese or alternative cheese of choice, coarsely chopped (and toasted) seeds, chopped parsley or cilantro. If you are more inclined to eat a “raw” meal, then just don’t blanch the squash and keep any additional toppings raw as well! Enjoy something green!

Note: You could also make this as a dip by reducing the amount of coconut milk used in the recipe.  It would be great with crackers or tortilla chips!

from → Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes

GF Adventures with Teff, part 4… Blueberry Teff Scones & an Anniversary

Gluten Free Blueberry Teff Scones

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I launched this website.  So much has happened since that first “Welcoming” article!  Let’s see…

• Launch of our website on March 15th of 2011.  After beginning WildFlours in 2008, it was so great to see it come to life on the web to reach more people and be a resource to those in need.
• To date, we have published 60 articles and shared 58 gluten free / allergy free recipes online!  Check out the Recipe Archive page to review our growing recipe database.
• We have held 10 really inspiring WildFlours Gluten Free Group events.  You can look back at what we have done on the GFGroup page.  It gets better every year.
• The Gluten and Allergen Free Expo (2011).  If you missed last years event, 2012 promises to be even more exciting!  Check out what is coming up this April on their website.  I will be there again lending a hand behind the scenes!
• We added Specific Carbohydrate Diet tips and recipes to the site with a new Grain Free Guide section to be uploaded sometime in 2012.  This was a big step for our family and so we wanted to be able to provide support to others following this protocol for health and healing.
• As a group we continue to meet new faces and help others along the journey towards figuring out how to eat gluten and allergy free.  That is the most rewarding part about our first year with this website!

I hope that you too take the time to notice the milestones in life.  It is really good to look back at all that has been accomplished from time to time.  One year anniversaries are a good time for that!  These gluten free Blueberry Teff Scones are a milestone for our family.  For those of you whom have been reading, you would know that some of us here follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.  Our youngest has been helped greatly by adhering to this diet very strictly for about a year and a half.  One request that was frequently made during that time was for scones… one’s that look as yummy as the “other” ones (meaning the gluten free version I made for the rest of the family!).  Granted, I have worked up some really great SCD treats and scones were on the list.  Recently, we have allowed some “grain-like” seeds and seed flours such as Teff and Quinoa.  So, to watch this child eat this version of a gluten free scone was truly a treasure.  Every bite was savored joyfully and with a huge, beaming smile.  Truth be told, I like these better than those “other” gluten free scones I made with brown rice flour and oats.  Since we are still watching grains carefully, I tend to use more teff flour and we have not yet introduced gluten free oats.  This scone doesn’t disappoint!

Gluten Free Blueberry Teff Scones

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 Tbls apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups Teff flour blend (1 1/2 cups gluten free Teff flour plus 1/2 cup Tapioca Starch)
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 Tbls baking powder
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar or other raw sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 oz unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 oz coarsely chopped raw pumpkin seeds
• 2.5 oz melted coconut oil
• zest of 1 lime
• 2 oz small frozen blueberries (or you can used dried blueberries if you don’t mind the added sugar)
• additional coconut milk and coconut sugar for finishing the scones (optional)

Method:

1. Stir the apple cider vinegar into the coconut milk and set aside while preparing the dry ingredients.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients.  Mix well with a fork or whisk.
4. Add the coconut oil and cut into the dry ingredients until a pea sized crumb is formed.  You can do this step with your fingertips or a fork if you prefer.
5. Create a well in the center of the dry mix and pour in your coconut milk mixture.  Using a fork, gradually incorporate the milk into the dry ingredients.  Do not over mix.
6. Once the dough comes together, add the lime zest and the frozen blueberries (make sure to use them frozen!).  Stir to combine, gently and quickly.
7. Dust your work surface with additional teff flour and turn the loose dough out.  Shape into a long rectangle about 1 1/2″ high by 2″ wide by 14″ long.  These won’t rise when baking, so if you want a tall scone shape the rectangle taller.  You will need to dust your dough with more teff flour as the dough will be very sticky.
8. Cut the long rectangle of dough at about 3-4″ intervals (depending on the length) and then cut each section in half on the diagonal for triangle shaped scones.  If you don’t care about triangles you can cut them any way you like!
9. Move the cut scones to the prepared baking sheet and reshape if needed.  Using a dry brush, gently brush off excess teff flour.  Then, brush each scone all over with extra coconut milk and sprinkle with a little more coconut sugar (optional).
10. Place the baking sheet into the 400 degree oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 350 degrees.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.
11. When finished, remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm with agave!

These can be stored at room temperature for two days or 1 week in your refrigerator.  They also freeze well.  Enjoy!

from → Gluten Free Recipes

Gluten Free Oats, March WildFlours GF Group

Our March WildFlours Gluten Free Group meeting was last night and we spent the evening talking about Oats and what makes them a challenge for  those on a Gluten Free diet over some really awesome oat based goodies.  We also tried eating oats raw… after soaking that is and found that many of us enjoyed the grain much better this way.  A venture back to a cold, muesli like cereal (if you will), but much easier to digest.  I will share one of the recipes I made with substitutions for Oats at the end of this article.  Anyway, back to GF Oats!  I have been hearing the question a lot lately… “What’s up with Oats?  I thought they were gluten free?”  Many people who follow a gluten free diet eventually learn that Oats are not always safe to eat.  I had actually wished that someone would have told me this very early on!  I think my progression toward health would have happened faster had I known that most products containing Oats and even the grain itself are a gluten risk.

Substitutions:  If you find you are allergic to Oats, here are a few substitutions that will help in baking:

• Quinoa Flakes: they can be substituted equally for oats in any recipe, you may notice a different taste however
• Crispy Brown Rice Cereal:  work best in “granola” type recipes or anywhere you want the crunch of oats
• Puffed Millet:  good to use as an “extender” or “filler” in recipes where rolled oats are used.

Okay, so I promised a recipe when I began this discussion… I came across Shauna and Danny’s recipe at glutenfreegirl.com for GF Oatmeal Muffins that was very interesting.  The recipe uses cooked oatmeal and very little sweetener.  I had to try that!  So, I set about making the muffins and they turned out really great!  If you review their recipe, the changes I made (due to ingredients I had on hand) were:

• I used agave in place of the jam
• My flour blend was 70 grams teff, 70 grams millet flour, 50 grams finely ground gf oat flour, 20 grams buckwheat flour
• grapeseed oil and coconut milk for dairy free
• coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds in place of pistachios to keep them nut free

Thank you Shauna and Danny for a really great recipe that I will use often!  As they mentioned in their article, the muffins were perfect for providing sustaining energy throughout the morning.  So… I got to thinking.  You must be able to do this same thing with any cooked whole grain right?  With some tweaking, I came up with the following quinoa based muffin.  They were equally good and sustaining for the busy mornings around here, and quinoa has the great benefit of being a complete protein.  If you cannot have oats, quinoa is really a good substitution!

Gluten Free Quinoa Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled (any variety will do, just make sure to rinse it very well before cooking)
• 1 recipe flax gel egg replacer (1 Tbls ground flaxseed mixed in 4 Tbls hot water – let stand 10 minutes)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2-3 tablespoons agave
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 150 grams teff flour, 50 grams tapioca starch, 20 grams quinoa flakes
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or unsweetened coconut flakes, coarsely chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tin with parchment liners and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients except blueberries and mix until well incorporated (by hand or using a stand mixer).
3. Fold in the blueberries, gently but quickly.
4. Spoon batter into the muffin tin all the way to the top of the muffin cups (if using egg replacer as these do not rise at all).
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on the top and well set.
6. Remove from oven and remove muffins from the tin.  Cool on a wire rack.  Best served warm!

So, the next time you have leftover, cooked whole grains… give the muffins a try.  I think this would work with any grain!  Enjoy!!

from → Gluten Free Recipes, WildFloursGFG Events

John 3:16 Day & Pound Cake!

Gluten Free Pound Cake from Carol Kicinski's "Simply... Gluten Free Desserts"

I was thinking this week about how much God really shows up in my life.  How he always provides and makes Himself known to me in the areas that I need encouragement.  Then, I realized that today is John 3:16 Day!  So, I just wanted to share with you the reality that no matter where you are at and what you are struggling with, God is ready and willing to listen and carry you through.  I say that knowing that a lot of individuals looking for information online about their diet are most likely doing so because of a major life issue… maybe a health crisis or just a nagging feeling that you need to make a change to how you fuel your body.

There was a time that I thought I would never be able to be “normal” anymore… never be able to eat cake or fun foods.  I was so wrong about that.  The Pound Cake pictured above is evidence of that.  God has really made a lot of changes in my life and the lives of my family.  Those changes are all for the better today.  It has been over time that I have realized the sweet rewards of waiting on God to fulfill my needs.  So, I encourage you to reach out and talk to Him about what you are struggling with.  Talking to God is as simple as finding a quiet place to focus and pray, asking Him to meet you where you are, acknowledging that He is able to help and then giving Him the “cares of your world” in that prayer.

A few weeks ago, I was able to get a copy of Carol Kicinski’s baking book “Simply… Gluten Free Desserts” from our local library.  (More evidence of how God provides as I would never have enough resources for all the cookbooks I want to try!)  I have been looking for a really great gluten free pound cake recipe for a long time now and finally found it within the pages of her book.  Now, this is a “fully loaded” cake! Butter, sugar, eggs… you get the picture. The only substitution I used was coconut milk for the cow’s milk in the recipe.  I made the pound cake for our Bible Study group one evening and served it with pureed mango as a topping.  It was so great!  I would highly recommend Carol’s book as many of the recipes that I have tried were just as great as the GF Pound Cake!

If you are in the Fox Valley area of Chicago, Illinois, I encourage you to join us this Sunday evening for our March WildFlours Gluten Free Group.  Just click on the “GFGroup” link at the top of the page to find out the details.  Many Blessing to you all!!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

(John 3:16 NIV)

from → GF Holidays, Guidebooks

GF Adventures with Teff, part 3… Slice of Pi!

Gluten Free Pear Cranberry Rustic Tart (a.k.a "pie") made with Teff Flour

Happy “Pi” Day!  … or “Happy 3.14159265 Day!” as one member of our family says it.  I thought I would share a slice of pie with you as I continue to experiment with Teff flour.  I used a traditional gluten free pie crust and substituted the gluten free flour it called for with a blend of Teff and Tapioca Starch flour.  Since I love to make rustic tarts (a.k.a “pie without a pie plate”), I decided to try it with this pie crust.  The result was fabulous!  You can easily press the pie crust dough into a traditional pie plate and use a filling you prefer.  Enjoy a slice of Pi today!

Rustic Pear Cranberry Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Teff flour
• 1/4 cup Tapioca Starch flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 Tbls cold palm shortening, cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbls cold coconut oil
• 5-7 Tbls ice cold water mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 4-5 ripe pears, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar or regular sugar
• 1 Tbls Tapioca Starch flour
• coconut milk

Method:

1. In a bowl combine 1 cup Teff flour and 1/4 cup Tapioca Starch, xanthan gum, and salt.
2. Cut in your cold shortening and coconut oil to form crumbs the size of small peas.
3. Add water by 1 Tbls increments and mix with a fork until dough begins to form.
4. Place in center of saran wrap and wrap up, pressing to create a disk, refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
5. Roll out on parchment paper sprinkled with extra Teff flour to a round that is about 1/8-1/4″ in thickness.  Place the parchment paper with the crust on it to a baking sheet.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
6. Prepare your filling in a large bowl by tossing the pears and cranberries with the coconut sugar and 1 Tbls of Tapioca.
7. Place filling in center of rolled out pie crust and form edges up and over the filling, covering all but the very center of the pie.  This is the rustic part… it is okay if it is not perfect!
8. Brush the crust with coconut milk or water and sprinkle with extra coconut sugar or coconut flakes.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the filling bubbles and the edges of the crust begin to brown.
10. Remove from oven and cool completely before slicing.

from → Gluten Free Recipes

Harvard’s “Healthy Eating Plate” vs. “My Plate”