Alternative Flours

In my early teenage years eons ago, I was enthralled with a local hippie couple who occasionally drove their 'flower power bug' into town.  That was a time in our lives where my Mom had a small black and white television complete with rabbit ears that gave us three channels to enjoy.  By enjoy I really mean that the television came on Sunday nights to watch Lawrence Welk, sometimes on the weekend to watch Bill Kennedy at the Movies and few times during the holidays.  That's it!  There were commercials back then and I can recall Euell Gibbons promoting grape nuts in what my Mom referred to as 'hippy food'.  It really didn't matter because unless we went to the city, we wouldn't be able to get any kind of 'hippy food' in our tiny village!  In fairness Euell Gibbons was a proponent of natural diets in the 1960's.  Many of his ideals have simply been refined and tweaked but the focus for many of today's diet trends is on healthy, natural foods.  Fast forward to today's diet trends and honestly, I have no problem finding any food products they endorse.

Three current culinary trends are influencing the products offered by the food industry.  They are Paleo and Primal diets and gluten-free eating.  The Paleo and Primal diets have received a lot of attention in the culinary world.  The Paleo diet (aka cavemaan diet) is based on eating wholesome, existing foods that can only be foraged.  This included grass fed meats, poultry, fish, greens, seeds, regional fruits and vegetables, fungi, nuts, oils made from fresh produce and flours made from fresh produce (eg. nuts, fruits).  Foods not to be consumed on the Paleo diet are: cereal grains, legumes, dairy products, refined sugar, potatoes, table salt and refined vegetable oils.  The Primal diet is similar to Paleo but makes no restriction on saturated fats so butter, lard, full fat milk, cream, sour cream, cheese and chocolate are allowed. Gluten is a protein found in cereal grains.  It is responsible for the elasticity in doughs made with wheat, barley and rye.  True gluten is restricted to certain members of the grass family however those avoiding gluten will also not consume corn and rice which has a gluten-like protein.  About 1 in 133 in developed nations have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity (not allergy) however, many have restricted gluten from their diets on the basis of antidotal reports of the alleviation of certain gastrointestinal problems as a result of eliminating gluten.   As a result, the food industry has responded with a wide range of gluten free products and other products to meet the needs of Paleo and Primal diets.

You do not have to be on a Paleo or Primal diet, or eat gluten free or even be one of the multitude of various forms of vegetarianism to enjoy using these products.  Unlike some foods, products directed especially to the Paleo and Primal diets tend to be organic, preservative and additive free.  It is still possible to enjoy a wide range of baked goods simply by substituting white or whole wheat flour which is not permitted on either diet with another flour.

I bought a few alternative flours.  With the exception of the black bean flour, all are permitted on a Paleo or Primal diet and are gluten free.  These flours are a great way to boost the protein content in your home baked goods.  The protein content of unbleached white flour is 10 g/100g and whole wheat is 14 g/100g but they are not allowed if following a Paleo or Primal diet and they are not gluten free.  Almond flour is available as unblanched and blanched with a protein content of 21 g/100 g.  It is used for cookies, cakes and pancakes.  Chickpea flour has a protein content of 22 g/100g, black bean flour 22 g/100 g, coconut flour 20 g/100 g, quinoa flour 14 g/100 g and peanut flour 53 g/100 g.  Coconut flour is a dense flour so is substituted with 1/4 c for every 3/4c of grain flour and a little extra liquid is needed.  Quinoa flour is extremely popular for those on a Paleo diet due to its versatility.   I will discuss each of these in greater detail in future posts along with a few ways to use them.   

These flours as well as arrowroot flour and tapioca starch can be found at most health food stores, some larger grocery stores and online from sources like Vitacost.  Bob's Red Mill is a very popular brand of specialty foods like these alternative flours.  Be warned, if buying this way, the flours are expensive at $13 or more for 623 g (1 lb 6 oz).  Bulk Barn is selling the alternative flours at a more reasonable prices.  Our smaller Mom & Pop bulk food store and local health food store also has reasonable prices for some of these flours.  Most of the alternative flours can be made at home from the whole foods as well.

Banana Peanut Butter Muffins

Muffins are one of my favourite baked goodies.  They can be sweet or savoury and with a bit of attention to the ingredients used, fairly healthy.  Homemade muffins can be made super sized just like those sold at the doughnut shops but I prefer to make regular sized or mini muffins.  Regular sized muffins are the perfect grab and go, quick meal or snack.

Muffins can easily be made into healthier versions by substituting original ingredients with healthier alternatives.  It is easy to boost the protein content by using alternative flours or adding additional ingredients like protein powder. Quick cooking oats is another good addition because it has 5 g protein per half cup while being low in calories.

I made a tasty, gluten-free banana peanut butter muffin that came in at almost half the caloric value of some protein bars yet with a nice protein content of 8 g.  That makes these muffins a win:win that I'm sure out friend who is gluten intolerant will enjoy.  I added Vega sport performance protein powder made from protein.  It is only 130 calories per 33 g scoop with 25 g protein.  You can use any protein powder you want but it will change the nutritional value of the muffins.

Banana Peanut Butter Muffins
recipe by:  Garden Gnome

¾ c mashed banana
¾ c egg white
 ½ c vanilla Greek yogurt, 0% MF
2 scoops Vega sport performance protein powder, vanilla
¾ c quick cooking oats
¼ c Truvia baking blend
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp PB2 powdered peanut butter

Place the oats in food processor bowl.  Pulse until the consistency of flour.  Add the remaining dry ingredients.  Pulse until well blended.  Transfer to mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix together the banana, egg white and yogurt.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir to mix.  Spoon the batter into lightly greased silicone muffin tins.  Bake at 350°F until muffins are golden brown and test clean when poked with a toothpick.

Yield: 12

Nutritional value per muffin:  83 calories, 13 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, 8 g protein, 186 mg salt, 1 g fibre

Almond Coconut Kind Bar Copycat (Clone Recipe)

Diet Tip of the Day:  Time your exercise sessions to target your desired results.  Exercise in the morning to burn fat.  Exercise in the afternoon to build endurance.

A few days ago, one of the food producers I follow on Facebook posted a link to Camilla V. Saulsbury's Homemade Kind Bars with a notation that they were going to try them with molasses. I had no idea what a Kind bar was but the recipe looked like a good one for our grandkids.  I bookmarked the recipe to try then forgot about them.  As luck would have it, just before the snow storm hit, I was picking up a few things at Walmart.  I had a couple of dietary supplements on my list and in the same aisle, there are the energy bars.  Normally, I don't even give these a second glance but for some reason I tossed one into the cart likely thinking it may come in handy after one of my exercise sessions.  When I got home, I realized that I had bought an actual Kind bar so pulled up the recipe and was off experimenting.

I thought what I had bought was and energy bar, which is basically what a Kind bar is.  It is made with natural ingredients, high in fiber and gluten, wheat and dairy free.  The only thing I found on the list of ingredients that some may choose to avoid is soy lethcithin, only because it is soy aka GMO.  Other than that, the ingredients and nutritional values were good.  At 210 calories, it would be the same as some candy bars but healthier and lower carb.  The $1.79 price tag may deter some.

The recipe on Leite's Culinaria is really just a ratio the ingredients.  The creator of the recipe insists that other sweeteners like agave, honey or maple syrup will not work.  However, I am going to try with molasses and pure sugar cane syrup.  Worse case scenerio, I will end up with delicious chunks to snack on.  I also thought that the nuts and fruits could be substituted with an equal amount of trail mix.  There's really just endless possibilities using the basic ingredient ratio!

I used whole almonds, Rice Krispies and shredded coconut so the result was very close to the Kind bar.  I neglected to line the baking dish with parchment paper and although I managed to save the bars, I will be sure to use parchment paper with the next batch.  My bars were shorter than the Kind bar.  Next time I will cut them into 15 bars instead of 10 though as even the smaller size was a bit too much.  Other than that, I am quite please with the results!  I did calculate the nutritional value for the size bars I made (see below).  The numbers are good but be warned will change depending on the nuts and fruit used.  The cost came in at about 80¢ per bar.

Spinach Rice Vermecilli

Pasta dishes have long been family favourites, anything from cold pasta salads to pasta casseroles to pasta in soups to simply pasta topped with a sauce or sometimes just a bit of butter and garlic or salt.  Pasta dishes tend to be inexpensive, easy and quick to make, and they are kid friendly making them the perfect frugal meal choice.  Pastas certainly aren't boring either as you can find them in a wide range of shapes, different colours (red, orange, purple, green), and even whole grain.  For those needing to avoid gluten, rice based pastas are available and just as inexpensive as wheat based pastas.  However, pasta has a bad reputation for those trying to lose weight, lower their sodium intake or following a low carb diet.  The problem is not just the pasta itself, it's the sauces some which can be high in both calories and sodium combined with portion size. 

We eat a fairly low sodium diet already and we avoid commercially canned foods by home canning which eliminates preservatives and other food additives (MSG, HFCS) that can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, ADD/ADHD, headaches, asthma and allergies. My husband was thought to be pre-diabetic had a gastrointestinal infection that hospitalized him for five days last fall.  His new doctor ruled out diabetes but recently him with high blood pressure to be controlled by medication and weight loss that will hopefully eliminate the medication.  My blood pressure has been high the last couple of doctor visits and regular testing at home still in the high range so I'm following a few tips to lower my blood pressure without having to take medication. 

In light of these problems, I decided to take a closer look at our diet.  I had already been modifying our favourite pasta dishes to make them healthier as well as getting ideas from healthy pasta recipes from various sources.  Many of the celebrity chefs have great ideas for reducing the calories and sodium in their pasta dishes.

Green pasta gets it's colour from spinach.  Up until now I had only seen wheat based pastas with spinach added.  I also have a recipe for spinach pasta for my pasta attachments.  The other day I saw spinach rice vermecilli in the grocery store so just had to buy it.  This vermecilli was such a pretty pale green that I knew would look lovely cooked. One of our friends eats gluten free so I'm trying find a few good dishes he can eat.  The neat thing about rice vermecilli is to just bring the water to a boil, turn it off and soak the vermecilli in it for 2 minutes then drain. 

I made an alfredo sauce topped with lobster pieces, shredded garlic and dill cheese, and garnished with parsley from my indoor garden.  Alfredo sauce is easy to make but if using a standard recipe thickened with flour contains gluten, and has 996 calories and 1264 mg sodium (53% of recommended daily intake).  I use grated Parmesan cheese melted in a little butter then stir in 2% milk instead of half and half or heavy cream.  I don't add any salt as the cheese has enough salt in it.  Four ounces of steamed lobster has 111 calories, 431 mg of sodium any only 1.5 g of carbs.  I love lobster!  I buy a case of 8 - 7 oz Cuban rock lobster tails along with cod filets and King Crab legs from Elite Gourmet Food Service who delivers right to you door anywhere is southern Ontario.  The problem is, I can easily eat a 7 oz lobster tail (754 mg sodium) or even a whole lobster especially with drawn butter!  I wanted the taste of lobster that night without the calories and sodium so I steamed a lobster tail, cut it into pieces and divided it into 4 portions (189 mg sodium each).  I topped the pasta with a half cup of sauce, added one portion of lobster tail then 1 tsp of shredded garlic and dill cheese for extra flavour.  The end result was a gluten free pasta dish lower in calories, sodium and carbs but still flavourful.  I'm sure our friend will enjoy it the next time he visits!

Steamed Spaghetti Squash

Beta-carotenes are the strongly coloured red-orange pigments found in fruits and vegetables, the dietary source of provitamin A that convert to Vitamin A in the body. Think carrots, squashes, sweet potatoes,  Vitamin A tis a fat soluble vitamin needed for healthy skin, teeth, mucosal membranes, skeletal cells, an immune booster and eye health.  I've been pushing the beta-carotenes because I am facing eye health problems with possible retinal detachment in my left eye that is being checked every 3 months.  While this may be due to previous injury, a bit of extra Vitamin A is not going to hurt.  Besides aging eyes can always do with an extra dose of beta-carotene!

I love squash, mainly acorn and zucchini but pretty much any squash fits the bill.  What I find a bit interesting is you seldom see squash other than zucchini on a restaurant menu.  Occasionally, they will offer a squash soup but that is about it.  Squash is always inexpensive, it's easy to bake or steam without peeling, it stores well, it's versatile in that squash can be used as a side or in breads and deserts, and it is colourful.  I would have thought restaurants would take advantage of all of the benefits squash has to offer.

I discovered spaghetti squash several years ago but it never really caught on until the last couple of years.  Next to acorn squash, spaghetti squash has quickly become a favourite.  Spaghetti squash can be baked or steamed. I have found steaming the squash gets nicer results.   Steamed spaghetti squash is very easy to prepare.  I just wash and cut the squash in half length wise, scoop out the innards then place it upside down in a steamer basket.   I put about an inch of water in the pot then cover and steam for about 10 minutes or until the squash is tender.
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A half spaghetti squash gives a yield of 2 to 4 servings depending on the serving size.  An serving size is 100 grams (half cup).  After steaming turn it cut side up on a plate or cutting board.  At this point it looks like regular cooked squash.  It is a bit on the lighter colour side than other squashes so a  more yellow than deep orange.  It is a bit firmer to the touch when cooked.  The flavour of spaghetti squash is milder than other squashes as well.  The real beauty of spaghetti squash is the flesh pulls into strands resembling spaghetti, hence its name.  It is a lovely substitute for wheat based spaghetti or for those who need or want to eat gluten free.

For this step, you may want to wear an oven mitt on one hand to steady the squash as it will be rather hot.  The easiest way to separate the flesh in spaghetti squash to form strands is using a fork.  Poke the fork down near the stem end of the squash then gently pull down towards the tip of the squash.  The strands will immediately form.  Continue in this fashion until you reach the skin but try not to break through the skin as it will add a hard texture.  You will need a bit gentler touch near the skin as unlike most winter squashes, the skin on spaghetti squash is rather thin.

It only takes a couple of minutes to get an empty squash shell full of delicious spaghetti squash strands.  At this point, I like to add a little butter and salt then mix.  Garlic pepper is a good substitute for salt if you want a lightly kicked up flavour or are on a sodium restricted diet.  Spaghetti squash is lower in calories than some winter squashes but higher in sodium, something to consider if on a sodium restricted diet.

I really love these lovely golden strands of yumminest!  They have the texture close to wheat based spaghetti and yet they are different.  They do have a different flavour but the strands will twirl around your fork so even kids will like them AND the flavour is really not a strong squash flavour so should be well received by picky palates.    You can use your favourite spaghetti topping as well.

I served the spaghetti squash simply with a bit of butter and seasalt with meatloaf topped with home canned cream style corn, and one version of golden potato bake.  Despite its name cream style corn has no cream in it.  The thickened golden morsels are a result of how the cornis prepared right from the corn cobs.  It is so good with meatloaf!  The potato side dish is a mixture of steamed potatoes and carrots (good source of beta-carotenes), seasonings, plain yogurt and cream cheese. There was a lot of yellows in this meal, on purpose. It really was a simple, easy to prepare, frugal yet delicious meal that was rich in beta-carotene.  Spaghetti squash just brightens up the plate any time you serve it  It's one of those good foods for you that is wonderful to enjoy!

Venison Cottage Pie

We spend most of the month of October at our vacation home in Florida.  The day after returning No Frills had a great sale on potatoes, beets, carrots and onions at $1.88 for a 10 lb bag each so of course I had to take advantage of that.  The week after returning home, my husband left for hunt camp with the guys.  He doesn't hunt himself so along with another good friend they are chief cook and bottle washer.  The guys have a lot of good old fashion fun and always share the rewards of any catch.  This year they took down a five point buck, so there was each of them brought home a little over 20 lb of venison each.

I've talked about making rustic potatoes in the previous posts.  Rustic potatoes have a lot of flavour and nutrition and because the skins are left on the potatoes, extra fibre.  Now, the carrots add sweetness, colour and texture but cabbage is a must.  A lot of folks turn their nose up at cabbage or only relate cabbage to coleslaw, but cooked cabbage takes on a mellow sweetness.

I like to steam the vegetables when making rustic potatoes.  In fact, I prefer steamed vegetables to those boiled.  Steamed vegetables lack the sogginess that comes with boiling vegetables.  They are higher in nutrition as well plus steaming vegetables are an eco-friendly way to cook vegetables because they use less water and energy.  Oh and if all those benefits weren't enough, they are very, very inexpensive and beyond easy to make, something every frugal cook loves to hear.

Once the vegetable mixture is tender, I pour it into the bowl of the KitchenAid stand mixer.  Then I add cream cheese, sour cream, milk or stock, a little butter, seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper).  I don't add salt so while the dish is higher if fat, it is low sodium.  Low fat sour cream and cream cheese can be used if desired because it really is the flavour that counts in these potatoes, not the fat.  I always use 2% milk if using milk or de-fatted chicken stock depending on how the potatoes will be used.  Then I lightly whip the mixture leaving slightly lumpy but not starchy, adjusting the liquid if needed to get the consistency I want.

Rustic potatoes are ideal as a side dish and topping cottage pies or other casseroles.  They can be used as a pierogi or hot pocket filling as well.  I have also used rustic potatoes as a filling for rolled meatloaf.  A rolled meatloaf has a spiral effect.  The rustic potatoes look lovely when used this way while getting more nutrition into the finished dish.  These potatoes freeze nicely so make up a large batch then make a few dishes for the freezer for a bit of homemade convenience.

I made a venison cottage pie using the rustic potatoes.  A cottage pie is basically the same thing as a Shepard's pie except it is made with with ground meat other than lamb.  Lamb is traditionally used when making a Shepard's pie. Semantics (vs nomenclature) aside, the resulting dish consists of ground meat with some type of gravy topped with a layer of corn or mixed vegetables and a final layer of mashed potatoes then baked until warmed through and bubbly.   I added a thin layer of shredded extra old cheddar because I had a piece I wanted to use up.  Any shredded cheese can be used but is optional.

I used a covered glass casserole dish for the venison cottage pie.   At this point, I could have froze as is then popped out the frozen casserole and vacuum sealed it or instead of using a glass casserole dish, an aluminium baking tray is what I normally use for casseroles destined for the freezer.  If freezing in aluminium trays, I cover the top of the casserole with wax paper then seal tightly with aluminium foil.  Venison cottage pie can also be frozen in individual serving sizes using large muffin tins to freeze then pop out and vacuum seal.

The venison cottage pie using up some of my Ontario produce purchase was destined for dinner that night.  Venison is an interesting meat to work with.  It is very low fat and what fat it does have has a poor mouth feel if the meat gets luke warm.  The solution to this problem is to add ground pork to ground venison in about a 1:2 ratio (ground pork:ground venison).  The abattoir that processed the venison actually did this when he ground it but most abattoirs don't.  The ground venison can also be browned in bacon fat.  Once the venison is browned, I drain it and use the drippings to make a gravy seasoned with a bit of Worcestershire sauce.  The pan can be de-glazed with red wine if desired then thickened to make a gravy using a roux but can be made gluten free by simply reducing somewhat and stirring into the meat.  If the corn is substituted with a gluten free vegetable, the venison cottage pie can easily be converted to gluten free if desired.

The venison cottage pie just out of the oven looked delicious and smelled divine   The rustic potato topping is a perfect  match for the rich flavour of the venison.  This was a good sized casserole that gave a yield of six to eight generous servings.  The cooked venison cottage pie reheats nicely.

Shepard's or cottage pie is usually shown plated as a square as the common restaurant presentation much the same way lasagne is plated.  However, when I serve it, the result is anything but a square.  Neither is my lasagne.  The reason being, both are served piping hot so it does not hold a firm shape.  The cream cheese in the rustic potato topping and gravy added to the meat means the cottage pie will not hold a firm shape.  At the same time, the addition of the gravy and cream cheese gives nice moist results eliminating the need for topping with separate gravy.  Homemade bread and a garden salad rounded out the meal.

Gluten Free Snowman Cake

Incorporating special diet dishes into your menu at the best of times but when only one person has special dietary needs it can be rather challenging when hosting a get-together.  I have a fair amount of experience dealing creating dishes for those who are lactose intolerant, diabetics, those with certain food alleries and those on sodium restricted diets but until this past year had no experience creating dishes for those who eat a gluten free diet.  One of our friends cannot have gluten so I have been looking for gluten free recipes.  Earlier this year I wrote about how happy I was to find Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix. 

During the holiday season and when hosting larger gatherings I like to rely on tried and true, easy recipes.  I was quite impressed with the gluten free cake mix so bought another box.  As much as I love cooking and baking, I have never mastered the finer art of decorating cakes.  I tend to use simple glazes, frostings, fruits or a dry topping.  Thankfully a few formed cake pans help to make it a bit easier.

Specialty cake pans (as pictured) are available in a wide range of sizes and themes.  They are available in the box stores at a very reasonable price but limited selection.  The best selection can be found in specialty kitchen or baking stores.  Some can be pricey but if you make a lot of cakes can be well worth the small investment.

This is precisely why I don't make decorated frosted cakes!   I was not overly pleased with the decorating results but the cake was declared a success without so much as a crumb left.  The icing was a simple buttercream.  I used a cupcake stencil for the holly leaves and berries.  The eyes, nose and buttons are mint M&Ms.   The mouth is a thin slice of Australian candy similar to Twizzlers.

I had a lot of fun making the cake, happy knowing I would be able to offer a dessert he could have.  Next on my agenda is to find a few gluten free recipes to add to my tried and true entertaining recipes.  I best work on my cake decorating skills as well!

Sweet Potato Casserole

During the Christmas holiday season we manage to attend several events that have buffet style dinners followed by entertainment.  It's interesting to see the various foods offered as they tend to be a bit on the fancier side than normal. The nice thing about buffet foods is most of them are easily made at home and for the most part buffet foods tend to be quite economical.

Sweet potato casserole is an easy to prepare, low cost dish that quite often appears on the buffet table during the holiday season.  It can be used as a side dish or topped with a drizzle of maple syrup, fresh whipped cream and chopped pecans as a dessert.  I personally find sweet potato casserole too sweet to use as a side dish.  If you love pumpkin pie but are eating gluten free or are avoiding the crust of pumpkin pie, then sweet potato casserole is a lovely substitute.

Sweet Potato Casserole
recipe by:  Garden Gnome

3 large sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
3 tbsp soft butter
2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
½ c milk
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
¼ c coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

Scurb the sweet potatoes.  Pierce each potato with a fork the bake at 400° until tender.  Set aside to cool.  Scoop the sweet potato flesh from the skins.  Place in medium bowl and mash until smooth.  Slightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl.  Mix eggs, milk, butter, brown sugar, and seasoning into the sweet potatoes.  Mix until smooth.  Pour the mixture into 8 x 8 - inch a non-stick baking pan.  Sprinkle the top with pecans if desired.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until casserole is a bit puffy.  Serve casserole hot.

Lemon Bean Cake

We have been to the dietician to help get us on track for my husband's impaired glucose tolerance (pre-diabetic).  Our diet in comparison to most is quite healthy because of cooking from scratch, home canning and avoiding things like HFCS, excess salt, artificial additives and preservatives.  The dietician was quite impressed since this makes her job a bit easier as we are both open to any recommended dietary modification.  There is a wealth of information there including recipe booklets.  I've been working on getting more beans into our diet so I picked up The Supreme Bean by the Ontario Bean Producers recipe booklet.  It has a lot of interesting recipes.

Beans are a very healthy choice as they are gluten-free, high fiber, low cholesterol and they act as an appetite suppressant.  Beans are digested slowly causing a low, sustained increase in blood sugar.  I was surprised to learn that beans and bean flour can be used to make healthy, gluten free desserts and muffins as well. 

I made the lemon bean cake in the recipe booklet.  I omitted the fresh fruit sauce for the cake, choosing to simply garnish with icing sugar, lemon peel curls and strawberries.  The cake is made with well-cooked white pea beans.  Note the well-cooked as I don't think I cooked mine long enough so the texture was slightly grainy.  My husband didn't like the texture so next time I will cook the beans until they are quite mushy.  The flavour was very good so with a bit of tweaking this will be a lovely cake to add to my gluten free recipes!

Lemon Bean Cake
modified from: The Supreme Bean by the Ontario Bean Producers recipe booklet.

1 lemon (zest, ¼ c juice)
2 c well cooked white pea beans
3 eggs
1 c organic granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
icing sugar

Pre-heat oven.  Wash then zest the lemon setting aside.  Juice the lemon and set aside.  Place drained beans in food processor.  Add all but ½ tsp of the zest (reserve for garnish) and juice.  Process until smooth.  Add eggs, sugar and baking powder.  Process until ingredients are well mixed.  Pour into prepared 9" - round cake pan.  Bake at 180ºC (350ºFº) for 45 minutes or until the centre tests clean with toothpick.  Cool then invert onto serving plate.  Dust with icing sugar.  Garnish with fresh fruit and remaining lemon zest.

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mix

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.   About 1% of the general population suffer from celiac disease.  Gluten damages the small intestines impairing it's ability to absorb nutrients.  As a result a lot of foods that are wheat based should be avoided including breads and other bakery products, many cereals both dry and hot as well snacks containing gluten.  The recommended treatment is a gluten-free diet.  However, about 15% of the general population while not having celiac disease have a gluten sensitivity.  In recent years some have noticed an improvement in their child's autism by following a gluten free diet.  There are only two reliable studies connecting autism to gluten and one of them found no correlation between autism and gluten but both studies involved a small study sample.  At any rate, a gluten-free diet is a must for some and desired by others.  One of the biggest problems faced by those wanting or needing this special diet was the lack of convenience products.  In smaller communities even finding the gluten-free raw ingredients can be a problem.

I am interested in gluten-free products for entertaining purposes.  This past year, a wonderful friend who cannot have gluten joined our monthly parties.  Not only does he have a gluten sensitivity requiring a gluten-free diet, he also has multiple food allergies.  As someone who is lactose intolerant as well having both food sensitivities and allergies, I try to be very cognizant and accommodating of these types of problems when entertaining.   General Mills has introduced two gluten-free cake mixes.  I was ecstatic! 

I had a box of Betty Crocker gluten-free devil's food chocolate and golden cake mix to try.  It is very important for me to do a test run of any product or recipe before serving it too my guests.  I decided to make the gluten-free golden cake mix into cupcakes.

The ingredients in the gluten-free cake mix are:  rice flour, sugar, potato starch, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate and monocalcium phosphate.  The product may contain soy ingredients.  Ingredients needed to complete the batter are 2/3 c of water, 1/2 c butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract and 3 eggs.  The batter was quite easy to make, similar to any other cake mix.  I used my KitchenAid stand mixer then baked in a silicone muffin tin for 20 minutes at 350ºF.

I did not put any icing on the cupcakes, the reason being I wanted to be able a assess the cupcakes with respect to flavour and texture without icing distracting the taste test.  Oh my gosh, these were really good!  They would make excellent mini cupcakes.  I think a butter cream  or chocolate icing would be quite lovely.  Life Made Delicious has a few more easy recipes using this cake mix but essentially use it just the way you would any cake mix.