All in good taste

I admit, I've become a picky eater. If you were to name off all the foods I can't and won't eat it seems like an extensive list. Seeking a diet of primarily nutritious and healthful foods is often difficult enough without adding more restrictions on top of it. Yet, here I am, committed to eating no red-meat or gluten and have cut out the majority of dairy from my everyday diet AND... am happier for it. That being said, I am not satisfied to simply eat something because it's good for me. I want it to taste great! I will not accept mediocre replacements, but instead seek to find something that tastes just as good or better than what I was used to. For example, going gluten free doesn't mean having to give up all your favorites. It simply means having to find substitutes. While this can prove to be a challenge at times, cooking for yourself is the perfect way to try out various dishes while having 100% control over the ingredients. The more I cook for myself at home, the less I like eating out. I enjoy the freedom of being able to make food specifically designed for my needs and my taste buds. I can be as picky as I want without worrying about requesting multiple modifications to a pre-existing dish. Especially with a restrictive diet or when working around food allergies, selecting what you can and cannot eat can be a real hassle and often excludes the majority of items on any given menu. Like I mentioned before, cooking for yourself provides the opportunity to know exactly what ingredients are being used (gluten free, organic, vegetarian, vegan, you name it...), the freshness of individual products, and the amount of each item used. If I am in the mood for something with a kick I can add a little more spice, or try out new flavor combinations and experiment with various substitutions until I find what works best for me. I've also found that by making my own food I'm saving money while cutting calories and avoiding allergens. Yes, it takes a little extra effort and is more time- consuming but so far it's proving to be well worth it on most occasions. I've been amazed at my new-found confidence in the kitchen. I realize that it's become increasingly easier with each successful dish I make. Even those that turn out below average still provide a good learning curve for me and allow me to gain information I can use to improve. More often than not I am pleasantly surprised with the finished product.
Before beginning my quest for healthier eating I was all about convenience. Now my mind set has shifted as I attempt to avoid the majority of pre-packed and overly processed foods. I am now finding myself thinking things like, yes, it might be quicker to buy salsa that is already made but why, when I can make my own? I didn't even know I knew how to do that until I just made some one night. The other benefit to making everything from scratch is that you can control the portion size and can make only the amount you need, so when dining solo you don't have to worry about excessive left overs or being wasteful. Before I get into this week's recipe, one quick tip about maintaining this type of lifestyle/dietary plan. Try not to focus on what is "forbidden" and instead have fun being as creative as possible within the framework of what foods you can have. Don't punish yourself if you stray, you could literally drive yourself crazy with restrictions and regulating each thing, but that's no way to live. Remember moderation and consistency are key components to a healthier lifestyle. Long term commitment with a few occasional blips will still get you much better results than any crash diet ever will!

Alright, as promised, here is a super simple (gluten-free, vegetarian) dish that is so delicious you will never miss the wheat or the meat.

Brown rice pasta with marinara sauce -

Cook one serving of brown rice pasta of choice (use caution to not over cook)
While the pasta simmers away, chop up one medium sized roma tomato and about 3 whole mushrooms and set aside.
Use one small can tomato sauce as base for homemade marinara. (alternately, if you don't wish to attempt making your own sauce, Prego makes small bottles of gluten-free pasta sauce in Traditional and Fresh Mushroom flavors) Add small amount of vegetable oil to slightly thin the sauce. Stir in spices (oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and any other Italian seasonings you desire) and a few pinches of sugar to taste. Finely dice fresh garlic and mix in with sauce. (note: this is not an exact science, taste the sauce as you go and add ingredients a little at a time until it you feel it is just right)
When pasta has finished cooking, strain and set aside. (Tip: to save on dishes, I rinse and use the same pan the pasta cooked in to heat my marinara sauce as this is done while the pasta drains.)
I like to cook the mushrooms and tomatoes slightly before adding the sauce. Once sauce has reached desired temperature, plate pasta and pour sauce over top. Sprinkle with parsley flakes, allow to cool briefly, and enjoy!

The Benefits of Smaller Meals

Small meals-

This week's topic doesn't have to do with a specific dish or preparation, but I hope some of you will find the concept of small meals helpful.  While there is no one "right" plan for everyone, eating smaller and more frequent meals can have some impressive health benefits.

First off, what do I mean by small meals? The general concept is just that - eat smaller meals. However, it extends far beyond basic portion control. Instead of the common practice of eating 2-3 big meals in the day I am an advocate of having closer to 5 mini meals throughout the day. It surprises most people to know that I encourage snacking.  I should mention at this point, though, that it is by far the quality of the food over the quantity you intake that provides the greatest results.  Eating when not hungry, or snacking on nutrient poor and sugar-laden foods will not have the desired effect.  One of the main benefits of eating small meals throughout the day is to help facilitate the making of better choices and maintaining consistency within the daily diet.

I began to realize the importance of consistency in meal schedules when I did my first cleanse.  I quickly discovered the difference between want and need.  By gauging my body's reactions if I missed a serving of juice/lemonade (or waited too long in between) I was able to see first hand the benefits of keeping my metabolism up, staying hydrated, and not letting my sugar levels drop too low. With consistency, I  had much more energy overall, didn't experience mid- morning dips or afternoon crashes, and was less moody and anxious overall. While transitioning back to solid foods I was able to channel this heightended awareness and better distinguish between cravings and necessity. I learned that often times dehydration masquerades as hunger and that one "craving" can actually mean the body is lacking something else.  When properly fueled the body does not react as abruptly and leave us searching for a quick-fix.  Eating small meals throughout the day actually helps discourage overeating by eliminating that feeling of being so hungry that we want to inhale the first food we come across or, alternately, simply eating because it is "meal time".

Busy schedules can make eating small, evenly spaced out meals a challenge.  A more typical scenario  usually involves long periods of the day without food, then scarfing beyond the point of full to make up for missed meals.  I cannot even begin to stress how counter-productive this habit is to a healthful and clean diet plan. Not only, are these crash meals more often than not eaten at late hours, but the anticipation of satisfying a "starvation" doesn't allow even the most self-controlled individual an opportunity to make the smartest choices when it comes to the portion or ingredients of the meal.  At this point our bodies may have already started to present us with symptoms (such as head-aches, drowsiness, cravings, crankiness or anger- or as I like to call it "hanger").  We, at this point, hardly take a moment to diagnose the cause of these cravings and attribute the symptoms to what could be low blood sugar or dehydration, but instead become satisfied to fill our bodies with any food that is most convenient. 

Evenly spacing our food intake throughout the course of the day also provides our stomach time to digest more efficiently.  Larger amounts of food take much longer to digest and leave our bodies feeling tired and often uncomfortable as the digestive system expends a significant amount of energy to break down those meals.  In addition to increased metabolism, a curb in hunger attacks, a boost in energy levels, and insulin regulation more frequent meals also provide a steady flow of amino acids to the muscle cells resulting in muscle growth. Introducing small meals into an already healthy diet plan is just one more way to encourage consistency and stay on track with smart meal planning.  Feel free to leave your thoughts on this concept or leave suggestions for healthful snack options. 

The Great Cake Experiment!

An Utterly Fantastic Birthday Cake

Sample Cakes

One of my first test batches

Close-up on Farm and lettering

The "ironic cow" birthday cake - finished product

As I mentioned in my last post, my kitchen has been transformed into a gluten-free lab for the past week and a half. I decided the time had come to try my hand at gluten-free baking. And I would not be satisfied until I had found a flour blend that as closely as possible resembled traditional all-purpose bleached flour. I did not want a lumpy or gooey substitute and I was not willing to sacrifice either flavor or texture. I was seeking a cake recipe that was simply delicious and original, not merely a passable replacement, and so began the experimentation process. When it came to duplicating the properties and habits of white flour I knew there would not be a simple one-for-one switch that I could make. I began researching what types of alternate flours I might be able to use. I also knew I would need to replicate the effect of gluten as a thickening and emulsifying agent within the batter. Most gluten-free recipes called for a product named Xanthan gum or Guar gum (which I have since discovered have similar properties and the same general effect as a binding agent to keep other ingredients from separating. But since it seemed Xanthan is usually preferred for baking I opted for this additive even though it is more expensive than Guar gum). I quickly realized this was not going to be as easy of an undertaking as I imagined. I would not only be trying to re-create the familiar texture, moisture, and fluffiness that is expected from a cake, but also would discover that each type of gluten-free flour presents a new subtle flavor. I started by checking out several cake recipes and re-creating the ingredient ratios on a much smaller scale (ie. 2 cups flour to 1 cup sugar became 2 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp sugar). This way I didn't have to make entire cakes, but could accurately assess the results by making test batches (aka. cupcake size samples...)

My first few batches I was just learning how different flours reacted both alone and in various combinations. I tested both brown and sweet rice flours as well as tapioca flour in every combination I could think of. I was getting some fairly okay results, all of which were edible, but I wasn't that happy either. I could still tell these cakes were imposters. I had every texture from lumpy, to mochi, to gummy and gooey. Even the mixes that came out tasting great still didn't have the look and feel of gluten-filled cake. It was time to re-evalute and do some more shopping. This time I came home with an all-purpose gluten-free flour (made from garbanzo and flava beans, tapioca, white sorghum and potato starch) and coconut flour (of which I was highly skeptical, as I am not a fan of coconut in any form). It was back to the mixing bowl! Several new combinations later I felt like I was beginning to get the hang of this. By process of elimination I began to see the effects of the slightest variations in my recipe's ingredients. In true scientific fashion I was swapping out one variable at a time (ie. One flour for another, whole eggs for egg whites, soy milk for almond milk, double the baking soda, applesauce for oil, and so on...) I had to set-aside my pre-concieved notions that gluten-free batter should have the same consistency as other batter. I had to rely on my previous results and draw entirely new conclusions. If I was going to accomplish the mission I had set out on, I had to stop pretending that these flours would re-act the same as wheat flours. By Monday morning I had a fairly good idea of what flour blends I would be using. It was time for a final test batch of each flavor profile and then I would need to transform my sample-sized batches back into a full sized recipe. For someone who traditionally used boxed cake mix, within a few days I had done a complete 180 and re-defined my idea of baking from scratch. I am happy to announce this mission was a success! With a blend of 3 parts all-purpose gluten-free flour, 2 parts coconut flour, and 1 part sweet rice flour I created a cake recipe that I am very proud of.

I suppose I should also mention the inspiration for the timing of this experimentation. I had an opportunity to enter a baking contest, sponsored by the Today show, called Quest for the Best: Homemade Birthday Cake. Basically, I had to submit an original cake recipe and a photo of my hand-decoration of that cake. While I have no training in this field, cake decorating has become somewhat of a hobby of mine the past few years. Self-taught, and inspired by my mom's custom decorated birthday cakes throughout my childhood, I have taken to making personalized cakes for many of my friends. Since this year I resolved to take on new challenges I decided, why not enter? This also seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out gluten-free baking. I mean, if I was going to have to come up with my own recipe anyway, why not at least make it something that I can eat? And more than that – enjoy! And now that I have sampled and eaten more cake this past week than the entire year prior, I am pleased to be able to share my results with you. Included in this week's post you will see, not only the completed recipe but also several photos of my process as well as the contest submission picture of what I have titled the “ironic cow" birthday cake (for it's lack of any dairy products in a cake with a dairy-farm inspired theme). Hopefully you'll enjoy the results as much as I have the discovery.

Laura's Gluten-free Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:

2 c Gluten-free flour blend

1 tsp Xanthan Gum

3 tsp Baking Soda

1 ½ tsp Corn Starch

1 ½ c Sugar

1 c Vanilla Almond Milk

1 tsp White Wine Vinegar

2 eggs (whites only)

¼ c Applesauce (opt. Cinnamon flavor)

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Sift flour into medium bowl, add Xanthan Gum, baking soda, corn starch, and sugar. Re-sift all dry ingredients, whisk until thoroughly blended, and set aside. Measure out one cup vanilla almond milk and sour with vinegar. Separate 2 eggs and whisk the whites, discarding yolks. In another medium mixing bowl combine the soured milk, egg whites, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir. Slowly add dry ingredients into the liquid, stirring continuously until fully blended. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking pan with non-stick olive oil spray, and flour with gluten-free flour. Pour batter into pans and smooth to edges. Tap pan lightly on counter to remove air pockets. Bake for 25-30 minutes until tooth pick comes out clean. Allow to cool thoroughly before removing from pans.

Additional Flavor Modifications -

Chocolate:

Hot Cocoa/Mocha Powder Mix

Splash Vanilla Almond Milk

Stir about ¼ c hot cocoa mix with just enough milk to create a liquid paste. Add to Vanilla cake batter and blend. Continue to slowly add in more cocoa powder to achieve desired color and flavor (aprox. 1/8 c)

Spice:

1-2 tsp each (to taste) -

Cinnamon

All-spice

Add to completed vanilla cake batter.

Note:  I used all 3 flavors as the various layers when creating the cake for the contest.

Portabellas with a side of Bill Nye the Science Guy...

This week my kitchen has been transformed in to a gluten-free baking laboratory. I have been testing mini batches of cake-mix,experimenting with various flour/starch blends, and playing with a variety of ingredients trial and error style. The mission is to create a delicious cake recipe that could fool even the most die-hard gluten lover. While I don't mind many of the gluten-free substitutes available, even I can admit they often don't have the same consistency and texture as their counter-parts. Since this project is still a work in progress I will save my discoveries and conclusions for future blogs, and in the mean time will share a recipe for a vegetarian favorite that I have recently re-created. Hope you all enjoy!

Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps

Ingredients-

 Medium to large portabella mushrooms

Tamari

Spices(such as garlic salt, Italian seasoning blend, parsley, a dash of cayenne...)

Salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Quinoa

Fresh spinach

Mixed vegetables (bell peppers, onions, zucchini, yellow squash...)

Lime juice

Lite Butter or margarine

“I Can't Believe it's not Butter” spray

Directions- 

Clean and rinse large portabella caps, removing stems and scraping the insides of the caps. Brush top of caps lightly with olive or vegetable oil, and marinate in gluten-free soy sauce (Tamari) and spices of choice, for at least 20-30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 350degrees. Line a small baking pan with aluminum foil and transfer mushroom caps from their marinade to pan (save remaining marinade to be used later). Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until mushrooms are tender (flipping once half way thru time, and re-coating with some of the extra marinade) Rinse and strain quinoa in cold water. Place in medium sauce pan, with just over twice as much water as uncooked quinoa. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmering for approximately 20 minutes, until all water has cooked off and quinoa is fully cooked (edge of grain begins to separate). While the quinoa is cooking, begin to steam a generous handful of fresh spinach with a pinch of salt. Once spinach is done, set aside in a small bowl and melt a small amount of butter over the top. Next, spray medium skillet with butter spray and begin to saute the zucchini and squash over medium-high heat. Toss with ground black pepper and a splash of lime juice. Slightly reduce heat and continue stirring until fully cooked, adding the rest of the veggies half way through (feel free to also add more pepper and lime juice to taste at this point). After everything has finished cooking separately, remove mushrooms from oven and spoon quinoa into the caps, top with layer of cooked spinach and more quinoa, drizzle with remaining marinade and return to oven for another 5-10 mins.