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Making Substitutions at home for gluten:
Start with recipes that use relatively small amounts of wheat flour like brownies or pancakes. Gluten-free versions taste almost the same as their wheat-based cousins. These two gluten-free flour mixtures can be substituted for wheat flour cup-for-cup:
- Gluten-Free Flour Mix 1
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour - Gluten-Free Flour Mix 2
6 cups white rice flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
You can purchase gluten-free baking mixes at health food stores and some supermarkets.
Potato Starch Flour This is a gluten-free thickening agent that is perfect for cream-based soups and sauces. Mix it a little with water first, then substitute potato starch flour for flour in your recipe, but use half the amount called for. It can be purchased in a health food store.
Tapioca Flour This is a light, white, very smooth flour that comes from the cassava root. It gives baked goods a nice chewy texture. Try it in white bread or French bread recipes. It is also easily combined with cornstarch and soy flour.
Soy Flour This nutty-tasting flour has a high protein and fat content. It's best when used in combination with other flours and for baking brownies, or any baked goods with nuts or fruit, which will mask any "beany" flavor.
Cornstarch A refined starch that comes from corn, it's mostly used as a thickening agent for puddings, fruit sauces, and Asian cooking. It is also used in combination with other flours for baking.
Corn Flour This flour is milled from corn and can be blended with cornmeal to make cornbread or muffins. It is excellent for waffles or pancakes.
Cornmeal Cornmeal can be ground from either yellow or white corn. This is often combined with flours for baking. It imparts a strong corn flavor that is delicious in pancakes, waffles, or muffins.
White Rice Flour This is an excellent basic flour for gluten-free baking. It is milled from polished white rice. Because it has such a bland flavor, it is perfect for baking, as it doesn't impart any flavors. It works well with other flours. White rice flour is available in most health food stores, and also in Asian markets. Look for types called fine-textured white rice flour.
Brown Rice Flour Made from unpolished brown rice, brown rice flour retains the nutritional value of the rice bran. Use it in breads, muffins, and cookies.
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SALT
- Sea Salt-great for dishes where you want a touch of the sea taste, and a softer flavor
- Kosher Salt-a softer flavored coarse-grain salt. Good for Kosher Diets
- Table Salt-Great everyday use
- SALTSalt is neither an herb nor a spice - but IS the number one seasoning in all the world. Actually an "innovation" of mankind and noted throughout history. The most common forms include:Table
From mined rock salt deposits, contains chemical additives to keep it free-flowing. Added iodine causes a slightly bitter aftertaste. Has the "saltiest" taste.Kosher
Also mined from rock salt but with no additives. Purer taste, course grain, dissolves more quickly then table salt. Preferred by most cooks.Sea
Made by evaporating sea water. No additives, clean taste, course, large grains. Takes a little longer to dissolve and better for longer cooking periods, as for soups and stews.Fleur de sel
French for "flower of salt". Harvested by hand from salt beds. It has a delicate flavor and works well as a finishing touch to appetizers, salads and roasted meats. - _________________________________________________________________________
Substituting Gluten-see alternatives below:
Gluten, a protein found in wheat flour, is what gives structure to baked goods. It traps air while breads, muffins, and cakes bake, giving them their soft spongy texture. To replace gluten, you'll need to use other thickeners like xanthan gum or guar gum in your baking.
For each cup of gluten-free flour mix, add at least 1 teaspoon of gluten substitute.
Xanthum Gum
This comes from the dried cell coat of a microorganism called Zanthomonas campestris. It is formulated in a laboratory setting. This works well as a gluten substitution in yeast breads along with other baked goods. You can purchase it in health food stores and some supermarkets.
Guar Gum
This powder comes from the seed of the plant Cyamopsis tetragonolobus. It is an excellent gluten substitute and it is available in health food stores and some supermarkets.
Pre-Gel Starch This gluten substitute helps keep baked goods from being too crumbly. This, too, can be purchased at most health food stores.
Start with recipes that use relatively small amounts of wheat flour like brownies or pancakes. Gluten-free versions taste almost the same as their wheat-based cousins. These two gluten-free flour mixtures can be substituted for wheat flour cup-for-cup:
- Gluten-Free Flour Mix I
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour - Gluten-Free Flour Mix II
6 cups white rice flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
You can purchase gluten-free baking mixes at health food stores and some supermarkets.
Potato Starch Flour This is a gluten-free thickening agent that is perfect for cream-based soups and sauces. Mix it a little with water first, then substitute potato starch flour for flour in your recipe, but use half the amount called for. It can be purchased in a health food store.
Tapioca Flour This is a light, white, very smooth flour that comes from the cassava root. It gives baked goods a nice chewy texture. Try it in white bread or French bread recipes. It is also easily combined with cornstarch and soy flour.
Soy Flour This nutty-tasting flour has a high protein and fat content. It's best when used in combination with other flours and for baking brownies, or any baked goods with nuts or fruit, which will mask any "beany" flavor.
Cornstarch A refined starch that comes from corn, it's mostly used as a thickening agent for puddings, fruit sauces, and Asian cooking. It is also used in combination with other flours for baking.
Corn Flour This flour is milled from corn and can be blended with cornmeal to make cornbread or muffins. It is excellent for waffles or pancakes.
Cornmeal Cornmeal can be ground from either yellow or white corn. This is often combined with flours for baking. It imparts a strong corn flavor that is delicious in pancakes, waffles, or muffins.
White Rice Flour This is an excellent basic flour for gluten-free baking. It is milled from polished white rice. Because it has such a bland flavor, it is perfect for baking, as it doesn't impart any flavors. It works well with other flours. White rice flour is available in most health food stores, and also in Asian markets. Look for types called fine-textured white rice flour.
Brown Rice Flour Made from unpolished brown rice, brown rice flour retains the nutritional value of the rice bran. Use it in breads, muffins, and cookies.- Gluten-Free Flour Mix I
- Finally, some good health news for something other than brussel spouts or broccoli, like them too, but wouldn’t we all prefer a small piece of chocolate guilt free?Dark ChocolateFor maximum benefits, eat 100 grams or 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate per day· Cardiovascular Health: Studies show that eating chocolate, primarily dark Chocolate, may contribute to improved cardiovascular health. It can result in enhanced blood flow, healthy cholesterol levels and in some cases, reduced blood press.· Blood Pressure: Flavanoids found in dark chocolate relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.· Lower Cholesterol: Dark Chocolate has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol.· Antioxidants: It is a source of natural flavanol antioxidants. Dark Chocolate and cocoa are as good for you as green tea and blueberries. It’s because chocolate comes from the cacao or cocoa bean which grows on the cacao tree, and are full of natural plant nutrients. Dark Chocolate has the highest percentage of cocoa solids, and therefore delivers more flavanol antioxidants. These plant compounds act as antioxidants in food and may reduce the risk of many kinds of illness, from heart disease to cancer. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark Chocolate contains 8 times more antioxidants than strawberries.· Green Tea, Red Wine –Dark Chocolate and cocoa contain cell-protecting flavanol antioxidant compounds. Two tablespoons of natural cocoa have more antioxidant capacity that 3 ½ cups of green tea, ¾ of blueberries and 1 1/3 glass of red wine.· Additional Benefits: it stimulates endorphin production which gives a feeling of pleasure that contains serotonin which acts as an anti-depressant.Milk Chocolate:
- Antidepressant-Contains serotonin, a neuotransmitter responsible for feelings of well being.
- Lowers Blood Pressure: Flavanoids found in milk chocolate relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide which lowers blood pressure.
- Dental Protention- it contains phosphate which protects teeth from decay.
- High in Vitamins B1, B2, D and Vitamin E, and Potassium and magnesium.
- Antioxidants-they boost your immune system.- it can lower levels of LDL (the unhealthy kind) and raise HDL cholesterol (the healthy one)
- Lowers Cholesterol
White Chocolate:
The down side, is dark chocolate is the best, with milk being second best. The white chocolate does not have the same affect. But can make a yummy addition to many recipes for a different taste and look.
One tip, researches say to avoid milk with your dark chocolate-it prevents antioxidants from being absorbed.
So, eat healthy, and eat chocolate !__________________________________________________
Flowers, Edible Flowers Chart
Edible Flowers-These varieties are safe to eat when home grown (Safety note, grow at home, make sure no pesticides are used and don't just eat any flower without making sure it's edible and don't eat flowers from a florist shop). If you buy a growing plant from a nursery, be sure and wait for 1 month of growing time in your pesticide free garden to dissipate any items sprayed etc. at the nursery. These can be purchased at specialty stores labeled for culinary use.
__________________________________________________________________________________________My Vegetable Garden, welcomeWelcome to my garden, here is a small sampling of the produce we grow here (minus the wildlife of course):
This is Chip, he frequents our Macadamia nut tree often.
This is the Fountain in my back yard, my husband and I built it from rocks we found, all but 1 flat one we purchased. The large Bon Sai tree on the bottom right is Rosemary. I've been growing my own rosemary for over 8 years now. To do so, snip off some branches or twigs, wash very well. Then cut the shoots from the stem off to form their own single stem, so to speak. Place on a clean towel on a baking sheet, and let air dry for a few days. You can cover them if you want, I leave to air dry. When dry, they are now easy to remove the rosemary leaves from it's stem as it is just one easy length. Then I store them in old washed out spice jars. When ready for a new bottle, I take the leaves and process through a coffee grinder I use for spices. If you can, I highly recommend getting a coffee bean grinder for spices.
Avocado tree Limes
Lemons Tomatoes
Squash Blossoms Grapes
White Bush Squash Zucchini
Yellow Summer Squash Butternut Squash
Anaheim Chili Pepper Fennel
Sunflower Seedless Watermelon baby
Crocus flower with Saffron growingHorseradish
Please enjoy my pictures and recipes and let me know which ones you liked the best that worked for you. I enjoy talking food with new people and gain new perspectives. Thanks for stopping by.