Pizza - at last !

The discovery of coconut flour has opened up a whole new world of gluten free choices.... choices that have a beautiful texture !

Finally a gluten free pizza crust that doesn't resemble cardboard.... yummy !

3 lrg eggs

3/4 c milk

1/3 c warm water

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 cup coconut flour

beat eggs and then mix in order given until smooth & well mixed

spread over a lightly greased ( I used coconut oil to grease ) cookie sheet. 

Bake at 370 for aprox 15 mins  ( or until browned lightly and well set. )

top with your favorite ingredients ...

we make ours Hawaiian - which goes nicely with the coconut flour flavor )

bake for another 7-10 minutes, broil for a minute if desired to brown the cheese, and finally... enjoy pizza again !

coconut flour muffins

Coconut flour is fairly new to the North American market and occasionally hard to find but well worth the effort ! ( I use Certified organic coconut flour from Aloha Nu )

This flour is made from the fiber of the coconut meat after almost all the oil has been extracted to make Coconut Oil.
It's gluten free, making it a suitable substitute for those with gluten and wheat allergies. It's also high in protein, low in carbs and it contains more fiber than many other flours.
For regular baking or cooking, you can substitute aprox. 10 -25 % of regular flour for coconut flour to add extra fiber. Some recipes however, can be made with 100% coconut flour and be totally gluten free (and so delicious no one will ever know ! ) The easiest ones to do this with are muffins, bars, pancakes, cakes and quick breads.

Since coconut flour has no gluten, plenty of eggs must be used to make up for it. On average, for every 1 cup of coconut flour, 4-5 eggs must be used. To help with binding, sticky sweeteners can also be used, like honey, maple syrup, etc. Also keep in mind that coconut flour is a very "thirsty" flour, and soaks up amazing amounts of liquid. So it's likely that you'll have to increase the liquid amount in your recipe depending on what you are making.

Many recipes containing wheat flour can be converted to 100% coconut flour, with a little practice. Coconut flour behaves differently from recipe to recipe, so some experimenting will have to be done to get the hang of it.
( I use Certified organic coconut flour from Aloha Nu )
Here's a recipe to get you started...


Coconut flour muffins

3 lg. eggs
2 Tbps milk ( or whipping cream for low carb )
2 TBSP. melted butter
3 Tbsp. honey ( or preferred low carb sweetener )
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla
1/4 c. coconut flour
1/4 tsp. gluten free baking powder
1/2 c. finely chopped nuts
1/2 c. raisins ( omit for lower carb )

mix eggs, butter, milk honey & vanilla.
Combine flour & baking powder & add to wet ingr. mix until smooth. blend in porridge ( or nuts) & raisins .
Pour into greased or papered muffin tins. bake @ 400 for aprox 15 mins or till done in center.

Maple SyrupTime

We'll, we had a great time in Quebec and in this pic you see us at an Expo about Maple syrup !
We were too early to go to a sugaring off party but they should be starting to tap the trees right about now and with that in mind here are a couple of our favorite recipes from www.themapleman.ca a local fellow, who's family owns a maple farm in Quebec. Yummy !

Creamy Maple Syrup Fondue

1/2 c. pure maple syrup
2 c. whipping cream (15 % M.F.)
2 tsp. cornstarch
assorted fruit
Mix 2 tsp of cream with cornstarch. set aside. Heat Maple syrup on low for about 5 mins. put the rest of the cream in a pot & bring just to a boil, then mix in the syrup. Add diluted cornstarch & heat on low until thick, stirring constantly. Pour into a chocolate fondue dish to keep warm if desired & serve with fruit to dip.

Salad Dressing

4 tsp. GF rice vinegar ( or cider vinegar )
2 TBSP. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp dijon ( or regular ) mustard
3 TBSP. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
mix salt, pepper & mustard.
Add vinegar & olive oil, then maple syrup.
shake well. Keep refrigerated.

Gluten Free peanut butter bars

Everyone likes these ones- definitely not low carb though  !
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 cups crushed gluten free corn flakes ( or other GF flaked cereal )
heat 1st 3 ingr. ( don't boil) add peanut butter. fold in cereal & drop by tsp onto cookie sheet or press into greased cookie sheet & cut into bars when cool.

Turkey stuffed avocados

A fabulous way to add some delicious, raw food to those turkey leftovers. Beats another bowl of the same old turkey soup !
3 avocados, cut in half lengthwise & remove pit ( using a spoon makes this easy)
1 1/2 cups chopped , leftover, turkey
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup real mayo ( not miracle whip)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dill
1 small tomato, chopped
1-3 TBSP. chopped green onion ( optional )
1-3 TBSP. chopped black olive ( optional)
1-3 TBSP. finely chopped celery ( optional)
salt & pepper if desired
mix all ingredients except avocados, then stuff into the center of the avocados. Eat right away for a wonderful lunch !

Red Cabbage Salad

Low carb, easy to throw together & a great alternative to making another coleslaw !

3 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice or 1 squeezed lemon.
1/3 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt & pepper to taste
1/2 - 3/4 of a small head of red cabbage, finely chopped
1/3 c. toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds
1/2 - 2/3 c feta, crumbled
1/2 c. chopped fresh dill
1/8 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c chopped onion or green onion
Mix first 4 ingr. together in a large bowl. add the rest & mix well. Serve right awy if possible, or refridgerate & serve same day. ( Will keep for a day or two in fridge)

Tea biscuits

These tasty biscuits are great to dip in soup, or take on a picnic.
1 1/4 c. rice flour
1/2 tsp xanthan or guar gum ( at your local health food store)
5 TBSP. butter
1 c. potato starch ( not flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 c. unsweetened plain yogurt

preheat to 425.
Measure all dry ingr. into large bowl
Cut in the butter. Blen in yogurt until just moistened. knead a few times then pat out to about 1/2 " thick. cut into circles & place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake @ 425 for 10 - 15 mins.

GF lemon sheet cake

A fast, easy & yummy recipe stolen from my aunts house !

4 eggs
2 TBSP. lemon juice
1 c. sugar ( or low carb sweetener such as swerve )
3/4 c. GF flour mix ( use 3/4 c almond flour minus 2 tbsp, plus 2 tbsp coconut flour, for lower carbs )
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2tsp. xanthan gum
1/4c. veg.oil
1 TBSP. grated lemon peel

Beat eggs & sugar at high speed for 5 mins.
Add remainder of ingr. Beat until smooth.
Pour into greased & dusted ( with GF flour) 7 X 11 pan
Bake @ 375 for 25-35 mins.

Trail Mix

Trail mix is great road trip food, as well as for hiking, picnics etc. it can be varied according to individual taste and made either sweet or more savory. Be creative. Gather your faves , mix in a large bowl and store in zip lock bags. (Freeze for longer storage ) To be sure your ingredients are gluten free , purchase organic products, labeled gluten free whenever possible. Some great things to mix in are :
dried cranberries, raisins, almonds, peanuts ( plain ) or any unsalted nuts you enjoy. dried apples, banana chips, coconut flakes, dried unsulphured pinapple rings or papaya chunks, unsalted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and even gluten free cereal if you like.

Brown sugar & spice Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup honey ( or 1/4 cup fiber syrup for low carb )
1/2 cup brown sugar or 1/4 cup low carb sweetener of choice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp GF vanilla ( real)
4 eggs
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Gf baking powder (magic brand)
3/4 cup milk ( or 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1/4 cup water, for lower carb )
1 cup Gf flour mix ( 3/4 cup almond flour plus 2 tbsp coconut flour for low carb )
1 tsp. xanthan gum ( add to flour)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup grated carrot ( 1/4 cup to reduce carbs )
Cream first 3 ingr. add next 5 and mix well. add remaining ingredients alternately and beat until smooth. bake in well greased 9" pan @ 375 for aprox 30 mins. Test with toothpick.

Choosing Gluten Free Flours

There are so many GF flours out there it's a wonder we limit ourselves to plain old wheat anyway ! Many recipes call for rice flour but I find it has a very grainy texture so I used to substitute garbanzo bean flour ( chick pea flour ) or use a flour mix such as Pamela's or Bob's Red Mill flour mix, if I cooked for just celiacs... Now I prefer lower carb foods, which don't raise blood sugar as much, and keep a person feeling full for much longer.... My main flours of choice are almond flour and coconut flour, which both take some getting used to as almond flour burns quickly compared to other flours, and coconut flour absorbs liquids rapidly, while almond doesn't. A mix of the two is great. For even lower carbs I like to use a bit of oat FIBER in the mix. This is NOT the same as oat bran or oat flour !!! It is not usually found in stores , but is easily found on line.
There are many others too. you can find them in all sorts of places. ... most health food stores carry a good variety.

How to cook gluten free

Some celiacs are hypersensitive to gluten so in order to avoid cross contamination, gluten free foods should be prepared seperately from regular foods. That means scrub every surface before you begin. Use separate pots, pans utensils ( clean ) and do not bake gluten free foods in the oven , while also baking regular foods at the same time ( not even in separate containers)
The other thing to remember is when you are making regular foods, if for example you use the measuring cup in the bag of wheat flour, then use the same measuring cup to get some sugar, without washing it first you have just contaminated the whole bag of sugar so it can't be used for a celiac !
The same goes for things like butter, jam , mayo etc . It is advisable to have separate containers of condiments for the gluten free person in your house .
It gets easier as you get used to it.
The other trick is to be sure the brand you are using is gluten free to begin with. some brands of baking ingredients are gluten free ( GF) while others have gluten hidden in them under other names, like HVP, or modified food starch. Read labels carefully ! It is like a science experiment at first but it does get more automatic, the more you work at it , just like anything else, practice makes perfect.