The first loaf was great but didn’t rise so much – I think because I mistakenly used potato flour instead of potato starch. The house filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread! I had tears in my eyes…not really but it does sound dramatic The next loaf was a winner – as in taller though it is a relatively short loaf so sandwiches are a bit small – portion control, HA!
I made some adjustments to the recipe and made this recipe for 1 loaf. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Gluten Free / Egg Free  Sandwich Bread

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method

——– ———— ——————————–

3/4 cup millet flour — 3 oz

3/4 cup tapioca flour — 3 oz

3/4 cup potato starch (not flour!) — 3.3 oz

1/2 cup sorghum flour — 2 oz

1/4 cup teff flour — 1.13 oz

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon yeast — proof in 1/4 c warm water with pinch of the 1/4c sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil — or melted butter

1 cup water — warm; or 3/4c water + 1/4 c yoghurt

2 tablespoons flax seed — ground + 1/4 cup hot water stir til gelatinous

Grease 9 x 5 x 3 pan with butter or vegetable oil and dust with rice flour.

Mix together dry ingredients

Mix together wet ingredients

Add wet to dry.

Let rise in a warm place until the bread is just to the top of the pan – about 1 – 1 1/2  hours.

Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes. The bread is done when you tap it and it sounds hollow.

I made this variation on Monday so I could have pastrami sandwiches:
Rye bread – add 2 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, 2 t molasses, 1T cocoa

After the bread has cooled I slice it thinly and put in the freezer. When I want to make a sandwich or make toast I just take out what I need.

I’ll post a picture when I make another loaf.

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2. Gluten Free Blue Corn Griddle Cakes
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Gluten Free Blue Corn Griddle Cakes

1 cup blue cornmeal (organic from Arrowhead Mills)
1/2 cup brown rice flour (or amaranth)
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons ground flax seed mixed with 1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup whole milk yogurt
1/3 cup water
1 cup frozen cut corn (or fresh)
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1/4 medium jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup Monterey jack or Mexican cheese blend, grated

Extra virgin olive oil for cooking griddle cakes

Combine dry ingredients (cornmeal through pepper) in bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (butter through cheese). Fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

Heat a cast iron griddle to medium high heat. Lightly coat the griddle with olive oil. When the griddle is hot, make a griddle cake with ¼ cup of batter. When they are ready to flip, little bubbles will start to appear on the top of the cakes (and the bottoms will be slightly browned) – about 3 to 4 minutes on the first side. After flipping, you can check the bottoms of the cake for doneness – this will take about an additional 3 minutes per cake.

Makes about 12 cakes. Serve hot.

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Here is what I ended up with:

Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Bread

1 1/2 cup millet flour
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup teff flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs ground flax seed
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp Redmond Real Salt
3-4 very ripe bananas
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Mash the bananas and mix with the water, vanilla and butter.

Mix the banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a well buttered and rice floured 9×5x3 loaf pan.

Update: I have used a 9 x 9 square pan and it works well too.

Bake at 350F for 50-70 minutes – until a knife poked into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 20 minutes then finish cooling on a rack. Best to slice when fully cool but who can wait…

Enjoy!

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2. Spiced Refrigerator Pumpkin Cheesecake
3. Have you had your sea vegetables today?

One of the best ways to get minerals is to eat lots of vegetables and some fruits. If you want a mineral packed source – turn to the sea.

Sea vegetables or seaweed are actually algae and contain nearly all the minerals needed by humans. These mineral include: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iodine, iron, zinc and numerous trace minerals. Sea vegetables also contain important vitamins: beta carotene, B1, B2, B6, niacin, vitamin C, pantothenic acid and folic acid. It also, contains varying amounts of protein depending on type with the some red algae having amounts comparable to legumes.

Common sea vegetables are brown algae: arame, hijiki, kombu (aka kelp), wakame, agar-agar; and red algae: dulse, irish moss (carrageen) nori (aka laver).

Of note hijiki contains high amounts of calcium; kelp or kombu contains high amounts of magnesium; dulse is high in B6, iron and potassium.

Health Benefits include aiding in detoxification of the body (binding to heavy metals), source of minerals, support digestion, support the immune system, beneficial for bone, anemia, aid with hormone balance, may aid with weight loss by induce fat burning, lowering cholesterol, stabilizing blood sugar, reducing blood pressure and reducing risk of metabolic syndrome.

One study showed the ability of iodine or iodine-rich seaweed to inhibit breast tumor development: Smyth PPA. The thyroid, iodine and breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2003;5:235-238.

Sea vegetables are also a source of lignans (also found in flax seed) which are thought to play a role in preventing certain types of cancer, particularly breast cancer.

Here are some easy ways to incorporate sea vegetables into your diet
· Add a piece of kombu or kelp in a pot of beans, soups and stocks
· A pinch to a handful of most any sea vegetable to any long cooked dishes such as lentil & bean soups, stews, chilis, etc
· Sprinkle flaked or cut up pieces of sea vegetables on salads, over rice or other grains.
· Use flaked sea vegetable as a seasoning in place of salt
· Add a small amount into baked goods
· Add to a sandwich
· Dry into snack chips

This is a favorite soup recipe which features laver or nori:

Laver Egg Drop Soup
4 servings

3 eggs
4 cups chicken stock
4 sheets of nori, torn into small pieces
1 Tbs corn starch
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs shaoshing wine or sherry
3 scallions, sliced
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp toasted sesame oil

Stir together 1/2 cup of chicken stock with the cornstarch, set aside.

Lighty beat eggs.

In a medium size pot, heat together remaining chicken stock with ginger,
soy sauce, pepper and wine with the nori pieces. Bring to a boil, stir in the
cornstarch slurry. Let simmer. Add the scallions.

Turn off heat. While stirring the soup in a clockwise direction, slowly
add the egg in a thin stream. Garnish with a few drops of sesame oil.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

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2. Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Bread
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Cranberry Apple Chutney

Place everything in a sauce pan over medium heat. Simmer until it thickens, about 15-25 minutes.

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3. Thanksgiving Madness

Bake 4 pounds (4 large)  orange yams (sweet potatoes) at 350F until soft and the skins are “loose” – about 90 minutes. Let cool and peel skins off. Cut into 1 1/2″ disks. Arrange tightly into a 9″ square baking dish. Brush a generous amount of the bourbon brown sugar glaze and bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes. Brush on some more glaze and bake another 20 minutes.  If you want to crisp up the top you can brush on more glaze and put under the broiler for a few minutes. Serve warm.

Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze (approximate)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T bourbon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Put all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. The butter and brown sugar should blend together into a nice thick glaze.

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1. Spiced Refrigerator Pumpkin Cheesecake

This year I tried to remember where I got the recipe for the, I swore the best Cranberry Sauce I’ve ever had…I could not remember and barely could remember any ingredient past…well, cranberries!

So, I will use this blog as it was intended, to record recipes I have tried and also family favorites – both old and new.

Ok, now to the the recipe in the title of this post. Since I am wheat free and egg free these days I wanted a holiday dessert that I could enjoy. On the plus side, Patti really loves cheesecake. This recipe is a blend of a recipe I found from Whole Foods and Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Pumpkin Cheesecake.
The Whole Foods recipe is a basic refrigerator cheesecake but I was hesitant that the pumpkin wouldn’t have that nice baked caramelized quality even though I am using canned pumpkin. So I stumbled on the Beranbaum method of cooking the pumpkin in a sauce pan with the sugar. Viola! A + B = Spiced Refrigerator Pumpkin Cheesecake

Then I made up a crust that used a combo of oat bran and almond meal to avoid the wheat in graham crackers or gingersnaps.

Spiced Pumpkin Refrigerator Cheesecake

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
2/3           cup  almond meal
1/2           cup  oat bran
1/4           cup  brown sugar
1           teaspoon  cinnamon
1/2      teaspoon  ground ginger
1/4      teaspoon  allspice
1/4      teaspoon  salt
4        tablespoons  butter — melted

4        tablespoons  butter
1/2           cup  brown sugar
1                cup  pumpkin puree
1           teaspoon  cinnamon
1/2      teaspoon  ground ginger
1/4      teaspoon  allspice
1/4      teaspoon  salt
1           teaspoon  vanilla extract

16            ounces  cream cheese — 2-8oz packages, room temperature

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, combine almond meal, oat bran, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt and melted butter. Press mixture into bottom of a 8 or 9-inch springform pan and about 1/4-inch up the sides. Bake until golden brown and toasted, 7 to 8 minutes; set aside to let cool completely.

In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the butter and sugar together. Stir in the  pumpkin purée. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a  simmer, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.
Add the cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt. Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring
constantly, until the mixture has darkened and thickened a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the cooled pumpkin mixture; beat until smooth. Transfer pumpkin mixture to prepared pan, spreading it out evenly over the crust. Cover and chill until set, about 6 hours, or overnight.

Un mold and slice:
Be sure the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled – I froze mine. Have ready a serving plate and a cutting board as wide as the cake wrapped in plastic wrap.
Use a hair dryer to warm the outside side of the pan. Release and gently loosen the ring and then lift it off.
Set the board with the plastic wrap on top of the cheesecake and carefully invert the pan. Heat the base of the springform with the hair dryer and lift it off.
Set the serving plate on the bottom of the cheesecake and reinvert the cake. Lift off the plastic-wrapped board.

To cut neat slices, use a sharp, thin-bladed knife dipped in hot water (wipe off excess water) between each slice.

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The ‘there’s no there there’ Carrot Cake

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
8 ounces crushed pineapple — drained, reserve liquid
4 tablespoons flax seed — ground
3/4 cup water
2 cups carrots — shredded
1 cup walnuts — chopped (optional)
1 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup glutinous rice flour — ‘Mochiko’
2 teaspoons cinnamon — ground
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 ounces coconut oil
2/3 cup sucanat or rapadura — (dehydrated sugar cane juice)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and rice flour a 13″ x 9″ baking pan.

Drain pineapple well (squeeze), reserving juice.

In a small bowl, make a slurry with the ground flax and reserved pineapple juice.

Grate carrots and chop walnuts. In a medium bowl, mix rice flours, almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In large bowl, beat coconut oil and sucanat on medium until well mixed. Add flax slurry. Beat some more. Fold in dry half dry ingredients. Stir in water then fold in the remaining dry ingredients. Stir in walnuts, pineapple and carrots by hand. Try not to over mix – it will not rise as much if you do. Immediately pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake in the botton third of the oven at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until done – check by inserting a toothpick in the center. The toothpick should come out clean.

The texture is definitely different than your typical cake – a bit chewy. I like it best the next day -the flavor seems to mellow out.

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