Thursday, April 28, 2011

Powdered "Sugar"

Read about it, tried it, it worked! You really can powder Xylitol. I wanted to try this out for use in my meringue and it was great. So here it is: A Powdered Sugar substitute with no calories, sugars or health-threatening side effects. (Not recommended for use in large amounts as in butter cream frosting. Use in small amounts.)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Sweet Succulent Strawberries

Did you know that not just oranges, lemons, grapefruits and such are high in Vitamin C? Strawberries are citrus too! But, 1/2C. of strawberries has only 23 calories while grapefruit can be as high as 47! Bring on those luscious berries!
Fresh Ice Cream and Cobbler coming soon.
"Tis the season!

Friday, April 22, 2011

How-To Make Simple Peanut Butter Fudge


At my house we are a bit food-challenged. I am allergic to sugar, dairy products and chocolate. Some have wondered what's left?! There actually is a lot left, but for a long time I thought I'd never eat fudge again. Had I had to deal with these allergies several decades ago I'd have simply been out of luck ~ I've seen those "health food" cookbooks from the 70's and they sure leave something to be desired! Some call for wierd ingredients and many don't have much flavor. But nowadays there are healthy alternatives that are easy to find and taste good, too! So, how do you make fudge without chocolate, you may ask? Well, there is a substitute I use called Carob. I know it's not truly the same, but it works for me. And this recipe can be made with chocolate chips instead of the carob chips that I use here. Carob chips come in 10 oz. bags and chocolate chips come in 12 oz, so I measured them at 2C. Place chips in the microwave for about 30 seconds with 2/3 - 3/4 C. Peanut Butter (we like the crunchy kind). I prefer Adam's because it has no sugar or hardened fats, and add 2 tablespoons of milk. Adam's is very soft so with regular peanut butter you may need to increase milk. Stir the chips, peanut butter and milk, place back in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and stir again. If needed microwave another 10-15 seconds. Be careful though, carob is very heat sensitive and becomes chewy like a tootsie roll quickly if it get too hot. If there are bits of carob chips left, just stir the warm mixture until they finish melting. Add 2-3 packets of Truvia to taste and 1/8 t. of Vanilla. I use Butter Vanilla. Spread onto oiled plate. Allow to cool to room temperature. Carob Chips can be purchased at Health Food Stores and Whole Foods. Adam's Peanut Butter, Truvia (a no calorie natural and healthy sweetener), and Soymilk are available in many grocery stores. And, Butter Vanilla comes from from the specialty cake and candy maker's supply store, but regular Vanilla is OK, too! So there you have it; Fudge made without Chocolate, and taste's like a peanut butter cup! Well, at least to me it does!! Here're those 5 simple ingredients without all the chatter:
2C. Carob or Chocolate Chips
2/3 - 3/4 C. Peanut Butter
2T. Milk or Soymilk
2-3 Packets Truvia
1/8 t. Vanilla

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Kitchen Chemistry

Over the years I have spent many hours, not always enough thought, and a fair amount of money into experimenting with recipes trying to make them healthier. Some with success and others? Well, not so much. I have yet to find the all-encompassing food chemistry manual of my dreams. You know, the one that includes things like what will result by using coconut oil in the recipe instead of shortening. (Don't do it by-the-way, without some study. I once tried to make popcorn balls using coconut oil instead of butter and they never held together because one of coconut oil's virtues is that it resists hardening when heated to high temperatures. And I knew that?)

Well, we all start from somewhere. For me, my journey began with switching from refined grains and sweeteners to natural. That was a huge beginning. In addition to learning the reasons why it would be worth it I also had to learn how to do it. Things like:
~ When baking with whole wheat flour, you can use just a little less than refined white because of its bulk, otherwise your results may be too dry.
~ Again, when using honey you can use a bit less because it's sweeter than sugar.
~ And, when substituting any liquid for a dry ingredient, you must compensate for the change somewhere else in the recipe. For example, 1C. of honey also adds 1/4th C. of liquid so you use 1/4th C. less other liquid. If the recipe is for cookies and doesn't have a wet ingredient like water or milk, search for someone else's recipe for best results!
Back then there were no computers in our homes for relative ease in research. Now, thanks to Google and other search engines, so much info is at our fingertips. Still, we have to know enough about our subject to know what to ask!
From time to time, I'll be adding to this little page of mine, facts and figures to hopefully make the use of "new" food more practical and still tasty.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Got A Sweet Tooth?

I do.
It's a shameful thing I know, but here I am needing something sweet to end my evening meal! It doesn't have to be big or fancy, just a nibble will do but it has to be something!
I decided several years ago to do some sleuthing around about what sweeteners were "good" and which ones were not. I'd already given up on processed, granulated white sugar, brown sugar, and powdered sugar, chemicals and all you know. But I took one look at the shelf at the health food store and felt so overwhelmed I uttered prayers right there on the spot!
I know honey is one of the best choices with it's trace minerals, but sometimes I just don't want my final product to taste like it. A good alternative is agave, although I'm still learning about how to cook with that one. Maple Syrup is wonderful when you're looking for the brown sugar flavor, and grade B does it best in recipes. Honey, Agave and Pure Maple Syrup are all low to med-low on the glycemic index.
Next on the list are the ones that are quite sweet but aren't sugars at all. There's Xylitol and Stevia.
Ever notice when label reading that there are usually multiple sweeteners in any given product? That's because they each have their strengths and weaknesses. Xylitol has the drawback of causing diarhea if too much is consumed. (A moderate amount is harmless) Stevia tends to have a bit of an aftertaste if too much is added to the recipe but Truvia brand doesn't. Each of these are calorie free, have no effect on blood sugar and do not promote candida or tooth decay. Xylitol actually strengthens bones and restores tooth enamel!So. How about that! There really are sweeteners out there that are good for you! Recipes to follow soon!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

How-To "Do" Rice

I used to shy away from the whole idea of using brown rice. It just took too long to cook and I got less than ideal results. But all brown rice is not the same. Select long grain to get lighter, fluffier rice. Short grain is a bit chewier and tends to get sticky. Cooking a large batch works well because you can make it ahead and freeze it. This way you only have to cook it once a month or so and all it takes is getting it from the freezer instead of cooking it for 45 minutes each time. Yes, 2 lbs of rice takes the same amount of cooking time as 1C. of rice!
Follow the package directions, and measure the amount of water carefully. You don't want too much or too little. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the flame and set the timer. Make sure to simmer on low and DON'T PEEK for the whole 45 minutes! After the timer goes off, check to make sure all the water has been absorbed by pushing rice aside with a spoon and looking at the bottom of the pan. You can replace the lid and cook it for 5-10 min. longer if needed. If there isn't water but the rice is a little wet, you can turn off the flame, fluff the rice with a fork and let it dry out for a few minutes before serving, leaving the lid off and allowing the steam to escape. Cool and divide into sandwich-sized bags and store in the freezer. Once cooked it's easy to add a bag of rice to browned ground meat seasoned with onion and/or garlic and a bit of salt, or to soups, etc.. As a lover of Rice Pudding, and custards in general, I'm sharing a favorite here.

The rice came out more even-colored than the picture shows.

Place in lightly greased 8" pan:
4C. or 2 Freezer Bags of Cooked Brown Rice
Sprinkle with Raisins, if desired.
In the blender mix:
2 1/2C. Milk of choice
2-3 Eggs, 2 if extra large
1/2C. Honey
1/2t. Cinnamon, if desired
Pour custard mixture over rice and bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until custard is set. Baking in glass makes it so you don't need to put the pan in water in the oven, as custards usually require, because it protects the delicate food from getting too hot on the bottom. Serve with milk, if desired.
With only 2 of us, leftovers make a quick and yummy breakfast or dessert right from the fridge or warmed in the microwave.

Friday, April 8, 2011

My Grandma Knew

With mixes out there for decades and fewer people baking for themselves, some of what used to be common knowledge has been lost. We put together a family cookbook several years ago and a muffin recipe of my Grandma Shipp's from the 1950's was included. Here is her recipe:

4T. Shortening
1/2t. Salt
1C. Milk
1 Egg, well beaten
1/4C. Karo
1 3/4C. Flour
1/4C. Cornstarch
4t. Baking Powder

Beat all ing. til just blended. Pour into muffin tins. Bake in a hot oven. That's it! No temperature or amount of baking time. And did you notice cornstarch? When I first saw that I thought surely it must be a typo. It caused me to research it out though, and this is what I learned. Soft White Wheat is called Pastry Flour because it has less gluten than Hard Red Wheat Flour. So in order to get a lighter, fluffier result when using whole wheat flour for cakes, muffins and other products calling for baking powder, less gluten is advised. When you can't get Pastry Flour you may substitute cornstarch for a small part of the flour. Subtract 2T. flour in each cup of flour called for and replace it with cornstarch to make up the difference. But if you're making yeast bread you'll want the higher gluten content to help it rise. In baking, once ovens were made with a temperature control, a slow oven became 250-300 degrees, a moderate oven, 350-400 degrees, a hot oven, 400-450. And baking time for muffins is usually about 20-30 minutes.
I rewrote this recipe for how I'd use it. Here's what I did:

4T. Applesauce (no shortening or added fat)
1/8-1/4 t. Salt
1C. Soymilk or other milk of choice
1 Egg well beaten
1/4C. Honey
1 3/4C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4C. Cornstarch
4t. Baking Powder

Mix all ing. til just blended. Pour into pan-sprayed muffin tin. Bake 25 minutes at 400. Makes 1 dozen. This is a nice moist, not too sweet basic muffin you can serve with dinner or to which you can add seasonings like onion, thyme or dill. You could make them a little sweeter by doubling the honey, adding a sweet streusel-top, or cinnamon, raisins, blueberries, or nuts etc.. Also, muffins with no fat should not be baked in papers as they will stick. * Clip art in the cookbook came from Colossal Clip Art by Dianne J. Hook. The monkey belongs to the Going Bananas At Mealtime Busy Family Cookbook by Bright Impressions and was not intended for other use.