Pumpkin Custard

I was having a sweet tooth again today (what's new!) for something with pumpkin. I threw this together, and actually wrote down what I did. I'm getting better at that :).

Pumpkin Custard
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup milk (I used flax seed milk...hubby just bought it to try)
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. liquid stevia (you can replace with extra sugar if you don't like stevia)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey (or more if you like it really sweet)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease either small custard cups or a casserole type dish. In a double boiler, add all ingredients and whisk well to mix. Heat until the ingredients reach 150 degrees (use a candy thermometer). Pour into the small custard cups or in the casserole dish. Put the cups or the dish in a larger pan, and fill the pan 1 inch full of hot water. Be careful not to spill any water into the custard. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the custard tests done.

Grain free easy tortillas/wraps

I am not one who likes to roll out things. Rolling play dough out with my daughter is fun. Rolling pie crust...not so much. Pie crusts and homemade tortillas always took forever because of all the rolling. When I went gluten free, rolling things out got downright frustrating at times. Gluten free grains can get really crumbly and fall apart easily. I can't tell you how many pie crusts I have ruined after I rolled them out and tried to put them in the plate. I started concocting pressable pie crust recipes because of my dislike for rolling pie crusts. For a long time, I looked for a gluten free/corn free tortilla recipe that I could pour instead of roll, but couldn't find one. I decided to concoct one of my own (this is how a lot of my recipes get started! lol!). I had been making mini pizza crusts for years with an old recipe I modified, but never tried it for tortillas. This recipe is easy, and doesn't require any rolling! Yay! Basically, what we are making is seasoned crepes. Here is the recipe:

1 cup arrowroot powder (or cornstarch if you don't have arrowroot)

1 cup tapioca starch

2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning (sounds like a lot, but gives it amazing flavor)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 1/2 cups dairy free milk (or regular milk, if dairy isn't an issue)

4 eggs

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, making sure it is free of lumps. You can make these in a non-stick skillet, or you can do them on an electric skillet. I used an electric skillet because I could make more than one at once. Pour a small pancake size amount onto your skillet.

If using an electric skillet, spread the batter out with a spatula, making a large crepe.

 They should look like the picture below, and be almost see through. If using a regular skillet, as you pour the batter, pick up the skillet and move it so that the batter spreads around the pan.

 Cook like a pancake, and flip when ready. Cool on a wire rack so that they don't stick together. The finished wrap looks like this:

They look super flimsy don't they? I was shocked that they held together better than any tortilla I have ever tried! Normally, when I make tacos and stuff a regular tortilla full, it falls apart. This one doesn't do that! I use them for tortillas and wraps. They make a great lunch stuffed with lunchmeat and veggies. I like to cut the tortillas into wedges and bake them in the oven and make tortilla chips. They taste wonderful with salsa, or made into nachos. This recipe can be used to make small pancake size mini pizza crusts. Just pour the batter, but don't spread it out, and cook it like a pancake. Then add pizza sauce to them and toppings and bake in the oven. A quick and easy lunch!

This recipe makes about 14 large wraps. I like to freeze them in layers between wax paper, and pull them out when I need them. To reheat them, place them in a toaster oven or regular oven on the rack and heat until warm. Don't heat too long or they will get crisp. I have never tried to thaw these in the microwave. I think they would get mushy, but maybe not. You could also double the recipe, or half the recipe.

***Note: if you make these in a non-stick skillet, do not use oil, as they make the tortillas gummy. Non-stick cooking spray would probably work fine, but test first to make sure the spray doesn't make the tortillas gummy.

Making your own broth/stock

I go through chicken and beef broth quickly. I used to buy it from the store, but most contain additives, and some contain hidden gluten or soy. I started reading The Maker's Diet a long time ago, and started making my own broths/stocks. I do a large amount at once, then freeze it all in small portions. There is a reason why your Mom used to feed you chicken noodle soup when you were sick as a kid. It wasn't the noodles that made you well, it was the broth! Homemade broth can help build your immune system. It also aids digestion. A good broth will congeal or gel when it cools because of the gelatin that is in the broth. The gelatin is found in animal cartilage and connective tissue. The more gelatin there is in the broth, the healthier it is for the body.

When I make chicken stock/broth, I use chicken necks and backs. You can get necks and backs fairly cheap from a butcher because they are considered the "throw away" parts. We butcher our own free-range chickens, so we package the necks and backs separately. I also use one other ingredient that took me awhile to get used to...chicken feet! In his book, The Maker's Diet, Jordan Rubin wrote that Jewish people have used chicken feet in their broth for centuries, and broth made with it is sometimes called "Jewish penicillin". Chicken feet can also be purchased inexpensively at a butcher shop. The first time I ever used chicken feet in my broth, I was amazed at how much more gelatin the broth had. I have to say that it was a little freaky at first. I felt like some mad scientist boiling body parts :).

I have a huge pot of stock on the stove right now. Along with the chicken, I put in some largely chopped up carrots, celery, and onion, and celtic salt. You can also add garlic and other veggies. This picture was taken about an hour after I started cooking it.

 And here are the freaky feet! There are even claws on the end of the fingers. Yep, creepy. But you wouldn't believe the gelatin!

 I love making broth in the winter because after I am finished cooking the broth all day, I stick my stock pot outside on the back deck to allow it to cool. With it being only about 30 degrees outside, it works well! After it is cooled, I put a large, fine mesh strainer over a bowl with a pour spout. I use a large ladel or cup with handle and strain the broth mixture through the strainer to remove any bones or chicken pieces. I keep any chicken I get out of the pot and use it later for casseroles. I save my old Trader Joes almond butter glass jars, and fill them 3/4 full with the broth. They are super strong, and don't break easily.

You want to use glass, not plastic, so that the plastic will not leech into your food. You can use any jar. I have had trouble with quart jars breaking when I put them in the freezer, so I use the 16 ounce almond butter jars, or my 13 ounce ghee jars. After you fill the jars, place the lid gently on top without screwing on. This will allow for expansion, and keep the jar from breaking if the broth expands too much. Put in the freezer. After the broth is completely frozen, close the jars. To use the broth, I put the frozen jars in cold water for a few minutes. Then I replace the water with warmer water, and work my way up to hot water. I tend to not be very patient with this part, and usually end up whacking at it with a knife to get the chunks out. You can also microwave it. With my huge stock pot, I should end up with about 30 jars of broth. If you don't have freezer room for that, you can make it in smaller amounts. Once you try homemade stock, you will never want to go back to the store-bought stuff!

Homemade coconut milk

I have been using carton and canned coconut milk for a long time. The carton milk is usually a bit cheaper than the canned, but it is still around $3.00 a quart. I have found it for $4.85 for a 1/2 gallon, but I have to drive a long ways to get it for that price. I have known for awhile that the carton and canned milks have additives. I'm not a fan of additives because they are usually harmful to the body. In researching the non-dairy milks recently, it seems that they all contain two possibly harmful additives. Carrageenan and guar gum, which are thickeners/emulsifiers that come from seaweed, sound harmless. The problem is that they are notorious for causing pain, cramping and diarrhea symptoms in people with digestive problems. I ran out of almond and coconut carton milk for several weeks, and had been making my own nut milks for awhile. I noticed a dramatic change for the better in my digestion. I recently added the carton milks back, and the digestive problems came back. Hmmm.

I decided to find out if I could make my own coconut milk. I did some reseach, and voila! It is very doable. What is more interesting is that it is extremely easy to make. I didn't want to make a large amount, so this is my throw together recipe. Every website I looked at seemed to have different recipes, so I just decided to figure it out on my own. Here is what I did for about 10 ounces of coconut milk (most cans are 13 ounces). I used a Vitamix for this, but you could use a regular blender. I put 1/4 cup of shredded coconut in my Vitamix along with 1 1/2 cups of hot (not boiling) water:

 I let it sit for about 45 minutes to cool in the Vitamix. Then I blended it on high for about 1 minute. This is what it looked like after blended:

 I then strained it through a fine mesh strainer. You can also use cheesecloth, but this is less messy. Since it was just a small amount of milk, I used a small strainer. If I make larger batches, I will have to use a large strainer to save time.

 There will be pulp left over in the strainer. I put mine in a glass jar and put it in the freezer. I will add to the jar as I make more milk. When the jar of pulp in the freezer gets full, I can either use it in baking, or I can dehydrate it and make coconut flour! So no waste at all!

 I put the strained milk in a glass canning jar with a lid. It is nice and creamy. I put it in the fridge, and didn't touch it for the rest of the night. I wanted to see if it would mimic the canned coconut milk after putting it in the fridge. The canned coconut milk will separate, leaving a thick layer of cream that can be used to make wonderful recipes.

 This morning, there was about a 1/2 inch layer of cream on the top. Not a whole lot because I didn't use very much coconut. If I had used 1 cup of shredded coconut and 2 cups of water, I think it would have been just like the can (and probably would make about 13 ounces).

 You can see the layer of cream from this angle of the picture.

I stirred the cream into the milk, and tasted it to see what it tasted like. It had almost no flavor, which is perfect for baking. If I had sweetened it and added vanilla, it would have been great for beverages and smoothies. It was about the same consistency as the carton coconut milk, but without the additives, and at a fraction of the cost! I just bought two bags (4.4 pounds total) of shredded organic coconut from Tropical Traditions for $17.00 with free shipping. That will make a lot of coconut milk! I would only be able to buy less than 6 quarts of coconut milk for that. I have the shredded coconut in my Vitamix right now, the the portions being 3/4 cup of coconut to 3 1/2 cups of water. It should make about a quart. For a stronger coconut milk with lots of cream on the top, try 1 cup coconut to 2 cups water. Do the same steps, and put in the fridge after it is made overnight. Let me know if you all try this!!

The wonders of ghee

I'm still tweaking my blog, can you tell? I think I have changed the name about 3 times! It is hard to incorporate all the things I would like to do with this blog into a title :). I'll get it the way I want it one of these days!

One of the things I use a lot in dairy free cooking, that I had never even heard of before I went dairy free is ghee. Ghee, for those of you who are as stumped about it as I was, is clarified butter. I'm sure that just cleared it up for you, right? Ghee is actually made from cow's milk. It is an ancient process used mainly by people in India, Pakistan, and areas of Asia. To prepare ghee, butter is melted in a pot over medium heat. The butter begins to melt, forming a white froth on top. It is then simmered and stirred slowly until the color of the butter changes to pale yellow. Then it is cooked on low heat until it turns golden. The residue settles at the bottom and the ghee, which is now clear, golden, translucent and fragrant, is ready. The ghee is then filtered and it solidifies when completely cool. There is your science/cooking lesson for the day. What is amazing is that after all of that, ghee then becomes both lactose and casein free.

 The kind of ghee I buy is from Purity Farms. It looks like butter doesn't it?!

I love it because it not only looks like butter, but it acts like butter. I used it in cookies at Christmas, and it worked amazingly well. I made a powdered sugar frosting for a cake for my dad, and my parents still talk about my frosting. It was the ghee! We use it on our veggies, on toast, on pancakes, on popcorn. Basically anything you would use butter for, we use ghee for. Ghee has a long shelf-life and needs no refrigeration if the jar is sealed tightly. I haven't figured out how long it will last because we use it up pretty quickly. I buy it from either vitacost.com or luckyvitamin.com, as it is much better priced. A 13 ounce jar is about $8.00. I would love to be able to figure out how to make my own, but I'm not sure how cost-effective it would be. I would think you would need a lot of butter to make a small amount of ghee. I may have to look into that!

Sweet tooth!

I changed my blog around a little. I tend to do more gluten free recipes on a regular basis than I do essential oils recipes. I hope you all (my 2 readers...lol!) enjoy the new changes.

We love sweets in our home. I crave sweets. Thankfully, I don't feel like I need to yank that sweet tooth out anymore because there are so many healthy options! I try to make sweets as healthy as possible for me and my family. Years ago, I started mixing some ingredients together to satisfy my sweet tooth. Here are a few things I make on a regular basis:

Chocolate Balls:
Almond butter or whatever nut butter you prefer
Coconut oil, heated to just melted
Cocoa or carob powder
Honey or xylitol
Stevia

Mix desired amounts together and taste to see if it is sweet enough, and thick enough to form into balls. Scoop into balls and put in fridge. 

 Candy Bars:
1/2 cup cocoa powder or carob powder
1 cup coconut oil, heated just until melted
Honey and stevia to taste
Chopped nuts
1 drop of Peppermint oil (optional)

Mix cocoa, coconut oil and honey and stevia until there are no lumps. Gently stir in chopped nuts and peppermint oil if using. Pour into a parchment lined 8 x 8 pan. Put in the freezer to harden. If using carob powder, these will harden in the refrigerator. These need to be kept in the fridge or freezer, or they will be too soft. They can be chopped up and put into cookies, or melted and used as a chocolate syrup.

 

 

When making these, I actually prefer carob because it tends to be naturally sweeter. My family hates carob, so I make some carob for me and some chocolate for them :).

Quinoa Pizza Bites

Happy New Year!! We had a feast of food last night. Homemade quacamole with chips, bbq coctail weiners, a huge salad loaded with yummy fixing, gf chex party mix, maple corn (popcorn recipe from my book), pumpkin bread, gf mexican wedding cakes (the powdered sugar cookies...I need to post that recipe!), and these pizza bites that I modified a recipe for. 

Quinoa Pizza Bites:
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup Daiya shredded cheese, or regular cheese if you can have dairy
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dried basil (it sounds like a lot, but it adds great flavor)
1 cup choppped pepperoni slices (about 1/2 a 6 ounce bag)
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt (I make my own to avoid food coloring and gluten)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
Pizza sauce for dipping (I used homemade spaghetti sauce)

Mix together all ingredients except pizza sauce. Fill greased mini muffin tin cups to the top of each cup, pressing down gently to compact. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce.