I posted a little while ago about my goal of not eating white flour and sugar. Memorial Day wasn't so great for the diet but since then, I've done well. I even did a little baking this week without flour or sugar. The first recipe is from my friend Nicole who was modifying her diet for gestational diabetes but is always creative about using healthful ingredients. She made these for me a few weeks ago and although we both used the same recipe, hers came out better than mine. I think I beat the eggs too much trying to get the lumps out of the batter because the texture of mine was more custardy than muffiny. But, I liked the coconut flour a lot.
The second recipe is from my friend Robin. She used quick cooking oatmeal and added 2/3 cups of sugar and again, I preferred her texture but this was a big hit with my husband and daughter this week and I'll be making variations on this for awhile.
No photos . . . we ate it all too fast (the first recipe only makes 6 muffins and they were gone in hours).
Blueberry Muffins with Coconut Flour (makes 6)
3 eggs
2 T butter, melted
2 T milk
3 T agave nectar (can use honey if you prefer)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sifted coconut flour (I used "Bob's Red Mill" brand from Whole Foods)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. blueberries (I used frozen)
Heat oven to 400 and put liners in a muffin pan. Blend together eggs, butter, milk, agave, salt, and vanilla. Combine coconut flour with baking powder and thoroughly mix into the batter until there are no lumps. The batter will be runny. Pour into muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Check them toward the end of the cooking time because these go from being liquid in the center to almost too done really quickly.
* Check out these other coconut flour recipes
Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 c. canola oil
4 c. oatmeal
2 c. chopped apple
3 tsp baking powder
2 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. milk
Mix eggs and canola oil together. Then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Spread in greased pan (9x13 ish) and bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve with warmed milk.
*I halved the recipe and put it in a smaller pan and put in 1 T of ground flax seed. You can add chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, a little butter, sugar, dried fruit (cranberries or raisins) or anything else - it's a really versatile recipe.
Tell me about these alternative flours, like coconut flour. How does it compare to wheat flour? Was there a reason you chose not to use whole-wheat flour? I am a fiend for me baked goods, but I like to cook healthy. So far, I haven't dared to branch beyond whole-wheat.
ReplyDeleteI'm like you -the only other flour I've used is whole-wheat flour and I typically only replace part of the flour with whole-wheat. I put up a chocolate chip cookie recipe this past week that uses ground oats and whole wheat flour and it's pretty good. I looked into the coconut flour as a gluten-free option because of friends/family with dietary restrictions. It's high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, but I thought it was a little strange how you only use 1/4 cup in the whole recipe. On the package, it explains how you can replace part of the flour (usually up to 25%) with coconut flour. I'll let you know if I try other flours - I was thinking about using ground nut flours (almond meal) as a gluten-free way to bake.
ReplyDeleteI really like oat flour. It has a great flavor. Brown rice flour is nice, too. Quinoa flour gives off a very earthy, plant-like flavor that I don't really like--but if you use it in heavily spiced recipes it's ok. Buckwheat flour is strange--kind of bland and dry-like, but it's one of the best nutritionally. Garbanzo bean flour is supposed to be good, but I haven't tried it. Almond meal is like coconut flour in that it burns very quickly. It's tricky to achieve a good bakery item with 100% nut flours, but it can be done.
ReplyDeleteI like the coconut muffins, but I'll probably try adding the coconut flour to an alternative flour mix with some vital wheat gluten instead of using the 100% coconut flour recipe now that I can eat more carbohydrates.
For all of these, because they lack gluten, it's best to add some xanthan gum (if you're after gluten-free recipes), or vital wheat gluten (both can be purchased at Whole Foods--made by Bob's Red Mill) or the baked goods won't hold together and will crumble to bits.
I have both of these and am happy to share. You only need a spoonful at a time, and I have big bags full.
Shoot Bec, I read one of your earlier posts and now I want to give up those carbs and sugars. As to dietary challenges, mine is eating enough vegetables. I don't really like the taste of most vegetables, so I grow my own just to make myself eat them. But I'm going to cruise your site to see what might be tempting.
ReplyDeleteNicole - I might take you up on that xanthan gum - especially if I try your gluten-free carrot cake recipe!
ReplyDeleteAH - Home grown vegetables are the best - what a good way to motivate yourself. Although it's not easy, I'm feeling really good without all the sugar.
overwhelmed by all this flour talk... just keep bringing me treats when you do these gluten free sugar free shenanigans
ReplyDeleteTo make this the night before: Mix oil, egg, and milk and refrigerate. Mix dry ingredients and let sit at room temperature. In the morning, combine and add fruit.
ReplyDelete