Gluten-free grains 1

by Ms H

A gluten-free diet can be very healthy by forcing people to cut back on processed high-energy foods like cakes, biscuits and cook more from scratch using naturally gluten-free ingredients including vegetables, legumes and lean meat. Anyone cutting back on processed foods and incorporating more natural ingredients is likely to get healthier.

Food manufacturers offer all sort of gluten-free foods. These certainly make life much easier for sufferers of coeliac condition. Some of these goods are made of using potato starch, tapioca starch or corn-starch instead of a gluten – free grains. Further on gluten free foods contain high level of corn mold toxins. Starches are refined, and this process reduces their nutritional value. Some products usually consist of high level of sugar and artificial chemicals. Gluten-free pasta and cookies, for example, can have more calories, fat, and salt in them in order to make up for the flavour that wheat and flour lends to more traditional products. They are not healthy, so you have to read the list of ingredients very carefully before you put one of them into your basket. The healthier option to cook and consume gluten-free grains instead of purchasing the substances provided on the shelves.

Gluten-free grains are good and healthier substitutes for wheat flour.

Quinoa

Quinoa has nutty flavour. Known as “mother grain”, often called the “perfect food”. It is a complete source of protein; including all nine essential amino-acids, minerals as calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, good range of vitamin Bs; B1,B2,B5 and vitamin E to keep the skin youthful. It is resource of anti-oxidant.

You can serve it as porridge, salad or soup. Approximate cooking time is 20 minutes.  Basic cooking instruction: Add 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Millet

Millet can be used for breakfast, dinner and dessert. It contains high fibre and B vitamins. Millet grains are high in protein low in starch and containing all eight essential amino acids.

It has anti-fungal and anti-mucus properties.  Cooking time is 20 minutes.  Cooking guidance: add 1 cup of millets to 3 cups of water boil then simmer it for 20 minutes.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

by Ms H  Judit Hadnagy

It is a delicious cake for breakfast with honey, jam and marmalade. You can also serve it with different types of cheese.

Ingredients:

4	medium eggs
100g	brown sugar
5	carrot’s fibre  (grated carrots)
100g	Dove Farm  gluten –free self rising flour
20g	coconut flour
20g	maze flour
20g	buckwheat flour
20g	potato starch
1 tsp	baking powder
1tsp	xanthan gum
1tsp	nutmeg

Method:

For this recipe I used the carrots fibre from the juice maker, but you can use freshly grated carrots as well.

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C

Beat the eggs and the sugar until it forms a white light cream.

Add the mixture of flours and mix them well together

Add the remaining ingredients and blend them well.

Transfer the batter into a baking tin (25cmx15cmx10cm) and put it into the oven.

Baking time: 40-45 minutes

I have made an excellent quiche.

Quiche

Quiche is suitable snack, good for pic-nicks or could be a nutritious content of the lunch box.

Ingredients  for  2 persons

150g ½ tsp 70g 100ml  3 medium 1 cup 100ml 3 tbsp 1  2 medium 1 small 100g

gluten-free flour  mixture xanthan gum butter  water eggs milk Greek yogurt sliced green pepper sliced tomatoes chopped onion cubed cheese salt pepper

For this dish you can use doves farm plain gluten-free flour or I mix it with corm meal in 1:1 ratio. 

If you allergic to corn instead it buckwheat and potato starch mixture can be used.

Method:

1.     Making the base

·      Mix the flour, xanthan gum and the butter well then add the water carefully the pastry should be easily shaped.

·      Preheat the oven to 190-180 ⁰C .

·      Butter a 20- 22 cm diameter quiche dish and place the pastry into it. Taping with your wet hand cover the dish’s surface evenly with the pasty.

·      Place it into the oven for 10 minutes

2.     Making the stuff

·      Mix the eggs, milk and yogurt well using the hand whisk

·      Add the onion, cheese salt and pepper

3.     Take the base out of the oven and turn the oven down to 160 ⁰C

Pour the mixture into the pastry add the sliced peppers and tomatoes to decorate the quiche.

4.     Put it back to the oven for 25-30 minute.

In addition to the cheese you can use sliced ham, peperoni and mushroom. Another option to add mushroom, aubergine and pepper.

For kids or parties you can bake small quiches using the Yorkshire pudding dish or cup cake silicon tin. In this case the baking time decreases!

Are all gluten-free products healthy?

Food manufacturers offer all sort of gluten-free foods. This certainly makes life much easier for sufferers of coeliac condition. Some of these goods are made of using potato starch, tapioca starch or corn starch instead of a gluten – free grain. Starches are refined, this process reduces their nutritional value. These

gluten -free products usually consist of high level of sugar and artificial chemicals. They are not healthy, so you have to read the list of ingredients very carefully before you put one of them into your basket.