The Scone Challenge

A few weeks ago our son and daughter-in-law were up for a visit, and she mentioned that she had found a great scone recipe.  I had a rather sad, "poor GF me" response.  A couple of weeks later she issued a challenge to me on her blog to come up with a gluten-free scone.  Here is the link to her blog with her challenge and my response:

Chocolate Stitches 

Of course I accepted the challenge not only for the problem solving aspect, but also for the yarn incentive. :-)  In my GF baking, I have come to realize that GF flour works best when I can make it as light as possible.  Scones are by their very nature dense, so the question is whether I can reach a happy medium of good taste and texture without the scone settling like a brick in the old tummy.  I printed out the recipe she used and will do some research on GF scone recipes.  This will be a good opportunity to try out some experiments I have been mulling over, so as my DDIL says:  "Game On!"

Colorful

Yesterday started out with the blues when I realized that by re-purposing some of my previous wheat-storing container for my gluten free oats and granola that I had most likely contaminated my food.  Yes, I washed them; but they are plastic, and I have had them many years so they are scratched on the inside.  Then I looked a little more into trying to be gluten free in a non-GF kitchen, and I became discouraged and overwhelmed.  

Some time, research, wrestling with the possibilities, and a helpful conversation with my younger daughter brought things back into perspective.  To help make this transition hold more anticipation than frustration, I am going to pursue colorful solutions wherever possible.  

First, I found some new measuring cups:

Next I am taking some mixing bowls that I was mostly using for decoration and making them my new GF mixing bowls for now.

 I have ordered some new storage containers, that while not colorful, are distinctly different from what I am currently using.  I also order a couple of stainless steel muffin tins since that is what I use for GF baking the most.  I will get some baking sheets along the way, but since I usually use parchment paper with that baking, I am not quite so concerned about that for the moment.  Also on the list are a couple of sauce pans since I have used my current ones for pasta, baking utensils, a couple of colanders (pasta issue again), and leftover containers.  I will have plenty of things to put on my Christmas list this year.  :-)

Once I have my new storage containers, I hope to rearrange my pantry to help me and my hubby keep things separate.  Concerning the actual baking, ideally I would like to keep GF baking on one week and non-GF baking the next, with a thorough scrubbing of the counters in between.  The one thing that may be hardest to remember is to scrub the rack in my toaster oven before I toast any of my bread.  I am sure there will be other issues to consider along the way, but this will be enough for me to deal with right now.

Flour Blend and a Muffin Recipe

First I wanted to write out in more detail the flour blend that I am using:

1 pkg. Bob's Red Mill GF sorghum flour (22 oz)
1 pkg. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free oat flour (24 oz)
1 pkg. Arrowhead Mills Organic soy flour (22 oz)

I combine these flours in a large mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly blended.  I then store the flour mix in the freezer and measure it out just as I would regular flour.  Since I find the rice flours and various starches difficult to digest, I do not use them in my baking.  In my shopping for flours, the three I use were the closest in texture that I could find to wheat flour, and so far are working well for me.  

And now, finally, another recipe to share. 

Almond-orange Muffins

1 cup GF flour blend
2 Tablespoons almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum


2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup oil
1 egg

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Combine wet ingredients separately.  Stir wet ingredients into the dry mixture, mixing well.  Spoon batter into a paper-lined muffin tin, filling each section about 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until done.  Makes 10-12 muffins.

These muffins came out nice and light, lightly sweet, and with a nice orange flavor.  They met the approval of some of my non-GF family members, which is my mark of a successful recipe.  Thank you, dear ones, for being my taste-testers.  

Going Halves - Food Thoughts, Part 2

To follow up with my previous food thoughts, I am buying milk from what was a local dairy, but has been acquired by a large dairy.  It is still run by the same management, so I think it is good for a while.  Eggs I am purchasing at our local farmer's market, and my grocery store has started carrying Panorama ground beef.  Their cattle never see a feed lot.  I hope this trend will continue, and that I will see this kind of product in the other cuts of beef, chicken, and cheese.  

When the economy got very shaky, I began to look for ways to be more frugal.  Being a single income family with several children, I had always been on the look out for ways to make our dollars stretch, but I have been more relaxed in that regard in recent years.  Now my motivation is not just economic, but also the desire to be less wasteful, so I have been looking for ways to reuse and re-purpose.  This train of thought led me to find a way to use less sugar.  I like sugar and the particular sweetness it gives, and I am not a big fan of other kinds of sweeteners with artificial sweeteners being totally out.  Though I don't eat a lot of sugar, I knew it would be helpful health-wise to reduce it where I could.  Recently I tried agave nectar, and while it was okay, I still much preferred sugar.  Even so, I liked that is has a low glycemic index, so thought I could perhaps use it in combination with sugar.  That has worked out very well--about half and half agave and sugar in my tea and in my oatmeal still gives me sugar's flavor. 

With so many changes in my diet--no gluten, a lot more veggies and fruit, and less sugar--I will be interested in seeing how this affects my next wellness check.  It will still be a while until I am where I want to be in regards to being gluten free, but I am continuing to make progress.  The recipes are slow in coming because I want to tweak them, but I need to eat up one batch before making another.  Hopefully, once I get them posted, they will be worth the wait. 

Food Thoughts

I think it may be common that when one makes a major change in lifestyle, it cause an evaluation of related aspects to that change.  Going gluten free has meant that I am searching out alternative or safe varieties of the food I eat.  While the main focus has been gluten, I have also looked a little bit into the organic issue with meats and produce.  While organic growing methods may be better for the environment, I am not sure they are necessarily better for people, or if the extra cost is worth what benefit there is.  What has concerned me more is the factory-like process of raising animals for food.  There is a lot emotion tied up with this issue, and I really don't think it is helpful to hang a lot of emotional baggage to raising animals for food.  Whether or not a cow is happy or contented gets be silly in its descriptions on products.  The point to me is that we see animals as living beings, not as machines.  A cow should live as a cow is intended to live--the same with chickens, or pigs, or fish.  The mass production of animals doesn't benefit us at all ethically or food-wise.  So I have decided that if I can going to put extra grocery money toward anything, it will be toward finding companies that show respect to the animals they raise for food.  I am seeing more of these kinds of products coming into our local grocery stores, and I am checking out the brands on line to see whether there is actual substance to their claims or if it is just using words as a marketing tool.

 
As far as produce, my main source of organic will be our garden.  It is small, so we don't grow a big variety of things, but we do enjoy what we do grow.  I am not a gardener in that I don't enjoy working with plants, so the garden is much like my house work.  I don't mind doing it so much, but it is more the result than the process that keeps me motivated in it. 

My baking experiments are seeing some success--hope to post some more recipes soon.  

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Note to self:  Tamari does not mean gluten free.  Read the labels!!  

Working on recovering again.  :-(

A Seedy Activity

The alternative to my "gourmet oatmeal" breakfast is granola.  True, oats is a major component, but the mix is different.  Since I am the only one eating it, I can add any ingredient my little heart desires.  So, instead of going nutty, I decided that a little seedy activity would be appropriate.

Here is my recipe:

7 cups of gluten free oats
2 cups of a gluten free flour blend
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon 
1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
1 Tablespoon flaxseed
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seed
1/4 cup roasted & salted pumpkin seed
1/4 cup roasted & salted sunflower seed
2/3 cups coconut


1 cup oil
1 cup water
3/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla


Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine wet ingredients separately.  Stir into dry mixture & mix thoroughly.  Spread granola evenly onto two greased 10 x 15 jelly roll pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 4 - 6 minutes sessions (total of 24 minutes), taking granola out of the oven and stirring it after each session.  Cool.  I keep my granola in a well sealed container in the refrigerator, so it stays fresh.