Quick Gluten/Wheat Free Burger Bun

I don't mind lettuce wrap burgers, but sometimes I just want to blend in and look like I'm eating the same as everyone else; I really don't want to be the picky little princess.

Over the last few years I have tried a few GF burger buns and they're usually very dry and flaky and get drier as they sit in my fridge. They also tend to be made with little fiber and have a lot of carbohydrates - not good for my middle-aged metabolism!  Gluten free bread is also pretty heavy, so normal size buns are dense wee guys that could damage a toe if you dropped one. 

My requirements for a bun are;

• Low carb (low glycemic)
• Some fiber and protein would be nice
• Not so dense
• Not so flaky

I pondered flours and raising agents to try and find a way to add some air into a mixture without gluten.  Then I made a horrendous mistake while trying to make muffins and as I was cleaning up the mess it came to me - use a modified muffin recipe and why not make the 2 bun halves separately?

Ingredients for one single bun 
1 egg
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1 Tbsp blanched almond flour
1 Tbsp coconut oil (olive oil or melted butter)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Optional
1 tsp nutritional yeast (for a more bready taste)
1/4 tsp poppy seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds

Method
Add all ingredients together and blend in a small food processor or hand blender.

If the batter is runny, leave it a few minutes to thicken.  It should be like a thick pancake batter, if it is runny add another half tablespoon of almond flour. It is is too thick, add a teaspoon of water.

Divide the batter into two and drop onto oiled parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes until they are lightly browned.

Note, for the top of the bun, I added chia seeds to one side.

I generally throw the burger on the grill while the bun sides are baking, the buns will be ready by the time it is cooked.

The batter likes to spread to about 3 inches in diameter so this does not work for slider buns.  I thought I could just divide into 4, but the batter spreads and makes 4 thin 3 inch halves that are no good for sliders.  I plan to play around with this recipe and will post my slider bun recipe when I figure it out.  For now, enjoy fitting in with the rest of the crowd :-)

Coconut Deodorant!

A few months ago I read that due to it's antibacterial nature coconut oil could be used as an underarm deodorant.  Yes, seriously, I kid-you-not coconut oil slathered under your pits will protect you from dreaded BO!  The scientist part of me was intrigued. The earth-friendly, chemical hating side of me was excited....and the guinea pig inside me was ready to try it out :-)

I had just got a freakishly large tub of Tropical Traditions Gold Label unrefined, super duper coconut oil so I took a small amount and placed it in a jar in the bathroom in preparation for my grand experiment.
My negative control was to go au naturale for a day.  Since I have a desk job, work from home and it's still Spring I felt it wouldn't be too traumatic.  By the afternoon I was a little ripe but not bad...I am a girl after all!
My crude calibration was basically to see how close I had to get my nose to my pits.
- lunch time no smell
-3pm I had to poke my nose under my t-shirt before I got the slightest of smells
- 9pm I still had to remove clothing before I could smell anything, but it was stronger than 3pm

The next day I stood in my underwear and giggled as I put about half a teaspoon of 100% unrefined coconut oil under each pit.  Coconut oil is not a thick oil, so it felt a little watery and not sticky at all.  I had some concern about marking my clothes and how would I explain big oil patches under my arms, but that turned out not to be a problem.  Within minutes the oil had soaked in under my arms and my skin felt dry and baby soft!
- lunch time no bad smell, just a slight sweet smell, more vanilla than coconut
-3pm I poked my nose under my t-shirt - nada!
- 9pm I removed clothing and did a weird yoga-like pose to get my nose as close as I could to the potentially offending area.  I really couldn't smell anything.  Holy crapolli, it worked!

I have continued to use coconut oil to make sure my experiment wasn't a fluke!
When I exercise and lift weights it doesn't work as well, but still I have to lift my arm before other humans (husband) could smell anything bad.  One weekend when I used wax that wasn't warm enough and irritated my skin, I was a little worried about using a deodorant, so I used coconut oil.  No sting, no problem...and my irritated skin was fine in 2 days!

It's not an antiperspirant, so when the Summer heat arrives I may switch to something less clammy, but for now it's nice to use something natural.  I also found out it's pretty good on preventing smelly feet too!
No negative control required for that one :-)

Blueberry & Coconut Treats

And I thought I'd be known for my muffin (sorry, that's a quote stolen from Betty White on Saturday Night Live) because everyone asks for my almond flour muffin recipe.  However, if I post anymore of these recipes I will be known for my balls!  I shouldn't be surprised, I am a little obsessed by these fruity and nutty treats!

This version is reminiscent of cookie dough, so they have become my instant favorite!

What you need;
1/2 cup of cashews
1 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tspn Mixed Spice*





How to make them;

• Put the coconut in the food processer and buzz until yo have small flakes
• Add the cashews and spices and mix until they resemble really coarse sand
• Add blueberries and coconut oil and process until well mixed  
• Take rounded dessertspoon scoops and form into a ball in the palm of your hand; the ingredients should be crumbly, but hold it's form when pressed together
• Put the balls onto a tray or into small cake cups (if you have them)
• Put formed balls into the fridge to set for about an hour

There should be enough mix to make about 16 small walnut sized balls.  They will last a couple of weeks if stored in a cool dry place (tub/tin) if they aren't eaten before then :-)

Blueberry & Coconut photographed with Apricot & Nut (with coco) and Date & Nut.

__________
* Mixed Spice is popular in the UK, it is a mix of ground cinnamon, coriander, caraway, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

Fishermans Pie...Ahoy there matey

I love seafood and I love any kind of baked fish pie.  Before I moved to the center of the US I had moved over 15 times but never lived more than 50 miles from a coast and always close to an abundance of fish protein.

Luckily where I live now there's an  Irish Bar that has a Fishermans Pie on the menu that I used to love before I worked out that my system couldn't cope too well with wheat and I also got used to a lower dairy consumption due to my husband being dairy-free.  Now, after-effects of the flaky pastry top and creamy sherry sauce don't appeal quite so much. I longed for something similar to satisfy my fish pie craving.
 
I thought an easy potato top would be nice and I thought about making a sauce, but then I decided to keep it simple; all I needed to do was bake the fish with vegetables and that would probably provide the moisture for the filling, ah ha!

This is roughly what you need:

For the topping
1 lb potatoes (or less if you want it thinner than a 1 inch topping)
2-3 Tbsp of Natural Balance or coconut oil (I used a mixture of both)
Breadcrumbs or a 50-50 mix of almond flour and nutritional yeast



For the pie filling
2 medium size carrots
1 stick of celery
1 zucchini/courgette
1/2 cup frozen corn or peas
2 pieces of fish (about 12 oz, I used all salmon -  I would use a white fish and salmon next time for variety)
1 cup of prawns or scallops, lightly chopped
1 tspn salt and herbs such as dill or tarragon, or your favorite fish seasoning
1/2 cup cheese (I used Daiya, dairy free cheese) 
Juice of half a lemon (use the other half for a garnish)

This is how you make it:

• Peel the potatoes, chop into 3/4 inch cubes and boil for 15 - 20 minutes.
• Set the oven to 375 F

• Meanwhile, grate the vegetables (I used the grater blade on the Cuisinart, zoom, zoom), add corn, coarsly chopped prawns, cubed fish and toss together well with seasonings and cheese. 
• Add to baking dish and squeeze half a lemon over the top (I used a 9 x 7 inch dish)

• Mash the cooked potatoes with Natural Balance or Coconut oil and add to the top of the vegetable and fish mixture. 
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs (or a GF alternative) to the top to help make the top a little crispy.
• Bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes until the top is lightly browned and your kitchen starts to smell like there is a wonderful fish pie near by :-)  
• Serve with a wedge of lemon and enjoy.

Regular size serving (1/4 of recipe)

This makes about 4 average size servings, but could be split into two "hungry person" portions!

This came out pretty well; who doesn't like mashed potatoes when it's below freezing outside?  The filling was moist and I didn't miss a creamy sauce as the potatoes provided some creaminess to the overall dish.  I may add a dash of sherry next time and not add as much of the seafood seasoning as I don't think it needed it.

Coconut Oil...it kinda rocks!

Coconut oil has had a bad rap and that is so sad because it really is good for you, it's a good oil, it's one of the good guys. Take some politics and a little bit of misunderstanding and it was almost eliminated from our general food source in the 80s. Nutritional historians (if there is such a thing) will be talking about the injustice of coconut oil in years to come.  Just remember you read it here first!

What we now know is that not all saturated fats are the same and the fats in coconut oil are not the villains we were led to believe they were. The truth lies in the length of the saturated fats; medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) are not metabolized the same as long chain fatty acids.  In a few days of passive research I have found only good articles about MCFA in relation to coconut oil nutrition.  I find that quite revealing, because if you do a search on agave sweetener you get a mixed list of articles claiming it is the sweetener if choice because it is low glycemic and a bunch of articles claiming it is the same (if not worse) than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  I may write a blog post about "higher than HFCS agave" in the future, but for now I'm all about coconut oil. In fact the more I read about the medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil the more I want to shout out their virtues to the world!

I haven't tried to rewrite and summarize the words of good research writers and scientists, in this blog post I tried to provide a collection of articles and paragraphs that I found informative, fascinating and downright uplifting.  For the few days this post sat in my blog draft list I was overcome with a strange feeling of enthusiasm and joy, as if I had just discovered a cure for cancer, Alzheimer's and anti-aging all at once. This knowledge has empowered me, I truly believe the science and chemistry I have read recently will influence me for the rest of my life.

I know, I'm sounding like a religious coconut freak, so if you read only one article on coconut oil, please read this one by Dr Mary Newport and her husband - http://coconutoil.com/AlzheimersDiseaseDrMaryNewport.pdf  

It's a fact that coconut oil is high in saturated fat...we assumed that meant it was bad for us and would clog our arteries....so we stopped using it.

Audrey Kunin, M.D. had the same concern about the saturated fat content of coconut oil; http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/audrey-kunin-md/going-nuts-about-coconut-oil "I have avoided one of my favorite food sources due to my concern that it was high in "bad" fat. Warned about the high levels of saturated fat found in coconut oils, I sadly said goodbye to coconut milk-based sauces, macaroons, piña  coladas and Mounds bars. My palate protested the unfairness of a plant saturated with saturated fat!" 

However on further investigation Dr Kunin found that there is very good information out there to suggest we should all be eating more coconut oil!

"I discovered that my general health concerns about using either coconut or coconut oil in my recipes was unfounded. Coconut oil is composed of an unusual medium chain fatty acid. These fats don't wreak the havoc on the cardiovascular system that its saturated-fat cousins cause." 

The most ironic thing is coconut oil may be The Healthiest Oil on Earth says Dr Ray Peat.  He also has an excellent article here Coconut Oil and Its Virtues  - I have pasted my favorite paragraph here; 

"When I first used coconut oil I saw an immediate response, that convinced me my metabolism was chronically inhibited by something that was easily alleviated by "dilution" or molecular competition.  I had put a tablespoonful of coconut oil on some rice I had for supper, and half an hour later while I was reading, I noticed I was breathing more deeply than' normal.  I saw that my skin was pink, and I found that my pulse was faster than normal--about 98, 1 think.  After an hour or two, my pulse and breathing returned to normal.  Every day for a couple of weeks I noticed the same response while I was digesting a small amount of coconut oil, but gradually it didn't happen any more, and I increased my daily consumption of the oil to about an ounce.  I kept eating the same foods as before (including a quart of ice cream every day), except that I added about 200 or 250 calories per day as coconut oil.  Apparently the metabolic surges that happened at first were an indication that my body was compensating for an anti-thyroid substance by producing more thyroid hormone;  when the coconut oil relieved the inhibition, I experienced a moment of slight hyperthyroidism, but after a time the inhibitor became less effective, and my body adjusted by producing slightly less thyroid hormone.  But over the next few months, I saw that my weight was slowly and consistently decreasing.  It had been steady at 185 pounds for 25 years, but over a period of six months it dropped to about 175 pounds.  I found that eating more coconut oil lowered my weight another few pounds, and eating less caused it to increase."

If that doesn't convince you check out this from Oprah's doctor Dr Oz.

Photo of So Delicious coconut milk carton

 Coconut Oil Super Powers | The Dr. Oz Show

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/coconut-oil-super-powers-pt-1
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/coconut-oil-super-powers-pt-2 

Dr. Oz reveals the 3 most powerful health benefits of this tropical oil. Learn how it can help you lose weight, treat skin conditions and ulcers. 

Below I pasted more of the amazing benefits of coconut oil from this article; http://www.coconutoil-online.com/Medium_Chain_Triglycerides.html (MCT)

"Digestion and Nutrient Absorption
The digestive health advantages of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) over long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) are due to the differences in the way our bodies metabolize these fats. Because the MCFA molecules are smaller, they require less energy and fewer enzymes to break them down for digestion. They are digested and absorbed quickly and with minimal effort.
Metabolism and Energy  
The fact that MCFA digest immediately to produce energy and stimulate metabolism has led athletes to use them as a means to enhance exercise performance. Studies indicate this may be true.
Nature's Perfect Food in Nature's Nectar  
An important component of breast milk is medium-chain fatty acids, principally lauric acid. Lauric acid is also the primary saturated fatty acid found in coconut oil. Apparently nature thought it essential to the baby's health to include it."

Some of the important reasons medium-chain fatty acids are included in milk are improved nutrient absorption and digestive function. As noted earlier, pancreatic enzymes aren't even necessary to digest them. They also help to regulate blood sugar levels. Another very important function is that medium-chain fatty acids protect the baby from harmful microorganisms. The baby's immature immune system is supported by the antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties of these vital fatty acids. In fact, without these unique saturated fats, the baby would probably not survive long. It would become malnourished and highly susceptible to a myriad of infectious diseases."

Another good list of Coconut Oil sites is listed here http://www.coconutoil.com/research.htm It is where I found my holy grail of articles by Dr Mary Newport; http://coconutoil.com/AlzheimersDiseaseDrMaryNewport.pdf  This article almost brought me to tears.

Photo of So Delicious coconut milk carton

www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com

You will notice the So Delicious brand of coconut milk is marketed as having medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), which by now you know means "really easy to digest (and not stored) good fat".  When you read at the nutritional information of a coconut product you have to pay attention to the type of saturated fat, it must be medium chain fatty acids (MCFT) or medium chain triglycerides (MCT) and not hydrogenated. There will be over processed and less healthy coconut products out there - be educated on the differences and be healthy!

And finally, how to get more coconut oil into your body;

• Always use it to saute vegetables

• Add a tablespoon to rice or mashed potatoes before serving

• Add to oatmeal in the morning

• Use it in place of oil, butter or margarine in baking

• Use So Delicious coconut milk and creamer instead of dairy and other non dairy creamers. So Delicious also makes coconut yogurt, kefir and ice cream :-)   

The Spunky Coconut had it right all along!  I'm so sorry I doubted you Kelly!  Check out the great GF CF recipes on her blog - http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/

And don't forget to use it on your skin, it is excellent for chronic dry skin!  You can use the same cooking coconut oil, no need to buy a special cosmetic version.


Where to buy
I'm actually surprised to see it more and more in regular groceries and stores.
If you start using coconut oil as much as you should you might want to buy it in bulk online;
http://www.nutsonline.com/nuts/coconut/oil.html
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/ 


Note added a few days later....
You should know that coconut oil has a mild laxative effect.  It start to use coconut oil you need to start eating it in small amounts and gradually build up your tolerance.  The first week when I either drank a small glass of coconut kefir or ate a meal where I had used as little as 1 tablespoon of oil to fry onions I got a slight stomach ache about 20 minutes later.  The ache wasn't extreme but it was noticeable. My husband whined about it, but we all know men can't deal with pain as well as XX chromosome individuals (just kidding honey!). Anyway, be forewarned, take it easy, don't overdo it and gradually introduce those MCFA into your life!

Blueberry Almond Muffins

I have mentioned my almond muffins before but since then I have modified the recipe to the point where I consistently make this version.  I still have one a day with my 10am coffee and I still believe they are a good diet aid as they keep me satisfied until lunch time! I once went through and worked out the nutritional information, I think they are about 160 calories each and fairly low carb.

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour (almond meal) - I use unblanched almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or less) 
• 1 tablespoon of SteviaPlus (or the equivalent of 1/3 cup of sugar, if you use a 1/3 cup of liquid sweetener reduce the water by 1/3 cup) 
• 1/2 cup of freeze dried blueberries (if you don't add f/d blueberries reduce the water by 1/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil 
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (this helps mask some of the bitterness of stevia)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F and place cake cups in a 12-muffin tin.(please use cake cups - they'll stick in the muffin pan no matter what you do) .

Mix dry ingredients together well including the blueberries.  I use freeze dried blueberries because fresh or frozen ones will sink to the bottom of the muffins (remember there's no gluten in this and fresh blueberries will be too heavy). Also, make sure the stevia is mixed in well, you don't want concentrated patches that produce bitterness.

Beat the eggs and add the oil, water, vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Stir  the wet ingredients with dry ingredients and immediately fill muffin papers  (about 2/3 full - fill all 12 muffin papers evenly) and bake for about 15 minutes until they are just lightly browned.

**Eat all within 24 hours or freeze to store**

I'm not sure if it's the eggs or almonds but these are not very shelf stable!

Also note, stevia has a slight bitter aftertaste that mellows as it sits with other ingredients, for that reason I leave the muffins in the fridge overnight before I freeze.

Photo has blueberry muffins in the foreground with plain muffins top left.