Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Wheat Free, Oil Free

 

Oh, my. I've been working on the recipe for Barley and Oat Mini-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fat Free. I tried subbing out the banana with applesauce and used maple syrup. It made a fairly soft, fragile  and sweeter cookie. It was not an improvement. Today I used some blanched almond flour and stuck with the brown rice syrup. Hot diggity dog was it good! Still soft but nice and chewy. I am so inspired by this new recipe I am going to start making my own almond milk and saving the pulp. Then I will dehydrate it and use it for baking.

Ingredients
1/4 cup barley flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
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3 TB mashed banana
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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1/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet. I like to use a Silpat or parchment paper instead of greasing sheet. Mix dry ingredients in medium sized bowl. Mix wet ingredients in small bowl. Add wet to dry and mix well, add chips. Scoop 1 tablespoon size drollops onto sheet, flatten a bit and bake for about 12 minutes until barely browned on edges. Let cool for a couple minutes and then carefully transfer to wire rack.

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks
If you don't have any barley or oat flour, buzz whole barley or oatmeal up in your blender or coffee grinder. Or you could always buy a small bag of Bob's Red Mill. Most natural foods stores have these flours in the bulk bins too. Bob's also carries almond flour but you could also make your own!

Barley and Oat Mini-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fat Free

These are tasty little wheat-free nuggets when you must have a cookie (or two). They're not very sweet so there's no sugar rush. The recipe makes about 16-18 tablespoon sized cookies; you can fit them all on one cookie sheet. See below for substitution suggestions.

Ingredients
1/2 cup barley flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
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3 TB mashed banana
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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1/4 - 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet. I like to use a Silpat or parchment paper instead of greasing sheet. Mix dry ingredients in medium sized bowl. Mix wet ingredients in small bowl. Add wet to dry and mix well, add chips. Scoop 1 tablespoon size drollops onto sheet, flatten a bit and bake for about 12 minutes until barely browned on edges. Cool on wire rack.

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks
If you don't have any barley or oat flour, buzz whole barley or oatmeal up in your blender or coffee grinder. Or you could always buy a small bag of Bob's Red Mill. Most natural foods stores have these flours in the bulk bins too.

If you don't have brown rice syrup, you can use maple syrup. Or agave. But then I can't say you won't get a sugar rush. They will definitely be sweeter if you sub out the brown rice syrup.

The original recipe used 3 tablespoons of oil. I substituted that with the mashed banana. There's such a small amount of banana you really can't taste it. I plan on trying pureed prunes instead of bananas the next time I make these.

If you don't have mini chocolate chips, freeze some regular chips and just chop them up. Or not. If you have the big chips or chunks, just press one into the top of each cookie.

How to Publish a YouTube Video using a Canon PowerShot and iMovie

I am no expert but I've been wanting to posts videos to YouTube for some time now. I am posting this in the hopes of saving someone else the grief of banging their heads against the wall. Once you figure it out, it's easy.

I absolutely did not want to have to buy or download any extra programs. I didn't want to buy a camcorder. I wanted to use what I had. I downloaded the video from my camera to an Apple PowerBook using OSX 10.7.5.

The Camera

I have an inexpensive Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Digital ELPH. I bought it a year or so ago for less than $200. It takes decent pictures and I've found I can make movies with it! I did have to buy another larger memory card. I picked up an 8 GB card at Fred Meyers for less than $10. My movies are less than 15 minutes so that's plenty of memory. I do have a little tripod.

Video Editing Software

I bought iWork several years ago so I have iMovie 11. It's kind of clunky, funky, but gets the job done. I did suffer through a few videos on how to use it. At this point I am just a hack able to delete bits and pieces and export the video. But later on, I can add fancy stuff.

There is more than one way to get your video to YouTube. The most successful way for me was to go to the iMovie menu:
Share
Export using QuickTime.

Here are the QuickTime settings recommended by YouTube:

Video Settings:
Compression: H.264
Frame Rate: 30
Data Rate: automatic
Key Frames: automatic
Frame Reordering: unchecked

Audio/Sound:
Format: AAC
Show advanced settings & choose constant bit rate as encoding strategy

Choose original size of the video. For my Canon 1300 it is 640x480 VGA
Prepare for internet: fast stream

These settings will export in .mov format which is acceptable to YouTube. It took my 9:37 minute video about 30 minutes to convert. It was a big file.

YouTube

Go to your YouTube account and choose upload and follow the prompts. My .mov file was over 248 MB; I don't know if that is normal or not. But it did upload in less than 30 minutes – successfully! Don't be discouraged if you have problems. Just go to the help section, Google the error message, work through it. Good luck and have fun!

Still shot of the video shot from my Canon Powershot.
I'll be posting the video with my review of VeganCuts August 2013 Beauty Box.

Four Books and One Move Review

These are all food related in one way or another.

The Lucky Ones – My Passionate Fight for Farm Animals

by Jenny Brown, founder of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
What an amazing person. This gal was 10 years old when she was diagnosed with bone cancer and eventually lost part of her leg below the knee. When she was in her teens she made the connection between food and animal exploitation. She eventually founded the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary, whose mission is the hands-on work of rescuing, rehabilitating and caring for farmed animal refugees — as well as educating the public about the horrific treatment of animals who are raised for food.

This is her journey, along with stories of some of the animals. The book is highly readable with a friendly, casual style. The back of the book includes resources for further reading, films, cookbooks, websites and some recipes. This book shows how much a determined person can do and really make a difference.

Defiant Daughters – 21 Women on Art, Activism, Animals, and The Sexual Politics of Meat

I have had a copy of The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams for over 20 years. I have yet to read it. It just isn't an easy read even though I do enjoy non-fiction. All of the contributors of Defiant Daughters have read the book and credit it with the awakening of their identities as feminists, activists, and women. I did find most of their stories interesting. I have drug out my copy of The Sexual Politics of Meat and hope to read it before 2014!

Warrior Pose – A War Correspondent's Memoir. How Yoga (Literally) Saved My Life 

by Brad Willis aka Bhava Ram
What a powerful book. And what does it have to do with food? Towards the end of the book he eventually becomes a vegan. But that is just a very small part of the book. This guy was a successful war correspondent. At the height of his career he breaks his back and manages to work through the pain and deny that it is broken. Eventually he has to get it fixed, the surgery fails (of course!) and he is permanently disabled. Then comes all the alcohol, medications, and to top it all off he is diagnosed with throat cancer. He was treated for cancer and then they could do no more and gave him a couple of years to live. Talk about bad to worse. He ends up abandoning Western medicine and goes to a pain management center which leads to yoga. Today he is pain free and cancer free. This book is so well written. Some memoirs are boring. Not this one. His talent for writing shines. This is a memorable book that I think will be lodged in my brain for a long time to come.

Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats from Around the World.
Fantastic, Alergy-Free Ethnic Recipes

by Allyson Kramer

I was lucky enough to win this book online. Most recipes have a color picture. The chapters are African, European, South & Central America, Asian & Oceanic Fare and North American from Canada to Mexico.

Recipes that caught my interest

Africa: Peanutty Parsnip and Carrot Soup; Spiced Lentil Harira Soup

Europe: Pain Ordinaire, a crusty white bread; Roasted Tomato and Beet Bisque, a good way to try out more beets; Veggie Frittata with Salsa Verde; English Cottage Pie although I'd leave out the TVP and use some lentils instead; Baked Pierogi with Dilled Sour Cream

South & Central America: Fennel and Kale Corn Bread; Caribbean Black Bean Soup; Farina Pizza, the crust is made from garbanzo flour

Asia: Tofu Noodle Soup (Pho); Savory Stuffed Grapes (stuffed with chickpeas and spices); Masala Mushrooms (stuffed with cauliflower and spices); Vietnamese Salad Wraps; Spinach Mushroom Curry; Indian Crepes with Sorrel and Spinach; Australian Veggie Pie

North America: Mini Potato Skins; Baked Potine; Cheddary Cheese Wheel (a cashew based nut cheese); Maple Pumpkin PIe with Cinnamon Walnut Crust

What I don't like about this book is the heavy use of faux meats, cheeses and coconut cream. Some of the recipes are fried. Only a couple of dessert recipes caught my eye but there are sweets in each section. This would be a good book for a transitioning vegan or someone who wants to eat less meat and desires gluten free meals. Quite the variety of recipes.

Vegucated – DVD

Synopsis: Part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy, Vegucated follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. Lured by tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover the hidden sides of animal agriculture that make them wonder whether solutions offered in films like Food, Inc. go far enough. This entertaining documentary showcases the rapid and at times comedic evolution of three people who discover they can change the world one bite at a time.

I enjoyed this moved except for the part where they showed them the "hidden side of animal agriculture." I really, really wish everyone would acknowledge what goes on in factory farming. There is such a disconnect between that hunk of beef, hamburger, etc., and where it comes from. I've seen it and don't need to anymore. I get it. Every time I think of a chunk of aged cheddar cheese I visualize that poor cow in miserable conditions. But I digress. The movie was entertaining and two of them are still vegan (although there have been slip ups) and one is still struggling.

Whole Grain Confetti Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

I love cold rice salads and this is a good one. The base is short grain brown rice, flecked with lightly steamed broccoli and carrots, uncooked chopped zucchini and red cabbage. Add any vegetables you like; these just happen to be my favorites. The zesty lemon tahini dressing is adapted from Blissful Bites cookbook. I highly recommend this book, lots of photos. The author uses very little oil and many of the recipes have a macrobiotic slant. This is a wonderful recipe to make ahead of time and eat for several days.

Ingredients
3/4-1 cup raw brown rice
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1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2-3/4 cup chopped carrots
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1/2 medium zucchini chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red cabbage

Directions
Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.

Lightly steam broccoli and carrots, until crisp-tender, rinse in cold water and drain.

Make dressing (see below). Place brown rice, and all the vegetable into large bowl. Mix well. Add dressing to taste, mix and refrigerate.

Lemon Tahini Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp white miso
2 tsp maple syrup
1-1/2 TB tahini
1 TB low sodium tamari
1 TB brown rice vinegar
sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix in blender. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Potato Sourdough Bread with Spelt and White Whole Wheat Flour

This bread is big, soft and airy with a chewy crust, and a mellow sourdough flavor. The ingredient list includes freshly ground spelt and white whole wheat flours because I enjoy their less assertive flavor. I find that when I bake with all whole wheat flour it is overpowering.

Ever since I began to maintain a sourdough starter I've been working on improving my "artisan" loaves. I've found that I really prefer the taste of my starter to others and making your own artisan bread is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than buying bakery bread. In Anchorage, Alaska I have spent $9 on a single loaf of artisan bread. It really does not take a whole lot of effort to make bread; you just have to plan ahead and show up every few hours and lay your hands on it.

Soudough bread making tips and tricks that work for me:
1) The texture of sourdough bread is improved if it has baked potato or even baked yams included in the list of ingredients.

2) A very active starter. My starter had been fed once a day, for 3 days in a row.

3) Include a resting period of 15 minutes after the ingredients are mixed.

4) Resist the urge to add too much flour.

5) Use a heavy duty stand mixer.

Potato Sourdough Bread with Spelt and White Whole Wheat Flour
This recipe is a very bastardized version of Potato Bread from Ed and Jean Woods' "Classic Sourdoughs" book. The original recipe uses all purpose flour, milk, and butter which have been replaced with non-dairy milk, extra olive oil and whole grains. Makes one large loaf.

 Ingredients
1 cup sourdough starter (100% hydration, AP flour)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 TB extra virgin olive oil
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1 tsp salt
1 medium baked potato, crumbled, skin included
-----
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 TB vital wheat gluten plus enough organic all purpose flour to equal 1 cup (16 TB total)
-----
extra flour for dusting or added if too wet

Directions
Add starter, non-dairy milk, and extra virgin olive oil into mixer bowl. Mix. Add salt and crumbled potato. Add all three flours and mix well, using dough hook. After it's mixed, let it sit for about 15 minutes. This lets it absorb the flours.

Mix on medium speed for about 6-10 minutes until dough passes the "window pane" test and is smooth and satiny. It will be sticky! Try not to add extra flour unless it is hopelessly wet. There is a happy medium in regards to flour and it depends on how humid it is, the flours, etc., etc. This is why I like to use a mixer, it can be a bit wet and sticky and I don't have to handle it.

Put in lightly oiled bowl or container; cover and let rise until double. Rising time will depend on how warm it is in your kitchen and how active the starter. I put my dough on top of the refrigerator and it was doubled in about 5 hours. You could let it rise overnight. The longer it rises the more pronounced the sourdough flavor will be.

After it has doubled, use a spatula to gently ease the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. If it gets REALLY flat, knead in additional flour before shaping.

Flatten the rested dough slightly, then lift each side to the center, turn and do it again to form a ball. Gently pinch closed. Place the shaped loaf seam side UP in a proofing basket that has been sprinkled with flour. Cover, and let rise for 2 to 4 hours until it doubles in bulk. I like to bake my artisan loafs in a La Cloche, that has been preheated for an hour in a 450 degree oven. Bake for 25 minutes, take off the lid, and bake 15 more minutes to brown. Cool on wire rack. DO NOT cut into the loaf for at least an hour.

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This is how I make my bread. If you continue to bake your own bread, you will end up using methods that suit YOU and that is the beauty of baking bread. There are many different ways to do it and who's to say which is the right way? I say the right way, is the one that works for YOU.

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This post has been submitted to wildyeastblog.com/.

Bake awesome artisan bread in La Cloche Brick Oven

"Also known as an instant brick oven, this bread baker consists of a stoneware bell or dome that fits over a wide, shallow dish with 2-inch-high sides. It is one of the most successful implements developed for home baking."—Chuck Williams, founder of the Williams-Sonoma company and author and editor of dozens of books on the subject of cooking.

La Cloche turns your regular oven into a brick oven. It helps to create an artisan style bread with a crisp, chewy crust. I really like the results I get from the one I purchased online from Breadtopia. They cost around $50-$60 and can be found online and at some kitchen stores.

If you search online for how to use a La Cloche, you will see there's more than one way to bake with it. Here is my method:

1. About an hour before I plan to bake, I place the La Cloche on the bottom rack in the oven and set it to 450 degrees.

2. When I am ready to bake the bread, I transfer the risen dough from a Brotform basket and invert it onto a piece of parchment paper. Slash the top of the dough. Open the oven door, pull out rack, and carefully remove the top of the La Cloche baker and set it aside. Lift the bread dough by the edges of the parchment paper and carefully transfer to the bottom of the La Cloche baker. Place the lid back on, push the oven rack back in, close the door and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and finish baking the bread until it is done, usually about 15 minutes. Cool baked bread on wire rack.

If you are serious about baking artisan breads this is a nice way to do it. Some people have great success with a dutch oven or even clay pots but I wanted one of these and haven't regretted it. It's held up well and my bread is delicious.

And while you're at it,  do yourself a favor and buy a large Danish Dough Whisk. These are super handy devices to mix doughs by hand. I like the large one because it's easy to clean.

Please watch for next post on one of my most successful loafs of bread yet – potato sourdough bread with spelt and white whole wheat flour.

Potato Sourdough Bread with Spelt and White Whole Wheat Flour baked in La Cloche