by Jasmine | Nov 15, 2012 | Gluten Free Cheesecake Recipe, Gluten-Free
Gluten Free Cheesecake Recipe
Decadent treats are back on the menu. In fact, with healthy natural sweeteners, low glycemic flours and slimming fats, you can whip up delicious desserts that pack serious nutrition too such as this gluten free cheesecake recipe from Kelly Herring of the Healing Gourmet, who writes about decadent treats such as gluten free cheesecake.
Gluten Free Cheesecake Recipe
The first step in making healthier baked goods such as a gluten free cheesecake recipe is to take a close look at the flour you use. Many bakers now choose whole grain flours over refined white flours. However, whole grain flours are still very high in carbohydrates and score high on the glycemic index.
High glycemic foods cause your blood sugar to spike, raising insulin levels. Your blood sugar is directly linked to nearly every chronic disease including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, obesity, macular degeneration and many more.
Unfortunately, most gluten free flours use a combination of high glycemic ingredients like rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour and sorghum flour. So while the gluten is missing, all the blood sugar-spiking effects are still there.
Almond Flour: This staple flour can be used to create everything from fluffy pancakes to crispy cookies. I often make almond flour pancakes with my own strawberry syrup….. mucho mucho yum yum!
Erythritol: Considered the “almost sugar” by health experts and pastry chefs alike. Erythritol is a “sugar alcohol” with a glycemic index of zero and zero calories. It has no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels and is safe for diabetics. It can be used cup for cup in recipes just like sugar, and provides about 70% of the sweetness. . Erythritol is derived from corn and should be avoided by those with a corn allergy.
Stevia: A super-sweet herb native to Paraguay that is up to 300X sweeter than sugar. Stevia is best used to increase the sweetness of a sugar alcohol, like erythritol, rather than the sole sweetener in a recipe. Pure stevia extract should be used sparingly.
Why organic? Organic foods are free of pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified organisms which have a wide-range of health harming effects. While buying organic produce is important, opting for organic animal products is absolutely essential. That’s because meats, eggs and milk products are a concentrated source of the foods (and chemicals) consumed by the animals that provide them.
Don’t resist the urge to splurge… here’s how to make your cake and eat it too with this gluten free cheesecake recipe!
Yummilicious! Gluten Free Cheesecake Recipe.
Cheesecake with Shortbread Crust & Raspberries
Yield: 12 servings
Start to Finish: 5 hours
Nutrition Snapshot: 147 calories, 1 grams sugar, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, 3 net carbs
Ingredients
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 7 Tbsp. organic erythritol
• 1/2 tsp. stevia extract
• 5 Tbsp. organic butter, melted
• 1 pastured egg
• 1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup organic sour cream
• 8 ounces organic cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup fresh organic raspberries
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. First, make crust. Whisk together almond flour, 1 Tbsp. erythritol and 1/8 tsp. stevia. Mix in 4 Tbsp. melted butter and press into the bottom of a pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and remaining erythritol and stevia. Beat cream cheese and remaining melted butter together until smooth. Add cream cheese mixure to egg mixture and beat until smooth.
5. Pour cheesecake batter onto baked crust and transfer to oven.
6. Bake for 35 minutes using the water bath method. Remove from oven and let cool. Transfer to oven and refrigerated 4 hours or until firm.
7. Top with fresh raspberries and serve.
More scrumptious eats like creme brulee and brownies at the Healing Gourmet.
Nutrition Information Per Serving
177 calories 16 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 6 g monounsaturated fats, 2 g polyunsaturated fats, 52 mg cholesterol, 16 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 1 g sugars, 4 g protein
by Jasmine | Nov 14, 2012 | Gluten-Free
So is oatmeal gluten free? Depends on cross-contamination
If there is any controversy in the gluten-free world, it’s oats. After much careful study, scientists have shown that oats do not contain gluten. They think…….. The proteins in oatmeal are structured differently than those in wheat, rye, barley, et al. So why can’t celiacs eat them? The dreaded C word: cross contamination.
Is Oatmeal Gluten Free?
Apparently, if oats are planted in one field, and wheat in the neighboring one, wheat spores can waft over to the oats, glom onto them, and contaminate them with gluten. Worse yet, most oats, or oats products, are produced in plants that also produce wheat products. If the oats roll over machines that have recently touched wheat, you can get sick, depending on how much or little you can tolerate gluten.
Pure oatmeal does not contain gluten. However, most oatmeal brands on the market today are not pure — they contain oats that have been cross-contaminated with a tiny bit of wheat, barley and/or rye. Since those grains do have gluten in them, that cross-contamination makes most oatmeal brands unsafe on the gluten-free diet. Oatmeal is one of my staples. I get the unprocessed, steel cut kind with no added sugar. (If you get the flavored processed stuff you might as well just buy a bunch of Frosted Flakes) I then add stevia, coconut flakes, bananas, strawberries, almonds or pecans to it. I read a lot of the mind-candy tabloid magazines and the stars with ridiculous bodies all seem to eat oatmeal for breakfast…. if it’s working for Scarlett Johansson it can work for me. Not the most scientific way to make my diet decisions.
I also have been cooking with some of the the Healing Gourmet’s, Kelley Herring’s recipes since she is the Editor of Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility. At the Healing Gourmet, Kelley Herring gives some great tips, suggestions and recipes on how to cook without gluten and often times without dairy. She’s introduced me to some funky stuff including coconut flour and using black beans in my chocolate cakes….. which I still have yet to make but it’s so weird it has to be yummy!
I made her coconut and blueberry muffins the other week. Mucho, mucho yum yum…. although you need to eat them within a day or two or just freeze them. I freeze a lot of the food I make since we are just two people and like to have some variety later on. In my freezer at any given time you can find home-made chicken stock, raw dairy free ice cream, Indian rice and lentils and I think a few whole fish that a friend of ours caught in the ocean.
It’s possible to grow pure oats, and companies selling certified gluten-free oatmeal are using oats that do not have any gluten cross-contamination. Fortunately, there are a variety of different gluten-free-certified oatmeals on the market:
• Bob’s Red Mill produces three different types of gluten-free oatmeal, including quick-cooking oats, rolled oats and steel-cut oats. Bob’s tests for gluten down to 20 parts per million. Make sure you purchase only gluten-free labeled oatmeal — Bob’s has several that are not gluten-free.
• GF Harvest is a celiac family-owned business in Wyoming. The company grows its own oats and performs extensive testing to make certain its fields remain uncontaminated, including testing the seeds it uses down to 3 parts per million. GF Harvest holds gluten-free certification along with organic and Kosher certifications. Products include organic gluten-free rolled oats and regular gluten-free rolled oats, which you can use to make gluten-free oatmeal.
• Glutenfreeda Foods offers four different types of certified gluten-free oatmeal, including apple cinnamon, maple raisin, banana maple and natural. All contain flax meal in addition to gluten-free oatmeal. Glutenfreeda sells its products online and in some specialty stores.
Gluten Free Oats This is a family with three generations of celiac sufferers. The grandson was diagnosed at age 2 and as a teenager decided he wanted to find/create a source of uncontaminated oats. His oats were the start of their business.
• Holly’s Oatmeal aims for the purest possible oatmeal — the company tests its oats to make sure they contain less than 5 parts per million of gluten. Holly’s makes gluten-free oatmeal in two flavors: plain and cranberry. Since the company also sells non-gluten-free oatmeal, make sure you only purchase products in the blue boxes.
• Montana Gluten-Free works directly with farmers to make certain the oats it sells are not cross-contaminated with gluten. The company offers gluten-free oatmeal in two sizes: 3 lbs. and 7.5 lbs., both of which you can purchase at the Montana Gluten-Free website.
Note that other companies that sell gluten-free products (Arrowhead Mills, among others) also produce oatmeal that’s not certified gluten-free — be very careful to check labels, and assume a product isn’t safe unless it’s specifically marked as gluten-free oatmeal.
Looking for other gluten free things to eat for breakfast? Some of my favorite gluten free recipes for scones, breads and desserts are from Kelley Herring of the Healing Gourmet.Are you a celiac or know someone that is?
What is your experience with oatmeal? Is this food on your safe list? Do you think oatmeal is gluten free and safe for celiacs?
by Jasmine | Nov 13, 2012 | Gluten Free Brownie Recipe, Gluten-Free
Gluten Free Brownie Recipe
Who can resist the dense, chocolate-y, chewy, yumminess of a fresh-from the oven brownie. Do you like them light and cake-y or moist and fudge-y? I’ve made probably over 30 different brownie recipes in my life and the last few years I’ve endeavored to make cleaner versions of them… experimenting with dairy-free, sugar-free, organic and lately-gluten free.
I think one of my favorite brownies was a recipe from a master pastry chef from Bon Appetit that I ripped out of the magazine over 12 years ago. It was like a brownie pudding with a butterscotch sauce that is was swimming in and came with a side of caramel ice-cream. Not exactly Jenny-Craig appoved with it’s dollops of ice cream, cream and butter. But I like this gluten free brownie recipe even more.
My other favorite restaurant brownie is in San Diego at one my favorite restaurants called Indigo Grill. It is probably the most artisticially presented brownie I have ever seen. It comes with a chocolate shaped dragon on top of the of the cooked in a deep skillet brownie…this is also swimming in some kind of toffee sauce a gooey chocolate center, doused with some dense dark chocolate fudge and of course the requisite big dollop of vanilla ice-cream.
Ridiculous Chocolate Brownie at Indigo Grill…….sorry,this one is NOT low fat or gluten-free….. the world is not always that kind.
A word of warning: do not order this alone. The decadence is too rich to resist so if you get this eat it with no less than 3 or 4 friends. The last time I ate this with a group of 3 of us we were moaning and groaning with so much delight that my friend said, “Wow….this is the closest I have ever come to a menage a trois.”
Why am I telling you about this? Hopefully I have impressed you with my brownie judging credentials.
I also have been cooking with some of the the Healing Gourmet’s, Kelley Herring’s recipes since she is the Editor of Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility. At the Healing Gourmet, Kelley Herring gives some great tips, suggestions and recipes on how to cook without gluten and often times without dairy.
She’s introduced me to some funky stuff including coconut flour and using black beans in my chocolate cakes….. which I still have yet to make but it’s so weird it has to be yummy! She actually has a few versions of brownie recipes in her gluten free dessert guide book and I made two of them so far. One version had a bunch of butter and eggs in them and the other version was dairy-free.
I “preferred” the version with butter in it…. (maybe I should just admit that I almost ate a whole 9 ” by 13″ pan of them in less than 24 hours….. so much for my yoga training giving me impulse control and heightened awareness.) I guess these are a “healthy” version if you only eat 1- 2 of them at a time… not sure about the nutritional benefits if you eat the whole batch with this gluten free brownie recipe.
If you want to get all the benefits and less of the pesticides and harsh chemicals then pay attention to the details on your shopping list. Ingredients matter.
Gluten Free Brownie Recipe (Flourless)
Yield: 12 brownies
Start to Finish: 45 minutes
Nutrition Snapshot: 203 calories, 9.8 grams sugar, 2 grams fiber, 5.5 grams protein, 12 net carbs per
serving
Preferences: Gluten Free, Dairy Free; Excellent Source of Vitamin E, Copper; Good Source of Magnesium and Protein
Ingredients
• 16 Tbsp. Organic Butter
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 4 Tbsp. Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 15 drop SweetLeaf Stevia Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia
• 2 large pastured eggs
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup organic cocoa powder
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and beat with electric mixer to combine.(NOTE: If the
batter is dry add filtered water by tablespoon to thin)
3. Pour batter into 8 inch square greased cake pan.
4. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
5. Bake on the middle rack for 22-26 minutes.
6. Serve and keep in an airtight container, refrigerated.
7. Moan quietly and softly from delight.
8. Endeavor to not eat the whole pan or your family will murder you in your sleep.
9. Monitor carefully or hide them from other family members so they don’t eat the whole pan and you don’t murder them in their sleep.
Nutrition Information Per Serving – (yeah…. like you’re going to have just one serving……) 203 calories, 15 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 7 g monounsaturated fats, 0 g polyunsaturated fats, 35 mg cholesterol, 81 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 9.8 g sugars, 5.5 g protein
What are some of your most memorable brownie recipes? What was in them? What about the tastiest gluten-free or dairy free versions? Are you a purist and only like them with no toppings or nuts or do you like them choc full of stuff?
For more decadent gluten-free and often dairy-free goodness, peruse the Healing Gourmet’s recipe book.
Gluten free dessert recipes
by Jasmine | Nov 12, 2012 | eStore, Reviews, Stuff I like
Buy this versions of Yoga Mat Bag on Amazon
I think I realized that I was a serious yoga practitioner when I bought a yoga mat bag. I remember being at yoga studios and feeling like I was constantly getting whacked by the other yoga students with their sideways yoga bags. I know you are supposed to feel all compassionate and peaceful after a deep yoga class but when someone obliviously whacks me with their yoga mat strapped on their back ( because they are too cheap to pay for a bag) I just want to clock them in the face with a tire iron ( I know you do too…. you thought it but I wrote it!)
It was actually a Christmast present from my hotty hellenic hubby a year ago. I did quite a bit of searching on Amazon for a bag. I wanted one that fit 2 yoga mats since I sometimes have to lend them to my students in my beginner yoga classes.
I also wanted to be able to stuff a bunch of yoga CD, aromatherapy ( I spray this on my yoga students’ feet when they are in a restorative pose) and also my water bottle. I can also stuff a few other yoga props in there like yoga blocks which I also lend out to students quite a bit. I also like how there are two straps so I can wear it on my back like a backpack.
Please don’t just get the yoga straps that you just tie around your mat… you are going to end up hitting someone and who knows how centered and calm they will be at the time.
I can also use this for non-yoga stuff such as when I travel to San Diego to see my family next. It’s quite lightweight so I can stuff my books, pillow, blanket and some snacks in here for my next West Coast flight.
So do you have a yoga mat bag? How did you choose it? Do you just carry your mat into class?
by Jasmine | Nov 12, 2012 | Best Gluten Free Foods Lists, Gluten-Free
Best Gluten Free Foods List & Baking Recipes
The first step in making healthier baked goods is to take a close look at the flour you use. Many bakers now choose whole grain flours over refined white flours. However, whole grain flours are still very high in carbohydrates and score high on the glycemic index.
High glycemic foods cause your blood sugar to spike, raising insulin levels. Your blood sugar is directly linked to nearly every chronic disease including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, obesity, macular degeneration and many more. Even if you are not a celiac and don’t have a diagnosed gluten intolerance, regular white flour will make your waist look like the Pillsbury Doughboy if you eat too much of it.
Unfortunately, most gluten free flours use a combination of high glycemic ingredients like rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour and sorghum flour. So while the gluten is missing, all the blood sugar-spiking effects are still there.
Hippocrates had it right more than two thousand years ago, when he said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food., says Kelley Herring of the Healing Gourmet, a company that educates on how foods promote vitality and protect against disease. Kelley is the Editor-in-Chief of the Healing Gourmet book series published by McGraw-Hill , including Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol, Eat to Boost Fertility and Your Plate, Your Fate and has many gluten free foods lists and recipes.
So what are the best gluten free food list of ingredients for baking?
Gluten Free Cheesecake
Almond Flour: This staple flour can be used to create everything from fluffy pancakes to crispy cookies. I often make almond flour pancakes with my own strawberry syrup….. mucho mucho yum yum!
Coconut Flour: Coconut flour might look light and fluffy, but it is actually a dense, fiber-rich flour. So take note: a little goes a long way. A good rule of thumb is to use one egg for each tablespoon of coconut flour in your recipes. Also, most recipes that call for coconut flour specify “sifted coconut flour”. One half cup coconut flour does not equal one half cup sifted coconut flour. If you don’t sift and then measure, your baked goods can end up dry and dense.
Hazelnut and Pecan Flour: These are richer nut flours that can be used in combination with almond flour to punch up the nutty flavor. They are great in pie crusts and cookies of all kinds.
Beans: A “Secret” Ingredient for Springy, Moist Cakes
Yellow cupcakes made with cannellini beans… and a chocolate cake made with chickpeas? You read that right. Beans are one of the “secret” ingredients you’ll find in Kelley Herrings dessert recipes in Guilt Free Desserts. Used properly, they provide light, springy structure, moisture and tenderness to baked goods. One word of caution: Baked goods made with beans can have a slight “beany” flavor for up to 12 hours after baking. This flavor will dissipate, so be patient. It’s worth the wait.
Because bean flours are dense, try adding bean flour for up to 25% of your gluten free flour mix.
Here are the most popular bean flours and how to use them:
Best Gluten Free Foods Lists – Recipes With Clean Ingredients
Garbanzo Bean Flour: Use 7/8 cup to replace 1 cup of wheat flour in baked goods.
Black Bean Flour: Use as part of your baking mix for chocolate cakes and brownies.
White Bean Flour or Fava Bean Flour: Mild in taste, white bean flour or fava bean flour are suitable for use in most recipes calling for white flour. Substitute 1/4 of the white flour for bean flour.
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Sweetening without Refined Sugar.
Erythritol: Considered the “almost sugar” by health experts and pastry chefs alike. Erythritol is a “sugar alcohol” with a glycemic index of zero and zero calories. It has no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels and is safe for diabetics. It can be used cup for cup in recipes just like sugar, and provides about 70% of the sweetness. . Erythritol is derived from corn and should be avoided by those with a corn allergy.
Stevia: A super-sweet herb native to Paraguay that is up to 300X sweeter than sugar. Stevia is best used to increase the sweetness of a sugar alcohol, like erythritol, rather than the sole sweetener in a recipe. Pure stevia extract should be used sparingly.
Why organic? Organic foods are free of pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified organisms which have a wide-range of health harming effects. While buying organic produce is important, opting for organic animal products is absolutely essential. That’s because meats, eggs and milk products are a concentrated source of the foods (and chemicals) consumed by the animals that provide them.
Don’t resist the urge to splurge… here’s how to make your cake and eat it too!
For those times when the sweet tooth strikes whip up a dessert made with all-natural, zero-glycemic erythritol – like the delicious treats found in Guilt Free Desserts.
What are some of your favorite gluten-free recipes or foods? How do you choose your ingredients?
Best Gluten Free Foods List and Baking Recipes
