Blanched almond flour is my flour of choice for making chocolate chip cookies, spice cakes, banana muffins, breading chicken etc.
Several months ago I bought 5 pounds of it from American Almond Products in New York, but I've also bought the blanched sliced almonds from Trader Joe's and the 3 pound bags of whole almonds from Costco with the intention of making my own blanched almond flour.
Somewhere I read that the only blender good enough to make ones own almond flour was the Vita Mix, so I bought the top of the line set. However, after buying it, I couldn't find the reference for making blanched almond flour with it, so I went online and hunted for directions. The only good directions said to use a clean coffee grinder and to only put in enough blanched almonds to just cover the blades.
Yesterday morning I checked the Vita Mix booklets and found where it gave directions on how to grind ones own coffee in the "Dry Container". Ah ha! I'll follow those directions for the blanched sliced almonds in the freezer. (Somewhere I read that it's better to grind frozen almonds because the oil doesn't get in the way.) Several articles warned about not over processing the almonds because they can quickly turn into almond butter.
I just barely covered the blades with blanched sliced almonds from one package of Trader Joe's sliced blanched almonds. I turned on the Vita Mix and turned the speed up to a 10 for less than a minute and had perfect almond flour!!!! It took three times to "do" the little package of sliced blanched almonds from Trader Joe's, but the result was perfect, and it didn't take much time. I ended up using all three bags of those almonds that I'd had in the freezer.
After doing that, I decided to attack one of the 3 pound bags of almonds from Costco. Blanching almonds is something I've never done myself. Once or twice I helped my mother when I was a child, and I remember how the blanched almonds will pop/fly out of their skins once they've been emerged in boiling water and how the water smells sort of like black tea.
I'd found two sets of directions on how to blanch almonds. The first one I tried was to pour boiling water over the almonds and let them sit for a minute, drain them, let them cool, and then start popping them out of their skins. I think that method works, but I had poured all 3 pounds of almonds into a bowl at once, and that was too many to do. So I tried the second method: boil water in a medium sized pot, add almonds, bring back to a boil for a minute, remove almonds, rinse and cool almonds, and then pop the skins off; then dry them on a large towel.
It took a long time to process the three pounds of almonds. I don't think I'll ever do that many at once again. I did use the same water for each batch, and I removed the almonds from the water with my Chinese strainer with the bamboo handle. It just took a long time.
Once the blanched almonds were cool and dry, I placed them in a ziploc bag and into the freezer.
Today I'm going to do a lot of baking. I don't think I'll need to use the blanched almonds I did yesterday, but if I do, they're in the freezer ready to go!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
"Low-carb diet trumps low-fat on cholesterol"
That was the headline in an article in today's paper. People were followed for two years; the average weight loss for both groups was the same: 15 lbs. The difference was the improved good cholesterol level for the low-carb dieters. This study was done led by Gary Foster, director of Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education; this study was funded by the federal government.
This study shows the same results that the grain-free people have been talking about! In the newspaper article it said : "Why the low-carb diet had a bigger effect on good cholesterol isn't known, the researcher said." It's interesting that no one seems to do research on separating grain free diets from other low carb diets. I think there's a correlation between eating grain-free and better health, including blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels, and iron levels.
I wish I could get federal money and have people study the results I've been getting on the way I've been eating...
This study shows the same results that the grain-free people have been talking about! In the newspaper article it said : "Why the low-carb diet had a bigger effect on good cholesterol isn't known, the researcher said." It's interesting that no one seems to do research on separating grain free diets from other low carb diets. I think there's a correlation between eating grain-free and better health, including blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels, and iron levels.
I wish I could get federal money and have people study the results I've been getting on the way I've been eating...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Temptations abound!
This summer I've had time to watch more tv than usual. As a result, I've been exposed to so many commercials! Many commercials feature foods made from grains: popcorn, poptarts, cereals, and other "healthy" whole grain foods. I think about how satisfying it would be to dig into a bowl of cheddar cheese flavored popcorn, or a strawberry poptart, and then I remember the pain that ensues for two or three days after I eat anything like that.
How does one maintain a healthy, for me, diet? Our whole society conspires against what's healthy for me. Everywhere there are ads encouraging us to eat peanut butter, whole grain breads, cereals, and other grains. Then there are the legumes! Bush's baked beans, green bean casseroles, roasted ears of corn, and so many delicious Mexican dishes that feature beans and corn.
Each and every day I have to remind myself that for me, these foods conspire against my good health. I end up in pain; I end up having high glucose readings; I end up having low iron levels. What's a person to do?
Thank goodness for fresh fruits and veggies, and for 100% grass-fed meats, and free range poultry. I've learned about the dangers inherent in eating farmed fish and sea-foods, although when the concept was introduced many years ago, it sounded like a great idea.
Grapes, peaches, avocados, tomatoes, squashes, spinach, etc. are so good at this time of year. They are my go to foods at the moment. I also enjoy smoothies made from yoghurt, bananas, and frozen organic strawberries.
On Facebook I "like" the Live Gluten Freely page, but it's sponsored by companies that are based on grains. Even though several of these companies make gluten-free alternative products, they are not grain-free, and many of them also contain high fructose corn syrup and other stuff I don't want to consume.
I haven't read Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and perhaps I should. Perhaps it addresses the issues I'm wrestling with. I'm not sure. I am sure that I need to avoid grains and legumes, and I know that these foods are widely advertised on tv and in magazines.
Oh, yes, temptations abound. My daily challenge is avoiding the temptations and the resulting pain and suffering.
It isn't easy.
How does one maintain a healthy, for me, diet? Our whole society conspires against what's healthy for me. Everywhere there are ads encouraging us to eat peanut butter, whole grain breads, cereals, and other grains. Then there are the legumes! Bush's baked beans, green bean casseroles, roasted ears of corn, and so many delicious Mexican dishes that feature beans and corn.
Each and every day I have to remind myself that for me, these foods conspire against my good health. I end up in pain; I end up having high glucose readings; I end up having low iron levels. What's a person to do?
Thank goodness for fresh fruits and veggies, and for 100% grass-fed meats, and free range poultry. I've learned about the dangers inherent in eating farmed fish and sea-foods, although when the concept was introduced many years ago, it sounded like a great idea.
Grapes, peaches, avocados, tomatoes, squashes, spinach, etc. are so good at this time of year. They are my go to foods at the moment. I also enjoy smoothies made from yoghurt, bananas, and frozen organic strawberries.
On Facebook I "like" the Live Gluten Freely page, but it's sponsored by companies that are based on grains. Even though several of these companies make gluten-free alternative products, they are not grain-free, and many of them also contain high fructose corn syrup and other stuff I don't want to consume.
I haven't read Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and perhaps I should. Perhaps it addresses the issues I'm wrestling with. I'm not sure. I am sure that I need to avoid grains and legumes, and I know that these foods are widely advertised on tv and in magazines.
Oh, yes, temptations abound. My daily challenge is avoiding the temptations and the resulting pain and suffering.
It isn't easy.
Friday, July 9, 2010
So many wonderful summer vegetables!
The other day I finished my binder of recipes that are all grain-free, unless I think I can substitute something like almond flour, coconut flour, or tapioca flour for what's in the given recipe. After finishing that job, I've gone through the binder and yesterday selected an interesting looking chicken recipe. There was no flour of any kind in it, but lots of onion and bell peppers and herbs. It was delicious! (The chicken was one of the organic Smart Chickens.)
I went to New Leaf Market in Capitola and bought grass-fed/finished ground round. You're supposed to cook it at a lower temperature and be careful to not overcook grass-fed/finished beef. (I learned that from reading a number of websites written by the ranchers who raise the 100% grass fed/finished beef.) I also bought a lot of organic local vegetables. Now I can make the mock mashed potatoes that use cauliflower and zucchini "hash browns". It's good to find healthy substitutes for potatoes which don't drive my blood glucose up!
Last night dessert was sliced local organic strawberries with organic cream. What could be better than that! So much that is healthy (and safe) for me to eat isn't that difficult.
Tomorrow I'll go to the local farmers' market to see what other wonderful organic summer foods I can find. Peaches or apricots would be nice! I have some good recipes for tarts with almond flour crusts that would be great filled with fresh peaches or apricots!
More later!
I went to New Leaf Market in Capitola and bought grass-fed/finished ground round. You're supposed to cook it at a lower temperature and be careful to not overcook grass-fed/finished beef. (I learned that from reading a number of websites written by the ranchers who raise the 100% grass fed/finished beef.) I also bought a lot of organic local vegetables. Now I can make the mock mashed potatoes that use cauliflower and zucchini "hash browns". It's good to find healthy substitutes for potatoes which don't drive my blood glucose up!
Last night dessert was sliced local organic strawberries with organic cream. What could be better than that! So much that is healthy (and safe) for me to eat isn't that difficult.
Tomorrow I'll go to the local farmers' market to see what other wonderful organic summer foods I can find. Peaches or apricots would be nice! I have some good recipes for tarts with almond flour crusts that would be great filled with fresh peaches or apricots!
More later!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
It's been awhile since I've posted...
Yesterday and today I worked on my recipe binder while watching the World Cup Semi-finals. (One truth is that one needs to really WATCH the World Cup, because soccer has a lot more action than American football.) Now the whole stack of loose recipes that I saved from magazines, newspapers, and the internet are in plastic sheet protectors and ensconced in a 3 inch binder. The recipes are now categorized into divisions: salads, main dishes, soups,vegetables, breakfast foods, appetizers, and desserts. Most of the recipes are grain-free, OR they have a little regular flour or other thickeners which I think I can substitute with blanched almond flour, coconut flour, or tapioca flour. When I make those substitutions and the recipe doesn't work, I'll toss it.
A few weeks ago I went to Whole Foods and asked about their grass-fed beef. I learned that it is grass-fed until the last 60 days, then it's grain-fed. I went to our local New Leaf Grocery store and found out that they do carry 100% grass fed/finished beef from Pacific Pastures in Humboldt County in Northern California. They also carry 100% organic/truly free range chickens. (We really have to read the labels and figure out what it means when they say things like "all vegetarian fed", as though chickens shouldn't eat bugs and worms, which they would do naturally.)
I bought some of their 100% grass fed/finished beef, and it really wasn't a whole lot more expensive than what one can find other places for the feed-lot beef we've become accustomed to buying. I also bought one of the chickens. The difference in flavor is remarkable! I used the carcass of the chicken to make soup, and it was delicious.
I've been making Waldorf chicken salads lately. I love using organic grapes, apples, celery, walnuts, and the organic/free range chicken in this salad. Sometimes it makes a great meal at lunch, but other times I'll have it for dinner.
The main thing I've learned over the past few years is the importance of making sure to have protein at every meal (and snack), and to include one or two vegetables and/or fruits as well. However, I've also learned about some things to avoid--usually because they are too good/addictive. One of those things is the Cashew Clusters that are sold at Costco. This delicious combination of cashews, almonds, pumpkin seed kernels, with sugar, rice syrup, sea salt, and honey are low in sugar (4 g/serving) and have zero cholesterol. BUT they are sweet and crunchy, and I can't eat just one--the label says that five is a serving. I confess that I've never eaten just five.
So, just because something is grain-free does not mean it's something that one should eat with abandon. Sad, isn't it.
More later...
A few weeks ago I went to Whole Foods and asked about their grass-fed beef. I learned that it is grass-fed until the last 60 days, then it's grain-fed. I went to our local New Leaf Grocery store and found out that they do carry 100% grass fed/finished beef from Pacific Pastures in Humboldt County in Northern California. They also carry 100% organic/truly free range chickens. (We really have to read the labels and figure out what it means when they say things like "all vegetarian fed", as though chickens shouldn't eat bugs and worms, which they would do naturally.)
I bought some of their 100% grass fed/finished beef, and it really wasn't a whole lot more expensive than what one can find other places for the feed-lot beef we've become accustomed to buying. I also bought one of the chickens. The difference in flavor is remarkable! I used the carcass of the chicken to make soup, and it was delicious.
I've been making Waldorf chicken salads lately. I love using organic grapes, apples, celery, walnuts, and the organic/free range chicken in this salad. Sometimes it makes a great meal at lunch, but other times I'll have it for dinner.
The main thing I've learned over the past few years is the importance of making sure to have protein at every meal (and snack), and to include one or two vegetables and/or fruits as well. However, I've also learned about some things to avoid--usually because they are too good/addictive. One of those things is the Cashew Clusters that are sold at Costco. This delicious combination of cashews, almonds, pumpkin seed kernels, with sugar, rice syrup, sea salt, and honey are low in sugar (4 g/serving) and have zero cholesterol. BUT they are sweet and crunchy, and I can't eat just one--the label says that five is a serving. I confess that I've never eaten just five.
So, just because something is grain-free does not mean it's something that one should eat with abandon. Sad, isn't it.
More later...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
I'm not a rabbit!
Over the last several days I've eaten a couple meals that were vegetarian, and even though the food was good, I discovered that my body needs eggs, meat or fish; somehow I need to make sure to eat a good source of protein at every meal.
If I make an egg scramble for breakfast, I'm OK until lunch time. If I eat something without eggs or meat, I'm starving by mid-morning. I make two different egg scramble variations on most days. If I'm more lazy, I'll just take 2 eggs and add some cottage cheese, mix it together and cook it in a little butter or oil. (You got to be careful because the whey separates from the cottage cheese, and I don't like it watery, so one must cook it enough or separate the mixture from the whey.) Another favorite scramble has 2 eggs, 2 slices Canadian bacon cut into small pieces, mushrooms, and chopped bell peppers scrambled together. (I usually use the Pepper Medley from Trader Joe's; I cut the frozen pieces into smaller pieces.)
Sometimes, however, I'll make an "egg bake", the leftovers I refrigerate and reheat during the week. For an egg bake I use about 8 eggs, spinach, shredded cheddar cheese, onions, mushrooms, chopped ham or Canadian bacon, and chopped bell peppers. I mix it all together, pour it into a Pyrex baking dish, and bake for about 30 minutes or so at 350F. (Bake until it's set although it can be a little soft in the middle, and it should firm up as it cools a little. You don't want it runny and you don't want it dry.)
There are a lot of web sites and blogs on the internet that have lots and lots of recipes for grain-free foods. I'm trying out a lot of them; some I alter a little, others I try as written.
More later.
If I make an egg scramble for breakfast, I'm OK until lunch time. If I eat something without eggs or meat, I'm starving by mid-morning. I make two different egg scramble variations on most days. If I'm more lazy, I'll just take 2 eggs and add some cottage cheese, mix it together and cook it in a little butter or oil. (You got to be careful because the whey separates from the cottage cheese, and I don't like it watery, so one must cook it enough or separate the mixture from the whey.) Another favorite scramble has 2 eggs, 2 slices Canadian bacon cut into small pieces, mushrooms, and chopped bell peppers scrambled together. (I usually use the Pepper Medley from Trader Joe's; I cut the frozen pieces into smaller pieces.)
Sometimes, however, I'll make an "egg bake", the leftovers I refrigerate and reheat during the week. For an egg bake I use about 8 eggs, spinach, shredded cheddar cheese, onions, mushrooms, chopped ham or Canadian bacon, and chopped bell peppers. I mix it all together, pour it into a Pyrex baking dish, and bake for about 30 minutes or so at 350F. (Bake until it's set although it can be a little soft in the middle, and it should firm up as it cools a little. You don't want it runny and you don't want it dry.)
There are a lot of web sites and blogs on the internet that have lots and lots of recipes for grain-free foods. I'm trying out a lot of them; some I alter a little, others I try as written.
More later.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
This isn't going to go away!
On Saturday mornings I enjoy going to the local farmers' market and buying fresh produce. This morning I went, and as I walked by the bakery stands and the roasted corn and potato stand, it hit me: This isn't going to go away! It's not like poison oak that will clear up and be forgotten, this need to eat grain and legume free is with me forever, and it's not "just a lifestyle" change.
Last night I finished reading yet another book about this way of eating, this was called The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. It's interesting that Mark Sisson quotes Dr. Cordain in his book Primal Blueprint, and Dr. Cordain quotes Melissa Smith, who wrote Going Against the Grain. Their three books all say that humans shouldn't eat grain or legumes because of the phytates and lectins they contain. They also emphasize how grains and legumes increase our insulin production. (Then there's gluten, which they also all address as being problematic for people.)
Even though the books emphasize these things in common, they also diverge. Dairy and coffee are not allowed by Dr. Cordain, but are by Mark Sisson, for example. Almond flour is frowned upon by Dr. Cordain, but is OK with Mark Sisson.
I've come to the conclusion that it's difficult to get people to agree on everything! So, what am I doing?
I'm avoiding all grains and legumes. I decided to switch to lactose free milk, since lactose is a sugar. However, I do eat regular cottage and other cheeses. I also enjoy fat free yoghurt. (I make wonderful smoothies with yoghurt, frozen strawberries, and banana.)
I do drink several juices that are 100% juice with no added sugars of any kind, but I dilute them with the Crystal Geyser flavored waters; the taste remains, but the calories are cut in half.
I do use almond flour and almond paste when baking, and I have accumulated a number of excellent recipes for tarts, cookies, and cakes based on almond flour. (The protein level is up,and there's zero gluten.) I've learned to use agave nectar instead of sugar, which has been something I avoided for awhile (for no reason that I can think of), but which has worked perfectly in the recipes.
Adapting recipes, something I've done for years, but never with this purpose in mind, has been great. I now make a wonderful strawberry sauce that I put on the cheesecake I make, or ice cream, or tapioca pudding (which is gluten free). The original recipe had a couple more ingredients--including additional sugar--from what I now do. (Why is it that so many recipes call for so much more sugar than necessary? One can easily cut back on the sugar in many recipes and they'll still take OK.)
Perhaps my doctor will take me off medication for diabetes one day--I hope so! However, I now know that no matter what, I can't eat grains and legumes any more, but I'm also learning how to adapt recipes I've had for years to being grain free, legume free, and lower in sugar.
My next task is to put all the recipes I've collected over the years, which are "usable", and all the new recipes I've downloaded from gluten/grain free web sites, into a binder. I'm also going to organize them into sections such as desserts, main dishes, salads etc.
More later...
Last night I finished reading yet another book about this way of eating, this was called The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. It's interesting that Mark Sisson quotes Dr. Cordain in his book Primal Blueprint, and Dr. Cordain quotes Melissa Smith, who wrote Going Against the Grain. Their three books all say that humans shouldn't eat grain or legumes because of the phytates and lectins they contain. They also emphasize how grains and legumes increase our insulin production. (Then there's gluten, which they also all address as being problematic for people.)
Even though the books emphasize these things in common, they also diverge. Dairy and coffee are not allowed by Dr. Cordain, but are by Mark Sisson, for example. Almond flour is frowned upon by Dr. Cordain, but is OK with Mark Sisson.
I've come to the conclusion that it's difficult to get people to agree on everything! So, what am I doing?
I'm avoiding all grains and legumes. I decided to switch to lactose free milk, since lactose is a sugar. However, I do eat regular cottage and other cheeses. I also enjoy fat free yoghurt. (I make wonderful smoothies with yoghurt, frozen strawberries, and banana.)
I do drink several juices that are 100% juice with no added sugars of any kind, but I dilute them with the Crystal Geyser flavored waters; the taste remains, but the calories are cut in half.
I do use almond flour and almond paste when baking, and I have accumulated a number of excellent recipes for tarts, cookies, and cakes based on almond flour. (The protein level is up,and there's zero gluten.) I've learned to use agave nectar instead of sugar, which has been something I avoided for awhile (for no reason that I can think of), but which has worked perfectly in the recipes.
Adapting recipes, something I've done for years, but never with this purpose in mind, has been great. I now make a wonderful strawberry sauce that I put on the cheesecake I make, or ice cream, or tapioca pudding (which is gluten free). The original recipe had a couple more ingredients--including additional sugar--from what I now do. (Why is it that so many recipes call for so much more sugar than necessary? One can easily cut back on the sugar in many recipes and they'll still take OK.)
Perhaps my doctor will take me off medication for diabetes one day--I hope so! However, I now know that no matter what, I can't eat grains and legumes any more, but I'm also learning how to adapt recipes I've had for years to being grain free, legume free, and lower in sugar.
My next task is to put all the recipes I've collected over the years, which are "usable", and all the new recipes I've downloaded from gluten/grain free web sites, into a binder. I'm also going to organize them into sections such as desserts, main dishes, salads etc.
More later...
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