Simplest GF Sourdough Pan Bread (THM E)

From the files of simplicity, here is another foolproof three ingredient recipe. Super tasty, too! When you crave toast, this is your go-to. The panbreads can be shaped into any size you prefer. I like making them sanddollar sized, but they could definitely hold their own as sandwich or mini-pizza material. They are delightfully chewy and have the rich sourdough flavor of sharp cheese (a huge plus for this dairy free girl!).

1/3c active sourdough starter, allowed to settle and any clear liquid poured off*

1t psyllium husks

2 pinches of salt

Heat a cast iron skillet until very hot. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients and let sit just a moment, for batter to thicken. Shape breads with your hands- I like to make little balls the size of walnuts and then make them as thin and flat as I can. Place three in the pan (more if they fit) and cover. Flip with a good spatula when bread is golden and pan releases bread. Cook until golden color is achieved on the other side. Enjoy!! 

*To create your own sourdough starter, visit here to see the first day in the wild sourdough series: http://barcodefree.blogspot.com/2013/12/gluten-free-wild-sourdough-day-1.html?m=1

Cookie Dough!! (gf, df, sweetener free, THM FP)

Ohhh I nearly lost my countenance tonight. Supper was very good, but not filling enough for this hungry gal, and my usual stand-bys were not going to cut it. I craved variety. I headed on over to the blog Whole New Mom because I was thinking of making her Chocolate or Carob Chia Seed Pudding into a FP recipe, and this somehow resulted. Mmm. I have a feeling I'll be making this again very soon!!! :) When I do, I'll snap a photo.

FP Allergen Free Cookie Dough

1T chia seeds

Pinch salt 

1T carob

contents of 1 capsule sunflower lecithin

1/4t vanilla

2T water

1T brazil nut protein powder

Using a ball jar attached to your blender, grind chia seeds alone until powdery. Add other ingredients except water and brazil nut protein powder and blend again. Remove from blender and stir in remaining ingredients. Eat with a spoon and feel decadent. :)

5.12g fat

4.6g usable carb

7g protein

Cran-Raspberry Pudding (FP, GF, DF, purist-friendly, sweetener free)

This beautiful FP pudding brings back childhood memories of yummy juiceboxes at lunch. It is so light, it is the perfect slimming late-night snack!

Editorial note: I had been sugar- and sweetener-free for a couple of months before developing this recipe. It is tart. If you like, you can add a desired amount of sweetener along with the salt and the lemon extract, or use a full Tablespoon of coconut butter to make the recipe a sweeter-tasting S treat. 

1c warm water

2T gelatin

1/4t salt

1/4t lemon extract

1t coconut butter (or 1T for a sweeter, S treat)

Handful frozen raspberries (1/4c)

Handful frozen cranberries (1/4c)

4 or more ice cubes

Whiz warm water in blender, and while blender is running add gelatin. Add salt, lemon extract and coconut butter. Assemble frozen goods on the counter, and working quickly, add cranberries, raspberries and 4 ice cubes. Allow blender to run. It may thicken after a few moments. Turn off blender and pour into bowl. Depending on the temperature of your water and the size of your ice cubes, you may need to add more ice to achieve a temperature low enough to thicken. Serves one. Enjoy!!! 

Barcode Free Shirt

This is different... so far all my posts here have been food-related. But today, I was too hot and had Nothing To Wear. I have one nice, professional short sleeved button down shirt, which is in the laundry. Otherwise, I have some workout t-shirts and a drawer full of turtlenecks. That was not going to cut it in this town, where afternoons are often above 95 degrees in summertime. How did this even happen?

Anyway, I was loathe to spend money on something made in unhappy factory conditions (even at a goodwill). It seems to perpetuate our culture's image of how one should dress... at the expense of others. 

So, instead of heading out to spend a couple of soul-sucking hours in dressing rooms listening to bad music, I decided to make myself a new shirt. I've been dabbling in sewing without a pattern, and today I took the plunge with one yard of fabric I had on hand. Here is the result:

Not a great picture but I highly recommend this style if you want to experiment at home!! I made the top huge enough to fit anyone, then added elastic at the neck and adjusted until it fit. It took 3 hours at most and I'm wearing it to a play tonight.

Happy sewing, friends!!

P.s. Just for fun, when I got home from the play, I used the scraps to make a headband. There went two hours... oops. :) I like the result though! I used the directions in the great book We Love to Sew by Annabel Wrigley to create the Shibori flower. 

Three Ingredient Skillet Biscuits

These are so quick, so easy and so good! They don't require any dairy or gluten ingredients and are a perfect E addition to a meal. I eat this whole recipe, which makes four or five biscuits, as one serving, alongside an additional protein source and vegetable. These also make a good breakfast if you smother them with berry pudding. You might be more generous than me and choose to share, or scale up the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

(Shown here in a supporting role as a foundation for strawberry shortcake. Lemon pudding serves as faux whipped cream.)

2 egg whites

1/3c quinoa flakes

salt to taste

Turn on the heat under seasoned a cast iron skillet and allow pan to get very hot. Do not oil pan; oil would smoke at this temperature. Meanwhile, using a fork, combine all ingredients. Plop into pan, cook a minute or two, then flip using a good metal spatula. Cook another minute or two and serve immediately. Bon appetit!

Notes

I do not use oil in this recipe because it would smoke in the very hot pan. However if you do not have a cast iron pan, run to local flea market as fast as you can-- I mean, use a stainless steel pan with a little oil.

Quinoa flakes can be purchased here, though they would probably be cheaper in the bulk section of your coop: http://m.vitacost.com/products/ancient-harvest-organic-quinoa-flakes-gluten-free-12-oz-7

If you do not currently have access to quinoa flakes and need to substitute oats, use a blender to chop them up before using them in this recipe: Full disclosure: I haven't tried this because I can't eat oats. ;)

Chocolate (or carob) Chia Seed Cream Pie

We've been really enjoying this for months, and somehow it slipped through the blogging cracks so I'm finally posting it now. It is a lovely snack or dessert and very adaptable. Since I'm now sweetener free, I use carob, which has a naturally sweet taste. I usually pour it into 1/2c mason jars and dole them out as desserts for lunches. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have! For people on THM, this is an S. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you like it! :)

1 can coconut milk (full fat or lite)

3T chia seeds

1 egg yolk (I often use 2, to get more nourishment into my family members)

1/4c cocoa powder plus eight drops stevia OR 1/4c carob powder

1t vanilla

1/2t orange oil

1T gelatin

1/4t salt

Heat coconut milk. Whisk in all other ingredients one by one, waiting to add gelatin until milk steams slightly. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens slightly. Bon appetit!

Note on September 23rd: I LOVE to double this recipe and put it in 1/2c jars. That makes a great pudding-to-go. I like to put the hot jars of pudding in a cold water bath so they seal, as this helps them keep (they must be refrigerated, of course). A double batch yields nine jars, which are great packed in lunches. 

Nutrition Facts for 6 Servings

Full fat coconut milk and chocolate:

fat 15g, protein 3g, net carb 3.5g

Lite coconut milk and chocolate:

fat 7g, protein 2g, net carb 2g

Full fat coconut milk and carob:

fat 14.7g, protein 2.4g, net carb  4.5

Lite coconut milk and carob:

fat 6.8g, protein 1.6g, net carb 3g

Note on 10/4/14: I most often make this with full fat coconut milk and carob, and add an extra egg yolk. It is delish this way and I make it more for my family than myself, though I occasionally will have one. Usually I get four servings per batch. To satisfy my own curiosity, I ran the numbers on this and found that the nutrition facts, served this way, are 23g fat, 4.23g protein, and a whopping 6.9 usable carbs.  If you are a THM, try not to add any other carb source to this S meal, but please do make sure to add another source of protein.