24 Hour Broth

Is it worth it to simmer broth for 24 hours? You be the judge.

I have long preferred the flavor of 24 hour broth, but this is quantifiable!! The broth on the right only simmered 12 hours-- a long time by most standards but not long enough by ours. :) Yep, we're spoiled.

Gluten Free Wild Sourdough Bread Day Whatever

Isn't it bubbly and beautiful!? Let's start out by saying I have not remained as devoted a starter mother as I was in the first week. After removing the dates, I have only fed and stirred it when I've thought of it every few days. Thankfully it has thrived on neglect and bubbles up enthusiastically the morning after it is fed. 

How to feed your "mature" sourdough:

In a fresh jar, combine 1T brown rice flour and 2T filtered water. Pour in the starter and stir thoroughly. Cover with a fresh cloth. (Note that putting the new flour in the bottom of the jar is not absolutely necessary but in the long term it helps prevent problems). 

I baked my first sourdough roll today! It was crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I didn't add any commercial yeast or leavening agent, so the fluffy crumb was all thanks to our friend the starter! It tasted delicious-- almost a flavor like a cheezit. I had fermented it 36 hours. Woohoo!! The recipe I used was 1 T fresh ground raw buckwheat groats (whizzed them in a blender), 2 T starter and about 2 T water. Yep, I forgot to add salt. I'm going to start another batch today to bake tomorrow. I need to check how much salt to use and try it with a bit less water so it isn't too doughy. I also need to improve on my "faux French bread oven" technique a bit. We're getting really close to a delicious sourdough roll you can replicate in your oven, folks!! Huzzah and hooray and stay tuned! :)

Jello Jigglers

I made some tasty jello treats yesterday.

I was inspired by Wellness Mama's healthy gummy bear recipe, but of course made a honey-free version to be as light on the blood sugar as possible. While delicious, the end result didn't seem gummy enough to qualify as "gummy bears." I'll need to do some further testing on these to get to that point because I love gummy bears! But meanwhile, I didn't mind eating half a batch with my breakfast this morning, so I'll share the current recipe with you. Note that this makes a lot! You may want to halve the batch especially if you are hoping it will fit in your silicon molds. 

3 T dried unsweetened hibiscus flowers (I got mine at a Mexican grocery)

3 1/4 c water

1/2 c gelatin

1/2 t salt (or more to taste)

2 T lemon juice

Liquid stevia to taste (I used 8 drops)

Flavor extracts to taste (such as lemon oil and orange oil)

Boil hibiscus flowers and water, and allow to cool (I brought mine to a boil before leaving the house, and it was cool when I came home). Strain to remove flowers and heat 1/2 c to boiling. Combine 1/2 c cooled liquid with the 1/2 c gelatin by pouring slowly and whisking vigorously. Add the boiling liquid and continue whisking, then finally add remaining liquid. I made 3 flavors by dividing the batch and separately adding raspberry flavor, orange oil and lemon oil. I used only the tiniest amount of flavoring (1/8 t perhaps) and it wasn't enough. If you are flavoring the whole batch, add slowly and taste it as you go, but I bet you could get away with 1t flavoring. 

Chill in glass dishes or silicon molds overnight. Wellness Mama suggests greasing the molds with coconut oil, but I skipped that for this light treat. Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Pie-- no sweetener added

Dear Friends,

Here is a family recipe the my dear partner developed for me, since sugar and I really do best if we each go our separate ways. ;)

If you have been on a sugar-free path for a while now, this pumpkin pie might taste just as you remembered it. If you have recently given up sugar and it doesn't taste enjoyably sweet, pop it in the freezer for 30-90 days and your tastebuds will find it sweeter next time. For THM gals, this is an E recipe.

Without further ado, here it is. It's crustless. Blend everything and bake at 350 until the center doesn't jiggle. You can bake in a pie plate, ramekins or anything in between.  Enjoy!!

1 1/2 c pumpkin puree (1 can) 

1 cup sweet potato (baked and the allowed to sit at room temp 8-12 hours) 

1/4 t cloves 

1 T cinnamon (or more) 

1 1/2 t powdered ginger 

3/4 t salt 

6 egg whites (or 4 whole eggs)

1 1/2 c light coconut milk (or almond milk)

I hope you find yourself richly blessed today.

Love,

Lisa