Posts Tagged ‘recipe’

Yesterday was another nasty day in my part of the world.  Nothing like a rainy damp day to make you think about baking. (or warming up the house using the oven!)  I have been doing some reading lately about using dairy alternatives in baking and was encouraged by Diane at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang to try Earth Balance – buttery flavour spread.  I had tried to use Earth balance before in a cookie recipe and the cookies had a burned taste.  As she pointed out, who knows what gave the odd taste, but try it again.  I took a tried and true recipe for cookies that I have used many times over the years and made a few substitutions.  The original recipe works wonderfully so I assumed that a few changes wouldn’t make much of a difference.

The cookies turned out wonderfully.  I thought I could detect a slight chemical taste, but the kids loved them.  This recipe is small – only makes 12-16 cookies.

Ingredients:

No Wheat, No Dairy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup Earth Balance

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour (spelt or other)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or carob chips)

Cream sugars, egg and earth balance and vanilla until smooth.  Add flour, salt and baking powder to bowl and mix just until blended.  Add chips and mix by hand until evenly distributed.  Use a teaspoon to drop cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 9 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove cookies from cookie sheet after 5 minutes and finish cooling on a flat surface. (one that is high up and out of reach of the kids!)  The recipe can be doubled as these cookies go quickly!

My daughter loves to take “sandwiches” to school using buns that Grandma makes.  The problem in the past is that Grandma only bakes with white or whole wheat flour.  The buns that she makes are absolutely wonderful, but not a good idea for a child that can’t have wheat!!  Again, rather than fighting the situation, I asked Grandma if she wanted to bake with her grandaughter!!  What Grandma doesn’t like baking with little ones?  I supplied the flour and Grandma supplied the well loved standard recipe and the results were outstanding!!

Spelt buns

The buns were tasty, but somewhat less fluffy than their whole wheat counterparts.  If I had made them I would say that it was the fault of the baker, but Grandma has been using this recipe for probably 50 odd years and she’s got experience on her side!!

Here’s the modified recipe for those who want to try this at home!

2 Hour Buns

3 cups warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

6 tblsp oil

2 tblsp Fermipan Yeast

2 eggs

7 – 9 cups of organic spelt flour

Mix the first 5 ingredients and then add the eggs.  Add flour and mix until smooth.  Pat with oil.  Let rise 15 minutes.  Punch down, let rise again for 15 minutes.  Make into buns and let rise til light (about 20 minutes).  Bake at 400F for 8 – 15 minutes on cookie sheet with sides.  Remove from sheet and cool.

Welcome to what I hope will be a collaboration of ideas of how to feed a family without using either wheat or cow’s dairy, or the common preservatives.  After many, many years of various pains and visits to the family doctor, I sought out a naturopath.  Although I still think my naturopathic doctor is a bit weird, he is ALWAYS accurate. I have come to accept his pearls of wisdom! My daughter seems to have inherited most of my various food issues.  Things really came to a head this fall when she went off to school with lunch bag in hand.  She either refused to eat what I sent her with or ate her friend’s lunches.  Both situations created problems.  I am now trying to modify some of her favorite recipes so that she can have the food that she wants, but without the ingredients that make her sick!  Please feel free to offer advice!  I am fumbling my way through the kitchen not having a clue what I am doing most of the time!