Millet and Flax Gluten Free Bread

Since going gluten free my family has cut back on consuming bread. There are a lot of great gf bread companies out there but they are expensive and I really like to make my own. I've tried many times to come up with a recipe that works for me. I've had mixed results. Sometimes I have a hard rubbery line that runs across the bottom of the loaf from it falling in on itself. But mostly I'm not impressed with the flavor.
 
There really is a learning curve that is independent of regular bread making. The lack of gluten is one of the main issues. It's like building a house without a solid frame. The other big variable is the flour and it's interaction with the other flours. My favorite flours include millet, flax, oatmeal, almond, potato, and coconut.

A few weeks ago a friend had a loaf of millet flax bread from Sami's Bakery. I love the flavor and honestly it does not taste like a piece of gf bread. So now that I know what I love in a bread, I went in search of a recipe that fit the bill. I found this recipe from Gluten Free Mommy. I made this recipe as written and took good notes on actual weight of the various flours. The bread came out fabulous. She has some tips for success when making bread on her blog. Oh, I might tweak this recipe a bit but I have to say that it is pretty close to Sami's and I'm happy with the results. You can find the recipe by clicking on the link above.

This Moment

A walk along Spring Creek.

A moment in time from my week. Hope that you have a great weekend filled laughter, love, and sunshine. 

Thyme Turning

While waiting for warmer days my herbs sit patiently on a windowsill waiting. As we both wait to go outside, I have them a turn every morning and marvel at their ability to turn themselves toward the sun.  I can hardly wait for these young seedlings to set up roots outside and provide us with an abundance of herbs.

Farmers Market Day, Boalsburg

One of the really nice thing about living in Happy Valley is the access to great local produce. On any given day there is is a farmer's market near us with fresh seasonal produce. I love the Boalsburg market. It runs year round, at the old fire station in the winter and at the Military Museum the rest of the year.

Yesterday was the the first outdoor market. Since it is still so early in the year there are fewer vendors selling their goods. It was a cold blustery day with a mixed bag of weather. It was nice to see a new food truck. He had a small menu, offering pork soft tacos and black bean with goat cheese tamales. They were a small tasty very late lunch. He also had fresh red and green salsa. I wonder what else he will offer. 

As far as fresh produce, I picked up some lovely rhubarb, mache, young fresh garlic,and eggs. I already have plans for the fresh garlic. I've never cooked with it, but I had just read an article about young garlic in a new Fine Cooking magazine and had to get me a bunch to try. 

I'm a big believer in buying local and being close to my food. I try to feed my family as much whole food as possible. With my garden coming along and such great local farmers that offer up the best from Mother Nature it's easy.  

So what are you waiting for? Check out your local farmer's market and whip up something magical. 

Gluten Free Almond Waffles

Since I found this recipe for gluten free waffles it's been on my mind. Maybe I don't have enough to do because sometimes recipes that I find around the blog world dance through my head and saunter in and out of other more important thoughts. But then again, what is more important than good nourishing food? I knew that I had to try this recipe out so that it could leave me alone. Let me just begin by saying that it did not disappoint. I didn't try the orange infused honey syrup because my mind had other plans.

 I love waffles in the evening as a quick dinner. I mix the dry ingredients together ahead of time and leave the eggs out so that they are at room temperature. I also wash and cut up fruit ahead of time so that the flavors can mingle. I was unable to find strawberries at the local market, so I went with blueberries. Next time I will sub out the yogurt for almond milk, I really do think that it will work out just fine. I used a local maple syrup that was delightfully light with the right amount of maple goodness.

If you have some time check out Roost, Caitlin really does have one of the best looking blogs around.

Granola Gluten Free Style

I've been making granola forever, or so it seems. I've tried lots of recipes from various cookbooks. But many recipes use a lot of oil. I like my granola calories to come from the seeds and fruit. The inspiration for my current rendition comes from Progressive Pioneer's blog, here. Amy's recipe is grain free. I will have to try it that way.

The star of my granola is always gluten free oats. I buy Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats. But I also love Jules oats, and always include a bag when I place an order for her lovely flour. I use two cups of oats.

I like to add flaked coconut, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax meal, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

Once all of the oats and mix in are combined, I add the oil and honey. I only use a small amount of oil, maybe a 1/8 cup. I used sunflower oil this time, feel free to use any neutral flavored oil that you have around the kitchen.  I used about 1/3 cup honey and mixed it all up. 

Spread out the granola on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. I stir half way through the baking time. Watch the granola carefully, it will cook quickly with all of the nuts and honey. Better to stir often to avoid burning around the edges. 

Cool completely before breaking into bits and storing. Granola never really lasts longer than a couple of days in our house. Tony loves it as a snack. This recipe is his favorite combination. Sometimes I will add dried cherries or cranberries or apricots. Add any fruit after the granola has cooled. 

Any way that you make your granola, it will be free of preservatives. As an added bonus, you control the quality of the ingredients that goes into your food. That's important to me, I like to know what's in my food. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section and I will try to clarify any of the instructions that I may have been a bit vague on.

An Afternoon at Tait Farms

.We drove over to Tait Farm
this afternoon. It's a great place to
pick up gifts that really represent Happy Valley. They do a great job of featuring products from by local artists. Every visit is a real treat.

This time of year one can find some of the best heirloom seedlings around. Their greenhouse is overflowing with so many unique varieties of greens ready for the garden. We picked up some beets, 2 kinds of kale, choi, rapini, and lots of herbs. I've never planted beets, but I'm going to give it a go and see what happens.

They didn't have any peppers or tomatoes. The weather has been so beautiful that I forget that it is still only April and we still have a chance of frost. We will have to visit again in May to pick up our tomato and pepper seedlings.

I can hardly wait to plant our little gems. I love growing our own food. It is one of the best feelings when you go to the store and your bill is that much smaller because you have a great garden full of homegrown nourishing veggies.

Dogwood in Bloom

Hello friends, just wanted to stop in and share a picture of a blossom from our dogwood tree. Looking out at the backyard and seeing the dogwood tree in full bloom brings a smile to my face. It is a cheerful bright spot in the yard at this moment in time. The forsythia is finished blooming with it's fiery show and the lilac has not yet taken over center stage. So it is the dogwood tree that garners the gardens full attention. Have a lovey day.

What's For Breakfast

I'll admit that there are times when all I want for breakfast is a cup of coffee or most likely two or three cups. But then I rethink that thought and head to the kitchen for something healthier and more substantial. I have three   breakfasts that I always turn to.

Oatmeal is one of my go to breakfasts. It is easy and quick,with very little cleanup. I like to cook my oatmeal on the stove with the water and oats in the pan together at the start, I think that it produces a creamier and more indulgent oatmeal. I have to admit that I only like oatmeal when I have fresh berries to add to the mix. The other add ins that I love in my oatmeal are ground flax, chia seeds, and just a bit of local honey.

My other go to breakfast is a smoothie. Sometimes with all the bells and whistles and sometimes just a nice plain concoction of fruit and nut milk. I find that a ripe banana is all that I need to make it sweet enough for my taste. My smoothies are sometimes green and like this one, sometimes pink.
My last go to breakfast is just some green juice. I make a big batch and store individual servings in glass jars. I find that you can store freshjuice for up to three days without much deterioration of all the nutrients. It isn't a perfect way to juice, but with hectic lives it is a way to drink fresh juice daily. I like to add green apples, celery, lemon, ginger, cucumber, and parsley. Ingredients that rotate for me include carrots, kale, chard, and romaine leaves.

So those are the three breakfasts that I like to start my day with. Oh there is the occasional pancake or waffle, but I save those for weekend treats.

What I'm Reading

I have a goal to read 24 books this year. So far, I'm right on track to complete my goal. I just finished The Lost Wife, by Alyson Richman. What a wonderful tale of love found, lost, and found. From the first chapter to the very end I could not put this book down. I found myself stealing time throughout the day to read another chapter. I was sad to see it end.

 I just started Among Others, by Jo Walton. This is a departure from what I would usually read, it has a lot of reference to sci-fi. But it is full of wonderful magic and enchantment. It follows the life of a young girl, Morwenna, as she builds a life in England. She has left her life behind in Wales with a crazed mother. Before starting Among Other, I was on a journey through the world wars. Mostly WWII, and it's hardships throughout Europe. I'm glad for this detour of a book.

Some books that I read are on my kindle. But most are real books. I really like my kindle but it is hard to reference and thumb through a book. But I love the convenience of looking for books with my kindle, especially the ability to purchase books late at night. However I dislike the fact that I cannot share books with my fiends. So there you have it, I love and hate my kindle all at once.

Shallow Depth of Field

My picture of the week, the assignment was to use shallow depth of field. I love how my picture captured the simple moment in time before mayhem ensues and all children congregate to dye eggs.

How was your Easter?

We had a lovely Easter. We dyed eggs and ate a fair amount of chocolate.

Tony had to work, so Nathan and I happily cooked dinner together. I think that because we have moved so much we rely on food and each other as our tradition. I let Nathan put together the menu. He immediately came up with ambrosia. My mom makes it, not me but I guess that it is part of the tradition of food in our family. We also had potato casserole, green beans and some lovely pork chops with a pesto al forno.

We ended our meal with a lovely meyer lemon pie. It really is the simplest pie to put together. It is a recipe from Cooks Country, and true to their style it offers up comfort, simplicity, and ease. The original recipe is a key lime pie, but I like to use whatever citrus I have around the house. I came across the meyer lemons at the store and felt like I had won the lottery. I knew I had to make this pie for Easter. 

There it is, our Easter day. I hope that as we settle into our new community that we can incorporate new traditions  that are part of our new history, being written as I type.