March 26, 2013
Donuts! {GAPS}
Well I guess the girls have fallen off the blogging wagon and lost their posting momentum! This is mom again…
Most of us are now on Full GAPS and we’re enjoying a bit more freedom in what we can eat. We missed raw fruit and veggies quite a bit and of course there are more baked good options now including donuts and waffles! These are made from white beans and coconut flour – toppings are fermented blueberries, coconut manna spread, local raw honey, and nut butter (made from sprouted and dehydrated almonds, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds). We’re still primarily eating soups, good meats (picked up a quarter of a cow yesterday!), and ferments for another couple months. Everyone’s putting on weight (a VERY good thing in our scrawny family) and digestive systems are working well. Hopefully we’re healing any leaky gut issues and building up healthy intestinal flora….
{edit by Jordan} I found the waffle recipe! It’s here on The Spunky Coconut. We have a donut maker like this one that works just like a waffle iron, so we use the waffle recipe to make healthy donuts too!
February 25, 2013
Boats with crackers for sails {GAPS}
A slice of stuffed pepper – recipe here – with triangular crackers for sails.
A couple days ago, I decided to take inspiration from this recipe and make some GAPS crackers. Mom sprouted some sunflower and pumpkin seeds, then dehydrated them, so that was my base.
The first batch:
I put a cup of sunflower seeds into the food processor with a half teaspoon salt and blended until it was a dense flour (as per the recipe above…). While the processor was running, I drizzled in some water – probably about 2-3 Tablespoons – until it seized up in a ball. I skipped the sesame seeds, because we’re not ready for the added texture yet. I tasted the dough, and it seemed very salty. I figured, they’re crackers, and the majority of my family likes salt a lot, so I left the dough as it was.
I took the ball out of the machine and put it on an Excalibur (dehydrator) Teflex sheet. I flattened it some, then topped it with another Teflex sheet and rolled it thin (1/8″ or thinner).
I decided that since the dehydrator was still running for the coconut yogurt we were making, I would try dehydrating the crackers rather than baking them. So I scored the crackers right on the Teflex sheet and put them into the dehydrator (110°F). After about an hour, I flipped them over onto a mesh sheet to speed the drying process. (Sorry, I didn’t really take note of how long they were in before they were done – we just checked periodically and pulled them out once they seemed completely dry,)
Verdict on first batch:
The crackers did not taste as salty as the dough – so these were great! Dehydrating makes them dense and hard, as opposed to crispy, so they kinda stick in your teeth. The whole family loves them though!
The second batch:
I decided to make some more, this time with pumpkin seeds added to the mix. I used exactly the same method as above, except that I added 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds at the beginning, and consequently had to use a little more water. The pumpkin seeds gave the mixture an interesting texture, but it held together and rolled out fine. These also went into the dehydrator.
Verdict on second batch:
Just as tasty (and with the same texture) as the first!
The best batch (IMO):
A little later in the afternoon, I was doing some baking, so I decided to whip up another batch to try in the oven. I used a mixture of sunflower and pumpkin (I didn’t measure this time), and added some fresh rosemary and a tiny sprig of sage at the very beginning. The flour blended up beautifully even with the added moisture from the fresh herbs. I drizzled in the water a little faster this time (which meant more water went into the flour before it seized up), since the first two batches of dough seemed a bit too stiff to me. It worked well, and I rolled out the dough between two Teflex sheets again. Then I realized that I couldn’t simply slide the Teflex sheet onto the pan and into the oven like I had with the dehydrator. I took a chance and quickly flipped the sheet onto a stoneware baking sheet – it worked! the crackers stuck just enough to successfully make it onto the stone, and I was able to peel off the Teflex easily. I then scored the crackers and baked them for about 20 minutes at 350° – until they began to turn golden brown (or, at least what would have been golden brown if they hadn’t have been green from the pumpkin seeds and herbs!)
The verdict?
Super tasty crackers – especially great with avocado and sour cream 😉 The baked variety are much lighter and crispier. They don’t stick in your teeth!
Jordan
riahjoy
Creative Nourishment 