Breakfast Quinoa

I know that my photos leave something to be desired, but I would rather post with a poor photo than none at all. I have skipped over recipes on other blogs and sites because of this. I want an idea of what I would be getting. A great photo can make anything appetizing, trust me I have tried some million dollar photo recipes and been disgusted. You sometimes have to look past the photo to consider the concept, the flavours, the texture of a recipe. It's kind of like shopping, the photo should make you want to "buy" the recipe. So sorry, in advance.

I went to a Couchsurfing potluck gathering with my Quinoa Kale Salad a few days ago. Surprisingly, it was a hit. I was a bit afraid I would be the crazy vegan-esque person in the crowd, but I chose the salad because it is a complete meal and I usually count on not being able to eat anything at social function. Gluten-free is limiting after all. I got into a conversation with a lovely girl about quinoa and she suggested this recipe.

I was skeptical. I have soft-food texture issues. I mean, even the thought of oatmeal makes me want to start gagging. But I have a personal rule, try everything at least once. So I did, and I loved the results. Crunchy, nutty, slightly sweet. I have had to amend her suggested recipe since I can no longer eat almonds, but I think its just as good as hers would have been.

Breakfast Quinoa
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
3-4 Tbsp coconut cream
2 tsp brown sugar
dash of salt
1-2 Tbsp dried cranberries
Toasted coconut or almonds, optional

Soak your quinoa for several minutes. Drain well. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil and add the quinoa. Simmer for 15 minutes, covered, or until the water is absorbed. (Soaking for less than 5 minutes will increase the cooking time.)

Toast coconut or almonds in a pan while the quinoa cooks, if you are adding.

To the cooked quinoa, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and enjoy warm. This amount is for one person, but you can easily double or triple it. Reheats well.

I suppose you could add things like cinnamon, fresh fruits, or use almond or regular milk. My can of coconut milk was severely separated so what I scooped out was solid coconut cream. It just made for a thicker, richer porridge.

I use red quinoa. It's the only kind I have tried to date so I can't tell you the differences, just that I like it.

You could omit the brown sugar if you wanted or if you choose to use almond or sweetened  milk. I found that it bought out the flavour and made it more breakfast-y.

Honey Bread - The best and most versitile dough!

This has become my go-to bread recipe. I can't begin to tell you how many different recipes I have tried in the 9 months since starting my gluten-free journey. Some were good, some were flops, and others were just "good for GF". I would find a nice recipe, make it a few times before looking for another to try. I couldn't settle on any one bread recipe.

This one is consistently awesome and it doesn't seem to matter which flours I swap in or out of the blend. And I do. I have my favorite flours. Buckwheat is my favorite and gives a whole-wheat feels to any recipe. Sorghum makes things slightly sour so I save it for when the end result is sweet or spiced. Potato starch keeps products moist so I love it in cakes. If you do a lot of GF baking, I am sure you know and have your own favorite flours.

Ethiopian spiced honey bread

1 large loaf

Ingredients

2-1/2 teaspoon Active dry yeast

1/4 cup Water, lukewarm (110°F)

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 cup Honey

1 tablespoon Ground coriander

1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Ground cloves

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup warm Milk

6 tablespoons Butter, melted

4 cups Flour

Method

1.    Proof the yeast with warm water in a small bowl. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until foamy. I do this step even for my instant active yeast.

2.    In the bowl of your mixer, beat together the egg, honey, spices and salt until smooth. Stir in the yeast mixture, milk and melted butter.

3.    Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition to prevent billowing powder. I use ½ cup each: brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, cornstarch, teff flour, sorghum flour, and arrowroot starch plus 3 tsp Xanthan gum. Do not add all of the flour if the dough gets too stiff. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky. It should look like a

4.    Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead with a spatula or with hands. Use a few more Tbsp white rice flour to knead the dough into a ball.

5.    Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

6.    Remove the dough again to a lightly floured work surface. Form the dough into a round or braided loaf. Place on an oiled baking sheet or on parchment. Allow to rise again, another 30 to 45 minutes. Brush the top of the dough with an egg beaten with a little milk for a nice shiny brown crust.

7.    Bake at 325F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when you tap on it. Let cool before slicing.

Variations

 

   Cinnamon Buns

           Omit coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Roll dough into a large square for cinnamon buns or for fried doughnuts dusted with cinnamon sugar.

   Pizza

      Omit coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Add another egg. Use fingers to form into several large pizza shells. Blind bake at 350F for 10 to 14 minutes, brushing with olive oil halfway through. Top with your choice of toppings and broil for 5 to 8 minutes. Dough is light, spongy with great taste. I prefer my pizza chewy, but as far as shells that cooked all the way through- this recipe has given me greatest success!

   White Bread

      Omit coriander, cumin and cloves. Substitute teff, sorghum flour for another lighter colored/flavoured flour. Reduce ingredients by one third in order to get a single standard loaf.

   Donuts
     Omit spices except cinnamon. Replace Teff flour with Buckwheat or Quinoa flour. Roll dough out until 3/4 inch thick. cut into donut shaped rings. I use a large glass and an old film container. Fry in oil at 355F until brown on both sides. Remove to papertowel. Cool enough so you don't burn your fingers and toss in cinnamon-sugar. The warmer the donut the better the sugar will stick.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread
Even my gluten-filled family likes this recipe and asked me to bake more!

1/2 cup sorghum

1/2 cup white rice flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 egg and one yolk, at room temperature

1 cup mashed banana

2/3 cup white sugar

6 Tbsp vegetable oil (or avocado)

Preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly grease a loaf pan.

Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, banana, sugar and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. (Fold in 1/4 cup nuts at this stage. I personally, never add them.)

Pour into the greased pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Set on a wire rack immediately and let cool out of the pan.

This loaf will slice better if cooled, wrapped and allowed to sit overnight, but I can never wait that long.

Alternately, you can use brown sugar instead of white sugar to get a darker, more dense loaf. Both taste terrific!

Note: My recipe is based on a 1 cup measurement of bananas because my freezer containers fit that amount. The egg is pared down to match that. You could also use 6 Tbsp of liquid egg, round up to 2 small eggs or one extra large egg. I have a bread recipe that calls for 1 egg and one egg white which leaves me with an extra yolk that I save for this recipe. There is no scientific reason, so feel free to play with your own version!

Pesto Breakfast Quiche (GF)

This one is easy to make and was created to use up the last of my basil before it went bad. I love fresh pesto. My mortar and pestle was one of the best kitchen investments I have made. Sadly, dishes like pesto are not always the friendliest on the waist. The flavors in this dish are fairly mild, but hit the spot while also providing a protein-filled, slow carb breakfast. Bonus: its gluten-free! No crust.

Ingredients:
2 eggs or 1/2 cup liquid egg
1/4 cup milk
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup black beans
1 to 2 strips turkey bacon
1 Tbsp pine nuts
3 to 5 sprigs fresh basil
1/4 cup parmesan or asiago cheese

Grease a small 6" casserole dish liberally. Preheat oven to 375F.

Fry turkey bacon if desired. Chop into small bite sized pieces and place in a small mixing bowl. Add the eggs, and beat well. Mix in the milk, salt, pepper, black beans, and half the cheese.

Chop the pine nuts with a nut chopper, or crush in a mortar and pestle. Add to the egg mix. Either chop the basil leaves finely or bruise in the same mortar and pestle. (Bruising will give you a stronger basil flavor.) Add to the egg mix also. Stir well and pour into the casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese and press into the liquid gently.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Quiche is done when a knife or fork comes out clean.

This amount is a large portion for one person, but not really large enough for two people. It would be easy to increase the quantity for a family. I have also made similar casseroles with browned hashbrowns instead of black beans.  Make sure you buy a good quality turkey bacon- butterball cardboard strips will not enhance this dish!