A "New" Flour Mix

We are trying to eat healthier here at our house. We are cutting out meat, dairy and lowering our sugar intake. At the same time we are eating more of a whole foods, plant based diet which is better for everyone including my dear daughter with Celiac. Our six year old son was just diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in November, so now my husband and I are even more convinced we need to eat healthier, for our children's sake. I've been searching the internet in my spare seconds of time to find vegan, gluten free recipe ideas. Wow. Not much out there, maybe I'm just not seeing it... So you can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe for muffins. Not only was the recipe do-able but the post was about creating a whole grain gluten free flour mix. I didn't even know this was possible. What? Only 30% starches and the rest is whole grain? Amazing. Go ahead and check it out. I'm really liking the site and their recipe ideas.
As far as the said muffin recipe, I made it vegan by using homemade applesauce instead of the buttermilk. They were delicious! Next time though I'm going to cut down on the sugar-they were too sweet for us. 

A Peek at my Pantry

So I find it helpful when I see what others do and what they have in their fridge and pantry. That way I get a better handle on what I'm up against and it gives me more confidence. If you are like this keep reading.

I will list what I usually keep in my pantry and shelves. Then further down I will type out what I keep in my fridge. If it helps you to know, I am on a budget and I try to get what is cheapest but also what is healthy; a good balance of both.

In My Pantry:

Flour:

Sorghum Flour
Tapioca (Starch) Flour
White Rice Flour
Cornstarch
Potato Starch Flour
Potato Flour
Sweet Rice Flour
Featherlight Flour Mix
French Bread/Pizza Mix

Cereal:

Panda Puffs
Gorilla Munch
Various GF Chex varieties
Some Gluten containing cereal for the rest of the family

Other Baking Products:

Guar Gum
Unflavored Gelatin
Egg Replacer

Salt

Baking Powder
Baking Soda

Vanilla Flavoring/Extract

Dry Milk Powder
Hershey's Baking Cocoa
An off brand of chocolate chips

Brown Sugar
White Sugar
Powdered Sugar
Light Corn Syrup

Raisins
Craisins
Shredded Coconut

Canola Oil
Olive Oil
Crisco

Various kinds of Rice
GF Pasta
Potatos
Onions
Squash

Pudding Mix
Canned Black beans
Canned Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
Pasta Sauce
Canned Stir Fry Veggies
Tuna
Salmon
Canned Fruit
Black Olives

Chips
Crackers
Fruit Snacks

Peanut Butter
Honey

Chicken Bouillon


In The Freezer:

Almond Meal/Flour
Quinoa Flour
Brown Rice Flour
Ground Flax Seed
Corn Meal
Flax Seed

Yeast

Juice

Veggies
Fruit

Homemade Sliced Bread
Brown Rice Tortillas

Ice Cream

Hormel Pepperoni
Hormel Canadian Bacon
Meat
GF Chicken Nuggets


In The Refrigerator:

Milk
Juice
Water

Jelly/Jam
Butter

Salad Dressings
La Choy Lite Soy Sauce (Cheaper than Tamari)
Heinz Worcestershire Sauce
Heinz Ketchup
Miracle Whip
Mustard
Pickle Relish
Pickles

Beef Bouillon

Eggs
Yogurt
Cheese
Deli Meat

Leftovers

Applesauce
Vegetables
Fruit

Video on Creating A Gluten Free Flour Mixture

I found this video helpful, not only does Jules Shepard explain her "secret" flour mixture, but it was fun watching someone else cook gluten free. Might find some good tips...

Gluten Free Flours

White rice Flour: White rice flour is a somewhat grainy, bland flour that is milled from polished white rice. It works best in combination with other flours, such as potato, buckwheat, or corn flour. It can be used in cakes, breads, and cookies. It stores well. Refridgeration is suggested but not required. There are different textures of white rice flour. The most common texture is fine, but regular is also available in health food stores.

Brown Rice Flour: Used in many recipes. It contains many nutrients. It is milled from unpolished brown rice. It has a nutty taste, and is used in muffins, cookies and cobblers. Store this flour in the fridge, as it contains more oils and has a shorter shelf life. It is also great combined with other flours such as sorghum, millet, garbanzo bean, or almond meal.

Bean Flour: Use garbanzo bean and lentil flours for cookies; they can also be added to other flours (rice, for instance) quite well. They offset the grainy texture of rice flour and give it a nice flavor. These flours make good thickeners as well. They do not need to be refridgerated.

Buckwheat Flour: Buckwheat is a member of the rhubarb family. Its name is very misleading. It is not related to wheat. It is not even a grain. It is rich in iron, vitamin B, and calcium. It has a strong grainy flavor. It is best used in waffles, pancakes, breads, and noodles.

Quinoa Flour: Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”) flour is high in protein, containing 20 amino acids, including the 10 “essential amino acids”. It also contains vitamins A, C, D, B1, B2, E, folic acid, niacin, calcium, iron, and phosphorus. It can be used in cookies, pies, cakes and pasta. It has a light pleasant taste, and works well combined with other flours.

Almond Meal Flour: Almond meal flour is made up of blanched almonds that have been finely ground. It is a great source of protein and is rich in fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium. It adds a rich buttery flavor to cookies, muffins, cakes, pie crusts, and other desserts. It can also be used for breading. It should be stored in the refridgerator.

Tapioca Flour: Tapioca flour is also called tapioca starch, so if you are searching for it in the store, don't be dismayed if you can't find tapioca flour. Combine them with other flours. Tapioca mixed with brown or white rice flour and potato flour makes wonderful flour. Not recommended for pizza dough.

Amaranth Flour: This flour has a strong taste. It is good used in breading, thickening sauces, and baking. Mix 25% amaranth flour with other flours, such as brown rice flour, quinoa flour, or oat flour, to make up 100%. This flour is high in protein and fiber. It contains amino acids, high levels of lysine, vitamins C, B, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and niacin. Store this flour in the fridge, as the flour tends to develop a stronger taste as it ages.

Oat Flour: This flour isn't for everybody. Oat flour is a nice flour, and is good in cookies and muffins. It tends to brown, so use it with caution for sauces. It is too heavy to use for cakes, but does make nice cookies. This can be stored in a container in cupboard. Combine with other flours such as white and brown rice flour or soghum flour.

Potato Flour: Potato flour and potato starch are confusing. Potato flour is made from cooked potatoes. Potato starch is made from raw potatoes. This flour combines well with rice flours.

Sorghum Flour: Sorghum is a gluten-free flour that is very easy to work with. It closely mimics wheat four. It is one of the main food crops used in India and Africa, and is creating a huge following in U.S. for those with a gluten intolerance. Sorghum flour is high in soluble fiber, and tastes very similar to wheat. When baking with sorghum flour, you will need to add arrowroot or cornstarch to your recipes (½ to 1 tsp per cup) and also add xanthan gum (½ tsp per cup) to bind it together. It is great used in cookies, pie crusts, cakes, etc.

Soy Flour: Soy flour has a nutty flavor. It is high in fat and also protein. It is yellow in color and has a distinctive taste. Use it with other flours, such as rice flour. It tastes good in products containing nuts and fruits. It does not store well, so buy it in small quantities and store in refrigerator.

All substitute flours can be frozen, and the rice flours lasts longer if you keep them in the refrigerator after opening.

Wheat Flour Substitutions

Making GF Flour Substitutions:

All the flours listed below are substitutes for 1 Cup of all-purpose (wheat) flour:

*1 cup cornstarch
*7/8 cup buckwheat or amaranth flour
*1/2 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour plus ½ cup bean or rice flour
*7/8 cup brown rice or rice flour
*3/4 cup oat flour
*1/2 cup sorghum flour plus ½ cup brown rice flour

The last option has been Joel and I's favorite, for pancakes, bread, cake, etc. It's not too good for cookies though.