GF Butter Cashew Cookies

Thankfully we never got packaged biscuits and cookies in the house even before our diagnosis. Our son was always more than happy with home made cookies.He had enough variety of course !

 I used to make whole wheat cookies, multi grain cookies , Butter cookies, fudge cookies, crisp cookies and so on so forth...

After eliminating gluten, I didn't bake any cookies for good 6 months , thinking that without wheat and millets it wouldn't be possible. In my observation and as per our food diary, millets were not that good after all,  for our already damaged systems, and hence we were left with only rice.  

This recipe uses the home made gluten free all purpose flour/maida (GF ALP)

The Recipe is very easy and healthy. Healthiest recipe from my repertoire at this point in time . Includes no leavening agent . just butter , sugar , GF ALP, natural essence.

I personally don't think sugar is a problem, if it is not for any medical reasons. Too much of everything is bad .Moderation is the key. And it's not that you can eat a lot of jaggery or honey . They are all natural, true . However even natural things need to be used as per the season as per one's body type etc. This could well be a separate post .So for now Sugar in moderation only.

So Here I present to you .... Healthy Home Made Butter Cashew Cookies :

INGREDIENTS

• 100 gms plus 2 heaped TBSPN home made GF ALP
• Finely chopped Cashewnuts as per taste
• 75 gms butter or margarine softened
• 50 gms powdered sugar
• 1 tspn Real Vanilla powder or extract

METHOD

1. Sieve the flour
2. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C/400 degreesF.
3. Beat butter and sugar very well until light and fluffy and creamy
4. Add extract and beat again
5. Add the  home made GF ALP and mix gently to form a soft dough
6. keep the dough in the fridge for a minimum of  half an hour and a max. of one hour.
7. Form small balls and roll them into the chopped cashew nuts. Flatten them slightly
8. Arrange on a greased tray , keeping them at least 1.5 " apart.You could parchment paper if needed. keeps the tray clean and ready for the next batch immediately.
9. Bake in a preheated oven for 13 to 20 minutes. This time will vary depending upon one's individual oven. 
10. Let them cool on the tray itself for some time till they harden a bit.
11. Remove from tray and keep them in an airtight container.

The Dough will spread in the oven and flatten out. So the cookie size will be big. You may want to make small balls out of the dough if you want small cookies or a big ball to get big cookies. I even made one Big cookie , which took about half an hour to be ready... couldn't click a picture as everybody pounced on it immediately . :)

Wish you all the best for your efforts. May your cookies be the best cookies ever!! 

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This is my first attempt at writing a blog and will request readers to try these recipes and post their suggestions , recommendations in the  comments  section for me to improvise.

GF Bread II

Breads , Breads and more breads .... 

This is what gluten was mainly known for. Helping the breads rise. Helping the dough to be beaten up , twisted & turned for different kinds of breads/Rolls/Croissants/ Bagels/ many more Savories....

And when we don't have this very gluten in our permitted foods anymore, how do we get these savories ......??

They are very very easy to get by replacing the gluten effect with gums and seeds and more. There is NO HARM in using these gluten replacements on rare occasions . However on a regular basis it is safer to stay away from them... In fact we should stay away from even breads on daily basis as yeasts are not our guts best friends either ! 

However for days when we gluten free people do indulge ,( Oh Yes, even we indulge ... and why not ?) here is a recipe of a GF bread ,I find difficult to give a name to . It tastes quite nice when it is raw, tastes out of the world when toasted and to top it up it is healthy  . It does not use anything which can irritate your gut. And thank God that the world over , people have started believing that all diseases begin in the gut. Something that Indian Vedas knew for ever !!

Our Bread  did not last even 24 hours ,thanks to our son who loves his bread . Since I bake a bread only once a month , he can't get enough of it ever!! God bless him and all other lovely children out there who have special needs , be it  diet or otherwise. 

Alrighto ... Now the making of this yummy bread :

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY	Weight(gms)
Home Made Healthy Gluten Free All Purose Flour /Maida	3 cups	470 gms
Sugar	3 TBSPN	42 gms
Instant Yeast	2 tspn	6 gms
Warm Milk	1 Cup	200 ml
Softened Butter	4 TBSPN	70 gms
Large eggs	3	3
Salt	1-1/4 tspn	1-1/4tspn(didn’t weigh)

1. Take a Mixing Bowl and add the following :


• Home Made Healthy Gluten Free All Purpose Flour/ Maida
• Sugar
• Yeast
• Salt
2. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly using a whisk.
3. Add warm milk gradually while beating continuously. The mixture will look very crumbly to start with. By the time the entire milk is added, the mixture seems to be coming together pretty well.
4. Add softened butter and beat very well till it blends well with the mixture to form a rough dough.
5. Now let’s start adding eggs, one at a time. Each time an egg is added, beat at high speed for good 3 minutes to 5 minutes for enough air get added up. Continue adding eggs one at a time followed by beating well, till all the eggs are added and the batter/dough looks smooth , thick and a bit flowy.
6. It will be very sticky and yet a bit flowy.
7. Here you have a choice to make, you can let the dough rise directly in the loaf pan and go ahead with just one rising cycle OR you could let the dough rise in the mixing bowl  itself ; shift it to the loaf pan and let it rise again .
8. I let the dough rise only once – directly in the loaf pan. In my experience In GF baking:
• The Bread is lighter and yummier when allowed to rise only once
• The Bread is denser when allowed to rise twice.
9. Towards the end of your rising time, preheat the oven to 180 degrees (at least a minimum of 15 minutes)
10. Place the loaf pan with risen dough in the oven with bake setting. I usually use only the lower rod turned ON. After about half an hour of placing the dough in the oven, I turn on the top rod for the top of the bread to brown.
11. It takes about 30 to 50 minutes for this bread to be ready depending upon individual oven settings.
12. You can check the readiness by pricking in the middle using a thin wooden skewer . If it comes out clean, the bread is ready to be taken out from the pan. Once it is ready it should leave the sides of your bread pan. That way this is no mess bread.
13. Let it cool a bit (about 5 minutes) in the bread pan itself and then keep it on the wire tray for cooling down

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• This Bread tastes well raw as well as after toasting.However add extra 100 gms (half a cup) milk for a softer version of this bread . However that softer version will take longer to be toasted in case you wish to . 
• Even the softer version which takes more liquid will hold itself very very well.
• This bread does not crumble easily, which is a challenge with most GF breads.
• Tastes the same even after 4 days in the fridge (didn’t try more than that . I prefer the bread to be finished within a day).
• It toasts so well that a good bread pizza can be made with it.
• A Bruschetta made using this bread-- again does not fall apart .
• French toast comes out perfect.

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All views, opinions and suggestions in this blog are as per my own personal experience or learning . I am not a medical doctor and none of these should be taken as a medical advice. Kindly check with your medical doctor before you try any of the suggestions in these posts. 

Gluten Free Gulab Jamuns

Gulab Jamuns are my son's most favourite among all sweets , second only to jalebis . I still haven't cracked Gluten Free Jalebis and hence GF Gulab Jamuns are my best bet to please him . 

My husband ( who has no problem with gluten) loves these Gulab Jamuns too  . In fact I make them for festivals and do not mention them to be gluten free at all . I get multiple requests from friends and relatives asking for the recipe . 

A recipe which is so so simple , and which I love to share with all.

A NOTE ON A2 DAIRY:

Dairy in our house is only A2 Milk . A2 Milk is healing in nature and the very fact that we need to be on a gluten free diet means that there is some damage to our  body which needs to heal . Be it the GI Tract, Nervous system issues, or any other. Healing foods are good to have !

Since I am very particular about not consuming A1 dairy at all , I do not even buy khova from the market and make it in house using my A2 milk . 

Can Read more about A1  and A2 Dairy here : Why A2 Milk is better ?

and here :  NDTV says this

For those who don't mind having A1 dairy , can buy readymade khova from a place/brand you trust . 

INGREDIENTS:

• Khova - 100 gms
• GF Baking Powder one pinch 
• Home Made Gluten Free Maida :15 gms
• Milk ,Boiled and Cooled - 50 gms ( required only for kneading)
• Oil/Ghee for frying
• Sugar -150 ml
• Water -150 ml

METHOD:

For the Jamuns - Making the dough

1. Whisk together the Home Made Gluten Free Maida and baking powder well .
2. Rub the khova with your finger tips in such a way that the grainy texture of khova changes to a very fine , soft like cotton texture. Do this for good five to ten minutes . Ensure that you use only your finger tips as it needs to be handled very gently .
3. Mix khova with the Home Made GF Maida & GF baking powder mix .
4. Again knead using finger tips . Add milk half a tspn at a time and continue to mix gently using your finger tips only.
5. Continue the above step untill you reach a stage where your dough comes together fairly well and it is silky soft at the same time.
6. Now let the dough sit on the counter , covered well for some time ( about half an hour to one hour)
7. Now knead the dough one last time and make balls to fry as Jamuns

For the Chashni ( Sugar Solution):

1. Mix together Sugar and Water in a wide pan and keep it for boiling in the stove.
2. Let it boil till sugar and water mix very well and the solution thickens a bit. The consistency should be a stage before it reaches one thread consistency.
3. Some Elaichi/ Cardamom powder can be added to the solution for added flavor.

While the sugar solution gets ready let's get going with frying the Jamuns. We will add all these Hot Jamuns to the still warm sugar solution.

Frying the Jamuns:

1. Take a wide mouth vessel with sufficient oil/ghee and keep it on  medium flame. Once the oil is medium hot, reduce the flame.
2. Make a few balls at a time and fry them at  medium low flame. Too low will make them hard by evaporating all the moisture and too high will make them look cooked while still uncooked inside.
3. The balls will rise to the top of the oil /ghee as they are fried. It is important to keep turning them over and around so that they are evenly browned on all sides. Once they reach a shade darker than golden brown color all around, remove them using a laddle and place them on kitchen towel for the oil to drain.
4. Now place the still hot jamuns in the sugar solution .
5. You may  at this stage itself place the sugar solution along with the jamuns on the stove on low flame for the jamuns to absorb the liquid and become soft. Be careful not to keep it for long so that they don't break open.
6. Step 5 can also be done after letting the sugar solution with added jamuns sit on the kitchen counter for a while as they absorb the liquid on their own , and later simmer them to turn softer.

Wish you all ,all the very best in making yummy home made Gluten Free Gulab Jamuns . 

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This is my first attempt at blogging and will request readers to try these recipes and post their suggestions , recommendations in the  comments  section for me to improvise. 

What is Roasted Rice Flour

This indeed is my best learning till date . 

Taking all the credit for this will only be unfair. My friend Suhaila Shabeer , who is an inspiration to many , has been my guide for the following procedure  as well. 

This is how Rice flour is made traditionally and in some parts even now , in the God's Own Land - Kerala ! The locals there use this rice flour for making delicacies like Pathiri and  Idiyappam. Thanks to friends from the southern states, I got into cooking a lot from their platter. 

Will definitely post recipes for these some day soon in my Naturally Gluten Free Section which is now live.


Thankyou sweetheart ! This post is dedicated to you .

This indeed is the best Rice flour for Gluten Free Indian Breads ( Gluten Free Fulkas and Gluten Free Puris for sure , am yet to try GF Naans and GF Bhaturas ). I started by grinding rice @ my own house  in a normal Phillips  mixer and once I was sure that this was an awesome flour , I moved forward with it. 

For those who either do not have access to starches (like Gluten Free Tapioca Flour, GF Corn Flour, GF Potato Starch, GF Arrow Root Flour et all) or can't consume them for other health issues this flour is a blessing.

You could make it at home or could even purchase it from the market. The brand I use is not certified GF . I have had no issue for the last 6 months that I have used it. I have no personal gain in promoting the brand or the product . I use Double Horse Roasted Rice Flour. It can be purchased from many stores in the southern part of the country and in select south Indian stores in the north. It can also be ordered on amazon.in

The Making of "Roasted Rice Flour":

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INGREDIENTS:

• Raw Rice 
• water

METHOD:

Wash the rice very well in running water till the water is clear.

1. Soak Rice in enough water for about 4 to 6 hours.
2. Drain all the water using a colander and let this wet rice sit in the colander for some time till  the water stops dripping.
3. Spread this damp (nearly wet) rice on a cotton fabric length and let them be without any fan for roughly an hour or two. Depending upon the weather it can take more or less time for the rice to be ready for the next step.
4. Once the rice seems a bit dry , but  damp from inside, upon breaking, you are ready to take it to the flour mill (A mill that does not process gluten) and have it ground as fine as possible.
5. Once it is ground very fine, take a big Pan/Kadai on a very low flame and start dry roasting the still damp rice flour , while continuously stirring it all the time . Preferably do this in small batches . This step is the key to get the best rice flour which binds very well and is a blessing for gluten free family.
6. Dry roasting should be done on very low flame till the time every grain of fine rice flour can be felt when you take a pinch in your finger tips. it should be free flowing just like a new packed of free flowing salt.
7. There should be no change in the color of rice . 
8. Spread this rice in a big plate for it to cool down and then pack it up in an airtight container. 
9. Huge quantities are not recommended to be done at a time. Small batches of freshly done rice flour is the best for best texture (binding etc) ,taste and health.

It is always best to grind your own flour when suffering from allergies like gluten and others. 


Shopping Pointers: An update

You can also buy roasted rice flour from the market. I have been using this particular brand of roasted rice flour quite safely for the last 6 months without any issues.  This does not carry the label "Gluten Free", so I was reluctant to suggest. But I get multiple messages on a daily basis asking if there was a readymade option and hence adding this information as an update here. I have nothing to do with the brand "double horse" or their product suggested here. You may choose to use this product at your own risk or make it yourself at home .

Double Horse  Roasted Rice Flour 
available on amazon.in


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All views, opinions and suggestions in this blog are as per my own personal experience or learning . I am not a medical doctor and none of these should be taken as a medical advice. Kindly check with your medical doctor before you try any of the suggestions in these posts. 

Naturally Gluten Free - Idly

There is so much to eat other than gluten. Here,I don't mean trying to copy foods which were originally made using wheat flour or gluten to be specific. 

When I go to any Gluten Free forum or when I meet somebody who is on a gluten free diet, for whatever their health reasons may be, the first thing I notice is that they still eat the same foods they ate before going gluten free. Just that they have found ways of making the same foods without gluten now. In this quest of eating the same food, they miss the bigger picture. They are ready to add any ingredient to get the same texture or taste or both  in their food , as they had before eliminating gluten from their diet. 

It is very important to understand that our systems are damaged ( for some it's just the intestines, for some it is intestines plus nerves, for others it could be any other organ which is impacted more). We eliminate gluten from our diets to allow our systems to heal and not get further damaged . This does not mean that anything under the sun will help our systems as long as it does not contain gluten. 

Here, I will copy a small portion  from another post on this blog. 

I like to remind my GF friends that Gluten Free is not equal to Healthy. In fact most (if not all )GF foods in the market today , whether they are ready to eat or cook or bake, if they are not naturally gluten free , are not healthy at all.In fact they are unhealthy and could even be harmful to our already sensitive systems. And anybody who is managing a difficult life without gluten is doing so for the purpose of letting their bodies heal of the damage already done.

Forgive me for repeating myself time and again. We took time to learn this and I would be blessed if I could help somebody avoid making as many mistakes as we did.

Alright , this Naturally Gluten Free Section will include recipes which are originally gluten free and need not be adapted by replacing gluten with some other ingredient/s.

The first here, has to be something known across the length and breadth of India for it's health benefits - Yes , none other than perfectly steamed Idlis which are soft and fluffy just like a bake , though without any external leavening agent.

Let me share what I learnt from one of my good friends in Bangalore . Janani Nachiappan I owe this to you.

Making of the fluffiest ,yummiest , healthy idlis 

INGREDIENTS

Idly Rice	4 cups
Urad dal whole	1 cup
Fenugreek seeds	½ tspn
Salt	2 tspn

This is how idly rice looks like. You can get it on amazon.in.
In the absence of this rice you could use  3 cups any raw rice and 1 cup boiled rice .

METHOD - GRINDING THE BATTER

1. Wash  the soaked dal and rice very well till the water is clear.
2. Soak dal and rice in separate utensils for about 3 to 5 hours. Add fenugreek seeds to the dal if you wish to. I do not use fenugreek seeds. 
3. It’s best to grind this batter in a stone wet grinder if you have one. In case you don't have it , no worries, even a basic mixie will do. I have a phillips mixie and at times,when my grinder is out of action, I do manage with it , without any change in the end result. 
4. You must be thinking what is the big deal about grinding now ! Of course you all are super smart and will know how to grind well. However there are a few tips here and there which make the most difference in how your idlis turn out to be. 
5. You need to grind the dal first. Using your wet jar of the mixie ( in case using), grind the dal with water being added only about a spoon or two at a time. initially into the process you will be adding water every two minutes.Slowly the time duration between each addition will increase.
6. Continue grinding till the dal is very smooth and fluffy. It becomes really fluffy if you avoid adding too much water in one go..
7. Once the dal is done. Begin with grinding the rice. Now, there are no set rules for how the process of grinding of rice should be. You may add more water at a time , in fact you should . By the end of it the ground rice should be a bit watery and fine. 
8. Now this is a very important step. Mixing the ground dal and ground rice. You need to cup your hand (which ever is your main hand). And start mixing the batters in a big container as you add salt to it. The mixing will be in circular motions of your cupped hand. This needs to be done for good five to ten minutes. Your arms will also get a bit messy here. No worries. The end result will be well worth every trouble you are taking.
9. Once mixed very well, check the consistency of the batter. It should still be a bit on the watery side. Not very gooey.
10. Be careful to take a container which allows the batter to rise almost the double it's original amount. So the batter before fermentation should only cover half the height of the container .Cover the container well and keep it either inside a kitchen cabinet or on the counter.
11. You may need anywhere between 4 hours to 14 hours depending upon the weather conditions.
12. Once the batter has risen almost double the original amount, the idly batter is ready to use. You could keep it as it is in the fridge or even better consume it immediately for the best idlis. The batter at this stage will be slightly like a soft jelly bubbling slightly. 

METHOD - MAKING OF THE IDLIS

There is not much of a science in steaming the batter to get yummy Idlis. Just a few pointers which helped me when I started making them at home every other day:

1. Grease the Idly stand well .
2. Using a spoon, scoop the top layer of the batter into the grooves of Idly plate . Make sure that you never stir and mix the idly batter . It should just be scooped out from the top layer.
3. Use high flame throughout the steaming time. Depending upon the size of the cooker /size of idly, it may take anywhere between 6 minutes to 16 minutes.
4. Do not steam them for too long . They will harden . It is like over cooking your cake.
5. Remove from the plate once they have cooled down a bit.

Idly tastes best with coconut chutney and Sambhar. Will cover these two in my next few posts.

Wish You all the best in your attempts to live a healthy life. Will be back with many more recipes under this section -"Naturally Gluten Free ". 

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Home Made Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (GF ALP)/Maida

It is very important to have a Flour blend which is not bad for our health. If it has healthy ingredients, so much better. 

However most GF flour blends either have gums or Psylium husk or milk powder added to them to get that perfect texture and taste that resemble the Gluten flour.Adding these additives are not harmful if used on rare occasions. However regular use , specially for children is not recommended.

I have also used these things in my initial days on the gluten free diet, only to understand that Gluten Free  NOT EQUAL TO Healthy. 

For those who need to be on a gluten free diet have some damage done to the Intestines, Kidneys, Brain etc. We need a diet which is less abrasive to our systems and ideally includes healing foods so that in the long run we live a happy healthy life ( of course without gluten)

The below flour blend includes Rice flour (safe and healthy) , Potato starch( Natural starch found in the most eaten vegetable, tapioca flour ( sabudana for those who are not aware of what tapioca actually is ). Below in the recipe, I have also shared a section of shopping List, regarding where you can get these ingredients.

There is no ingredient which can harm our systems in any way. So feel free to use the below blend recipe it in as many recipes you can without any ill effect on your health !!

• 2 cups rice flour ( GF rice flour )-  we also use Roasted rice flour for specific recipes. Use the raw rice flour until and unless it is mentioned to be roasted rice flour as an ingredient.

• 2/3 Cup Potato starch

• 1/3 Cup Tapioca flour Whisk together all the Ingredients and store well in an airtight container.

This blend has worked well for me in all my baking. This includes Gluten Free Cookies , Gluten Free Cakes, Gluten Free Breads et all.

SHOPPING LIST

INGREDIENTS	BRANDS	STORES
Potato Starch	ZeroG Red Bob’s Mill	Natures Basket Amazon.in
Tapioca Flour	Red Bob’s Mill	Natures Basket Amazon.in
Rice Flour	24 Mantra Organic	Natures Basket Hyper city Amazon.in
Vendors for GF products are not always well stocked. It is best to keep some extra stock place orders much in advance - before the earlier stock gets used up.

Recipes which use this "Home Made Gluten Free Flour Blend " on this blog are listed below:

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All views, opinions and suggestions in this blog are as per my own personal experience or learning . I am not a medical doctor and none of these should be taken as a medical advice. Kindly check with your medical doctor before you try any of the suggestions in these posts.