30 Sept 2021

NSNGHealthy Bread

Let's get right to the recipe. (Feel free to read on afterwards to get some insight into why I choose this as my go-to grain free bread.)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Psyllium husk powder
3 tablespoons coconut flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoons sea salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar (ACV)

Instructions
Add the first four ingredients to a bowl, mix, then make a well for the liquids.
Pour the coconut oil in the well with half of the boiling water mixed with the ACV.
Mix and add additional hot water until you attain a dough that is moist and soft. If the dough is not moist, keep adding additional water in small amounts and knead well.
Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
Cut the rested dough into 2 or 3 portions (or more according to the size of the bread you wish to have.)
Use a bit of the water to keep dough moist as you work with it.
Form portions of the dough into balls or half-spheres.
Place parchment paper on a baking tray and put oil on the parchment
Place dough balls on the parchment paper and moisten the surface of the dough with more oil.
Bake ~50min at 350 F
Turn off oven and leave bread in oven until cool.


grainfree buns in the oven


This is a very simple bread recipe that produces a nice spongy textured bun, providing it rises well, which is sometimes a challenge when baking, or after the oven has been turned off. I generally leave the buns in the heat of the oven after turning off the oven heat source to help it maintain the risen shape - that's the reason the above pic was taken with the door closed! 

The taste of psyllium husk, an important ingredient for the texture, is somewhat prominent so I try to add other things to the recipe to help mask (cinnamon or nutmeg, for example), but I have not quite found anything that does it remotely well, so I usually just smother the taste (post baking) with avocado or cheese or whatever I choose to use with the bun as a sandwich and that works well. 

I really like this recipe because it is both dairy-free and egg-less while most grain free bread recipes tend to call for eggs. Not that I don't love eggs, but I prefer to save them for other yummy delicacies like this awesome grain free cake. And I do also consume dairy but we do not have a lot of cows here so guess what, dairy (of the kind I prefer) is not easily affordable. Also, some people have health issues related to dairy so I like to have recipes that can function without it. 

This recipe has been easy to double or triple. Sometimes I use a cup instead of a tablespoon to measure the coconut flour and psyllium husk powder then adjust the other amounts to match to get larger buns or to make hot dog bun sized rolls etc. Drop me a message if you want more exact measurements for a larger batch although the recipe is fairly forgiving so you can't really fail even if you don't get things exactly right - another reason I luv it!

Hope you enjoy making this recipe and eating the results! Leave me a message with pics if you can, to tell me if you tried and what was the result. (Will update with pics when I can.)

15 Sept 2021

Breakfast the NSNGHealthy way: Plantain porridge

In case you're wondering NSNG is no sugar, no grains. Breakfast has traditionally been a meal composed of mainly grains (breakfast cereals) or rice or oats, all stuff that has been deemed to have potential (or real) negative impacts on health - no wonder oats never helped my mom! This is health washing at its finest. I don't know about you but I would rather not wait to find out if it's true - especially when elimination is easy and the end result is yummier breakfast options!

To that end, I present an excellent breakfast option that uses no grains and also no sugar that can be made in two flavours variations with potential for more experimentation based on how adventurous you are. Here we go! I've linked ingredients here that I use myself so I can recommend them for their quality and flavour.

Plantain "porridge"

Ingredients

Half of a boiled plantain*
1-3  tablespoons Hemp hearts
1 -2 tablespoons Coconut oil
Milk (Almond or other nut milk can be substituted) or heavy cream
Water (as much or as little to control liquidity to preference)
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Sweetener to taste (optional) such as xylitol or erythritol or Stevia
1/8 teaspoon Salt


Instructions

Mash/puree the boiled plantain (with a fork or other kitchen tool) but leave some chunks if this is preferred. Blend in coconut oil, milk/cream, sweetener, salt and water. Warm the mixture gently over medium heat and whisk if needed to smoothen the texture. Once the mix is well blended and warm, add cinnamon and Hemp hearts, stir and remove from heat. Allow to cool if needed before enjoying.
May be made ahead and re-heated as needed. Sprinkle cocoa nibs to the final product for an added crunch and flavour boost.
Flavour variations
1. Add nutmeg instead of or in addition to cinnamon
2. Use boiled sweet potato instead of plantain as the base
3. Use boiled cassava tuber instead of plantain as the base


*Choose well ripened plantains for smooth final product or less ripe for a chunkier texture