Welcome to random blog!

I have to except the fact that I am not the persone who keeps up with their blog. I am the person who tells you half the story of my weekend out in one blog and then shares my latest food obsessions in the next.
So......


I have recently converted to a (mostly) gluten free diet. I know, this is the craze right now and due to no money I will not be visiting a doctor any time soon to confirm my need to stop eating wheat. What spurred this change (in short, because the long detailed story is not pleasant) was some digestion problems I was having. I am already dairy free (boo) and I decided that I would cut out wheat and sugar for the month of April to see if I could help out my belly and curb my sugar addiction at the same time. The sugar part went well, it was the gluten that was hard.  In the end it paid off and I realized that this one month diet was what my diet should look like. Aside from beer, of course. Can't stop drinking beer!

It has been a hard ride since then but I am slowely getting it together, finding wheat replacer's and trying new recipes. The thing that is great about this diet change is that it is forcing me to diversify my eating in a way I never have. Take a second and think of what you ate today. How many things had wheat in them? How many had refined sugar? Both? Our bodies need diversity no matter who we are and due to the fact that we have so many foods available to us at all times, it is really easy to only eat what you like the most. The crazy thing is that there are so many delicious grains and sweeteners out there that are just as good for you or better.

My two projects this week have been rhubarb quick bread (GF) and kim chi, which is great for digestion and super easy to make. I got the bread recipe from  glutenfreegoddess@blogspot.com and swopped the brown sugar for coconut sugar, and zucchini for rhubarb. The kim chi recipe came from my wonderful friend Cally.

                                      Gluten Free Goddess Zuchini Bread 

1 Cup Sorghum flour

1/2 Cup Tapioca flour

2  tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum

1/2 tsp Sea salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 Cup Brown Sugar (or Coconut Sugar)

1/3 Cup Oil

1 tsp Lemon juice

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Coconut milk (I used So Delicious in the carton)

1 Cup Shredded Zuchini (or sliced Rhubarb)

1/3 chopped Nuts of choice

 

 

Mix Sorghum, Tapioca, BP, BS, Xanthan, salt, Cinnamon, and Sugar together. Beat in oil, juice, egg and milk. Beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add Zuchini or Rhubarb and any nuts you would like.

Put in greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

This bread turned out delicious! I just pulled it out of the oven and have had two slices already. The recipe can be made with wheat as well, just substitute the Sorghum, Tapioca and Xanthan for 1 Cup All Purpose flour and 1/2 Cup Wheat flour.

 

 

 

                                                      Cally's Kim Chi

 

1 head Napa Cabbage, cored and shredded

1 bunch Green Onions, chopped

1 cup Carrots grated

1/2 cut Daikon Radish, grated (optional)

1 T freshly grated Ginger

3 cloves Garlic peeled and minced

1/2 t dried Chile Flakes

2 T sea salt

Place vegetables, ginger, garlic, red chile flakes and sea salt in a bowl and Pound with a wooden pounder or meat hammer to release juices. Place in a quart sized wide mouth mason jar and press down with a pounder until juiced comes to the top of the cabbage. The top of the veggies should be at lease an inch from the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temp for about 3 days then transfer to cold storage

This makes 2 quarts

 

 

Ready, set, eat!