Adventures In SCD

Eggplant Bake!

2010-10-27T17:01:00.001-04:00

Hi Guys!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. The fall is the busiest time for me at work. So I've been swamped. But just because I haven't been writing doesn't mean I haven't been cooking or eating. So I've got something pretty good for you today. Simple. When I came across the recipe I was really surprised that I hadn't thought of it myself. I guess I've been leaving all of my good brain cells at work.

If you follow this blog you know how much I struggle with giving up my favorite foods. Absolutely the SCD Diet has saved my life. But that doesn't mean that I don't miss things like biscuits. And in this case lasagna. This recipe is for a lasagna lookalike - the Eggplant Bake.

See. . . looks just like lasagna. And the best part is, it kinda tastes like it too. It definitely helps me get over the hump when I want that noodly, cheesy, tomatoey goodness. It takes a little time to prepare but it keeps super well in the fridge or the freezer. Check out the bubbly corners! I'm getting hungry just writing this!

And just a peek of the fabulous eggplant. . .

So now that I've used up all of your patience, here's the recipe. Adapted from 500 Caseroles by Rebecca Baugniet. This is one of my favorite cookbooks. It's loaded with carby options but many of the recipes are surprisingly adaption friendly.

Eggplant Bake

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant cut in 1/2 inch slices
1 large onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced (or more if you like it garlicky)
1 (28 oz.) can whole/crushed/diced tomatoes with liquid (whatever style you like)
3-4 basil leaves, roughly torn
12 oz. of cheese, grated (any mix you like that will melt. I used provolone, swiss, and parm)
salt
olive oil

Instructions:

Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on paper towels. Sprinkle the slices with salt and wait for 30 minutes. The slices will start to release a lot of their moisture.
Flip the slices over and salt the other side. Wait 30 more minutes while the eggplant continues to release it's moisture.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add your onion and garlic and saute until they start to soften.
Stir in the tomatoes. If you're using whole tomatoes break them into smaller pieces. Add the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Then remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse the eggplant slices with cold water and pat them dry. Brush them on both sides with olive oil and sautee them in a pan until they are softened and warmed through. Remove them to paper towels.
Grease a 9x9 casserole dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of eggplant. Then a layer of sauce and cheese. Repeat with additional layers until the dish is full and top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

This is a simple recipe but it's definitely delicious comfort food. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Scones: Grain Free, Egg Free, Sugar Free

2010-09-08T11:15:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys! Glad to be back after the hectic Labor Day. It seems like everyone I know was born at the beginning of September and I've been to more than my fair share of birthday parties so far this month. More than I can count on one hand. And one of them my own. Yes, I'm a year older. But as far as I'm concerned I'm still 29. And will always be 29.

For my birthday this year I was craving the fall. The cool weather, the smell of pumpkin, and the color orange everywhere. Of course, it's still 90 degrees here but that didn't stop me from attempting these totally luscious Pumpkin Scones.

To call these scones is a bit of a stretch. Scones often have a biscuit-like texture. These came out a bit more soft, almost creamy. And based on their bake time can be more or less moist. Shorter bake time = moister. Longer bake time = drier. I've had them both ways and both are delicious.

Just so you know how delicious, check out this closeup of the moister scones.

Yes, those are chocolate chips you see. I know, I know. Chocolate chips are not SCD legal. But it was my birthday treat. Cut me some slack.

So let's get to it. The recipe, adapted from the Veganomicon. These scones are completely grain free, egg free, and sugar free.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of almond flour
3/4 cup of coconut flour
1/2 cup of honey
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup of butter (can also use margarine)
1/2 cup cashew milk (can also use almond milk, any other nut milk, or cow/goat's milk)
2 tsp ground chia seeds (can also use flaxseed, or 1 whole egg)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (or golden raisins, cranberries, pecans, walnuts etc.)

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a pan with parchment paper.
Mix the flours and spices in a large bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and mix it into the four mixture until it's crumbly.
In a separate bowl mix the ground chia seeds with the almond milk until thickened. Then add the pumpkin puree and honey and stir until fully combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter will be moist and slightly crumbly. Add the chocolate chips or other mix in and stir until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
Squish the dough together into a large ball and flatten it onto your parchment lined pan. You want the disc to be about and inch thick. Then take a sharp knife and cut the dough disc into slices. This pre-scoring will help when they're finished backing. Or you can drop the dough onto the pan and make individual rounds.
Bake for 15-17 minutes for moister scones. Bake for 18-20 minutes for drier scones. Let them cool before you make the final slices.

Makes 8 large scones depending on shape.

If you give these a try let me know what you think!

Food Fail: Coconut Flour Biscuits

2010-09-01T14:35:00.000-04:00

I had a wild craving for biscuits this week. Biscuits with butter and jam. Biscuits with bacon and cheese. Lovely light and fluffy biscuits with a crunchy top. So I decided to do a little experiment and see if I could get close to those biscuits I remember using coconut flour.

I've seen other SCD recipes for biscuits. But they just don't get it done. So I improvised and produced this:

The driest, heaviest, grossest biscuit ever! Or should I say 8 of them. My improvised recipe was a total fail. Not enough binding ingredients. Not enough leavening. Common problems with coconut flour to be sure. But still a real disappointment.

If anyone has any tips, tricks, or recipes to try let me know. These didn't ease my craving for biscuits at all. Now I just wonder if I can find a way to use them. . .

Nuts Online Order and Review

2010-08-29T10:00:00.001-04:00

I just got my most recent order from Nuts Online. I know I've mentioned this company in other posts but I've just got to say that I love ordering from them. They've got such a good variety of things that I need for my snaking and baking. Their prices are very competitive and the shipping is lightning fast.

And before you ask, no I'm not being compensated for the review. I just love their stuff. And it can be hard to find all of things you need to follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet so I'm trying to share the wealth. Take a look at what just came in the mail. I think I went a little overboard. Haha!

Mostly what I got this time was nuts. I got roasted pistachios and a variety of raw nuts. Walnuts and Pecans for candying here at home. And almond and cashews to make nut milk. My first batch of cashew milk came out great. I think I'll be making ice cream with it soon. And I also threw in some of their freeze dried fruit for snacking, chia seeds (you all know how I love those), some of their almond meal (which is as finely ground as I've ever seen) and some of their coffee.

Crazy right? I guess it's time to start munching! If you haven't ordered from them before, definitely check them out.

Recipe Review: 101 Cookbooks "Sauteed Zucchini"

2010-08-27T13:39:00.000-04:00

I had an opportunity to come across some really pretty yellow squash this week. So I took a chance on a recipe that I've had my eye on from 101 Cookbooks. If you don't read her blog, do so immediately. It's amazing. And her food photography is stunning. The pics alone are enough to make you eat anything she posts about.

I've had squash prepared a number of ways over the years, but somehow I've missed the simple saute. But don't be fooled by this recipe. Though it's simple it doesn't taste simple. It's quite simply amazing.

Admittedly, I made a few mistakes in my own preparation. For one, I overfilled my pan which resulted in less browning than I would have liked and more steaming. This is something her recipe warns about so don't make the same mistake I did. I also omitted the dill, because I didn't have any. And I omitted the almonds because I just don't like them. But still the dish was quite possibly the best squash I've ever had. And certainly the best squash I've ever made myself.

Note that the recipe calls for A LOT of garlic and shallots. So if you don't like those flavors this dish will not appeal to you. I however, love garlic and shallots and this recipe hit that spot hard! It was delicious with chicken and I imagine it would also go great with beef. But I think the flavors might be too strong for something like fish or pork as an accompaniment.

I'll definitely be making this again as soon as I can find more excellent squash. I suggest you do the same.

Baked Chicken Legs

2010-08-25T10:00:00.004-04:00

I read a lot of food blogs. Always on the lookout for something new to eat. And while baked chicken legs don't qualify as "new", recipes for baked chicken legs have been popping up on a bunch of food blogs lately.

I was particularly inspired by this post at Dine and Dish for Garlic Chicken Legs for the Crockpot. But it wasn't her recipe that had me curious. It was her total rave about Chaos in the Kitchen's Baked Chicken Legs. With a review like that I just had to make them.

I think you'll agree they turned out pretty gorgeous!

I took a bunch of pics because they came out perfectly browned. I did a very simple baked drumstick. Salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Bake at 475. Nothing to write a cookbook about. But check them out.

And yes, they tasted as good as they looked. They are very basic, simple, easy. And so delicious. Bonus, they're cheap, too. I got 5 drumsticks at the store for $1.50. Probably the least expensive thing I've made in a long time. And so good I'll be making them again.

So take a lesson from these drumsticks. Simple baked chicken can be an amazing meal. I know I forget that a lot in my search for new flavors. But I guess there's a reason it's a classic.

Best Basic Green Beans

2010-08-23T11:14:00.000-04:00

So here's something you don't know about me. I don't love vegetables. I really want to say that I do. But I can't say that and still claim to be a (mostly) honest person. However, eating vegetables makes my body feel better. So I try my best to have a good relationship with them.

Enter the green bean. I can count the number of times I've had a well prepared green bean on one hand. Growing up, my mother used canned green beans which are mushy and salty. My grandmother boiled fresh ones until they looked like green worms. And restaurants barely steam them so that they can't even claim to be cooked and have zero flavor. So for a long time I viewed them as just another veggie that I had to tolerate. Until I tried this recipe. I call it Best Basic Green Beans.

I actually like these. I eat them without that "veggie face" that you see on small children trying lima beans for the first time. They are fresh tasting, slightly crunchy, and made with bacon. Bacon makes everything better, don't you think? Now, if you're a vegetarian or vegan, you can certainly substitute olive oil for the bacon fat in this recipe. And you can really use any frozen veggie you want, if you don't like green beans. Asparagus would be great here as well. I use the frozen veggies because they're really just as good as fresh, available year round, and you don't have to snap them. If you've ever wasted a whole Saturday at Grandma's house snapping beans you totally get the appeal to the frozen.

On to the recipe:

Best Basic Green Beans

1 bag frozen green beans
4 strips uncooked bacon, cut into bite size pieces
2 shallots or 1/2 a yellow onion, sliced, chopped, minced however you like
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet cook the bacon pieces until just crispy. Remove the cooked bacon pieces to a paper towel lined dish leaving the bacon fat in the pan.
Add the chopped onions and garlic to the pan and cook until softened, or until caramelized if you prefer.
Add the bag of frozen green beans to the pan. Be careful as the oil may spatter when the frozen beans are added. Stir the beans continuously. You don't want them to burn. How long you cook them here is up to you. If you like them barely cooked and crunchy you'll only cook them a few minutes. If you like them softer you'll cook them longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Taste the beans as you go to determine their doneness.
When cooked through remove from the heat, toss with the bacon pieces and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

If you give these a try let me know how they come out for you. Happy eating!

Ugly Pics and Linkies: Friday 8/20/10

2010-08-20T09:00:00.033-04:00

Hi Everybody! If you've read my blog before you'll notice something about me. I'm not a great food photographer. Taking beautiful pictures of food is definitely a skill and an art. I'm working on it but I clearly have a lot of work to do. What you might not know is that I'm don't take great pictures of other things either. So in the spirit of fun I thought I'd share some of my more spectacular picture failures.

I feed the birds every morning and thoroughly enjoy watching them. Yesterday I tried to take a few pictures of what I see every day.

This is a cardinal.

This is a red-headed woodpecker.

'Nuff said about my photography skills. Haha!

And since it's Friday I thought I'd take some time to put together a few of the things that caught my eye this week. Click away if you want to check them out.

Food Related:

Celiac Teen is celebrating her food failures.
Gluten Free Goddess explains why you need an over thermometer. I never knew!
My Kitchen Addiction has 5 steps to create a frittata.

Other Stuffies:

Great old behind the scenes pic from one of my fav movies, Labyrinth!
Accidentally naughty acronyms.
While I don't condone crime, this guy robbing a Taco Bell dressed as Batman is pretty funny.

Dear Diary . . . 5 Reasons To Keep A Food Diary

2010-08-17T10:43:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys! You'll probably notice that I've been futzing with the blog design. I'm moving things around, adding things, and playing with layout. So the blog might look different than the last time you visited. Bear with me. I'm just trying to find something I like. If you've got any suggestions leave me a comment.

I've been keeping a food diary for several years now as part of my adherence to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. What is a food diary? Well, it can vary based on your needs and what you want to track. But basically, it's a journal where you record all of the data that's pertinent to your diet and health. Sound like a lot of work? It isn't really. It only takes a few minutes a day and can really add a lot to your healing journey.

I put together 5 reasons why you want start keeping a food diary:

1. It's an accurate record of your diet, exercise, and medicine regimen. It's super important to keep an accurate record of what food you're eating and what medicine you're taking. Especially in the beginning of the SCD. This allows you to pinpoint the cause of any symptoms you might have. When you begin to experiment beyond the basic safe foods, tracking your reactions can be very valuable. The same can be said for your exercise and medicine. I've identified more bad reactions and side effects related to new meds that I might have otherwise have attributed to food.

2. Tracking how you feel can give you motivation. In addition to simply keeping a record of what you're doing, write down how you're feeling physically. You can follow your journey over time from flare to feeling good. And looking back on the printed proof of your improvement can keep you on the straight and narrow when you really want those french fries.

3. Tell me how you really feel. And don't leave out all of the emotional stuff either. There are a lot of emotions that come along with such a dramatic change in lifestyle. I myself experienced a lot of guilt and not a little bit of alienation from the "normal" eaters around me. Writing down how I felt really helped me to deal with it and move past it. Now my journal is filled with success stories. You might also notice that certain foods can provoke a change in your emotional state. By writing it down, you can spot it and change your diet to either embrace that change or avoid it.

4. Goals and Milestones. Your food diary is also a good place to track your goals and milestones. If you need to gain weight. Or lose weight. If you need to improve your intake of certain foods. I celebrate milestones with stickers in my food diary. Mostly because I'm a big kid at heart!

5. It's a visual representation of success. As time passes you'll find that you have many, many pages. And then, especially if you're using a physical book as opposed to a soft copy, you'll have many, many books. It's amazing how just looking at my journal collection gives me pride in my accomplishment.

At the end of the day it's a tool to help you track, not just your actions, but your success as well. And if you find that you need the extra motivation and support I really encourage you to try it. It's made all the difference for me.

Recipe Review: Comfy Belly's Coconut Flour Donuts (AKA Vanilla Cupcakes)

2010-08-15T10:38:00.001-04:00

Today's Recipe Review is another from the amazing Comfy Belly blog. I promise it's just a coincidence that I've done two of hers in a row.

A few weeks ago I was rabid for a donut. Pre-SCD I occasionally indulged in one of THE BEST things on earth. A hot Krispy Kreme donut. Melt in your mouth sugary bliss. Those days have come and gone. But the desire to have a donut has apparently not fled. So I was delighted to stumble upon her recipe for donuts made from coconut flour.

Unfortunately, I don't have a donut maker or donut pan. But her recipe assured me that I could make the recipe as cupcakes. So I did. . .

They came out perfectly. Golden. Lightly crisp on the outside. And check this out! So moist on the inside you can see it in my pic. . .

And on a side note, I love to watch things bake in the oven. I mean, I stand in front of it and look through the window and watch things bake. These are the first grain-free anything that I have made that I could actually SEE rise while baking. That's got to be why these are so light and fluffy.

I did modify the recipe by adding 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds (as I do to all coconut flour baked goods). This does contribute to the moistness factor. But since chia is SCD illegal you can leave it out and these cupcakes will still be amazing.

I have dubbed these "Vanilla Muffins". They are now a permanent part of my baked good rotation. I think this base recipe would be wonderful with several variations. I'm planning to try adding blueberries, pumpkin, zucchini and apples. I'll keep you all posted on my experiements.

In the meantime. . . Go make these! Now.

Seriously. What are you waiting for?

They're terrific!

Ch-Ch-Chia! Seeds that is!

2010-08-13T10:07:00.000-04:00

*Pic borrowed from www.nutsonline.com

I first became interested in Chia seeds during a break I was taking from the SCD. I was looking for ways to increase the nutrient density of my meals. As almost everyone with some form of IBD knows, getting proper nutrition can be a challenge. Around that time I stumbled on this post from Kelly at www.thespunkycoconut.com. I had never considered some of those ingredients she mentions. Mostly, since they're not considered SCD legal.

Chia seeds are SCD illegal because they are mucilaginous. What that means is that they form a gel consistency when they come into contact with water. And this gel can feed those little bacteria in the gut that we're trying to starve by adhering to the SCD.

And while I will never suggest that someone incorporate an illegal ingredient into their healing process, I'm a big proponent of doing what's right for you. And for me, Chia seeds bring a lot to the table. Enough, in fact, that I've embraced them as part of my nutritional strategy.

What are they good for? Well, for starters, they are massively nutritious for something so small. Just 2 tablespoons of the seeds have 6 g of fiber and 3 g of protein. Not to mention calcium, iron, and vitamin C. But the real magic is that mucilaginous texture. Ground Chia seeds are excellent thickeners in smoothies and soups. And because they absorb moisture and hold on to it, they are ideal for adding to your coconut flour baked goods. Since some of the alternative flours that SCDers use can be on the dry side (coconut flour, banana/plantain flour, bean flours) adding 1 tablespoon of ground Chia seeds can be the difference between a crumbly muffin and one that's moist and delightful.

But I do try to remind myself that's it's not SCD legal. And as such I never ingest more than 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds in a single day. And usually far less than that.

So where can you get it? Chia seeds are becoming widely available everywhere. I've seen them at Whole Foods. I've bought the Navitas Naturals brand from iherb.com. You can also get it from Amazon. But so far, the best price I've found is at Nuts Online. I've not ordered the Chia seeds from them before. But I'm a big fan of their company, products, and service. So I'll be getting my next order of Chia from them.

I hope that sheds a little light on the Chia seed. Let me know if any of you have tried it and what you think!

Recipe Review: Comfy Belly's Candied Pecans

2010-08-11T12:44:00.000-04:00

I had the chance to make the Candied Pecans that I found on one of my favorite blogs, Comfy Belly. I'd actually been looking for a candied nut recipe. One my favorite pre-SCD foods was honey roasted nuts. But those are loaded with illegal ingredients and no actual honey that I could spot.

These homemade pecans turned out spectacularly. They were easy to prepare and used very simple ingredients. Basically, just nuts, butter, honey, and spices. Using parchment paper (which I did) or a silpat is necessary to keep the nuts from sticking to the pan while they roast.

You can see from my less than stellar pic that I only have a few left. They were so amazing right out of the oven. Be careful not to burn yourself while shoveling them greedily into your mouth! The spice mix is lovely and basic, though I may try to put my own spin on it next time and make them hot and spicy! And I'm definitely going to try this with walnuts. And cashews. And any other nut that strike my fancy. Yum!

My biggest concern was that the nuts would be too sticky and clump together. But if you let them dry well after roasting them, making sure to separate them well on the pan, sticking is not a problem at all. They store well in the fridge and make a great sweet snack.

Definitely give this one a try!

Baking With Coconut Flour

2010-08-09T16:11:00.001-04:00

What's the one thing that people miss the most when they start the SCD? It's simple really: baked goods. When you cut out grains and starches baked goods pretty much become a thing of the past. A very fond memory. And for me, often a temptation that can lead me to fall off the wagon. Enter Almond Flour, the hero of almost every Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook. Suddenly you see muffins and pancakes, and pizza crust and you think "I might be able to do this after all".

But if you're like me, almond flour is not the hero of your fairy tale cookbook. My stomach doesn't like it, the texture is often a problem, and frankly I just don't like the taste. Not to mention it's often too moist for things that should turn out crispy.

Just when I was about to despair of EVER having another blueberry muffin I discovered Coconut Flour at The Spunky Coconut (one of my favorite blogs about food). Kelly uses a wide variety of gluten-free flours in her baking creations, not all of which are SCD legal so be careful if you try one. But it prompted to me to do some research.

I found out that coconut flour is SCD legal though it is considered advanced. It's also quite healthy for you. But be warned coconut flour has a lot of fiber in it. So if you try it you might want to start slow.

Nutrition Facts from Tropical Traditions Brand of Coconut Flour:

Why do I like the coconut flour? Where to begin? Despite it's high fiber content it's much easier for me to digest. It has a texture that's MUCH closer to all those wheat based baked goods I loved. It has a neutral flavor - no it doesn't taste like coconut. And it pairs well in baking with nut flours.

There are some challenges to keep in mind when using it, however. It is a very dry flour. You'll need to adjust the amount of wet ingredients that you use in order to get a moist and fluffy texture. It can also be very crumbly due to it's lack of moisture. So most recipes using coconut flour also require a lot of eggs and oil to keep the end result from being too crumbly.

Baking with the coconut flour is a totally different experience from baking with nut flours. It can take some practice. But everything I've made with coconut flour is leaps and bounds above what I've created with nut flours in taste and texture. So I think it's worth it.

Three places to get coconut flour:
Tropical Traditions
Nuts Online
Bob's Red Mill

I've tried the product from Tropical Traditions and Bob's Red Mill. So far I prefer the Tropical Traditions for price and quality. I'll be trying the Nuts Online product the next time I purchase.

And to get you started, my favorite coconut flour recipe so far is the Coconut Donuts from Comfy Belly. I made them as cupcakes and they are truly yummy!

SCD Dining at IHOP!

2010-08-07T16:06:00.000-04:00

As someone who's been on the SCD on and off for several years I can say that one of the challenges is dining out with friends. There are a lot of sites that will give advice about calling ahead to the restaurant, bringing your own food, and doing a myriad of other things to prepare for this situation. I myself have never worried too much about it. While there are many SCDers who can't tolerate even the smallest amount of illegal ingredients, I have not had that experience. So I'm not plagued by fear of cross-contamination. I find that smart ordering is, very often, enough for me to get by. That being said, I have had experiences where a food that appears legal reacts badly with my system. Chili's fajitas I'm looking at you!

But today I was out with my mother who wanted to have a late breakfast at IHOP. I thought "IHOP, Oh no!!". I didn't think there'd be a thing on the menu that I could eat. Even with my somewhat lax standards for dining out. They even put pancake batter in their omelets! But after scouring my menu and interrogating my server I discovered that the IHOP can be quite an accommodating place to eat.

I ordered an omelet made with cracked eggs (not their omelet mix, not their pre-made egg solution). With bacon, cheese, and spinach. They also had a fresh fruit cup that I was able to order instead of the standard pancakes that accompany everything. And it was fresh fruit, no syrup or canned fruits in sight. Needless to say I was quite pleased. When the food came it was fresh and good. And I had a meal with no reaction.

So the next time you're out and about and someone wants to go to IHOP, give it a try. You might be surprised.

It's Been A While

2009-10-19T14:17:00.005-04:00

Hi Everyone!

It's been a while since my last post. Life gets away from you sometimes. I also haven't posted because I've been having a hard time staying dedicated to the SCD. It's a shame because, at this point in my treatment, proper diet controls my condition much more effectively than any medication. I'll be trying to get back into the swing of things soon.

So for all of you who've been waiting for more here's a quick and simple recipe for the smoothie that I have every morning.

Ingredients:
1/2 large frozen banana
1 cup SCD yogurt
2 tbsp honey
1 cup frozen fruit - I like strawberries, raspberries, and peaches.

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Using frozen fruit instead of fresh ingredients gives this smoothie a nice frozen texture. Sometimes I have this as a desert since the texture is so close to soft-serve ice cream.

Enjoy!

Light White Bread Redux

2008-09-19T14:32:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I've been doing a lot of baking with the almond flour over the last two weeks or so. And in general I'm really pleased with it. Does it taste like wheat? Not really. Is it pretty yummy anyway? Definitely. I've made bread, muffins, biscuits, and cookies and everything has come out more than satisfactorily. At this point, all errors lie with me.

That being said, I took another pass at the light white bread recipe found in Healing Foods. This bread is supposed to light in color and moist. I substituted some banana flour for some of the almond flour in my first attempt at this recipe. That experiment yielded a surprisingly dense bread but one that was super with butter and jam - my favorite way to eat bread. This time I executed the recipe as written. I won't reproduce the recipe for you here. You'll have to buy the book for that. But behold! Light White Bread.

This version of the bread came out golden and beautiful. It was light and moist. Tastewise it would have made excellent sandwiches although the bread is very fragile. It breaks easily, I expect due to the whipped egg whites that are called for in the recipe to give it it's lightness of texture. As before, I've consumed the entire loaf with butter and jam. It's one of my favorite things.

Will I be making this again? Oh, yeah!

Light White Bread

2008-09-03T09:38:00.005-04:00

My first SCD baking experiment was the Light White Bread from Healing Foods. Sorry no pics this time. I'm having some trouble with my camera software. I chose this recipe to do first because I thought it might make a nice option to have with sandwiches. Unfortunately, the recipe didn't come out as light or white. This is probably due to the fact that I was using a coarser grind of almond flour instead of a fine grind. I also substituted plantain flour for half of the flour called for. I substituted the plantain flour because I wanted to cut down on the amount of almonds I'm taking in and because I wanted to add extra moisture to the bread. Plantain or banana flour is really soothing to the gut and is very moisture absorbent so it makes anything you bake really moist. If you're going to use it in your recipes you should really add a little extra water to get the consistency just right. I just eyeball it.

The bread was dark and dense and super moist. It didn't rise very much but that's to be expected. It has a really mild flavor. If the texture were lighter and fluffier it would make an excellent sandwich bread flavor wise. Right now it's super delicious with butter and jam. I can't keep from eating it. I'm definitely going to try this recipe again with a finer grind of almond flour. And maybe some coconut flour. I hear coconut flour bakes up very similar to wheat - lighter and fluffier than almonds. I'll also increase the recipe slightly. Since the bread doesn't rise a great deal you'll need a bit more batter to have sandwich size loaf.

Next up: Muffin Mix Muffins from Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet

New SCD Cookbooks!

2008-08-29T15:16:00.004-04:00

I just got in two new-to-me cookbooks for the SCD: Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Raman Prasad and Healing Foods by Sandra Ramacher. I'm really excited by these additions to my cookbook library. One of the things that I struggle with in doing the SCD is the lack of variety that I fall victim to every time. I grew up in a household where a vegetable was corn or potatoes. As an adult that has made me into a naturally picky eater. And many of the lovely members of the vegetable family are completely foreign to me. The same for some of the more exotic spices and flavors that the food world has to offer me.

Both of these glorious cookbooks are filled with recipes that include ingredients that, while I have heard of them, I've never included in my cooking before. I really hope that the inspiration that I feel flipping through the books and looking at the incredible pictures will translate into many new food loves. The only real drawback to these is that they are a bit more gourmet than I'm used to in my everday cooking. That is not a bad thing because both books are filled with recipes that are of a quality that can be used to entertain. But many are a bit more complicated than I'm looking for for a midweek meal. That being said the desert and main course sections of both books are loaded with recipes I can't wait to try.

First up for me is the Foccacia recipe found in Raman Prasad's book. It couldn't look more yummy. And since it's made with almond flour I feel comfortable giving it a go. From Sandra's book the Light White Bread and the Pumpernickel bread recipes are calling my name. It's not a coincidence that these are bread recipes. I'm really craving bread today. But there are some awesome new takes on preparing chicken in both books that have me salivating.

Stay tuned for the results!

Welcome to the new blog!

2008-08-25T14:17:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my new SCD blog. Here's the history. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in the summer of 2007. I was immediately put on all of the standard medications. Unlike a lot of the other sufferers of IBD my doctor immediately approached me with the idea that I needed to do my research and experiment with my diet so that I could find the right combination of medication and diet to alleviate most of my symptoms. It didn't take long to come across all of the reports about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and it's effectiveness on many types of gut related issues. I immediately ordered Elaine Gottschall's book Breaking the Viscious Cycle and plowed through it in a couple of hours. I was very impressed with how she outlined the evidence, her theory, and her personal experiences in treating her daughter. Though I read other books, websites, and personal experiences of other sufferers I decided to go forward with the SCD.

Boy, did I bite off more than I could chew! I was able to follow the diet very well for a few months. But as the diet is very restrictive - no wheat, no corn, no rice, no sugar, no lactose, I had a hard time staying faithful. All of my favorite foods and diet staples had been eliminated. I had great results while on the diet, my symptoms almost completely disappeared during the time I was very committed. The amount of medication I needed was drastically reduced. But as I began to cheat the symptoms crept back in. Slowly at first and then more aggressively. I have been off of the diet totally since March and during that time I have experienced some of my worst symptoms to date. I'm now back on all of the heavy meds including Prednisone.

What's the point? The point is that I'll be going back on the SCD as soon as the course of steroids are over. This relapse experience has taught me that the SCD did more for my condition than the meds. I want to feel that great again. So stay tuned, I'll be reporting all my of successes and failures. Cookbook and recipe reviews, too.

I'd love to hear about everyone else's experience. Feel free to drop a comment.

Happy Eating!
Christy