Wheatless Foodie

Chia seeds have been made famous for growing “hair” on Chia Pets, as in  "♪Ch-ch-ch-chia♫".  Until recently, I didn’t know there was any other use for them. If fact, chia seeds are a highly nutritious food. Chia flour is also great for improving the texture of gluten free baked goods. Chia seeds are a good source of protein, fiber, omaga-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Unlike flax seeds, which are also highly nutritious, chia seeds don’t have to be ground to be utilized by the body. Chia flour can be used as a thickener in sauces, as an egg replacer, and as a replacement for xanthan gum and guar gum in gluten free baking. Apparently there are a number of people who don’t tolerate the gums in their diets, and some of the gluten free recipes need them to achieve the proper texture. So I’m working with chia and will soon have some recipe recommendations using this high nutrient ingredient. If they aren’t available to you locally, you can purchase whole chia seeds and mille...

I’ve become interested in the concept of “functional foods”, that is, foods that offer specific health benefits above and beyond providing our bodies with calories, macronutrients and micronutrients. A great deal of research is being done on a great many functional foods. It’s an interesting field of knowledge. Coconut oil is one of the new foods in my family’s diet. Up until recently, I’ve used mostly canola oil or olive oil, and occasionally butter when preparing meals. Over the past few months I’ve noticed that several of my favorite food bloggers use coconut oil in their recipes. Most of the food bloggers I follow are interested in healthy foods, so I began doing some research on coconut oil. Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the meat of mature coconuts. There are several means of extracting the coconut oil, and the method used determines the quality of the finished coconut oil. I’m using organic, extra virgin coconut oil from Nutiva , which is cold pressed and mini...