Forum Thermomix
Thermomix Recipes for TM5 and TM31 => Special Diets => Topic started by: Harmony on December 30, 2008, 01:37:22 pm
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I'm putting this in here as I'll be working with all gluten free ingredients, but if you're not GF, feel free to join in with non-GF ingredients as well.
I have been investigating some more nutritious GF flour options, especially ones I can buy in grain/seed form and mill myself in the *:, of course ;) I have come up with 3 in particular - Chia, Amaranth and Quinoa.
Chia http://www.thechiaco.com.au/index.php?id=1
Amaranth http://www.ripeorganics.com.au/wholefoods-glossary/grains-legumes/amaranth
Quinoa http://www.organicsaustraliaonline.com.au/category466_1.htm
Anyone interested in joining me in some new cooking adventures? I'm hoping to come up with a grain blend, some combination of the above with rice and maybe corn (if I can get it dried, or maybe I need to dehydrate my own?) to chuck into the TM any time I want to bake. I love my cakes and muffins and biscuits, if I can make them better for me, so much the better!
Ordering my Chia now...
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Aha! I found all 3 ingredients in one online store:
www.biomedcafe.com.au
Postage a bit pricey :o
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i nearly bought chia the other day but had no idea what to do with it lol
i did buy amaranth though ;) i didn't get more quinoa as we weren't that keen on it - it tastes a bit bitter for us
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Was the quinoa in date. It may have been a bit rancid. May pay to get some from another supplier. It is very useful and shouldn't be bitter.
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i read online that it can be slightly bitter but perhaps we all got a bad batch ;)
anyway i forgot to say that i am definitely up for some new ideas and challenges, but will need some help ;)
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It is generally prepared so that the bitter effects should have gone before packaging.
If you soak it and rinse it then there shouldn't be any bitterness. Did the little rings pop out?
Try making salads like you would a fruity rice salad. That's my favourite way.
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i don't remember but i probably didn't rinse it. it did have the rings. i used it in tabbouli :)
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I'm interested to know what people end up doing with the chia seed. I have some white and black in my pantry, but am not really sure what to do with it other than sprinkle it on my cereal and use every now and then in small amounts in baking.
The package says it goes into a gel if you mix a tablespoon in water; hasn't happened for me yet. Do you have to heat it, I wonder? I left it soaking overnight but no gel like I would get when soaking psyllium.
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Hi Galadia :-*
Great to hear from you. ;D I have not used chia, but will check it out.
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the amaranth does go very gel like :o makes a very solid gooey tabouleh! lol
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Sorry for my long absence, it's been a bit nuts around here!
Chia gel - follow the instructions on the packet for making the gel (or did I get them online?), just put it in the TM, mix, stand for the 20 mins, mix again to separate the clumps, then pop in the fridge. Worked perfectly for me the first time.
I've had a disaster with the chia - I put a couple of tablespoons of the gel in a batch of butternut cookies (and left the dough for ages as I got interrupted) and wound up with big soft puffy biscuits instead of hard chewy cookies ::) They were still yummy but my girls wouldn't eat them.
I also tried some amaranth and quinoa milled and put into pikelets the other day - put in faaaaar too much and they tasted so bad I had to spit my first bite out :o :o :o Been a long time since I made that bad a cooking disaster :D I looked at some pasta and discovered 10% is about right, I'd put in between half and a third!
However, a couple of tablespoons in my GF Laucke easybakers breadmix makes a HUGE improvement to the bread, it has fewer air bubbles, more elastic, stays fresher longer and tastes great!
Baby crying, back later :)
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oooohhhhh!!! I am so excited to find this thread! hooray! I love Chia and quinoa. I find most of the thermomiz recipes a bit too heavy on wheat and dairy for me, so and thrilled to be able to swap recipes here with others using other grains and ingredients!
Chia gel - if you soak 1Tblspn with 1/2 cup water or juice for at least 20 mins (2 hrs is better - soak in fridge) it will form a gel. Soaked in apple juice it is delicious just on it's own - use as a topping for fruit salad or on cereal (or I just eat spoonfuls of it!). Soaking makes a lot more of the nutrients bioavailable
I just got a few kgs of chia from this website - http://www.rawpower.com.au/pdf-recipebook.html?hop=95037t - they have it on special at the moment for $22.50/kg pluss 9.95 flat postage. It still works out cheaper than buying small packets in wholefood store here. 5 of us ordered together to reduce the postage cost.
Quinoa - shouldn't taste bitter. Try soaking overnight with a tspn lemon juice. This will also make it much easier to digest (although it's already much easier than wheat) and also make it quicker to cook (will only take about mins!).
I use quinoa to make tabouleh as well and also a few salads, adapted from other recipes - will post soon. They are not really TM recipes though... but still quick and easy.
happy cooking :)
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i dsocvered you're supposed to rinse quinoa really well before cooking so i'm enjoying it now :)
i bought some chia the other day and i'm going to use it in the GF bread as another seed.
i bought roasted buckwheat to use in my tabbouleh instead of quinoa, they use it in the vegan store near my old work and it was very yummy, nicer than the quinoa
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Oh, that's great news about the quinoa :)
You can also sprout buckwheat and use it raw in tabouleh - it's really nice. You just soak overnight, then put it into a couple of jars or a sprouter for another 24hrs, rinsing a couple of times during the day. The soaking and sprouting makes the buckwheat just as soft as if you've cooked it, and it's still full of enzymes and all the nutrients completely intact. Everyone I make it for loves it and are surprised when I tell them it's raw.
I have raw buckwheat for my breakfast everyday. I love it!
I haven't perfected the GF bread yet - is pretty heavy and, well.... blobby... any tips?
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does the buckwheat taste like sprouts then though (eg: alfalfa, snowpea) i hate sprouts! lol
the bread is reasonably heavy. certainly heavier than this one which is also very nice in a totally different way http://brazen20au.blogspot.com/2009/01/gluten-free-rice-bread-gf-tmx.html
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You can also sprout buckwheat and use it raw in tabouleh - it's really nice. You just soak overnight, then put it into a couple of jars or a sprouter for another 24hrs, rinsing a couple of times during the day. The soaking and sprouting makes the buckwheat just as soft as if you've cooked it, and it's still full of enzymes and all the nutrients completely intact. Everyone I make it for loves it and are surprised when I tell them it's raw.
Thanks greenie, I need to get back to sprouting. There was a program of Cook & Chef the other day where they were talking about microherbs - it is just so easy, but you need to start, then you can't stop.
I haven't perfected the GF bread yet - is pretty heavy and, well.... blobby... any tips?
Haven't tried any sorry, if I hear anything I'll let you know.
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OK, must give the bread another go then... and try a couple of different recipes - thanks for the link
The buckwheat doesn't taste at all like alfalfa spouts... it just tastes like buckwheat - nutty and mild. It really is yum. And so much easier to digest because there are digestion inhibitors (can't remember name or be bothered to look them up - sorry :)) in the seeds that helps them stay intact when they get eaten by animals (including us). When the seeds start to sprout (even if you just soak overnight), these inhibitors change chemically because the seed thinks it's about to start growing (vs get eaten). And the enzymes in the seeds start cranking because they are busy trying to help build a new plant, so instead of destroying them by cooking, so keep get to utilise them in your own body when you eat them in the raw sprouted grain/seed
OK, enough blabber
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Thanks for that info greenie - I love lots of different sprouts - radish, cress, mustard, coriander, they are all superb. Have to try the buckwheat shoots.
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thank you greenie, i'll give it a try!
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I have used Chia in breads, cakes and muffins but I always add it in last. It reminds me of Poppy Seeds and my kiddies have not complained yet :)
I always used puffed amaranth in my little one's baby foods. In fact, I swear that it was the only thing that kept him (and his immune system) going sometimes (his allergies and sensitivities were crazy when he was younger).
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Thanks for the tip and bumping.
MrsT always loves her chai - so might have to start putting it into dishes to flavour them. Might try chai junket.
Thanks brazen :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* - I'm ignorant !! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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chai or chia? quite a difference ;)
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LOL - dah - need to read properly !!! Forget that - still need to try chia :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
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Have just purchased some "Chia Power" Black and White Chia Seeds, and have started adding a tablespoon to all my baking - muffins, biscuits, bread etc. The seeds are so tiny and flavourless that so far no one has noticed.
With most foods, some experts praise their nutritional value while others say it's not good for us. I haven't read anything negative about Chia Seed. Anyone else have thoughts?
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chai or chia? quite a difference ;)
LOL - dah - need to read properly !!! Forget that - still need to try chia :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
Ohhh I've read this whole topic thinking it was the same thing and being quiet confused :-)) Thanks for the clarrification! Now I understand the bakers delight add for Chia bread.... and I thought that this whole Chai fad was going a bit far ??? :-)) :D
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Now I understand the bakers delight add for Chia bread.... and I thought that this whole Chai fad was going a bit far ??? :-)) :D
:D