gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free

These are flatbreads similar to the Quinoa Dinner Cakes with Sweet Potato, only these don’t require sweet potato puree and they call for an additional flour — corn flour. We eat them as bread along with main dishes such as chicken, chicken salad, hummus, or wild salmon salad.

Our favorite way to eat them is in flatbread melts — toasted; spread with chicken salad, wild salmon salad, or pinto bean spread; topped with shredded goat cheese; and then put under the broiler for the cheese to melt.

Makes about 20 cakes

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup corn flour (soaked by the manufacturer in lime water)
• 1 cup quinoa flakes
• 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 cups filtered water
• 4 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar, whey, or lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons non-gmo and aluminum free baking powder (gluten-free if desired)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• coconut oil for the pan

Combine flours and quinoa flakes, apple cider vinegar, and water in mixing bowl. Mix well. Cover and let soak at room temperature for a minimum of 7 hours, or overnight.

The next day, the batter may be thick. Add water to achieve a pancake batter consistency.

Pre-heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

Add a smidge of oil to the pan and spread it out. Pour batter into prepared pan using a 1/4-cup scoop. Let cook on that side until bubbles appear in the center and bottom is golden brown, then turn over with spatula. Allow to cook on second side for about 30 seconds, or until browned. Repeat for all the remaining dinner cakes, adding more oil as needed.

Transfer each cooked cake to a cooling rack. If put in a covered container, the breads will get mushy from condensation.

Serve soon after cooking, while they are still warm. Or, toast to use for melts. Refrigerate completely cooled leftovers in an airtight container. Toast leftover cakes or use cold for sandwiches.

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon

The recipe calls for 2 eggs. Since we can’t do those due to allergies, I subbed 1 teaspoon xanthan gum plus 1 tablespoon water for the 2 eggs. I put the xanthan gum in with the dry ingredients and added an extra tablespoon of warm water for the yeast-proofing stage.

Thanks, Tiffany!

These tortillas are as easy as 1-2-3 because they are batter style. Mix up the batter, pour 1/4 cup at a time into a skillet, cook one side and then the other. That’s it!

Corn Tortillas — Gluten-Free, Batter Style
modified by Wardeh Harmon
from a recipe by Erin T., from the T2CHK Message Board

makes about a dozen (plus) tortillas

• 2 cups of corn flour (non-GMO and organic preferable)
• 1 cup of buckwheat flour*
• 1 tablespoon egg replacer (I use Ener-G Egg Replacer)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of natural sweetener (I omitted this)
• 4-1/2 cups water (or nut milk plus water combination)
• grapeseed oil (for the pan)

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

Mix all ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl. You want to achieve a runny batter, so add more water or more corn flour depending on whether you need to thicken or thin the batter. After cooking these a few times, you will know what consistency of batter you prefer.

Lightly grease the skillet with the grapeseed oil. Pour 1/4 cup (scant) of the batter into the skillet. Tilt the pan to spread the batter over the entire flat surface of the skillet. Cook until the tortilla releases itself from the pan, which is evidenced by the edges curling up (see photo below). Also, the tortilla will be covered with bubbles. This should take about a minute, but the amount of time may be different depending on your pan and/or stove.

The edges are curling up, showing that the tortilla has released itself from the pan. Also, it is covered with bubbles and almost cooked through.

Flip the tortilla over and let it cook until browned on the second side. This doesn’t take very long.

You will want to make sure the tortilla is thoroughly cooked in the middle. Additionally, you may choose to cook it more crisply. This is all personal preference.

When the tortilla is cooked and browned on both sides, transfer it to a waiting plate, which has been lined with a paper towel**, to absorb oil. Cover it with another piece of paper to make it ready for the next tortilla. Pour another scant 1/4 cup batter into the pan and repeat cooking instructions for remaining tortillas.

*I have found that buckwheat flour works best in this recipe. You may use other gluten-free flours instead, but be aware that they behave differently. For instance, brown rice flour gets gummier and should be used in a smaller quantity. Conversely, sorghum flour doesn’t gum up enough and causes the tortillas to be crumbly.

**Whenever I have them, I use recycled paper bags, cut up into tortilla size sheets (see top photo).

Our terrific and yummy dinner last night:

Warm Quinoa Dinner Cakes filled with Wild Salmon Salad,
topped with shredded raw goat cheddar cheese and sliced avocado.

These are dinner cakes, meant to be eaten as “bread” along with main dishes such as chicken, chicken salad, hummus, or wild salmon salad. Treat one of these similar to a Middle Eastern pocket bread (without the pocket) that is held in one hand, alternately taking bites of it and the other foods on one’s plate. Or one can approach these dinner cakes like mini wraps or use two of them to create a sandwich for a packed lunch (see a Sandwich Idea). The great texture comes from the addition of organic quinoa flakes.

Quinoa Dinner Cakes with Sweet Potato
gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free

Makes about 20 cakes

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup quinoa flakes
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup melted unrefined coconut oil
• 1/2 cup sweet potato puree*
• 3-1/2 cups filtered water** (plus additional as needed)
• unrefined coconut oil for the pan

Combine flours, flax seed meal and quinoa flakes in mixing bowl. Add water. Whisk together well. Cover and let soak overnight, or for a minimum of 7 hours.

Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat.

Whisk oil and sweet potato puree together in a separate bowl. Add to the soaked flour ingredients. Mix in the salt and baking powder. Add water if necessary to achieve a thick batter consistency.

Add a smidge of oil to the pan and spread it out. Pour batter into prepared pan using a 1/4-cup scoop. Let cook on that side until bubbles appear in the center and bottom is golden brown, then turn over with spatula. This may take several minutes; be patient, so as to prevent an undercooked middle. Allow to cook on second side for a few more minutes, or until browned. Repeat for all the remaining dinner cakes, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Transfer each cooked cake to a cooling rack. If put in a covered container, the breads will get mushy from condensation.

Serve soon after cooking, while they are still warm.

Refrigerate completely cooled leftovers in an airtight container. Toast leftover cakes or use cold for sandwiches.

*Substitute any pureed vegetable for the sweet potato — try pumpkin, squash, or zucchini. Substituting pureed or mashed fruits (banana, apple, applesauce, pear, pear sauce, etc.) would make these into awesome breakfast cakes.

**May also substitute all or part of water with preferred nut or grain milk.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon

Quick Sandwich Bread — Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free
a variation on a recipe shared by a friend

makes 2 loaves

• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 4 cups warm water
• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2 cups buckwheat flour
• 1 cup millet flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 5 teaspoons guar gum
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup raw honey or raw agave
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or grapeseed oil, grease two bread loaf pans.

Put water and yeast in mixing bowl. Let yeast get bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Fill each loaf pan with 1/2 the batter. Spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake the loaves for 50 to 60 minutes or more, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Let cool on rack, in pans, for 15 minutes. Turn loaves out of pans and return to cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing.

Store in an airtight container.

This bread is delicious toasted! We made grilled goat cheddar cheese sandwiches out of it today.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon.

After the first rise (in addition to the sponge), I took 3-inch diameter balls of bread dough (now I use spelt or whole wheat sourdough bread) and flattened each with my hands as much as possible (they ended up to be about 4 inches wide each). I was trying to stretch the dough out over the greatest possible surface area. I placed the discs of dough on olive-oil sprayed baking sheets (about 6 per sheet).

Then I let the buns rise until they were good and puffy. I baked them for15 to 20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. I brushed them with oil when they came out of the oven to keep the tops soft. As soon as they were cool, I bagged them up to keep them moist. I froze some for next weekend, too.

I have been slicing and then freezing loaves of my homemade bread. This seems to simplify things for me. I can work with frozen bread, but not unless it is sliced already. Individual slices can be pulled off a fully or partially frozen loaf, and then toasted. Or I can use fully or partially frozen slices for sandwiches that I pack in the cooler. The sandwiches continue to thaw during the wait for lunch.

Here’s another thing I have been doing — using 1/2 hard red wheat and 1/2 hard white wheat flour. We like the heartier taste and darker color that the hard red gives, while keeping the lightness of the hard white wheat.

Onion-Dill Croutons

• 1 loaf of whole grain bread, 1/2″ cubes
• 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dill weed
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine all ingredients and toss together thoroughly, so none of the seasonings are concentrated in one area. Taste; adjust seasonings.

Spread out on 9″ x 13″ baking pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon

Sweet Potato Muffins

makes 2 dozen muffins

• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 3/4 cup filtered water
• 3 cups pureed sweet potatoes*
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 3/4 cup raw agave syrup (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour, whole wheat flour, or blend of flours**
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.In blender container, whisk together flax seed meal and water. Let sit for a few minutes. Add sweet potatoes, grapeseed oil, agave syrup, spices, and vanilla extract. Blend well, until smooth.

In medium sized mixing bowl, put flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fluff with fork. Add nuts and raisins.

Add blender ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Fill greased muffin tin or muffin paper liners three-fourths full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer muffins to cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container.

*If using homemade pureed sweet potatoes, let excess water drip out through a cheesecloth, until the puree is very thick.

**For cakey muffins, use whole wheat pastry flour. For heartier but still light and moist, use whole wheat flour. For a flour blend, use 3 cups of blend of your choice (for instance, 1 cup millet, 1 cup spelt and 1 cup kamut).

© Copyright 2006 by Wardeh Harmon