Showing posts with label dried cherries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dried cherries. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
GLUTEN-FREE CRISPY, CORNY TOASTED ALMOND CHERRY DELIGHT WAFFLES
I meant to post this recipe for Valentine's Day, but it didn't happen! But, better late than never-- these beauties would be delicious any time of the year. I based them on the white bean/oat waffles that I developed for the first version of Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes-- low in fat; high in protein, fiber and other nutrients. They also just happen to be gluten-free.
My two 12-year-old granddaughters ate quite a few of these for brunch this last Sunday after a sleep-over at our house. They were quite surprised when I revealed the "secret ingredient", white beans, but that didn't deter them from eating more!
Don't be put off by having to put the beans in water to soak the night before. This takes just minutes before you retire for the night and then, in the morning, the batter is quickly made in the blender while the waffle iron heats up. They can be reheated quickly in a very hot oven for a short time (you just want to crisp and heat them, not dry them out), or in a toaster. Keep some ready-made in the freezer for quick toaster snacks-- they are great eaten out of hand with a little low-sugar jam.
NOTE: Use only dried white navy beans or Great Northern beans or split (white) urad dal for making white bean flour, or purchase bean flour made from only one of those varieties. (Chickpea flour is fine, too.)
DO NOT use cannellini beans, red or white kidney beans, butter beans, broad beans or lima beans for making flour; nor should you use those 6 varieties of beans whole, soaked (but raw) and blended into recipes to be cooked or baked. Those 6 varieties of beans all need to be soaked for at least 5 hours, water discarded, and then boiled in fresh water for 10 to 15 minutes before simmering until tender before eating. This eliminates toxic lectins which can cause all sorts of digestive distress in some people.
And be advised that slow-cookers do not always get hot enough to get rid of the toxin, so soak and boil as advised above before finishing in a slow-cooker. If using a pressure cooker to cook kidney beans or the other 4 varieties mentioned as problematic, you do not need to pre-boil for 10 minutes as the very high temperatures reached inside the pressure cooker are adequate to destroy the toxin, but definitely soak first and discard the water. (Info from this article.)
The toxin in white kidney beans at about 1/3rd the concentration of red kidney beans, and broad (fava) beans, butter beans and lima beans at about 5 to 10%.
Don't panic about lectins, but be informed-- see https://authoritynutrition.com/dietary-lectins/ and http://www.medic8.com/healthguide/food-poisoning/red-kidney-bean-toxins.html
Servings:
5
Yield:
makes about 10/ 4" waffles or 5/ 7” round waffles
These are crispy, ultra-nutritious homemade
waffles, delicious and far superior to any frozen waffle available. These waffles are super-easy to mix up, but take a little longer to bake than ordinary waffles
(about 8 minutes), so you might want to make them ahead of serving time, or have two
waffle irons going at the same time. They can be reheated quickly in a very hot
oven for a short time (you just want to crisp and heat them, not dry them out),
or in a toaster. Note: Don't worry, no one will
suspect that there are beans in these waffles!
1/2 cup dried white navy beans or Great Northern beans (see Note above photo.)
1/2 cup dried white navy beans or Great Northern beans (see Note above photo.)
2 1/4 cups fresh water
1 cup
yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup
rolled oats (use GF rolled oats if necessary)
2 Tbs
organic light granulated unbleached sugar
1 Tbs
whole golden flax seed
1 Tbs
baking powder
1 tsp
salt
1/2 tsp
pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp
pure almond extract
1/4 cup
toasted slivered almonds
1/2 cup
dried cherries, coarsely chopped
The
night before:
Soak the beans in plenty of water. The
beans can soak in water in the refrigerator for up to a week with no
fermentation, if you aren't sure when you'll make the waffles.
In
the morning:
Drain the beans. Place them in a sturdy blender along with all of the other ingredients, in the order given. Blend until smooth
and light and foamy. This may take several minutes. NOTE: Some blenders are too cheaply-made to grind properly, although beans soaked all night should be no problem.
Let the batter stand while you heat up your
waffle iron on medium setting.
It's best to use a newer nonstick model in order for this no-added-oil recipe to be successful. I use either a Cuisinart Classic Round waffle maker that makes 7" waffles, or a model that makes two 4" square waffles at a time. Do not use a Belgian waffle iron (one with deep depressions that makes thick waffles), or one with very tiny depressions. Just an ordinary "classic" or "traditional" waffle iron! There are various brands that make them.
It's best to use a newer nonstick model in order for this no-added-oil recipe to be successful. I use either a Cuisinart Classic Round waffle maker that makes 7" waffles, or a model that makes two 4" square waffles at a time. Do not use a Belgian waffle iron (one with deep depressions that makes thick waffles), or one with very tiny depressions. Just an ordinary "classic" or "traditional" waffle iron! There are various brands that make them.
When the iron is hot, spray with oil and pour on about a
heaping 1/3 cup batter for each 4" square waffle or 2/3 cup for each 7" round
waffle. Close the iron and set the timer for 8 minutes. Don't attempt to remove
the waffle before 8 minutes is up. If the iron is hard to open, don't force it-- let it cook for a
couple of more minutes. You can usually tell when a waffle is done when there is no steam coming out of the iron anymore.
Stir the batter again briefly before
pouring out each waffle. If the batter gets thicker on standing, add a little
water, just until it's the consistency you started out with. Spray the waffle maker with oil before making each waffle.
Serve the waffles immediately, or let them
cool on cake racks before re-heating or storing. When they are cool, they can be frozen in plastic bags or
rigid containers. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition
(per serving): 312.9 calories; 14% calories from
fat; 5.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 396.0mg sodium; 828.8mg potassium;
59.3g carbohydrates; 8.1g fiber; 5.7g sugar; 51.2g net carbs; 10.5g protein;
5.9 points.
Enjoy!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
JUST-ABOUT-FAT-FREE HOMEMADE MAPLE-CHERRY-COCONUT GRANOLA
A microwave works so well for making small batches of granola without added oil. (Many homemade and commercial versions of granola contain over 3 times the fat grams as this recipe.) It takes less than 10 minutes all together, so it's no trouble to make a batch when you run out. (Afraid of microwave ovens?) I also found that this did not make my jaw hurt from chewing so hard, as is the case with some granola cereals I have encountered! But it could be "chunkier", so I have an idea for overcoming that-- I'll keep you posted.
Half a cup of this cereal with half a banana and some soy milk kept me going all morning!
Want to know the origins of granola? Here's an interesting history.
BRYANNA’S JUST-ABOUT-FAT-FREE HOMEMADE MAPLE-CHERRY-COCONUT GRANOLA (WITH NUTTY ORANGE-APRICOT-COCONUT VARIATION)
Yield: 4 cups; Servings: 8
This recipe is adapted from one in my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook". NOTE: Without fruit, this makes a good nut substitute for low-fat baking.
2 cups oatmeal (or other rolled whole grain cereal)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour, or any other whole grain flour
1/2 cup wheat bran, oat bran or rice bran
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
VARIATION: NUTTY ORANGE-APRICOT-COCONUT GRANOLA
For the sweetener, use 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate and 2 tablespoons agave nectar
Instead of 1/2 cup coconut, use only 3 tablespoons coconut, along with 1/3 cup chopped pecans or other nuts
Add 1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract, orange oil or 1 tablespoon grated organic orange zest
Instead of the dried cherries, use 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
NOTE: You need a 2.2 cubic ft. capacity microwave for this recipe. Mine is 1200 watts. If yours is weaker, you may have to cook it in 3 minutes increments instead of 2 minute ones.
Mix all of the ingredients (except the dried fruit) together thoroughly in a medium bowl.
Spread the mixture evenly on baking parchment cut to fit the microwave carousel.
Cook on full power for 2 minutes. Stir gently and spread out evenly again. Cook 2 minutes more, stir gently, and push the granola in the center of the carousel out toward the edges, leaving an empty space in the center of the carousel about 3-4 inches across. The reason for doing this is that the center tends to burn towards the end of cooking. Cook for 2 minutes more. The mixture should be light golden.
Dump the granola onto a baking sheet with sides and add the dried fruit. Cool completely, stirring once in a while.
When completely cool, store in an airtight container.
When completely cool, store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving): 220.5 calories; 18% calories from fat; 4.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 64.5mg sodium; 213.2mg potassium; 41.7g carbohydrates; 6.3g fiber; 8.6g sugar; 35.5g net carbs; 5.9g protein; 4.0 points.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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