We threw my sister-in-law a real curveball, coming to visit during Lent when our entire family was grain-free. I’m pretty sure she had a spectacular menu all planned out when I dropped the email bomb about, “By the way, we gave up grains for Lent, and it’s not just a sacrifice thing, but we have to stick to it to see if anyone actually has a health issue with gluten. Hope you weren’t planning veggie lasagna for a meatless Friday dinner…”
She was, of course. Then she was going to use eggplant in one dish instead of noodles, until I told her nobody around here likes eggplant, either.
The poor girl. I don’t blame her for being frustrated at first, and I felt horribly after speaking to her on the phone.
She never ceases to impress and amaze me, though, so I wasn’t completely surprised (although honored and touched) that she tossed her original plans and rose to the challenge with new recipes the whole weekend.
She learned to read labels, found some fun gluten-free crackers, served an amazing meat- AND grain-free supper on Friday (pasta-less minestrone, salad, and zucchini-based cheesy lasagna), and got creative with quinoa crepes for breakfast. (The only time my husband has ever eaten quinoa and enjoyed it! Woo hoo!) She found a little restaurant in Cincinnati for Saturday’s lunch that serves local, pastured meats and eggs which I raved about on Facebook as soon as I could, and she had bunless and delicious homemade turkey burgers with tons of side dishes for dinner.
I am so truly blessed to have a sister-in-law who cares about us so much. *sniff*
She even knocked out the ever-difficult “snacks” category with these apple flax muffins, a recipe she realized she had bookmarked long ago before she had ever heard of anyone going grain-free.
They were the absolutely perfect to-go treat for the 5K run/walk that we all participated in.
And now, for the recipe. You won’t trick anyone into thinking they’re not health food, but if you like a hearty muffin, you’ll never miss the flour in this recipe. I just love the chunkiness of the nuts and apples, and I remain amazed that flax can take the place of all grains like this.
You can even try swapping the sugar with sorghum syrupor maple syrup for a healthier sweetener.
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Mix dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and add to dry mixture along with oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Add apple and nuts and stir to combine.
If using whole flax seeds; you’ll need a decent blender for this one:
Blend eggs, oil, flax seeds, applesauce and vanilla about a minute, or as long as it takes to grind up the seeds completely. (This just about killed my blender, so I decided “good enough” when my blender just didn’t want to move anymore.) The mixture will get very gummy and thick quite quickly.
Combine dry ingredients separately.
If you have a high-powered blender, add dry ingredients to the mixture in the blender and blend to combine, then stir in apples and walnuts.
If you have a regular blender, pour wet mixture from blender into a bowl, where you can combine with dry ingredients, apples and nuts.
To finish either method:
Allow fully incorporated mixture to stand 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line or grease muffin tins. Spoon into tins (the batter will be very thick) and bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (12-14 for mini muffins)
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I recommend storing any baked good made with flax in the refrigerator, unless you’re going to consume them all within 1-2 days. Flax just seems to mold quickly, possibly because of the unstable omega-3s that are so healthy for us to eat. (More on how to store flax seeds and flax oil.)
I also recommend, of course, enlisting the kids to help on this one like the pic below! Yes, kids CAN use sharp knives safely on those apples, measure ingredients carefully and stir a uniform mixture…we teach them how in our online kids cooking class, in fact. 😉
Like I told you last week when I detailed the difficulties of our elimination diet, eating with others is the greatest challenge. I’m so thankful my sister-in-law made it really, really easy on us for an entire Lenten weekend.
If you’re just here for the healthy snacks, you might also enjoy these banana flax muffins (although not grain-free), found in my Healthy Snacks to Go eBook.
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Flaxseed can replace all of the fat called for in a recipe because of its high oil content. If a recipe calls for 1/3 cup (75 mL) of oil or butter or other fat then use 1 cup (250 mL) of ground flaxseed to replace it. Generally, use a 3:1 substitution ratio.
If you're making one flax egg, combine one tablespoon of flaxseed meal and three tablespoons of water and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. From here, you can add this ingredient to your recipe just as you would an egg! Consider it the Bob's Red Mill formula for egg-less magic.
Ground chia seeds are an excellent flax meal substitute as a thickening agent, a vegan egg replacement, and added to baked goods. Whole chia seeds work well in smoothies, puddings, oatmeal, and baked goods.
It's a moist bakery-style muffin filled with raspberries and melted sugar-free chocolate chips. You won't believe this recipe is sugar-free and contains only 3 grams of net carbs.
Chia seeds, psyllium husk and hemp seeds can all work as substitutes for flaxseed. Flaxseed, also known as linseed, is a highly nutritious plant. It's commonly used as a thickener, binder or crust in vegan and vegetarian cooking.
While ground flaxseed cannot completely replace the flour in a recipe, it can easily replace about 1/4 of the flour called for. The rest of the all purpose or whole wheat flour should be substituted for gluten free flour.
Adding flaxseed to the diet might increase the number of bowel movements each day. It might also cause side effects such as bloating, gas, stomachache, and nausea. Higher doses are likely to cause more side effects.
Flaxseeds contain lignans, which can help to balance oestrogen levels in the body. This can be beneficial for women with oestrogen-dominant conditions like breast cancer, fibroids, or endometriosis.
Keep your flaxseeds fresher longer by keeping them in an airtight container. Whole or ground, it's not required to be stored in the fridge. A cool, dark pantry should be fine. Though just as storing nuts in the fridge increases their shelf life, the same goes for flaxseeds and flaxseed meal.
We prefer flax eggs over chia eggs, but for those with an allergy or sensitivity to flax or who are not able to find or make flaxseed meal, chia eggs are a great option! You can use a chia egg as an egg substitute in many dishes, including quick breads, waffles, cookies, and more!
How Long Does Flaxseed Last? When stored properly—in an airtight storage container and away from sunlight—our whole flaxseed has a shelf life of two years. Ground flaxseed has a shelf life of one year. Each bag of flaxseed has a best by date printed on the packaging.
For most recipes for baked products, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed for 2 tablespoons of the flour for each cup of flour in the recipe. If you don't have a coffee mill to grind the flax seed, soak the seeds in warm water for about 10 minutes before adding them to your baked products.
So, instead of 1 tablespoon of oil, use 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed. If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup oil, add just 1/4 cup oil and replace the remaining 1/4 cup oil with 3/4 cup ground flaxseeds. Try it out with one of these freshly baked loaves.
In addition to being healthy, flax seeds are mucilaginous. When mixed with water, the flax will thicken and create a 'gel' with the texture similar to an egg white, hence making it an ideal egg substitute.
Flax seeds are made up of 29% carbs — a whopping 95% of which is fiber. This means that they're low in net digestible carbs — the number of total carbs minus the amount of fiber — making them a low-carb food. Two tablespoons (20 grams) of flax seeds provide about 6 grams of fiber.
But, folks, the good news is that Flaxseed does not break ketosis. Flaxseeds are highly keto-friendly. Flaxseeds are one of the most recommended keto foods, which are calorie dense yet low-carb.
Does ground flaxseed have more health benefits than whole flaxseed? Answer From Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. Most nutrition experts recommend ground over whole flaxseed because the ground form is easier to digest. Whole flaxseed may pass through your intestine undigested, which means you won't get all the benefits.
Use wheat germ when baking bread. With a nutty flavor similar to flaxseed and great binding properties, you can substitute wheat germ for flaxseed when baking. You might, however, notice that your finished product is slightly less chewy than normal. You will also pick up health benefits.
I've been adding ground flaxseed to my bread loaves for a few years now; I usually add 1 ounce (~28 grams) to 23 ounces (652 grams) total flour, from which I make 2 small pan loaves. I use fresh ground whole grain flour, usually a 50:50 mix of turkey red and kamut or spelt.
Milled or ground flaxseed is the same thing as flax meal. Buy either brown or golden flaxseed. Golden flaxseed is easier on the eyes, but brown flaxseed is easier to find in most supermarkets. There is very little difference nutritionally between the two, so the choice is up to you.
Flax seeds are rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, fiber, and protein. However, whole flax seeds don't fully break down in your gut, so it's best to eat them ground to reap the most nutritional benefit. Using a coffee grinder is the easiest, most convenient way to grind flax seeds.
Unless otherwise noted in a recipe, I've found that the perfect flaxseed meal to water ratio in a flax egg is 1:3. So, you'll need 3 tablespoons of water for every 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal in order to replace one regular egg.
Flaxseed's health benefits come from the fact that it's high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as phytochemicals called lignans. One tablespoon (7 grams) of ground flaxseed contains 2 grams of polyunsaturated fatty acids (includes the omega 3s), 2 grams of dietary fiber and 37 calories.
Apparently there is a gum in the seed coating that becomes thick and gelatinous when the seeds are ground and whisked with water. Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking says this makes a good emulsifier and will help the structure of baked goods – much like eggs!
Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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