Gluten Free Banana Lemon Loaf

modified from Hub Pages

So my love of baking has taken a firm backseat since I have been eating gluten, dairy free. But since I noticed that my overripe and frozen bananas have been piling up in the freezer, I decided to go searching for a banana bread recipe that might fit the restricted bill. And did I ever. I found this recipe on HubPages and have modified it to the ingredients I had and am able to eat. I highly recommend trying this whether or not you are on a gluten-free diet. It is wonderful and I am so excited to take it to work tomorrow so that all of my non-gluten-free co-workers can fall in love with it as I have.

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup buckwheat flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup plus 2 tbsp butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 average sized bananas

Egg replacer equivalent to 4 eggs

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Sift fours with baking powder and salt.

3. Beat butter, sugar and bananas together until smooth and then briefly stir in the egg replacer.

4. Stir into the flour mixture until blended.

5. Pour into a large loaf pan and bake for approximately 1 - 1 1/4 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Mix sugar with lemon juice and drizzle over the top.

Today's Rewards

Eggplant, Zucchini, Kale, Avocado, Lemon, Cucumber, Onion, Heirloom Tomatoes, Plums, Peaches, Broccoli, Corn, Green Onion, Eggs, Almonds and Walnuts. Woopee!

Salmonella Outbreak

As you have no doubt heard, there has been an unprecedented outbreak of salmonella in this country leading to a massive recall of millions of eggs by The Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa. Hundreds of people in California, Minnesota and Colorado have become sick.

The FDA has an updated list of recalled eggs on its website below.

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/shelleggsrecall/

Federal health officials are now saying that contaminated chicken feed is likely to blame for the outbreak. The FDA hasn't determined if the feed came to the facility contaminated or if the feed was contaminated at the facility.

This particular strain, salmonella enteritidis can affect the inside of an egg. The ovaries of a hen can be contaminated by the bacteria, passing the contaminant along to the whites, yoke, and shell of an egg. When people eat food contaminated by Salmonella entiritidis, they suffer from inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning could begin up to three days after eating the tainted eggs and include fever, cramps and diarrhea. Cooking eggs thoroughly greatly reduces the risk.

This salmonella contamination occurred at facilities using the all-too common Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) practice where chickens are packed into cages so tightly that they can barely move. The cages are stacked on top of each other until they reach the building's rafters. Tens of thousands of chickens can populate a single laying shed. Conditions are filthy and overcrowded. It is easy to see how quickly disease can spread and this is what happened at The Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, leading to the recent outbreak of salmonella.

This latest recall is yet another reason to visit your local farmers' market this weekend. Simply put, local, organic chickens have less bacteria than their CAFO-raised counterparts. You can buy eggs at most local farmers' markets I have visited.

Larchmont Farmers Market

Joy! I visited the Larchmont Farmers Market in the Mid-Wilshire area this morning for the first time. It is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Larchmont just south of Beverly. There are dozens of vendors, including farmers, bakers, and craftsmen.

I walked away with plums, strawberries, lemon, green beans, tomatoes, a medley of nuts and raisins, beets, corn, and ceviche. It's going to be a great week!

Sustaining the Unsustainable

www.farmaid.org

The Federal Farm Bill is the main agricultural and food policy tool of the Federal government of the United States. Devastatingly, agribusiness lobbyists have slowly altered it ever since its inception after the Great Depression. Currently, the formula for subsidies awarded to farmers is based on crop type and volume. For example, from 1995 to 2003, 3/4 of all disbursements went to the top-grossing 10 percent of growers. And in 1999, over 70 percent of subsidies went for just two commodity crops: corn and soybeans.

This erosion of the Farm Bill is what has allowed corporations to take over farming in the United States, leaving fewer than a third of our farms still run by families. Ironically, those family-owned farms are the ones doing exactly what 80% of U.S. consumers say we would prefer to support even though our tax dollars do the opposite. Family farms are more likely to use sustainable techniques and protect the surrounding environment. Consider letting your representatives know that we need a dramatically restructured Farm Bill. Until then, support for local and sustainable agriculture will have to come directly from motivated customers.

So what is gluten anyway?

Gluten is the elastic protein commonly found in rye, wheat, and barley. Technically, these proteins are called gliadin and glutenin. Grains that do not have gluten include wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats (there is some controversy about this), soybeans, and sunflower seeds. But gluten is not restricted to just grains. It is hidden in thousands of products. For example as a stabilizing agent or thickener in products like ice cream and ketchup. Still, wheat is where you'll find gluten 90% of the time.

Between 0% and 1% of the United States population are sensitive to gluten due to celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine which can produce a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms. You can also be gluten intolerant or have a gluten allergy without actually having celiac disease. Gluten damages the small intestines of people with celiac disease, and makes life very uncomfortable for people with gluten sensitivity.

Sunland Watermelon Festival

http://www.lionswatermelonfestival.com/

I visited Sunland today for their annual Watermelon Festival knowing nothing about this community that is just 20 or so minutes north of me. I learned that they don't have any farms there but they do love watermelon. The Festival was more of a community gathering with carnival rides, band, theater for children, and WATERMELON! They gave out free watermelon slices and I learned how to pick a good whole watermelon that I will be enjoying for the rest of the week.

How to Pick a Good Watermelon

1. The melon can be round or oval in shape, as long as it is symmetrical.

2. Test for firmness. There should be no soft spots.

3. Dark green melons tend to be sweeter.

4. The most juicy melons are going to feel heavy for their size.

5. The bottom of the melon will be discolored where the melon was in contact with the ground while it was growing. A yellowish-white spot means it's probably ripe. A light green spot means it probably isn't.

6. If you thump the side of a ripe watermelon, it will sound hollow.

I carried a watermelon?!

Today's Rewards

Corn, cauliflower, peppers, peaches, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potato, yam, and kale. Stay tuned!

Fresh Fig Spread

slightly modified from One Frugal Foodie

This spread takes almost no time to make and is a GREAT way to use up fresh figs. I will definitely be making it again and again.

1/4 cup Cashews or Almonds (I used a mixture of both)

1/4 cup Walnuts

5 Fresh Figs

1 tablespoon Honey

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Salt

1. Grind the cashews or almonds into a powder (I used a coffee grinder).

2. Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix to your desired consistency. I left mine fairly chunky.

Fresh Fig Cookies

slightly modified from allrecipes.com

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped fresh figs

1/2 cup chopped maple pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream sugar and shortening in large bowl.

3. Add beaten egg.

4. Sift dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then blend with creamed mixture.

5. Fold in figs and nuts.

6. Drop by spoonfuls on greased sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Well, I broke my gluten fast for these cookies and am so glad that I did! They're awesome. Enjoy!

How Much Protein Do You Need?

Throughout most of my diet modifications in the last decade I have needed to be mindful of my protein intake. Recently my understanding in daily protein requirements was challenged and I revisited the topic.

What is protein?

Proteins are the basic building blocks of the human body. They help build muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails, and internal organs. It plays a major role in all of the cells and most of the fluids in our bodies. Enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and even our DNA are at least partially made up of protein.

Proteins are made up of smaller units called amino acids. There are 20 amino acids that link together to make all of the different types of protein. Eight of the 20 can not be produced by the body alone. These amino acids, called essential amino acids, must be supplied by food and/or supplements. Foods that contain all of the essential amino acids are called complete proteins and include beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk and just about anything else derived from animal sources. Incomplete proteins don't have all of the essential amino acids and generally include vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds and nuts. But have no fear, vegetarians. Incomplete proteins can be combined to make available all of the essential amino acids and form a complete protein. Sources of incomplete protein include grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and other vegetables.

How much protein should I eat each day?

I found some varying responses to this question. Most nutritionists use the following standard method to estimate our minimum daily protein requirements.

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg

2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary (i.e., 0.8). Use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are under stress, are pregnant, are recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

Example: 154 lb male who is a regular exerciser and lifts weights

154 lbs/2.2 = 70kg

70kg x 1.5 = 105 gm protein/day

Another way to calculate how much protein you need daily is by determining the percentage of daily calorie intake that should come from protein.

1. Determine your Basal Metabolic Rate.

2. Determine how many calories you burn through daily activity and add that number to your BMR. This will give you an estimate of how many calories you need to maintain your weight.

3. Multiply the percentage of your diet you want to come from protein. Depending on your fitness level, age, body type and metabolic rate, most experts recommend that your protein intake be between 15 and 30%.

4. Since 1 gram of protein = 4 calories, divide by four.

Example: 140 lb female, calorie intake = 1800, protein = 20%

1800 x .20 = 360 calories

360/4 = 90 grams of protein per day.

Peach Salad

My friend Sam gave me the recipe for this yummy salad as a great way to use the delicious peaches in abundance right now. I tweaked the recipe just a tad. I encourage you to experiment with flavors.

Green Lettuce of Your Choice

Peaches

Red Onion

Feta

Basil

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Thank you Sam!

Today's Rewards

Green onions, pecans, figs, peaches, broccoli, scones, eggplant, pesto, and tomatoes. Yippee!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

LIQUID INGREDIENTS

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup finely shredded zucchini

10 ounces chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine liquid ingredients in a large bowl

3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate, small bowl and then blend into liquid mixture.

4. Stir zucchini and chocolate chips into other ingredients, mix well. Drop spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon.

5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.