Less processed baking and a recipe for banana bread

January 25, 2013 By 1 Comment

The gluten-free product market has exploded in the last few years with more and more people (celiac or not) adopting this diet.

While gluten intolerance and celiac disease is a serious issue for an increasing number of people, the gluten-free diet has somehow caught on as a weight-loss solution as well. Many of the clients at Revive Wellness have tried cutting gluten, or even just wheat, out of their diets with great success. But, this does not prove that these people were overweight just due to eating gluten or wheat. It could be the fact that as soon as you adopt this diet, almost all packaged goods are off limits (the whole centre of the grocery store!) and these goods happen to also be filled with sugar and/or fat. Adopting this diet also forces many to eat more whole foods like fruits, vegetables and proteins.

I do not follow a gluten-free diet but do tend to stay away from wheat. The wheat you and I are exposed to today is modified significantly from the wheat our ancestors once knew. The highly processed products lining the grocery store shelves usually contain a very processed wheat. On the other hand, many gluten-free products are no better for you- read the ingredient lists! Highly processed flours (white rice, corn and potato), gums, starches and fillers, and the same amount (or more to make them palatable) of sugar and fat.

So what do I do to stay away from wheat but also highly-processed products?

I bake my own goods. As I prefer to use natural and whole ingredients in my recipes as much as possible, I’ve been happily experimenting with almond and coconut flours. It takes a little more trial and error, and sometimes a few more eggs, but I now have great recipes for cake (see my very first post), zucchini muffins, cookies and banana bread, which I share with you today as I’ve been eating it for breakfast for weeks!

 

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Welcome to On Callie’s Plate

May 10, 2012 By 6 Comments

In celebration of my new blog, I have cake!

This cake is simple, unique and a lovely way to brighten up a dreary day. It also happens to match my blog, but that’s not the only reason I’m posting the recipe. Here are three more:
  • It happens to be my favorite cake.
  • It is the only cake I’ve ever made with my mom (who will no doubt be my first blog reader- Hi mom!)
  • It’s cake. Who doesn’t like cake?

While I am a healthnut, I want to let you know I am also a person who just loves food. I started experimenting in the kitchen just two years ago, but I developed a passion immediately. I read countless food blogs, own more cookbooks than I could ever cook through, create recipes on an almost daily basis, and write meatless monday posts for Revive Wellness and City and Dale. I enjoy eating seasonally and locally, so what’s on my plate changes constantly.

This blog is a great way to keep track of it all, and I’m excited to share my online recipe binder with you.

So back to that cake.

It uses almond meal instead of flour, and uses the whole orange, pith and all. This combination results in a dense, moist and aromatic dessert. This version uses clementines, but mom and I used navel oranges the first time we made it and is equally as good.

Ingredients

4-5 clementines (or 2-3 navel oranges)

6 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 cups of almond meal, or ground almonds

1 generous tsp baking powder

Directions

  1. Place oranges in a pot or saucepan and pour water until just barely covered. Bring to a boil and let cook for 2 hours. Let cool and then remove clementines.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and line a springform pan.
  3. Cut each clementine into 4 sgements and place in a food processor, give a quick whirl. Then blend eggs, almond meal, sugar and baking powder, but not too long.
  4. Pour mixture into pan, and bake for 45 min- 1 hour. (I like the edges a bit browned, so an hour works for me) Be sure that a knife or toothpick comes clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
  5. Cool on a wire rack still in pan.

I’ve seen this cake topped with a syrup or candied oranges, but I like to keep it simple and just sprinkle with powdered sugar to finish.

Then feel free to match your vintage TV tray to your cake ;)
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