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Health - Nutrition - Have you seen the Swiss Food Pyramid?


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Thanks Stripe and Candid.

 

Candid - I forgot to mention this spice company that makes salt-free seasonings.... www.penzeys.com Someone gave them to us at a time when I wasn't even thinking of LoSo but now I'm appreciating them and they are very tasty. But they look to be on the expensive side...

 

I've also just stocked up on dried beans to cook and then freeze.

 

I'm still doing the LoSo with good results - I don't find it so hard to just leave salt (or most of it) out of the typical recipe (how is the lo salt bread-making going for the three of you?) and I think my taste buds are definitely adjusting....My family added salt before and they still add salt but maybe the total quantity is less - it doesn't look like they are shaking salt on their food any longer than before...

 

About salt in the chicken - we just had chicken that was about half the original size after cooking - yet there was no mention of salt on the package - but it was from France where I'm finding lots of problems with lack of food labeling....Anyway - we've always thought of chicken as being cheaper in France, which at first glance it is. But if they've been pumping up the weight - it might turn out that the Swiss chicken is actually at least the same if not a better deal....I'm going to be watching now for amount of shrinkage....

 

 

I'm having fun experimenting with crock-pot oatmeal porridge recipes....It's interesting because if there is a sweetener added, it doesn't taste salty enough, but if I just use raisins (which add sweetness) it doesn't taste like it needs salt....

 

Joan

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Penzeys is supposed to be very good stuff. I've also found Frontier some of which are stocked locally. My favorite find was a taco seasoning with no salt. Quite good.

 

On the other hand, I learned during my thanksgiving shopping that vanilla pudding has salt in it. 200 mg for one serving. I guess some of that is due to the milk.

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Penzeys is supposed to be very good stuff. I've also found Frontier some of which are stocked locally. My favorite find was a taco seasoning with no salt. Quite good.

 

On the other hand, I learned during my thanksgiving shopping that vanilla pudding has salt in it. 200 mg for one serving. I guess some of that is due to the milk.

 

That looks like a nice place to get herbs and spices - I was hoping they would have 'asafetida' but no possibility...(it is hard to find the pure stuff here - all cut with something)

 

(We celebrate Thanksgiving on the weekend since it is not a holiday here....so made beans last night...)

 

Rude surprise - finding MSG in the beans (using up my stock)! They were from Portugal and marketed in France....

Also surprised that there is 40 mg of Sodium in 100 g of corn - naturally occurring....

 

Joan

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My raw foodie book suggests using tamarind to reduce the need for salt. Not sure if that helps because you usually need a bit of sugar to counteract the tang. Perhaps over time one's tastebuds get used to it and the sugar is no longer required?

 

Anyway, thought I'd toss it in there.

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My raw foodie book suggests using tamarind to reduce the need for salt. Not sure if that helps because you usually need a bit of sugar to counteract the tang. Perhaps over time one's tastebuds get used to it and the sugar is no longer required?

 

Anyway, thought I'd toss it in there.

 

Thanks for the suggestion Rosie. I have tamarind in my freezer for Asian cooking so can easily try it...But it is such a gooey type of stuff - it seems like it would work in sauces - but otherwise hard to mix in. Or does it come in another format?

 

Joan

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Thanks for the suggestion Rosie. I have tamarind in my freezer for Asian cooking so can easily try it...But it is such a gooey type of stuff - it seems like it would work in sauces - but otherwise hard to mix in. Or does it come in another format?

 

Joan

 

It comes in blocks too. You rip off a bit, soak it in water and use the water. It's annoying so I prefer the gooey stuff, lol. Hmm. I really need to dig through my recipe collection and cook some tamarind! For some reason I have four jars of the stuff...

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My raw foodie book suggests using tamarind to reduce the need for salt. Not sure if that helps because you usually need a bit of sugar to counteract the tang. Perhaps over time one's tastebuds get used to it and the sugar is no longer required?

 

Anyway, thought I'd toss it in there.

 

I had a recipe that called for it. It took some doing to find it, but I've read it stores well. Do you find that to be the case?

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Candid - we were using our Asian condiments - one was chili with basil sauce - it had 1070 mg Na in just 30 g of sauce!!! so a ratio of 1:30...and you could easily put on 15 - 30 g sauce on a serving of noodles...

 

I would put salt/sodium on a tag but don't know how to tag things yet....

 

Joan

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Candid - we were using our Asian condiments - one was chili with basil sauce - it had 1070 mg Na in just 30 g of sauce!!! so a ratio of 1:30...and you could easily put on 15 - 30 g sauce on a serving of noodles...

 

I would put salt/sodium on a tag but don't know how to tag things yet....

 

Joan

 

 

On tagging, I found a thread: http://forums.welltr...72-thread-tags/ You are supposedly the only one who can do it, but I notice that there are already tags on this thread so maybe someone else figure out how to tag and could tell us. . . . .?

 

I ran a test over on the forum for that. If you can go back to the original post and edit it; then click on "use full editting form" (or something like that on the lower right). Then right under the Title of the this thread you'll see a line to put tags, and I think you can just add sodium or salt.

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On tagging, I found a thread: http://forums.welltr...72-thread-tags/ You are supposedly the only one who can do it, but I notice that there are already tags on this thread so maybe someone else figure out how to tag and could tell us. . . . .?

 

I ran a test over on the forum for that. If you can go back to the original post and edit it; then click on "use full editting form" (or something like that on the lower right). Then right under the Title of the this thread you'll see a line to put tags, and I think you can just add sodium or salt.

 

 

They were tagged from before the official changeover - but I don't know how they made it and others didn't....Since it seems like the conversion process was actually going on beforehand...maybe they just got in there...going to try to tag now..ETA - wow, there can be 10 tags...I hope they make it so that others can add tags...Thanks, Joan

Edited by Joan in Geneva
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  • 2 months later...

Just to turn everything on its ear :laugh:

 

here are 2 more food pyramid options

 

http://www.marksdail.../#axzz2KRQGhAVq

 

and

http://www.nourishin...rg/Pyramid.html

 

we eat primarily no grain/legume and limited dairy because of food intolerences...the kids crack me up at the library or doctors when they see nutritional info because it would make us soo sick to follow. They get all huffy.

 

so we swing between the two above except during fasting periods like lent then its more like this

 

http://almostrawvega...an-food-groups/

 

just to thoroughly confuse our relatives ya know :laugh:

 

 

 

Very interesting articles ! Glad you added them....I wonder if there is something to that - about eating the whole food? I'd never thought about it in relation to chicken for example...not eating skinless chicken...

 

yes, there are some contradictions that would confuse any relative :-)

 

Joan

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I agree about whole foods - but why do they want a large consumption of organ meat?

I love liver, truly love it, but the purpose if this organ is to filter toxins from the body, and it concentrates heavy metals which are not eliminated by the organism. Not something I would want to make the base of my diet.

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I agree about whole foods - but why do they want a large consumption of organ meat?

I love liver, truly love it, but the purpose if this organ is to filter toxins from the body, and it concentrates heavy metals which are not eliminated by the organism. Not something I would want to make the base of my diet.

 

 

When I was eating liver - I'd eat calves liver exactly because of this issue. Probably you could eat 'bio' liver...

 

Also for kidneys, they can concentrate cadmium - but maybe there are ways of getting that out of the kidney?

 

Joan

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I agree about whole foods - but why do they want a large consumption of organ meat?

I love liver, truly love it, but the purpose if this organ is to filter toxins from the body, and it concentrates heavy metals which are not eliminated by the organism. Not something I would want to make the base of my diet.

 

 

No, no, no, I will not hear this! I love pate. I'm hoping they don't feed those ducks (geese?) toxic metals!

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funny ,we don't actually eat them because i was never taught how to cook them... though ds loves sqiushing and slurping the little liver out of the cooked whole chicken -eww

 

here is the why

 

http://toomanyjarsin...s-in-your-diet/

 

http://www.thepaleom...ting-organ.html

 

i dont know that it is so much about a large consumption as that not all our meat should be boneless skinless chicken breasts and reduced fat hamburger patties, maybe just balance

 

as far as the safety it always comes back to where are you buying your meat and how is it raised.

I get to see the animals i eat and i know what they eat and drink so I trust the meat...saranwrapped frozen livers from the grocery store not so much. :)

 

They make useful points about all the vitamins and minerals - but it is curious that they don't mention heavy metals....I'm going to have to research that more....

 

I am interested in getting more nutrient packed foods....heart seems beneficial...

 

But do you know if there is 'blood' still left in the liver? I do not want to be eating 'blood' and it does seem like such a 'bloody' organ...

 

Because Geneva is so international, you can go into some of the food stores and find all kinds of things - pig ears, pig snouts, brain, etc, etc...

 

Thanks for the education Maggie Annie,

Joan

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In the NO Salt baking book I am using I have noticed that he often use orange juice instead of water or if using water he adds in a tablespoon or two of vinegar. I have been experimenting with substituting a tablespoon of vinegar for a tablespoon of water. Thus far in my short amount of time doing this I have learned that white bread flour will need more vinegar than whole wheat or whole wheat mixes, but I'm not very close to an easy formula by any means.

 

 

 

Candid - I've found a traditional bread recipe from Tuscany that does not have salt in it :-)

 

Now the lady who told me about it said that it was because this was the bread of the poor people who lived in the countryside and couldn't afford salt and lived off the table scraps of the castle in the old days....

 

On this recipe it has completely different explanations...

 

http://www.kingarthu...-toscano-recipe

 

HTH,

Joan

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Candid - I've found a traditional bread recipe from Tuscany that does not have salt in it :-)

 

Now the lady who told me about it said that it was because this was the bread of the poor people who lived in the countryside and couldn't afford salt and lived off the table scraps of the castle in the old days....

 

On this recipe it has completely different explanations...

 

http://www.kingarthu...-toscano-recipe

 

HTH,

Joan

I had so little salt in my diet that recently I've had to start adding a small amount of salt and it's helped my sleep at night, etc. It is actually possible to not get enough. I have a very restricted diet due to allergies & sensitivities. That said, if I were to eat even half of the recommended daily allowance I'd puff up like a balloon. My family hates it if I forget the salt in the bread I bake, but I'm going to look at some of these recipes to see if I can find a salt free one as the gluten eaters in my house all get plenty of salt & don't need more. However, it can't be bland like this King Arthur recipe as they aren't going to eat it with all that other stuff all of the time.

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I had so little salt in my diet that recently I've had to start adding a small amount of salt and it's helped my sleep at night, etc. It is actually possible to not get enough. I have a very restricted diet due to allergies & sensitivities. That said, if I were to eat even half of the recommended daily allowance I'd puff up like a balloon. My family hates it if I forget the salt in the bread I bake, but I'm going to look at some of these recipes to see if I can find a salt free one as the gluten eaters in my house all get plenty of salt & don't need more. However, it can't be bland like this King Arthur recipe as they aren't going to eat it with all that other stuff all of the time.

 

 

My update on the salt free bread front is this: in order for bread to be salt free you've got to provide other sources of taste. I have a good recipe that use a bit of a high fiber cooked cereal (from Bob's Red Mill) and is half whole wheat and has a bit of honey. This makes for a very tasty bread. I have learned that in the bread machine, what I can do is make 1 1/2 pound loaf in a 2 pound machine and cut the yeast back to around 1/2 of the original amount and I will get a good but not crazy rise.

 

I have read that some people have problems with bread not rising. I can tell you cutting the salt out will free you from that problem.

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I had so little salt in my diet that recently I've had to start adding a small amount of salt and it's helped my sleep at night, etc. It is actually possible to not get enough. I have a very restricted diet due to allergies & sensitivities.

 

Good to know for those of us limiting our intake....

 

 

My update on the salt free bread front is this: in order for bread to be salt free you've got to provide other sources of taste. I have a good recipe that use a bit of a high fiber cooked cereal (from Bob's Red Mill) and is half whole wheat and has a bit of honey. This makes for a very tasty bread. I have learned that in the bread machine, what I can do is make 1 1/2 pound loaf in a 2 pound machine and cut the yeast back to around 1/2 of the original amount and I will get a good but not crazy rise.

 

I have read that some people have problems with bread not rising. I can tell you cutting the salt out will free you from that problem.

 

 

Candid - do you have a link to the recipe? Sounds good - and you're right that it still should taste good....

 

Whoa. When did we start discussing organ meat? I am not a fan.

 

Amy - you don't say why you are not a fan.....

 

I think I'm going to start cooking chicken hearts (for enzyme Q10) - since chickens are small and relatively young compared to cattle and other larger animals....there is less buildup of toxins. Ultimately it would be best to get 'bio' (European coinage for 'organic') - I have to find out how hard that is still....since we don't raise our own....

 

PS is TARDIS meant to mean 'late', some Greek island, or the time capsule?

 

Joan

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Okay, here are my caveat's: this is from Beth Hensperger's The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. I've cooked several tasty things from this cookbook. She always includes a 1 1/2 and 2 pound loaf recipe for each type of bread. I use the 1 1/2 pound version in a machine that can make a 2 pound loaf. Yeast without salt rises a bit more so this gives me a safety zone.

 

Next I've been using this hot cereal to make the bread: http://www.bobsredmi...hot-cereal.html It also makes a good breakfast on its own. I microwave 1/4 cup cereal, 3/4 cup of water, and 2 tablespoons dried fruit for 3 minutes in a large bowl and then eat. Tasty! They also have: http://www.bobsredmi...ber-cereal.html which I am going to try after I run out of the ten grain.

 

Since this is a bread machine recipe, I'm going to give you the ingredients. Just add them to your machine per its directions and choose a wheat loaf setting.

 

1 1/4 cup boiling water, pour over

1/2 cup grain cereal, leave for one hour

3 tablespoons honey, you can add to the above

3 tablespoons butter, cut up

1 2/3 cup bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup dry milk or buttermilk powder (buttermilk makes a better loaf but milk will work)

1 1/2 T wheat gluten

2 teaspoons bread machine yeast (note: the recipe calls for 3 teaspoons of bread machine yeast or 2 1/2 SAF yeast, you can adjust and I'm not precise)

 

I ate a slice of this that I baked yesterday without anything on it. It is good, soft, slightly sweet.

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My update on the salt free bread front is this: in order for bread to be salt free you've got to provide other sources of taste. I have a good recipe that use a bit of a high fiber cooked cereal (from Bob's Red Mill) and is half whole wheat and has a bit of honey. This makes for a very tasty bread. I have learned that in the bread machine, what I can do is make 1 1/2 pound loaf in a 2 pound machine and cut the yeast back to around 1/2 of the original amount and I will get a good but not crazy rise.

 

I have read that some people have problems with bread not rising. I can tell you cutting the salt out will free you from that problem.

 

Yes, salt slows the rise of yeast. When I make sandwich bread & always do a sponge first and don't add the salt until I put the rest of the yeast in & add the rest of the flour. The only time I have trouble with rise is when I forget to add the yeast. I buy my yeast by the pound & keep it in the freezer where it lasts a very long time.

 

Okay, here are my caveat's: this is from Beth Hensperger's The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook.

 

We don't have a bread machine, so I make a week's worth of bread at a time. I wonder if saltless bread goes stale sooner.

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Amy - you don't say why you are not a fan.....

 

I think I'm going to start cooking chicken hearts (for enzyme Q10) - since chickens are small and relatively young compared to cattle and other larger animals....there is less buildup of toxins. Ultimately it would be best to get 'bio' (European coinage for 'organic') - I have to find out how hard that is still....since we don't raise our own....

 

PS is TARDIS meant to mean 'late', some Greek island, or the time capsule?

 

Joan

 

 

The time travelling TARDIS. :)

 

I've only had two types of organ meat that I can remember - liver and something fried my DH got at a gas station in the south once, possibly gizzards. Both tasted very strong and unpleasant to me. I'm normally not a picky eater but both those were such bad experiences. I'm willing to throw out the fact that it was from a gas station as a statstical outlier though because frankly nothing at a gas station is very good.

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The time travelling TARDIS. :)

 

I've only had two types of organ meat that I can remember - liver and something fried my DH got at a gas station in the south once, possibly gizzards. Both tasted very strong and unpleasant to me. I'm normally not a picky eater but both those were such bad experiences. I'm willing to throw out the fact that it was from a gas station as a statstical outlier though because frankly nothing at a gas station is very good.

I still remember the time someone gave my dad a Haggis (my dad is born on Bobby Burns day, but has no Scottish in him). We kids weren't told what was in it, but we all hated it. My dad, meanwhile, poured a fair bit of ketchup on his.

 

That said, like my mother, I do stew chicken giblets, put them through the blender & make giblet gravy if I'm making gravy.

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Okay, here are my caveat's: this is from Beth Hensperger's The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. I've cooked several tasty things from this cookbook. She always includes a 1 1/2 and 2 pound loaf recipe for each type of bread. I use the 1 1/2 pound version in a machine that can make a 2 pound loaf. Yeast without salt rises a bit more so this gives me a safety zone.

 

Next I've been using this hot cereal to make the bread: http://www.bobsredmi...hot-cereal.html It also makes a good breakfast on its own. I microwave 1/4 cup cereal, 3/4 cup of water, and 2 tablespoons dried fruit for 3 minutes in a large bowl and then eat. Tasty! They also have: http://www.bobsredmi...ber-cereal.html which I am going to try after I run out of the ten grain.

 

Since this is a bread machine recipe, I'm going to give you the ingredients. Just add them to your machine per its directions and choose a wheat loaf setting.

 

1 1/4 cup boiling water, pour over

1/2 cup grain cereal, leave for one hour

3 tablespoons honey, you can add to the above

3 tablespoons butter, cut up

1 2/3 cup bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup dry milk or buttermilk powder (buttermilk makes a better loaf but milk will work)

1 1/2 T wheat gluten

2 teaspoons bread machine yeast (note: the recipe calls for 3 teaspoons of bread machine yeast or 2 1/2 SAF yeast, you can adjust and I'm not precise)

 

I ate a slice of this that I baked yesterday without anything on it. It is good, soft, slightly sweet.

 

 

Thank you Candid! I don't have a bread-making machine but we'll try to adapt....I can't remember seeing wheat gluten - do you get it in a health food store?

 

I buy my yeast by the pound & keep it in the freezer where it lasts a very long time.

 

 

That's a good idea!

 

The time travelling TARDIS. :)

 

Interesting location :-)

 

I've only had two types of organ meat that I can remember - liver and something fried my DH got at a gas station in the south once, possibly gizzards. Both tasted very strong and unpleasant to me. I'm normally not a picky eater but both those were such bad experiences. I'm willing to throw out the fact that it was from a gas station as a statstical outlier though because frankly nothing at a gas station is very good.

 

 

Just in case you are 'open' and like curry or Indian food, these spices could change your whole experience....

 

Although it calls for chicken livers, it is great for chicken hearts. I started making this when I was a student and on a budget....but then stopped due to 'liver' questions...and will now restart with just hearts...

 

http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/luscious-chicken-livers

 

I think 'carry' means 'curry' at least according to my original recipe....

 

 

I still remember the time someone gave my dad a Haggis

 

I have to say - it sounds a little gross....

 

That said, like my mother, I do stew chicken giblets, put them through the blender & make giblet gravy if I'm making gravy.

 

Sounds good - except that giblets don't come with the chicken here. But now I know what to do with them if I ever run across them...

 

Joan

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Vital Wheat Gluten might be stocked by any store that has a bunch of baking related items: lots of varieties of flour, etc. However you can, at least in the US, find it at more crunchy places like food co-ops or Whole Foods. It sometimes come in bulk but it also comes packaged up.

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Vital Wheat Gluten might be stocked by any store that has a bunch of baking related items: lots of varieties of flour, etc. However you can, at least in the US, find it at more crunchy places like food co-ops or Whole Foods. It sometimes come in bulk but it also comes packaged up.

 

 

Thanks Candid!

 

Now I'm trying to figure out what the French terms are for this....The reasonable health food store is not so close so I have some time to find out...

 

Joan

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Sounds good - except that giblets don't come with the chicken here. But now I know what to do with them if I ever run across them...

 

Joan

 

It's better not to include the liver in this gravy, apparently, but I've forgotten & left it in before & my family still ate it.

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It's better not to include the liver in this gravy, apparently, but I've forgotten & left it in before & my family still ate it.

 

Hmmm...you know inside the chicken back there are those little organs that are not livers, not giblets - do you know what they are? Is it better to take those out before boiling the chicken? I'm wondering if they are like liver and negatively affect the flavor?....There was some previous experience where I got this idea though I don't remember the details....

 

Joan

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Hmmm...you know inside the chicken back there are those little organs that are not livers, not giblets - do you know what they are? Is it better to take those out before boiling the chicken? I'm wondering if they are like liver and negatively affect the flavor?....There was some previous experience where I got this idea though I don't remember the details....

 

Joan

 

They could be kidneys which do smell bad when boiled.

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  • 1 month later...

Vital Wheat Gluten might be stocked by any store that has a bunch of baking related items: lots of varieties of flour, etc. However you can, at least in the US, find it at more crunchy places like food co-ops or Whole Foods. It sometimes come in bulk but it also comes packaged up.

 

Ok, well I went to the health food store yesterday but they didn't have it....

 

Today I was looking at a recipe and it called for Seitan and in parens said that is 'wheat gluten' - it called for a pound of it! which made me wonder if this is really the same stuff you are using in the bread recipe?

 

Thanks for your help Candid,

Joan

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Ok, well I went to the health food store yesterday but they didn't have it....

 

Today I was looking at a recipe and it called for Seitan and in parens said that is 'wheat gluten' - it called for a pound of it! which made me wonder if this is really the same stuff you are using in the bread recipe?

 

Thanks for your help Candid,

Joan

 

I have no idea, but the most I have seen in recipes is 1 1/2 tablespoons. You can probably leave it out, but it enhances the overall texture of the dough. Gluten is the part of flour that gets stretchy and makes air pockets with the yeast's out gasses.

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So what do you put in your breakfast smoothie?

 

Joan

 

Here is a great recipe

 

1 cup almond milk or regular milk

1 frozen banana

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

2 cups raw spinach

 

Makes a delicious green smoothie ( you don't taste the spinach)

 

Add a few blueberries or strawberries if desired. You can also add 1-2 Tbsp plain greek yogurt for a creamy consistency.

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I have no idea, but the most I have seen in recipes is 1 1/2 tablespoons. You can probably leave it out, but it enhances the overall texture of the dough. Gluten is the part of flour that gets stretchy and makes air pockets with the yeast's out gasses.

 

I'm guessing now that Seitan is something different though made with wheat gluten? It seems it is a protein substitute....

 

Well hopefully I can find the stuff you are talking about...

 

Here is a great recipe

 

1 cup almond milk or regular milk

1 frozen banana

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

2 cups raw spinach

 

Makes a delicious green smoothie ( you don't taste the spinach)

 

Add a few blueberries or strawberries if desired. You can also add 1-2 Tbsp plain greek yogurt for a creamy consistency.

 

Thank you!

 

Joan

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