Good Food Friday: Grain Free Bread (Almond and Coconut Flour Bread)

I know, the name says it all.

Grain-free bread?

Doesn't even the most basic definition of bread involve, well, grain?

Yes.  And all of my homemade bread recipes involve all kinds of combinations of grains.  Rice. Quinoa. Oat...

But not this one.  I have been experimenting with almond flour for years.  Years.  And most of my recipes have been, honestly, barely edible by my definition (but not by the rest of the household, thankfully!).  This one was a success on its first attempt and verified in the weeks since.  I don't really follow all the eating styles and labels on foods theses days so I don't know who can enjoy this but it sure is a treat around here.  A nice slice with a bit of coconut oil has been my comfort food lately!

Grain Free Bread (Almond Coconut Flour Bread)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp xylitol (you can use honey or sugar as well)
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350* F and grease a *slightly smaller glass loaf pan* with coconut oil. 
• Combine dry ingredients and mix well.  Add lemon and eggs and mix well.  Start with the 1/2 cup water and mix until the dough resembles a stiff cake batter.  
• Scoop batter into the loaf pan and smooth with wet finger or a wet spatula.  Don't worry, it will rise and fill more of the pan, I promise.   Bake for 35 minutes.  
• Allow to cool.  Slice in pan.  Keep covered when stored.

This bread blew me away in the fact that unlike so many of the gluten free breads it continued to stay moist until the very last slice, about a week!  If you know gluten free bread, that is a miracle!  

Also, this is not a sweet bread.  If you like your stuff more on the sweet side, double the sweetener, or top with raw organic honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon (my preference)!

** Here is what I mean about the slightly smaller loaf pan.  Although both pans say 1.5 quart, this loaf was
baked in pan on the left.  It looks slightly more narrow than the one on the right.  Am I crazy?  By about an inch.   I bake all my gluten free loaves in this smaller pan because they tend to get a better rise.

Vegan Gluten Free Kani Salad

Remember Good Food Friday?

Well I am happy to say we have still been eating plenty of good food just not posting our recipes.  This has to change.  Not only so we can share our inventive eats but so we can have a record of them too.  Oh how many times I have searched my own blog for my own recipe!

This one is new to me.  Kani salad.  Ever heard of it?  Introduced to me this past weekend by some food adventurous friends.  It's basically cucumber and crab with spicy mayo. But it is never real crab at these places.  No.  That fake stuff. Made with random pulverized fish, weird food starches, poor quality vegetable oils and probably MSG? Definitely not on the gluten free or real food list.  So here is a cleaned up version.

(Excuse the terrible phone photo.  Next time I promise to snap a shot with my real camera

 before I devour.  But trust me, it's beautiful...)

Spicy Kani Salad

Ingredients:

• cucumber, julienne (I use this handy tool)
• vermicelli rice noodles, cooked and cooled  (I tend to keep this on hand soaking in the fridge.)
• vegan mayo - I used Vegenaise (or my Creamy Garlic Tofu Dressing, to follow)
• sriracha
• brown rice vinegar
• sesame seeds

Directions:

• Toss cucumber and noodles. I tend to always use more veggies than noodles.
• Top with a dollop of mayo, a squirt of sriracha and a splash of vinegar and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Toss to coat evenly.   Adjust to taste!

I think the noddles basically nail the texture of fake crab, if fake crab could be considered desirable, if only for texture. This is pretty basic but I think it would be fun to add shredded carrot for more color, or tuna for protein, all on a bed of lettuce for a meal.  Some versions add mango for a slightly sweet yet spicy side dish.


And it always tastes better when eaten with chopsticks!

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Creamy Tofu Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:

• 8 oz organic tofu
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos
• 1 squirt mustard
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup organic olive oil 
• 1/3 cup water

Directions:

• Blend first 7 ingredients in a blender.  I used my Vitamix but I'm sure this would work in any decent blender. With blender running, slowly add oil in a thin stream.  Then add water the same way until you reach desired consistency.  It will look questionable a few times but it will come together in a beautiful creamy sort of way.

Use this as a dip base or as a mayo replacement.