A few slices from the gluten-free buckwheat bread I baked using this recipe

I’ve already posted a recipe for a delicious gluten free bread, but when I almost ran out of rice flour the other day, and still had lots and lots of buckwheat flour, I developed a brand new gluten-free bread recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk.
• 4 eggs
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cidar vinegar
• 2 Tbsp of maple syrup
• 4 Cups buckwheat flour
• 3/4 Cups rice flour
• 1 Tbsp xanthan gum
• 1 Tbsp quick rise yeast

Instructions if using a breadmaker

Add all ingredients in the order presented above into the breadmaker pan.

Select a rapid white or regular white course. These ingredients will make roughly a 1.5 lb. loaf, and most breadmakers will have an option to select the size of your bread.

If your breadmaker does not have a gluten-free course, you can select rapid white (this works on my breadmaker, which also does not have a gluten-free option in the menu). If it is underbaked, you can always finish baking in your regular oven.

Instructions for baking gluten-free the old fashioned way

Beat the eggs first, then add in the milk and other wet ingredients. Slowly stir in the flour and finish with the yeast. If you are making a yeast free bread, just follow all the same instructions but omit the yeast altogether.

Kneed the dough well, and leave it for about 30 minutes to rise. Kneed it again.

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Bake for about 70 to 80 minutes.

Whether you use an oven or a breadmaker, always let the gluten free bread cool completely before cutting it.

A few notes: I’ve made gluten free bread before without using Xanthan gum. It comes out tasting the exact same, and it can be omitted if you have no access to this ingredient. However, the Xanthan gum makes your bread far less crumbly! Gluten free bread is more often than not a bit on the crumbly side, and since I’ve added xanthan gum that has changed dramatically. I am thoroughly impressed with the consistency of this last bread I made using this ingredient. I found it in the health food section of my local major supermarket. But you can also order it online.

This is one of the most simple cake recipes you will ever come across! I never used to have the courage to bake a cake from scatch, but this is more fool proof than your run-of-the-mill cake mix.

There is no flour involved in this almond cake recipe at all, and does not include any other ingredients that contain gluten. If you’re looking for an easy source of healthy almonds, this recipe is perfect. I’ve topped this cake with some jam or butter for a great bread alternative. Go low on the agave nectar or maple syrup for a hearty cake.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole natural almonds (about 6 ounces)
• Egg whites from 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
• 3 tbsp Agave nectar or maple syrup

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Use a food processor to grind almonds into a fine mixture. It shouldn’t take more than 15-20 seconds.
• Using an electic mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Mix vanilla extract and agave nectar or maple syrup in with the ground almond.
• Gently fold almond mixture in with the egg whites.
• Pour batter into a loaf pan, or a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan.

Modifications:

You can add in raisins, pecans, almond pieces, cranberries… anything you fancy! Make sure not to bake the cake too long or it might be a bit on the dry side. This delicious flour-less, gluten-free almond cake is meant to be moist.

If you love almonds, check out this almond cookie recipe as well.

I can’t stand the gluten free breads you can find at the grocery store, if you’re even lucky enough to live close to a store that carries an assortment of gluten free products. Although I live in a major metropolitan area, it is still a reasonable hike for me to get to a whole foods or health food shop for my dose of overpriced cardboard-like bread. I suppose I’m being awefully mean about the commercially available gluten free breads out there, but I am just yet to find one that tastes good, and is reasonably priced, and is not just made with refined white rice flour.

Obvious solution to the problem? Make my own bread of course. A good friend of mine gifted me a breadmaker last Christmas, and boy does that come in handy! This recipe would work just fine without a breadmaker as well, but you need to allow for some time to let the dough rise. If you use a breadmaker, even if the breadmaker doesn’t have a setting for gluten free bread, the time it takes to rise is already programmed.

This bread recipe is very simple, and can be used by those of us who are lactose intolerant as well. The recipe does call for three eggs, but you could easily replace the eggs with either a commercial egg replacer, or by using this egg replacer recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk (or soy milk, or water). Almond milk adds something subtle to the taste.
• 3 large eggs (or egg replacer)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cidar vinegar
• 2 Tbsp of maple syrup or agave nectar (optional)
• 3 Cups brown rice flour
• 1 3/4 Cups buckwheat flour
• 1 Tbsp xanthan gum
• 1 Tbsp quick rise yeast

Preparation

If you are using a breadmaker, add all ingredients in the order presented above into the breadmaker pan. Select a rapid white or regular white course. These ingredients will make roughly a 1.5 lb. loaf, and most breadmakers will have an option to select the size of your bread.

My current breadmaker does not have a gluten free course, but I selected the rapid white (hoping it would be done soon enough for a BBQ dinner, but alas it wasn’t) and it turned out fantastic. You may need to fiddle with the settings on your breadmaker, but once you find one that works you can stick to it! Unless you can add more baking time manually (with my machine you unfortunately cannot), I recommend rather underbaking than overbaking. I’ve previously selected whole wheat settings to bake my gluten free bread, and the bread was a bit too dry and crumbly when it came out. If it is underbaked, you can always finish baking in your regular oven.

Enough said about breadmakers. If you are doing this the old fashioned way:

Beat the eggs first, then add in the milk and other wet ingredients. Slowly stir in the flour and finish with the yeast. If you are making a yeast free bread, just follow all the same instructions but omit the yeast altogether.

Kneed the dough well, and leave it for about 30 minutes to rise. Kneed it again.

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Bake for about 70 to 80 minutes.

Whether you use an oven or a breadmaker, always let the gluten free bread cool completely before cutting it.

A few notes: I’ve made gluten free bread before without using Xanthan gum. It comes out tasting the exact same, and it can be omitted if you have no access to this ingredient. However, the Xanthan gum makes your bread far less crumbly! Gluten free bread is more often than not a bit on the crumbly side, and since I’ve added xanthan gum that has changed dramatically. I am thoroughly impressed with the consistency of this last bread I made using this ingredient. I found it in the health food section of my local major supermarket. But you can also order it online.

I came across a phenomenal gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe today. It is flourless, so wheat and gluten free. It is also completely dairy free and sugar free. In short, it meets all the dietary requirements and they taste fabulous!

The recipe calls for almond flour, which is a great alternative to wheat and low carb. These cookies don’t only taste great, they are great for you

Here is the original video explaining the recipe and how to make these flour-less chocolate chip cookies:

For this recipe, I recommend:

If you live in Toronto, there are plenty of fun things to do that do not involve foods (because honestly, sometimes we just don’t want to ask the waiter a million questions before ordering). One of them is going up to the Acrobat Lounge on Friday nights for Salsa night! They play a great selection of salsa music, intertwined with some bachata and merengue.

Here are the details:
Acrobat Lounge Salsa night on Friday
2464 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
(416) 489-1105

Cover: $10 for guys, free for girls before 10pm.
Salsa lesson at 9pm (cost: $10, level: beginner and intermediate)
Coat check: $2 (From what I saw this week, you are not allowed to bring in your coat. Makes sense, but keep it in mind. In the summer it’s a non issue, and in the winter just use the coat check).

Additional bonus: Free tap water with ice! Salsa makes you thirsty, so this is a really good feature. Most other salsa clubs I’ve been to sell water ranging anywhere from $1-$3 per bottle. Acrobat Lounge also sells bottled water, but you can get the stuff from the tap for free. Alcohol is reasonably priced with beers around $5-$7 and a generous glass of red wine costs $7. For Toronto, that’s really quite affordable.

Acrobat lounge often has some performances throughout the evening, which adds a fun flavor to the experience. You will also see a number of really experienced salsa dancers, and perhaps if you can keep up you can learn a few moves from watching them. Acrobat Lounge has a great atmosphere where you can come to dance or just hang out. If you do dance, the dance floor is well polished and smooth (but not too slippery), which was pleasantly surprising. It is by far one of the best floors I’ve danced on in Toronto salsa clubs, and that really reflected in my performance as well.

After switching to a completely dairy free lifestyle, I was a little dissapointed by not being able to eat ice cream. Although of course it is very easy to find dairy free sorbet at places like Whole Foods, they are pretty expensive. Particurly because I am also eating sugar-free. Now, it has always boggled my mind why there is a need to add so much sugar to something like fruit sorbet. Presumably, fruit is already pretty sweet, so adding sugar really doesn’t seem that necessary to me.

Last week, I did find a fantastic orange mango sorbet at my local Whole Foods. At $6.40 for about half a litre (and it lasted me only one day), it does get a little expensive. The other added inconvenience is that Whole Foods is a good 5km hike from my home, so it’s not a place I can easily go to to pick up a tub of ice cream on a whim.

Inspired by my purchase though, I bought a Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream Maker yesterday. It’s fabulous! I produced this fantastic strawberry sorbet in about 20 minutes.

Here is my dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free recipe for homemade fruit sorbet:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 box of strawberries (about 15 medium sized strawberries)
• 1 cup of almond milk (or rice milk)
• Agave nectar

Preparation

Combine strawberries and almond milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Set up the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions (the Cuisinart has to sit in your freezer for at least 12 hours prior to using it, so plan accordingly!). Turn the ice cream maker on, and pour the strawberry mixture into the machine. Add agave nectar to taste (about 1-2 tbsp).

You can get creative and add other things to this recipe as well. Cut up some strawberries into pieces and add them in while the ice cream maker is turned on to mix them in properly. Or add in gummy bears for a fun chewy taste.

Yesterday I went to a salsa club that offers a wednesday night special on mojitos. Given my new commitment to a (refined) sugar-free lifestyle I wasn’t sure I’d be able to enjoy my usual mojito. I wasn’t really in the mood to pay double for a glass of wine, and at the last minute I came up with an interesting alternative solution to the usual sugar added to mojitos. I asked the waiter to make me a mojito without any sugar, and instead sweetened with maple syrup. I’m not kidding when I say my Canuckito (Canadian mojito) was even tastier than the usual sugary version.

Here’s how you can make your very own Canadian Mojito!

Ingredients:

• Mint leaves
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 ounces white rum
• 2 ounces club soda
• 1 sprig of mint (garnish)
• crushed ice

Preparation:

Put the mint leaves in a glass and squeeze the lime over them. Add the maple syrup, then muddle the mint, lime juice, and maple syrup together. Add the crushed ice. Now, stir in the rum and top off with club soda. Garnish your Canadian-style mojito with a mint sprig. Enjoy!

Refined sugar in any foods causes it’s glycemic index to shoot right up. Skip the white stuff, and you’re on your way to a lower GI food or drink. Classically, our favorite summertime drink can contain tons of sugar, I have a just-as-sweet alternative without so much as a sprinkle of refined sugar.

Here’s what you do to serve four people with refreshing delicious sugar free lemonade:

Ingredients:

• 5 Lemons
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• 1 quart sparkling water
• 1 handful of mint sprigs

How it’s made:

Juice 4 of the lemons; slice the other lemon and set aside. Blend juice with applesauce and maple syrup. Stir in sparkling water. Pour mixture into large pitcher over ice. Garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs and serve.

The details:

80 calories per serving, 0 g fat, 22 g carbs, 0.6 g fiber, 0.3 g protein

Photo credit: dtcreations from morguefile.com

We’re just two months into the new year, and perhaps you have already fiscally recovered from the Holiday season. If you’re not quite there yet, or you’re getting tired of the dinner-and-a-movie routine where you sit across the table from each other and find out you have little to say.., here are some creative ideas you can use to keep some money in your account and break the monotonous boredom spell plaguing a lot of long term relationships.

1. Exercise together

We all know we eat to much and move too little. Most of the time people feel they are too tired for even mild exercise after getting home from work. As a result, either dinner out or hanging in front of the TV together to fall into a carbohydrate-induced coma is as exciting as the date is going to get. Ironic as it seems, exercise isn’t going to make you as tired as you think. In fact, exercise will actually give you energy, and can help improve your sex life. After all, if you are too tired to do anything in the evening, do you really think it’s going to get very exciting in the bedroom?

Some ideas to get you moving:

1. Beginners who feel low on energy can start by just walking along a shopping street and checking out the window displays. At night, chances are you won’t be spending much on this trip.
2. If you have a Wii-Fit, use it together! Get a new program (this is relatively low cost compared to other date ideas), and step out of your comfort zone. Try some Yoga, it will improve flexibility, and guess where you can apply those new found skills?
3. Train for a marathon together. If you’re already going to the gym separately, go together. Working towards a common goal strengthens the relationship.

If you need new fitness gear you can get 10% off at the Fitness Magazine apparel store with this coupon code: FIT10OFF. Another benefit of exercising together is that support from a partner or spouse is paramount in reaching fitness goals. If you’ve set a fitness goal for yourself this year, get your partner involved and kill two birds with one stone!

2. Abuse your library membership

You don’t necessarily need to visit the library together, but having a library membership gives you incredible advantages you may not be aware of yet. For example; pick up an exciting cook book if you are a foodie, and take your date into the kitchen. Try some new recipes, and enjoy together! Get a copy of the kamasutra, if you’re in a more adventurous mood. You can even find books that help you get through tricky home renovations together. Some of my best memories involve paint brushes and lots of mess, and again you’re working towards a common goal. Besides, women find handy men (or even not so handy men who try!) incredibly sexy.

3. Make day to day chores into a date

A date doesn’t have to consist of going out, spending money, or doing those things that are traditionally considered “date like”. Just like you can go rock climbing as a date, who says you cannot do more ‘mundane’ things, and enjoy each others company? The trick is in making day to day things more fun, not just by doing them together but by adding an extra element to the ‘chore’. For example, if you need to set up a budget for yourself, because you are saving for a vacation, new gadget, or just your future, why not get your partner’s input? Unless you severely disagree on financial matters (in which case you should really discuss it at some point), there is no reason not to involve each other in the process. Sit down together with a treat (lattee anyone?), and work through what you perceived before as being a chore. You’ll accomplish four things at the same time: you get it done, you have more fun at it (because presumably you have a partner with a good sense of humor), you spend quality time together, and you get to know more about the person you are with. You’d be amazed at how much you can find out about someone’s character by actually engaging in real day to day things together.

4. Explore your city with your date

If you live in a fair size city, I bet there are tons of neighborhoods and parks you have not explored yet. Why not take an afternoon and stroll through a new area you have never been to before? Try finding some free community events, such as concerts and art shows.

5. Teach your date a new skill or hobby!

Share your hobbies or teach each other a new skill. Do you know how to salsa? Have killer carpentry skills? Know your way around the golf course? Take your date for a spin around your (livingroom) dance floor, go into your garage and build something together or take her for a round on the driving range. Major benefit of this is that you are likely better at whatever you are teaching than your date, so you get to do a little showing off as well. And there is nothing wrong with looking good in your partner’s eyes!

Many of us, particularly those going steady, entertain the occasional shopping date together to the mall or plaza. For those who have become financially and mobility-challenged due to world economic woes and local weather conditions, a new trend has been developing: monitor-shopping. Similar to window-shopping, this trend trades going out for being in. Though it may not be as glamorous and typical as a trip to the mall. Snuggling next to your significant other while browsing internet shopping sites has its benefits. There is not so much pressure to dress up, there are no traffic delays or parking frustrations, and it is as easy to compare prices by having two windows open at once.

Aside from eliminating the hassle of venturing out in what could be bad weather and/or bad company, going on an e-tail shopping trip with your loved once can be a serious money saver. There are no pushy salespeople, rude patrons, or shrill holiday music piped into your skull. Being in a private home also allows for more intimacy. Having snacks at home eliminates expensive and typically unhealthy food court fare. The ability to comparison shop with the click of a mouse saves time and money. Some websites out there will even collect data for an item from different stores and give the best prices. Most stores lower or eliminate outright shipping costs to attract holiday shoppers. And in these days of FedEx and UPS, an order can even be delivered within a few days of purchase.

To further enhance the lure of forsaking the mall for the home, many e-tailers are offering coupon codes and promotional codes for the season. Some kind souls have even taken it upon themselves to compile these codes/deals, keep them updated, and post them by category or website. One example of this is www.shoebuycoupon.net that collects and posts up-to-date and valid free coupons for Shoebuy.com a big online shoe and luggage retailer. There are many other similar sites that cover coupons, promotions, sales, rebates, and other deals for every conceivable product out there. To use them, just click on the link, and follow the instructions, entering the given code where applicable.

With benefits such as these, more and more couples are looking to turn a trip to the mall into one to the computer, particularly in this economic and seasonal climate.