What Is Xanthan Gum?

Wow, transitioning into a gluten-free diet has been a roller coaster ride. Not only do I have to read every food label, I've also had to overhaul my love of baking. While browsing through my new gluten-free cookbooks--looking for a recipe that uses "normal" ingredients--I keep stumbling across the need for xanthan gum.

I want pancakes! Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Since I'm not a fan of preservatives and artificial flavorings, I had to make sure xanthan gum would fit into my new healthier lifestyle. Well, it does!

Xanthan gum is a plant-based thickening and stabilizing agent, according to WebMD. After trying to make my favorite old recipes with gluten-free flour, I can now appreciate the usefulness of xanthan gum. It gives baked goods more texture and rise.

For example, homemade pancakes made simply by substituting rice flour for wheat flour turned out like flat, rubbery crepes. Gluten-free pancake mix that included xanthan gum created fluffy, delicious pancakes!

I'm armed and ready.

I have my first packet of xanthan gum waiting for me in the kitchen pantry. I can do this. I can cook from scratch using this stuff. But, I need your help! Have you baked with xanthan gum? Can you recommend any recipes, hints or tips? Thank you!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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The Perfect Wheat Flour

I love to bake. With the holiday season around the corner, I'm itching to try a few new recipes. When the weather turned cool for a few brief days, I broke in my pie pans with homemade apple and pumpkin pies. Part of my excitement for the baking season is my new found love: Wheat Montana Flour. (And, no I'm not being paid to say that.)

Cookies can be made from wheat flour.
Photo by Snowbear, Morguefile.

I've searched for the past few months for a perfect baking flour. My criteria is strict: it can't be bleached or bromated, it must be grown in the United States and minimal processing is a bonus. I've tried organic rice flour, too many wheat flours to count and garbanzo bean flour (don't laugh).

Rice flour made my cookies too crumbly. One whole wheat flour made my rolls into hockey pucks. And flour made from beans, well, tasted like beans. I love beans, but not bean-flavored bread. It was just plain weird.

Over the past several months I've given the Wheat Montana Hard White Spring a good work out. Pie crusts. Oatmeal molasses cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate birthday cake. Lemon bars. Honey wheat rolls.

I did mention I love to bake, right?

Every recipe made with this flour turned out great. Here are a few details straight from the company's website:

• Wheat Montana is family owned and operated.
• The flour is Certified Chemical Free and Certified Organic.
• The flour is milled at a low 94 degrees to maintain the nutrient value of the wheat.

Do you have a flour or baking ingredient that you can't live without? Tell me about it. I'm always up for trying a new product. It gives me an excuse to spend a little more time in the kitchen!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy,
Angela

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My Secret Cookie Ingredient

In addition to learning about whole foods and their nutritional properties, I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. And, it's partly out of necessity.

We don't have vegan, vegetarian or whole foods restaurants in my neck of the woods. If you want to avoid processed foods, fried foods or unnecessary calories, you need to get crafty in the kitchen. Luckily, I look forward to my "kitchen time" each day.

My Secret Ingredient: Raw Sugar

Raw Sugar
Photo by Fritzs, Wikimedia Commons

My most recent unexpected discovery is the baking quality of raw sugar. Everyday all-purpose baking sugar gets processed with chemicals to create a pure white, even-textured sweetener. A package of raw sugar contains uneven granules of honey-colored sugar cane. Although raw sugar isn't a true whole food, it's much closer to natural sugar cane than white sugar.

Using Raw Sugar

Sprinkling raw sugar atop a homemade apple pie gives it a rustic look. The oversized sugar granules add a tasty, sweet crunch to the top of blueberry muffin. And my personal favorite: Cookies baked with raw sugar stay thicker than those made with brown or white sugar. If you like a dense chocolate chip cookie, substitute raw sugar in your next batch.

Magically, when I made my first pumpkin pie of the season with raw sugar it turned out perfect. I was unsure if the large granules would melt. Pumpkin pie should have a creamy, smooth filling. The raw sugar didn't let me down.

Although I could sing praises about raw sugar all day long, it's still best enjoyed in moderation. But, if you need a recommendation for a calorie-free sweetener, try my other kitchen buddy, stevia.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela

Please Pass the Stevia

Welcome 2011. After the sugar-rush over indulgence of the holidays, I decided it was time to remind myself about natural sweeteners. Refined white sugar, you are the devil. Please pass the stevia.

What is Stevia?

Stevia powder is derived from Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni, a plant native to Central and South America. The calorie-free sweetener surpasses the sweetness of refined white sugar by 200 to 300 times, according to the American Dietetic Association.

Using Stevia

I've mixed stevia into hot herbal tea, sprinkled it over cereal and sweetened fresh, raw strawberries with the powder. Since the sweetener packs a powerful punch, I use much less than when I use refined white sugar. One little packet of stevia can sweeten at least three cups of tea. If you're diabetic or looking to shed a few pounds, give stevia a try.

Resources and Suggested Further Reading:

American Dietetic Association: Stevia

United States Department of Agriculture:

Nutritive and Non Nutritive Sweetener Resources

Green Plant: Green Sweeteners Compared:

Stevia, Brown Rice Syrup, Agave Nectar

The World's Healthiest Foods:

Is one type of sweetener better than the other for my body and the way my body processes them?

Until next time,

Choose Healthy!

Angela

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Facts About Peppermint

Peppermint oil may add a classic seasonal taste to your holiday baking, but how much do you really know about this plant? Also known as brandy mint or balm mint, peppermint usage dates back to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Peppermint plant
Photo by MrMac04, Morguefile.com

1. Mentha piperita -- the scientific name for peppermint -- was used for medicinal purposes as early as 1000 B.C. The essential oil is still prevalent in modern medicines that offer relief from headaches, nausea, irritable bowels, muscle pain, congestion and diarrhea, according to the University of Washington's Department of Family Medicine.

2. Peppermint plants grow in North America and Europe, although the plant originated in the Mediterranean. The herb, which is a hybrid of water mint and spearmint, can grow up to 3 feet tall in a well-tended garden.

3. Peppermint oil can soothe inflammation and sunburns. Simply open a capsule of peppermint oil and apply it directly to the skin. The oil also soothes itchy dry skin, scabies, is an antiseptic to clean wounds and soothes acne. Children under 7 years of age and pregnant women should avoid using peppermint oil without the guidance of their family physician.

4. In the early 1900's, peppermint was used to control pests. The strong scent of peppermint oil worked as an insect repellent and a lure for nuisance rats. Business owners placed peppermint oil soaked cloths in bags, then had ferrets chase the rats into the bags.

5. Breathing the fumes of peppermint oil though aromatherapy produces positive results for humans. The oil stimulates the senses, mildly reducing fatigue and depression.

Sources and Suggested Further Reading:

University of Washington, Department of Family Medicine: Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

University of Maryland Medical Center: Peppermint

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Peppermint

Annie's Remedy: Homemade Insect Repellent

Earth Easy: Natural Insect Pest Control

Essential Oils: Peppermint essential oil information

Until next time, 

Choose Healthy!

Angela