What You Need To Know About Teff

Have you ever seen teff? One of the smallest grains in the world, teff is a gluten-free food that's been around for over 4,000 years. It's native to Ethiopia, and available in both light and dark varieties. 

Health benefits 

Teff is a good source of iron, calcium, protein, fiber, and B vitamins. It's gluten free, so Celiacs can rest easy with teff. It's also great food source for diabetics as it helps control blood sugar levels. 

Where to find it

Teff grain and flour can be found at your local health food store. Like other grains, it should be stored in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator or freezer. 

If you've ever been to an Ethiopian restaurants, you may have seen a type of bread called enjera, which resembles a tortilla. That's typically made with teff.

How to cook teff

When cooking teff, add half a cup of teff grain to 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer in a covered pot for 15 to 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. 

Stir and let stand uncovered for 5 minutes.

I sometimes cook teff as a breakfast cereal, but its lovely nutty taste makes it great for baking cookies, muffins or pancakes.

Try these delicious teff peanut butter cookies

• 1 ½ cup teff flour (375 ml)
• ¼ cup maple syrup (50 ml)
• ¼ cup apple butter (50 ml)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup safflower oil (125 ml)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter, cashew butter or almond butter (250 ml)
• ¼ tsp sea salt (1 ml)

Mix nut butter, oil, egg, apple butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a food processor. Do not overmix. Then add teff flour and salt. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten with a wet fork.

Bake 350F for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bean Brownies to the Rescue!

I have a friend who can’t eat any type of grains and was looking for something she could have as a treat for her birthday. I had come across this recipe years ago and I thought if I tweeked it a bit it would be a perfect birthday brownie.

You be the judge!

1 can (540ml) adzuki or black beans ( I used black beans as they are easier to find in the store)

4 eggs

2/3 cup brown sugar or other sweetener

8 tbsp cocoa

½ -2/3 cup oil ( sometimes I make these brownies and they are really liquidy so I start with a lesser amount of oil first

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

Rinse beans well and put all ingredients into your food processor and blend well. Pour into brownie pan and bake 375F for 30-35 minutes

How Going Dairy Free Saved My Life

For years I was constantly ill. I had digestive problems, was always constipated and felt tired most of the day.

A neighbour finally said to me why don’t you go for food allergy testing. I had never thought of that, nor had my doctor suggested it.

Well, what a surprise. I found out that I was allergic to dairy, wheat, yeast, eggs, corn, sugar, and soy. Years later, I also found out I was Celiac, which meant I had to avoid gluten in my diet as well.

What a learning curve it was. Most of the foods I ate on a daily basis were no longer an option. Morning cereal, toast and peanut butter, and sandwiches were gone. What the heck was I going to eat now?

First I did a little research online, then, I went to my local health food store, where they were so happy to help and give me suggestions as to what to eat. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to eat the foods they suggested, but I did buy a few, and with trial and error I was able to come up with tasty, alternatives to the foods I could no longer eat.

Dairy Free Options

I was amazed at all the dairy-free options that were available to me. Rice milk, flax milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, and almond milk were all products that I could use. It was simply a matter of trying them out and seeing which ones I liked. To my astonishment I liked all of them. Some worked better in baking and coconut milk became a favourite when I made smoothies for myself.

Eating Healthier

What started to happen was that I no longer ate food out of a box, can or package. I started to cook again and thoroughly enjoyed it. I made up a weekly menu plan for myself which helped me when I went grocery shopping and meant I wasn’t eating the same thing night after night. Fruits and vegetables became the bulk of my meals along with organic meats, nuts and seeds, and so I knew I was improving my health. I no longer felt bloated and ill most of the time and those very embarrassing, smelly toots were a thing of the past.

I soon learned that dairy was very acidic to the body and once I started to incorporate many more greens into my diet and help my body to be more alkaline, I noticed that my eczema started to improve as well. Keeping your body alkaline by eating more alkaline foods like kale, spinach, and avocadoes is a great way to ward off disease.

Dairy seemed to be the cause of many of my health issues and once I started to avoid it and change my diet it became clear that if I had stayed eating certain foods I might have become a very sick individual. Isn’t it amazing how you think some things are such a pain, but end up being a blessing?

Shirley Plant is the Author of Finally… Food I Can Eat, a dietary guide and cookbook for people with food allergies and dietary restrictions.

Through Delicious Alternatives she helps people come up with healthy, tasty menu plans that fit into their dietary needs.

www.deliciousalternatives.com

twitter @sherrecipes

Facebook page Finally Food I Can Eat

My Fav Bluebery Muffins

Tonight was a night that I just wanted to make something that was near and dear to my heart. Perhaps I wanted a full proof recipe.
The past few days I have had a few good new recipes and a few flops!

My gluten free blueberry muffins was one of my very first recipes that I came up with for my cookbook, and so here it is for all of you to try. Enjoy

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Free of dairy, yeast, eggs, corn, white sugar, soy, nuts and gluten

3/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup- more if you have a sweet tooth (you can use honey or agave)
1/2 cup safflower oil ( sometimes I use coconut oil )
water
4 bananas
1 cup blueberries

In a food processor whip bananas, oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and blend well. If the batter is thick you may need to add some water. I find that if my bananas are very ripe I don't need to add water. If they are yellow and not that ripe I need to add some extra liquid.
By whipping the bananas in the food processor it gives them air and makes your muffins fluffy.
Add in blueberries.
Spoon into muffin tins
Bake 350F for 20-20 minutes

Rice, Lentil and Olive Salad

This has to be one of my favourite salads in my cookbook and since I really felt like it today, despite the snowy weather I decided to make it and share the recipe with you.. So just as I was about to finish the recipes I realized I didn't have any olives in the house and the snow was swirling around outside and I had no inclination to go to the store so I simply made it with out.. I did add a little more sea salt though because I knew I wouldn't have the salty olives in there.

So here you go

Rice, Lentil and Olive Salad
Free of dairy, wheat, yeast, eggs, corn, sugar, soy, nuts, nightshades and gluten


1 cup basmati rice (250ml)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup brown or green lentils (250ml)
1/2 onion
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup pimento stuffed green olives (175ml)
1/2 tsp sea salt (2ml)
1/2 tsp pepper (1ml)

Dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil (45ml)
2 tbsp lemon juice (30ml)
2 tbsp dijon or yellow mustard (30ml)
1 tsp thyme (5ml)
4 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

To cook rice, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add rice, garlic, salt and pepper and bring again to a boil and cover. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender.
Allow rice to stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile rinse lentils and bring 4 cups of water to a boil with half an onion and bay leaves. Add lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Don't overcook or they will go mushy.
Drain lentils and discard bay leaves. I like to just mash in the cooked onion to give the lentils a little flavour. The onion has mostly dissolved with cooking. Set lentils aside to cool. In a bowl whisk together olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, thyme and shallots.
Add cooled lentils into the rice. Add dressing and olives. Salt and pepper to taste.Mix and refrigerate. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Crispies

When I first went gluten-free I was missing treat. I found it easy to make gluten free options for lunch and dinner but breakfast and snacks I found a little more challenging.

This is one of my favourite go to treats, especially when I want to make something quick that does not call for a lot of ingredients.

They are like healthy rice crispie squares

Here is what you will need

2 cups puffed rice- or you can use puffed amaranth, puffed quinoa, puffed bukwheat
1/2 -3/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup raisins- or dried cranberries or dried cherries or currants
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter ( for nut free try tahini, sunflower butter or wow butter)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup shredded coconut

Puffed rice is the healthy option to rice krispies. It has no added sugar. You can find it in a health food store or the healthy aisle in your local grocery store. A good brand is Nature's Path.

Place rice and peanut butter in a sauepan and heat. Do not boil. Place all other ingredients in a bowl and pour hot rice syrup over the ingredients and mix in. Line an 8X8 square pan with waxed paper and place mixture into pan. Put in fridge to set and cut into squares and enjoy!

Where Gluten Can Hide!

Think you are living Gluten Free? Better check, as gluten can be hiding in places you would never think of.

Hidden Gluten or Hidden Wheat: Names to watch out for

-          Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP), unless made from soy or corn

-          Flour or Cereal products, unless made with pure rice flour, corn flour, potato flour, or soy flour

-          Vegetable Protein unless made from soy or corn

-          Malt or Malt Flavouring unless derived from corn

-          Modified Starch or Modified Food Starch unless arrowroot, corn, potato, tapioca, waxy maize, or maize is used

-          Vegetable Gum unless vegetable gums are carob bean gum, locust bean gum, cellulose gum, guar gum, gum arabic, gum aracia, gum tragacanth, xanthan gum, or vegetable starch

-          Soy Sauce or Soy Sauce Solids unless you know they do not contain wheat Tamari, is wheat free soy sauce- available at your health food store

-          Any of the following words on food labels usually means that a grain containing gluten has been used; stabilizer, starch, flavouring, emulsifier, hydrolysed plant protein

Some products that you would never think of may also contain gluten so always start by reading labels. Let your pharmacist know that you need to avoid gluten as some medications and supplements contain gluten. Even toothpaste, shampoos and makeup may contain gluten. Instant coffee, soy sauce, spices can all contain trace amounts of gluten.

Going to be doing your own baking? Now you want to know what you can use that is gluten free.

Here is a helpful chart of gluten free flours you can use when baking and the equivalent amounts needed to substitute for wheat flour.

1 cup wheat flour = 1 cup millet flour

          1 cup cassava flour

                                  ¾ cup brown rice flour

                                  1 cup sorghum flour

                                 ¾ cup quinoa or amaranth flour

                                  1 cup almond flour or other nut flour

When making muffins with gluten free flour, add in 1 teaspoon of guar gum or xanthan gum, per cup of flour used.

For gluten free muffins I like to use a mixture of chickpea flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, arrowroot and potato starch. See muffin recipes in my cookbook, Finally Food I Can Eat, that use this mixture.

Almond flour works well in baked goods and gives you that added protein in your muffins or cookies.

For more information and help to go gluten free visit my website at www.deliciousalternatives.com

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