Recipes leave out guilt K · and chia seed in place of tradi-tional white flour. These flours...
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12 » WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014 » THE NEWS-PRESS » TASTE K udos to those able to pass a bakery without thoughts of devouring chocolate but- tercream cup- cakes, cheese Danishes and ooey-gooey chocolate chip cook- ies. Sometimes it’s too much to ignore, and you bring home a delectable dessert you don’t quite remember buying. Sound familiar? We dream of indulging in scrumptious baked goods with- out the not-so-appealing side effects— bloating, weight gain, etc. And for the gluten-intoler- ant and diabetic, finding edible desserts might be a struggle in and of itself. So what’s one to do when your sweet tooth gets a hankering? Eat baked goods made with healthy (and natural) substi- tutes. Substitute or alternative baking — when not-so-healthy ingredients are replaced with more nutritional options — is the new age of baking that tastes good and makes you feel even better. “It’s definitely a better option to use substitute baking for home cooks,” said Freedom Teague, head baker at Food and Thought in Naples. Teague is a firm believer in healthy alternatives and has concocted her own dessert reci- pes sold at Food and Thought, including the No. 1 seller, al- mond cherry cookie. Would you believe that these babies are made with no flour or artificial sugar? Instead she swaps traditional processed sugar for coconut sugar and leaves out the flour. “I’m proud that most every- thing we make here you can count the ingredients on your hands and you can see it,” Teague said. She recommends buying sprouted flour from either rice, garbanzo beans, quinoa, spelt and chia seed in place of tradi- tional white flour. These flours digest like vegetables that are easier on your stomach. “You feel better when you eat it because it doesn’t take awhile for your body to break it down,” Teague said. To cut back on your sugar intake, Teague recommends swapping traditional sugar with applesauce, bananas, coconut sugar or pure maple syrup. “Obviously you’re going to TASTE » THE NEWS-PRESS » WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014 » 13 The chocolate covered strawberry bars are sweetened with a cup of roasted apples, squash and strawberries at Chef Brooke’s Natural Cafe. AUBRIE GERBER/ THE NEWS-PRESS Recipes leave out guilt COVER STORY By Aubrie Gerber [email protected] Brooke Wagenheim bakes vegan faerie cakes at Chef Brooke’s Natural Cafe. AUBRIE GERBER/ THE NEWS-PRESS ALMOND CHERRY COOKIES Servings: Dozen cookies 1 jar of almond butter 2 eggs 2 cups of palm sugar 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 /2 teaspoon baking soda Pinch of sea salt 1 cup of dried cherries » Mix all the ingredients in order. » Drop a spoonful of dough about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. » Sprinkle sliced almonds on top. » Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Source: Freedom Teague, head chef at Food and Thought VEGAN BANANA BERRY BREAD Servings: 3 loaves 3 /4cup of maple syrup 9 bananas 3 cups of applesauce 4 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 /5cup sprouted flour 3 cups of berries — blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or blackberries » Mix the first three ingredients. » Combine baking soda and sprouted flour. » Mix everything together. » Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Source: Freedom Teague, head chef at Food and Thought ISTOCKPHOTO / THINKSTOCK IMAGES See BAKED » 14 Baked goods can be made with healthy substitutes
Transcript of Recipes leave out guilt K · and chia seed in place of tradi-tional white flour. These flours...
12 » WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014 » THE NEWS-PRESS » TASTE
Kudos to those ableto pass a bakerywithout thoughtsof devouringchocolate but-tercream cup-cakes, cheeseDanishes and
ooey-gooey chocolate chip cook-ies.
Sometimes it’s too much toignore, and you bring home adelectable dessert you don’tquite remember buying.
Sound familiar? We dream of indulging in
scrumptious baked goods with-out the not-so-appealing sideeffects— bloating, weight gain,etc. And for the gluten-intoler-ant and diabetic, finding edibledesserts might be a struggle inand of itself.
So what’s one to do when yoursweet tooth gets a hankering?Eat baked goods made withhealthy (and natural) substi-tutes.
Substitute or alternativebaking — when not-so-healthyingredients are replaced withmore nutritional options — isthe new age of baking that tastesgood and makes you feel evenbetter.
“It’s definitely a better optionto use substitute baking forhome cooks,” said FreedomTeague, head baker at Food andThought in Naples.
Teague is a firm believer inhealthy alternatives and hasconcocted her own dessert reci-pes sold at Food and Thought,including the No. 1 seller, al-mond cherry cookie.
Would you believe that thesebabies are made with no flour orartificial sugar? Instead sheswaps traditional processedsugar for coconut sugar andleaves out the flour.
“I’m proud that most every-thing we make here you cancount the ingredients on yourhands and you can see it,”Teague said.
She recommends buyingsprouted flour from either rice,garbanzo beans, quinoa, speltand chia seed in place of tradi-tional white flour. These floursdigest like vegetables that areeasier on your stomach.
“You feel better when you eatit because it doesn’t take awhilefor your body to break it down,”Teague said.
To cut back on your sugar
intake, Teague recommendsswapping traditional sugar withapplesauce, bananas, coconutsugar or pure maple syrup.
“Obviously you’re going to
TASTE » THE NEWS-PRESS » WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014 » 13
The chocolate coveredstrawberry bars aresweetened with a cup ofroasted apples, squash andstrawberries at ChefBrooke’s Natural Cafe.AUBRIE GERBER/ THE NEWS-PRESS
Recipes leave out guiltCOVER STORY
By Aubrie [email protected]
Brooke Wagenheim bakes vegan faerie cakes at Chef Brooke’sNatural Cafe. AUBRIE GERBER/ THE NEWS-PRESS
ALMONDCHERRYCOOKIESServings: Dozen cookies
1 jar of almond butter2 eggs2 cups of palm sugar1 teaspoon almond extract1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of sea salt1 cup of dried cherries
» Mix all the ingredients inorder.» Drop a spoonful of doughabout 2 inches apart ontoungreased cookie sheet.» Sprinkle sliced almonds ontop.» Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15minutes.Source: Freedom Teague,head chef at Food andThought
VEGANBANANABERRY BREADServings: 3 loaves
3⁄4cup of maple syrup9 bananas3 cups of applesauce4 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon cinnamon4⁄5cup sprouted flour3 cups of berries —
blueberries, raspberries,strawberries or blackberries
» Mix the first three ingredients.» Combine baking soda andsprouted flour.» Mix everything together. » Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50minutes.Source: Freedom Teague, headchef at Food and Thought
ISTOCKPHOTO / THINKSTOCK IMAGES
See BAKED » 14
Baked goods can be made with healthy substitutes
eat that and feel OK af-terward because it’s notgoing to be that hugeburst of sugar where youcrash because it’s a pureform of sweetener,” shesaid.
And while Teague optsfor those sweeteners,Brooke Wagenheim ofChef Brooke’s NaturalCafe in Fort Myers pre-fers roasting fruits andvegetables, such as sweetpotatoes, apples andsquash, to substitute forsugar.
She sweetens herchocolate-covered straw-berry bars by replacing acup of sugar with a cupof roasted apples, squashand strawberries.
While Wagenheim’svegan cupcakes, dubbedfaerie cakes, look likewhimsical delights, shesays the flavor isn’t com-promised when usingalternative baking. To topher cupcakes, she swirlson buttercream made ofEarth Balance veganbutter and fruit juice,such as cranberry juice,to create her cranberrypistachio faerie cakes.
“Most of my custom-ers say they taste betterand actually taste theingredients and whatthey are,” Wagenheimsaid.
And when customersare skeptical of tryinganything other than tra-ditional desserts, sheusually offers a sampleto let them decide forthemselves.
“Most of the time theyjust buy the rest becauseI’m pretty good at know-ing what people willlike,” she said.
Although the bakedgoods are made withalternative ingredients,just like any dessert,moderation is key.
Wagenheim says thatalthough Earth Balancevegan butter doesn’t
have trans fat and it’s nothydrogenated, it’s stillfat. And sugar is stillsugar, whether it beevaporated cane andorganic.
Terry Foster, a certi-fied nutritional councilorand owner of The SkinnyPantry, a health and spe-cialty food store in FortMyers, is an advocate forself-baking when timepersists.
“When you’re makingit yourself, you know
what you’re putting in it,”Foster said. “You need topay attention to youringredients.”
But even she admits tonot having enough timeto devote in the kitchen,so occasionally she optsfor gluten-free pre-mademixes, but stresses theimportance to readingthe ingredient listslapped on the backsideof the packaging.
Prepackaged mixesusually contain preserva-tives — so steering clearof high fructose cornsyrup, natural flavoringand dyes is key.
She is all about usingingredients that can helpimprove your healthwhile remaining appetiz-ing.
“We use chia constant-ly; something as simpleas chia seeds can actuallylower your blood pres-sure,” Foster said.
Chia seed pudding — aspinoff from tapiocapudding — is just oneitem sold at The SkinnyPantry.
Alternative bakingisn’t an overnight suc-cess; if a recipe doesn’tturn out to your liking,try again.
“I’ve been doing thisfor over 20 years,” saidWagenheim. “Trial anderror has been a majorpart of my life.”
Continued from 12
Baked FRUITKANTENA healthy Jell-O
alternativeServings: 4 cups
4 tablespoons ofagar-agar seaweedflakes
4 cups of fruit juice1-3 cups of fresh fruit
(as much or as littleas you like)
» Add agar-agar sea-weed flakes to the fruitjuice» Bring to a boil.» Reduce heat andsimmer 5 minutes.» Add cut fruit (berries,bananas, apples, etc.)» Cover, chill overnight.Source: Brooke Wagen-heim, chef and ownerof Chef Brooke’s Natu-ral Cafe
Watch a video and see a photogallery at News-Press.com/Taste.
ALTERNATIVEBAKINGINGREDIENTSFlour:Chia flourRice flourSpelt flourChickpea flourQuinoa flourAlmond mealFava bean flour
Oil and Butter:Real butter (two ingre-dients; sweet cream andsea salt)ApplesauceBananasCoconut oilEarth Balance (veganbutter)
Eggs: Chia seedsFlax meal
Sugar:HoneyPure maple syrupBananasApplesauceRoasted fruit and vege-tables (apples, pumpkin,sweet potatoes, but-ternut squash)Coconut palm sugarCoconut nectarDate sugar
Gelatin:Agar-agar
A variety of baked goods are created from alternative baking ingredients at Food and Thought. AUBRIE GERBER/ THE NEWS-PRESS
14 » WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014 » THE NEWS-PRESS » TASTE
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