What to do about soy sauce?!

Soy sauce can be a troublesome thing. The sauces that I usually buy have preservatives and gluten in them. As well, I don't really like the taste. So, what to buy or make to replace this?
Well, I did a little research and found a blog written by Kimberly Harris who cares about good-tasting, quality food, www.thenourishinggourmet.com. She talks about her experience with soy sauce and how she overcame her aversion to it.

Now, I have found a recipe to make my own soy sauce alternative. So, here it is...

Soy Sauce Alternative 

 An easy and tasty alternative to Soy Sauce.

Ingredients:

8 oz molasses
3 oz. balsamic vinegar
sugar to taste (you can replace with unpasteurized honey or 100% maple syrup)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together.

Fudge Brownies

 

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1/2 cup corn margarine
1/2 cup uncooked Cream of Rice hot cereal
1 egg 

1 teaspoon GF vanilla
1 cup sugar or 3/4 cup raw honey
3 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon GF baking powder
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium saucepan, heat the water and margarine to a boil. Sprinkle in the cereal and cook for 1 minute. 
Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for 4 minutes. Stir in the egg or egg product and vanilla.
       
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa, and baking powder. Stir in the cereal mixture until well blended. Stir in the nuts, if desired.
       
Spread the mixture evenly in a greased 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking pan.
       
Bake for 40-50 minutes.
       
Cool and cut into 2-inch squares (This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan.).

Do you know a person with Celiac Disease?

So many people are finding out that they have Celiac Disease. It is so much more common these days than it used to be. It is fairly hard to deal with if it is new to you or you are having someone over for a meal and have never dealt with it before. There are some great websites out there, like Celiac.com and Celiac.ca, as well as others. MennoniteGirlsCanCook.blogspot.com has a section of gluten-free recipes and tips for cooking. I really like this post that gives great advice for friends and family.

Healthy Granola Bars

Healthy Lunchbox Granola Bars
(This recipe is very forgiving)

2 or 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (You can eliminate the sugar and add 1/4 honey)*
1/4 cup wheat or oat germ ( I sometimes substituted bran)
1/4 cup ground flax or whole flax
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I use brown rice flour)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup cherry-flavoured cranberries
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup honey (unpasteurized)*(3/4 cup if no brown sugar)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil (you could try substituting some of the oil with apple sauce)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
(Experiment with the ingredients you like best.) (nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter, sunflower seeds)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 baking pan.
2. In large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, flax, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the centre; pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Pat the mixture evenly into the pan.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes, but watch the baking time. If you leave them in too long, they’ll be dry and hard. Cool for 5 minutes, and then cut into bars or squares. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.

Sugar Free Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Sugar-Free Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup maple syrup (100%)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 3 dates, finely chopped
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and chill to set.

Pancake Mix (Gluten and Sugar Free!)

Gluten and Sugar Free Pancakes
Ingredients:
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp unpasteurized honey or fruit juice concentrate (you could just leave this out)
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preparation:
Beat egg until frothy. Add buttermilk, oil, and honey and beat until well blended.
In another bowl, mix brown rice flour and the remaining dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the liquids. Stir until well blended. Do not over stir. Batter will be slightly lumpy.
Lightly grease a frying pan and fry pancakes.