Flours (Pancake, shake, salad, dressing)

[momtothree]

I am not vegan but my aunt is. She came for a week long visit and I researched a bit on meals to serve her. She was a "tough" case for me as no sugar, no fats/oil and no dairy. And yet still I managed to make her quite a few meals including desserts. I then got hooked on some of the items I bought especially for her and now use in my every day cooking.

Nutritional Yeast, what a fabulous flavor! I use it in anything that usually has cheese in it. And then some. I in fact put it in a shaker for ease to use. I also now have 2 vegan nights a week and we are all feeling better for it.

Now I want to branch out using different flours as I make a lot of breads and thinking this is a good way to get more fiber in us. Any suggestions?

[Cattknap]

Well, it depends on what you are going to do with those flours......what are you planning on making? The high gluten content of wheat flour makes it ideal for breads, cakes, etc. I have Celiac disease and can eat no gluten (wheat, rye, barley and some other less known grains contain gluten)....once in a while I make gluten-free pancakes - I use brown rice flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, almond meal, quinoa flour, oat flour - with the brown rice flour comprising 1/2 of the batter small amounts of other flours/meals make up the other 50%...it takes extra baking powder or yeast to get a rise because of the lack of gluten when you play around with different flours/meals........rice flour is quite dense while oat flour is quite light....it is fun to experiment but it is also expensive to do so. Just don't expect the same results as you would get with white/wheat flour.

[user_id]

For breads, wheat tends to work the best and you can get whole wheat flour instead of refined flour. What you can do is make your own mixtures, for example 1/2 whole wheat 1/2 oat flour. Bobs red mill has a large line of flours. You can add wheat germ to breads to add nutrients, though it may give them a yellow/orange color.

Whole wheat has a good amount of fiber and has a good deal of nutrients, the alternatives really aren't any healthier.

[coldPlay]

Originally Posted by momtothree

Now I want to branch out using different flours as I make a lot of breads and thinking this is a good way to get more fiber in us. Any suggestions?

something I've discovered recently is falafel mix. I'm not sure what all is in it but I buy it in the bulk section. I think it's chickpea flour with herbs.

All you have to do is add water - just enough to make a thick mixture, form into paddies, fry it up and use it in sandwiches with crisp onions and lettuce. Salad dressing goes well as the sauce. These types of sandwiches go well using pita breads.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by coldPlay

something I've discovered recently is falafel mix. I'm not sure what all is in it but I buy it in the bulk section. I think it's chickpea flour with herbs.

Its usually chickpea flour, wheat flour and at times pea flour mixed with herbs.

You can make the mix fresh with fresh herbs (especially parsley!) and its a lot better than the box stuff.

[coldPlay]

Originally Posted by user_id

Its usually chickpea flour, wheat flour and at times pea flour mixed with herbs.

You can make the mix fresh with fresh herbs (especially parsley!) and its a lot better than the box stuff.

the one I get says gluten-free so I doubt it has flour in it. It's very rich in flavor, so it's probably just primarily chickpea flour. Very tasty when I need something fried and I add my own sea salt, which compliments the ice cold crisp lettuce and onions and yogurt dressing.