Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine

 Two ways to eat fresh onions and garlic

Why eat fresh garlic and onions? These bulbs contain a component called Allicin among other health promoting components. Allicin inhibits the reproduction of bacteria and viruses. I don't know all the science, but you can read more HERE on Herbazest.com.

Whenever I am fighting a bacterial or viral infection I try to consume as much garlic as possible.

Most of the time I straight up eat garlic cloves. But, eating garlic can be way more pleasurable.

For onions try this Tomato Onion Salad.

Dice half an onion and a medium tomato.

Mix together with salt, pepper, basil, a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise and as much apple cider vinegar as you like (2ish Tbsp. for me).

This salad was so delicious that last time I was sick I was eating this salad twice a day. That makes 1 whole onion a day! I think that it did me a lot of good and it was real food as medicine.

I love garlic! There are many ways that I get fresh garlic into my diet. I've made a garlic and oil emulsion as a salad dressing. That is a good way to get a few fresh garlic cloves with a meal. My family has a tradition of making what we call Garlic Salad, which is a garlic spread made from cooked eggplant pulp, bread crumbs, olive oil, vinegar, and salt. It is similar to the Lebanese dish; Baba Ganu. I quit adding the bread crumbs and I like it much better that way. (I never told my Grandma.Shhh)

One of my favorite ways to eat fresh garlic in a meal is a variation of Huevos Rancheros.

I mix 3-4 cloves of minced garlic with a couple ounces of cream cheese.

Spread the cream cheese mixture onto toasted corn tortillas.

Top with a fried eggs and chopped cilantro.

And, for a added boost for flavor and health promoting capsaicin, add Tabasco sauce or your favorite hot pepper sauce. 

There you have it! Two ways to make food your medicine by utilizing the flavors of fresh onions and garlic!

I hope you enjoy!

Let me know if you have tried any of these before or how you use food as your medicine!

Psalms 104:14 

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,

 and herb for the service of man:

 that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

Green Lentil Dahl Recipe

I feel so adventurous! This is way out of my normal cuisine range.

I really like this recipe! I have yet to try it with the red chilis added, but I would like to in the summer when chilis are in season.

This recipe comes from Slow The Cook Down. Check out the original recipe HERE. I have cut it in half and it is still plenty for our size family. I swapped out the red onion for a regular onion, too. I like to buy my spices from my local Indian grocer. (I wrote I blog post about it. Check it out HERE!) The Indian grocery store has great prices and selection when it comes to spices!

Green Lentil Dahl

Ingredients

 

• 2 cups green lentils
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 3/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 bay leave
• 1 onion diced
• 1 inches ginger minced
• 2 cloves garlic mince
• 1 red chilis minced
• 13 fl. oz coconut milk (1 cans) 
• 1/2 cup water 
• juice of one lime
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Place the lentils in a large bowl of water and set to one side.  Chop the ingredients and get your spices ready!
• Heat the oil in large pot over a medium heat. Once hot, add the mustard seeds.
• When the mustard seeds start to pop, add in the turmeric, cumin, curry powder and bay leaves. Stir for a couple of minutes until the spices become fragrant.
• Add in the onion, ginger, garlic and chili.  Stir so that the spice coats the onions and cook for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften.
• Drain the lentils, and add in to the pot.  Add the coconut milk, lime juice and water and mix well.  Pop a lid on for 15 minutes
• After 15 minutes, take the lid off and give a good stir, at this point you can add any added vegetables that you wish.  Cook the dish for another 10 or so minutes until excess liquid has cooked off
• At this point, you could stir in some spinach or herbs - parsley and coriander work really well!
• Serve with rice
• Enjoy!

More About Enchiladas

 

I learned a new way to make Enchiladas from this video. 

In this video the chef, Ethan Chlebowski, details his experience eating Enchiladas in Mexico, which are quite different from the Enchiladas that we are accustomed to in the United States. 

According to Ethan Chlebowski, the Enchiladas in Mexico are made like tacos; as you are ready to eat them, not in a casserole dish that has been baked in the oven.

The Sauce on Mexican Enchiladas is different, too. It is a chili sauce with no tomatoes. To assemble Enchiladas you start by frying a corn tortilla in oil. Next dip your fried tortilla in sauce. Put your choice of filling into your fried and sauced tortilla. Serve with more sauce.

I tried Ethan's method with my own Tex-Mex tomato based sauce, and we really preferred Enchiladas made in this manner to the way I used to make them in a casserole.

These new Enchiladas are going to make a regular appearance on my menu! 

Did you know how authentic Mexican Enchiladas are made? If you have never had these before, I highly recommend that you give them a try!

Enchilada Sauce: 2 Versions

Enchilada Sauce can be used for more than Enchiladas. It makes a tasty taco sauce and a really flavorful dip for Quesadillas. I have two Enchilada Sauce recipes. One without dried ancho chili and with dried ancho chili.

The first version is fast and easy. It has a bright and simple flavor profile.

The second version takes longer to make and has much more chili flavors.

I have detailed the process of using dried chilies in this post, in case you are unfamiliar with their preparation. I did not grow up using dried chilies. I learned the benefit of using dried chilies within the past year by watching some Rick Bayless videos on YouTube. I am always glad to add cooking skills to my repertoire. If you are interested in Mexican cooking I recommend Rick Bayless. He has a lot of knowledge and a natural teaching style.

Without further Ado, Enchilada Sauce Recipes:

Quick And Easy Enchilada Sauce

1/4 cup Onion, Chopped

1 TBS. Oil

30 ozs. Tomato Sauce or Crushed Tomatoes

4oz. can Green Chilies

1 TBS. Chili Powder

1/2 tsp. Cummin

1/4 tsp. Garlic Power

1/2 tsp. Salt

In a medium size sauce pan heat oil and sauté the chopped onion until soft and translucent.

Add the tomato sauce, green chilies and spices.

Stir well and simmer 10 minutes to meld the flavors.

Long And Laborious Enchilada Sauce

Instructions for preparing the dried Ancho Chilies:

Cut the tops off of the chilies. Open the chilies and flatten them. Scrape out seeds.

Heat a skillet to very hot, like a grill hot. Put the chilies in the skillet and sear them on both sides. Press them into the skillet with tongs or a spatula. The chilies' color will lighten and some blistering may occur. 

Put the seared chilies in a heat proof bowl and pour hot water over to cover the chilies. Steep 5-10 minutes to soften. 

In a food processor or blender puree the softened chillies.

Ingredients:

2 Dried Ancho Chilies

1 - 1 1/2 cups Hot Water

2 TBS. Oil

1 Onion, Chopped

2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 28oz. can Tomato Sauce or  Crushed Tomatoes

1 7 oz. can Green Chilies

1 tsp. Cummin

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

Prepare the dried chilies.

Saute onions and garlic in oil.

Add Tomatoes, Green Chilies, Chili Puree, and seasonings. 

Simmer 10-30 minutes.

Blender with an emersion blender, or ladle into a regular blender and puree until smooth.

Vanilla Popcorn Recipe!

 

This popcorn is a sweet treat! I find it easier to make than Carmel Corn or Kettle Corn. It is the perfect snack for movies night, Fourth of July fireworks, and any other activity that requires finger food.

Vanilla Popcorn 

6 quarts Popped Popcorn

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Butter

1/4 cup Corn Syrup

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a sauce pan.

Over medium-high heat bring to a boil. Boil, stirring, for 2 minutes. 

Remove from heat and quickly add baking soda and vanilla. Stir throughout.

Pour over popped popcorn. And stir to coat.

Enjoy!

Beet Salad Recipe!

This is a Root and Fruit Salad. It is delicious, vibrant, and super healthy! 

The easiest way to prepare this salad is with a food processor. Alternatively, the veggies can be shredded with a vegetable grater. Ethier way it is grate. (Pun intended!)

Beet Salad

4 carrots

2 beets

2 apples (Granny Smith are the best)

1 inch of ginger

2 lemons

1/4 c. sunflower seeds or chopped pecans (optional)

Peel carrots and beets. Peel and mince ginger.

Cut the carrots, beets, and apples into chunks. 

In food processor pulse carrots, beets, apples, and ginger until coarsely chopped. You may have to do this in a couple batches.

Pour into salad bowl. Add nuts or seeds, if using.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the salad. Rest 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

I was a beet hater until my grandma made this salad for me. It sounds like an unlikely recipe to turn someone on to beets, but it worked. I love beets prepared in all kinds of ways now.

If you love beets, give this recipe a try!

And, if you hate beets, give this recipe a try!

Hearty Chili Recipe!

 This is the way my Mom makes Chili. It is very flavorful and hearty. I learned from her to use a variety of beans. It makes for a nice presentation.

 

Hearty Chili Recipe

1 lb. Ground Beef or Turkey or Deer 

1 Large Onion, Diced

5 Garlic Cloves, Minced

4 TBS. Chili Powder

2 tsp. Salt

1 15oz. can Black Beans, with liquid

1 15oz. can Kidney Beans, with liquid

1 30oz. can Pinto Beans, with liquid

1 quart or 1 28oz. can Crushed Tomatoes

In a large soup pot, brown the ground meat. Pour off grease if necessary. 

Add onion and cook until soft.

Add garlic, salt, and chili powder and cook 1 minute.

Add beans and tomatoes.

Simmer 30 minutes. 

Or, pour into crockpot and cook on high 2 hours or low for 5 hours.

Serve once all the flavors have melded nicely.

Serving Suggestions:

Top each bowl with shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Serve tortilla chips, corn chips or cornbread on the side.

Add a big scoop of macaroni and cheese to each bowlful to make delicious Chili Mac.

Sweet, Rich, Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe!

1 cup Corn Meal

1 cup Masa Harina

1/4 cup Sugar

1 tsp. Salt 

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/4 cup Buttermilk

1/2 cup Melted Butter or Bacon Grease

2 Eggs

In a mixing bowl blend the dry ingredients together. 

Add the buttermilk, fat, and egg. Combine thoroughly.

Pour into a greased 8×8 inch pan or 8 inch iron skillet.

Bake 20-25 minutes at 350° F.

Other Corn Bread Recipes:

Cake-Like Soaked Grain Cornbread

Purist Cornbread

Sweet-N-Sour Chicken Recipe!

 I posted this recipe several years ago. I gave the post a title that made the recipe hard to find, though. I still use and love this recipe. So, I think now is a good time to re-publish the tasty Sweet-N-Sour Chicken Recipe.

Chicken:
• 2 lbs. Chicken, skinless chicken thighs(preferably), or breasts
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups frying oil
Sauce:
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces.  Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken.                                           Or, put the corn starch and chicken pieces into a lidded container and shake vigorously to coat all the chicken.
3. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until very hot and rippling. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet.
4. Cook for 20-30 seconds on each side until the crust is golden but the chicken is not all the way cooked through (this is where it's really important to have a hot skillet/oil). Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in a 9X13-inch baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
5. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.

I have frozen this meal. This is how I did that.

To Freeze:

Complete steps 2-4. Drain and cool the par-fried chicken pieces. Freeze the chicken in a bag.

When ready to bake:

Put the frozen par-fried chicken pieces into casserole pan. Pour sauce over the chicken pieces and stir to coat.

Bake at 350° F. for 1 hour, stirring twice during the baking time.

Tropical Fruit Whip!

 This recipe is inspired by the Pineapple Whip recipe from Dinning On A Dime .com. 

Ingredients:

Frozen Bananas

Frozen Pineapple, fresh or canned

Canned Coconut milk

Vanilla Extract

A tip for those using canned pineapple: freeze it in an ice cube tray. This will make it easy to blend up.

I have only tried this recipe with canned pineapple. I think it would be much better with fresh pineapple, though. I can taste the "tinny" flavor from the tin can of the canned pineapple. 

These are rough quantities. Please adjust the amounts to your preferences!

Tropical Fruit Whip

Yield: 4 large servings

1 (13.5oz.) can coconut milk

1 (20oz.) can pineapple chunks, frozen

2 1/2 cups banana chunks, frozen

2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring (I really like Mexican style vanilla flavoring in this shake.)

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until really smooth and somewhat aerated.

Serve cold. 

Enjoy!

Tikka Masala Recipe!

I have been wanting to make this recipe for months and months. It took some time for me to gather the ingredients, but I finally got to try it a few weeks ago. This is the first time I have made a dish that is so heavily inspired by Indian cuisine. The recipe I used was from Chef John. You can access the recipe on allrecipes.com. (Chef John's Tikka Masala Link) I am a big fan of Chef John. Being so confident that I would like his recipe I made a double batch. Mr. In The Mid-west and I really enjoyed Tikka Masala. We ate it 3 or 4 days in a row! It was too spicy for the children, though. 

I made two changes to the original recipe:

#1. I had no chicken broth pre-made so I used water and added some chicken bones to the sauce while it simmered.

#2. I added cooked chick peas to the recipe.

Tikka Masala Recipe

1 1/2 lbs.  Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Thighs

1 TBS. Oil

2 tsp. Kosher Salt

2 tsp. Garam Masala

2 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Coriander

1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 tsp. Tumeric

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

1/4 tsp.  Cayenne Pepper

1/8 tsp. Cardamom

2 TBS. Clarified Butter

1 Onion, Chopped

1/4 c. Tomato Paste

4 Cloves Garlic, Finely Grated

1 TBS. Fresh Ginger, Finely Grated

1 c. Crushed Tomatoes

1/2 c. Chicken Broth

1 (13.5oz.) can Coconut Milk

2 TBS. Cilantro, Chopped

1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 cup cooked Chick Peas

Drizzle the oil over the chicken thighs. Stir to coat. Combine salt, garam Masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, tumeric, black pepper, cayenne, and cardamom. Sprinkle on chicken a stir to distribute evenly. 

Melt clarified butter in large skillet. Cook thighs in hot butter until browned on all sides, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate to cool. When cool enough to handle cut into bite size pieces.

Cook the onion in the hot butter remaining in the skillet until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir. Saute until paste caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour crushed tomatoes into the skillet and bring to boil while scraping browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Pour in coconut milk and chicken broth, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.

Stir chicken, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and chick peas into sauce. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 25 minutes.

• Serve with rice, garnish with chopped cilantro.

Teriyaki Marinade And Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This Teriyaki Marinade is great for flavoring all sorts of meat, especially for grilling, and vegetables for shish kabobs. I also use this recipe to make a sauce for stir fry sometimes.

Teriyaki Marinade

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup ketchup

2/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil

5-6 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

2 tsp. ground ginger

Combine ingredients and soak meat and or vegetables overnight. 

Stir Fry Sauce Variation

Cut recipe in half

Omit oil.

Add 1 TBS. corn starch.

When stir fry is almost done pour in sauce and cook 1 minute, until thickened.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

1 recipe of Teriyaki Marinade

6-8 lbs. Chicken Legs and/or Thighs

Remove skins from chicken pieces. Soak chicken in marinade for a few hours.

Place chicken onto a sheet pan and bake at 400° F. for 20 minutes.

Pull the chicken out of the oven and dunk each piece into the marinade. Place back onto the sheet pan turning each piece so that the side that had been facing down is now facing up.

Return chicken to the oven and bake 20 minutes longer. 

Add 2 tsp. or 1 TBS. of corn starch, depending upon how much marinade is remaining, to the leftover marinade and boil for 1 minute if you would like a sauce.

Try Something New: Japanese Onigiri

Onigiri are eaten in Japan as sandwiches are eaten in The United States. They are easily portable. Onigiri are a great lunch food. 

I learned about Onigiri from the YouTube channel Emmymade. I recommend you search, "Emmymade Onigiri," on YouTube if you want to learn more about Onigiri. There are a lot of details in her videos that I found interesting. 

Onigiri is basically a seasoned rice ball, stuffed with tuna or other ingredients or left unstuffed, and wrapped in Nori (seaweed paper). I really like them. They are great and they are gluten free.

I am so happy that I tried Onigiri. They are really tasty! The seaweed wrapper, Nori, has a very unique flavor that I can't compare to anything that is in my normal American diet. I would describe Nori as tasting like the sea. Both of my boys really like it! They would eat a whole package in one sitting without adding anything if I let them. My youngest son described Nori like this, "It tastes like fish food!" (And he should know,.....) Haha!

I had to go shopping at the local Asian grocery store to buy some of the ingredients for Onigiri. 

This is the isle with Furikake seasoning.

I needed Furikake (rice seasoning). There are a lot of varieties of Furikake. I chose a Kimchi flavored Furikake. I thought is was very tasty. There was a nice kick of horseradish and flakes of Nori, plus sesame seed, anchovy, and other flavors. 

I bought a 50 lb. bag of rice at the Asian grocery store, too. The type of rice that works best for Onigiri is short grained rice, commonly called sushi rice. Short grained rice is very sticky and is sometimes called glutenous rice because it is sticky like glue, not because it contains gluten.

This is a package of small rectangle sheets
of dried seaweed. The larger squares of Nori
are the kind used for sushi. 

I also bought the Nori (seaweed wrapper) at the Asian grocery store. I have seen Nori for sale at some Walmart stores, though, so, if you don't have an Asian grocery store, you may be able to buy some Nori at Walmart. Walmart also carries sticky rice in the Asian section. I buy the Botan brand. At the Asia  grocery store they also carry Botan brown short grained rice, which is probably healthier for you. I haven't tried it yet, though.

 To make Onigiri:

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.

2. Mix in some Furikake, if you want. This step is optional. I have made Onigiri without Furikake and it tastes fine.

3. Using wet hands, take a hand-full of rice and shape it into a ball.

4. If you are stuffing your Onigiri: Make a dimple in the center of the ball. Put a small spoonful of filling into the dimple. Roll the edges over to cover the filling. (Make sure to keep your hands wet, otherwise, this will be nearly impossible.) I have used tuna mixed with a little mayonnaise for stuffing my Onigiri. 

5. Wrap your rice ball in a sheet of Nori right before you are ready to eat. The Nori will quickly go soggy so don't do this step ahead of time. 

The pictures of Onigiri in this post show a small piece of Nori around the bottom side of the Onigiri. I was running out of Nori so I cut it into smaller pieces. I like to wrap the whole rice ball in a large sheet of Nori if I have enough to do so. But, you can wrap your Onigiri however you like! 

Have you ever tried making some food from a foreign nation? Did you like it? Let me know about your food adventures in the comments section!

Onigiri with some sad looking broccoli
 and carrots. :)

 

My Favorite Italian Sausage Recipe

 I found this recipe from Sufficient Acres.com back when it was Queen of the Red Double Wide blog. That was years ago! This sausage recipe is one of the best I have tasted. I want to add it to my collection of recipes here on my blog because it is a staple in my kitchen. 

I have mixed this spice blend into ground turkey, ground beef, ground pork, and ground deer. If you want "real" Italian Sausage it is best to use pork with a high percentage of fat.

Italian Sausage Seasoning

1 tsp. Ground Pepper

2 tsp. Dried Parsley

1 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 tsp. Fennel Seeds

1/2 tsp. Paprika (Smoked Paprika is really good)

1 tsp. Minced, Dried Onions (I used 1/4 c. fresh minced onions if I don't have the dried version)

1 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

Mix all of the ingredients together. Stir into 2 pounds of ground meat. Refrigerate 2-24 hours before cooking.

Some of you may remember that I also shared a Breakfast Sausage Recipe several years ago. It was also a recipe from Sufficient Acres.com. You can see the original recipe for Breakfast Sausage HERE or my version HERE.

The Best Hard "Boiled" Eggs Are Actually Steamed

I learned, through an America's Test Kitchen video, that steaming hard boiled eggs is the best method. After trying it out several times I have to agree. I never have any trouble peeling the eggs any more. The shells practically slip off. And the eggs taste great. They are bouncy but not rubbery, and the yolks crumble a little but they aren't dry or powdery.

I just put about an inch of water in the bottom of a sauce pot. (Until it comes up to the bottom of the steamer basket.)

I put the steamer basket in the pot, and fill it with eggs.

Then I place the pan over medium/high heat with the lid on. Once I see steam leaking out from under the lid I set the timer for 10 minutes.

As soon as the timer goes off, I remove the pan from the stove and drain the hot water into the sink. Then I fill the pot, which still contains the eggs, with cold water from the faucet. When the eggs are cool enough to handle I peel them, easy peasy! The eggs are ready for eggs salad or Devilled eggs or a healthy snack. I like to eat my hard boiled eggs cut in half with a little mayonnaise and mustard dipping sauce.

I really like this adjustable steamer basket! I had been looking for one for a long time. I came across this one at a garage sale last year for 25¢. I have used it a lot! It is definitely worth more than a quarter to me. :) I have cooked cubed, butternut squash in just 10 minutes. I have steamed diced potatoes for potato salad. This little steamer basket saves so much water and, because steam is hotter than boiling water, it cooks things much more quickly. 

Gluten Free Brownies With Masa Harina Recipe

I adapted this recipe from a recipe I found on Yammie's Gluten Freedom blog. You can see her recipe here. She has a ton of gluten free and allergy sensitive recipes. My sister is the one who told me about Yammie's blog. She has followed her for several years now. Yammie's main blog is called Yammie's Noshery where she posts not only gluten free, but all kinds of delicious recipes. She takes many enticing photographs of her foods. They make your mouth water. :)

Here are some changes I made to the original recipe:

#1. The original recipe calls for brown and white sugar. I only buy white sugar (well actually it is a minutely less refined, non-GMO, cane sugar) so I added some molasses to the recipe to make up for the lacking brown sugar.

#2. I added a pinch of salt.

#3. I added masa harina. The original recipe doesn't call for any kind of flour and I felt like I would like to have a little filler ingredient in my brownies. Masa harina is a prepared corn flour commonly used for making corn tortillas. I usually have some on hand. It is sold it the Mexican food section of grocery stores. Our Aldi even carries it!

#4. I omitted the chocolate chips and nuts in the original recipe. I'm sure they would taste good, but I didn't have any in the pantry. I think the brownies turned out great without the nuts or chocolate chips. I couldn't tell I was missing anything. :)

Gluten Free Brownies With Masa Harina

1 cup sugar
1 heaping teaspoon molasses
Pinch of salt
3/8 cup (1/4 cup + 2 TBS.) vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1/2 masa harina
3/4 cup cocoa powder

In a mixing bowl combine sugar, molasses, salt, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whip with a whisk on high speed for 2 minutes or until mixture is glossy.
Add masa and cocoa powder, and stir until combined.
Pour into a greased 8"×8" pan or 7"×9" pan.
Bake in a preheated 350° F. oven for 25 minutes.

Story And Cloud "Bread" Recipe | Gluten Free, Grain Free, And Very Low Carbs

This bread has given me a sandwich experience back!

I did a very restrictive elimination diet for six months, for health reasons. When I started to re-introduce foods again I had a bad response to wheat and wheat products. I tried several times and each time I had terrible stomach pains within a few hours. It was so bad that I decided I would not eat wheat any more. The short pleasure of cake or bread was not worth the amount of pain I would have in the next hours.

I even tried eating properly prepared sourdough, the kind with only wild caught airborne yeast. I thought that process would make the wheat easier to digest. It gave me just as much pain as the other wheat products.

For the unforeseeable future cinnamon rolls, fresh yeast bread, real pizza, and normal sandwiches are just going to exist in the form of memories for me. I have still been baking breads, and the aromas are quite satisfying, even if I must resist tasting.

I was relating this development to a lady a church. She asked if I had tried Cloud Bread. She said she would bring me a recipe. She had made it because she has diabetes and wanted a low carb bread, but she said it should be good for me since it has no grains of any kind.

This Cloud Bread is not a good replacement for all of the things you would use regular bread for, but one thing it does well is hold a sandwich together.

During the whole time of being on the elimination diet I never looked for bread alternatives. It really wasn't possible. All grains, seeds, nuts  and legumes were off limits, as well as, eggs and all dairy products. I did miss bread, but I didn't realize how much I missed having a sandwich.

Sandwiches are delicious! Having meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickle, mayonnaise, and mustard all smashed together in one bite is delightful! I feel like a person that has lived where sandwiches don't exist and now I am trying to describe them to my fellow country-men. :)

Here is the recipe for Cloud Bread.

Cloud Bread

3 eggs, separated

1 packet of stevia (you could use 1TBS. of honey)

3 TBS. cream cheese, softened

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Separate eggs.

In a bowl mix yolks, cream cheese, and sweetener.

In another bowl combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Mix at high speed until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold egg whites into yolk mixture.

Grease a large cookie sheet. Spoon batter onto the cookie sheet making hamburger buns shapes.

Bake at 300°F. for about 30 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and cool.

Place in an airtight container and wait until the following day to eat them.

 These freeze well.