Classy and Opinionated Lifestyle Mom Blog
Some cookbooks are reference books, some are glorified picture books, and others are a snapshot of a time and place. Rachel Hollis’s brand new book, Real Life Dinners: Fun, Fresh, Fast Dinners from the Creator of The Chic Site, is an autobiographical collection of dinner …
If you’re seriously interested in learning to draw, you’ll want to consider illustrator and art instructor Jim Dowdalls’ newly released book, Drawing School: Fundamentals for the Beginner, A Comprehensive Drawing Course. This book is indeed comprehensive, covering topics from choosing materials and setting up your …
As someone with no food sensitivities, I had a revelation when I started baking with the gluten-free flours I recently received from Pereg Natural Foods (see my review here). Combining non-wheat flours with wheat flour takes advantage of the best features of both and adds flavor and nutrition to my baked goods. It’s a whole new world of taste and texture!
* Complimentary Products Received for Review.
Pereg’s line of gluten-free flours includes Buckwheat, Quinoa, Banana, Almond, Coconut, Chickpea, Teff, and Plantain flours. For this feature, I’ve concentrated on the Teff Flour and Banana Flour, researching how best to incorporate them into my baking, and making a quiche crust using the Teff Flour and a quick bread using the Banana Flour.
Teff is an ancient grain that’s gaining in popularity due to its great taste and nutrition. These properties carry through to teff flour, too, which is high in protein, fiber, calcium, and iron. I learned that teff flour absorbs more liquid than wheat flour does, so it’s a good idea to add only part of the liquid called for, then letting the dough rest before adding more liquid as needed.
In place of a standard pastry crust, I made a teff-flour crust for a mushroom and onion quiche. I used a high proportion of teff flour, 3/4 cup to 1 cup of all-purpose flour, which made a crumbly dough I pressed into my tart pan. After baking, the crust remained a bit crumbly, with an earthy flavor that complemented the mushroom quiche and didn’t get soggy.
Banana flour also has many healthful properties. It’s high in prebiotics and is a resistant starch, meaning that like fiber, it leaves you feeling satisfied. As with many gluten-free flours, a general guideline when using banana flour with wheat flour is to replace up to 1/4 of the wheat flour with banana flour. Because of its high starch content, Pereg recommends using 30% less banana flour than the amount of wheat flour called for when using only banana flour.
So as not to mask the qualities of the banana flour, I chose a simple recipe, “Quick Nut or Date Bread” from my vintage 1963 edition of the Joy of Cooking. Instead of using the recipe’s 2 cups of all-purpose flour, I followed the 1/4 rule, using 1/2 cup of banana flour and 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. The banana flour gave the bread a warm, light brown color and a light texture. My husband said he could taste faint notes of banana in the bread, but to me, it just had a rich, well-rounded flavor.
Keep an eye out for my next post using other varieties of Pereg’s gluten-free flours. I’ve got some ideas for what to make, and I can’t wait to get started!
As I discussed in my original review, Pereg Natural Foods also produces herbs, spices, and blends, premium grains, rice, beans, flours, breadcrumbs, and more. All of the New Jersey-based company’s products are kosher certified and are dairy- and lactose-free, with no additives or preservatives.
Look for Pereg products at local retailers, or purchase them at Pereg’s website. Visit Pereg on Facebook, too.
Disclaimer: A. Bailey received complimentary products for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ.
Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing a new book, Flat Belly 365: The Gut-Friendly Superfood Plan to Shed Pounds, Fight Inflammation, and Feel Great All Year Long, by Manuel Villacorta, MS, RD. This book not only presents a science-based plan for weight loss and …
Socks may not be the most glamorous item of clothing, but they sure are one of the most important. I wear them every day, except in very hot weather (and sometimes even then). It’s easy to take socks for granted, but the right socks can …
My family is fortunate in that none of us have any food allergies, so we can enjoy all sorts of foods without worry. When I cook with gluten-free ingredients, it’s by choice, and with Pereg Natural Foods’ line of gluten-free flours, it’s a delicious choice.
* Complimentary Products Received for Review.
Pereg kindly sent me a set of all eight of their gluten-free flours for my review: Buckwheat, Quinoa, Banana, Almond, Coconut, Chickpea, Teff, and Plantain. Some of them are familiar to me (hello, buckwheat pancakes!), but some are a brand new experience, and I’ve had a lot of fun learning about them and exploring recipes to use them in. Because of their generosity, I’m going to need more than one blog post to do justice to Pereg and these flours, so keep an eye out for future posts.
For today, I’m focusing on the Quinoa Flour and Almond Meal Flour. The first thing I made was the Quinoa Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe found on the package of Quinoa Flour and at Pereg’s website. In addition to the Quinoa Flour, I used the Almond Meal Flour as a substitute for the “almonds ground into a fine powder” called for in the recipe. Other minor changes I made were using chocolate chips rather than chunks, resting the dough, and extending the baking time. The cookies were great, with a nice nutty flavor, as you might expect. I wouldn’t feel at all guilty eating these cookies for breakfast, since both the Quinoa and Almond Flours have a high protein and fiber content.
According to Pereg, Quinoa Flour is great for bread-baking because of its high protein content, which helps compensate for its lack of gluten. The fat content of the Almond Flour adds a tender texture to baked goods, but it is less like a “normal” flour than the Quinoa Flour. I found the combination of these flours worked well in my cookies, and I’m looking forward to experimenting further with both flours.
Pereg Natural Foods makes much more than just gluten-free flours. In fact, back in 1906 when they were first established, their claim to fame was their selection of over 60 pure, natural spices and spice blends. Today they also produce premium grains, rice, beans, flours, breadcrumbs, and more. All of the New Jersey-based company’s products are kosher certified and are dairy- and lactose-free, with no additives or preservatives.
You may find Pereg products at a local retailer, and you can also purchase them at Pereg’s website. You’ll also find many tempting recipes there.
Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win a fabulous prize package of Pereg Natural Foods products, including baby quinoa, quinoa flakes, teff, farro, lentils, assorted blended spices, and a few gluten-free flours. Good luck!
Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on May 31st, 2018 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.
Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog.
Preparing food is one of my favorite things to do. Having good kitchen equipment adds to my enjoyment, especially when the tools are as attractive as they are functional, like my new Cheese Board with Handle from Chosen Stones. This handcrafted board is gorgeous, and …
With all the trendy and fad-based diets popping up everywhere, it can be tricky to spot the good information hidden in all the fluff. One trustworthy and knowledgeable source is Manuel Villacorta, MS, RD, an established expert in the field who has a new book, …