Sugar-Free Chocolate Bark with Trail Mix: A Healthy Snack Option
A sweet, chocolatey, crunchy treat without the sugar! Enjoy this sugar-free anti-oxidant chocolate bark when you’re in the mood for a sweet pick-me-up!
Month: April 2019
Sugar-Free Brownies with Walnuts: Indulgent, Nutty, and Guilt-Free
This is a quick and easy sugar free brownie recipe that’s full of the goodness of einkorn flour and walnuts and the sweetness from monksweet+ with stevia.
Einkorn Flour Review: A Healthier Ancient Grain Alternative
Throughout my weight loss journey, I’ve tried many types of flour and flour substitutes depending on the diet I was following at the time. Out of all the flours I’ve tried, the one I keep returning to time and time again is einkorn flour. Although the name may sound strange, the only exotic and consequently the most important thing about this flour, is that it is an ancient unhybridized wheat.
What does it mean to be unhybridized and what’s so special about einkorn flour? Follow along for my review below to find out.
What is Einkorn Flour?
Einkorn flour is made from milled einkorn wheat berries. The word ‘einkorn’ means one seed or one grain and that is exactly what you have in the wheat berry that produces einkorn flour. Einkorn is one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat and was planted by hunter-gatherers some 30,000 years ago.
Not many people in the US know about einkorn wheat because even though it’s easy to grow, it doesn’t yield very much upon harvesting. This is probably because the einkorn grain is not easily separated from the husk which makes it more of a challenge to produce. Einkorn is mostly used for animal feed in Europe, India, Morocco, and the Middle East, but has recently re-emerged as a healthy option to modern wheat.
Who Should Use Einkorn Flour?
Why would anyone need an alternative to modern wheat? What’s the essential difference between einkorn flour and regular flour? All very good questions! I highly recommend everyone use einkorn flour instead of regular flour for several reasons, the most important being nutrition and taste.
Einkorn flour has fewer calories per cup than regular flour (300 vs 455), it has fewer carbohydrates (60g vs 95g), and more fiber (6g vs 3g). Einkorn flour also has a higher percentage of protein, vitamin B6, beta-carotene, phosphorous, and potassium than is found in modern wheat flour.
An even more compelling reason to try einkorn flour is that its low gluten profile makes it much easier to digest than regular hybridized wheat flour. People with gluten-related diseases such as celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergies can enjoy einkorn flour without negative side effects.
Aside from the fact that einkorn flour is more nutritious than regular flour, I find that it tastes better too. Everything that I’ve made with einkorn flour has turned out beautifully. Bread has a lovely, soft crumb, cookies are moist, airy, and light and tortillas are soft, chewy, and delicious. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Too Good to Be True?
So is there anything negative to say about einkorn flour? To be honest, no. There isn’t a lot I can say negatively about einkorn flour other than it can be a bit expensive. I really can’t begrudge the cost because as I’ve mentioned, einkorn is a low-yielding grain. It takes a lot more einkorn wheat berries than normal wheat to produce a small amount of flour. Thus, it stands to reason that it would be a bit more expensive than regular flour.
In my humble opinion, it’s worth it to spend a few more dollars for a lot more added nutritional benefits.
Einkorn Flour Pros:
- Higher nutrient profile than regular wheat flour
- The most ancient and purest form of wheat – einkorn wheat is a diploid like most plants with only two sets of chromosomes, unlike modern wheat which has six!
- Naturally low in gluten (contains only A-genome gluten which does not show up in an Elisa gluten test)
- Safe for people with wheat allergies/intolerance
- High levels of beta-carotene – a known cancer-fighting nutrient
Einkorn Flour Cons:
- Expensive
- There is a learning curve to using einkorn flour. You can use it cup for cup with regular flour, but you may have to up your leavening agents due to the low gluten nature of einkorn flour.
- Einkorn flour absorbs liquids very slowly and produces a sticky dough so depending on the recipe, you may need to reduce the amount of liquid required by up to 20%.
What Others Are Saying About Einkorn Flour
I always like to share reviews for the same product from other independent sources, my favorite being Amazon. Amazon has a Verified Purchase program which ensures that all the people writing reviews for a particular product actually purchased said products. So what are they saying on Amazon about einkorn flour?
Einkorn flour enjoys a 4.7/5 star rating on Amazon. This is with a total of 214 customer reviews for Jovial Organic Einkorn All Purpose Flour – this is the brand I use. An overwhelming 88% of buyers gave this flour a 5-star rating and there were only 2 1-star ratings due to poor packaging. Here are some of those reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent flour for those sensitive to modern wheat, and is low gluten March 15, 2019, Verified Purchase Since I have Crohn’s disease in remission, I’m trying to avoid gluten, per my Naturopath’s recommendation. We use this flour with a bread machine gluten free cycle to make yummy low gluten bread.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great product
March 15, 2019, Verified Purchase Even people who I have given bread to, that are very gluten allergic and/or intolerant, have had no problem with this. Not at all gritty, is used 1:1, and nice flavor. Have even used it to make Matzo bread for Passover and it can be rolled out thinly. I have ordered this many times and will continue.
1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly packaged March 13, 2019, Verified Purchase Used this flour for sometime now and love it……but I received this shipment with 4 of the 5 packages ripped open and flour was everywhere inside the box.
5.0 out of 5 stars I really like this flour March 10, 2019, Verified Purchase This is great flour, if you have a sensitivity to gluten, you may be able to tolerate this.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great product, very versatile. March 4, 2019, Verified Purchase Nice to have a healthy flour with an “all-purpose” option. It’s also nice to know that it’s from Italy where glyphosate restrictions don’t allow it to be used on pre-harvest wheat.
3.0 out of 5 stars January 13, 2018, Verified Purchase Overall, Jovial Einkorn flour is amazing. My daughter is gluten intolerant and this flour doesn’t cause any of the negative effects that regular flour does. I always order from this seller and have been happy with the product quality and shipping. Today, when my package arrived the inner wrapper was badly torn and one of the bags of flour was ripped. Disappointed and will seek out a new seller for future orders.
These ratings show that you get great value for your health and well-being, especially if you have wheat allergies or gluten intolerance. Einkorn flour is well worth the price.
Final Thoughts on Einkorn Flour
I’ve used a lot of different kinds of flour and einkorn flour is my favorite by a mile. No matter what diet you follow, even a low-carb diet, I recommend you incorporate this flour into your diet. You really will be doing your body a big favor all while enjoying yummy baked goods like bread, muffins, cakes, and cookies.
Just use einkorn flour as you would regular flour and enjoy all its benefits. Go out and get some today!
Have you tried einkorn flour? Let me know in the comments.
Meal Replacement Drinks: Best Options for Weight Loss and Nutrition
To be perfectly honest, I’m not a fan of drinking my calories/meals because I prefer eating real food. Chewing and tasting food adds to the pleasure of eating, but I recognize that sometimes we just don’t have enough time to prepare healthy, nutritious meals. Read more
Paleo Flatbread: Easy and Grain-Free
This paleo-friendly flatbread is the easiest of all to make. Using 4 simple ingredients and about 30 minutes of time, this flatbread is perfectly bendy and chewy and a great all-purpose flatbread.
Flatbread Recipes: Homemade Bread Alternatives
It’s been a minute since I’ve posted any recipes for this blog so today I’m going to discuss one of my favorite and versatile foods, the flatbread. There are many types of flatbread (also known as tortillas) and they may be leavened or unleavened depending on the cuisine and ingredients used. This variety is useful for creating flatbreads that are tasty and suitable for various ways of eating.
In this post, I’ll share flatbread recipes that are suitable for different diets like keto, paleo, gluten-free, nut-free, etc. There will be something for everyone, guaranteed. Before I continue, however, I must make clear that some of these flatbread recipes will produce flatbread or tortillas of various textures and fold-ability.
For example, the gluten-free version will be more brittle and not fold easily or as well as the einkorn version. Outcomes and textures depend on the flour base used to create the flatbread. The ultimate goal is to create a delicious flatbread and I believe I have with these recipes. I’ll begin the list with my favorite recipe that is easy, all-purpose, and yummy the einkorn tortilla.
Einkorn Tortillas
Einkorn Flour is the most ancient grain of wheat that is non-GMO and has never been hybridized. This means it has less of the proteins (like gluten) found in modern hybridized wheat that cause allergies, intolerances, and inflammatory diseases like celiac.
Einkorn flour is highly nutritious, containing high levels of protein, fiber, vitamins, phosphorus, and iron. Anything made with this wonderful flour comes out a lovely golden yellow due to the high levels of carotenoids found in Einkorn wheat berries. Moreover, flatbread, rolls, and bread come out with a delicate, soft crumb that is absolutely delicious!
This Einkorn Flour Tortilla recipe couldn’t be simpler: All you need is Einkorn flour, vegan spread (or butter), water, and optional salt. You can find the complete recipe here:
Pro-tip: if you don’t have a tortilla press, just cut the zipper off a Ziploc bag and cut down the sides. Place a tortilla ball in between the open sides of the bag and press down in the middle with a bowl. Alternatively, you can use the bowl to press the dough ball between two squares of parchment paper. Voila! Tortillas!
Keto Flatbread
This recipe for keto flatbread is made with my version of the THM Baking Blend. This flatbread is very quick and easy to make because it’s made with a few simple ingredients that are low-carb and won’t wreck your progress. I made this flatbread almost every week of the month when I was exclusively keto and it really saved my diet and my sanity.
To make this quick keto flatbread you’ll need the THM Baking Blend I discuss in my article on low-carb flour substitutes, avocado oil, baking powder, and water. That’s it! Combine these ingredients into a dough, form and roll out four flatbreads, and fry on a medium-hot skillet. You can check out the full recipe and directions here:
Even though it looks fragile, this keto flatbread holds up well with whatever you choose all for only 2 g carbs per serving!
Gluten-Free Tortilla
These days, many people are turning to gluten-free grains, flour, and baked goods. Some people do this out of necessity because they’re gluten-intolerant or they have Celiac disease. Other people are choosing to go gluten-free because they think eating less gluten will be beneficial for their health. Whatever the reason for going gluten-free, it’s essential that people find a suitable all-purpose gluten-free flour.
I sometimes bake and cook for my vegan cousin who’s a fitness trainer and follows a very austere eating regimen. He recently requested gluten-free tortillas and I went on the hunt for a suitable flour. After trial and error with various grain-free flour mixes, I settled upon the King Arthur all-purpose gluten-free flour. This gluten-free flour when used with a bit of xanthan gum, makes tasty breads, scones, cakes, and tortillas.
I ended up creating a gluten-free flatbread for him using King Arthur gluten-free flour with a bit of almond flour. You can see the recipe here:
This gluten-free tortilla does not quite have the same texture as a regular tortilla made with wheat flour, but it holds its own as a vehicle for delicious fillings and toppings.
Paleo Flatbread
The paleo diet is the most stringent way of eating when it comes to bread or anything resembling bread. Paleo encourages the dieter to eat meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and healthy oils; however, processed foods, grains, or sugar are not allowed.
As you can imagine cutting bread out of our diet is very challenging for many of us. Think about it, we eat grains for almost every meal – cereal or toast for breakfast, rice or a wrap for lunch, and pasta or pizza for dinner. Grains are everywhere! These factors made following the paleo diet very difficult for me personally.
As always, I searched for ways to circumvent the no-grain rule and create a palatable bread substitute. I turned to flatbread instead of loaf bread because it’s such an all-purpose food. I can make wraps, quesadillas, and desserts using flatbread as the base. To create my paleo flatbread, I had to use ingredients that were permissible on the diet. I came up with this recipe:
I love the simplicity of this recipe. It’s easy to make with easily available ingredients and it holds up well to any topping.
Flatbread – The Foundation For Delicious Food
I love making flatbread. They are quick and easy to make and I can enjoy them with any meal. Flatbreads are so versatile, they can be used for any course like breakfast burrito wraps, or to sop up stews/curries and even make a savory quesadilla or dessert chocolate roll-up! The possibilities are limited only to your imagination.
I hope I’ve proven with these flatbread recipes that you can still enjoy flatbread and tortillas while on a keto, paleo, or gluten-free diet. Do you like flatbread? What’s, your favorite? Let me know in the comments. Until then: Happy Eating!