Gluten Free Sourdough Cakes

I wrote this post last July but alas it was never posted because I got tied up with my purchase of United Kitchen - I now sell Gluten Free Sourdough Rolls at United Kitchen and they are rather popular! So I am happy to share this recipe for Sourdough Cakes for anyone brave enough to take on the challenge of maintaining their own sourdough starter! Good Luck!

I have been working on a GF sourdough starter which I am really excited about because I love sourdough and I have really missed it since I stopped eating gluten - AND there is some speculation that fermented foods (like sourdough) are helpful for digestion, gut healing, and people with Celiac's disease!

 As I have been feeding my starter 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water twice a day it has started to outgrow the bowl! So in order to use up some of it I decided to try using it for some "sourdough pancakes". I made these really thick and fluffy so they are almost like an english muffin - you can definitely cut one in half and use if for a sandwich or whatever else you want. They are also good to eat as-is but you don't need to eat too many of these since they are so fluffed up!

These are both gluten and dairy free - depending on your sourdough starter's sourness level these may have more or less of a distinct sourdough flavor.

I am not including a calorie count because with fermented foods like the sourdough starter is it just too hard to know the calories, since the structure of the ingredient changes and is never the same twice -

This recipe made about 10 large "english muffin" fluffy cakes 

1. The night before you want to make these combine:

1 cup almond milk(warm)

1.5 cup starter

1.5 cup GF all purpose flour - I used Pamela's Blend

2. Let sit overnight on the counter, covered with a dishtowel

3. In the morning mix in:

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 tbsp baking powder

3 beaten eggs

3 tbsp melted butter - I used Earth Balance

Let rest for 10 minutes

4. Heat up your griddle or pan and grease with coconut oil

5. Spoon batter onto hot griddle and smooth into circles with 3-4 inch diameter

6. Allow first side to cook so that the edges are set, this batter is very thick so the center may not bubble like normal pancakes 

7. Flip to cook the other side, repeat until batter is gone

8. When both sides are cooked and the center seems set transfer each cake to a cooling rack, once completely cooled store in an airtight container

Dining Out: The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is one of the worst offenders as far as high calorie restaurant entrees - If you choose to eat here while watching your calorie intake you have to be very careful about what you order

I only order off of their new Skinnylicious Menu - I get the Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos, they are 260 calories, and they are gluten free and dairy free(without the crema) - they are basically like a mexican chicken salad in lettuce wrap form

For comparison, my boyfriend orders the Baja Chicken Tacos - these are 1,119 calories! And his entree does not look very different from mine except that his comes with actual tortillas and rice and beans. I would not have thought that his meal would be that high in calories - but leave it to Cheesecake Factory to make even the healthy-looking things high in calories..

Also if you eat here while restricting calories do not order cheesecake! Instead you should make your own low cal version at home - You can do this using 1 container of Chobani or Fage low fat greek yogurt and a tablespoon of Jell-O Sugar Free Cheesecake mix - just stir the two ingredients together well and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes - you could add PB2 powder or cocoa powder to make a peanut butter/chocolate cheesecake, or top with some fruit preserves for a classic fruit-topped cheesecake treat :)

Broccoli Pancake & Poached Egg (140 Calories)

This is one of my favorite go-to quick meals when I am just cooking for myself at my apartment. I made it this morning for breakfast for my "last first day of school" - it is kind of like a low calorie version of Eggs Benedict

If you don't have an egg poacher you can just prepare the egg any way you like - basted, fried, scrambled, etc.

This quick meal is good any time of day, I have made if for breakfast, lunch and dinner :)

I like the Broccoli Pancakes because they pack this meal with extra protein - but if you like a sweet-savory combination you could try it with a Sweet Potato Pancake

I buy these Broccoli Pancakes at Whole Foods, I really like that they are individually wrapped because it takes a while for me to get through a whole box!

This meal is also Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegetarian!

Recipe:

1 egg - 70 calories

1 Broccoli Pancake - 70 calories         

= 140 calories

1. First heat up a skillet and begin cooking your broccoli pancake - cook for about 7 minutes on the first side, 4 on the other, and keep flipping until both sides are crispy and the patty is heated through

2. While your broccoli pancake is heating up cook your egg - I use a microwave egg poacher to cook mine, but you could cook it in another skillet instead

3. Place your heated broccoli pancake on a plate and top with the egg - top with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Dining Out: Buona Beef

Italian Beef is a popular Chicago Staple - but it usually isn't very gluten-free friendly because it comes on a roll - but some restaurants, including Buona Beef, are accommodating

I order the Naked Combo at Buona Beef - this is a bowl of Italian Beef with the juice, a sliced italian sausage and sliced peppers - I order it without the cheese (about 500 cal) which makes this Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Paleo :)

This is a pretty high calorie lunch for me, but it is really filling - I usually eat this when I won't be eating snacks throughout the afternoon.

For comparison, my boyfriend ordered the Barbecue Chicken Pizza (1015 cal) and Parmesan Potato Chips (280 cal) - Over 1200 calories in one meal!

Some other good choices at Buona Beef are the salads which can be modified to be Gluten and/or Dairy Free, and many of their sandwiches, pizzas, and hot dogs can be made using gluten free crust/bread/buns

For those who can tolerate gluten some good choices are: the Piccolo Sized Beef(370 cal) Chicago Style Hot Dog (406 cal), Minestrone Soup (144 for a cup, 220 for a bowl), Chicken Penne Soup(88 for a cup, 138 for a bowl) or Chili (232 for a cup, 369 for a bowl)

Dining Out: Culver's

I love Culver's but there are a LOT of unhealthy and gluten free un-friendly choices - thankfully there are a few things I can eat here because my boyfriend loves it.

Today I had a cup of their Chili (300 calories) - Gluten free and dairy free with no cheese, sour cream, or oyster crackers -  and I also had wayyyy too much of their Diet Root Beer

Other good choices include their other soups (110-160 calories), The Original ButterBurger (361 calories), and the Garden Fresco Salad (190 calories)

Some other low calorie choices can be found on the Culver's website: 

http://www.culvers.com/menu-and-nutrition/mindful-choices/ 

For comparison, my boyfriend's order was a ButterBurger with cheese and bacon (780 calories), Chili Cheese Fries (680 calories), and a Small Salted Caramel Pumpkin Concrete Mixer (820 calories) - a total of 2,280 calories - it's really amazing that he doesn't weigh 800 pounds

Dining Out: Chipotle

Chipotle is a great option if you are unable to eat Gluten or Dairy because you can just choose whatever toppings you want!

I always order a Veggie Bowl with: White rice, Black Beans, Fajita Veggies, and LOTS of Lettuce

I basically make it into a salad - I don't like their actual salad lettuce or dressing though so I just order it as a burrito bowl and have them put lots of the shredded lettuce on top at the end, and I use the green Tabasco sauce as dressing :)

My bowl only has 330 calories, versus the bowl my boyfriend orders - a chicken bowl with white rice, black beans, corn, sour cream, and cheese -  which has 780 calories! 

If you make the right choices a build-your-own restaurant can be a low-calorie option - and it can be very high-calorie if you make the wrong choices!

You can find out exactly how many calories are in YOUR typical Chipotle order here: http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/nutrition_calculator/nutrition_calculator.aspx

Recommended Products: Zero Calorie Gluten Free NOoodles

After going gluten free I initially tried to just avoid pasta, because I didn't eat it very often to begin with and it is pretty high-calorie.

But when I found these zero calorie NoOdles I had to try them out.

They are most similar to a Ramen Noodle, they are long thin and sort of clear like cellophane noodles.

I have been able to find these at Kramer's(my local grocery store) and Tony's Finer Foods in Chicago, but you could probably order them online as well.

You can buy NoOdles plain, or the boxed ones that have already been added to flavored broth. My favorite is the Chicken infused flavor in my Gluten free Ramen

Dining Out: Panera Bread

One of my favorite places to go when I'm watching what I eat is Panera Bread (or St. Louis Bread Co. for anyone from St. Louis).
Disclaimer: I don't worry about gluten contamination so it works fine for me, but if you have Celiac's it probably should be avoided.

I usually get soup or a salad - today I ordered the You Pick Two with a Classic Salad(80 cal) and Black Bean Soup(170 cal)

Some other low-calorie choices are:

A Full Classic Salad - 170 calories
Classic Salad with Chicken - 290 calories
Chicken Noodle Soup(not GF) - 90 calories for a cup
Power Chicken Hummus Bowl (DF without cheese) - 330 calories
Caesar Salad(Gf without croutons, but not dairy free) - 310 calories
Fruit Cup - 70 calories
Apple (as a side) - 50-80 calories

Making informed choices is especially important when you are eating at restaurants, you would be surprised at how many calories some items contain.
My boyfriend ordered the Smokehouse Turkey Panini(710 cal), with chips(160 cal) and a Pumpkin Muffy(290 cal) - that's over 1,000 calories for one meal! Some people are able to eat more calories but for those of us with slower metabolisms restaurants can be tricky, which is why it is important to check calorie information before you order.

Make Good Choices!