Recipes for Treats (Baking, etc.)

Gluten Free Pie Crust made with
Naked Oats Oat flour.

Note: Put all ingredients except the water into the freezerthe night before. Cooled is you friend.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 Cups of GF Oat Flour Blend
1 Cup (2 sticks or 8 oz.) butter, very cold, cut into ½ inch cubes.
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
6 to 8 Tbsp Ice Water

1. Combine flour blend, salt, and sugar in a food processor: pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it is ready. If the dough doesn’t hold together: add a little more water and pulse again. Note too much water will make the crust tough.

2. Remove the dough from machine. Divide in half and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remember cold is your friend. Take one half out of the refrigerator and place on flat surface dusted with Oat Flour Blend. Flatten the mound with you hand then roll out with a rolling pin into a 12 inch circle about 1/8 of an inch thick. Place in pie tin and gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie tin. Place filling into pie tin. Take second half and roll it out as before. Place on top of the filling. Seal the edges using a fork.

Oat flour toasts easier than wheat flour so be careful about rack placement in your oven. Perhaps better to use lower temperature and longer cooking time.

Here's a link to a topic at the Westin A Price Foundation about naked oats: (They're one of my mainstays for directing people to the last few years...)

www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/naked-oats/ [8]

It's not broken into paragraphs there and is VERY difficult to read for any brain let alone one befuddled by things making it less than ideally well. Here's what is said:

Naked Oats

Posted on July 16, 2006 by Katherine Czapp [9]

“Dear folks at the Weston A. Price Foundation,” began the handwritten letter. “This year we grew a crop of oats on our farm, thinking to have our breakfast cereal homegrown. However, we have found that it is very difficult to get the hulls off the oats. Do you have any suggestions for on-farm milling of oats?”

The request for help sounded reasonable enough: how does one mill common oats at home to remove the tenacious husks so that the grain can be used for human food or even as feed for chickens and young stock? The grain can be taken to the local mill to be processed, but there didn’t seem to be any small mills available for the homestead (except at great investment and then “small” was only relative to the prairie-sized commercial operations). And those hulls really need to be removed; some homesteaders who’ve tried to mill common oats by makeshift means have found themselves eating oatmeal with hull remnants reminiscent of fingernails in it.

Although small mills, along with small farms, used to dot the countryside of America a generation or two ago, they are now largely relics of an almost lost way of life. Speaking with old-time homesteaders on the subject of milling oats serendipitously brought up memories of grandparents who raised two kinds of oats, one for use in the home, and one for the animals.

On the scent of a solution from Nature’s bounty, it was only a short matter of time to uncover an answer that had quietly been there all along: naked oats. Generally considered to have originated in Eurasia, the oat species, Avena sativa, was domesticated relatively late in human history, some 2,100 years ago. Now grown throughout the temperate zone, oats are characterized by a short growing period and wide adaptation to different types of soil, climates and ecological conditions.

In China today oats are most often grown in the northern regions and throughout Inner Mongolia, where numerous species and subspecies of wild oats are also found. Though the climate is harsh in the high altitude of Tibet, oats grow in all parts of this mountainous country as well, and wild types of oats are also commonly seen. In contrast to other oat-producing countries, however, the predominant form of oats grown in China has been the hulless variety, Avena nuda, or naked oats.

EASY TO THRESH Naked oats, so called because the kernels thresh free of the hulls, have been grown for centuries by farmers who enjoy the advantages of an oat variety that can be fed to young stock and poultry without being milled or ground, as hulled oats must be, and can also be easily used as porridge or other food for humans.

The nutrition profile of naked oats is quite impressive, with contributions rich in minerals and vitamins and a fat content rivaling that of corn, along with high-quality protein similar to that found in soybeans. This is especially fortunate for farmers living in areas where both corn and soybeans have not been traditionally suited for growing, or for homesteaders who prefer not to grow them at all.

Naked oats also supply unsaturated fatty acids that contribute to the production of higher quality eggs, milk and meat products. Farmers cut the oats just as they are forming seed heads to feed cattle as green chop. When this green chop is fed to dairy animals, the quantity and quality of the butterfat in their milk rises significantly. Hay can also be made from oat grass at about the same stage with immature seed heads, which ruminants relish, and non-ruminants find palatable and nourishing as well.

Keeping a supply of oat hay over the winter provides an insurance against a slow spring at altitudes where winterkill may delay the availability of fresh pasture for grazing animals.

FROM AMERICA TO CHINA

Although it is unclear when naked oats were first introduced to Europe, colonists arriving to the New World brought seed stock with them from home that included several varieties no longer commonly grown here. John Josselyn, a chronicler of early life in the colonies, wrote in 1671 about silpee cultivated in New England (also called pilcorn or peelcorn), which was Avena nuda. Wheat did not thrive in the early years, and some settlers thought corn more suitable for cattle, so their reliance on naked oats was considerable. Josselyn described a dish much favored by the settlers made from oatmeal, sugar, spices and “a pottle of milk” (a pottle was two quarts).

New Hampshire settlers had their own version of oatmeal porridge called “sowens,” made from naked oats in which the oatmeal was ground, sifted and left to ferment in water, then boiled to a jelly. Naked oats were cultivated as a staple cereal by the Chinese up until three decades ago, although recent introduction of hulled varieties of oats from western countries has resulted in an equal proportion of hulled oats production in the last ten years, with predictions that hulled varieties will soon outstrip the hulless. The reason for this lies in the same trend now circling the globe: mass production of cultivars that perform best in behemoth monoculture agricultural methods.

TROUBLESOME

Naked oats find themselves in the same category of “troublesome” plant food as the heirloom tomato with thin, easily bruised skin, but stunning flavor and zest, or delicate forest strawberries that couldn’t survive half an hour off the stem. Naked oats don’t give as high a yield per acre as hulled varieties, and are not suited for the input of synthetic fertilizers typical of formulas used in hulled oat cultivation. In fact, they grow more poorly with applications of nitrogen, for example.

Further, the hulless oat tends to shatter when harvested using large-scale mechanical reapers, and their oils can be damaged in the high heat buildup typical of million-bushel grain storage silos. Naked oats are just not suited for mass applications, but would be a wonderfully useful addition to the diversity of plant foods on a small farmstead, just as they were always utilized by small farmers in the past. For the modern homesteader, naked oats are just the ticket for a hardy, nutritious foodstuff for both animals and humans, and obviate the need for milling before use. Use of naked oats rather than soybeans as feed for poultry and swine would be a much preferred option, and cultivation of oats would easily fit into a number of crop rotation cycles.

MEDICINAL USES

Raising naked oats for medicinal purposes is another option that some enterprising small farmers might find attractive. Oats and oatstraw cut when seeds have formed but several weeks before they mature and then carefully dried are a long-revered source of minerals and other nutrients and alkaloids that restore nervous system health in all forms of nervous exhaustion and stress. Prepared as an infusion, oatstraw is a mild tasting restorative that can be used long term to calm nerves, tone the circulatory system and soothe digestion, along with many other benefits.

Reintroducing naked oats (and other forgotten plants) into our food supply is also another step we can take to counteract the sheer paucity of the food varieties agribusiness creates, and therewith the direct impoverishment of our diets and health. Nature’s endowment is both abundant and diverse, and we should not lose our common knowledge and direct enjoyment of this largesse in both cultivated and wild plants and fruits, medicinal and salad herbs, seeds, nuts, and roots.

SOURCES

Naked oat seeds are available from several good seed companies, and will be listed in their catalogues as either Avena nuda or hulless oats. (I found it amusing that when I searched for Avena nuda seed sources on Google, the only sponsored link that popped up was a site for “Free Porno Videos.”)

Here are several seed sources: Johnny’s Selected Seeds, www.johnnyseeds.com [10], Seeds of Change, www.seedsofchange.com [11] and Bountiful Gardens: www.bountifulgardens.org [12]. Bountiful Gardens also sells seeds of ancient wheat species.

This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Summer 2006. About the Author [authorbio:czapp-katherine]

__________________

Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [1] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!

Comments

Sat, 11/21/2009 - 8:37pm

#1 [2]

lobojen

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Major

Joined: Sep 4 2009

Posts: 27

Pecan Tassies

This is one of my favorite Pampered Chef recipes and it's so much easier then making a whole pecan pie (because I refuse to buy already made crust) and it's good if your going to a big party. The only thing with this recipe is you need a 24 cup mini-muffin pan which you can buy from Pampered Chef or I am sure that Bed Bath and Beyond would have a kitchen aid version. Also, you need a wooden mini-tart shaper. If you can't find one of those just use your thumb!

Ingredients:

Tart Shells

· ½ cup butter softened

· 3 oz cream cheese softened

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling

· 2 tablespoons butter melted

· ¾ cup packed brown sugar

· 1 egg

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

· 1 cup pecan halves finely chopped

· powdered sugar

Directions:

· Preheat oven to 350f for tart shells, beat butter and cream cheese in large bowl until well blended. Add flour; mix until a soft dough forms

· Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls of dough into ungreased cups of mini-muffin pan. Dip tart shaper in flour; press into dough with even pressure until dough rises slightly above rim of pan.

· For filling, place butter in microwave on high 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Finely chop pecans and mix well.

· Using small spoon fill each tart shell with level scoop of filling (do not overfill or they will stick to the pan). Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan 3 minutes then remove from pan onto a baking rack. Cool completely sprinkle with powdered sugar. Store in an air tight container.

Sun, 12/20/2009 - 7:37pm

#2 [6]

Alice

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Aug 23 2009

Posts: 51

Re: Recipe for my favorite cake: Italian Cream Cake

Italian Creme Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted ingredients in batches alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the prepared batter. Add the coconut, pecans and vanilla and fold into the batter. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each cake. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. When the cakes are completely cool, stack the layers with the frosting and frost the sides and top.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the nuts and fold together. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to frost the cake.

This is from Food Network. It is the best recipe for Italian Cream Cake I have ever tried. I usually make this cake for our family gathering at both Christmas and Thanksgiving. This is a true Southern recipe.

Alice Franklin was raised on a sandy beach in Point Clear, AL and lived along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Alabama in her youth, graduating from Fairhope High School on Mobile Bay. Prior to becoming disabled due to severe spine problems, she worked her way into management and purchasing positions in industrial manufacturing and art industries. She worked her way into Lumigrate unknowingly by impressively writing at Lent 2010 about utilizing her religious and spiritual beliefs with chronic pain/disease management (she has had fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial pain for decades); it turns out she holds the priesthood office of elder in her church and became active again in this office in May 2010 and has been pastor or copastor in previous churches. We are so very proud to have her words and thoughts gracing our 'pages' of this website and look forward to what the future holds for her.

Sat, 07/26/2014 - 10:15am

#3 [7]

Mardy Ross

Joined: Feb 16 2009

Posts: 2032

"Naked Oats" History and Pastry Recipe "Naked Oats GF Oat Flour"

Recipes for Treats (Baking, etc.)

Comments

Italian Creme Cake

Ingredients

For the frosting:

Directions

Naked Oats