Thematic THURSDAYS: Which Grains are Healthy?

What grains can you eat if you're not eating refined carbs? And, what about gluten? Generally, 'low-gluten' and 'low carbohydrate' go together, but not always.

 There's a lot of debate, but you could try sticking with low-gluten grains like quinoa, farro, millet and buckwheat. The Livestrong site contains some information on cereal grains and their gluten levels. Whole Foods offers a basic refresher on the grains. And, a primer on Wikipedia offers further guidance.

The question of whether the solution to eating healthier is a low-gluten, low-carbohydrate, or low-glycemic index/load diet remains a thorny one. More research is needed.

Thematic THURSDAYS: Sugar Substitutions

So how much agave do you use in a recipe that calls for 2 cups of corn syrup? How much honey in a recipe that calls for 1 cup of brown sugar?

There are some great sugar substitutions websites: AllRecipes does an admirable job comprehensively reviewing all the calculations, but it's not perfect - there's not a whole lot on Stevia subs and some of the non-nutritive sweeteners. OCChef offers some additional information about weights and relative moisture. The 'nons' are dealt with very well by the About.com folks.Still more information here. And a honey substitution primer can be found here.

Original RECIPE: Sugarless, Flourless Chocolate Walnut Pie

My sugarless, flourless version of Chocolate Walnut pie won the dessert category at the multi-event local potluck. Here's the recipe:

Filling:
1 1/2 cups agave syrup

Not much left! Picture by DNS

3 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
3 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups walnut pieces
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder

Crust: 
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup oat bran
4 tbs melted butter
2 tbs canola oil
1 egg

Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan and let cool for a few minutes. Mix all other filling ingredients in a big mixing bowl, then add the chocolate mixture and stir in vigorously. Mix all the crust ingredients together, then press the crust mixture into a crust shape around the inside of a pie tin until the whole inside is covered. Add the filling mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes, with a convection setting. Without convection, bake at a slightly higher temperature for a little longer--test it to see if done. Let cool, once baked.

Recipes REDUX: Pumpkin & Chickpea Fritters from Healthy Happy...

Now these look scrumptious, and I still have a can of pumpkin puree left over from Thanksgiving--this will happen. These fritters, from Healthy, Happy Life and the LunchBox Bunch,  look incredibly easy to make; ignore the suggestion to use panko as a binder...you can use an egg instead, or if vegan, some olive oil and almond meal. No flour, no sugar.

PRODUCT of the WEEK: Indian Fare's Shelf-Stable Madras Lentil

This is a great, simply, affordable dish; Trader Joe's sells it for $1.99 (may vary by area), and I've seen it offered for more at Ralph's, a southern California chain. All natural ingredients--no chemicals, no sugar, no flour. Just tomatoes, onions, lentils, kidney beans, cream, salt, butter, cumin, sunflower oil and red chilies.

It's a little spicy, and you have to like Indian food--but even if you don't, it's great warmed up in the microwave. Delectable!

Recipes REDUX: About.com's Delectable Beef & Tomato Concoction

About Foods' Southern Foods page offers a great, warm mid-winter stew; if you don't have a crock-pot, trying using a Dutch oven or large saucepan on the stove-top--adjust times accordingly.

You can leave out the 'thickener' or flour/cornstarch from this, and most stew recipes. Try diced tempeh, mushrooms, or almond meal as a (kind of) thickener.

RECIPE REDUX: Cauliflower, Sprouts & Beans in 'vinaigrette' (NYT)

You can use that wok for meals other than Asian-themed ones, if you like...sugar-less and flour-less skillet supper: cruciferous veggies and beans in an intriguing sauce, done in Wok, from The New York Times.

This recipe woks cauliflower, brussels sprouts and red beans in a mustard 'vinaigrette' -- minus the vinegar. The 'vinaigrette' consists of lemon juice, olive oil and Dijon mustard, whisked with a little water or vegetable stock.

MENU Mondays: Unbreaded Poppers

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I had some delicious crab-and-cheese-filled jalapeno poppers at a local bar, on Super Bowl Sunday, and it reminded me that there's really no need to bread or batter poppers; you can add hard cheeses, like cheddar or parmesan, or diced mushrooms, and fried, crumbled tempeh, to firm up the filling--usually created with cream cheese or queso fresco base.

Here's a low-fat version from a Spark Recipes contributor, which uses bread crumbs--omit those, and firm up the filling as you like...kitchen almost done for testing of these!

THEMATIC Thursdays: Protein-Filled Salads

I did not enter into the potluck's Asian event last night, but I did try an entrant's Vietnamese Salad; here's a version of the salad from the U.K.'s Telegraph --you can add mushrooms, as the entrant did.

Here are some other healthy salads (here's a good guide for healthy salads and some more tips):
-This Arugula and Lentil salad sounds great; I'd replace the couscous with quinoa or tempeh to reduce the gluten/glycemic load.

-Here's another one--Thai Beef and Melon--from Eating Well; scan reader comments adaptation pointers.

-Black Bean, Tomato and Corn seems like a tasty combo.