The Ultimate English Muffin, Gluten Free and Grain Free

This recipe for my Ultimate English Muffin is one that I have been fine tuning and tweaking for the past several weeks.  I am finally satisfied that I have it right and am ready to share it. Actually, I am very excited to share it because I think it fills a real need for many of us.  It certainly has for me.

I have been living gluten free (or as much as possible) for a couple of years now, and mostly grain free, too. I have tried a few of the gluten free breads and rolls on the market and even though I have found a couple that are acceptable in taste and texture, I just don't think that all those substitute 'flours' are good for me on any kind of a regular basis.  I really don't want to eat all those carbs either. And let's not even discuss how expensive they are!

But let's be honest.  Occasionally I like to have a sandwich.  Even though my Low Carb Flatbread and Low Carb Tortillas are great, I don't always have some on hand... or thawed, as I do store them in the freezer.  I needed to come up with something new made from ingredients I normally have in the cupboard and fridge, and that make up quickly and without a lot of fuss.

These little faux English Muffins fill the bill.  I have decided to call them Ultimate English Muffins because I am using a bit of North Coast Naturals Ultimate Daily Cleanse to give them a bit of body... NCN sent me this product several months ago to sample and test, and I have been using it a lot ever since.  You can use either ground flax seed or psyllium husk (or a bit of both).  I have tested the recipe with both and it is just fine.

However, here is a bit of a warning.  Don't leave out the olive oil. They don't work. And don't use coconut oil either. I tried it. Fail.  For some reason coconut oil doesn't mix well with the hot water and cold egg whites.

I am really pleased with the texture of these little muffins.  I have eaten them untoasted and also toasted, and I prefer the latter.  They could be dressed up with the addition of cinnamon or savory herbs, I am sure.

I use a glass container to cook them in the mike. It is about 3-1/2 inches in diameter. I think you could use something a bit smaller if you like... but anything bigger will make them too thin to slice easily.

I would love to know what you think if you give them a try... and I hope you will if you are looking for a gluten free, grain free English Muffin.

Ultimate English Muffin

Makes 1 muffin

• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1 Tbs hot water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbs coconut flour
• 1 tsp North Coast Naturals Ultimate Daily Cleanse (or flax seed or psyllium husk)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Beat the egg whites, water, and olive oil in a medium bowl.
2. Add the coconut flour, Ultimate Daily Cleanse, and baking powder.
3. Beat again. The coconut flour will thicken as it absorbs the moisture.
4. Pour batter into microwave safe dish.
5. Cook in the mike for 2 minutes.
6. Remove the muffin from the dish with a spatula and turn out onto a cooling rack for several minutes.
7. Slice in half and toast if desired.

Per serving.

Weight Watchers P+ = 3.

Calories 109

Fat 6.1g

Sat. Fat 1.7g

Carbohydrates 6.1g

Sugar .5g

Fibre 3.4g

Protein 7.3g

Did you notice a change in the way I have reported the Nutritional Information for this recipe?

Starting with this recipe, I am offering more N.I. details than I previously have. I have been reading more and more lately about how important it is for us to reduce sugar and saturated fats in our diet (Zero Belly Diet by David Zinczenko) so I am going to report those statistics for my recipes.  I use either Fit Day or My Fitness Pal to do my calculations so they are as accurate as I can make them, based on the ingredients I quote.

UPDATE

Weight Watchers released their new SmartPoints food program on December 6th, 2015. It also concentrates on saturated fat and sugar, so I wanted to share the SmartPoints values for this recipe as well.

Per serving.

Weight Watchers SmartPoints = 3.

Calories 109

Fat 6.1g

Sat. Fat 1.7g

Carbohydrates 6.1g

Sugar .5g

Fibre 3.4g

Protein 7.3g

Before popping into the mike.

And after cooking.

Cook on rack for a few minutes before slicing.

After slicing....

and toasting.

These are toasted a bit more.

With a bite gone so you can see the inner texture.

And the ultimate breakfast sandwich!

Printable Recipe

What do you think? Is this something you might like to try?

Spicy Roasted Carrots

Ah, Thanksgiving Dinner... it's over... and we are enjoying the leftovers a little at a time.  The turkey carcass is in the freezer waiting to be hoisted into the crock pot to make soup... in a few weeks when the weather gets a bit cooler.

This year there were just the two of us for dinner so I made sure to serve things the way that The Captain likes them.  If left to his own choices, he would have a big plateful of turkey, bread stuffing, and potatoes... topped with gravy and cranberries.  So, I like to come up with a vegetable side dish that he will find particularly appealing, and that I will enjoy too.

I decided to do something with carrots.  And, rather than just cutting them up and steaming them, I chose to roast them with some spices.  It definitely made them a bit more special and added eye appeal as well.  And don't you eat with your eyes? I know I do. The spices were a nice contrast to the rest of the dinner and complimented the turkey quite nicely.

I will definitely be making this dish again.

It's easy and quick and can be prepped ahead of time... it can even be cooked ahead of time and then either kept warm or reheated if you like. I baked it in a serving dish to make it really easy.  If you are feeding a larger group, or want to have some for leftovers, double or triple the recipe and use a cookie sheet for cooking.

Spicy Roasted Carrots
Makes 2 servings

• 3 large carrots, washed and cut into 1/4-inch slices, slightly on the diagonal
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Coat baking dish lightly with a non-stick spray.
3. Place the carrot slices and spices in a bag and shake a few times till the carrot slices are covered with the spice mixture.
4. Pour the carrots onto the baking dish and place in the oven.
5. Cook for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and serve warm.

If you are a Weight Watcher, then you know that carrots are a zero-point veggie... so I am not bothering with nutritional information here.

Printable Recipe

Ready to pop into the oven.

What is your favorite way to prepare carrots?

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

Yes, it's that time of year again!  Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated in October so officially, the 2nd Monday of the month is Thanksgiving Day... it's a long weekend in Canada and the holiday takes many forms.  Some people have their celebrations on Sunday while others wait till Monday.... the latter has always been my preference.

I do love to roast a turkey... it is such an easy meal to prepare.  I no longer stuff the bird so it only takes a few hours to cook in the oven.  And without stuffing, the meat is so moist and tender.

I make a stove-top bread stuffing for anyone who wants it and we always have lots of vegetables... including white potatoes and sweet potatoes, too.

If you are interested in a gluten-free traditional turkey dinner, check out this post... with recipes for all the items on the menu:

Roasted turkey and potatoes

Turkey gravy

Quinoa dressing

Homemade cranberry sauce

Steamed carrots

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving Dinner?