December 2005 Archives

Today, I bought two items that I thought were free of garlic. One item was "Organic Mixed Party Olives" produced by Mediterranean Organic which lists "Organic Olives, Water, Organic Red Peppers, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Red Wine Vinegar, Sea Salt" as the ingredients. Looking closely at the jar, however, it is obvious that there are various herbs and spices in the jar. Other text on the label suggests that garlic may be included, but none of this is listed on the ingredient list.

The other item was from the deli at Lakewinds Natural Foods in Chanhassen, MN. The ingredient list on the sign and the label printed was "Kale, sesame oil, and sesame seeds." Once we tasted it at home, it was obvious that there is a fourth ingredient: garlic.

So that's two items in one night with incomplete ingredient lists. How many other items have we bought with incorrect or incomplete ingredient lists? How do we know which ones are correct and which ones aren't?

The new blog layout seems to be working ... but if your browser window is too narrow, the sidebar on the left gets messed up. I'll work on that more later, but if any HTML experts want to give me any hints or tips in the meantime, I'd appreciate it. :-)

What would you like to see in this blog? I have my own ideas of what I want to write about, of course, but I'd like to know what people would like to read about. Leave me a comment!

Do you have any questions about natural and organic cooking? Do you have special dietary needs, such as food allergies or intolerances or foods that you avoid for any other reason? Leave me a comment and I'll try to answer it as best as I can.

Remember, you can subscribe to this blog (so you don't miss future posts that may answer your question!) by using a feed reader (links to several online readers are in the sidebar on the left, or use the FeedBurner button if you are using a different feed reader) or by email using FeedBlitz (use the subscription form to the left).

I'm trying a new blog layout, so if you can't find them right now, check back later!

I've been experimenting with gluten-free baking. I'm trying to develop my own recipes after being disappointed with many of the recipes I have found so far. I'm focusing on yeast breads right now, although I've done some work with muffins and cookies, too.

Are you doing gluten-free baking, or would you like to? What are your biggest issues and challenges? I'd like to hear from you, so please leave comments!

This is similar to the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins that I posted last month, but this time I used a different flour blend.

• 1 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour (same as tapioca starch)
• 1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup palm oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 egg
• 1 cup gluten-free vanilla rice milk (Pacific brand)
• 1/2 cup gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate chips

Combine flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Add palm oil, honey, banana, egg, and rice milk and mix until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Put batter in 12 greased muffin cups and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

I think this recipe could use a bit more sweetener and salt, as well as some cinnamon and vanilla. If you try this recipe, let me know what you think!

Note: When I originally posted this, I forgot the baking powder! So if you tried these before and they didn't work, try them again with the tablespoon of baking powder. Sorry about that!

If you are in the west metro area of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, you may want to visit the new Lakewinds Coop natural food store at 435 Pond Promenade, Chanhassen, MN 55317. Visit their website at www.lakewinds.coop for more information.