When I say, “I don’t eat any grains.”, I mean NONE, zero, zilch.  For a bread and cheese lover, the beginning of this regimen was almost the kiss of death.  How could I live life without cakes, cookies, PIZZA!!???!  Again, I don’t give up too easily, and was determined to have the foods I like.  Originally, when I started this way of eating, the only flour other than wheat was almond flour.  Now, they make flour out of everything it seems.  So, I thought I’d give you a run-down of a couple flours that I use, what they are good for, and where to get them.  🙂

Almond flour

Almond flour, also known as almond meal, is an alternative to wheat flour for baking and cooking. The only ingredients in blanched almond flour are ground, whole almonds with the skin removed. This flour is gluten-free, low in carbohydrates, high in fiber and a high source of protein. Almond flour is also rich in vitamins and minerals, including iron, riboflavin, magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamin E. Compared with all other nuts, almonds provide the most calcium and are beneficial for heart health and lowering cholesterol.

Almond flour is great for cookies (I make biscotti with it!), pizza, cheese crackers, and so much more.  It’s the first alternative flour I used, and so I made everything with it, including the best tasting banana bread!  Here’s a recipe for it:

Mix all ingredients.  Pour into a buttered baking dish.  Bake at 350 until to springs back when touched (about 40 minutes).

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Almond flour used to be outrageously priced (like $12.00 a pound! ugh!).  I finally found a site that sells it much less expensively, and I’m usually buying 10 pounds at a time, so I need it cheap!  The site I go to is Honeyville Grains http://shop.honeyville.com/blanched-almond-flour.html . They have always had good quality, sell in resealable bags (WIN!), and get it to you quickly.

Coconut flour

Coconut is high in fiber (5g per tablespoon as compared to 2g per tablespoon of wheat flour) and since we are supposed to have 25 to 38g per day, coconut flour is a happy alternative.  Much of this fiber is the insoluble type, which adds bulk to your stool, helps you feel full, deters constipation and enhances colon health. Due to the high-fiber content, coconut flour doesn’t spike your blood sugar as quickly as grain-based flours.

Coconut flour also contains a significant amount of protein, especially when compared to wheat flour. A 100-gram serving of coconut flour has 19 grams of protein while wheat flour has just 10. Although this protein doesn’t contain all the essential amino acids, it does contribute to your total daily protein intake to help with cell repair and growth. Coconut flour also contains about 9 grams of healthy fats per 100 grams. Although these fats are mostly saturated, they’re a type called medium-chain triglycerides, which digest easily; provide instant energy; offer antiviral, antimicrobial and antifungal properties; and may boost your metabolism.

Cooking with coconut flour is easy as well, but LOVES liquid, so keep that in mind when you are altering your recipes.  Add a little more liquid than usual.  The other nice thing about coconut flour is that you don’t need as much of it as you would wheat flour, which is nice since it’s still more expensive to buy.   Here’s a site that has over 100 recipes using coconut flour: http://thecoconutmama.com/2014/01/coconut-flour-recipes/

In the store, it’s pricey, but you can get some good prices for coconut flour on the web.  Here’s one that is selling Organic Coconut Flour for about $3 a pound!  https://www.pureformulas.com/organic-coconut-flour-3-lbs-by-nutiva.html  The site has several coconut flours, so just type Nutiva coconut flour in the search box and you’ll get it.

For you strictly gluten-free folks, the flour alternatives are endless!!  They have rice flour, corn flour, millet flour, and even chickpea flour.  Go out and bake people!  🙂