I'm back!

Hello! I'm back. It has been a crazy month and a bit let me tell you! I completed 14 case studies and studied for my final of all final exams, which I completed on August 19th. Hallelujah!! I am so glad to finally be done. Now, I just wait for the results and my certificate. After October I can go by the title "RHN" (Registered Holistic Nutritionist). Crazy? Yes. I'm very unused to not having an assignment, reading or studying I need to do. It feels strange to be free of that voice in the back of my mind that constantly reminded me I had school work to do. Don't worry, I'll get used to it.

I've been thinking about what I wanted to post about today and I decided on spelt flour. Spelt flour and I have enjoyed some good times together these last couple months and have therefore developed a good relationship. It all started when I decided to re-make my mothers classic biscuit recipe, and culminated with me creating these amazing home-made spelt tortillas! It's also great with pancakes. So let me share the specifics with you;

What is spelt flour? Spelt is a gluten containing grain and is closely related to wheat. However, it contains far less gluten than wheat and is therefore often tolerated by those who are wheat sensitive. Which just so happens to be a lot of people. Those with Celiac disease can't tolerate it. Spelt flour is great in healthy baking because not only does it have a nice homey-nutty flavor, but it also keeps things together well and offers some nutrition, where regular white, and often whole-wheat, flours do not.

Here are some of my recipes.

I went home for the weekend and my Mom made spaghetti. Just the way she used to always make it. My oldest brother was home visiting with his oldest son and he said that the only thing that would have made it better was Mom's biscuits, the ones we used to always eat with it. So, after dinner, I decided to create said biscuits. With my own touch of course. My kindred-spirit nephew Ben helped me. Here is the recipe;

4 cups spelt  flour   

2 tbsp baking powder 

1 cup of raisins

1/2 cup pecans (use whatever kind of nut you want)

1tsp salt  

1/4 - 1/2 cup maple syrup    

Goats milk to almost 2 cups, top up to 2 1/4c with olive oil.        

Bale at 450 for approx. 10mins. Or until you can stick a fork in without any dough sticking to it. 

Mmmm! I made them again when I got back to Halifax and used honey instead of maple syrup. I also left out the nuts. They were good too! Then I got really creative and used parsley and garlic instead of the sweetener, nuts and raisins. I used about 1/4 cup of dried parsley and 3-5 tbsp of grated garlic. Also, very good. You just can't go wrong! 

My last and most genius creation was home-made spelt tortillas. Now, I know that spelt tortillas have been made before, but it's the herbs and spices in these that make them special. So here is what you do;

Combine:

1 cup spelt flour

2-3 tbsp of chili powder

2-3 tbsp cumin

3 tbsp of rosemary

3 tbsp parsley

1/2 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp powdered dulse

1/4 cup ground flax seed

Add:

2 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 cup - 1 cup water

Now, mix this into a dough. Add flour if it's too moist or water if it's too dry. Roll out into flat and thin rounds (whatever size you want). Next you add it to a frying pan greased with olive oil or butter and cook on each side for about 1- 2 minutes. You want them to be flexible and slightly moist, so don't cook too them too long. Serve with hummus, falafel or whatever else your heart desires! Enjoy!

Isn't spelt flour great? It's also really great with pancakes. Makes them nice and dense. I'm very impressed. Definitely my favorite flour thus far. I may take this relationship to the next level. Don't worry though, I'm not possessive. Go ahead and try it for yourself! Experimentation encouraged. Maybe you could even tell me about your experience. I'd love to hear from you. Happy cooking!

Tootles,

        Ambles.