Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

[GermanMia]

Thanks, FigGirl! As I mostly don't drink anything except water, I never look at drink recipes... should do that next time

Sherry,

that sounds great! I think I'll try that, too.

Shay and ArtGirl:

EGGLESS BROWNIES-pecan flour

3 cups Pecan Flour

2 pears (peeled and cored)

1/4 cup ghee (you can use butter or coconut butter)

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325F. (ca. 160

[ShayFL]

Thanks Mia!

I have a bag of pecan flour....but not 3 cups worth. Might try grinding my own from whole nuts.

[AliB]

I would think you could make that recipe from any nut flour or coconut flour - just a matter or experimentation. I have some pears, coconut flour and ground hazelnuts and will try it with those. Sounds good. Thanks Mia.

Although I seem to be ok with eggs, we have a friend whose little grandson can't eat them so I'll pass her the recipe, too.

[ArtGirl]

Thank you, Mia.

From what little SCD baking I've done so far, I have found that using coconut flour makes for a VERY dry result. Probably because there's no fat in it. To bake with only coconut flour would probably require added fat - coconut oil probably. If I ever make anything really good with it, or find someone else's recipe, I'll be sure to post it.

I made some cashew cheesecake and poured into a walnut/date crust to take with me for the weekend so I will have desserts. I'll be bringing with me some grape jello and cooked meats. Friday night we are eating at a restaurant that understands gluten-free - it's an upscale restaurant and I've eaten there before - so that's my only eating out. The relatives I'm staying with don't cook (they eat out a lot) so I'll be taking food along to anyother place we go - although I'm thinking of offering to grill some chicken breasts Sat. night if they'll make a salad.

I've been working on perfecting a yogurt making procedure without a specific yogurt appliance (I don't need another appliance to store because I have no place for it). I tried the crockpot plugged into a dimmer cord method (who posted about that???) and it works great. I really like using the crockpot as opposed to a heating pad as there's no need to wrap anything and it takes up no extra space since the crockpot is already sitting on my kitchen counter. Now I'm all set to get started and when I get back from my trip I'll give the coconut yogurt a try.

Whole Foods had some coconut yogurt that I thought I'd try (since I'm not strictly on SCD yet) and it was pretty good - a little too tangy for me, but mixed with jam it was really good. However, it does have dextrose in it, which is from corn, but I thought it would be okay. WRONG! I had D for two days and fatigue. This was not smart! But, it does tell me that I am not getting less sensitive to corn even though I have avoided it religiously for nearly a year. But, when I'm on SCD, that's not going to be an issue.

I'm getting anxious to start the intro. Will probably do that as soon as we return. I think I have all I need in place. This little setback from the dextrose has made me even more committed to getting myself 100% well and staying that way.

[fig girl]

Yum, the eggless brownies sound really good, thanks Mia for posting. I'm going to try those. Thanks Shay and ArtGirl for requesting some eggless desserts. Shay, sorry you have to be egg-free too. I've found a few recipes that i've enjoyed on pecanbread.com. Anna's muffins, egg-less brownies, and egg-less peanut butter cookies under the Egg-free category i've tried and they are really good. I made the cookies the first time with peanut butter but realized i need to eat the p'nut butter later in the diet so i'll make them with either almond, pecan or walnut butter from now on. The peanut butter brownies and p'nut butter squash brownies i've tried too (using almond, pecan, or walnut butter) and they are good - their recipe calls for egg but i think i used about 3 Tbs. of pureed fruit to replace the egg. Uncooked Pear seems to work well and last night i pureed some uncooked pineapple and made the nut butter brownies and they were good and seem to be agreeing w/me. I've used mainly cooked fruits in place of eggs - plums, apples and pears.

I think i'm going to try the below recipe this weekend with maybe some apples....thanks Mia for posting this wonderful site....a lot of recipes on here i want to try. Loved the pumpkin porridge - i think i'll make a double batch next time! I saw the fig and walnut bread and cooked a little fig and added it to one of the pecanbread brownie recipes and it was really good.

Open Original Shared Link

[fig girl]

I think i'm going to try the below recipe this weekend with maybe some apples....thanks Mia for posting this wonderful site....a lot of recipes on here i want to try. Loved the pumpkin porridge - i think i'll make a double batch next time! I saw the fig and walnut bread and cooked a little fig and added it to one of the pecanbread brownie recipes and it was really good.

Open Original Shared Link

[mftnchn]

Eggless desserts? Just tried the Almond Honey Crisps in the BTVC book, and love them. They are sticky so I think using parchment paper will work the best. Also I like it spread thin, as it gets crispier. I tried it as a pie crust and it tasted good but gets soft. So I made an apple crisp with it, putting the AH crisp recipe spread over the top of the seasoned apples. Wow, excellent!!!

Our eggs have just been reported to be high in melamine....

Shay, maybe the non-chicken eggs would work. Doesn't sound like a severe reaction.

[ShayFL]

That melamine stuff is awful. I feel for you there.....

That peachy crisp thing sounds a lot like my cobbler. Yummy!! I made one today. It is all gone already.

My biggest issue is breakfast. I know I wont want pumpkin warmed smoothies every morning. Though when its cold it sure hits the spot. Eggs are out. And I have never liked meat first thing. I guess cobbler will have to be an option. Or eggless brownies......

[GermanMia]

Hi Shay and Ali,

of course you can use whatever nut flour you have on hand. The pecan flour just makes the stuff more brownie-like because it's very dark. I think using almond flour will make it taste a lot like marzipan

ArtGirl,

I found that it's better to decrease the amount of flour when using coconut flour, not increasing the liquid or fat. I made some muffins and instead of 2 cups of almond flour I used 1 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup coconut flour. They turned out very nice. If you use it in eggless recipes, I'd recommend either adding some molten coconut oil plus some more fruit puree or beating together the wet ingredients first and then slowly stirring in coconut flour until the batter has the desired consistency. Or if you tolerate flaked coconut, make a mixture of coconut flour and flaked coconut.

I'm sorry for that dextrose accident, though it might be good to know where you are... Our friend who runs the pralin

[ShayFL]

It doesnt have to be sweet. But I prefer that. I've eaten turkey paddies and veggies for breakfast. Nuts and fruit. I just get bored easily.....

[mftnchn]

Actually so far it is one brand of eggs that has been identified that were exported from my town to Hong Kong. So hard to know how widespread it is. I am not sure whether to avoid all eggs or just assume that everything I eat is contaminated and eat them in moderation.

[GermanMia]

That sounds difficult. I do hope for you that it will become more clear. The whole situation in China seams to be an ecological desaster, as far as I get it here. Is the milk safe at least?

Shay,

If you prefer sweet for breakfast: carrots fried with honey in a skillet are very yummy.

[GermanMia]

Just found this: www.honeybigbee.com/

The recipes contain some egg free desserts (applesauce banana muffins, pumpkin pudding, fruitcake)

[fig girl]

Mia - I haven't tried the cookies yet with other nut butters but i would think they would turn out ok - i'll let you know when i try them. That's a great idea to just mix the nut butter w/ghee or butter and honey - that would be quick and easy. Let me know if you try it and it works and maybe i'll try to make a few this weekend and i'll let you know. Before scd and gluten-free i've made some simple pb cookies like that but i think i used egg....i'll have to look for the recipe. I haven't tried gelatin yet but i think i'll try the basic muffin recipe ArtGirl posted using gelatin. I finally found some raw cashews so i'll try some of the cashew recipes soon.

Sherry - i'm sorry about the melamine too. Maybe you can find some without or at least eat them in moderation like you said. I'm glad you tried and liked the almond honey crisps in the BTVC book....i can't wait to try them. I may have to try them soon - i haven't been using much honey but if i can try not to eat them all at once maybe they'll be ok (that'll be hard since they're sweet and crispy!). Putting it on top of the apple crisp sounds so good! I have to try it!

Shay - yes, the peachy frangipane sounded and looked just like cobbler so i'm glad to hear it's close to your cobbler recipe (i've never made cobbler before but love it) - i definitely have to try it. I know what you mean about food disappearing quickly - my brownies and muffins don't last long at all and i'm the only one eating them - i've got to start making double batches i guess! I wasn't too fond of eating meat for breakfast either but i do better with protein for breakfast so i've been eating boiled chicken and then i'll have some yogurt and bananas and usually a brownie or the porridge. At first the boiled chicken was weird but it's not bad now.

fig

[ShayFL]

I made the pumpkin smoothie today with leftover butternut squash. A little different, but very good. I put a lil vanilla extract in it with the cinnamon and nutmeg.

I have been enjoying my homemade coconut yogurt. Eating it with a bit of fruit for breakfast sits pretty well with me.

I just bought pears this morning at the store and plan on trying the brownies out this weekend.

I made a chicken/butternut squash curry in the crockpot yesterday to take to some friends (Halloween) and it was superb!! They made spaghetti and meatballs, but everyone was fighting over my delicious dish!! I served myself first of course.

[Yenni]

Coconut yogurt sounds good. Is the recipe in Elaine's book? I have read the text part in it (and I am very excited) but haven't looked through the whole gourmet section yet.

Any recommendations on brands to use for Tomato Juice and coconut flour?

[ShayFL]

Cant help you with the tomato (no nightshades here) or coconut flour (makes me curl up into the fetal position in pain), but I make my own coconut yogurt using my own recipe. I use young coconut. I use the whole thing. I poke a hole and drain the milk into the blender, then I use the white meat. It is hard to peal that dark part off the white meat. But I find t worth it. I add enough distilled water to equal 6 cups or so. A couple tsp of honey and I whirl it till it gets to about 110 degrees (Vita-mix heats foods if you whirl it long enough). I then add my acidophilus stirring by hand. I dont use the blender to mix in the probiotic as it could kill them. I then pour into my cups for my yogurt maker and ferment for 14 hours or more depending on how tart you want it.

It is so weird. I can eat ANY form of coconut without issue (oil, shredded, canned milk, fresh milk, coconut water, macaroons, etc.). But I CANNOT tolerate the coconut flour.

My theory is that they DO include that hard dark part that I cut off the meat in the flour and it irritates my stomach. The pain lasts about an hour. Once it leaves my stomach I am o.k. But I wont eat the coconut flour because of that. I tried twice. That was enough.

[GermanMia]

FigGirl,

you're right about the pb cookie recipe - it contains one egg, not ghee or butter... But I think I'll give it a try with ghee instead of egg.

Shay,

maybe it's because the coconut flour is defatted - that means it's extremely rich in fibre which might trouble your digestive System. Normally you don't have such an amount of fibre in coconut at once.

Mia

[AliB]

They probably make the coconut flour from the fibre that is left after they have extracted all the coconut flesh for oil, milk and cream. It may well be very dry and need some of the oil replaced. I have to admit I hadn't thought of that as I have been looking into getting some coconut flour.

I use the finely ground flesh that is left after I have made the coconut milk for baked goods (I have added some to the pear brownie/muffin recipe that is in the oven as I type!) and that is fine, but it still has some fat and flesh within it - I also don't bother to remove the 'skin' which chops up with the rest and am ok with that.

I was going to buy a big bag of the coconut flour but I think maybe I will start with a small bag and see how I get on with it first. Thanks for supplying the warning Shay.

I just went over the market this afternoon to the stall that sold me some coconuts 2 weeks ago. They were all manky! I thought it was strange when I broke them and the 'skin' fell off. I bought some more from another source and they are lovely. The chap on the stall did give me four more, grant him, so we'll see what they are like. I have had coconuts hanging around for ages in the past and they have never gone like that, so goodness knows how old they were.

When I bought the replacement ones in my local supermarket last week, I picked one up that had a very neat hole in the eye - looked like it had been made with a drill! Someone got thirsty before it got to the store!

[ArtGirl]

My grocery store, and I think I've seen them at Whole foods, has coconuts with the shell removed - just the round, white fleshy part of the coconut - but not cut open or anything. Anyone have an opinion about these? I've tried to shell coconuts before and that is a huge job - or maybe they were not ripe enough - anyway, I'm not wanting to repeat the experience.

I think I remember in many posts past that one of you ran the coconut thru your juicer. I don't have one but was wondering if one could use the blender with small amount of chopped coconut flesh to pulverize it. anyone done this? To make coconut milk, I assume I'd have to add water and cook for a while and then drain?

[AliB]

If you go back three or four pages I mentioned how I make the coconut milk, but will repeat it.

I pierce the 'soft' eye and make a hole. I then prop it over a mug to drain and drink that separately. Give it a shake every now and then to ensure it hasn't blocked. When it's 'dry' take a hammer and thump it in a few places, or do as my grandsons and I have great fun in doing - chuck it on the floor. It's messy, but great fun! Actually you could also wrap it in an old flat-weave towel or cloth and bash it on the floor which would be a lot less messy!

The fresher the coconut the harder it is to remove the flesh. Break the coconut into manageable pieces then carefully get a round-ended knife and prise under the flesh between the 'skin' and the shell (away from your fingers!). It helps to make incisions in the flesh every inch or so - sometimes just prising between the pieces can shift it off the shell.

Put the pieces into the blender. Don't worry about removing the 'skin'. Add enough hot, not boiling, water enough to about cover the coconut and pulverise for a few minutes. Drain into a bowl through a fine sieve or muslin. Press with a spoon to extract more fluid and stop any drips. Replace the flesh back into the blender, add another lot of hot water to cover and repeat. I usually run the blender for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain again pressing the fluid out. If you have muslin or a 'jelly' bag, leave the coconut flesh to cool for a bit then put it into the muslin or bag and squeeze any remaining fluid out.

I usually get at least a liter of milk from one coconut. If you like it and have a big enough container its worth doing 2 or 3 coconuts at a time. If you use less water the milk is creamier - you can even make it as cream if you wish. Store the milk in a covered jug or other container in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

I set the flesh aside in a bowl to dry out for a day or two then use in cooking (makes a nice carrot, coconut and sultana cake - see previous post) or spread it out on a baking tray and dry it in the oven - it's nice toasted to add to dishes or for sprinkling on top. If you have squeezed it dry enough you can use it as it is. The instructions I have seen always say 'discard the flesh' - I can't abide waste, so I always 'discard' it in to my mouth in one form or another!

Not sure about the coconuts unshelled - I have never come across them like that. If they are cheap enough then they are worth trying especially if you can be assured they are fresh. You can tell by the taste of the drained liquid if it is ok - the liquid has a decidedly non-coconutty flavor and is not very pleasant. If the liquid tastes good and as it should then the nut will be fine. Another clue when it is broken open is if there is any 'pinkness' or sliminess on the internal surface. If it smells, looks and tastes good, it's fine.

I'd love to know how they manage to shell them without damaging the nut. If anyone knows, please write to...............!

[AliB]

Found this site about making coconut milk which is useful. He blends it first then puts it through a juicer instead of through muslin or a sieve.

Open Original Shared Link

[ShayFL]

They sell two kinds of coconut here.

This is a "young" coconut that has not fully matured:

http://www.gringo-times.com/articles/images/coconut-pic.webp

Then there are the fully matured coconuts:

http://www.loladisenio.com/images/coconuts.gif

http://www.geocities.com/omimachifuri/kelapa.webp

The young coconut is mostly used for the milk and makes good coconut kefir. I buy the ripe ones myself.

[ShayFL]

He makes his coconut exactly like I make mine....RAW. But I take the dark skin part off. I am going to try leaving it on next time. That would save me A LOT of time. I dont strain mine for making coconut yogurt. That way I have a nice thick yogurt and I get all of the enzymes and fatty acids of the whole fruit.

But I am going to try to make the milk by straining it. I did a LONG time ago....10 years or more. I have always used a good old fashioned jelly strainer to make smooth nut milks and it will work for the coconut milk too. I dont need a juicer.

[mftnchn]

That sounds difficult. I do hope for you that it will become more clear. The whole situation in China seams to be an ecological desaster, as far as I get it here. Is the milk safe at least?

Yes it is a severe problem. People are drinking milk again, so supposedly the problem is better.

My C problem is finally resolved after adding back in big doses of magnesium and Vit C. I had to do this after gluten-free and then gradually decreased over a matter of months. Apparently my recent gluten exposure triggered this problem. The bloating is much better now, and I am thinking that FINALLY I'll be able to experiment with adding some more foods.

The coconut sounds good but I will wait to try that until I am further along with healing.