Anyone Cook With Flax Seed?

[Guest taweavmo3]

I bought some cold milled flax seeds, and want to start putting it in baked goods or things like meat loaf, meatballs,etc. My daughter has significant developmental delays, and I've read that the Omega 3 & 6's are good for a brain booster. Figure this would be good for the whole family...I know I could always use some help.

I'm not sure how much to add or what else I can put it in. I've used it in meatloaf w/out anyone knowing the difference. But, we don't eat ground beef more than once a week. I'm thinking of putting the seeds in brownies, cookies or pancakes, but I'm afraid it will dry them out. I already have a hard time with my baked goods turning out too crumbly. Although, I did buy asian rice flour the other day, and it made a world of difference in my brownies. They were actually still moist the next day, which is the true test!

So, anyone else cook w/flax or any other supplements? I need to sneak them in w/out changing the taste too much. My kids have an uncanny ability to detect anything slightly healthy in their food, so I have to get creative!

[tarnalberry]

I bought some cold milled flax seeds, and want to start putting it in baked goods or things like meat loaf, meatballs,etc.  My daughter has significant developmental delays, and I've read that the Omega 3 & 6's are good for a brain booster.  Figure this would be good for the whole family...I know I could always use some help.

I'm not sure how much to add or what else I can put it in.  I've used it in meatloaf w/out anyone knowing the difference.  But, we don't eat ground beef more than once a week.  I'm thinking of putting the seeds in brownies, cookies or pancakes, but I'm afraid it will dry them out.  I already have a hard time with my baked goods turning out too crumbly.  Although, I did buy asian rice flour the other day, and it made a world of difference in my brownies.  They were actually still moist the next day, which is the true test!

So, anyone else cook w/flax or any other supplements?  I need to sneak them in w/out changing the taste too much.  My kids have an uncanny ability to detect anything slightly healthy in their food, so I have to get creative!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Due to the high fat content of flax seeds, flax meal generally goes not dry recipes out, but rather makes them moister. (It also means you should store them in the freezer.) I either replace 1/3 cup or so of flour in a muffin or quickbread recipe with flax meal, or just add it to the recipe. (Works great with banana and pumpkin, but with a lot of other things as well.) You can add a quarter cup or so to pancake/waffle recipes as well, and you can add it straight to hot cereal. (You could have it plain as hot cereal, if you like the taste that much.) You can also take the whole seeds (or the meal, but it doesn't work as well), soak it in water (adding either gluten-free soy sauce and/or spices) for a number of hours, then dry to make flax crackers.

[Kasey'sMom]

I like to take a coffee grinder (only for grinding spices) and grind my flax seeds as I need it. This way I know the ground flax is as fresh as possible. Only takes a few seconds and I've ground enough for muffins. I like to use flax and amaranth for a very hearty muffin. My dd will eat it as a hot cereal with a little cinnamon and stevia and the muffins as well.

You ight also check out some of the omega supplements to use in addition to flax cooking. They have both veggie based products from flax, pumpkin & olive as well as fish oil for children. I've given my dd both but recently had to stop the fish oil/3, 6 & 9 because it had vitamin E from soy .

[skbird]

Here's some info on cooking with flax. While ground flax in baked goods still imparts fiber, you start to lose the benefits of the oil when it is cooked over something like 110 degrees F as it starts to break down the benefits of the oil. It's best used raw - try sprinkling on salads or in cereal. I put mine in yogurt or in smoothies, also do bake with it - add it in my brownie recipe, for example, or pizza crusts.

Stephanie

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Just the Flax, Ma'am

Nutty, crunchy flaxseeds make the leap from medicine cabinet to kitchen cabinet

the Healing Kitchen Staff

If you know anything about flax, it's probably the fact that the fibrous stalk of the plant is the basic material from which linen fabric is made. However, this plant is also the source of flaxseeds--tiny, glossy brown seeds that pack a potently healthful punch.

Flaxseeds contain a high proportion of oil, which can be pressed to produce flaxseed oil for cooking (if the oil is then boiled, it's called linseed oil, and is used in making paint and varnish). The fat in flaxseed oil is about 70% polyunsaturated, and includes alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid), which has been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease and also fights cancer.

Flaxseeds are the best source of a type of phytoestrogens called lignans, which are potential cancer fighters. And flaxseeds contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. More to the point here, though, they have a light, nutty flavor that's an asset to quickbreads and other simple baked goods; ground flaxseed also makes a tasty topping for cereal or yogurt. Thanks to its high oil content, flaxseed allows you to reduce the amount of butter, oil or shortening you use in baking recipes. Flaxseed oil offers maximum health benefits when eaten in its uncooked state (heat breaks down the fatty acids, destroying their nutritive value).

How to Cook With It

Your body can't derive the full benefit of flaxseeds if you consume them whole, so ground (milled) flaxseed is the way to go. You can buy prepared flaxseed flour or meal, but because of its high fat content, the ground seeds can go rancid quickly. You're better off grinding your own, using a coffee grinder or mini food processor. Use the flax meal in baked goods, such as our Sunshine Bread or Toasted Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries & Raisins, but don't replace more than about one-fifth of the flour in any given recipe with flax meal or flour, or the texture and flavor will suffer. You can also stir coarsely ground flaxseed into cooked cereals, or sprinkle it into yogurt, for a pleasantly nutty, crunchy touch.

Since flaxseed oil is at its most healthful when not cooked, this light oil, with its mild nutlike flavor, is an ideal ingredient for salad dressings (try our Avocado Arugula Salad with Basil-Mustard Vinaigrette) and other recipes in which the oil is not heated. In our Walnut Pesto, which gets stirred into Red Pepper-Carrot Soup, flaxseed oil replaces olive oil for a healthy variation on a classic basil pesto.

How to Store It

As we've said, it's best to buy whole flaxseeds and grind them yourself. If you do buy the pre-ground meal, store it in the freezer. Sniff the meal before using it--rancid flax smells like oil-based paint.

If you buy the whole seeds in bulk from a health-food store, sniff them, too, to make sure they're fresh. Transfer them to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The whole seeds should keep well up to 1 year. Grind only as much as you need at one time; if you have leftover ground flaxseeds, freeze in a sealed container for up to 6 months.

Buy flaxseed oil that comes in an opaque bottle, and keep it in the refrigerator. If the oil develops a strong, acrid smell, it's become rancid; discard it.

Date Posted: 02/21/2000

[Guest taweavmo3]

That's awesome, thanks! Just the info I was looking for......although I don't think I stored mine correctly, so they are probably rancid by now. Dagnabit. Oh well, lesson learned.

Thank you all for the help!

[skbird]

Supposedly if they smell like oil-based paint, they are rancid. I have never noticed that smell but who knows? Linseed oil, what is used on antiques a lot, is industrial flax oil, so that smell would make sense.

I like to get whole flax seeds and just grind them in my coffee grinder, that way they are fresh when I want them. Supposedly you don't have to refrigerate them until they are ground, but I still freeze them anyway.

Finally, I have read that if you eat them whole, you won't get the benefits of the oil, but if you don't want to grind them, you can toast them by stirring them around in a cast iron pan, over low heat for a minute or two (too long and the oils start to break down).

Anyway, hope that helps!

Stephanie

[Japsnoet]

In Australia you can buy a LSA mix

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Name  LSA

Vegetarian  Yes

Vegan  Yes

Category  Dietary supplement / Breakfast Cereal

Manufacturer  Lotus

Price  6.50

Description  500gm ground up:

Linseeds

Sunflower Seeds

Almonds

Great to add to breakfast cerial or smoothies

Features  High in Omega 3 Fatty Acids

High in Iron, Calium, Magnesium, Zinc

High Protein

High in Fibre

Ingredients 

Linseeds

Sunflower Seeds

Almonds

Store  Malvern Natural Health Care (online shopping)

Store Location  Online, delivers Australia wide (Clinic in Melb)

I usually just make my own in my coffee grinder by grinding almonds, flaxseeds and sunflower seeds together. I sometimes replace the sunflower seeds with ground walnuts. I keep the mixture in the fridge to prevent it from going rancid. I just have two or three spoons in my yoghurt or over my cereal.