Review: Living Harvest Hemp Milk

I'll be honest - I hesitated on this for a long time because I was worried about the production of hemp.

But I was discussing stomach aches with the boy. We decided 4 out of 5 work mornings, when he wakes up and eats a bowl of Rice Chex with Whole Foods vanilla soymilk on it, he ends up with a stomach ache. That's not good. I'm wondering to myself if he and soy don't really get along. He's been avoiding cow's milk for more than a decade, and has also tried almond and rice milks, but wasn't really a fan.

So, finally, I bought a carton of Living Harvest vanilla hemp milk ($4!!!). Karina raves about it, and that's where I first came across it. It's cheapest at Harmons, but is also available at Smith's. The boy tried it on his cereal this morning.

While there will still be more days of experimenting, I think we might be in for the long haul with hemp milk. We both found it creamier than expected - about as creamy as soy milk that wasn't shaken well - and did not have a weird aftertaste. It was slightly sweet, and had vanilla in it, but the vanilla wasn't there to cover a bad taste.

[However, we also noticed that the hemp taste grew stronger with each successive day in the fridge. This was the sweetened vanilla - we're still going to try the unsweetened in cooking and baking. There's nothing more disgusting than vanilla mac and cheese!]

I recommend trying hemp milk, particularly if your gut is still healing, or you are allergic to soy.

If you are curious, you can read on their website about how industrial hemp contains no THC and cannot be used for drug purposes.

P.S. Just bought my first box of gluten free Corn Chex!

Gluten Free in the News

Today I read this decent article that was on NPR several days ago called "Going Gluten-Free at Age 13." I think my favorite (quirky) part about reading it was realizing that we have different regional brands in the West than this boy does (I'm purely making the assumption that he lives on the East Coast). I have never seen Jules gluten free flour in stores.

Still, I love that gluten free is getting plenty of exposure in the news. Since it really does, as the article says, affect about 1% of the population, there needs to be more awareness. Thanks NPR!

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Briefly, in other news, we're exploring "milk" options beyond soymilk. I'll have more on that later.

Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins

Don't have much to say today, friends. Just watching the rain pound outside the windows, and enjoying every drop. I have a new neighbor who I'm still getting used to. Thank goodness for closed doors in June, when it's been hovering steadily in the 70s outside. Otherwise, it can be unbearable.

I love the combination of millet and sorghum, that I first tried with Karina's English muffin recipe. They have that same malty taste, and I was glad to come up with a use for my co-op zucchini. (You may remember my first zucchini debacle. This time, these were so tasty! And there was no black smoke to introduce them into the world.) I think I'll be taking some with me to camp in two weeks, where I will be providing some of the treats and recipes for the celiacs who attend.

Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins

1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons total: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk these dry ingredients together in a bowl until they become "one flour."

Then add in:

1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 - 3 cups zucchini, grated (for me, this was two medium zucchini)

Stir until completely combined. Prepare a muffin tin with baking cups, and spoon batter in until they are 3/4 full. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Allow to cool after baking (I'm serious - they're much better when they're room temperature!) This makes 12 muffins.

You can read about more Slightly Indulgent Mondays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free!

[how to re-warm gluten free muffins]

Gluten Free Appetizers and Sides

Baked Acorn Squash

Baked Radish Chips

Cheese Brogies

Chicken Gravy

Corn Muffins

Crispy Mediterranean Polenta with tomatoes and kale

Crispy Potato Skins

Cucumber Apple Slaw with Honey Balsamic Dressing

Eggplant Fries

Fusion Hummus

Garlicky Smashed Potatoes

*Onion Rings

Pat's Gluten Free Turkey Stuffing

Pepper Fried Rice

Turnip Souffle

Yummy Yam Casserole

Radish Chips

I spent last Saturday morning sorting radishes at the warehouse for The Community Food Co-op of Utah. In fact, this may have been my first time handling radishes. I even had an animated conversation with my new warehouse-working friend, who was sorting artichokes, about what could be done with radishes. All we came up with was sliced on a salad. That was it.

To my delight, I came across a list of 10 Recipes for Radishes. I decided to make myself a batch of radish chips, and then I promptly sat down in front of What Not to Wear and ate them. No picture. Barely a thought to sharing my radish joy with all of you. Rest assured radish chips are worth your 25 minutes of effort. (Be careful not to overbake them, some of mine burned.)

You can find more appetizers and sides here.

May 2009 Co-op Food

My friend and I worked at the warehouse on Saturday morning for the co-op. And we brought home mushrooms, apples, asparagus, zucchini, cantaloupe, radishes and bananas.
I've got some delicious recipes planned for the asparagus and radishes this month.