Simple & naturally gluten free~homemade Sunbutter with an Apple: Great reNEWal snack!
What an exciting time of year! Crisp, invigorating air fills our lungs, while the spirit of the holidays lingers to warm us. Now is when many of us resolve to approach the fresh New Year with a plan for improving our overall well being! That's why all January long, as promised, each post here at GlutenFreeGigi.com will focus on our 5-week plan of life-balancing reNEWal! An extreme "whole new you" approach feels a bit overwhelming to me. Instead, I focus on balanced healthy living all year. I know you want to do that, too. I also understand it can be difficult to stay on track when life gets hectic. Often, just getting started can pose a challenge. I'm here to help and keep it simple! In coming weeks, I'll show you easy ways we can pay attention to our health, take time to restore our energy, and fire up our metabolism! We will move toward wellness through balance, with a focus on the foods we eat and staying healthy on our gluten free (or other "free") diet. I've experienced first-hand the positive power food can have on our bodies. Over 4 years ago, by making what turned out to be simple changes in what I was eating, I experienced a transformation of health so phenomenal it completely changed my life! This drastic improvement in my overall well-being due to simply changing my diet is why I started GlutenFreeGigi.com. It is my mission to share with others how simple achieving optimal health through diet can be . I hope you'll join me here all month long! I can't wait to reNEW with YOU! Have a look at what I've got for you this week... "Staple Recipes" You'll Use All Year Long! What are my "Staple Recipes"? These are trusted, easy-to-prepare, health-enhancing recipes that are affordable and use few ingredients. They're the sort of "go to" recipes we can turn to time after time. Last week, the first Staple Recipe I shared with you was one I consider a cup of well-being. I hope you've been sipping away, enhancing your health, and noticing the difference! Now, let's take a look at a Staple Recipe that I find particularly valuable because we can use it as a launch pad for several other dishes! Many of you have been awaiting my method for how to make your own homemade sunflower seed butter and here it is! Sure, you can buy Sunbutter (I've certainly bought my share!), but I find it so easy and affordable to make my own, I want to show you how I do it! First, let me tell you why... I consider homemade sunbutter a "Staple Recipe": 1. It replaces peanut (or other nut) butter for those with nut allergy, 2. It can be used in any recipe calling for peanut butter (even cookies!), 3. It is super-versatile and lends itself to sweet AND savory dishes (think Asian peanut sauce or satay), 4. You control added sugars (did you know the leading brand lists "evaporated cane juice" or "sugar" as the SECOND ingredient on its top-selling varieties of sunbutter?!), AND 5. You save money! Make your own sunbutter for 1/3 the cost of the store-bought variety! For those allergic to nuts, that first point alone makes this recipe essential, BUT even if you don't have a nut allergy, give this one a try! The Sunny Side of Making Your Own Sunbutter! Sunflower seeds, the sole ingredient in my homemade sunbutter, are loaded with vitamin E, magnesium, and are an excellent source of selenium. What does that mean for our health? Vitamin E is a cell-protecting antioxidant with anti-inflammatory effects, especially in osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis. It is also associated with reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Over half the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin E is contained in 1/4 cup of sunflower kernels (that's about 2 Tablespoons of homemade sunbutter!). RDA* = 15 milligrams or 22.5 IU Some other sources of vitamin E: eggs, poultry, spinach, meat, nuts, certain oils (like sunflower and olive). Magnesium is a macronutrient needed for healthy bones and is often considered "nature's muscle relaxer". That's because it balances calcium in our body, keeping our nerves from becoming over-stimulated. If nerves going to our muscles become over-active due to lack of magnesium, muscle spasms result. That means magnesium is essential for those of us who workout! You can get approximately 1/3 of the RDA of magnesium in 1/4 cup of sunflower kernels. RDA* = 300-400 milligrams Some other sources of magnesium: spinach, nuts, seeds, halibut, potatoes. Selenium is a trace mineral, but an important one! It has antioxidant effects and is shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers (lung, colon, prostate, and skin), but it also supports production of thyroid hormone. You can get approximately 1/2 of the RDA of selenium in 1/4 cup of sunflower kernels. RDA* = 50-60 micrograms Some other sources of selenium: mostly plant foods. Selenium content of plants is dependent on selenium present in soils where plants grow. This varies from region to region; some meats and seafood. (*Note: Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) vary depending on many individual factors. Remember, we're all unique and there is no "one size fits all" in health! I am providing RDA here for informational purposes only because many of you request these when I write about vitamins and minerals. See your health care provider for what is best for you.) Now that we know how healthy it is, let's see how easy it is to make it! Naturally Gluten Free Homemade Sunbutter Sunflower seed kernels (I use half roasted unsalted and half roasted salted; you could use raw seeds as well.) The typical yield is half as much sunbutter as seeds you begin with, for example, Use 3 cups of sunflower seed kernels for about 1 1/2 cups sunbutter. Salt is optional. I do not use it with the combination of salted and unsalted seeds I use. If you use unsalted seeds, you may want to add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sweetener is optional, too. I do not add sweetener to my sunbutter, but you can. Experiment with liquid or crystal sugars of your choice (honey, agave, maple syrup, granulated, brown, beet, date, palm, etc.). I’m sure stevia or another sugar substitute would work, too, although I do not use them. If you try any of these, please be sure to come back and let us know what you learn! Place the sunflower seed kernels in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until a meal is formed. Scrape down sides of the bowl and continue to process and scrape down sides until you have creamy sunbutter. The key here is to be patient running your food processor. It takes about 10 minutes of processing to achieve the right consistency! Do not add oil or other liquids to "aid" processing. It takes a minute for the natural oil from the kernels to be released. Once that happens, you will see the sunbutter begin to form. Be patient, it's worth all this processing time! I store my sunbutter in a sealed container in the refrigerator. I have stored it for up to 1 week successfully. If you make some and store it for longer, please come back and let us know how it does! See how easy it is to make your own sunbutter! Use Homemade Sunbutter in Healthy Gluten Free Cookies! Sunbutter is great on its own, but even better in COOKIES! I created this high-protein healthy cookie for you to try using your homemade sunbutter. As you'll see in the recipe below, it's extremely versatile! The cookies are free of: gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, and grains. They are very high protein (perfect for those New Year workouts!), contain no refined sugar, and you can make them in a blender or food processor. You can even even choose to have them raw* and egg free for a terrific vegan treat! Enjoy! *For raw cookies: This recipe uses warm water. I warmed water in a saucepan until it was quite warm to the touch, but not uncomfortable to put a finger in. Depending upon your temperature guidelines on raw foods (I've seen them vary between 92F and 118F, depending on the resource), you may not consider this a raw recipe if warm water is used. You do not have to use warm water for the recipe. I used it because I find it makes blending easier (it softens the dates and "melts" the sunbutter down a bit). Use raw sunflower seed kernels and raw cacao instead of cocoa. I believe that covers it for raw. If you see something I missed, be sure to leave a comment below so that I can make changes here. Thanks! 
ReNEWal Cookies ~ Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Nut Free, Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free
Gluten Free Gigi's Gluten Free reNEWal Cookies 1/2 cup homemade sunbutter 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 6 Medjool Dates, pits removed (this is your natural sweetener) 1/4 cup unsweetened grated coconut 2 Tablespoons chia meal (or grind your own seeds) 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (toast these if you like, but not for the raw version) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup warm water (see note about raw version) 2 eggs, optional (NOTE: If you use eggs, you may use one of the following: 2 large "real" eggs, OR 1/2 cup egg substitute, OR prepared powdered egg replacer to equal 2 large eggs; See photos and notes below. I add 2 real eggs for extra protein.) Add all ingredients except warm water and eggs to your food processor or blender. Pour water on top. Blend until mixture is smooth. If you are using eggs, add them after you add water and blend. Pulse just until eggs (or egg product) is incorporated. For baked cookies: Preheat your oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spoon Tablespoons full of batter on prepared baking pan and sprinkle with ground cinnamon and coarse sea salt if desired. Bake for 11 minutes and cool on pan. Store leftovers in refrigerator. For raw cookies: Blend ingredients as above, making suggested ingredient adjustments for raw cookies. Form batter into 1-inch rounds and roll in unsweetened grated coconut or cocoa (or raw cacao) powder. Chill.  Bake them up! Bake this high-energy delight at 350F for 11 minutes for a warm, fudgy treat topped with just a hint of cinnamon and coarse sea salt, OR...  Or enjoy them "in the raw"! Omit the eggs, follow raw ingredient suggestions above, and gently form the batter into rounds. Roll in unsweetened grated coconut or unsweetened cocoa powder (or raw cacao) for a raw treat! Do not bake; store in refrigerator. ~g~ News to Share! I'm excited to share my recent article about living gluten free in the January issue of the fantastic Atlanta INtown Paper! Check it out! 
Atlanta INtown Paper ~ Click image for digital issue.
 Also check out my friend, Eryn, author of Pumpkin's Pantry. Thanks to Eryn for nominating GlutenFreeGigi.com for the Liebster Award! I recently started brushing up on my German language skills again, so I smiled when I saw the word "Liebster". Read Eryn's post to find out what that means! Thank you, Eryn! This truly means a lot coming from a professional baker!! ~g~ Let's Connect! Comments about a specific post or recipe? Share them in the “comments” section below! Questions? Check out my ALL NEW FAQs and you might just find your answer! If not, no worries! Email me with your question: mailbox (at) glutenfreegigi (dot) com. I’m always happy to hear from you. Our gluten free community is growing incredibly. I'm receiving more and more email every day. I read it all and I always will. I love reading what you have to say! Responding to each note, though, is becoming more challenging. I am trying my best to either answer as many questions as possible directly or in my How-To videos so everyone can benefit. Keep watching for YOUR question! Follow Along... on Twitter and "Like" my Facebook page! You can also check out my boards on Pinterest and "circle" me on Google+! These are places I like to go to see what you're up to and share what’s going on behind-the-scenes in the Gluten Free Test Kitchen and in my home kitchen, too! I love following you, too! Make sure to let me know you’re out there! ~g~ Thank you for taking time to visit! Stop by often for my weekly recipe and how-to video posts on Tuesdays and informative "A Side of Science" articles on Thursdays. Remember, my mission here at GlutenFreeGigi.com is to share my experience and knowledge to help you navigate your gluten free life with ease and confidence because I understand how challenging it can be! I’m excited to have YOU here as we begin this New Year! Thank you for sharing the journey! xo, Gluten Free Gigi Sources... Although this is not an "A Side of Science" article, due to the amount of health information included, I want to provide you with a few sources in the event you wish to investigate further. American Institute of Cancer Research Mayo Clinic USDA Rayman, M. (2000). The importance of selenium to human health. The Lancet, 356, 9225. CommentsJillW 01/03/2012 15:38
Gigi, I had NO idea it could be so easy to make sunbutter. My daughter LOVES it. Thanks for walking us through it. And these cookies (raw or baked) look awesome! Can't wait to try them. This is the first chance I've had to extend the wish to you, so Happy 2012! xoxo Hi, Jill! :) JillW 01/03/2012 18:07
Me again, Gigi. :) Our sunbutter turned out fabulous! --even with my low-end food processor. Question: do you know of any benefit to using raw instead of roasted seeds or vice versa? The color of my butter is a little "off," and I attribute that to the fact that I used raw, because that was what I had on hand and I wasn't in a "roasting mood." :p It might be worth the roasting for us, though, if it makes no nutritional difference. I did add just a teaspoon of maple syrup for those with a sweeter tooth in my household, but I still feel like I've got a much better product for my family. Thanks! Awesome, Jill!! I'm so glad to know you made it! :) 01/03/2012 22:13
These cookies look great! And great advice on letting the processor do the work for the sunbutter. I remember the first time I made it at home and I kept adding oil or honey to try and get it to process and then after about 15 minutes I had not so tasty kind of runny sunbutter :) Eryn, Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply |  
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