6 tips to make any baking recipe healthier….part 2 of 2
Continued from yesterday. (Yes, I know people are HEALTHIER and recipes are more HEALTHFUL, and so does my editor, but we abandon that in my book titles because "Healthful Recipes" sounds so stiff and wrong.)
4. Oil
Please don't use "vegetable oil" for baking. It's highly refined, heated to high temperatures, and already rancid when it's sold to you. Instead, for baking, use coconut oil. In the summer, it'll be liquid, and in the winter, solid. It works well as a substitute for butter, shortening, or oil. We have organic, cold-pressed coconut oil in our group buy every year, but year-round you can get it here. You can read here about why this oil is far more nutritious that most and what it's good for.
You can also substitute extra-virgin olive oil in recipes that call for just a small amount of butter or oil or if you don't like coconut oil. It usually doesn't affect the flavor.
5. Organic, free-range eggs or egg substitute
If you buy only ONE thing organic, make it eggs. North Americans get far too much Omega 6 fatty acids, probably because of our high intake of refined vegetable oil, which has a toxic imbalance. Commercial eggs are 6:1 omega 6 to omega 3. Eggs in their natural state are the exact opposite, with far more omega 3 that we are deficient in--so buy organic, free range. I have a friend in my neighborhood whose chickens are fed no chemicals and range in the yard. I buy from her on the rare occasion I even use eggs. You can also pay more at Costco for organic, and most health food stores have them.
You could also use this very nutritious substitute for each large egg: let 1 Tbsp. chia seed sit in 3 Tbsp. water for 30 mins.
6. Salt
Please never use iodized, refined salt (i.e., Morton's) for anything besides homemade play-dough. For cooking / eating, use Original Himalayan Crystal Salt for a high-vibrational frequency completely unrefined crystalline whole food. My second favorites would be Real Salt or celtic sea salt.
Now in your whole-foods lifestyle, you don't have to throw out your favorite baking recipes. Make these 6 substitutions and you should have very good results!
Posted in: Recipes, Whole Food
Love Original Himalayan Crystal Salt thanks for all the info
how much coconut oil to substitute for vegetable oil or butter? Is it just 1:1?
Yes, 1:1 oil substitute, and applesauce can stand in for some or all of it too, as Alyssa points out.
applesauce is also a great substitute in a recipe that calls for shortening, oil or butter. I usually use 1:1 depending on how moist you want your finished product to be. I can then cut back on the the amount of sweetner the recipe calls for since the applesauce helps with that!
Robyn, I have the Vitamix dry mixer container. Does it grind the wheat as well as the one you recommended?
Stacy, it grinds wheat but not very finely. No blender can make finely-ground wheat like a grain mill does. But, it works just fine for bread, etc., and if you blend your grain LONGER, it will be finer.
Another thing Morton’s is good for is making an natural weed killer. (I would never eat it)
The recipe is 1 cup salt, 1 Gallon Cheap vinegar, and 1 TBSP liquid dish washing soap. Shake it up, put it in a spray bottle. Spray the weeds when small and early in the morning. Remember – don’t get it near any plants that you don’t want to kill.
There are a couple of missing links in the coconut oil paragraph, from what I can tell 🙂
Does the coconut oil give it a coconut flavor?
Lacretia, yes. Brandi, nutritionally, I would rather just get used to the coconut flavor of GOOD oil than used a processed version, but yes, if you use a more refined coconut oil, you won’t have that flavor.
For Jean Buckborough…can you use this natural weed killer on weeds in the grass or will it kill the grass also?
Thanks. Great tip.
What is your opinion on sea salt (one you can buy at Coctco)?
Hi Robyn-
I am new to all of this, but LOVE the organic coconut oil I have switched to. My question is for recipes that you don’t want the strong coconut taste in would you recommend using refined coconut oil or have you found that the organic unrefined flavor doesn’t stand out too much when used in baking?
You are suggesting recipes with flour….I have a mill and all the necessary equipment for breaad making …but in all my research it seems I keep seeing that breads, pastas and rice no matter if they are the healthier ones are like glue in our bodies…therefore not something we would benefit from…if we eat grains they should be sprouted and not ground to a fine powder.
Your insight would be appreciated……..
Hi Robin,
I found you on “you tube”, and I am very happy and excited with all your wonderful information. I love your style, you are really wonderful. I am looking forward to buy your whole course, “12 steps…” Thank you very much, you are doing a very beautiful and important work. Many blessings.
Brandi,
From my research, REFINED coconut oil is one of the worst oils you could use. The research done by those trying to demonize coconut oil were done on refined coconut oil. I use cold pressed grape seed oil in my baking-on the rare instance that I bake cakes or quick breads. So, please don’t use refined coconut oil!
DeAndra
Regarding substituting coconut oil for vegetable oil 1:1…. does it matter if it’s solid or liquid?
Vegan Diaries, no, it doesn’t matter if it’s solid or liquid, in my experience. Just substitute 1:1 either way.
how do you get enough iodine if you eliminate all iodized salt from your diet. my thyroid is ok for now, but i have a family full of people on meds for hypothyroidism, so i need to make sure i get enough. do you depend on foods like kelp? i have used dried kelp before, but have read that you have to be careful to not use too much…and being pregnant, i’m nervous about using it at all. any insight?