About Kitchen Wizard Recipes and Me
I believe Gluten-Free in itself is not necessarily the
cure for for people with digestive issues. When we eat
only real food made from scratch we can quickly
identify and eliminate something from our diet that
doesn’t agree with us. But packaged foods contain
hidden ingredients and chemicals that we can’t identify.
I’m Barbara Binstock, a health-conscious wife, (in charge
of family cooking for 60 years), a Mom of 4, grandmother
of 8 (so far).
I discovered gluten when it was a migraine trigger
for my husband. I didn’t approve of the ingredients in
packaged gluten-free products, loaded with refined
carbs and foreign chemicals listed as on their labels.
So I quickly began baking all our own baked goods
using healthier blends of gluten-free ingredients.
Many people (not even celiac) often feel better with
a gluten-free diet. No one needs gluten in their
diet! But what else is tucked into your diet may be
causing you compromised health?
Most people wouldn’t consider giving up any of their
favorite foods, unless they’re told they have no choice.
But by then it may be too late to repair the damage done
to your body by what you’ve been eating. Why wait until
your health is compromised? Switching to whole foods
can become new favorites to you, your body, and family.
Giving up favorite baked goods never lasts. But now
you can enjoy all your favorite baked goods while being
gluten-free, with my recipes, and you’ll never give them up!
They’re more delicious than the classic original versions.
Big food industries cleverly keep you addicted to foods
that make them huge profits and cause your body
to silently deteriorate inside where you don’t see it.
Your body tries to tell you, but you can’t usually
understand it’s language.
Which Gluten-Free Flour Should you use?
As I’ve been researching and writing this book to help
people fit new lifestyles such as gluten free, paleo, keto
and vegan, the number of traditional flour substitutes grew.
In fact, the amount of flour substitutes on supermarket
shelves grew so large, you’ve likely found yourself
wondering which to choose.
Having enough fiber content in your carbohydrates
slows down the digestion of sugar, (sugar spikes)
that over time can lead to insulin resistance and
diabetes. Flours I haven’t tried are *Teff and Millet
are gluten-free seed flours which should work well.
Spelt works, but isn’t gluten free.
Teff is a seed flour high in fiber that provides an
energy boost comparable to coffee, but without
that caffeine crash. There are a lot of diseases
whose main cause is inflammation. A person
can help prevent these diseases by eating teff grains
on a regular basis.
But Teff contains a high amount of phytate which inhibits
mineral absorption. So people with zinc or calcium
deficiency are recommended not to consume teff in
large amounts. So when it is taken as a major staple
food, a thiamine supplement is recommended. Also,
the excessive consumption of fibre might cause gas
and bloating.
After researching gluten-free flours I was convinced
that all gluten-free flours had a negative in them if
over-consumed.organic, certified gluten-free oat flour,
almond flour, and tapioca were my first choices for
wheat substitute flours. They’re readily available and
work in most recipes in place of wheat flour.
*I believe we need TREATS every day, not only for
pleasure, but to prevent deficiencies and add nutrient
in our diet. They can also help maintain a healthy weight.
I believed in this so much that I devoted 4 years to the
research to compose this website.
Is everything that comes in a package safe to eat?
Is it FDA approved? FDA is approving many things you
should not eat. They allow manufacturers to omit from
the label up to 2% of any ingredient, that isn’t on the list
of known allergens.Yet many surprising common
ingredients like black pepper, onion, MSG, sulfites, and
sulfates produce a horrible allergic reaction in some
people who I know.
What’s in YOUR Gluten-Free food? Read the food
labels. Not only should we know what’s in our food,
for sensitivity and allergen reasons, but because
popular additives like gums, or carrageenan
can be at the root of your digestive issues or
unbalance and ruin the results of many recipes!
You need to read the ingredients labels on packaged
food Items. Watch out for chemicals like maltodextrin and
BHT. highly processed (high heated) oils like safflower, Palm,
and canola have become familiar names on labels, but they’re
some of your body’s worst enemies.
They are aging you prematurely, causing aches and pains,
inflammation, compromised immune systems, and slowly
developing into future major diseases.
No need to buy salad dressing. Just sprinkle on cold-pressed
olive oil (or avocado oil)for a more neutral taste, with 1/2 a spoon
of balsamic or cider vinegar or honey and mustard. Quick, cheap,
tasty. No hidden emulsifiers and chemicals that erode your insides!
You’ll love taste and convenience and likely save money as well.
No need to give up Treats you love. There are gluten-free,
dairy-free alternatives that don’t spike your blood sugar like
similar recipes will. The object is to retain fiber in recipes
that have added sugar. I’ve devised, and made and
photographed all these recipes. I chose them for
familiarity of taste, healthier ingredients, availability,
reduced sweetening, and simplicity.
And best of all, you can tweak them to suit your taste
preferences. They go together quickly, made from
ingredients similar to all the other recipes. That keeps
these easy to stock up on. They seldom call for an electric
beater or rolling pin. Most are simple batters, with the
proportions changed to create breads, rolls. cookies,
muffins, fluffy baked donuts and cakes.
You can create healthy treats, even low sugar frostings and
condiments using these quick, easy recipes with simple basic
ingredients (or substitutes if you are sensitive to any of these
ingredients).
Researchers agree we need to eat frequently to avoid cravings
and binging. Three small meals and 3 small healthy treats (like
fresh fruit or nuts) can control calories and hunger and avoid
nutrient deficiencies.
Wheat can cause detrimental sensitivity and health issues
to everyone. No one needs gluten. It holds baked goods together,
but so do other substitutes as you will see here.
When I first sought gluten-free
recipes, hoping to minimize
my husband’s migraines,
I noticed CUPS of sugar, or
‘sugar substitutes,’ ‘bad oil’
choices, fast-burning flours,
and culprits that send people
searching for the cause
of their distress. Symptoms of Celiac can resemble those
of other diseases. So, many folks suffer for years, because
they can’t identify the culprit in their food when they don’t
make it from scratch. Restaurants and frozen dinners can
contain chemicals you are sensitive to.
The FDA only requires 10 known allergens to be
listed as ingredients on the label. They also allow up
to 2% of possible digestive irritants to not be listed!
You will see that my recipes are not just treats.
Their purpose is to replace most classic wheat flour
baked goods with healthy gluten-free & Dairy-Free
delicious ones. I bake our loaf of flaxseed bread as
our staple every week.
My flour of choice is Organic Oat plus some nut flours
or ground seeds. Most of these recipes can be egg-free if
necessary, using egg substitutes.
My sweeteners are either honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar,
molasses, dates, or overripe bananas. They are the least likely
to ‘spike’ your sugar. I do not recommend any other substitute.
My oils are: coconut, avocado, or olive oil. You can have
peace of mind knowing I’ve successfully made and
photographed all the recipes on this site.
These recipes are Gluten-free, Dairy-free,
Sugarcane-Free, And ‘Kosher Pareve’ (which means
certified “dairy free,”) for dairy-sensitive tummies).
Many people aren’t aware of all the allergens (even
plant-based) that are troublesome (to them or their kids).
You’d be surprised to learn most kids aren’t being
picky eaters when they stare their food. Their instinct
may be warning them about something that doesn’t
agree with them, because allergens are hidden in
prepared or packaged or prepared food. Some foods
just don’t agree with them, and they don’t have the
ability to express that.
We all think any food in a package is ‘SAFE.’ (The FDA
approves of it). But 2% of the ingredients are not required
by law to be listed on the label, unless it’s on the ‘known
allergens’ list, (only of tree nuts, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish,
dairy milk and cheese).
WHY doesn’t becoming ‘Gluten-free’ work for a lot
of gluten-sensitive people? Because of what else is
in THEIR gluten-free food? Onions can give similar
reactions to gluten. It took years for my husband to figure
that out. He actually had an allergic reaction to onions
being fried and filling the air in a kitchen. So many prepared
foods contain onion that he has to ask wherever we eat.
Common ground black pepper threw my daughter-in-law,
into a full-blown allergic reaction!
Did you know…You can leave out onion and its
relatives, and never notice it is missing? Celery,
especially the leaves, imparts intense flavor, and
chopped celery (even if sautéed) is a perfect texture
substitute, and many more seasonings. Garlic
is often tolerated by many who can’t eat onion.
Dillweed, basil, coriander, rosemary, cilantro, thyme,
parsley, etc. add flavor and appear not to aggravate
any tummies.
You’ll notice my treat recipes are made, from
scratch, gluten-free, mainly organic oat flour. I buy
it from Whole Foods or make it myself by grinding
organic oatmeal into flour in a coffee grinder and
shaking it through a mesh strainer.
It’s so worth doing! You’ll not only get great results,
you won’t be swapping healthy whole grains for
non-nutritive, fast-burning starch. To lighten the
density of the baked goods, I mix in tapioca starch,
or arrowroot, which are healthy slow digesting resistant
starches made from the Cassava root.
Flaxseed bread
We not only avoid gluten. We avoid
the cane sugar overload in packaged
gluten-free mixes and products, and
fast-digesting starches which also
spike your sugar, and chemical
additives (carcinogens such as
Metabisulfite), is on too many labels.
It’s a banned health hazard in NJ,
known to cause people a variety of
problems. (e.g. Just Google, “Polysorbate 80”). It’s used
as an emulsifier for plastic as well as in food. It’s used in so many
packaged foods, and ice cream. Even if the FDA says it’s safe,
(why should we eat it)?
“SAFE” by FDA standards only means most people who ate it
had no immediate adverse reactions to it. It doesn’t mean what
quantity was deemed safe, or who is it NOT safe to serve it to?
Or what are the effects on your organs after a length of time?
Processed sugar substitutes are proven to not satiate the brain’s
desire for something sweet. Xylitol can kill a dog. Stevia has a
metallic aftertaste. Agave gives a worse sugar spike than sugar.
I believe in making everything from scratch. Not even a
packaged mix! (Yes, these recipes are quick and taste good)!
When you don’t know what you’re eating, if you or your family
develop health issues or allergies, you’ll run to find a ‘medical’
remedy, which can make your symptoms worse, instead of
finding and eliminating the cause.
I realize how little time there is today for most parents to
follow the health reports I’ve accumulated. I’ve based my
recipes on medically validated health information.
Having had two diabetic parents, and my own tendency
toward high cholesterol and sugar, I’ve been on guard for
many years. I’ve added my personal tweaks to the original,
‘presumed healthy’ recipes in this book. I’ve reduced the
sugar, substituted excess oil with unsweetened applesauce,
or banana, and swapped wheat flour for gluten-free organic
oats.
I avoid using processed packaged foods, canned fruits or
prepared mixes by anyone.
I use only healthy oils (e.g. coconut, olive, avocado)
instead of unhealthy *ultra-processed oils which you’ve been
led to believe are healthy, (like canola, safflower, grapeseed,
corn and sunflower), I stick with plant-based, organics. All sugar
substitutes have no long-term proof of safety, especially for
children, pets, or guests who may eat what you make. (Use
them at your own risk). They’re shown to not satiate your
sugar craving and to alter your brain’s perception of sweet.
Yes, it’s difficult to find
uninterrupted time to cook
and bake from scratch
while I manage a busy
business,(and create this
recipe website as well). So
I jump on any recipe that
gives the security of homemade,
(and the taste and aroma)
that can be put together in
minutes instead of hours. I focus on easy-to-get ingredients
that are most likely already in your pantry. And I freeze a
lot for future convenience.
Researchers have said for many years the reason the USA
has an obesity problem is due in part to 60 percent of the
calories Americans eat coming from *ultra-processed foods
like bread, soda, chips, baked treats, fast foods, artificial
sweeteners, and candy. If we just focused on that, we could
probably wipe out 60 percent of diet-related disease.
Just Eat Real Food.
So The Kitchen Wizard is about
gluten-free recipes that are healthy,
REAL FOOD quick to put together
from scratch, with simple,
natural ingredients that you’re very
likely to have on hand or obtain easily in most food chains.
I favor gluten free, Dairy-Free, low in fast digesting carbs
and no processed oil.
I avoid butter and dairy in favor of plant-based, I minimize
quantities of healthy sweeteners (and avoid refined sugar).
I’m sorry to say, I still avoid and don’t trust sweetener substitutes
and (non-nutritive) sweeteners. There are natural low glycemic
alternative sweeteners: coconut sugar, raw sugar, bee or date
honey, maple syrup, molasses, fruit pectin, etc.
I started this website with my family and friends in mind, not
for any financial gain, nor is it dictated to by advertisers. I have
a retail website where I sell many hard-to-find useful kitchen
items. I don’t need to annoy you with pop-up ads.
Please join us and sign up. I promise never to annoy you
with emails unless something new and worthy is added.
*Health Disclaimer: Information in this book is approximate,
and provided to inspire your own research. Always read labels, warnings,
and directions before using or consuming products.
Content in this book is not intended to substitute advice by your health
professional. We recommend that you do not use this information
to self-diagnose or treat a health or medical problem. Dietary information
and statements within are here to inspire your own research. The author
and J. Mark Press do not assume liability for inaccuracies or misstatements,
or endorse or warrant any websites, brands or products as healthy. For full
product information always contact its manufacturer.
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