It has been a nice sunny week. We did get our typical spring winds but not bad. When it is windy I do spend a lot of time doing things in the kitchen or the sewing room.
Some weeks ago I read an article about eating lard as a natural fat. Sounded good to me since we raised pigs and I had lard. The only problem was when I went to take my blood test, my cholesterol came back doubled. The doctor was going to put me on two cholesterol meds. I had not taken even one so far. They were concerned that in a years time it had jumped so high. I informed them of my diet change and that I was going back to my original low fat, low carbohydrate diet. The doctor then said only take the one med. He then knew why it had jumped.
I am now waiting on that 10 week test after taking cholesterol medication to see how I did. So I guess when you are 69 and have health issues, natural is not always a good thing for longevity. I sure am glad I had not done this very long.
Below is a lower fat Baking mix recipe that I have been making for several years now and use it with good results. This recipe also gives you some of the good fats they now know we need.
I use this mix for several of my recipes, from biscuits, to cobblers, etc. I will be posting some of these recipes in further posts
Today I am making what I call "Nana's Heart Healthy Baking Mix." Most recipes use 1/4 or 1/3 cup of fat in their recipes. I found this way too dry for most things I make with this mix.
Since keeping my "bad" cholesterol down is a priority adding fats that have monounsaturated fat in it is considered a good thing. So I use Olive oil or Canola Oil to do this.
With baking mixes we do not want a strong flavored fat used. Some Olive oils do have a stronger flavor. My preference is the Canola oil that really has no flavor to it.
Also because being retired there is only two of us to cook for. I do not want the baking powder to get to the point it does not rise as well. My batch is smaller than most I have seen on the net.
The recipe is below. Instructions are below the pictures.
NANA'S HEART HEALTHY BAKING MIX
5 Cups of all-purpose flour (can use unbleached)
3 Tablespoons Baking Powder (see HINT below)
2 Tablespoons of Splenda, Sugar or preferred sweetener. Be sure to follow sweeteners instructions for amounts to use for equivalents.
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil.
Some weeks ago I read an article about eating lard as a natural fat. Sounded good to me since we raised pigs and I had lard. The only problem was when I went to take my blood test, my cholesterol came back doubled. The doctor was going to put me on two cholesterol meds. I had not taken even one so far. They were concerned that in a years time it had jumped so high. I informed them of my diet change and that I was going back to my original low fat, low carbohydrate diet. The doctor then said only take the one med. He then knew why it had jumped.
I am now waiting on that 10 week test after taking cholesterol medication to see how I did. So I guess when you are 69 and have health issues, natural is not always a good thing for longevity. I sure am glad I had not done this very long.
Below is a lower fat Baking mix recipe that I have been making for several years now and use it with good results. This recipe also gives you some of the good fats they now know we need.
I use this mix for several of my recipes, from biscuits, to cobblers, etc. I will be posting some of these recipes in further posts
Today I am making what I call "Nana's Heart Healthy Baking Mix." Most recipes use 1/4 or 1/3 cup of fat in their recipes. I found this way too dry for most things I make with this mix.
Since keeping my "bad" cholesterol down is a priority adding fats that have monounsaturated fat in it is considered a good thing. So I use Olive oil or Canola Oil to do this.
With baking mixes we do not want a strong flavored fat used. Some Olive oils do have a stronger flavor. My preference is the Canola oil that really has no flavor to it.
Also because being retired there is only two of us to cook for. I do not want the baking powder to get to the point it does not rise as well. My batch is smaller than most I have seen on the net.
The recipe is below. Instructions are below the pictures.
5 Cups of all-purpose flour (can use unbleached)
3 Tablespoons Baking Powder (see HINT below)
2 Tablespoons of Splenda, Sugar or preferred sweetener. Be sure to follow sweeteners instructions for amounts to use for equivalents.
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil.
In Large Mixing bowl add flour, baking powder, Sweetener, and Salt.
Gently combine and mix the dry ingredients.
Measure out your 1/2 cup oil in a glass measuring cup.
Pour the oil on top of the flour as seen in the picture above.
Using a pastry blender, blend the oil into the flour until it looks like pea sized pieces. I use an antique large pastry blender for the first blending. You can use your hands if you prefer.
Since I am only allowed a certain amount of fat a day, I do make sure I get as much of the combined mix and fat off of my pastry blender:)
After using the larger pastry blender I use a smaller one. This is not necessary. I just prefer to do this. At this stage I have used my hands also instead of the pastry blender to make sure all the oil is incorporated into the mix.
The mix is ready for all those recipes that I use it in. It is very convenient to use. Since oil is not kept in the refrigerator unless it is unusually hot here, the mix is stored in my cabinet.
Hope this recipe helps any of you who are on diets restricting fats.
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