Archives for February 2013

Although I generally don’t eat desert, with a family of three kids and a wife, my mostly dessert-less perspective on the issue is seldom shared. So, yielding to the demands of the masses, I included an alternative to regular cake, made from quinoa, in my book Food As Medicine.  Many people with celiac disease and sensitivities to gluten find that they can tolerate it quinoa much better, but even still, quinoa may contain the same prolamins as wheat, and in sensitive people like celiacs, can cause a negative reaction. One way to avoid this issue is to ferment the quinoa, by soaking it in water for 24 hrs at an even temperature , around 80-90°F (28-32°C). I use a ceramicbowl and a small seedling mat that you can easily pick up at your local gardening store. Ideally, you want to ferment it with an active culture, so every time you ferment grains, save a little of the soaking water, and use this to inoculate your next batch. Fermenting your cereals with an active culture will help to reduce those toxic prolamins and other antinutrient factors that interfere with absorption.My wife made this chocolate quinoa cake for me, on my birthday, earlier this year. I took a photo of a little piece I had before dinner, with the leftover butter-jaggery icing.

Ingredients
¾ cup quinoa (fermented, drained p. 126)
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup butter
¼ – ½ cup milk (or almond milk, or water)
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup jaggery (gur)
1 cup cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
salt

Directions
Drain soaked quinoa, rinse, bring to a boil in twice the volume of water and let simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, fluff with a fork. Melt the butter and set aside to cool, greasing two 8-inch round baking pans and preheating the oven to 350°F. In a blender combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and cooked quinoa, and blend to a custard-like consistency. In a separate bowl whisk together the jaggery, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. Mix well then add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix well, and then pour into two cake pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Serve with fresh whipped cream sweetened with a little maple syrup, or homemade strawberry-rose ice cream.