Flax meal?

[msanjelpie]

You have to change the size to the 16 oz bag...

[imagood1]

almond meal isn't allowed until the nut rung (Rung 3) -- flax can be used starting with induction. I get my flax meal at Walmart but I've also seen it along the spice aisle in the chain stores here.

I bought a pound of Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour 3 weeks ago at Walmart for $6.57. A little goes a long way - I have made a couple things with it and still have about half left. Contrary to popular belief almond flour isn't sweet - it really has no flavor.

Try your food processor to grind your flax seed. It should look a little like a powder. I make a cookie out of them - didn't like them as a binder in meatloaf -- I waited to have meatloaf until I was on the nut rung and used the almond flour - worked fine.

[SkinnyGirlInTransit]

I grind my flax seeds using my food processor and it works just fine. I prefer freshly ground flax seed because whole seeds can be stored for longer than pre-ground. A little does go a long way.

[somethings gotta give]

Thanks all, I knew I could count on you!!! Happy Baking

[LageNomAi]

One other thought: if you are willing to accept a slightly different texture, you can save money on almond flour by purchasing almonds and grinding them yourself. I've done this many times and while the texture won't be as good as with pre-ground almond flour, depending upon the recipe, this doesn't make a difference.

The flip side is that in some recipes, it makes a huge difference. Unfortunately it's a trial and error situation.

[enelkay]

I prefer grinding my own flax meal because I like it ground a little more coarsely than the commercially ground kind. In fact, I bought a coffee grinder specially for grinding flaxseed and nuts into flour because I can't eat gluten so if I want bread I have to either spend nearly $10 a loaf for gluten-free breads that are sky-high in carbs, or else bake my own. I bake a lot more with flaxseed meal than with nut flours, though, because it's so much lower in net carbs and it's almost all fiber.

My favorite flaxseed bread is very easy to make and very versatile. I use it for sandwiches, as bread with meals, and added in meatloaf. Cut in cubes and toasted in the oven it makes a good bread for stuffing or croutons for salads and soups. And heated up in the microwave with butter and sugar-free maple syrup it makes wonderful, quick "pancakes" for breakfast. The recipe is from Laura Dolson of About.com.

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Focaccia -Style Flax Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

I call this "focaccia" because it is baked in that style -- flat on a sheet pan, and then cut up into whatever sized pieces you want. It works for toast, sandwiches, and other bready uses. It is "rough" in texture like heavy whole grain breads. Since it isn't made with wheat, it doesn't have the same kind of grain as wheat breads, but the carb in flax is almost all fiber. Flax is very useful on a low carb diet, as well as being amazingly good for you.

Ingredients:

* 2 cups flax seed meal
* 1 Tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 to 2 Tablespoons sweetening power from artificial sweetener
* 5 beaten eggs
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/3 cup oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.

1) Mix dry ingredients well -- a whisk works well.

2) Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.

3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)

4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).

5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.

6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; I usually just cut it with a spatula.

At 12 servings, each piece of bread has less than one gram of carbohydrate -- .8 to be exact -- plus 5 grams of fiber.

By Laura Dolson, About.com

Nadine's notes: I use a Silpat mat on top of the cookie sheet. It doesn't need any greasing or oiling. Leave the bread on the mat to cool for a few minutes before cutting. I use a pizza cutter but a table knife or a spatula works just fine. I then pack several slices together in a Ziplock bag and freeze all except what I expect to use within several days. I like to use it to make open-face sandwiches of tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad or leftover meats.

Two slices heated in the microwave and spread with butter, topped with sugar-free maple syrup makes a great "pancake" breakfast.

Using light flaxseed meal makes a bread that's lighter in color, while dark flaxseed meal makes more like a dark, whole wheat bread.

I like to use the dark flaxseed meal and add 1 Tablespoon each of onion powder, dried onion flakes and caraway seeds and 2 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese to make an onion bread out of it. (You can omit the Parmesan if you wish.)

Nadine

[enelkay]

Originally Posted by LageNomAi

One other thought: if you are willing to accept a slightly different texture, you can save money on almond flour by purchasing almonds and grinding them yourself. I've done this many times and while the texture won't be as good as with pre-ground almond flour, depending upon the recipe, this doesn't make a difference.

The flip side is that in some recipes, it makes a huge difference. Unfortunately it's a trial and error situation.

My husband is a big advocate of "If you're going to buy something, buy the best." So when I got my coffee grinder for grinding nuts and flaxseed he picked out a Cuisinart with infinite settings from very fine all the way to coarse. I was horrified at the price -- it was about $60. But now I'm glad that's what I got.

It took me a few tries to figure out which settings were best for what, but now I can make nuts into smooth flours that can't be distinguished from the commercial stuff except for the price -- I can make them a lot cheaper. Or I can grind them into very small pieces to sprinkle over the top of a snack cake or to add to salads. I can grind flaxseed in the same way to make a smooth flour to use in cakes or pastries or a more coarse flour for a "whole grain" feeling in breads.

Nadine