Rice Milk (Gluten and Sugar Free)

Laura said:
I have good news and bad news and a question.

The bad news first: it seems that, in addition to lectins, rice has gluten.

The good news: now we can all save money by not eating rice or drinking rice milk!
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This is interesting because a few months ago I was eating brown rice pasta with cilantro pesto - it was a wonderful comfort food. But I began to notice that familiar feeling of having a rock in my stomach, just as I used to get with regular pasta. I could not understand what was wrong as i had been so good about not eating gluten :huh: Oh well...now what to eat with pesto...???

I have also been using Rice protein powder in my morning shake. The container does say that it is Gluten Free, which is confusing, does this mean you cannot necessarily trust that GF marked foods are truly GF??
 
aleana said:
This is interesting because a few months ago I was eating brown rice pasta with cilantro pesto - it was a wonderful comfort food. But I began to notice that familiar feeling of having a rock in my stomach, just as I used to get with regular pasta. I could not understand what was wrong as i had been so good about not eating gluten :huh: Oh well...now what to eat with pesto...???
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Don't forget the ingredients in the pesto as well. It contains a grated hard cheese (cheese should be eliminated) and pine nuts (often cheated with walnuts or cashews as they have a similar taste). Nuts are very suspect foods that you can be allergic too. And the annoying thing is you have to test for each type of nut individually. And there's garlic in pesto too, which is something else I'd suggest testing.

I see a lot of quinoa pasta in the health food section, but the glutenfreesociety website suggests removing quinoa (and buckwheat) to go completely gluten free. But in my opinion an alternative form of pasta such as quinoa or millet would be much better than brown rice pasta due to the lectins in brown rice.

Also, I think your (brown?) rice protein powder claims to be gluten free because it's actually referring to gliadin, which celiacs react to.
 
aleana said:
I have also been using Rice protein powder in my morning shake. The container does say that it is Gluten Free, which is confusing, does this mean you cannot necessarily trust that GF marked foods are truly GF??
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Nathan said:
Also, I think your (brown?) rice protein powder claims to be gluten free because it's actually referring to gliadin, which celiacs react to.
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I've been wondering about this too. My brown rice protein says gluten free and is Nutribiotic brand. Do these companies that label this stuff not know about what we've recently discovered? And since it is referring to gliadin, does that mean there's still the bad rice protein that makes it not gluten free?
 
Also, my experiment with coconut milk and black tea didn't go well! :lol:
Not only does the coconut milk need to be melted, it doesn't melt properly and leaves tea with the unpleasant odour of coconut oil. If anything, it made me appreciate black tea without any milk whatsoever.

Unfortunately, the only hemp seeds that can be obtained in Australia are sterilised, and I don't particularly want to make hemp milk from sterilised seeds. Which is a shame, since hemp milk sounds like the best milk out there. Until legislation changes (and there has been much pressure to do so, and more so now that the Greens are running Melbourne), Australians such as myself will have to look at other types of milk.

Testing for almond milk is an option. I couldn't find any recipes for pumpkin milk, but it seems that is made from the pulp (the lining of the pumpkin). Does anyone have any pumpkin milk recipes?
 
Thanks for the tip, RedFox! I'll try that out.

I'd also like to correct my previous post. Much like hemp protein powder, you can in fact buy hemp seeds in Australia, but they cannot legally be recommended for human consumption. Instead, they are recommended for pets. I presume these to be sterilised, but now that I think about it this won't in any way affect the nutritional properties of the seed.
 
Re: Horchata

I discovered that hemp doesn't sit with me well. So I was thinking of what else to use and suddenly I remembered Horchata which used to be one of my favorite drinks. It is made from Chufa (Tiger Nuts) which is a tuber, hence it should it be highly tolerable. It is very popular in South America and in Spain as well, although it seems there are some differences. Here is some background:

_http://www.xmission.com/~dderhak/recipe/horchc.htm

Horchata from Chufa

This is the real thing - the original and ancient recipe for Horchata from Chufa (Tiger Nut). Horchata made from chufa nut tastes completely different than Mexican Horchata made from rice. Don't confuse the two because they have nothing in common.

History

La Planta de Chufa pronounced [CHOO-fuh], the tiny, tuberous roots of a Middle-Eastern plant of the sedge family, chufa "nuts" have their origin in ancient Egypt. Chufa was one of the first domesticated crops and in fact, was found in vases in the tombs of the ancient Egyptian pharos. The chufa nut was widely used in Egypt and Sudan. The Arabs introduced the plant to Spain during the time of the Moorish kings (700 B.C. a 1200 A.D.). The eastern Spanish province of Valencia was the best for growing chufa.

The nut is good for your health, with high levels of iron and potassium. It does not contain sodium and is valued for its minerals and vitamins.

Perhaps you would like to know where the name "Horchata" came from.

Well, there's an old story about a girl in a little town that offered some of the drink to the visiting King of Catalunya and Aragon. After enjoying the drink, the king asked, "Que es aixo?" (What is this?). The girl answered, "Es leche de chufa" (It's chufa milk - which was its original name), to which the King replied, "Aixo no es llet, aixo es OR, XATA!" (This is not milk, this is GOLD, CUTIE). The word "Xata" in Catalan - which the King spoke - is an affectionate nickname for a child.

The fame spread throughout the country and the name of the drink started to be known in Spanish as Orchata. Later, the H was added to the beginning.

Horchata remains a very popular and refreshing summer drink in the region of Valencia.

[...] I can't give you much information on obtaining Chufa. It can be bought in Spain at little candy shops that sell nuts (frutos secos). I've even found it at Corte Inglés in bags. Chufa is grown in the Valencia area exclusively for Horchata.

I'm told that chufa is grown in the Southern United States and can be purchased through Farmer Co-Ops as seed. It is grown as a feed crop for cattle.

chufa.jpg

[...]
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More about tigernuts or chufas from wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigernut

Cyperus esculentus (Chufa Sedge, Yellow Nutsedge, Tigernut Sedge, Earthalmond) is a species of sedge native to warm temperate to subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is an annual or perennial plant, growing to 90 cm tall, with solitary stems growing from a tuber.

The tubers are edible, with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour, compared to the more bitter tasting tuber of the related Cyperus rotundus (Purple Nutsedge). They are quite hard and are generally soaked in water before they can be eaten, thus making them much softer and giving them a better texture. They have various uses; in particular, they are used in Spain to make horchata. They are sometimes known by their Spanish name, "chufa".

Tigernuts have excellent nutritional qualities with a fat composition similar to olives and a rich mineral content, especially phosphorus and potassium. The oil of the tuber was found to contain 18% saturated (palmitic acid and stearic acid) and 82% unsaturated (oleic acid and linoleic acid) fatty acids.[2]

According to the Consejo Regulador de Chufa de Valencia (Regulating Council for Valencia's Tigernuts),[3] the nutritional composition/100 ml of a classical Horchata de Chufas, or Orxata de Xufes in Valencian language, is as follows: energy content around 66 kcal, proteins around 0.5 g, carbohydrates over 10 g with starch at least 1.9 g, fats at least 2 g.

Horchata de Chufas can be useful in replacing milk in the diet of people intolerant to lactose to a certain extent.
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Sounds good! I found the following recipe for Horchata:

_http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com/spanish-drink.html

spanish-drink.jpg


One well-known, non-alcoholic spanish drink is the deliciously creamy horchata de chufas.

Originating from the Valencia Region of Spain, it's made out of chufas or tiger nuts. You'll find this refreshing drink easily enough in most Spanish supermarkets. But, what if you'd like to make your own?

Just try out this simple recipe below ...

Basically, all you need do is soak the nuts overnight, blend with the other ingredients, cool and sieve.

Powdered cinnamon is optional.

With the lemon zest, remember to use only the yellow part of the peel, not the white pith, which has a bitter taste.

horchata de chufas

Ingredients

* 250 gr chufas/tiger nuts
* 100 gr sugar [I would replace here with half xylitol and half something else. It just have to be sweet enough]
* Zest of 1 lemon
* 1 litre water
* Little powdered cinnamon

Method

* Clean nuts.
* Leave to soak overnight.
* Drain nuts.
* Using electric mixer blend nuts, sugar, zest and water.
* Leave in fridge for good 2-3 hours.
* Pass liquid through sieve.
* Pour into glasses.
* Serve icy cold with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
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So the problem will be getting a hold of those tigernuts. Unless you are in Spain, it might not be feasible. I tasted horchata in Spain and it was simply delicious! Even better than that one I had in South America. But maybe it can be purchased in Farmer Co-ops as the article suggested.
 
Hi Psyche,

Thanks for posting this info. For I as well can not use hemp products. :( Found this web site that sells tigernut products.
_http://tigernuts.com/_

Tigernuts Traders, S.L. is a 100% Spanish Capital owned Company which was founded in 1997. Our main objective is to explore and develop the market and applications of the Tigernut (Spanish: Chufa; lat: Cyperus Esculentus), a tuber which has been traditionally cultivated in the area around Valencia (Spain). The almost unique use until this moment has been the preparation of "Horchata de Chufas", the delicious vegetable milk made from Tigernuts.
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Bluestar said:
Hi Psyche,

Thanks for posting this info. For I as well can not use hemp products. :( Found this web site that sells tigernut products.
_http://tigernuts.com/_
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Wow! They even have tigernut flour. I think some experimenting and testing is in order. I would love to test (and taste) horchata again ;)

For those of you who are going to try it out, please report back if there were any sensitivities :)
 
Psyche, remember to add some cinnamon to your horchata! :D I will look into horchata here in MX as well as it is a popular drink available in a great number of restaurants but I guess they use a lot of refined sugar though.
 
Homemade Rice Milk

Ingredients:

1 Cup Of White or brown Rice Flour
2 Tablespoons Of Liquid Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
8 Cups Of Distilled Mineral Water
2 Cu
ps Pure Bees Honey
1 Cup Of White or Brown Rice Protein
1 Tablespoon Xanthan Gum + 1 Tablespoon Guar Gum
1/2 Cup Canola Oil

Information:

Serving Size 12
165 Calories Per Serving
4 Grams Of Fat

Cooking Directions:

Mix together vanilla and ground cinnamon, rice flour, and mineral water in a large cooking pot. Bring the ingredients to a boil over high heat. Stir often with a metal whisk. Lower the heat to medium low and let it all boil for at least four to five minutes, stirring the whole time, until the mixture is thick and consistent. Let it cool down to room temperature. Take out a large mixing bowl, add in the remaining ingredients, and mix it all with an electric mixer, until it's all well combined. With rubber spatula, add the rice mixture into the mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Recipe makes 12 cups of concentrate. Serve with 3/4 cup of water to every 1/4 cup of mix. Shake in a bottle before serving it
 
HellFire said:
1 Cup Of White or brown Rice Flour
2 Tablespoons Of Liquid Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
8 Cups Of Distilled Mineral Water
2 Cu
ps Pure Bees Honey
1 Cup Of White or Brown Rice Protein
1 Tablespoon Xanthan Gum + 1 Tablespoon Guar Gum
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
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Also, we try to avoid honey (and sugar), usually substituting with xylitol or stevia, and avoid brown rice due to it containing its own gluten and lectins, which a lot of people are sensitive to.

Here is a discussion about lectins:
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=18702.0

And a discussion about xanthan gum and guar gum:
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=16104.0

But now that I think of it, perhaps we could adapt this recipe for quinoa or amaranth milk? I ran a search on the forum and quinoa milk has already been discussed!
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=19834.msg198357#msg198357

EDIT: Just want to mention that pre-packaged quinoa milk typically contains almond oil, agave syrup and corn maltodextrin -- all of which are bad news.
 
Re: Horchata

_http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com/spanish-drink.html

spanish-drink.jpg


One well-known, non-alcoholic spanish drink is the deliciously creamy horchata de chufas.
Click to expand...

This stuff is delicious! I used to drink it all the time when I was little. I can't wait to try it again :D
 
Re: Horchata

Navigator said:
Psyche, remember to add some cinnamon to your horchata! :D I will look into horchata here in MX as well as it is a popular drink available in a great number of restaurants but I guess they use a lot of refined sugar though.
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Good one, cinnamon is a must! Apparently the one in Mexico is made from rice or barley, but I'm not sure. Maybe you can get chufas or other similar tuber there, it is after all, the right climate :)
 
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