Good morning, sweet friends!
If you’re anything like me, you have been watching the circus of things happening all around us and wondering how and where you can get creative in the kitchen. As always, my favorite thing to do is to provide resources for you to think outside of the box, and plan ahead for your family.
Earlier last week ,and again this weekend, the quiet part was said out loud, and it created quite a stir in a lot of different conversational groups I’m in.
The President of our country flat out said….food shortages are coming and the issue is real. Now of course that is my paraphrase, but if you haven’t learned anything from me over the last ten years, then you know my first reaction was….welll….at least they are being open about it now. My inbox, both here and on social media, exploded in response.
Immediately wheat, which was already running at 60% higher costs for futures due to the Ukrainian war and fertilizer costs, became a hot commodity, with many of the producers either limiting or immediately struggling to fill the orders that were pouring in.
I’ve been inundated with messages asking how and what to use as an alternative, which I am THRILLED to help you consider as part of stretching your budget, or even learning some new skills on how to grow some things that may help or replace your regular bread for yourself and loved ones. Many years now of struggling with MCAD has taught me there are lots of great alternatives out there, and many of these you can even grow yourself in your garden.
Both veggies and beans (legumes) can be fantastic flour alternatives.
Depending on the product, the flour can substitute completely for regular flour, or it can be a partial replacement, rounding out a recipe and stretching the flour or grains you already have on hand in your home.
This post will be too big to go in depth into all of these alternatives, so instead I am going to link you to some fabulous places over the interwebs that you can seek out and do more information dumping on your own, as well as share a couple recipes of my most favorite alternatives.
I’m also going to say…if you have not yet stocked up on grains and food….its time.
Past time. Seriously, go do it. For your loved ones and you.
And if you haven’t learned how to do simple things like making flatbreads versus regular bread…you might want to consider it. Its a good way to fill bellies without a tremendous amount of work or learning curve, and once you get that skill under your belt, your ability to feed your family with a lot of these flour alternatives will explode! So grab a pan and skip to the bottom and make my favorite red lentil flatbreads for your next meal, and then bookmark this page for lots of digging and learning in the future!
Thanks for reading, and if I have missed one…share it in the comments! The more we can do to help each other, the better!
Blessings to you and yours,
Heather
Our favorite recipe for red lentil flatbreads!
*Take 1 cup red lentils and soak overnight in 2 cups water. Add entire batch including liquid to blender and process for 30 seconds. Season with garlic salt, onion powder, and a little hot pepper sauce.
Pour into a hot, greased pan and let cook until bubbles come up in middle. Flip. Cook until other side is fully cooked.
We use these much like tortillas but stuff them with meat, and fresh chopped veggies, topped with a simple cucumber sauce that uses cukes, dill, a little mayo, lime oil and salt for a delicious dressing. Pop leftovers in them like scrambled eggs and meat. So many options and so so easy! Let me know if you try them!
Master list of links for flour alternatives
- Making Flour from Potatoes
- Making Flour from Zucchini
- Making Flour from Pumpkins
- Making Flour from Squash
- Making Flour from Spinach
- Making Flour from Carrots
- Making Flour from Beets
- Making Flour from Cabbage
- Making Flour from Sweet Potatoes
- Making Flour from Cauliflower
- Making Flour from Garbanzo Beans
- Making Flour from Split Peas
- Making Flour from Lentils
- Making Flour from Black Beans
- Making Flour from Amaranth Seeds
- Making Flour from Almonds
- Making Flour from Apples
- Making Flour from Bananas
