Allergy-Free Cooking and Baking

Beans - Cheap & Nutritious

2010-09-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start posting quite a few recipes with beans - they're so cheap and nutritious, and actually fast and easy in the pressure cooker.

So far, some of my favorite "bean" dishes are spinach-black bean burritos, black bean tortilla pie, and bean stir-fries with rice (like azuki beans and mushrooms).

For all of the recipes, I start by soaking the beans overnight and cooking them in the morning in my pressure cooker. The pressure cooker will cook most beans in about 3 minutes (not counting heat up and cool down time, but it usually only takes about 10 minutes to heat up, 3 minutes to cook, and you can cool fast by placing the pressure cooker in cold water, or, for softer beans, let the pressure come down on its own). Then you can put them in the refrigerator and freeze the extra beans for later (to stir into soups, make dips, etc.) However, you MUST follow the directions that come with your pressure cooker for cooking time, the amount of water, and usually about 1 T. of cooking oil to prevent the beans from foaming up and creating one huge mess. For example, I have a 6-quart pressure cooker and I usually make one 16 oz bag at a time, soak the beans in cold water in the refrigerator overnight, rinse them, place them in the cooker with just enough water to cover, 1 T. of oil (do NOT forget the oil!), and seal.

Of course you could always use canned beans, but I think it's healthier and cheaper to use the dried, especially when the pressure cooker is so efficient.

Tortilla Black Bean Pie (from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Great Food Fast Cookbook)
4 flour tortillas (I used brown rice from Trader Joe's, or, make your own) VillaWare is a nice tortilla maker.
1 T. cooking oil (or olive oil is ok too)
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno chile (if desired, or I used 1 green pepper)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. ground cumin
kosher salt & pepper
black beans (I used about 3/4 of a 16 oz. bag prepared), or you can use 2 cans
recipe calls for 12 oz. beer, but I used 1 1/2 c. water and it was way too much - probably about 1/2 c. water will do
1 package frozen corn
4 scallions, sliced
2 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese, about 8 oz, or, you can use yogurt cheese (no lactose) or soy cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. The recipe says to trim the tortillas to fit in a 9" pan, but I used them straight from the package and they fit in a 9 1/2" glass pie plate.

Heat the oil, and add the onion, garlic, cumin, salt and jalapeno pepper and fry until soft. Then add the green pepper (if using) beans, corn, scallions, and beer/water and simmer with the top off for about 8-10 minutes, until liquid has mostly evaporated.

Prepare the pie by placing one tortilla down, then topping with the bean mixture (I got too much water so I had to use a slotted spoon), then cheese, then repeat with 3-4 tortillas, the top layer being beans, and then cheese. Bake about 20-25 minutes, sprinkle with a few extra scallions, and serve. We chose to serve it with avocados, lime juice, and sour cream (dairy and/or soy sour cream).

Azuki Beans & Mushrooms
2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small shallots, chopped
1 package sliced mushrooms
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/4 c. marsala wine (optional)
1 can azuki beans (I used Eden Brand, I have not been able to find dried azuki beans)
fresh tarragon
kosher salt & pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, fry, uncovered, the garlic, shallots, mushrooms and carrots until soft (about 10 minutes), stirring frequently. Add the wine (or use apple juice or water), and beans, cover and simmer about 3-4 minutes until heated through. Add fresh tarragon, salt & pepper. Serve with rice.

Fall Pumpkin Pecan Ginger Pancakes

2010-09-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

1 c. buckwheat flour
1 c. brown rice flour
3 t. baking powder (aluminum-free)
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. cloves
2 eggs (or 3 t. egg replacer mixed with 4 T rice milk)
1 c. coconut milk
1 c. rice milk or soy milk
2 T. safflower oil
1 T. dark raw agave syrup or honey
2/3 c. pumpkin puree
1/3 c. chopped pecans (if allergic to nuts, use pumpkin seeds or omit)
2 T. finely chopped candied ginger (I use a quick chopper)
dried cranberries to sprinkle on top
maple syrup or a little powdered sugar mixed with coconut milk as a glaze

Combine flours, baking powder, sea salt, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk eggs or egg replacer in a smaller bowl, add milks, oil, agave syrup, and pumpkin puree and whisk until smooth and combined. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing in the pecans and candied ginger. If necessary, add more water to thin the batter so it is thick; but spreads easily. Cook as pancakes on a medium-high griddle. Top with cranberries & either maple syrup or the powdered sugar glaze.

Lentil Soup

2010-08-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

I made up this lentil soup, while it is not vegetarian (could be if you used soy sausage), it is tomato-free - and it's hard to find soups without tomatoes!

2 t. oil
2 leeks (trimmed & washed, sliced thinly)
1 pound Italian pork sausage (or you could use chicken/soy - yes, pork is terrible for you but it is actually one of the few meats my husband is not sensitive to)
3-4 carrots, peeled & sliced
2-3 potatoes diced in about 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
water

Fry the leeks in the oil in a large stockpot, then remove the casings from the pork sausage and crumble into the pot. Fry until no longer pink, then add the carrots & potatoes. Fry about 1-2 more minutes, then add the lentils, broth and enough water so that everything is covered. Simmer about 1 hour.

Genotype Gatherer Cookies

2010-06-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

I think I'm a "Gatherer" - Blood Type O+. Here's a cookie recipe that contains most of the "super-foods" on the Genotype Diet Gatherer List:

1/2 c. vegetable (palm oil) shortening (it's avoid - but I don't know what other "shortening" to use!)
1/4 c. molasses (Superfood)
1/4 c. maple syrup or agave syrup (maple is a "black dot")
1 t. vanilla
1 c. amaranth flour (Superfood - diamond)
1 c. millet flour (Superfood - diamond)
1/2 t. cinnamon (Superfood - diamond)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder

Cream the first 4 ingredients with an electric mixer. Stir in the four. For shaped cookies, roll out the dough in small portions on a cutting board, using lots of amaranth flour. Roll thick, about 1/2" thick. Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.

Gluten-free/Vegan Cake Brownies

2010-03-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

These "cake" brownies turned out very nice...one of the yummiest "healthy" snacks I've had in a long time!

1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. brown rice syrup
1/2 c. safflower oil
1/2 c. carob powder
3 t. Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/4 c. rice milk
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. rice milk
1 c. buckwheat flour
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 T. Vegan Rice Protein Powder
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional) or vegan chocolate/carob chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 15X10X1-inch baking pan (I used a 9X9X1-inch pan for a thicker "brownie"). I use all-palm oil vegetable shortening from Spectrum or 365 (Whole Foods' brand).

In a glass bowl, using a wire whisk, combine the syrups, oil, and carob powder. Mix the egg replace with the rice milk in a separate cup and combine with the syrup. Whisk in the vanilla and rice milk until smooth.

Add the flour, protein powder (optional, but I have found this adds a little protein to gluten-free flours so the bake goods aren't as crumbly) baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with the whisk, stir in the nuts if desired (or coconut/chocolate or carob chips). Pour into the baking dish.

Bake approximately 40 minutes for the 9X9X1 - inch or until a toothpick comes out clean, bake about 20-30 minutes for the 15X10X1 inch pan.

New Apple Pie Crust Recipe

2009-11-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

I'm working on making a better apple pie crust dough, and in general, gluten-free baked goods that don't fall apart so easily. I know Xanthan Gum is supposed to provide some structure, however, I have had some great results with this Rice Protein Powder lately.

New Pie Crust Idea:

1 c. finely milled buckwheat flour (like Hodgson Mills)
1 c. brown rice flour
(you can use some millet flour if you like, or try any other flours)
about 1/2 T. Rice Protein Powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. vegetable shortening or coconut oil (I use Spectrum)
8 T. cold Rice Milk

Mix the flours and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the vegetable shortening. With a fork, add the cold Rice Milk, 2 T. at a time. Stop adding Rice Milk when your dough is starting to hold together well (or add more if it's a dry day!)

Make a ball with the dough and cut it in half. The secret is to roll the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Take one half, roll it out between the two pieces of plastic wrap, carefully remove the top layer and flip the crust in the pie dish. If it is falling apart, just pick up the dough and carefully work in a little more rice milk.

Poke a couple fork holes in the bottom layer, add the filling, the top, and poke a couple more holes or cut slits. Bake at about 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Caramely Popcorn

2009-10-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

This is kind of like caramel corn, except it's faster - there's no baking involved. I used Indian ingredients.

I didn't measure anything for my first try, but here's what I did - have fun experimenting!

Popped Popcorn (I usually pop mine in a little safflower oil) Spread the popcorn on 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
about 1 T. Ghee (clarified butter, it is only the fat so it is sometimes ok for people allergic to dairy)
about 1/2 c. Brown Rice Syrup
about 1/2 square of Jaggerty (raw sugar, available at Indian stores)

Cook the ghee, brown rice syrup, and jaggerty in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil then simmer until about 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. Mine got up to 250 and was a little too crunchy.

Quickly drizzle the candy over the popcorn and salt the popcorn. Let cool before eating.

Minimally Processed Snacks - NO Crackers!

2009-07-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Who can make it through the day without snacks? Kids definitely can't, and I've gotten used to having a snack with them. A couple of snacks a day can be healthy, but forget all the pre-packaged over-processed commercial snacks. Here's a list of 25 (what I consider to be minimally processed) snacks that are delicious and easy. Not all "low fat, low calorie" snacks, but are nutritious and natural.

1. Grapefruit/Avocado Salad - cut out the sections of a grapefruit & mix with cut-up avocado
2. Popcorn - heat a little olive or safflower oil in a pan, add plain popcorn kernels & pop
3. Yogurt with blueberries, raspberries & honey (I use frozen berries if I don't have fresh)
4. Tortillas - with fruit only jam or nut/seed butters
5. Hard boiled eggs
6. Applesauce (plain, fruit-only or homemade) - can add honey & cinnamon
7. Fruit Salad - when you have a crowd, everyone can bring one piece of fruit & add to the salad
8. Grapes & Cheese
9. Apples with a nut/seed butter
10. Hummus (ground chickpeas - make your own or buy it) and carrots
11. Some sort of bean spread & vegetables
12. Homemade Salsa & corn tortillas
13. Roasted Chickpeas
14. Smoothies (homemade)
15. Smoothie Pops (homemade)

Gluten Free Crepes (still contain eggs & dairy)

2009-07-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

I think you can take away the dairy & wheat from Crepes and still come up with something decent...but it seems best if you don't omit the eggs. If you have an egg sensitivity, you might still be able to have yolks, try it without the whites and let me know!

1 c. sorghum flour
1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. xanthan gum (holds the crepe together since it's gluten free)
2 c. milk (or rice/almond/soy milk)
1 T. honey
2 T. melted butter (or ghee where the proteins are removed, or olive oil)
1/2 t. vanilla
2 large eggs

Mix the flours, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, honey, melted butter, vanilla and eggs together separately, then whisk them into the dry ingredients. You really should use a well-seasoned crepe pan. Heat the pan on medium-high and melt a little butter in it. When the butter has foamed (but before it burns), add about 1/4-1/3 c. batter, and swirl it around in the pan. When the crepe starts looking "dry" on top, but still a little wet, flip it with a large half-moon shaped spatula. Cook the other side about 30 seconds - 1 minute, then place on a plate, fill with strawberries & bananas, or jam or anything you like.

You can freeze these between wax paper too.

Mexican Beans/Rice (no tomatoes, cheese optional)

2009-07-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, what can I make for lunch today? Or dinner tonight?

If you're like me, you're always asking that question. Today was one of those days where I realized I had no meat in the house, and had to think of a decent protein source for lunch.

I had leftover rice and a can of beans. So I created this stir-fry:

2-3 T. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 small garlic cloves, minced
chili powder to taste (about 1/2 t.)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
about 1 cup frozen sweet corn
about 2 cups leftover brown rice (I use brown basmati)
1 can black beans, drained (but not rinsed)
fresh cilantro from the garden
salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Fry the onion & garlic for about 5 minutes until tender, then add the chili powder and cook for 1 minute longer. Next add the bell pepper & corn, fry about 1-2 minutes, then add the rice and beans, cover, and cook until hot (about 5 minutes).

Add cilantro & salt & pepper. Serves about 4.

We sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on ours. But you really don't need the cheese.

Gluten-Free/Allergy-Free Cooking Classes or Lessons

2009-06-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe, as we have been experimenting lately with the kids and trying potentially allergic foods in small amounts. My daughter is now 4 (previously her cheeks turned red and broke out in a rash with avocado, cinnamon, soy, and nuts). Now, she has been able to eat avocado/grapefruit salad, guacamole, small amounts of cinnamon in cookies/oatmeal, some soy sauce in stir-fry and Vietnamese peanut sauce. In reintroducing these past-allergic foods, I have tried to introduce them a little at a time while avoiding over-processed foods.

Some would think that this should be an exciting development; that we can go back to eating anything we want, whenever we want. Yes, it is easier (especially traveling or at parties), but I don't want to go back to the way things were before. We have been cooking allergy-free/gluten-free/refined flour & sugar-free for over 3 years now, and it has become a part of our life. I find my kids do much better eating whole-grains, natural sweeteners and avoiding refined sugar and flour. I don't think we can ever "go back."

One reason for this post: I want to update my readers. There will be more posts coming! We are experimenting more than ever and I want to get back into updating my blog.

But there is also another reason. Has anyone ever taken any gluten-free or allergy-free cooking classes or lessons? Would you be interested in classes if someone were to offer them? I've been thinking about branching out to my community in the Boston area and offering some cooking classes that would incorporate gluten-free/allergy-free/refined sugar & flour-free lessons. Also lessons that incorporate kids cooking, because for us, this has made all the difference for our kids. So, please comment, let me know your thoughts!

"Sugar" Cookies - With Maple & Agave Syrup

2009-03-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

My 4-year old daughter saw some decorated sugar cookies at church today. Before we even went downstairs, I was prepared with my organic no-soy graham crackers and promised her we would make some cookies of our own at home. She was excited about making them ourselves and was satisfied with her graham crackers. Yes!

This is the adapted "Betty Crocker" recipe that we used.

1/2 c. organic blue agave syrup (by Wholesome Sweetners - there's a reasonably priced one at Trader Joe's)
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 c. shortening (I have been using Spectrum shortening as it is palm oil instead of soybean oil, but now Whole Foods brand 365 is making a cheaper version of palm oil shortening)
1 t. vanilla
1 large egg (or, 1 1/2 t. egg replacer mixed with 2 T. rice milk)
2 1/2 c. buckwheat flour (fine milled; I like Hodgson Mills)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1 t. xanthan gum (necessary to help the dough stick together, since it is gluten-free)

(1) Beat the syrups, oil, shortening, and egg with an electric mixer until combined.
(2) Add the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Stir with a wooden spoon.
(3) I skip chilling my dough because I think the shortening I use works better at room temperature.
(4) Roll out on a cutting board with lots of buckwheat flour (dough will be a little sticky, but with quite a bit of flour it should be easy to handle). Roll them fairly thick; I like about 1/2" thickness...I think it helps them taste more cake-like.
(5) Cut out shapes, bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.
(6) Cool, then frost if you wish.

We made our frosting using some of the palm-oil shortening, organic pure cane powdered sugar from Trader Joe's, vanilla, and a little rice milk.

Sweets & Nutrition - Refined Sugar

2009-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

After reading various allergy-free blogs, vegan blogs, and cookbooks, I've noticed many recipes which omit wheat, eggs, dairy, and other common allergens also include high amounts of refined sugar and chocolate in baked goods. While homemade is of course always better than processed food, I am re-thinking the use of refined sugar even in homemade cooking.

With the recent Valentine's Day holiday, my daughter brought home a few sweets from preschool - thankfully they save all the kids' treats and give them to the parents (so she didn't even know she had most of them). Earlier in the week she had a very small piece of chocolate from preschool that I allowed her to have - against my better judgment. In a relapse moment, I was feeling guilty for not letting my daughter have sugar & chocolate like other kids and I was disillusioned into the concept that kids should learn how to manage addictive foods early. I let her have the chocolate, and my daughter didn't take her nap and we dealt with tantrums all afternoon and the next day.

My husband says the argument about letting kids learn how to manage sugar is like teaching the budding alcoholic how to "hold his liquor." It simply doesn't make sense to give very addictive foods to very young children and expect them to learn how to handle it.

This issue really concerns me, as there was recently an article in the Washington Post that 50% of the high-fructose corn syrup on the market contains mercury. Many foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup are given to children.

My personal strategy is to avoid all processed, refined foods - especially those that contain high-fructose corn syrup (in the regular grocery store, this is difficult - easier at Whole Foods). In my own baking at home I have experimented with using refined white sugar - but cutting it in half - for a special occasion. If I know my kids are going to be around lots of processed foods like Twinkies (say, at a preschool party), then I'll bake with a small amount of refined sugar and make sure I can tempt my kids enough to only eat what I brought (this has been very successful lately, but I'm not sure how long it will last). For any treat we make at home, I use maple sugar, honey, brown rice syrup or molasses in place of sugar and carob in place of chocolate. When there are no outside influences, my kids seem more than fulfilled.

Yes, I realize that maple sugar, molasses, honey, etc. are still sugars and should be limited; yet I have to believe that they at least hold more nutritional value than refined white sugar and I think that they are much less addicting and tantrum-causing (I think kids tend crave natural sweeteners less than sugar and are usually fulfilled after eating a baked good made with them instead of wanting more).

I hope this post helps any parents out there to form your own opinions in the sugar debate, for at least spelling out my beliefs has helped me feel less guilty about throwing away my daughter's Valentine's Day candy. And I am confident my children can only be better without the candy. Now, whenever we see "treats" in the store that my daughter wants, I promise her we will go home and create our own. The learning from this is amazing - she remembers what the treat looks like, thinks about what we might use to re-create this treat, has a chance to measure and taste all the ingredients, mix everything up, and bake something herself. And she can add her own personal twist. It is creative, fun, a life-long learning experience, and best of all - much more nutritional.

"Chocolate Chip Muffins"...minus the chocolate, wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, nuts....

2009-02-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

I use my basic muffin recipe for everything. This is a modification for a semi-sweet & healthy dessert.

I made a double batch, which makes two 6-cup large muffin tins full.

1 1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1 c. teff flour
1 c. sorghum flour
2 T. aluminum-free baking powder
1 t. xanthan gum
3 t. Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 T. rice milk (or 2 eggs)
1 1/2 c. rice milk (or any other "milk")
1/2 c. honey and/or brown rice syrup mix
1/2 c. safflower oil
Vegan Carob Chips - I use Sunspire brand, which contain "malted barley & corn, palm kernel oil, carob powder, and soy lecithin)

Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then mix them together and add the carob chips. Put into slightly greased muffin tins and bake about 20-25 minutes on 375.

Frosting - I didn't measure very accurately, just blend it all together with an electric mixer
(about 1/4 - 1/2 c.) Spectrum Organic Palm Oil Shortening (or 365 at Whole Foods just came out with a cheaper version of palm oil that doesn't contain soy)
1 t. vanilla
2-4 T. rice milk (as needed to make the frosting smooth)
2 T. carob powder
about 1 1/2 c. organic powdered sugar - unrefined/unbleached if possible

Pressure Cooker

2009-02-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

I remember my grandma and her big aluminum pressure cooker with the old-fashioned gauge on the top. She was always canning relish, tomatoes, or pickles.

As most grandmothers know, pressure cookers aren't just for canning. They cook foods like root vegetables and beans really fast and cook meat very tender.

After reading about pressure cookers on blogs like Fat-Free Vegan, and having several good friends say they use them, I decided to just check them out on Amazon. I found a great deal on a Presto 6-quart model, which is stainless steel. I try to avoid cooking on "non-stick" surfaces or aluminum. I even found a stainless steel rice cooker which I've been very happy with.

I soaked some great northern beans overnight in anticipation that my shipment would arrive. It did. The first thing I did was read the instructions and wash the pressure cooker. Then I spied a recipe for baked beans in the instruction book. It's been a long time since we had baked beans (and we live in Boston!) This recipe was the same as all the others - navy beans, water, molasses, catsup, ham, onion, brown sugar, dry mustard, and black pepper. However, I used my great northern beans, and instead of the catsup (allergic to tomatoes), I used a little sweet garlic-chili sauce from the Asian store. Though we don't usually eat pork, I bought a little nitrate-free ham from Whole Foods and I cut the amount of brown sugar by 2/3. I used pure blackstrap molasses.

I have to admit, I was a little fearful about the using the pressure cooker for the first time. In my mind I'm thinking: what if it boils dry? what if I didn't get the lid sealed on right and the entire thing blows up in my kitchen? is it ok that I made the substitutions?

The beans turned out very nicely. I was a little nervous that the instructions said to cook them for 35 minutes (doesn't count heat up and cool down time), since this was much longer than plain beans, which only take 3-5 minutes. The whole house smelled wonderful, like the smell of baked beans cooking for hours. They didn't turn out as thick, but they were tender and sweet with little chunks of ham.

I made some carrot soup in the pressure cooker tonight, and I made a huge batch. The cooker was 2/3 full. It took about 45 minutes total (about 20 minutes for heat up and cool down, and only 5 minutes at full pressure). The carrots were very tender, sweet and moist. I think that it took so long because I made such a huge batch, for smaller quantities of food the heat up/cool down time seems to go much faster.

Blueberry Streusel "Coffee Cake"

2009-01-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

We adapted a recipe for blueberry streusel muffins, when my 4 year old daughter decided she wanted to make "blueberry cake."

It was actually very nice, because instead of a crumbly, less-than perfect texture gluten-free muffin, we had a really yummy coffee cake.

1 c. rice milk
1/4 c. safflower oil
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. honey
2 t. egg replacer mixed w/ 3 T. rice milk
1 c. sorghum flour
1 c. buckwheat flour
1 t. xanthan gum
3 t. aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping:
1/4 c. vegetable spread, slightly chilled (all palm oil, no soy)
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. maple sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix wet ingredents, then add the egg replacer mixture, followed by the dry ingredients. Mix everything together and fold in the blueberries. Add some more rice milk if the mixture isn't at least a little spreadable. Spread in a rectangular cake pan. Mix the streusel topping with a pastry blender into crumbs. Sprinke streusel topping on top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Source for Gluten-Free Flour

2009-01-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

Sorghum seems to be one of the cheaper GF flours - I found it for $2.99 for a 2 lb bag at my local Indian Store under the name "Jowar."

Hodgson Mills has now started selling buckwheat flour. It's very nice and finely ground, I can find it at my local Stop & Shop for $3.99 for a 2 lb. box.

http://www.hodgsonmill.com/roi/673/All-Natural-Flours--Corn-Meals/

By far the most expensive GF flours I've found are teff & quinoa. Quinoa flour has gone up to $7.99/lb at my local health food co-op. There is just no way I can afford that, so we've been using mainly buckwheat, sorghum, millet, and brown rice.

Chinese Dumplings

2009-01-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

My brother and his girlfriend, Lucy, live in Shanghai. They sent me this cool video for how to make Chinese Dumplings since a couple friends and I are having a dumpling party to celebrate the New Year.

Ironically, we all have some sort of food allergy in our families, so we are all bringing a different stuffing mix, and I'm also making the wrappers out of sorghum flour (instead of wheat). I had pretty good luck using sorghum with a little xanathan gum. The wrappers aren't as thin and translucent, and instead of rolling you really have to work the dough and press it into a circle with your hand. Only use a little filling, because without the gluten they're not as stretchy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y4rQWcPH_I

Apple Pie

2008-11-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

Apple Pie (makes 1 two crust pie):

Crust:
1 c. millet flour
1 c. brown rice flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. coconut oil (slightly chilled)
8 T. ice water

Mix the flours and salt together in a bowl. Using a pastry blender, mix in the coconut oil until it resembles a coarse granola. Add the water, 2 T. at a time, stirring with a fork. Dough should be lumpy and still somewhat dry, but able to be shaped into a ball. You may need to use more water; try to use very fresh flour, if it is old it will have lost the natural oils/moisture that will help it hold together). Shape dough into two balls and chill for a few minutes (about 5-10 minutes) in the refrigerator, while you prepare the filling. It is important the dough stay cool, but not too cold or it won't hold together when you roll it out.

Prepare filling, wash, slice, and core about 6-8 apples (depending on size). Add about 1/2 c. brown rice syrup, or more depending on how sweet you like your pie. You can then add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves or allspice (depending on what spices you like).

Roll out one ball of dough by placing it between two pieces of plastic wrap. Put the ball down on the plastic wrap and flatten slightly with your hand. Put the other piece of plastic wrap over it, taking care that there aren't any wrinkles (wrinkles in the wrap will cause the GF crust to fall apart). Roll by pounding with the rolling pin and rolling alternatively into about an 10" circle. Gently pull the top layer of plastic wrap off the crust, then gently run your hand under the bottom piece of plastic wrap and flip the crust into the pie dish. Don't worry if some falls apart, just sort of piece it back together - who cares if it's perfect! (: Then prick the bottom crust a little with a fork, add the filling, and roll the top crust in the same manner. Flip it over on top and pinch the edges together. Sprinkle with sugar if you want.

Bake on 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. Crust will not get too brown, but take it out when the apple mixture is bubbling up and the crust is slightly brown.

Rolled Cookies

2008-09-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

These are simple, rolled cookies that I made with my preschooler. She had a ball, and I didn't feel guilty letting her eat them - though she can have everything in a "typical" sugar cookie (if the shortening isn't soy). If you're expecting a sweet sugar cookie, they aren't very sweet and they taste mostly like quinoa. But they are the consistency and texture of a regular sugar cookie...the secret ingredient to this gluten-free cookie is "Better than Milk" Rice Milk Powder.

1 c. spectrum vegetable shortening
1/2 c. brown rice syrup
1 t. vanilla
2 t. egg replacer mixed with 2 T rice milk

(1) Combine the above with an electric mixer until combined.

1 c. sorghum flour
1 1/2 c. quinoa flour
1/4 c. better than milk rice powder (vanilla flavor)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar

(2) Add the above and mix with a wooden spoon. Batter will be slightly sticky, but should hold together well. Take about 1/3 of the dough and place on a quinoa-floured surface, pat into the shape of a rough ball and then lightly pat down. Sprinkle more quinoa flour on top and roll it to about 1/2" thickness (use your judgement). Cut with cookie cutters. Gently place on ungreased cookie sheet. Many recipes call for refrigerating the dough, but I found that it's easier and faster to work with the dough when it's soft (I think the vegetable shortening is too stiff when it's cold, not like butter).

(3) Bake on 375 for about 9 minutes, they will slightly brown around the edges...but will mostly stay light.

My daughter wanted "brown" frosting. I mixed with the electric mixer about 1/3 c. shortening with 1 or 1 1/2 c. of powdered sugar, 1 t. of vanilla, and a few T.'s of Coconut Milk...then I added about 1 1/2 T. of carob powder, and mixed well. This makes a very light, smooth, spreadable frosting.

Food Allergy Substitutions

2008-09-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Previously, I published this document as a post on my blog:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhkh5qtb_1g258knxr

I've since been adding to it, modifying it also for changes I've sort of voluntarily made in my diet (like the Genotype diet, and eating write for your Genotype/blood type).

Hope you find it helpful! It helps make most recipes in normal cookbooks, and while the substitutes are not perfect and won't taste exactly like the original, in most cases they're good enough for me.

Example if you're a Teacher (blood type A+) and using a cookbook like Martha Stewart (where everything is butter, milk, cream, cheese & wheat)

Butter => Ghee
Cream = > Yogurt, Soy Sour Cream, Coconut Cream, or for a soup just add a little oat flour mixed with allowed "milk"
Milk = > Almond Milk
Chicken Breast or other Ground Meats = > Turkey (Breast or Ground) or Fish
Bacon = > Turkey bacon
Vinegar = > Unbuffered Vitamin C Powder mixed with water, lemon/lime/pineapple juice
Sugar = > Honey
Mustard = > Mustard Powder
Wheat Flour = > Buckwheat flour, quinoa flour, oat flour, rice or teff flour + 1/2 t. xanthan gum, or spelt flour (make your own tortillas)
Pasta = > Buckwheat Soba Noodles, Brown Rice Pasta, Quinoa pasta

Carob "Milk" Shake

2008-09-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

2 frozen bananas
2 T. Vanilla Better Than Milk Rice Powder
2 T. Carob Powder
Rice Milk

Blend until smooth.

Impromptu Indian Cooking Lesson

2008-09-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to get a very special treat last night, an impromptu Indian cooking lesson! Not only did I leave feeling as though I've stolen all the secrets, I was full from a beautifully flavored fish curry.

I learned that I can soak rice, grind it, and make a "pancake" or dosa. Impossible to write about, I think someone has to show you to learn how to do it. I had no idea rice could do this.

I plan to try this recipe myself soon:
Take Poha Thin (like rice paper flakes), mix with a little chopped red onion, fresh grated coconut, sugar, water mixed with salt and a chile. It makes a great snack.

I have to say, the most impressive was how my friend perfectly cracked open a coconut with the back of a butcher knife. There was no way I was going to try that. I sheepishly asked if I could break it with a hammer outside...yes, she said, but it wouldn't be this perfect. The coconut water was great. Then I learned how to use a grinder to grate the coconut out of the shell, it was the best coconut I ever tasted. I am going to have to learn how to do this. I'll report back; if I don't get too frustrated trying to break the coconut open.

The Muffin Recipes

2008-09-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Just like the cookie recipe, I like to have one basic recipe for muffins & pancakes too. This is the basic muffin recipe I use:

2 c. flour (quinoa, oat, barley, buckwheat, teff, brown rice, millet, or a combination thereof)
1 T. baking powder

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease or put in muffin cups in pan. Recipe makes 6 large or 12 small muffins. Combine the flour & baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

1 1/2 t. egg replacer mixed with 2 t. rice/oat/almond/coconut milk
3/4 - 1 c. liquid (rice/oat/almond/coconut milk/juice)...may have to adjust based on flour you use, I start with 3/4 c., mix everything together, and if I need more I just whisk it in
2 T. - 1/4 c. honey/agave nectar/brown rice syrup (based on how sweet you like your muffins)
1/4 c. safflower oil (I generally use safflower, but you could use any kind of oil you prefer)

(2) Mix the above liquid ingredients right in a 4 c. liquid measuring cup with a small wire whisk. Pour into flour and whisk, adding liquid if need be. Batter should be lumpy, but wet...as the batter sits it will start releasing gas and become "puffy". You should try to work as quickly as possible once you mix the wet & dry ingredients and get the muffins in the oven.

(3) Fold in whatever add-ins you want; grated carrot or zucchini, mashed bananas, berries, chopped candied ginger, rasins, dried fruit, etc.

(4) Bake for about 25-30 minutes, some muffins will brown, others won't depending on the flour you use. If you use all gluten-free flours (besides quinoa), you might want to add a t. of xanthan gum to improve texture.

I'm not worried if they don't come out perfect everytime...I like having an easy recipe I can memorize, then make whatever variation I feel like at the time.

I made these quinoa-zucchini muffins today, and everyone loved them (but we like the quinoa-flour taste, you might have to get used to this if you're new to quinoa).

Makes 12 extra large muffins:
3 c. quinoa flour
1 c. millet flour
2 T. baking powder
1 t. nutmeg
3 t. egg replacer mixed with 1/4 c. rice milk
2 c. rice milk
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. safflower oil
2 c. shredded zucchini
1/4 c. chopped candied ginger

Follow the mixing directions above. I baked these on 350 for about 30 min. They didn't brown, but I could tell they were done as they were firm on top, the toothpick came out clean, and they were slightly pulling away from the sides of the muffin tin.

Pesto

2008-09-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

Looking for a good way to use up or store fresh herbs? I made a bunch of pesto today as soon as I got back from our local fruit & vegetable market Russo's.

Here were my pesto ideas:

Basil Pesto: I made two different kinds: one with olive oil, basil, garlic, and pine nuts, and another with olive oil, basil, and salt (no nuts for kids).

Cilantro Pesto: Grapeseed oil, cilantro, garlic, a little lemon juice, salt.

Parsley Pesto: Again, two different kinds: one with olive oil, garlic, parsley and lemon juice for the kids, and one with walnut oil, garlic, parsley, and walnuts for my husband & I.

I froze this pesto in mini glass Ball canning jars with plastic screw tops. I'm planning to use it in the future to toss with fresh steamed vegetables, rub on fish/turkey before baking, toss with hot brown rice or buckwheat pasta and veggies, or spread on a tortilla and top it with artichoke hearts, black olives, and vegetables, lightly toasting it for "pizza."

Seems like you can make pesto out of anything (it doesn't have to be basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic & cheese). Maybe next time I'll have to try watercress and other herbs. I also though that if traditional "condiments" are banned for you (like mustard, ketchup, vinegar, mayo, etc), you might try some pesto on a toasted sandwich?

Hamburgers???

2008-09-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess you could call this a hamburger...or a buffalo burger (is it still a "burger" if it's in a tortilla?)

The picture doesn't exactly do it justice, but in real life, the burger looked as good as it tasted.

I made spelt tortillas (per the "Ultimate Food Allergy Survival Guide"), pan fried some ground bison/buffalo, added ketchup and arugula and it was delicious and easy served with a side of frozen squash & green beans.

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

2008-09-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

...a brilliant quote attributed to Albert Einstein. I have grown weary of baking and experimenting with different cookie recipes, scouring through endless allergy cookbooks and internet sites for the "perfect" egg/gluten/dairy/sugar-free cookie. I want one - simple - cookie "recipe" that I can use to make any kind of cookie I'm in the mood for. So while I'm still experimenting with variations, here are the "bones" for a pretty good cookie recipe. The cookies aren't always completely "perfect," but our family thinks they're pretty tasty (they're the best cookies their going to get!).

Here's my "simplest" egg/gluten/dairy/sugar - free cookie "suggestion":
1/2 c. vegetable shortening (non-hydrogenated, soy-free..."Spectrum" is good)
1/4 c. molasses
1/4-1/2 c. maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, brown rice syrup (or any combination thereof)
1 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. flour (quinoa, buckwheat, teff, sorghum, oat, brown rice, rye (or any combination thereof)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. xanthan gum (if using gluten-free flour)
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 c. additional flour (see above options) or 2 c. old fashioned oats for oatmeal cookies)
2-4 T. coconut milk, rice milk, almond milk, water, etc. (just in case your dough needs a softer consistency, depending on the type of flour you use)
raisins, dates, currants, candied ginger pieces, goji berries, coconut, carob or chocolate (dairy-free) chips, chopped nuts, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries/cherries, or any other stir-ins (use your judgement on quantity)

Directions: (1) preheat oven to 350, (2) cream shortening, sweetener, and vanilla w/ electric mixer, (3) stir in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, adding "milk" or water if necessary (dough should be able to be scooped in a spoon and dropped on a cookie sheet, but still retain it's shape), (4) add extra stir-ins noted above, (5) drop by spoonfuls on an ungreased non-stick baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, (6) enjoy!

From my "basic" recipe, I created these Date Cookies:
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. honey
1 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. quinoa flour
1 c. brown rice flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. xanthan gum
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder (aluminum-free)
2-3 T. coconut milk
3-5 fresh dates, sliced, pitted, and chopped in large chunks

Follow the directions listed above. I have noticed these cookies "spread" less than your typical gluten/egg cookie. They bake up somewhat dense, in the same shape that you dropped them in. and tend to be "crumbly" even with the use of xanthan gum. I will try to experiment a little more, and I'm following some "new" experiments of others, but for now these cookies are quick, easy, and do just fine (no one at my house is complaining). However, my kids have never known any different, and I've become so used to these cookies, my definition of the "perfect" cookie does not follow the normal "objective" opinion anymore. See this website, it's very interesting just on the science of baking:
http://www.bakingandbakingscience.com/cookies.htm

A nice raw fruit & vegetable salad

2008-09-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

My husband has found this book helpful: "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall. I made the "waldorf salad" on p. 97, and it was very good. It was just a raw salad, and here's what I included:

3 apples, cut into chunks (I used my apple peeler/corer to make quick work here)
1 can pineapple chunks (I used canned, in pineapple juice, only the pineapple and reserved the juice)
1/4 c. currants
1/2 green pepper, sliced and cut into chunks
about 4 carrots, shredded in the food processor

I combined these ingredients first, because I knew my kids could eat it, and they loved it - even if I did indulge them and put a little honey on it.

Then, my husband added some chopped walnuts to his. We ate it with salad or for snacks the next day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The salad pictured was one that I did in a hurry when I needed something for the kids (2 and 3 1/2) to eat in the car.

(1) Shred in the food processor = 1 green pepper, 3 carrots, one apple
(2) Dump in a can of pineapple juice
(3) EAT!

Happy Birthday!

2008-09-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

My son, Jacob, recently turned 2. Though I usually have only made sugar-free honey cakes in the past (wheat, dairy, and egg-free for my husband), I decided to do something different this year. I decided to make two cakes: one with milk, butter, eggs, white flour, and sugar, and one with buckwheat (gluten-free), coconut milk, coconut, no eggs, only 1/3 c. sugar, and maple syrup. We were having a birthday party, and some kids couldn't have eggs, others needed gluten-free, all were allergic to nuts, some allergic to dairy. I wanted everyone to feel included and have a good time.

I put a lot of thought into the cakes...what would kids like eat? should I use food coloring? should I use sugar (cane sugar/powdered sugar)? should I use a cake mix? After seeing the price on "natural" food coloring at WF, and deciding that it would be too much work to make mine myself (like out of beets), I decided to just have two white cakes. I figured a little sugar would be fine for the occasion, and the cakes with honey did turn out to be a bit runny/squishy. Dear old grandma always used to use a cake mix, but for fear there would be soy or some other strange ingredient in there, I figured I'd just use a cake recipe from my Better Crocker cookbook.

I was happy that the cakes looked basically the same (except when you cut into them of course, the buckwheat one looked more like chocolate).

Here are the recipes:
Starlight Yellow Cake (from "Betty Crocker's New Cookbook")
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar (I used a minimally processed sugar)
1/2 c. shortening (I used Spectrum)
1 1/4 c. milk
3 1/2 t. baking powder (aluminum free - another reason to not use a mix)
1 t. salt
1 t. vanilla (I used alcohol-free from Trader Joe's)
3 large eggs

(1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & lightly flour bottoms of two round pans.
(2) Beat all ingredients together on low for 30 seconds, then high 3 minutes. Pour into pans.
(3) Bake about 30-35 minutes, cool on wire racks completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting:
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. stick butter, softened
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1-2 T. milk

(1) Beat with electric mixer until smooth, adding one T. milk then more if you need to.

Allergy-Free Buckwheat Cake
2 c. buckwheat flour
1 c. sorghum flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. xanthan gum *secret ingredient*

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two round cake pans as follows: cut a piece of wax paper in a circle to fit in the bottom of the pan. Grease the pan with shortening (vegetable, no soy), and place the wax paper down, and grease again over the paper. Mix the above together in a large mixing bowl.

1/2 c. safflower oil
2 c. coconut milk
2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. maple syrup
2 t. vanilla

(2) Mix the liquid ingredients together with a wire whisk.
(3) Add the liquid ingredients to dry, whisking until smooth.
(4) Fold in 2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut.
(5) Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean and you see the sides of the cake pulling away from the pan a little. Cool completely.

Coconut Frosting (from "Vegan with a Vengeance"):
1/2 c. vegetable shortening (Spectrum)
1/2 c. coconut milk (maybe a little less)
2 t. vanilla
4 c. confectioner's sugar
1 c. unsweetened coconut

(1) Beat all but the coconut together, adding the milk a little at a time. Fold in the coconut at the end.

Pumpkin Seed Butter Cookies

2008-08-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

I was going for a gluten-free peanut-butter cookie; but with no nuts. Along the way, I also discovered the *secret* ingredient to gluten-free cooking: xanathan gum. This stuff works great. I added about 1/2 t. to my oatmeal cookies from the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook (I substituted the spelt flour with buckwheat and brown rice, and added xanathan gum). I suppose the oats still add a small amount of gluten (unless you use gluten-free oats).

Here's my pumpkin seed butter cookie recipe:
1/2 c. agave syrup or honey
1/2 c. better than milk rice powder (original flavor)
3/4 c. pumpkin seed "butter" (for me this is really just ground pumpkin seeds that I put through my juicer. If you use processed pumpkin seed butter that is more "buttery", I'm thinking you could add less shortening *see picture*)
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
2 t. egg replacer mixed with 2 T. Rice Milk

Beat all of the above together with an electric mixer.

Add:
3/4 c. buckwheat flour
3/4 c. millet flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. xanathan gum

Mix until combined, note batter will still be "sticky" because of the rice milk powder. Drop in tablespoon fulls on an ungreased, non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. They will just start to brown around the edges a little. They puff up when you bake them, but they sort of deflate when you take them out and they are very soft and chewy. Also, they are very sweet. Remove from the cookie sheet and place on a wire rack about 2 minutes after you take them out of the oven. I think you could use less milk powder and honey to make them less sweet, and I also noticed that there is xanathan gum in the rice milk powder, so maybe it wouldn't be essential in this recipe. I've still got to experiment more.

Kid's Tortilla Dinner

2008-08-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

My kids loved these tortillas, though they probably aren't "allergy-free" there's a million ways you can make them:

Corn Tortillas - I made my own with corn masa flour, salt & water in my tortilla maker
Mashed black beans - that I soaked the night before and cooked in the slow-cooker in the morning
Arugula (yes the kids ate this since I sneaked it in the tortilla
Pitted, sliced Kalamata olives
Sour Cream (but you could use soy sour cream if you have a milk allergy)
shredded carrot
thin-sliced green pepper

I love my tortilla maker. I found it on craigslist for $35 (it's a Villaware). Though of course they aren't as good as tortillas rolled by hand and cooked in a cast-iron skillet, it only takes a few minutes to make a batch of tortillas - quinoa and corn masa are my favorite, but you can also make buckwheat, rice, and many other kinds. If you cook them a little longer, they become crunchy crackers. You just have to learn a few tricks - we found you have to lower the top and push down with the handle only once, and quickly, then leave it alone (don't push down more after the first time, or they will "blow up").

Turnip Fries

2008-08-16T11:36:00.001-07:00

I guess you could say that my kids aren't thrilled with the spicy taste of purple-top turnips. But I'm determined to get them to eat lots of different types of fruits and vegetables. So, my lastest creation is turnip fries. I just peeled and cut the turnips into long "fry" shapes, tossed with some safflower oil, salt, oregano, and pepper, and baked them on 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. I spread them on parchment and baked on the lowest oven rack, turning once. I guess they didn't get quite as crispy and browned as potatoes, but you can see my 2-year old still ate them with ketchup (I made an exception to the "no-sugar" rule for turnips).

Crepes w/ "no-nut-ella"

2008-08-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

My kids slept in late today (8 a.m.), so I did too. Maybe it was finally "sleeping-in" for the first time in years or a lazy summer Saturday, but somehow I was in the mood for crepes. I made the "regular" ones - with white flour, butter, milk & eggs, but started to feel a twinge of guilt when I saw my husband looking woefully into his bowl of almond milk & Joe's O's. So I thought I'd try to make some he could eat.

Here's my adapted recipe. He says they turned out great. They do, however, contain egg yolks (I haven't experimented with egg replacer in them, but I assume they wouldn't be as bendable and crepe-like). Though sensitive to eggs, most of the proteins are found in the whites, so he has been able to eat the yolks. This is similar to ghee, where most of the dairy proteins have been stripped from the butter and the leftover ghee is mostly fat. I could have used melted ghee in place of the safflower oil below.

Allergy Crepes (makes enough for 1 or possibly 2 servings):
3/4 c. oat flour
2 t. sugar (I used pure cane, minimally processed)
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1 c. coconut milk
1 T. safflower oil
2 egg yolks
1/4 t. vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients and mix the wet ingredients separately, then mix them together with a whisk until smooth. Pour 1/4 c. batter onto a hot crepe pan (I just continued after I made my regular crepes, so it was hot and was very seasoned since I was cooking with butter. If you are starting from scratch, try heating some high-heat safflower or sunflower oil on about medium-high until hot...do the water test). Instead of swirling the batter around in the pan, I just let my crepes be a little thicker. You can experiment and see what you like best.

"No - nut - ella" spread:
I love nutella. But it has both hazelnuts (bad for kids with nut allergies) and dry milk in it. Here's my version.

1/4 c. pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 T. cocoa powder (or carob)
2 T. Better Than Milk Rice Powder, vanilla flavor
1 T. safflower oil
1 T. brown rice syrup
3 T. rice milk

Combine all ingredients in a food processor on high speed (this is the "crunchy" version). If you wanted it smoother, grind your pumpkin seeds into "butter" with a juicer.

Spread on crepes and enjoy. Or use fruit-only jam and fresh fruit - I had a blueberry jam & fresh pineapple crepe, a banana & no-nut-ella crepe, and an apricot-orange jam & fresh cantaloupe crepe.

"I Eat The Colors Of The Rainbow"

2008-08-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

My kids love the Swingset Mama's "Colors of the Rainbow" song. So here's a colorful 15 minute lunch/dinner idea:

(1) Wash, peel, cube a sweet potato. Throw into a medium saucepan with water about 1/2 way covering the potato. For me, it took 2 minutes to bring it to a boil, then I simmered for 6 minutes on med-low.
(2) Meanwhile, shape 1 lb. ground meat (I used buffalo) into patties and place in a skillet on med-high heat. Season w/ salt & pepper if desired. Fry for about 10-12 minutes (time will depend on the type of meat you use and the size of your patties.
(3) Wash a broccoli head. Break off in the pot over the sweet potato after step #1 is complete. Cook/steam about 4-5 more minutes.
(4) Serve with butter/ghee/maple syrup on the sweet potatoes, ketchup or crushed tomatoes (I sometimes use spaghetti sauce...the kids don't know the difference and it normally doesn't have sugar/vinegar).
(5) Serve with a tortilla, slice of bread, or crackers to get a grain in.

Variations:

Use any ground meat - turkey, buffalo, beef, chicken, lamb
OR use mashed beans (when you fry them, use canola or safflower oil)

Use any starchy root vegetable in place of the sweet potato - carrots, white potato, turnips, acorn or butternut squash, parsnips

Use any green vegetable in place of the broccoli (you may have to adjust your "steaming" time) - spinach, green beans, peas, lima beans, asparagus.

Now you can play the song while your kids eat their veggies (:

"The buckwheat cake was in her mouth, the tear was in her eye,"

2008-08-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

"Oh Susanna"... a great kids song. I would love to revive buckwheat! Very tasty, it is also gluten-free. A bit crumbly for baked goods, but who cares! The goal in allergy-free cooking is not always to make a stunning, moist, spongy cake, it's to make something that remotely tastes yummy and homemade and that isn't going to make you or your kids sick.

So, I'm working on a buckwheat cake for my son's birthday, and yes - I'm going to allow some pure cane sugar in it.

For the cake (adapted from "Vegan with a Vengeance")
1 c. buckwheat flour
1/2 c. sorghum flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. safflower oil
1 c. coconut milk
1/3 c. sugar (use as unrefined as possible)
1/3 c. maple sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

I baked this on 350 for a little over 30 minutes, in one round cake pan. I will be doubling the recipe for the birthday cake and adding frosting. The trick to make it not stick in the cake pan is to cut a piece of wax paper to fit the bottom, and grease the pan, then put in the wax paper, and grease again.

First sift together dry ingredients, then combine wet ingredients and mix into the dry. Add the coconut last.

Instead of frosting, I topped my trial version with strawberries. The buckwheat almost looked like a chocolate cake!

Ginger Cookies

2008-08-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

I usually try to bring my own treat for the after-mass gathering at our church. They usually have "munchkins" from Dunkin Donuts (not exactly allergy-free, or healthy). I can generally keep my kids away from the "munchkins" with a home-baked bake good. While not everyone shares my enthusiasm for eliminating refined sugar, I think overall people appreciate the thought. It's fun to see what people think of my somewhat "wierd" creations.

Ginger/Apricot Cookies
1 c. rye flour
1 c. oat flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. cloves
(you could add cinnamon too, but my kids are allergic)

Stir dry ingredients together.

1/2 c. canola oil
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. coconut milk
1/4 c. honey
1 t. vanilla

Mix together wet ingredients and add to dry. Then add about 2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats and chopped dried apricots (or whatever dried fruit you want).

Drop in teaspoons on a baking sheet, bake at 350 for 10 minutes. They aren't really sweet, but very "spicy."

Plum Pie

2008-08-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

I was lucky to find a whole basket of ripe, black plums on sale at our local fruit/vegetable market (Russo's in Watertown). On a whim, I decided to try a plum pie. With the help of my 3 1/2 year old, we created this.

Crust:
2 c. quinoa flour
3/4 t. salt
2/3 c. safflower oil
1/3 c. coconut milk

Mix the flour and salt together. Then add the oil & milk and mix with a fork. Pat dough together into one ball, roll dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. Then comes the tricky part that didn't exactly work for us....we were supposed to roll the dough to a 14" pie, then place in a 8-9" pie plate, add the fruit filling, and fold up the edges of the dough. Well, it didn't exactly work. The quinoa doesn't really hold together well, so we wound up picking up the pieces of dough that fell and just putting them on top. If I do it again, I'll try making a chilled version of a pie crust, maybe with a different flour. I guess you can't complain if it's gluten-free.

Fruit Filling:
2 1/2 lbs. of plums, washed, pitted, and sliced (I didn't peel mine)
1/3 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. honey
1/4 t. nutmeg
juice of 1/2 a lemon

I baked mine on 400 degrees for 30 minutes, but I think this is a little too hot for quinoa. If I bake a pie again with quinoa, I'll do it on 350 for about 30 minutes, and maybe then the fruit filling will get a little more cooked/bubbly without the crust browning. I don't like my desserts super-sweet, but if your plums are still a little tart, just add more honey on top.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2008-07-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

It's not really a "summer" soup, but it sounded so good I had to try it. I love Isa Moskowitz's special secret butternut squash tip...I'll let you read the book (Vegan with a Vengeance). I have some special squash tips myself - I've always just cut up the squash and roasted, boiled or steamed squash with the skin on. I just scoop the cooked squash out of the skin, wearing rubber gloves if it's hot, before I eat the squash. Some people I know eat squash, skin and all. And, the seeds are good roasted and salted too. If the squash is difficult to cut in half, I poke a couple holes in it, pop it in the micro for a couple minutes until soft, and cut it in half (watch for hot spots).

Anyway, the soup turned out wonderful, even without the spicy chile. The roasted butternut squash is added to a puree of fresh ginger, garlic, and onions (one of my favorite kinds of soup). My toddler has added "soup" to his list of first words after this soup!

Beet & Carrot Slaw

2008-07-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

A great recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, "Great Food Fast" cookbook. A great way to eat fresh, fast food (raw). Just be prepared for beet stains...

Thick, Rich, Chocolate Sauce - Two Ingredient & No Cook!

2008-07-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not kidding - two ingredients and you don't have to cook! No need to make a buttery, creamy hot fudge sauce! Just take some brown rice syrup & blend in cocoa powder to taste. I heated mine in the micro for about 10 seconds, just to make it a little smoother. Then I drizzled it over a big bowl of ice cream...or Rice Dream if you can't have dairy. If you're concerned about cocoa and caffeine, try blending in a little Carob powder.

I just love Brown Rice Syrup, you can bake with it or use it in place of honey (especially good in granola - see a previous post).

My husband's new favorite summer treat is Rice Dream with Carob & Almonds, topped with raspberries.

New Sauteed Vegetable Combinations

2008-07-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have been loading up on our "superfoods" from the Genotype Diet. Between moving and having two preschool/toddlers around, our lives have been pretty stressful the last few years. I do think the Genotype Diet is helping to regain some balance/stability in our lives; even though sometimes I feel somewhat "superstitious." Psychologically, if I'm eating a "superfood" on my list, I automatically feel better!

We've come up with some new combinations on our "superfoods" list.

My husband's (Teacher) favorite is "Lentils & Leeks" and mine (Gatherer) is "Cannelloni Beans & Spinach."

"Lentils & Leeks"
(1) Simmer lentils for about 30 min. (follow the directions on the package, or buy canned)
(2) Slice leeks and wash well. Saute on med-high in ghee or olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add some oregano and sea salt, then add the lentils and cook until heated through.

"Cannelloni Beans & Spinach"
(1) Rinse beans in three cold-water baths, then soak overnight. I also rinse three times again after soaking, then put in the crockpot with water to cover + about 2 inches. I cook mine on setting #4 for about 4 hours, until desired tenderness.
(2) Saute chopped onions & garlic on med-high in olive oil or ghee for about 5 minutes. Add some spices; like sea salt & basil, and cook for a couple more minutes. Add chopped, washed, spinach and saute until wilted, then add cooked beans and heat through.

Move is over! Cabbage housewarming...

2008-07-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting lately, as we've been moving. We finally decided to buy a condo in Cambridge - and with three Whole Foods Markets and a Trader Joe's - I'm always close to the groceries I need. I love my new kitchen. It's small, but brand new and very functional. I used the Mrs. Meyer's Stainless Steel cleaner on my new appliances and it worked very well (even on kid handprints). It took a while to burn off the "new oven smell" but I love my new gas range, and as an added bonus now, all four burners work.

Some friends came over to see the new house, and they brought me an extra head of cabbage from their CSA. For me, it was the perfect housewarming gift (:

So I'm going to start my blog going again, with a couple of my favorite cabbage recipes:

Coleslaw (from the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybele Pascal)
1 package of shredded coleslaw mix (or, I shred my own in my Cuisinart food processor, even though Cuisinart doesn't recommend it, it still works good enough)
1/2 c. shredded carrot
1 chopped apple
1/2 c. raisins
1 T. rice milk
3 T. white vinegar
2 T. orange juice
1 t. honey
1 T. lemon juice
6 T. olive oil

Make a salad dressing out of the last liquid ingredients and pour over the shredded/chopped vegetables. It's best if you let it sit a while in the refrigerator.

Braised Cabbage (From Martha Stewart Living, March 2005)
2 cans chicken broth (or you can use vegetable broth)
1 t. coarse salt
10 whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 small cabbage, cut into wedges
1 small leek, sliced

Bring broth and spices to a boil, add cabbage and leek and reduce heat - simmer for about 12-15 minutes until tender.

You can always just steam cabbage in a pan or stir fry it too, both of those options are good!

"The GenoType Diet" part 2

2008-06-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

Thank-you so much for all the comments posted from other fellow GenoType Diet followers! They are very helpful for us newcomers. Well, the results we've been waiting for are in...my husband is NOT a Hunter, he is a Teacher! We will see how this change goes this week. And I'm NOT an Explorer, I'm a Gatherer! We had some slight mis-calculations, though secretly I think I might be a little bit Explorer and a little bit Gatherer.

Anyhow, I needed to get my grocery list done and my first question was, "What was I going to buy so that we all can eat according to our types?" There was no way I'd be cooking three separate meals for four people. First, I went through the Teacher/Gatherer diets and made a list of what we had in common. Then, I had to account for the foods that everyone is "allergic" to (we still can't really introduce those yet).

Ironically, many of the foods that my husband is "allergic" to are on the toxins/limit/avoid list (like tomatoes, beef, chicken, cow's milk, butter, wheat, rye, celery). I thought one passage from the Teacher explanation was particularly interesting, especially for those that have food sensitivities..."When their diets are excessively meat-based, they gradually develop a buildup of bacteria in the digestive tract, which can act as a powerful block on their metabolism and immune system. The result is a range of stomach and intestinal problems, including gastritis, which causes extreme discomfort in the upper abdomen, nausea..." (page 144, The GenoType Diet by Dr. Peter J.D'Adamo).

So I found out all the "superfoods" we had in common first, and centered my meal planning around that. Then I got a few more "superfoods" from each of the Teacher and Gatherer lists (like fruits and snacks). I'm assuming our kids will be some combination of Teacher & Gatherer...does anyone know about this?

I'm only going to use a few "recipes" this week; and just make everything either plain baked (fish) or steamed/stir fried (vegetables). No elaborate concoctions. It's too difficult to find a "recipe" for something with several ingredients that are "superfoods" on both lists.

I'll let you all know how everything works out this week. Thanks again for your comments/support.

"The GenoType Diet"

2008-05-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Our pediatrician was reading "The GenoType Diet" by Dr. Peter J.D'Adamo when we took our kids in for a check-up. She mentioned how fascinating the book was, which sparked our interest because we are always looking for some new experiment...will this diet help me feel better? Help me be more alert at my job? Give me more strength/stamina to run after two young kids all day? Cure my food allergies?!

While I can't say it has been the miracle cure we're always searching for, it has been an interesting book and has led to some fun experiments (including Roast Duck). We also had fun learning how to eat artichokes. I just steamed them and served them with melted butter (for my 3 1/2 year old) and pine nut sauce (pine nuts, olive oil, water, vitamin C powder) for my husband and I.

My husband and I enjoyed doing all the little "tests" to discover our genotype categories - measuring our torsos and legs, our index fingers and ring fingers, determining our head shapes and body types. I think I might be either an Explorer or maybe a Gatherer; my husband thinks he's a Hunter (though he doesn't know his blood-type yet).

The nice thing is that several of the recommended foods for all genotypes are "non-typical" foods in the "Standard American Diet." The extensive (and expensive!) list offers quite a few foods my husband is not allergic or sensitive to. For example: buffalo, goat, lamb, duck, and several different seafoods. Also included are several "whole-foods" sweeteners like agave syrup and molasses (Hunter) and rice syrup and honey (Explorer).

I did try cod and lamb, two things I never really liked before. I enjoyed trying something new and it was fun to try some new recipes (an Indian pilau for the lamb), but I can't say I've been radically won over on them. While I'm proud of myself for trying something new, I realized it is really very difficult to change. I think the important thing was that I tried something new, and I'll be willing to try different foods again...gradually. Changes take time and I can't expect myself to instantly fall in love with something I've never liked - simply because I read a new book about it.

"Chocolate" Oatmeal Cookies

2008-05-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

It has been almost two months since I've posted. During that time we've read two new diet books, started the process of buying a new condo and preparing to move, and traveled back to Michigan to say a final goodbye to the best cook I'll ever meet...my grandmother.

I'll write about the other topics later, but here is a great new recipe for a whole-foods cookie:

"Chocolate" Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 c. vegetable shortening (Spectrum)
1/4 c. brown rice syrup
1/2 c. honey
1 t. vanilla
1 c. buckwheat flour
1/4 c. carob powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening, brown rice syrup, honey and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined into the shortening mixture (will take a little elbow-grease, add a little more brown rice syrup or honey if the dough seems too dry). Drop by heaping teaspoons onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet after about 2 minutes, being careful because they are more fragile than other cookies; cool on a wire rack.

Happy Easter - the "sneaky" bunny brought a few treats ;)

2008-04-02T14:01:00.001-07:00

Last Easter was a food-allergy disaster. The youngest obviously did not have candy, but my then-two-year-old daughter had both mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and a chocolate bunny, and her cheeks broke out in a horrible rash. Her mood totally changed and I was determined to not repeat the same mistake as last year.

However, I also worry about being too cautious and vigilant about sugar, so I decided that if they were going to have sugar and chocolate, it would be as un-processed as possible with a little bit of nutritional value.

I used the same "baskets" they had last year with the little plastic eggs, and shredded colored construction paper in our paper shredder. I put little ziplock snack bags full of dried cranberries, papaya, pineapple, and raisins from the Whole Foods Bulk Food section in the little plastic eggs. Then I stayed up late and baked some Easter Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Biscotti (at the request of my husband). The kids liked the dried fruit and sugar cookies...we let them decorate the sugar cookies with coconut frosting (no dairy) Easter afternoon. The kids didn't like the Chocolate Biscotti, but my husband did!

Easter Sugar Cookies (adapted from "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook"):
2/3 c. shortening (Spectrum palm-vegetable only)
3/4 c. sugar (I used natural cane sugar, a less-refined, less-sweet version from Whole Foods called "Florida Crystals")
1 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 T. rice milk
1 t. vanilla
1 c. quinoa flour
1 c. oat flour

Beat shortening & sugar with an electric mixer until well-mixed, then beat in egg replacer and vanilla. Then I mixed in the baking powder and flour with a wooden spoon. I shaped the dough into a ball and chilled for about 30 min. Then I rolled it out, using more flour if necessary, cut out my egg and bunny shapes, and baked at 375 degress for about 7 minutes (watch carefully, how long you bake will depend on how thick your cookies are). I tried to make mine at least 1/4 in thick, because any thinner they'll be too crispy or fall apart.

I love the coconut frosting from "Vegan with a Vengeance." It uses shortening, coconut milk, powdered sugar, and shredded coconut. Yes, we used food coloring - though I know this isn't always considered "safe" - it was a fun special treat.

Creamy Jicama Slaw - Raw Food Craze

2008-04-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

I'm just starting to get into the new raw food craze. After spending all winter baking, roasting, and broiling, I'm ready to give the oven a rest. It has not only been heating up our kitchen - but also our gas bill.

As a family with a preschooler and a toddler, it's not really feasible for us to go totally raw. Undoubtedly, there are some things that will need to be cooked...but I'm trying to take small steps to introducing more fresh, living foods. For example, I have tried just lightly steaming broccoli. My daughter was really excited about the mini "snack carrots" she calls them, and the kids all love fresh fruit. "Swiss-style" oats, soaked overnight in water or rice milk (or milk if you can have it), are also a great alternative to cooked oats.

For the raw foods lifestyle, it is essential to have a good food processor (I was lucky to receive the Cuisinart dual food processor/blender for a Christmas gift!) It will slice, shred, chop and puree most vegetables, and though I have broken my plastic bowl and top twice, Cuisinart has replacement parts available at a very reasonable price.

There are great shredded vegetable salad recipes in "The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide." My new favorite is "Creamy Jicama Slaw," basically shredded jicama with what they call "Super Smooth Sauce." The recipe in the book has the sauce made with macadamia nuts (I used the nuts and made nut butter in my juicer), however, I tried a tahini sauce for my kids and they liked it.

Tahini Sauce to dip or mix with shredded vegetables:
1 T. Tahini (I used a super-creamy brand that I found at Russo's in Watertown)
1 T. Water
1/2 t. unbuffered Vitamin C powder (tart-tasting)...I used a brand from Cambridge Naturals
1 T. Oil (I used extra-virgin olive)

Whisk together until smooth with a fork. Pour over fresh shredded jicama, cucumber, cabbage, carrots, or zucchini. This is also a good substitute for mayo (egg allergies).

Also a particular favorite of ours is the Carrot-Olive Salad containing shredded carrots, sliced black olives, and olive oil. My kids also love the coleslaw recipe from "The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook," which uses fresh apples and raisins, and a sauce made from olive oil, rice milk, vinegar, lemon and orange juice instead of mayo. We have also found that Vitamin C Powder is a great substitute for vinegar or lemon juice in salad dressings - my husband claims it's not as rough on his stomach as the more acidic vinegar.

Spring is here! More raw food posts to come this spring/summer...

Gingerbread Cookies

2008-02-21T08:15:00.001-08:00

I know it's way past Christmas, but winter is not over here in New England. My daughter really wanted to make gingerbreads, and we had not make them yet this year. I had to think about what I would do for a recipe - I knew I wanted no dairy, refined sugar, or wheat - so that we could eat them together as a family and they would be semi-healthy. I used the oatmeal cookie recipe as a guide in the "Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook," which is excellent by the way and you will have to get the book or borrow it from the library to try it. However, here is my version for gingerbread cookies.

1/2 c. vegetable shortening (make sure it doesn't have soy...try Spectrum's brand)
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla

Cream the above 4 ingredients with an electric mixer.

1/2 c. rye flour
1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1 c. oat flour
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder

Stir into creamed mixture. I used a little of the dough at a time to roll out on a generously floured (I used oat) surface, then cut out my little gingerbread people. We decorated the cookies with raisins and unsweetened coconut. Bake about 7-8 minutes on 350 degrees.

Drinking Healthy - Fresh Juice

2008-02-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

Ever since I found a great fresh fruit and vegetable market (A. Russo's, Watertown, MA), I am starting to get back into making my own fresh juice. I would love to have a large kitchen so I could keep my juicer out all the time, but it's probably just as well to get everything out and have a special treat once in a while (even natural fruit and vegetable juice has a high amount of sugar, with no fiber). My favorite juice is Beet - Apple - Carrot. By the way, my 3 year-old and 18-month old love it! We water it down a little though, about 1/2 juice and 1/2 water.

I have the Omega juicer, which I've used for fruit/vegetable juice and for grinding nut or seed -butters (such as almond, sunflower seed and pumpkin seed butter). It has worked well, it's fairly easy to clean, and powerful. However, you have to cut the fruit/vegetables into slices that will go into the machine, so this sometimes takes a few extra minutes.

Juice is a great way to transition to eliminating soft drinks and diet coke/pepsi (which in addition to being a health risk will ironically just cause you to gain weight). If you don't have time to make your own juice and must buy commercial juice, make sure it is 100% Juice. Try mixing a little Sparkling water, like San Pellegrino, in with the juice.

Some people drink soft drinks just to be drinking something. Try getting a water bottle (preferably a hard plastic), and fill up on fresh, filtered water all day. I've read even drinking bottled water is sometimes not so good, because the water is bottled in soft plastic containers that may leak chemicals into the water if exposed to extreme temperatures.

If you are just drinking diet coke for the caffeine or refreshing pick-up, I think it would be better to drink some unsweetened iced green tea mixed with sparkling water. At least it's all natural - and real! Plus, green tea does have some nutritional value and health benefits. Octavia tea is very good.

I used to buy apple juice for my kids and water it down, but now I don't even buy apple juice. They are used to drinking water all day, and I make sure their water bottles are full. It's great to get them in the habit early of drinking lots of water. I can't believe how much I'm saving on my grocery bill by drinking healthy - no juice, beer or wine, coffee, soda - so I can afford to buy treats such as tea, Teeccino, or sparkling water once in a while.

How to kick the coffee habit

2008-02-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

I talked to my brother recently - who I always knew to pull all-night study sessions with a cup of strong black coffee - and he was saying he has a hard time sleeping if he drinks any caffeine after 4 p.m. I think most of us have run into this situation at some time or another. I have always loved coffee, but it was among the many things I chose to renounce during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I tried going decaf, but was concerned with the decaffeinating process - I realize the "Swiss Water" method is probably ok, but the thought of formaldehyde possibly entering my body scared me. I now drink herbal tea, but for a while I was really stuck on coffee. My husband and I were craving coffee about a year ago, and he went to Whole Foods to see what he could find. My husband asked an employee for suggestions, who saw my husband holding Teeccino in his hand and exclaimed, "Oh, you wanted ersatz coffee!" Since then, we enjoy an occasional cup of Teeccino for a special caffeine-free coffee treat.

Apple Crisp

2008-02-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

I modified the "pear crumble" recipe from the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook into apple crisp. Plus, I don't like it as sweet. I was all out of the old fashioned rolled oats, so I had so use some instant I had on hand, but I recommend using the old fashioned rolled oats if you have them.

6-7 large apples (we used Gala)
1/4 c. golden raisins
1/4 c. honey (I don't even measure, I just sprinkle on top)
1/2 c. millet flour
1/2 c. oat flour
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. maple sugar
3/4 c. chilled vegetable shortening.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Core, peel, and slice apples and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle raisins and honey over apples. Combine flours, oats and sugar in a medium bowl, use a pastry blender to cut in the shortening. Sprinkle this mixture over top of the apples, raisins and honey and bake for about 40 minutes.

Dairy-Free Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

2008-02-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite dishes growing up was scalloped potatoes and ham. My mom used to make a heaping roaster full that would last us for days. Here, I didn't really measure much when I made this dish, so use the measurements as a guideline.

6-8 medium baking potatoes, washed, peeled, and sliced
about 1-2 cups cubed or chopped cooked ham (nitrate-free)
3 T. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 T. oat flour, or allowed flour
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 1/2 c. rice milk (or allowed milk)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish with shortening. Add ham and potatoes to dish.
Cook onion in olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute more then add milk. Stir constantly until boiling, continue stirring and boil for 1 minute, until thickened. Pour sauce over
ham and potatoes.
Bake covered about 30 minutes, then uncover and bake about 1 hour more. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

Orange Biscotti

2008-02-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

This is an adaptation of an old Betty Crocker recipe. Biscotti has always been one of my favorites with tea, and here is an allergy-free version: no dairy, wheat, or eggs. It can be gluten-free depending on what flours you use. The biscotti does, however, have refined sugar (I couldn't bring myself to substitute everything). You could try maple sugar or date sugar if you needed to avoid refined sugar.

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable shortening or non-hydrogenated margarine (if you are allergic to soy, make sure it's soy-free)
1 T. grated orange zest
1 t. vanilla
2/3 c. water mixed with a scant 2 T. brown flaxseeds
Note: Heat in a small saucepan over med-high heat until boiling, only boil about 1 min until a slightly thickened gel forms - don't make it too thick or you won't be able to strain the seeds out. Strain the whole seeds out and cool the liquid gel. Use the gel in place of the two eggs.
3 1/2 cups of all-purpose (if you can have it) or any combination of flours (I used 1 c. brown rice, 2 c. oat, and 1/2 c. sorghum/milo)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make flaxseed gel to use in place of egg and place in an ice bath to cool if using immediately. Beat sugar, shortening or margarine, orange zest, vanilla and flaxseed gel in a large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt. Note: I had a hard time mixing it together, but just use a wooden spoon or your hands, adding a little water if necessary, to form a soft dough. Split dough in half and shape each half into a 10X3 " rectangle and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 20 minutes, cool for 15 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1" thick slices (the original instructions say 1/2" slices, but I did 1" with a sharp, wet knife. Using different flours, especially gluten-free like brown rice, tend to be a bit crumbly.) Bake about 10 minutes longer. You want them to be crisp, slightly brown but not too dark. From the initial cutting, I thought they would turn out too crumbly, but after the second baking they held together well.

Meal/Menu Planning

2008-01-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

A new feature I've been using for all sorts of things is google documents. It particularly helps me with the arduous task of weekly menu planning. Menu planning is a must in our household, since we can't just drop everything and go eat out anytime we feel like it (allergies, kids, money, etc.). Even though I spend 1-2 hours every Saturday on menu planning, I have to believe it also saves time and money. It helps me use up what I have on hand and plan for the groceries I need. I never have to stop and think, "what will we have for dinner tonight?" My husband can also access the spreadsheet from work if he's curious.

While I don't plan everything - and sometimes I plan too much - at least I have a road map for the week, knowing that it can change spontaneously.

Here's my approach to menu planning:
(1) Make a list of what you have in the refrigerator/freezer/pantry you want to use up.
(2) Pick out 1-2 new recipes you want to try during the week.
(3) Make a list of the foods your family eats/can eat on a regular basis - dividing into vegetables (we do "starchy and non-starchy" from the Schwarzbein Principle), fruits, meats, and grains.
(4) Try to rotate the meals you eat on about a three-four day basis if possible (we have not been following a strict rotation diet, but I think it's still a good idea).
(5) Fill out a spreadsheet for the week (alternatively, I make one spreadsheet and list several options for a given meal, using the basic meal plan for several weeks. This also allows you to also make an impulse decision with some basic suggestions (i.e. quinoa pancakes or quinoa flakes?). You also don't have to start from scratch every week.
(6) Make your grocery list.
(7) Go shopping.

This is what one of our weekly meal plans looks like.

An Excellent Whole Foods Cookbook

2008-01-28T13:15:00.000-08:00

My mom sent me an excellent whole-foods cookbook with lots of everyday, easy-to-prep recipes. While not allergy free and it does include refined sugar, I am able to use my list of substitutions and make most recipes in this book. The cookbook is from the "everyday food" magazine related to Martha Stewart Living and is called "Great Food Fast: 250 recipes for easy, delicious meals all year long". They are all wonderful "whole-foods" recipes (you will never see the ingredient 1 can cream of mushroom soup!)

So far I've made the Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce, Carrot Soup, Lentil Soup, Crispy Apricot Pork Chops and Salmon Steaks with Hoisin Glaze. The enchiladas were great because they were made with corn tortillas (I made my own out of yellow corn masa flour) and canned pumpkin puree instead of wheat and tomatoes. The recipe called for chicken, but we had shredded roast port tenderloin since my husband is allergic to chicken, and white sharp cheddar cheese (which I substituted soy cheese for my husband and regular cheese for my daughter).

The carrot soup was very creamy and sweet (no sugar, only the sweetness of the carrots and mild curry) - my kids could not eat enough. I substituted my vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I made the crispy apricot pork chops, not with breadcrumbs, but with Ryvita rye crackers and they also turned out well. Since I don't like fish, I used the hoisin glaze on my chicken and just left my daughter's chicken without the sauce. Instead of buying a packaged hoisin sauce, it was just as easy to find a recipe online - but it included soy and peanut butter.

If you're stuck on meal planning and need some new ideas to make whole-foods fast, try this book. A nice feature is that it is arranged by season!

Thai Mango Sticky Rice w/ Purple Potato

2008-01-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

Having allergies makes you branch out to different cultures/styles of cooking to find foods you can eat. This was my first time making sweet, "sticky" rice. Also, it was my first time cooking "purple potatoes." I had them in sweet rice once in a Thai restaurant in Ann Arbor, MI and I finally found them at A. Russo's in Watertown, MA. I followed the directions on the package of sweet rice for steaming the rice in cheesecloth, and I also made some in the rice cooker. I thought the steamed rice turned out better; it was soft but still intact...whereas the rice in the rice cooker came out almost like a pudding. Maybe I used too much water. Anyway, if I made it again I would steam the rice.

Here are the directions:
Soak 1 cup of sweet rice in in water overnight. Drain. Spread sweet rice in thin, even layer in steam rack lined with cheesecloth. Steam covered, over rapidly boiling water 25 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt, steam 20-25 minutes more.

In a saucepan, warm 1/2 can coconut milk, 2-3 T. maple syrup, pinch of salt, and 1/2 t. vanilla. Add 1 t. arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 T. of water. As it thickens, turned heat to low and cook about 3 minutes.

I baked the potatoes and chopped them into cubes. Put cooked rice, potatoes, and cut-up mango in a bowl. Ladle hot coconut milk sauce over and enjoy! If you want the potatoes sweeter, maybe soak them in the coconut sauce longer. I've also seen this made with black-eye peas. I love that vegetables/beans are included even in dessert!

How can I get my kids to eat vegetables?

2008-01-21T17:52:00.000-08:00

"Mommy, more carrots and some of that new special sauce please." These were the glorious words uttered out of the mouth of my 3-year old at dinner tonight. And all it took was a little homemade cucumber-ranch dressing from an old Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Lately I've been really into dips, recalling a Pampered Chef party I once went to where another mother quoted her daughter saying "no Mommy, I dip". Kids seem to have a fascination with brightly colored or milky white sauces and cute little dipping bowls.

So, here are my dip ideas...you can use whatever you like from crackers to carrots (or whatever you're trying to get your kids to eat) as the "dippers". I've included the dairy dips too in case your child can tolerate dairy...my daughter can have dairy and eggs, but tried some commercial ranch dressing when we painfully realized it had soy in it.

(1) Guacamole - there are recipes out there that are as simple as mashed avocados and lime juice to the full-fledged spicy version
(2) Hummus - a chickpea and garlic spread
(3) Roasted vegetable spread - eggplant or red pepper
(4) Pesto - any herb pureed with olive oil, cheese and nuts optional
(5) Salad dressings - we are partial to the carrot-ginger dressing in "The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook" by Cybele Pascal, and also Martha Stewart vinaigrettes
(6) Cybele Pascal has an allergy-free recipe for "avocado mayonnaise" similar I think to guacamole
(7) Plain sesame tahini, mixed with a little water or rice milk to make it into a dip

The dairy ones:
(1) homemade ranch
(2) yogurt dips
(3) spinach dips
(4) cheese dips

Quick Easy Breakfast Ideas

2008-01-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

Even though I am a stay-at-home mom, time is short around our house too. I still try to fit in time to make allergy-free pancakes or a balanced breakfast meal (we try to make it the most important meal of the day). Here are some suggestions to make breakfast easier:

Try to make breakfast the night before:
-mix up a gluten-free pancake or muffin mix, combining all the dry ingredients and putting them in a plastic bag. Then you just have to add the wet ingredients. Get a large 2 burner griddle so you can cook a lot at once.
-make swiss oats (oats soaked overnight with rice milk or regular milk/water, honey if you want), then add dried fruit/nuts/sunflower or pumpkin seeds in the a.m. Bob's Red Mill makes a new GF rolled oats
-how about granola made the night before?
-Muesli made the night before (make your own with GF rolled oats, dried fruit, sunflower or pumpkin seeds)
-A fresh vegetable "salad" like fresh chopped zucchini, summer squash, and chickpeas with a little flax seed oil and lemon juice is also a good option to make ahead at night and keep in the fridge until the a.m. Also, coleslaw, a cold rice or quinoa salad with fresh vegetables are other good options (see the "Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook") You can pack these salads for lunches too.

Fast morning ideas:
-try Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty GF Hot Breakfast Cereal - it's like quick-cooking Cream of Wheat (without the gluten). Arrowhead Mills also makes "Rice n' Shine" another quick-cooking hot rice cereal. Cream of buckwheat is good too.
-A few frozen vegetables steamed in the micro or on the stovetop for 5 min. is a great way to start the day (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas) If it's hard to get your kids to eat fresh or steamed veggies, try a wide variety of sauces/dips - hummus, a roasted red pepper or eggplant spread, homemade yogurt sauces if your kids can have milk, homemade dressings or vinaigrettes...you can stock your fridge with these sauces/dips ahead of time.

Try menu planning for the week or even for a few days so you don't waste time getting up wondering what you can cook or if you have the ingredients on hand.

Kid's Stir-fried Rice (no soy necessary, but I did use eggs)

2008-01-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

The kids needed something fast and nutritionally decent one day, so I decided to make them stir-fried rice. They loved it!

1 crown fresh broccoli, broken into bite-size pieces
2 carrots, shredded or grated
3 scallions, chopped
2 cups of cooked brown rice
3-4 T. sunflower oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten (or you could use silken tofu with tumeric)
1 T. sesame seeds

In a wok, stir-fry broccoli in sunflower oil until soft enough for kids to eat (or crunchy if you like). Add carrots, scallions, and rice. Stir-fry a few minutes until hot. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Note: I recently read that a lot of the proteins people are generally allergic to are found in the whites, not the yolks. My husband, who can't tolerate eggs, has just started eating the nutrient-rich yolks without any adverse effects. Slightly scramble the eggs, when they are no longer runny stir them into the rest of the rice/vegetable mixture. Then make another well in the center and add the sesame seeds. When they are toasted (a few seconds), stir them into the rest of the dish. You can put wheat-free tamari soy sauce on if you can tolerate soy, or my daughter had hers with a little white-wine vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette (from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food cookbook):
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1 T. dijon mustard
salt/pepper
sugar (I used a little honey)
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

Food Allergy Substitutions

2008-01-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

Food Allergy Substitutions

Butter - Cow's milk

Spectrum Organic Liquid Oils

Spectrum Coconut Oil or Vegetable Shortening - for baking, cakes, biscuits, etc.

Olive Oil

Ghee

Dairy Cream/Evaporated Milk

Goat's milk yogurt
Cow's milk yogurt (some people allergic to dairy can still have yogurt, where all the lactose has been "digested" by bacteria)

Tofutti Sour Cream (soy)

For creamy vegetable soups try mixing a little more oat flour, or other allowed flour, with rice or allowed "milk"

Whipped Cream - try Tofutti Cream Cheese (soy) or Whipped Coconut Cream http://www.cookingcache.com/dessert/profiteroleswithwhippedcoconutcreamandcaramelizedbananas.shtml
Coconut Cream (an unshaken can of coconut will have cream on the top)

Milk - Cow's

Rice Milk

Nut or Grain Milk - oat, almond, hazelnut

Soy Milk
Coconut Milk
For some muffins, breads, or pancakes, you can just use any kind of fruit juice you like or water for the liquid

Buttermilk

1 T lemon juice or vinegar plus enough allowed milk to make 1 cup. Let stand 5 minutes before using.

All-Purpose Flour

Arrowhead Mills Flours - Barley, Oat, Rye, Spelt, Rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Corn etc.

Yellow-Corn Masa Flour for tortillas

Bob's Red Mill Flours - Tapioca, Potato, Garbanzo Bean, etc.
Cornstarch, arrowroot powder, kudzu root starch - all good thickeners, but you can use 2 T. allowed flour to substitute 1 T. of cornstarch

Meat/Broths

Chicken <=> Pork <=> Turkey <=> Duck

Beef <=> Ground Buffalo/Bison <=> Lamb <=> Venison <=> Bean Burgers

Fish <=> Chicken

Chicken Broth <=> Beef Broth <=> Vegetable Broth <=> Seafood Broth

Bread/Breadcrumbs

Crushed Cereal flakes - oat, kamut, barley, amaranth, buckwheat, corn, etc.

Any of the above substitutes for all-purpose flour, cornmeal (for coating meat before frying)

Make your own yeast-free quickbread bread using any of the above flours

Sourdough bread using wheat-free flour (if you can tolerate it)
Crushed crackers - Ryvita (if you're allergic to wheat), rice crackers, or your own homemade crackers from any flour

Eggs - for baking

Ener-G-Egg Replacer

1 T. baking powder + 2 T. liquid (note: egg free baking powder can be made with 1 part baking soda, 2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part cornstarch)

2 T. flour + 1/2 T. baking powder + 2 T. liquid.

for recipes that call for 2 t. baking powder or 1 1/2 t. baking soda, replace egg with 1 T. vinegar

Eggs - For coating breaded meat or fish/meatballs, etc.

1/2 c water and 3-4 t. brown flaxseeds - boil in a small saucepan and simmer 5-7 min until a gel begins to form. Strain and discard seeds.

1/3 c water + 1 T. arrowroot powder + 2 t. guar gum

2 oz tofu

Eggs - used as a liquid

1/3 cup apple juice

4 T. pureed apricot or applesauce

1 T. vinegar

Sugar

Honey

Molasses

Date Sugar

Maple Syrup or Maple Sugar

Brown Rice Syrup
Corn Syrup can be replaced with Brown Rice Syrup
Fruit Juice thickened with arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Maple Syrup on pancakes can be replaced with Brown Rice Syrup mixed with some frozen fruit (blueberries, black or red raspberries, strawberries or peaches) and heated on the stove for a few minutes to make a fruit syrup

Soy Sauce

Salt

Vinaigrette salad dressing - like mustard/white wine/olive oil, or anything else

Thai fish sauce

Tomatoes - Sauce

can of pumpkin puree with garlic - can add spices like paprika, sumac, chili powder for color

canned, frozen, or fresh baked winter squash pureed with lemon juice and red pepper

sweet potato puree

turnip puree or add some beets for color

Tomatoes - Fresh

red peppers, with or without lemon juice

Baking Powder

1 t. baking powder = 1/2 t. cream of tartar + 1/4 t. baking soda

Vinegar & Condiments containing Vinegar

mustard (vinegar) with mustard powder mixed with water or wasabi mixed with water (only use a pinch)
pesto
lemon/lime juice
1/4 t. unbuffered vitamin C powder mixed with about 2 T. water
pineapple or orange juice

Gluten (Wheat)

Vegan and Gluten-Free Rice Protein Powder
Xanthan Gum (about 1/2 t. in each recipe made with G-F flours

Pasta (Wheat)

quinoa, brown rice pasta
buckwheat soba noodles (like fettucini)

Vegan Carrot Cake

2008-01-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

Food is so social. We've been having lots of birthday parties lately, and of course, everyone HAS to have CAKE! It's difficult when you have multiple food allergies in social situations - like the donut breakfast at work, friend's birthday party, a wedding dinner, ordering in restaurants, etc., etc. How do you explain to your co-workers/host that you can't eat what they offer to you? I tell my husband to just say that he's vegan (he can't eat eggs, dairy or most "normal" animal products like beef, turkey or chicken). I mean no offense to all the vegans out there - you have made such great strides as a movement that being vegan is no longer viewed as strange. Being vegan/vegetarian just seems much more accepted and it's something people can generally understand. When my husband tells people he can't have this or that because he's allergic, you see the wonder in their eyes and their brains working to try to explain it. Couldn't you just have a little bit? Who ever heard of someone who couldn't eat tomatoes?

Anyway, I was lucky enough to receive "Vegan with a Vengeance" for Christmas - thank you Gail! The first recipe I tried was awesome - it was the Ginger - Macadamia - Coconut - Carrot Cake. I left out the macadamia nuts and spices on half for my kids. The only criticism I have is that it uses refined sugar (3/4 cup) and powdered sugar in the frosting. I guess you sometimes have to give in somewhere. Next time I would like to try to substitute a finely ground date sugar or maple sugar.

New Pizza Crust Idea

2008-01-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

It's been 6 months since I made pizza. For some strange reason, my kids will never eat it - even with tomatoes and cheese (which they can have). Anyway, my husband and I had a pizza craving...maybe because we'd been snowed in for so long. So we indulged.

I published a pizza post last July, so the recipe didn't change much. But the big revolution was in the crust. I tried GARBANZO BEAN FLOUR! It made a great crust combined with quinoa flour, and hopefully made the pizza even more nutritious. Toppings this round were: pesto, ham, black olives, green peppers, artichoke hearts, and onions.

Chili - No Beef, Tomatoes, Cheese

2007-12-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to come up with a chili recipe one night when I looked on the menu and saw the same old rotation diet list: buffalo and turnips. I was tired, and remembered how easy it was to make chili - brown ground beef, combine it with some canned tomatoes and kidney beans, then enjoy. So here's my version of chili (we can't have tomatoes, ground beef, pinto or kidney beans, or cheese).

1 lb ground buffalo
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can white beans
about 1 quart bag cooked frozen turnips in cubes (or fresh, cooked if you have them)
about 3 cups vegetable broth
chili powder, to taste
sweet paprika, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste

Brown the ground buffalo, onion, and garlic. Combine the turnips and vegetable broth in a pot, cook until tender. Gently mash turnips with a potato masher, add water to bring to a "soupy" consistency if needed, then add beans, meat, and spices. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve with grated carrot sprinkled on top.

Shepherd's Pie (no beef, tomatoes, wheat)

2007-12-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

For some strange reason, I'll always remember the time my Aunt Patty made Shepherd's Pie and brought it over to our house. It was creamy, with green beans, and mashed potatoes. This had to have been at least 15 years ago, but I still remember how great it was. There is a Shepherd's Pie recipe in Cybele Pascal's Allergy Cookbook, but it has evolved into my own recipe, tailored to my family's needs. Here's my new Shepherd's Pie recipe:

7-8 all-purpose baking potatoes
1 package frozen green beans
1/2 package frozen corn
1 lb. ground buffalo
1 chopped onion
1 chopped carrot
2 cups vegetable broth
2 T. oat flour
2 T. olive oil
1 cup rice milk
1 t. chili powder
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 t. cumin
pepper
salt

For the mashed potatoes: wash, peel, and cut potatoes into small cubes. Place in boiling water for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash with a little rice milk and olive oil.

Brown the ground buffalo, then add the onion and carrot. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until carrots are soft and buffalo is no longer pink.

In a small saucepan, combine the 2 T. olive oil and 2 T. oat flour over medium heat. Add the vegetable broth and rice milk, stir constantly, and cook until thickened. Stir in spices.

Spread green beans in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Add corn and ground buffalo mixture. Pour sauce/gravy over everything and top with mashed potatoes.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly and potatoes are slightly browned.

I actually divided up the ingredients between two glass casserole dishes: one for my kids (no spices, no corn), and one for us.

Easy Pasta dish - no wheat or tomatoes (cheese & nuts optional)

2007-11-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

I came up with an easy pasta dish:

1 package of brown rice pasta (or you can use wheat or quinoa)
Frozen vegetables such as peas, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, summer squash
Some pesto (see below)
Olives
Pine Nuts (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, steam the frozen vegetables (I do this in the micro) until tender-crisp. Toss everything together and you have a pasta-pesto dish.

Pesto: Combine 1 clove garlic, some fresh basil leaves, olive oil, and pine nuts (optional) or parmesan cheese (optional) in the food processor. Process until it forms a thick paste.

This is a great easy dish for a family with multiple different food allergies, because you can reserve a little pesto without nuts (for the kids) and add cheese later for those who can have it. For those who can eat cooked chicken pieces, you can toss that in too. Otherwise, my husband just ate his with fish.

Freezing Vegetable Broth

2007-11-30T11:00:00.001-08:00

Last blog, I wrote I would stop using the glass Ball/Mason Jars for freezing soups/broth and revert back to plastic or pyrex. Some advice from a recent Martha Stewart Living magazine came in handy...freeze broth in one-cup muffin tins (like ice cubes). Then you can pop them out and store them in a ziplock freezer bag until you're ready to use them. Just take out as many "ice cubes" as cups of broth called for in the recipe and you're done. It worked wonderfully. I just had to be very careful putting the filled muffin tins in the freezer, and I used my thumb to firmly press on the back of the muffin tin in the middle of the cup to remove the "ice cubes" of broth. They gently popped out and it worked very well. A little more work up front, but it was very easy to just pop two "cups" of vegetable broth out of the freezer to boil my cabbage.

Grandma B's Chicken Noodle Soup

2007-11-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

My mom's most famous meals always involve putting a whole bunch of meat and vegetables in a huge roasting pan, and roasting them in the oven until they are so tender they simply fall apart when you put them in your mouth. My daughter and I were wanting some chicken noodle soup that we could keep in the freezer (an alternative to canned). Here's Grandma "B's" recipe for chicken noodle soup:

Rinse a whole, cut up chicken in cold water and put it in a roasting pan. Sprinkle in cut-up carrots, celery, and onions. Add at least 2" of water, cover with aluminum foil, and roast at 350 degrees for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Roast on the bottom rung of the oven. Then, dice up the chicken, cool and freeze the broth, vegetables and chicken. When ready to eat, simply thaw and add some pasta, noodles, or rice and water (if necessary) and cook in a saucepan on the stove until grain is tender. You can add your own salt/pepper to taste.

It's turned out great, but again I've had a problem freezing in the glass Ball canning jars. They keep breaking on me and it's hard to remember to take them out of the freezer in advance. If I do this again, I'm going back to plastic freezer containers or Pyrex.

Unfortunately, this one is only allergy-free for my daughter and also makes great "baby food" for my 14-month old in the blender. However, my husband loved the pork tenderloin I made in the slow-cooker with carrots, onions, garlic, parsnips and salt/pepper (another "Grandma B" dish).

Sushi and Granola Bars

2007-11-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

When my sister came to visit, she gave me $20 and requested I pick up some California Rolls and Granola Bars for her at Whole Foods. While she's watching the kids, my husband and I go into the store and look at the California Rolls - we think about the nori, carrots, avocado, wheat-free tamari soy sauce and cooked frozen shrimp we have at home. We decide, "let's just roll our own at home, it will be fun!" So we pick up a cucumber, wasabi powder, and some special sushi rice out of the bulk food section and off we go. And as for the granola bars - I didn't want to spend hours reading boxes to find some without soy, peanuts, nuts, or trans fat in case my daughter were to want one (which is likely), so I decide to make those myself too, and we buy some chocolate chips (for a special treat).

When we got home, I cut up the vegetables while my husband de-thawed the shrimp and put the rice in the rice cooker. A couple of his rolling tricks: (1) put the rice in a wooden bowl to cool and absorb excess water, (2) use rice vinegar (we used brown rice vinegar) to make the rice not so sticky.

I made the granola bars after dinner, which were from the "Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook" and simply involved stirring all the ingredients together (I used 1/4 c honey and 1/2 brown rice syrup) and pressing them into the cookie sheet. I also added some unsweetened shredded coconut sprinkled on top.

It did take a little longer, but it was very rewarding to make our own food at home.

My Sister's Visit - Indian Dhal (Lentils)

2007-11-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to try out some new Indian recipes when my sister came for a visit - since I think it's probably her favorite kind of food. For all of you Indian cooking experts out there, please comment and tell me how I could do better! I tried a lentil soup called "Dhal Panch-phoron" which translates to "red lentils with five-spice seasoning." The basic recipe, from "Secrets From An Indian Kitchen" by Mridvla Baljekar, is the following:

1 cup red split lentils
4 1/2 cups of water
1/2 t ground turmeric
1 t salt
2 T ghee (I used canola oil)
1/2 t five-spice mix
2-4 small dried red chilies (which I omitted)

The five-spice mix consists of 1 t cumin seeds, 1 t fennel seeds, 1 t black mustard seeds, 1 t onion seeds, and 1/2 t fenugreek seeds. Basically you simmer the lentils for about 25 minutes. The really neat part is what you do with the spices: you heat the oil in a steel ladle over the gas stove, then add the five-spice mix and chilies and let them sizzle a few minutes (until the chilies are blackened). You want to be careful to not burn the spices, you are just infusing the oil with the flavors. The aroma in the house is beautiful! Then you carefully lower the hot ladle into the lentils, and the spices spread to the whole dish. It is a wonderful technique and I'm so glad I learned it!

I improvised on my five-spice mix, just using what I had in the house: cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seed and I had to just stir in some powdered fenugreek. But it still turned out absolutely wonderful. I'm sure it would be better if I got the right spices.

Pumpkin Pie Experiment - Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

Here's an egg, dairy, refined sugar, and wheat-free pumpkin pie recipe I've devised, which has its roots from one that was in an old Martha Stewart "Pies & Tarts" cookbook.

I found vegan pie recipes on-line, but they were all made with soy (my daughter is allergic to soy). The pumpkin pie recipe in the "Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide" was made with gelatin and a refrigerated pie (no baking, except for the crust). I was determined to perfect, or come as close as I could to perfect, a pumpkin pie with no eggs, dairy, or refined sugar.

The first time I tried, I used a whole can of coconut milk and substituted the sugar with honey - and it turned out more like pudding than pie (first picture with coconut sprinkled on top). The second time (second picture) it was a much better consistency, and my sister (the avid taste-tester) said it tasted "normal."

For the crust, see the apple pie post (and just half that recipe if you only want one pie). The first crust (the filling that failed) I made with oat/millet flour, the second crust was oat/corn flour. Oat/brown rice also works too. You could use gluten-free flours for a gluten-free version. They were all tasty.

Pumpkin Pie Filling:
One 15oz can pumpkin puree (just get the one that's plain pumpkin, or make your own puree if you are so inclined)
1/2 cup coconut cream (do not shake a can of regular coconut milk...I used the Thai Kitchen brand...and skim the cream off the top of the can)
1/2 cup maple sugar
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
4 1/2 t of Ener-G-egg replacer mixed with three T of rice milk or water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer and pour into the pie shell. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool or refrigerate before serving (I let mine cool overnight in the refrigerator, which I think helps it to slice better). Also, I think that I mixed up the egg replacer with the rice milk too soon. The pie would probably rise higher if I blended the rest of the ingredients first, then mixed up the egg replacer and added that last, transferring to the pie shell and oven quickly to aid in leavening. Makes one 8" pie.

Happy Halloween - Carob Cupcakes

2007-11-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Like most moms, I really didn't want my kids eating a bunch of candy for Halloween - with enough refined sugar and chocolate (think, caffeine) it would mess up their sleep schedule and make them cranky for days. So I came up with Carob Cupcakes, my own variation of the Chocolate Cake recipe in the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook.

Cupcakes:
1/2 c safflower oil
1/2 c honey or brown rice syrup
1 t vanilla
3 t Ener-G Egg Replacer, mixed with 4 T. rice milk
3/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c oat flour
1 c brown rice flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 c carob powder
1/4 t salt
3/4 c rice milk

First beat together the oil and honey/brown rice syrup. Then add vanilla, egg replacer, and applesauce. Then I just beat in everything else all at once to save time. Pour into muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for about 17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (time will depend on how big your cupcakes are).

I made the frosting from the "Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook" too, and just used regular food coloring. If anyone knows of a "natural" food coloring, let me know, but for this Halloween I just used what I could find. We had green, orange, and yellow carob cupcakes.

Milo-Sweet Potato Muffins

2007-11-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Milo-Sweet Potato Muffins in "The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide" are exceptional. Though I suppose you would say they were a "heavy" muffin, we all eat them like dessert since they're so sweet! If you have given up refined sugar, you will know they taste sweet. If you're still a sugar-addict though, they might not be for you.

Milo is also called Sorghum. I've used Bob's Red Mill Sorghum flour for these muffins. It's a great way to use up leftover sweet potatoes, and the recipe is so basic and easy - just sweet potato, milo/sorghum flour, salt, baking soda, unbuffered vitamin C powder, and oil. I believe that sorghum would also be gluten-free. I used unbleached baking cups from Whole Foods.

Quinoa/Apple Pancakes - A Success!

2007-11-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

The headline sort of reminds me of my AQ Times writing years. A lot of headlines were "XXX - A Success!" Things have changed a lot since those good 'ol days. Anyway, these pancakes were finally "a success" after getting a non-stick griddle. I also made some adjustments to the basic recipe in "The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide." The basic recipe calls for quinoa and tapioca flour, baking soda, unbuffered vitamin C powder, cinnamon, oil, and water. I used fresh apple cider for the water, and added apple and hazelnut chunks. They were different pancakes than "normal" - the texture is a little more sticky. But they were mighty tasty and made the whole house smell like fall.

Previously I tried the quinoa/tapioca pancakes in a stainless steel fry pan, and they stuck so badly it was impossible to cook them. The non-stick griddle worked exceptionally well. When I went to buy a non-stick griddle I was shocked by how much they cost. I ended up getting one from Target.

Hot Carob Sauce

2007-10-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with a "hot fudge sauce" without chocolate, butter, milk, or sugar. How's that for completely changing an original? Anyway, here's what I've come up with so far:

1 T. Coconut Oil
3 T. Honey

Melt together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.

3 T. Better Than Milk Rice Powder (Vanilla)
2 T. Carob Powder
1/2 cup rice milk

Whisk together in a small measuring cup. Add to oil & honey in saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on low heat.

Combine 1 T. rice milk with 1/2 t. arrowroot powder. Add to saucepan, continuing to whisk ingredients together. Cook for about 1 minute longer on low heat. Continue to whisk while you allow the sauce to cool (I think this helps the coconut oil and honey mix in better.)

I put mine on regular ice cream, but you could use rice dream for a vegan dessert. Sprinkle a little unsweetened coconut on the top for crunch without using nuts.

It tasted great, the only think I found is that the sauce doesn't really "stick" to the rice or ice cream...it kind of runs off a little.

Homemade Granola - Day 4 of Rotation Diet

2007-10-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

I came up with a great granola recipe that includes most of the foods from Day 4 of the Rotation Diet in Dumke's allergy survival guide.

Angela's Homemade Granola:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup white sesame seeds (borrow from Day 3)
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup raw pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (secret tasty ingredient - my mother-in-law's idea)
1/2 cup chopped dried dates

Mix everything but the dried fruit in a bowl. Pour onto a lightly greased baking sheet and spread out. Bake 300 degrees for 10 minutes, stir, bake another 10 min, stir. Check to see if toasty brown...if not bake another 5 minutes. Cool for 2-3 minutes then put into a big bowl and stir in dates. (I remove it from the baking sheet so it doesn't cool and stick to the baking sheet). Eat warm and cool completely before putting away. I store mine in a glass Ball canning jar in the refrigerator, but it doesn't usually last long.

Kitchen Organization Advice

2007-10-23T12:43:00.001-07:00

I love great kitchen organization advice!

One great idea from my mother-in-law:
- get your cookbooks spiral bound at Staples/Office Max (they cut off the spine and put a spiral in so you can turn your pages)
- use a cookbook stand (I got a great one with a plastic shield to prevent spills from Crate & Barrel, less than $25)

Here's a few ideas I've come up with:
- pantry organization: use clear glass wide mouth quart/pint Ball/Mason Canning Jars with plastic screw top lids. Label everything. It's cheap and helps when you are cooking with several different grains and buy in bulk from the health-food store.
-I also got some nice clear glass jars from Ikea for larger items like rye and oat flakes
- use tension curtain rods and hooks wherever they will fit to create bars to hang light little utensils or measuring cups on.
-keep a spray bottle of mild dishwashing liquid (I use Ivory) mixed with water by the sink. It's useful for spraying and rinsing out big pots and pans while you're cooking, spraying and wiping counters and tables, and cleaning little spills before they become huge messes.
-I love this breadkeeper for homemade bread, well worth the $10: Progressive International Clearly Fresh Bread Keeper. I also add a little wheat gluten to my homemade bread to keep it fresher longer (not exactly allergy-free though).

Grandma's applesauce

2007-10-23T12:23:00.001-07:00

We went apple picking, like most everyone enjoying New England's harvest, and we came home with more apples than we knew what to do with.

I made some of my grandmother's applesauce -basically just a bunch of cut up apples in water to cover, then gently simmered until they become a thick applesauce (the picture shows it in the beginning, not the final product). Applesauce doesn't get any tastier or easier than this - my mother used to spend hours straining, pressing...who has time for that?

Also, I made two different apple pies (compare the allergenic from the non-allergenic in the picture above...):

My husband's (no dairy, butter, wheat, refined sugar - on the right):
Crust:
2 c oat flour
1 c yellow corn masa flour (yes, the same flour to make tortillas)
1/4 t salt
1/2 c vegetable shortening
8 T ice water
2 T safflower oil
Filling:
6 large apples
2 T oat flour
1/4 c honey
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

My daughter's (no corn, refined sugar - on the left):
Grandma's pie crust:
2 c white bread flour
1/2 t salt
2/3 c canola oil
1/3 c whole milk
(note: crust got a little brown because I baked it with my husband's which requires a higher temperature.)
Filling:
6 large apples
2 T flour
1/4 c honey
(she's sensitive to any spices)
2 T butter

Rye Waffles - Boring Rotation Diet

2007-10-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

My grandmother always used to say, "Never eat the same food all the time...eat a good variety out of the different food groups every day." The past couple of weeks we've really been working on a rotation diet. A rotation diet is where you rotate the foods you're eating (and foods in the same family) over a period of 4 days. The basic idea is to prevent the development of further food sensitivities by allowing potential allergens to clear out of your body before you introduce them again. I say, "boring" because we've just been following the standard rotation diet in "The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide" by Nicolette Dumke where all the foods are assigned to each day for four days. We haven't figured out how to incorporate our usual recipes into this rotation yet, "borrowing" foods from one day and moving them around. So we've just been eating very simple meals - broiled/roasted meat/fish, steamed vegetables, and salads.

All of the recipes in this food allergy cookbook are incredibly simple with minimal ingredients. They are easy and incorporate many different and "exotic" foods, but I've been spoiled by the gourmet taste in Cybele Pascal's allergy cookbook. I've become confident in Cybele's recipes that they will turn out, whereas in Nicolette's book I'm still uncertain. However, the pancake, waffle, and cookie recipes all include numerous combinations of grains and flours to go along with the rotation diet, and all it takes is a little more willingness to experiment.

What works: By far, our favorites in this cookbook are the tortillas, crackers, waffles and pancakes. We particularly like the rye waffles - which are just basic rye flour, baking soda, unbuffered vitamin C powder, salt, oil and water. The teff waffles turned out pretty good too (though teff flour is expensive). I tried the teff crackers and those weren't bad, they would have been a little crisper if I had rolled the dough thinner. Teff has a neat flavor - maybe it's the dark color, but it reminds me a bit of chocolate.

What hasn't worked well for us: The quinoa-tapioca pancakes seemed to stick to my stainless steel skillet (which I generally use to make pancakes), even after I used coconut oil to grease the pan. I've since bought a non-stick skillet, so I'll have to try that next time. Also, the rolled cookies sweetened with stevia just seemed like eating a bunch of flour - very crumbly and sticky. I used oat flour instead of the flours recommended...because we couldn't eat kamut, spelt, amaranth or barley. If I try rolled cookies again, I'll just go with the maple sugar ones in Cybele Pascal's book.

Easy Skillet Dinner - No Cheese, Tomato, Beef, Wheat

2007-10-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

"What's this...some kind of goulash?" I have to give my husband credit, he'll try anything. One night, I was craving an easy old-fashioned mac n' cheese skillet dinner like my family used to have when I was a kid. Remember "Hamburger Helper"? Since I gave up packaged dinners I haven't had anything like this in a while. There are lots of skillet dinner recipes out there, but most of them with tomatoes. I made up a recipe on my own - no cheese, beef, tomatoes, or wheat.

1 onion, chopped
1 lb ground buffalo (probably venison or any game would work too)
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 pkg frozen baby lima beans
2 cups of cooked winter squash (you can make this ahead of time and freeze it)
dried onion, parsley, salt & pepper to taste
brown rice spiral pasta, cooked

Brown onion with the ground meat in a large skillet. Add the carrot and zucchini, cover and cook about 10 min on medium heat, or until soft. Add lima beans, squash, and spices (you may need more water if it seems too dry) and cook covered for another 7-8 minutes. Stir in the brown rice pasta and serve.

If you can tolerate cheese, it's good with a little shredded cheese sprinkled on at the end - I used cheddar, but you could use grated Parmesan too. Otherwise, my husband adds sea salt to make up for the saltiness of cheese.

Really Cool Website

2007-09-15T19:52:00.001-07:00

I just found a great website for allergy-free cooking/baking:
http://www.cookingallergyfree.com/

It is neat because you can make a profile and check the foods you are allergic to, then a green icon will appear next to recipes you can have, and a red icon appears next to the ones that have ingredients you are allergic to.

I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but will post them if I do.

Experimenting with Tortillas

2007-08-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to branch out from The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybele Pascal that I use 90% of the time, and decided to get "The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide" by Nicolette Dumke. I began experimenting with tortilla-making. I was also tired of buying expensive corn-only tortillas at Whole Foods, and they really didn't hold together well even when I could find them. I happened upon some Instant Corn Masa flour (Maseca) at Whole Foods and now I could never go back to buying tortillas.

The corn ones turned out great. I was worried that they didn't look as perfectly round as the store-bought ones, but my husband said they tasted "yummy and homemade".

There are directions on the flour package, but basically you mix flour, salt, and water together to form a "play-dough" consistency, roll into little balls, and flatten with a rolling pin between two pieces of plastic wrap. Then, cook over medium heat for about 50 seconds on each side. You kind of have to practice a little to get the right consistency. I found it worked best to pound mine out a little with the rolling pin to get a good circle shape started before I roll, and I cover the balls with a damp paper towel so they don't dry out quickly. I like my cast iron skillet to cook them in.

The only other tortillas I've tried are the rye, and those were a little more tricky (just learning to work with the rye flour), but overall they turned out pretty good.

More updates to come on this one (I've got to look into tortilla makers, try different flours, etc). Apparently you can make tortillas out of kamut, barley, milo-arrowroot, amaranth, white sweet potato flour, rye, teff, buckwheat, yam-water chestnut flour, spelt, quinoa, cassava, oat, rice, chestnut, malanga-arrowroot, and garbanzo.

First Birthday Cake

2007-08-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

For my son's first birthday, I had to consider what kind of cake to make for him. I made one of the boxed cake mixes for my daughter's first birthday...and now I regret not baking one from scratch (even if I was going to use milk, eggs, butter, and sugar...at least it would be fresh and not contain aluminum baking powder).

I decided to make a cake our whole family could enjoy...the Orange Layer Cake from The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook. I was still concerned about my one-year-old eating honey, but figured that for as little cake as he would eat he would be alright. He's further behind his sister at eating, as he is still breastfed and we haven't pushed too much food at him given the allergies that run in the family. Although honey is still sugar, it has to be better for you than refined sugar.

This was a vegan cake...no eggs, butter, milk, wheat, refined sugar. And, I use aluminum-free baking powder in all my baking. I juiced the oranges for the fresh orange juice, and ran the peels through the juicer to get them all ground up for the zest it calls for in the recipe.

The cake itself consists generally of oat/brown rice flour, safflower oil, honey, vanilla, Ener-G-Egg Replacer (a great egg substitute), unsweetened applesauce, orange juice and orange zest. The frosting is a neat little creation using vegetable shortening, honey (and I used 1/2 the honey it called for and 1/2 brown rice syrup so it wouldn't be so sweet), vanilla, rice milk, "Better Than Milk" Vanilla Rice Powder (I found this on Amazon.com - it's like powdered sugar only better), and the zest of an orange. It was pretty hot that day and so the frosting is a little gooey and runny, but I guess that's part of the fun!

Moroccan Vegetable Tangine

2007-08-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

This recipe from the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybele Pascal turned out great in my crock pot. I also used blanched, frozen turnips and substituted a package of cooked winter squash for the 1 1/2 cups of canned tomatoes the recipe calls for. Included in this stewed creation are onions, garlic, fresh ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric (we leave out the cayenne and cinnamon), carrots, turnips, potatoes, the squash, vegetable broth, honey, zucchini, lemon juice, chickpeas, currants, saffron (I found some at Trader Joe's cheap), and salt.

Vegetable Broth

2007-08-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

I've searched for a commercially prepared vegetable broth without celery, and there's only one that my husband doesn't react to (Health Valley Fat-free Vegetable Broth). I decided to just make up batches of my own and freeze them in Ball Canning Jars. I learned my lesson about filling them too full after I broke four jars, and this time I only filled the jars with 3 cups of broth. I used 6 cups of coarsely chopped vegetables (carrots, yellow squash, leeks, green bell pepper), 1 onion, fresh parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper, garlic, fresh bay leaves, and 8 cups of water.

I just let it simmer for 2 hours, then I juice the cooked vegetables in my juicer to extract the maximum liquid and combine it with the broth. Then I let it cool, refrigerate overnight, label and freeze.

What I have to get better at is thinking ahead for when I will need it so it has time to defrost. The canning jars unfortunately won't fit in my small microwave.

Vegetables for BREAKFAST???

2007-08-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Would you like some brussels sprouts with that?

After reading "The Schwarzbein Principle...A Regeneration Process to Prevent and Reverse Accelerated Aging" we have started filling up on veggies for breakfast. The USDA recently increased the number of vegetable servings from 3-5 to 5-10. I try to make it a green non-starchy vegetable...and I've really gotten used to it.

The one we had with the peach pancakes was a fresh zucchini, onion, lima bean and chickpea salad from the August 2007 issue of Martha Stewart Living (with flaxseed oil substituted for 1 T of the olive oil).

Our favorites are: frozen steamed brussels sprouts, broccoli, or green beans. It's easy to take them out of the freezer, microwave or steam them, and eat them with your porridge, cereal, or toast.

We may not get in all the vegetables recommended in one day, but at least it's one step up from the vegetable sold to millions of Americans everyday..."would you like fries [potatoes] with that?"

Peach Pancakes with Peach Syrup - Dairy/Wheat Free

2007-08-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

I actually never used to like pancakes - my mother's pancakes always seemed a little too heavy to me (even though she's a great cook). I could only eat one and I'd feel like I would explode. I think it was the whole-wheat flour combined with milk and butter. Anyway, this version of Cybele Pascal's Peach Pancakes includes a combination of oat and rye flour. The rye flour gives them a slightly crunchy taste. Due to the high humidity today, they didn't rise/bake as well as they normally do, but we still liked them. The recipe also uses honey (to replace sugar), rice milk (to replace dairy), Energy egg replacer, and safflower oil (to replace butter).

I made the peach syrup out of the juice from the canned peaches (I made sure to buy peaches canned in pear juice, NOT the High Fructose Corn Syrup everything comes in nowdays!) I took the juice from the can and combined it with Brown Rice Syrup, an excellent substitute for sugar.

Sloppy Joe's - no wheat, tomatoes, beef

2007-08-04T04:04:00.000-07:00

I always stayed away from the Louisiana Sloppy Joe Recipe in Cybele Pascal's Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook because I didn't think it would be possible to make without tomatoes. We are used to substituting ground buffalo/bison for beef (it tastes the same and is actually much better, leaner and more tender).

But what could I substitute for tomatoes? I read on the internet to use a puree of squash, red pepper, with lemon juice. I've tried just the red pepper before but it usually turns out too sweet and watery. I tried this time pureeing in my Cuisinart Food Processor a package of thawed, frozen winter squash, one red pepper and the juice of one lemon. It turned out great and made a nice tomato paste to use in the recipe.

The recipe for the biscuits calls for oat/barley flour, but I used oat/corn masa flour so that they would contain less, maybe no, gluten.

It turned out great, it was a little spicy for our 2 1/2 year old, so if I made it again I would leave out some of the spice for hers.

PIZZA - Wheat/Yeast/Dairy/Tomato Free

2007-07-30T16:41:00.001-07:00

My latest successful creation is Wheat, Yeast, Dairy, Tomato-Free PIZZA! I never thought pizza could be done given these restrictions, but I couldn't give up trying.

Crust:
1 cup oat flour
1 cup brown rice flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
2/3 c water
1/4 c safflower oil

Toppings:
Sauce: Basil Pesto - puree basil leaves, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, and pinenuts
Cheese: Soy Cheese (I will have to find the brand name I used, this one actually melted and shredded like real cheese)
Green & Red Pepper
Artichoke Hearts
Black Olives
Onions
Nitrate-Free Deli Sliced Ham
Zucchini

Bake 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. Worked well on the Pampered Chef Pizza Stone.

Allergy-Free Cooking and Baking

2007-07-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Since my husband discovered several food allergies/sensitivities nearly 2 years ago, I have been attempting to cook and bake without wheat, yeast, cheese, tomatoes, dairy, beef, chicken, turkey, refined sugar and eggs. A recent discovery is that our 2 1/2 year old also is sensitive to soy, cinnamon and nuts. Cybele Pascal's Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook has been our saving grace, but I have had to modify many of her recipes to fit with my family's requirements.

I learned to cook with my grandmother, who always made 3 balanced meals per day with at least "one green and one yellow vegetable." We baked pies, cookies, and desserts, though nearly all of our creations were made with butter, milk, eggs, and white flour and sugar.

My ultimate goal is to cook nutritious whole-foods recipes that my whole family can enjoy, while also preserving the sense of home that my grandmother created for me through cooking and baking those traditional home-cooked meals.

I needed a space to write down my successes and failures for myself, and also in the hope that others who are on restricted diets can gain some ideas from them!