May 6, 2011
The sugar cookie craving
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Sometimes I think a little demon comes out in all of us and we want something sweet. Not caring about how unhealthy it is or what's in it, we just want to satisfy that urge inside us to gobble up a cookie or a little sinful slice of pie. Or cake. Or candy.
I just had one of those urges. I wanted a sugar cookie.
I began to gather my ingredients, and noticed the sugar canister was empty. I grabbed a new bag from the pantry, and there on the back of it was a sugar cookie recipe. I had planned on making my own reliable recipe from my book, which is what I always do, and then I thought "Let's see what the other people are making. Maybe it can be modified in some way." I always just make things up out of my head, but I thought just this one time wouldn't hurt... I could make someone else's recipe for a change and just use my own All Purpose Flour blend, etc.
Then I looked at the ingredient list. I think I may have even said "gross" out loud. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Plus I don't have "that" shortening in the house, much less the butter ‘flavored' version. And we don't have eggs in the house either. But, being me... I sat off on my adventure of making it my way... not just good, but better.
The first thing I had to start with was the egg. Nathan is way too allergic, as many of you already know. The recipe called for two tablespoons out of a whole beaten egg, and then two tablespoons of water added to that later. I decided to use golden flax seed meal and to not just mix it with water, but take it another step further and use hemp milk. Between those two, I would gain the protein back from the real egg, and also add even more omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. With too many nutrients and benefits to list here, I thought it would be the right choice in this recipe.
If you can't find hemp milk, organic soy milk or rice milk will work just as well.
Next would be replacing "that" hydrogenated, GMO soy-laden, artificially butter flavored chemical concoction with something a little more palatable. We can't use real butter because of Nathan's milk allergy, or I would have used that. Instead I used what I had, which is the next best thing in my book... Earth Balance® soy-free, dairy free margarine. Love that stuff! Shout out to the awesome people at Earth Balance... Thank you!
The required "bleached flour" was a no brainer. I used my own All Purpose Flour Blend. But, I did want to make the flavor a little richer and add more protein, so I chose to add in just a tad of quinoa flour and a tad of gar/fava flour. I was glad I did. They baked up beautifully, and were perfectly crisp but at the same time nice and soft in the center. I did end up adding more flour than the recipe called for, and the dough was still very soft even after that. I also added more salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar than the recipe called for.
So in the end, this ended up being nothing at all like the original recipe on the sugar bag, and completely my own after all. I didn't even cook them at the same temperature suggested on the bag.
Here is my take, and I hope you too will enjoy a delicious allergy-free sugar cookie. One that is healthy (er) than it would have been in the beginning. Vegan, gluten free, soy free, dairy free, nut free, peanut free, GMO-free, casein free, sesame free, demon free, non-hydrogenated, REAL goodness.
They remind me of the tea cakes my great-grandmother used to make when I was a little one... long, long ago. To me, when a flavor takes me back to a happy childhood memory, I think I've achieved something good. And when my own little ones look at me and say "Mmm!" I know I have.
Sugar Cookies:
1 tbsp. golden flax seed meal
4 tbsp. hemp milk
½ cup Earth Balance sf/df margarine
½ cup pure cane sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups Mom's All Purpose Flour
1/8 cup quinoa flour
1/8 cup Garbanzo/ Fava blend flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cream of tartar
Begin by preheating your oven to 375°F
whisk the flax seed meal and TWO tablespoons of the hemp milk together. Reserve the other two tablespoons of hemp milk, and set the mixture aside.
After a few minutes, it will begin to thicken, which is what you want to happen.
In a mixing bowl, mix the flours with the salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Blend well with a wire whisk. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, cream the sugar and margarine together until well blended.
Add in the other two tablespoons of hemp milk to the flax seed mixture, and stir to blend. Then add in the vanilla extract to this and stir.
Pour the flax mix into the sugar and margarine, and beat on medium low speed for two minutes. It should become silky and fluffy.
Pour the flour in and beat on low speed until well blended. The dough will be very soft and sticky. With a rubber spatula, scoop and form it into somewhat of a soft ball in the bowl, and set it in the freezer (still in the bowl) for five minutes.
After five minutes, spoon the dough onto an ungreased (insulated) baking sheet.
Even though this dough is soft, the cookies didn't spread in the oven. I was very pleased when I saw this.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges begin to brown. Remove them onto a cooling rack. You can sprinkle them with sugar if you want, just before placing them into the oven. I did half this way, and half without. There wasn't really that much of a difference in the two batches.
I got two dozen cookies from this recipe. Serve with a nice cold glass of hemp milk, and enjoy!
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May 1, 2011
Allergy-Free, High Protein Snack Bars
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Okay... I've had several people asking for a high protein bar that is soy free, nut free, and dairy free. To my knowledge, there just aren't any of them out there. I've looked for them over the years too. Most commercial protein bars rely on whey or soy, and there are many that contain nuts or that are processed with nut products.
But... as we all know, there IS a way. Make your own! No better way to know what's in your food than to make it yourself. But the question to me was how to find the right sources of nutrients and proteins while still keeping it healthy, low fat, and delicious.
Well, I think I've done it. These are easy to make and they really taste great. I hope you can enjoy them... They're perfect between meals and before or after a workout or hike!
Not only are they high in protein, they're also rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids, tryptophan, phosphorus, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium and manganese. They're packed with fiber, and provide a significant amount of iron.
And the best part? They have NO dairy, soy, nuts, oats, sugar, peanuts, wheat, gluten, casein, corn, sulfites, preservatives, GMOs, or sesame. They are also Vegan.
You'll need a large mixing bowl, a lightly oiled rubber spatula, a 9x9x2-inch pan, plastic wrap, and the following ingredients:
1 cup (hulled) raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup puffed millet cereal
½ cup coco crispy rice cereal
½ cup plain crispy rice cereal
¼ cup uncooked quinoa
¼ cup hulled hemp seeds
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
¼ cup crunchy Sunbutter
¾ cup brown rice syrup*
Begin by pouring all the ingredients (except the Sunbutter) into the mixing bowl, and with your rubber spatula, gently stir to combine everything together completely.
Spread HALF of the mix evenly into the (lightly oiled) pan. Press FIRMLY.
Top with the Sunbutter, and spread evenly. This step is optional, but I really love the added flavor of the sunbutter.
Add the remaining mix and spread it evenly over the top. Again, press firmly. The tighter you pack the mix in, the better your bars will hold together later.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let it set in the freezer for about an hour to harden the mix.
After the mix has hardened, carefully invert the pan to remove the mix onto a sheet of waxed paper, and cut into 5 even pieces lengthwise and then again in half, to form ten 4-inch bars.
Cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator or the freezer until ready to use. They will keep well at room temperature, but will lose their shape after a while.
You can also coat or dip them in melted chocolate for an even more decadent treat!
I like chocolate...
* About brown rice syrup :
Although it a has a low glycemic index, its sweetness comes from maltose, which could cause a blood sugar spike for some people. Keep this in mind if you are on a low-glycemic diet. If so, you could try and sub Agave. I prefer brown rice syrup because of its rich, caramel flavor and its ability to better hold the bars together.
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April 24, 2011
Chocolate Easter Eggs
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These have become an Easter tradition at our house. Nathan affectionately calls them his “Chocolate Eggs”. He can’t have the traditional chocolate bunnies and candy, so I just make it myself for him. I know there are a few places to order things on line, but we’re in Georgia. It’s pretty hot here, and the risk of things melting plus the outrageous price and shipping costs make this way much more appealing.
Here’s how we do it…
Start with the following ingredients:
1 tbsp. honey
½ cup No Stir Sunbutter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cups Crispy rice cereal (I use Erewhon)
¼ cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
1 ½ tsp. Spectrum organic palm shortening
Combine the Sunbutter with the honey and then stir in the powdered sugar. It will get really thick, which is what you want to happen. You’ll be shaping this into eggs later.
Put the cereal in a plastic zipper bag and roll it with a rolling pin until it’s completely crushed and in a fine crumb form. Add this into the Sunbutter mix, and form into eight uniform balls, and then shape the balls into eggs. Lay these onto a sheet of wax paper. Place them in the freezer to harden up a bit while you prepare your chocolate.
Melt the chocolate chips and the shortening together in a deep, microwave safe dish, stirring in 30 second intervals. You can also do this in a pan over the stove. Stir the chocolate until smooth.
Remove the eggs from the freezer and stick a toothpick into the larger end of each one. Dip the eggs into the chocolate mix and allow any excess to drizzle back into the bowl.
Arrange back onto the wax paper, and return to the freezer to harden for about 10 minutes. You can also sprinkle them at this point, if you want… with pastel sugars, etc. just before putting them into the freezer.
Remove from the freezer when ready, and remove the toothpicks. Serve these just before eating them, because the chocolate melts quickly. They should be just the right size for one good bite.
CHOMP!
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March 23, 2011
Banana Pudding Smoothies
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Ahhhh... Atlanta. Home of the Braves, Delta, peanuts, Coke, and Chick-fil-A! All of which unfortunately are forbidden in the world of wheat and peanut anaphylaxis, but still home to me.
I was driving through town the other day, and spotted a sign on one of those gleaming little restaurants that read "Banana Pudding Milkshake". That sounds good, but milk anaphylaxis would prohibit that too. Then, the wheels of my allergy-free obsessed mind began to turn, twirling faster and faster. They then started to spin into the out of control stage. I had to get home and make that thing. My way. And I did.
It was good.
And now, as I sit here typing, my lip proudly wears a smoothie mustache, and I share my creation with you... Allergy free.
Enjoy.
Banana Pudding Smoothies:
2 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into slices (save a couple for garnish)
One 6- ounce carton of plain So Delicious® Coconut Yogurt
One cup chilled rice milk
4 Enjoy Life Foods® Snickerdoodles
Break two of the snickerdoodles into pieces, and add all the other ingredients into a blender, adding the cookies last. Blend only for a few seconds... DO NOT over blend, or else you'll lose the cookie and banana pieces and it won't be as close to banana pudding as it could be. Pour into glasses and garnish with the remaining cookies and banana slices.
And also in Atlanta... peaches! You can sub peaches for the bananas and have a peach cobbler smoothie. This I will try next, and it will make it into the next book.
Until then, enjoy your smoothies. This recipe makes two 8 ounce, or four 4 ounce smoothies. Or if you're like me, go ahead and enjoy a nice, big 16-ouncer. Ouncer? Is that a word? It works.
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March 14, 2011
Allergy Test Results/ Follow-Up On The Duck Egg Episode
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Okay... after the whole duck egg episode and a week later, the nurse from the allergist's office called me back. A little late, but I was still glad they returned the call. She said she had spoken with the Doctor, and he recommended not trying the duck eggs.
I began to tell her I had baked banana bread with them and was going to try them that way, since I had heard the proteins would be altered in the baking process. I reiterated that I wanted to know if the Doctor thought they would be altered enough to try, based on Nathan's specific test results. She said yes, that the Dr. had said it would probably be okay, but not to try it. I went on to explain what I did with the band-aid on his leg, and was attempting to tell her about the conversation which included the go ahead from our regular pediatrician. She interrupted, and did not let me finish my sentence. She seemed very irritated that I was even taking up her time, and told me that if she had known I was going to give it to him anyway she never would have even asked the Doctor anything, and wouldn't have had to call me back.
Well... I never even told her I didn't give him any, or the full story of what actually happened. Unfortunately, I wasn't given the chance. That, coupled with the fact that she has cut me off this way in the past, and refused to document what I was telling her, washes out any qualifications of a good doctor. We have been seeing this staff and physician for almost five years now. It would be nice if they made eye contact with Nathan, and if they knew his name when we walked in, that would go a long way too.
Then of course there's the whole thing about the lady at the front desk's severe Facebook distraction, but I won't go there.
That's okay. We found another allergist. We went in with an open mind to our first appointment and were greeted with a very cheerful staff, and a fresh-faced doctor with a pleasant bed-side manner.
She ordered a RAST test, and requested his records for comparison. That test and its results, my friends, are what this blog is about. First I'll try my best to explain how the test works, and what it actually means, and then I'll share the results. Keep in mind too, that these are only the foods she tested for. There are other foods we know he is allergic to that we didn't test for.
Here goes...
The body produces a number of immunoglobulins, or immune antibodies, which make up the immune system. The main two immune antibodies that are considered allergy related or food-intolerance related are the IgE and the IgG. The IgG antibodies are more commonly associated with food sensitivities and milder symptoms (although they can still make life miserable). The IgE antibodies are associated with true allergic reactions, which is what Nathan has.
A normal IgE level is between 0-60, but they can safely be as high as 500. Nathan's was 2,124.
A normal number, "class", or level of a specific allergen is 0.05-0.07 (less than one), meaning there is no allergy there. After levels increase to 2.50, there is a true, developed allergy to that specific protein. You can judge by numbers then, on how severe a reaction could potentially be to a specific protein, by knowing what "class" it is in, or what the "number" for that food is. The higher the number,the more severe the allergy.
Anaphylactic shock can occur, if based on this system, around 15-30. I know this, because Nathan went into anaphylactic shock from wheat, which we then discovered was 24 (twenty-four point zero). The highest number the test can interpret is 100 (one hundred point zero) and it cannot read any further. It will just read "greater than" after 100, but that's rare anyway, so there really is no need to go any higher I guess.
Again, 0.05-0.07 means normal... no allergy, 2.50 means there is a definate allergy there.
Here are Nathan's results:
Egg yolk: 2.92
Egg white: 12.37
Egg, whole: 14.70
Shrimp: 0.19 (he has never eaten this)
Peanut: Greater than 100 (he has never eaten this)
Almond: 2.46 (he has never eaten this)
Cashew nut: Greater than 100 (he has never eaten this)
Barley: 14.31
Milk (cow): 22.90
Pecan: 19.72 (he has never eaten this)
Rye: Greater than 100 (he has never eaten this)
Wheat: Greater than 100
She said Nathan was a "remarkable" case, and referred him to a Doctor at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, which is an Emory affiliate. I have lots of questions, beginning with "Why are there foods that are greater than 100, if he has clearly never eaten or been exposed to them?" Hopefully, I will get some answers.
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February 7, 2011
Nathan and the duck eggs
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No duck eggs!
First I have to say I am NOT condoning home allergy testing. Repeat. I am NOT condoning home allergy testing. I do not encourage home food challenges in any form without the advice of a qualified health care specialist.
Now, on to my story about Nathan and the duck eggs:
On my regular trip to our local farm to get meat, I had a brainstorm. Duck Eggs! I wonder if Nathan could have duck eggs? He's anaphylactic to hen eggs, but he has never been tested for duck eggs. He's had vaccinations that contained duck egg, and he didn't have an allergic reaction to that, so what if I tried baking banana bread with them? I have always heard that some people with egg allergies are able to tolerate them in baked goods. It supposedly alters the protein.
Being me, I bought half a dozen and thought I would try it. If he couldn't have them, I would save them for his sister, who desperately misses eggs for breakfast. We haven't had eggs in the house in years.
Also being me, I called the allergist first, to see what he had to say about it. He wasn't there (this was Friday) but the nurse said she would have him call me on Monday to let me know what he thought. I’m impatient with him most of the time, so I called our regular pediatrician. She said to go ahead and try, but to have the epi-pen ready just in case. She of course has all his records there, and is very familiar with his unique situation.
Over the weekend, I pondered over whether or not to go through with my plan. Did I really want to risk anaphylactic shock? No. I didn’t want to put him through that. So I waited to hear back from the allergist. I’m still waiting. I wonder how long it will be before he’ll call. It’s almost 5pm on Monday.
I decided to go ahead with my instincts and start the bread, but before I fed it to him I wanted to make sure he didn’t have a contact reaction. Hives on the skin mean a sure chance of an allergic reaction from ingestion, right? Even if the proteins do change once they’re baked in something, I wouldn’t give it to him if he had a contact reaction. That’s too risky.
Sooooo… I grabbed a band-aid, dipped my finger into the egg and swiped it on there, and stuck it to his leg. Then, I thought I’d wait 15 minutes, look at it, and see how it was doing. And I did. Except I didn’t even get to 5 minutes and he was already calling me over because it was itching. The site was red, hot, and was beginning to form a small blister in the center. I removed the bandage, wiped it with a wet cloth, and pulled his pant leg over it.
I waited another 5 minutes and looked at it again, to see if it had worsened any. Here’s what it looked like. It had been 10 minutes total. I put a dime on his leg so you can tell the size of it. I washed it with soap and water, then applied hydrocortisone cream to it.
So, no eggs! No chicken eggs, no duck eggs, no platypus or turtle eggs, and no snake or dinosaur eggs either. Now we know. And if the allergist ever returns my call, I’ll tell him all about it. I’m sure he’ll be most interested. Hmmm...
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January 25, 2011
Fire Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
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It’s been a while since I’ve had the time to blog about anything. Hopefully this will be worth waiting for… I baked Fire Roasted Vegetable Lasagna for dinner tonight! It ended up being really good, so I thought I’d share. Here’s how I did it…
It’s no secret I’m a big Daiya fan, and I thought what better way to take advantage of this unbelievable new cheese than to incorporate it into my Lasagna recipe (page 77-78). I just used it instead of the (other) cheese in the book’s recipe.
I used Tinkyada lasagna sheets, but DeBoles also makes a good sheet that doesn’t have to be cooked. I’ve used them before too, with good results. You could probably use wheat pasta sheets too, but that’s taboo around our house.
Basically what I did was take the exact same recipe from the book, but instead of the meat sauce, I used a 12 ounce bag of frozen Three Pepper and Onion Blend vegetables, and about half a cup of frozen spinach. You could probably cut the vegetables fresh, and it would be even better. I drizzled a little olive oil onto a baking sheet, and evenly laid the vegetables on the sheet, seasoned with salt and pepper, and then a little more olive oil. Then, I put the vegetables under a high broiler flame (about 6 inches from the fire) and let them broil until they were slightly charred. It took about 10 minutes for this to happen in my (gas) oven.
I did do a couple of other things differently… I omitted the canned tomatoes and just used a jar of pasta sauce instead, and I had about 3 cups of Mozzarella Daiya, mixing ½ cup of it into the tofu “ricotta” mix. The remainder, I sprinkled over the very top of the casserole. Here’s a picture of the “ricotta” mix with the Daiya.
I started with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy casserole dish (not metal this time) and then put down a layer of noodles. Then, I placed a nice layer of the vegetables, “ricotta” mix, and pasta sauce over them. I repeated this one more time to make two nice, thick layers. I ended with a generous topping of pasta sauce and then the remaining Daiya.
In the oven, which I had preheated to 400◦F, I baked the lasagna (uncovered) for 20 minutes, and then broiled it for about 10 more minutes, just enough to brown the top of the cheese.
I then let it sit out of the oven for about 25 or 30 minutes to cool a bit before cutting it. You don’t really have to do this, but it holds its shape better if you let it cool first. It won’t really affect the flavor either way.
Here's a picture of the final dish just before it went into my belly. Fresh basil ribbons would add a lot but I didn't have any, since this was one of those "whim things" I do sometimes. The kids liked it and so did the hubby. Of course I liked it too, because it was pretty easy. I hope you and your family can enjoy it, too!
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December 1, 2010
Warm, Comforting, Bread Pudding
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Bread pudding? Yes. Delicious, gluten free goodness, made without dairy, eggs, nuts, or any of the other major food allergens. A dream? Maybe... still waiting to be pinched. This will be wonderful for the Holiday Season. I hope you all enjoy it.
Let’s start with the bread, because that’s the most important part of this dish.
I used my recipe for Sandwich Bread (page 115) because to me, it’s just right for this recipe. I’m not meaning to sound arrogant, it’s just that I’ve tried a lot of gluten-free breads out there, and some of them, not all of them, are just “not so hot” at best… sorry. I haven’t really tested this recipe on any other breads, but if you have a favorite gluten-free, allergy-friendly bread you like to use, you may be able to substitute. I cannot however, be responsible for the outcome if it’s not good, so please don’t be upset with me if you substitute and the recipe doesn’t turn out good. But... if you DO have a good experience with another bread, please leave a comment and share it with us!
When I made this particular loaf, I used rice milk to keep it completely free of all the eight major allergens. You can however, use soy milk. It will turn out exceptionally well with soy milk. With rice milk, what I do when I have them, is add two tablespoons of hulled hemp seeds and process it into a blender together. The hemp seeds will become one with the milk, so you don’t have to worry about biting into a seed. This adds needed binding proteins, but it also adds tremendous nutrition. Just a tip.
Once your bread has been made and has set out for a day or two, cut the loaf in half, and then again into thick, 1-inch slices.
 
Then, cut each slice into 1-inch cubes. Place these in a bowl and set aside. You should have 6 cups of bread cubes, so if half the loaf isn’t quite enough, cut a little more.
Preheat your oven to 400◦F.
Then, whisk these following ingredients together in a sauce pan:
3 cups cold rice milk
½ cup light brown cane sugar, packed
¼ cup Rumford® corn starch, mixed with 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (you could try substituting tapioca or potato starch for a corn allergy)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Once this is mixed well, add in ¼ cup Earth Balance® soy-free dairy-free margarine.
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the margarine is melted and the sauce is slightly thickened (enough to coat the whisk). This stage should take about 8 minutes to reach.
Sprinkle ½ cup of raisins over the bread cubes.
Carefully pour the hot pudding sauce over the bread and gently stir to coat all the cubes.
Let this sit for two minutes, and then pour it into a casserole dish. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes.
Let stand out of the oven for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm.
You can print this recipe here for easy reference. Enjoy! J
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November 18, 2010
Quick Stuffing Recipe
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Here's a really easy recipe I've come up with that's great for Thanksgiving. It makes just enough stuffing to fill an 8 to 10 pound turkey, or if you want, you can bake it in the oven as I'll demonstrate here, and serve it as an accompanying side dish. As it is written, it serves around 4 people as a side.
Let's start with bread. Good bread. Really good gluten free, egg free, dairy free, nut free bread. I used my favorite recipe for Sandwich Bread, from my book. You could use it or any other compatible allergy-friendly bread, but if you do use another, I'm not sure how it will turn out, since I've only tested it with mine. You need good, quality bread that will hold its shape and bake up nicely while absorbing the flavors, and not one that will dissolve and turn into a thick mess. Gluten-free breads are tricky like that with this type of dish.
I always save my end pieces and odd slices from the loaf for croutons. I happened to have some in the freezer that were already cubed, so I measured out 3 cups worth and placed them frozen, into a 6-inch, oven-safe casserole dish (I use corning ware).
Once you have your frozen bread cubes in the dish, begin preheating your oven to 400 Degrees F.
Top the bread cubes with the following ingredients and give it a little stir:
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin)
1 cup organic, free range chicken broth (Imagine and/or Pacific are good brands. I used Pacific for this recipe.)
Place the stuffing in the center of the oven and bake covered, for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the cover, and bake another 10 to 12 minutes uncovered. Let stand for a minute or two before serving.
This Sandwich Bread recipe is great for all sorts of things other than sandwiches. This is just one of the many uses I've put it to. As a matter of fact, I'm posting my Bread Pudding in December as the Recipe of the Month. Stay tuned for a real gluten-free, allergen-free treat with that one! Let your mouth water and your tummy prepare for total December YUM!
See you then, and until... Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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November 4, 2010
Crab Cakes!
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Yes, I DO know that crab (shellfish) is a major, severe allergen. Now that I've said that, please give me a chance to explain this recipe.
These CAN be made without the crab (read on) and they are completely free of the following major food allergens: wheat, gluten, egg, milk, soy, corn, sesame, peanut, and tree nuts.
I have tried to keep all my published recipes free of ALL the top eight major food allergens, and that is the main reason this one is not making it as a featured Recipe of the Month. Having said that, my son cannot have shellfish, so I made a batch just for him with tuna (he can have regular ocean fish) and another time I made his with Apple Gate oven-roasted turkey from the deli. Both times they were great! He actually liked the turkey better than the tuna. He said the tuna was too salty. I also thought about using cod the next time I make them for him.
In the end, some of you may be able to have shellfish but not the other things crab cakes are made with. These were just TOO good not to share, and so here's how I did it...
I started with two batches of my Easy Bread Crumbs, but I didn’t put the Italian seasoning in for this recipe. This gave me a tad over a cup total. I divided them in half, spreading ½ cup over a work surface for coating the cakes. I sat the remainder aside to add to the mix.
Next, I used ¼ cup of potato flour (not potato starch) and added a cup of water. And my secret weapon… one teaspoon of Mountain Rose Herbs season salt. If you don’t have this, you could substitute Old Bay Seasoning. Whisk all this together well, to remove any dry lumps of potato flour. You could probably use left-over mashed potatoes instead, but I didn’t have any. The potato flour worked perfectly for me.
Then to this, add in ½ cup of finely minced bell pepper, and ¾ cup diced celery. I use the leaves, too. They add tremendous flavor! Throw in the reserved bread crumbs and stir.
At this stage, I took out about half a cup and put it into a separate bowl for Nathan’s cakes. I mixed a can of tuna into it, and proceeded with the rest of the recipe the same way. The second batch, as I mentioned earlier, I used turkey. Both worked fine.
To our cakes, I added 8 ounces of claw crab meat. Mix all this together and form cakes.
Coat each cake (on both sides) in the bread crumbs and place into a cast iron skillet, preheated to 350 degrees, with about ½ inch of sunflower oil. Fry until golden brown (about 4 to 5 minutes per side) and turn only once.
Serve with whatever sides you want… we had slaw and organic corn with ours one time, and a garden salad another time. This recipe makes eight hearty-sized cakes, including the "Nathan-friendly" batch.
Remember if you’re doing separate batches to accommodate someone with a shellfish allergy, ALWAYS coat and fry theirs FIRST, to avoid cross-contamination. Allergic reactions are NOT pretty! If you’re extra diligent to avoid accidental exposure, you will end up with a happy camper like THIS ONE! J
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October 29, 2010
Happy Halloween!
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It's that time of year again... Time for all allergy moms of the world to get out the aprons and bake safe goodies for the entire classroom so their child can feel like part of the party. Fun, right?
It is fun. It's all good, unless you're like me and try to do too many things at once instead of doing all you can one time. I have been about as busy as I can be the past three days.
Stress in the kitchen? Me? Nah! I just forgot to put the FLOUR in the cupcakes, that's all. Seriously... I did. It's crazy.
Here's a yummy batch of cupcakes for you to try for your Halloween party. Considering the fact I had to add the flour AFTER I put them in the oven, they turned out fabulous. ;o)
I used my recipe for "Chocolate Cake", which makes 24 cupcakes. I didn't use Bob's Red Mill in this recipe though. There is a child with a legume allergy in Nathan's class. I used my own blend, and I'll be posting that recipe next month. Stay tuned for that! :) I also used my "Cake, Cupcake, and Cookie Frosting" recipe (the soy-free version) and and piped it through a pastry bag (with a broken tip I had no patience for, btw) then topped them with orange sprinkles and Enjoy Life chocolate chips. I thought it made a spooktacular looking treat. That broken tip just added its own unique charm to it all.
Oh, and the sprinkles? I used Wilton's Orange Sugar sprinkles. They are allergen-friendly and they use pure cane sugar. None of that sugar beet stuff we're all staying away from right now. They DO use artificial color though, so keep that in mind. You can call them to check for your specific allergens. They were very friendly and personable with me over the phone.
Here's the finished product. Happy Halloween!!!
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October 2, 2010
Healthy Junk Food?!?
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There really is no reason not to enjoy a delicious sweet treat and at the same time make it healthy. Everyone wants chocolate or candy or just something sweet every now and then. Bon-bons are good and so are truffles, but if you're allergic to milk, soy or nuts, it's just plain hard to find something like that without breaking the bank!
You can make these easy little goodies yourself, for next to nothing. Everyone with food allergies probably has every single one of these ingredients in their pantry right now, and it all starts with an overly ripe banana. Don't throw them out! Peel them and cut them into slices, and freeze them in an airtight container until you're ready to use them. And what better way to use them than with this recipe! My kids loved these, and they LOVED helping make them.
Now, you don't have to use frozen bananas; you can use fresh. But we thought having them frozen added extra glam to it all.
I used Enjoy Life® chocolate chips. They're free of everything but yummy chocolate, and are made in a dedicated facility. I also used Spectrum® palm oil shortening. Any shortening would probably work, but if you're avoiding soy, GMOs, and hydrogenated oils, then Spectrum is the right choice for you. Their palm oil is harvested in a responsible, "orangutan friendly" way, and is organic. I also used Erewhon® brand rice crispies. They are made with pure, clean rice, and no soy.
For extra merit and nutrition, I threw in a few hulled hemp seeds, but you don't really have to do that if you can't find them. The flax meal adds a good enough amount of nutrients and Omega oils all by themselves.
One more noteworthy thing before I go into the recipe... I rolled my crispies, hemp, and flax in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin, but my four-year old was quick to point out that there are more creative ways to "smoosh" them and still get the desired results (wink) so your kids might like being handed this chore.
And now without further ado, here is my recipe for (appropriately named in part by my nine-year-old)...
Burrrrrr-nana Bite Truffles
Ingredients:
2 or 3 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup golden flax seed meal
2 tbsp. hulled hemp seeds (optional)
3/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
2 tsp. palm shortening
Toothpicks
Directions:
Place the rice cereal, hemp seeds, and flax meal together in a zip lock bag. With a rolling pin, firmly press and roll the bag, flipping every so often until all the contents are a fine crumb. Empty this into a dish that will be suitable for dipping your bananas slices in, and set aside.
Next, melt your chocolate chips and palm shortening together, stirring to ensure the two are well incorporated. If you want you can do this in the microwave, in a glass container.
Stick a toothpick into one end of a banana slice, and dip it into the chocolate. Allow any excess chocolate to drip away into the chocolate pot, and transfer to the bowl of cereal coating. Roll to coat. Repeat this until all bananas are used.
Store them in the freezer until you're ready to eat them.
ENJOY!
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September 30, 2010
Applegate Farms is changing the way we eat meat
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When our son was 7-months-old, I innocently handed him his first teething biscuit. Within 30 minutes, he was in the Emergency Room, blue, swollen, and fighting for his life. No, he didn’t choke on the biscuit; his body went into anaphylactic shock from its ingredients.
We found out through medical testing, he has a severe allergy to wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, and a list of other foods that he has since “lost” from avoidance and a pure, clean diet.
I’m far from perfect… I was a mother that fed her daughter peanut butter crackers and Gushers for snack and Chicken Mc Nuggets, Lunchables, or hot dogs for her lunch (thank you very much) and didn’t think twice about it. She was fine, and why should I care about the things I may have heard about healthy foods? She got all her calcium, protein and vitamins. She ate plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, grains, and meat, and everything was fine… until I had my son. I quickly learned then, that it wasn’t necessarily what we were eating, but what was IN what we were eating.
It’s funny to me now, how it seems to take someone we love (or ourselves) getting sick before we consider what we’re putting into our bodies. In my case, my child pretty much would have lost his life that morning if I hadn’t gotten such prompt medical attention, and it was from something he ate. Why was his body rejecting this food? What was in there that could be causing this reaction, and what was going on in his body to cause it to shut down in such a way from food?
Our family now eats very differently. Nathan is thriving, and my daughter Sara, is too. As a matter of fact, her early complaints of “my tummy hurts” and her blood sugar issues have gone away, and she’s bright and beautiful. People are beginning to open up to the possibility of fending for themselves at dinner time, and becoming less and less dependent on processed and pre-made foods. Unfortunately, it’s usually because someone has become ill, and has had to take a closer look at his or her lifestyle.
I have long been a supporter of Applegate Farms. It’s no secret… I recommend them in my book and here on my website as well. And no, they don’t sponsor me. No one does. LOL
I’m thrilled though, to share this new concept they’ve come up with for tracing your meat. They have implemented a “barn code” system that allows you to “meet your meat”. This is a brilliant, revolutionary idea that I hope everyone will soon grasp and run with. If not, I can at least know those who don’t let me see where my food comes from are the ones I don’t want in the mouths of my children.
KUDDOS (again) to you Applegate Farms, for leading industry in “changing the meat we eat” and if your local grocer’s deli case doesn’t carry it, demand it!
Click here to learn more...
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September 22, 2010
Quinoa sushi?
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First and foremost, I need to start this blog by saying this recipe was not my idea. Genius deserves credit... and I took this from an article in HLife, which you can see here. Good to get that out of the way.
Now, I do have a recipe in my book for "No Sea Sushi" but when I saw this one, I couldn't help but wonder WHY I had never thought of it myself. I mean, quinoa is in my pantry all the time and our whole family loves sushi, so you would think I'd have considered it. But alas, I have not... until now.
We have a severe nut allergy at our house, so I did have to tweak it a bit. I omitted the cashews, and pistachios. I also omitted the tahini (I was out) and instead I made my own sort of wasabi "sauce" by substituting hemp seeds, and adding in a few sprinkles of real wasabi powder to the mix. It was really grand. Good call. I put a generous spread inside the rolls, and had plenty left over for a side dip too.
I also used organic alfalfa sprouts, and not the onion sprouts or pea sprouts, but that's only because that's all I had in the fridge.
I did find the quinoa a little more difficult to work with than rice, even with wet fingertips. After a couple of rolls, I decided to leave the nori sheets on the bottom. Much easier!
Another thing I would change if I make this again is the amount of lime juice. It was delicious, but I think I'd half the amount this recipe calls for. I had a smidge left in the bowl that the shitake mushrooms weren't able to absorb, and it was just a bit too "puckery" for our family.
All in all, this is a very share-worthy recipe. And with the few simple substitutions I made, it was wheat and gluten-free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, corn free, sesame free, nut and peanut free, and free of shellfish and fish. The Nori is a sea vegetable, so if you're concerned with that, you could tinker with omitting it. I used a wheat-free tamari to dip mine, but it does contain soy, so I didn't use it inside the rolls. You would want to omit that for a soy allergy.
I'll definitely make this again, but I'll allow myself a little more time next go-'round. It took a while.
Hope you guys can enjoy it, too.
Did I mention this recipe was not my idea? You can view and create it for yourself in all its beautiful entirety here.
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September 9, 2010
The Carrot Cake Blog
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For those of you who have my book, this is a blog about Nathan's Carrot Birthday Cake (pg 138). With the holidays and Fall season coming up before we know it, this is a great cake to have. It's even better the second day after you make it, and it makes a good breakfast cake. As a matter of fact, I'm eating a slice right now!
When I first made this cake, I was desperate. Nathan had already celebrated his first birthday without a cake, and I thought it was the worst thing ever. Of course it wasn't, but I sure felt like it was at the time. Back then you couldn't find cake mixes (that I knew of) or a pre-made cake without using wheat flour, eggs, spelt, rye, barley, milk, butter, or any dairy for that matter, and soy. It just didn't happen. So how the heck do you make one? Well as I say in the book, that's just what I set out to find out, and I did it. So then came the inspiration for the entire cookbook. The rest is history, except the food allergies. They're not yet history. Bummer...
Yesterday was my oldest brother's birthday. He has spent the past six years teaching in China, and his wife is actually still there right now. I wanted to do something special for him, so I set off to make a birthday dinner. I thought... "You know I really should make a cake." I was about to make the good old reliable Chocolate Cake (Recipe of the Month for November'09) and then I remembered the carrot cake. I also had a lot of carrots in the fridge that needed to be used, so... carrot cake it is! I doubled the recipe and made a four layer cake for Nathan's birthday, but last night I just did the single recipe formula, which makes a nice two-layer. I used the Cake, Cupcake, and Cookie Frosting recipe (page 132).
Now the main reason I'm blogging about this is to give you the alternatives I used. I was out of oat flour, grape seed oil, and raisins, but I had everything else. Instead of the oat flour, I substitued equal parts of sorghum flour. A lot of you have said you can't use oats, so this is a good option for you. I also used sunflower seed oil instead of the grapesed oil, same amount. The raisins, I though I'd just omit altogether, but I actually added about a half a cup of hulled hemp seeds instead. That really added to it, I think. I may do it every time now. The batter was thick. It's a really thick, dense batter anyway by the way... don't let that freak you out when you make it...but I think this batter was even thicker than the batter in the book. I didn't add any extra rice milk. Instead, I just spread it evenly into the pan with a rubber spatula and waited to see what would happen in the oven. I'm somewhat adventurous like that.
It was good. Real good. I think if I'd added more liquid, I would have had to adjust the baking time. It also didn't rise very much, but that was A-ok... it's a carrot cake. To me, carrot cake should be dense and moist. This one is just that. Here's a picture of it... Try it and let me know what you think! I think we have a good thing here, over all.
Happy Fall!
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