hello, lonely blog, would you feel better if i put a recipe in your tummy?
by request, and by my own excitement, i give you a sweet and sour chicken dish that is allergy-friendly (well, depending on your allergy because some of you all are super-freaks.) chinese takeout, once filled a hole in my soul, right up there with tator tot cassarole on the comfort food scale, but when soy became my nemesis, obviously EVERYTHING on that menu was OUT. so i spent some time, learning to make fried rice and beef with broccoli at home since it was something we could all eat. recently, mayan added eggs back into her diet with great success, and now more windows are opening up for us. i decided that a true crispy, sticky sweet and sour chcken was in order, since the nourishing traditions recipe didn't not possess that take-out quality that i so desire. this may not qualify as health food, but i made it as healthy as possible.
so it is gluten-free, soy-free, corn-free, dairy-free, and nightshade-free. check it:
2-4 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
1-2 eggs
1/2 cup rice flour (i used brown but whilte might be finer, if gluten is not an issue just use wheat!)
1/2 tapioca flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspooon garlic powder
black pepper
-add the flours, salt, garlic powder, and pepper to a large ziploc bag, and mix--set aside. beat the egg or eggs in a pie dish, then add the chicken chunks to coat. pick out the chicken pieces and throw into the flour mixture. seal up bag with a little air, and shake, baby, shake! make sure all of the pieces are well coated with flour.
-heat 1/2 inch of oil for frying (whatever you like: peanut, canola are my faves) and fry until the pieces are golden brown and cooked through, turning if you need to. (if the heat is med-high, the chicken will absorb less oil.) remove from oil and place on paper towels. keep warm until ready to serve.
while the pieces are frying, take a small saucepan and add:
(this should make enough for 2-3 chicken breasts, but double it if you are using 4)
3 TB apple cider or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 TB Rapadura (whole cane sugar--Rapunzel brand makes this) or mixture of brown and white sugar
1 TB tapioca flour
1/2 cup of water
1 1/2 TB oil of choice
-bring to a boil and stir until thick, about 5 minutes. the Rapadura gives it a nice dark color.
finally transfer your golden crispy chicken pieces to a platter and pour the sweet and sour sauce over, toss if you'd like or don't leaving some areas more saucy than others, so family members can choose how much they want. you can also keep a little extra sauce on the table for those that like it really saucy.
optional: sprinkle chopped green onions over the dish for a little crunch and presentation. serve over steamed or fried rice. also a GREAT time to make LUMPIAS, since you have the hot oil and dipping sauce already done:D
Showing posts with label food allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food allergies. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Thursday, November 5, 2009
lumpias!
.....are freaking delicious. ever had one? they are like lighter, crispier egg rolls packed usually with tender meat and tasty vegetables. these irresistible delights made their way into our family history at some point, and i did some asking around to find out exactly how by talking to my mom and sister.
i've always known that the mere word "lumpia" caused a sparkle in the eye or a lick of the chops whenever it was muttered by a family member. apparently, in ketchikan, the small island in southeast alaska, where my parents were raising their four children (me being the youngest), had a fair-sized filipino population. my mom's comparison was that the lumpia to filipinos are like what a taco is to hispanics. she was introduced to them by her brother kerry's wife, teresa, who was half-filipino. what my sister and i remember was that finding the lumpia wrappers, the ultra-thin crepe-like piece that holds all the filling, was a special treat because the wrappers were not available that we knew of on the island. so if someone in the family, like my dad or aunt, were going to visit seattle, they would try and bring back the wrappers, and then a lumpia feast would ensue. my mom and i wondered if either we didn't know about the "local lumpia wrapper source" or if the local filipino families were just making them from scratch. hard to believe because they are so incredibly thin and delicate to handle. my mom told me that when her brother passed away, and teresa remarried she was kind enough to invite our family to the wedding. there teresa's filipino relatives cooked all the food for the wedding, including piles and piles of lumpias which they fried right there in front of the hungry guests.
this was all just a mere memory for me though since i was five when we left alaska and six when we settled in bend--and remained for over 20 year. by the time i was grown, i was aware of what had become really "the legend of the lumpia" but had never made them myself, i assume since no markets in bend carried that rarity of the wrapper. i recall once, on a road trip in my late teens, stopping at a cafe on the coast for brunch, and seeing, amidst the normal omelette and benedict fare, a special sheet announcing the available lumpias! i excitedly explained to my traveling companion about the elusive fried treat. i can't remember actually eating them there, so either i ordered them and they were unremarkable or i stuck to my french toast and tight budget.
fast forward to last year, here in portland, where i decided i wanted to start a chinese new years feast tradition and have all of my favorite chinese-american dishes, which i am unable to eat now due to The Allergy. (my basic approach to cooking foods that normally contain soy is substitute it with a fraction of salt.) this led to an exploration of the vast array of asian food markets along S.E. Powell Boulevard. i found this to be an awesome cultural experience, if not somewhat dizzying due to the huge selection of products with unreadable labels. blake and i realized that (if you don't care about whether your food is organic) a $20 bag of groceries gets you days of delicious meals, our favorite being our homemade seafood ramen that we've been prefecting over the last year.
back to my original plan, the best market we found is called An Dong Market on S.E. Powell and 55th, and it has everything from two aisles of noodles, a clean and exotic (to us) meat department, and fresh produce popular to chinese cooking. while shopping for my chinese new year feast, i meandered past the freezer section, and lo and behold, what do my eyes land upon but a box of lumpia wrappers! i was tickled and for only three dollars a box, i snatched one up. since my mom and dad were the guest of honors to our first attempt at this new tradition, i was excited to show my mom what i'd found. she helped me through the process of the delicate wrapping and gave me tips about stacking them so they don't stick together, and even fried them up. they were just as good as everyone had remembered--it was very hard to stop eating them!!
three nights ago, when we were preparing to satisfy another ramen fix, i decided to grab another box, and whip up some lumpias to go along. this time, feeling more free about what should go into them. i have both the recipe my mother has passed on from teresa, and the recipe from the back of the box (including the sweet and sour sauce which is so good for dipping!). the recipe i have settled on is somewhat between the two, but this is one of those things that really, once you are comfortable, is a flexible, whatever-is-on-hand type of food, and doesn't require specific measurements.
*****
first i give you the original recipe that came through our family, from teresa:
*chicken breasts
-boil the breasts until done, then cool, and finely dice. set aside.
*vegetable oil for sauteing
*bean sprouts
*green cabbage, finely chopped or shredded
*carrots, grated
*green onion, chopped
-saute the vegetable in the oil. also add:
*dash of garlic salt
*soy sauce, to taste
-when soft, remove from heat, drain, add chicken to mixture, and let cool.
when the filling is cool, take your thawed wrappers, and one by one gently separate, fill with large spoonful of mixture, and wrap, wetting the last bit to seal. keep lumpias in single layers, using wax paper to add more layers, until you use up all the filling. deep fry in oil or fat on low controlled heat until golden brown.
teresa's sweet and sour sauce;
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
ginger root, julienned
3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
--cook all ingredients in a pan until thick. serve warm with the lumpias!
********
and now my version, which is soy-free, and has the best part--a nice crunch inside provided by water chesnuts and also no pre-cooking required:
toss together in a large bowl the following:
*1 pound ground pork, sauted and drained
OR dark chicken meat, cooked and finely chopped
*1/2 cup carrots, grated
*1 cup mung bean sprouts AND/OR cabbage, shredded
*1/3 cup mushrooms, chopped
*1/3 cup yellow or white onion, finely chopped
*1/3 cup water chesnuts, chopped OR turnips, finely chopped
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
mix in a small bowl:
*2 large eggs
*3 tsp tapioca starch
add to meat-veggie mixture. season with:
*1/2 tsp pepper
*1 teaspoon salt
toss well! then begin rolling (my lumpia wrappers have a nice diagram on the back of the box to help you along) basically: fill, fold sides, and roll, wetting the last bit to seal it closed. place on a platter in layers, using wax paper bewteen each layer to prevent sticking. i fry them in canola oil, using about 1/2 inch of oil in the pan, so when submerged the lumpias are not quite covered and can be flipped, until both side are golden brown. set on paper towels briefly to absorb excess oil, and serve with sweet and sour sauce.
the sauce:
3 Tbsp vinegar (white wine or apple cider both work well)
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
place in a small sauce pan and heat until thickened.
****
so tell me, readers, have you ever had a lumpia? got another recipe to share? also let me know if you try one of these and, of course, the result....
i've always known that the mere word "lumpia" caused a sparkle in the eye or a lick of the chops whenever it was muttered by a family member. apparently, in ketchikan, the small island in southeast alaska, where my parents were raising their four children (me being the youngest), had a fair-sized filipino population. my mom's comparison was that the lumpia to filipinos are like what a taco is to hispanics. she was introduced to them by her brother kerry's wife, teresa, who was half-filipino. what my sister and i remember was that finding the lumpia wrappers, the ultra-thin crepe-like piece that holds all the filling, was a special treat because the wrappers were not available that we knew of on the island. so if someone in the family, like my dad or aunt, were going to visit seattle, they would try and bring back the wrappers, and then a lumpia feast would ensue. my mom and i wondered if either we didn't know about the "local lumpia wrapper source" or if the local filipino families were just making them from scratch. hard to believe because they are so incredibly thin and delicate to handle. my mom told me that when her brother passed away, and teresa remarried she was kind enough to invite our family to the wedding. there teresa's filipino relatives cooked all the food for the wedding, including piles and piles of lumpias which they fried right there in front of the hungry guests.
this was all just a mere memory for me though since i was five when we left alaska and six when we settled in bend--and remained for over 20 year. by the time i was grown, i was aware of what had become really "the legend of the lumpia" but had never made them myself, i assume since no markets in bend carried that rarity of the wrapper. i recall once, on a road trip in my late teens, stopping at a cafe on the coast for brunch, and seeing, amidst the normal omelette and benedict fare, a special sheet announcing the available lumpias! i excitedly explained to my traveling companion about the elusive fried treat. i can't remember actually eating them there, so either i ordered them and they were unremarkable or i stuck to my french toast and tight budget.
fast forward to last year, here in portland, where i decided i wanted to start a chinese new years feast tradition and have all of my favorite chinese-american dishes, which i am unable to eat now due to The Allergy. (my basic approach to cooking foods that normally contain soy is substitute it with a fraction of salt.) this led to an exploration of the vast array of asian food markets along S.E. Powell Boulevard. i found this to be an awesome cultural experience, if not somewhat dizzying due to the huge selection of products with unreadable labels. blake and i realized that (if you don't care about whether your food is organic) a $20 bag of groceries gets you days of delicious meals, our favorite being our homemade seafood ramen that we've been prefecting over the last year.
back to my original plan, the best market we found is called An Dong Market on S.E. Powell and 55th, and it has everything from two aisles of noodles, a clean and exotic (to us) meat department, and fresh produce popular to chinese cooking. while shopping for my chinese new year feast, i meandered past the freezer section, and lo and behold, what do my eyes land upon but a box of lumpia wrappers! i was tickled and for only three dollars a box, i snatched one up. since my mom and dad were the guest of honors to our first attempt at this new tradition, i was excited to show my mom what i'd found. she helped me through the process of the delicate wrapping and gave me tips about stacking them so they don't stick together, and even fried them up. they were just as good as everyone had remembered--it was very hard to stop eating them!!
three nights ago, when we were preparing to satisfy another ramen fix, i decided to grab another box, and whip up some lumpias to go along. this time, feeling more free about what should go into them. i have both the recipe my mother has passed on from teresa, and the recipe from the back of the box (including the sweet and sour sauce which is so good for dipping!). the recipe i have settled on is somewhat between the two, but this is one of those things that really, once you are comfortable, is a flexible, whatever-is-on-hand type of food, and doesn't require specific measurements.
*****
first i give you the original recipe that came through our family, from teresa:
*chicken breasts
-boil the breasts until done, then cool, and finely dice. set aside.
*vegetable oil for sauteing
*bean sprouts
*green cabbage, finely chopped or shredded
*carrots, grated
*green onion, chopped
-saute the vegetable in the oil. also add:
*dash of garlic salt
*soy sauce, to taste
-when soft, remove from heat, drain, add chicken to mixture, and let cool.
when the filling is cool, take your thawed wrappers, and one by one gently separate, fill with large spoonful of mixture, and wrap, wetting the last bit to seal. keep lumpias in single layers, using wax paper to add more layers, until you use up all the filling. deep fry in oil or fat on low controlled heat until golden brown.
teresa's sweet and sour sauce;
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
ginger root, julienned
3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
--cook all ingredients in a pan until thick. serve warm with the lumpias!
********
and now my version, which is soy-free, and has the best part--a nice crunch inside provided by water chesnuts and also no pre-cooking required:
toss together in a large bowl the following:
*1 pound ground pork, sauted and drained
OR dark chicken meat, cooked and finely chopped
*1/2 cup carrots, grated
*1 cup mung bean sprouts AND/OR cabbage, shredded
*1/3 cup mushrooms, chopped
*1/3 cup yellow or white onion, finely chopped
*1/3 cup water chesnuts, chopped OR turnips, finely chopped
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
mix in a small bowl:
*2 large eggs
*3 tsp tapioca starch
add to meat-veggie mixture. season with:
*1/2 tsp pepper
*1 teaspoon salt
toss well! then begin rolling (my lumpia wrappers have a nice diagram on the back of the box to help you along) basically: fill, fold sides, and roll, wetting the last bit to seal it closed. place on a platter in layers, using wax paper bewteen each layer to prevent sticking. i fry them in canola oil, using about 1/2 inch of oil in the pan, so when submerged the lumpias are not quite covered and can be flipped, until both side are golden brown. set on paper towels briefly to absorb excess oil, and serve with sweet and sour sauce.
the sauce:
3 Tbsp vinegar (white wine or apple cider both work well)
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
place in a small sauce pan and heat until thickened.
****
so tell me, readers, have you ever had a lumpia? got another recipe to share? also let me know if you try one of these and, of course, the result....
Friday, March 27, 2009
its Mac tonight!
i have not eaten fast food in at least 3 years, since i discovered my soy allergy. its probably a good thing because i have always loved it and if there wasn't a medical reason keeping me from indulging in value meals, i'd probably eat them more than i should. although eating real fast food is only a good experience while its happening....the flavors, the evil, addictive, and filling flavors, is what keeps people going back, even though after you've eaten the meal you feel like crap. its no wonder, your body is hard at work processing the junk--that the part i've always resented. so when blake and i were first married i set out to create the "homemade Big Mac"--all the flavor of the McDonalds favorite but with the quality bumped up several notches. i laughed as i walked through our local market, singing the grocery list in my head: "2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettece, cheese....."
since bread products have also been restricted for me, i have not made this lesser-of-two-evils dinner in ages, since i cannot find a sesame seed bun without soy lecithin. but yesterday the stars seemed to be aligned for another Big Mac night. first i spotted a sesame speckled bun from my new favorite local bread company (all Lou friendly)--Gabriel Bakery. My first thought was, "oh I should make Big Macs!!" then i searched for a pickle that was Mayan-friendly, and i found one--most have paprika added, a nightshade, but New Seasons carries a local company's organic pickle without any nightshades. then in the produce department they are suffering from a "lettece gap"--the summer heads of leafy green lettece are not available yet and usual sources are in transition, so all they had was organic heads of iceberg lettece, the official lettece of fast food burgers!
and let me tell you, these are way better than the McD's version--all the flavor without the gutrot. still an extravagance to be sure, but when you are having that craving, serve these with some fries and cokes and you'll never go back the that drive-thru again.
here is how i capture that flavor, in order according to the song:
*two all-beef patties (organic grass-fed beef; make the patties large in diameter but pretty flat so they cook quickly and that having two in each burger won't make it too gigantic)
*special sauce (mayo and ketchup mixed, about half and half)
*lettece (iceberg is the most fast-food-like, but a leafier green like red-leaf would bump up the nutrient factor)
*cheese (Horizon organic american cheese slices--these are also key in getting that authentic flavor and texture, cheddar isn't the same--melted on your burger patties)
*pickles (chopped up into little cubes, and added into the special sauce is a good touch)
*onions (white onion, or yellow, chopped up finely and sprinkled on the burger)
*sesame seed bun (find the best you can, i highly recommend Gabriel's if available; the original Mac has a third bun slice in between the two patties but this is just TOO much, in my opinion)
the end result:
this is my "awwwww, YE-ah, its Mac tonight" face:
since bread products have also been restricted for me, i have not made this lesser-of-two-evils dinner in ages, since i cannot find a sesame seed bun without soy lecithin. but yesterday the stars seemed to be aligned for another Big Mac night. first i spotted a sesame speckled bun from my new favorite local bread company (all Lou friendly)--Gabriel Bakery. My first thought was, "oh I should make Big Macs!!" then i searched for a pickle that was Mayan-friendly, and i found one--most have paprika added, a nightshade, but New Seasons carries a local company's organic pickle without any nightshades. then in the produce department they are suffering from a "lettece gap"--the summer heads of leafy green lettece are not available yet and usual sources are in transition, so all they had was organic heads of iceberg lettece, the official lettece of fast food burgers!
and let me tell you, these are way better than the McD's version--all the flavor without the gutrot. still an extravagance to be sure, but when you are having that craving, serve these with some fries and cokes and you'll never go back the that drive-thru again.
here is how i capture that flavor, in order according to the song:
*two all-beef patties (organic grass-fed beef; make the patties large in diameter but pretty flat so they cook quickly and that having two in each burger won't make it too gigantic)
*special sauce (mayo and ketchup mixed, about half and half)
*lettece (iceberg is the most fast-food-like, but a leafier green like red-leaf would bump up the nutrient factor)
*cheese (Horizon organic american cheese slices--these are also key in getting that authentic flavor and texture, cheddar isn't the same--melted on your burger patties)
*pickles (chopped up into little cubes, and added into the special sauce is a good touch)
*onions (white onion, or yellow, chopped up finely and sprinkled on the burger)
*sesame seed bun (find the best you can, i highly recommend Gabriel's if available; the original Mac has a third bun slice in between the two patties but this is just TOO much, in my opinion)
the end result:
this is my "awwwww, YE-ah, its Mac tonight" face:
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The Sugar Fairy
Halloween is one of our family's favorite holidays, however it presents a prickly problem for the child who is food allergic. Since Mayan was old enough to participate in the festivities, we had to come up with a solution to allow the fun of trick or treating but not make her feel left out when it came time to consume the goods. I am not sure where the idea came from, possibly on-line, but since then, every October 31st, our family gets a visit from "The Sugar Fairy."
The Sugar Fairy, you see, needs sugar to feed to her sugar babies--they will die without an adequate sugar diet. Halloween is the night the Sugar Fairy harvests sugary candy treats, and leaves the children other gifts in return. In the past it is usually some wooden toys, a specialty allergen-friendy chocolate or cookie, and a toothbrush. Yes, that's right, in our house our children trade their candy for a toothbrush.
Depending on how you look at it we are either really great parents or really terrible parents.
Last night, we headed to a Halloween Party and stopped off at Nomad to pick up Blake and eat some dinner I brought from home. In order to keep their costumes clean, I was feeding bites of rice and beef and green beans to the girls. Isadore would dance over to me (she was a kitty ballerina) and would say "trick or treat!" and I'd feed her a green bean, then she'd laugh and sing "We get vegetables and toothbrushes instead of candy!" This is when it hits me, in a comical sense of course: Wow, what terrible parents we are! We have tricked out children into being perfectly okay with trading CANDY, the glorious nectar of childhood, with TOOTHBRUSHES, the traditional object related to the bane of childhood experiences: going to the dentist. If nothing else, we must be wickedly genius!
After stopping at the store, to purchase the treats for the later switch-a-roo, we arrive at the party. Now there are "big girls" there--three gals that Mayan and Isadore know and are about 9 years old. These girls know all about Halloween. It was the dads who were in charge of taking the group of kids around the neighborhood, and from what I hear everyone had a fine time. (The moms hung back and enjoyed the lovely spread of food and beverages.) When the group returned, Mayan and Isadore informed me they were headed upstairs "to sort our candy." It occured to me that this must be what the other kids do since this was not custom in our home--why would it be, of course, the Sugar Fairy normally accepts one big unsorted pile. Blake and I obliged, and retreated to the kitchen for some grown-up conversation. As we are laughing and joking, and eating it hits me: My daughters are up there with their candy and their big girls telling everyone that "We cant eat our candy...we give it to the Sugar Fairy for her Sugar Babies, and get toothbrushes instead!" with sweet grateful smiles on their sweet little faces. I remind myself that, it may not be perfectly clear that this practice is not exactly considered normal. I had this vision of Mayan coming downstairs, hands-on hips, with Isadore at her heel, arms crossed and eyes narrowed, sassily barking "Hey, we've just been informed that we're getting the shitty end of the stick on this Halloween deal! Toothbrushes are for suckers!"
I sent Blake up to check on the happenings. He briskly came down a minute later, looking for the camera. "That good, huh?" I asked. "Oh, man, you have to see this," he explained. "It's like the Nasdaq of halloween candy." Sure enough the girls were up there literally auctioning off candy, items spread out and sorted to a startlingly organized fashion. I heard River say "Alright, next up we have, 3 snickers bars and 2 three Musketeers!" Among the bunk bed and girly perfume bottles, we had a little Wall Steet, only the traders we dressed as a zombie-cheerleader, a goth, a China doll, and a Starship Enterprise officer.
The mommy in me wanted to make sure Mayan wasn't getting taken advantae of so I leaned in a said "Hey Mayan, make sure you are getting a fair deal..." Tanaya, the oldest, looked at me somewhat surprised and said "Are you kidding? She's been tough." Hee, hee, her father's daughter. We snapped a shot and left them be.
So much for my vision of the girls getting thier hearts crushed by seeing the "real" Halloween candy experience. Of course, I should have known better. This whole "Sugar Fairy" thing has always been given with a heavy dose of "wink, wink, nudge, nudge." Mayan only participates because she wants to delight in the imagination--when pressed she will admit "I know it's only you and Papa." But she enjoys playing along--she told me when I came back to the car after going into the store "Mom, I think I saw the Sugar Fairy in there!" The truth is Mayan has adapted amazingly well to her special "the-food-sensitive-kid" affliction. She rarely fusses or feels bad for herself when she is around things she can't eat. I've always made a big effort to make her things that are comparable to the food and treats served at social events we attend, but I just can't cover all of my bases 100% of the time and there are times she goes without. The most impressive part to me is that she respects what her body is telling her--she is not avoiding food becasue I tell her not to eat them but becasue she knows she is healthier when she avoids her trigger foods. I know this because I have overheard her many times or been told by friends that have had her in their care. When presented with strange foods, she states "Oh no, I can't--I'm allergic." Somehow, and I can't really take the credit, she has learned to embrace that which makes her different. The events of last night only compounded this revelation for me. I really think that although Mayan wants to fit in most of the time with her peers, she has the confidence to stand out when it counts.
As soon as we got home the girls left their brimming baskets on the counter and I hustled them upstairs to get into pjs so I could make the switch. Like a mad women I stuffed a produce bag full of the mini-candy bars, lollipops, and tootsie rolls, and hucked them in top shelf of the pantry. In each girl's basket I placed a brand new Hello Kitty toothbrush and a bag of corn-free, fruit-juice-sweetened, no artifical color gummy worms and jelly beans. Just in time to hear the approaching feet running down the stairs.
The girls were very pleased with their treats--they made big fuss over the Hello Kitty brushes ("Mine is a cowgirl!! Oooooh, Isadore yours is an asian kitty with a dragon!") I let them have some jelly beans and a gummy worm each. Blake had tears in his eyes when he saw how grateful and excited they were for their goodies. I guess we have managed to not strip the joy from the holiday that is notorious for letting children stuff face and bug out on refined sugar. In fact, as I went to kiss them goodnight Mayan showed me the thank you card she was making for the Sugar Fairy. It reads:
thank you shoogirfary for all the goodys. ar the toothbrushes magic? and the gumy worms taste grate. happy holleween shoogirfary!
It's accompanied by a picture of the fairy and her wand hovering over two baskets each containing one toothbrush and one bag of candy, appropriately labeled.
Happy Halloween to you too, dear, Happy Halloween.
Friday, March 21, 2008
What CAN we eat?
Anyone that knows me, knows these two things: we have food allergies and that I am part of an online Mothering community in Portland. What do these two things have to do with each other? Well, as the birth of this child approaches, many moms have expressed their desire to cook us a meal in the weeks after the baby is born. I find this sweet, generous, and so tribal-like that it makes me SO happy that I moved here, although I know my community in Bend would have done (and has done!) the same. Being online, though, puts me in a much larger group of continual "contact" with little effort.
As a mother to a food allergic family though, it puts me in a hard position that really only other food allergic families can truly understand. I have learned how to cook for my family's special needs over years of practice (and many mistakes) and frequently cook two separate meals at the same time (one for Blake and I, and a tweaked version for the girls) and use ingredients that are only safe because they are very particular brand (like bacon, for example--there are only 2 brands that I know of that are safe, but I use it everyday) or make many things at home (like broth and mayo.) So eating out, or eating food made by others, is a major anxiety for me--either there are too many questions to even ask (literally needing to read every single label myself to look for the very hidden things like "stabilizers" and mono-and-di-glycerides) or the information isn't even available and the risk isn't worth it (pain, itching, nightmares...) But as part of a community, it important for me to be able to trust that someone CAN cook for my family if need-be, and there are definitely people who have put in the effort to understand and accommodate our diet--like Allison (who's husband had his own dietary issues so she absolutely knows what lurks in foods) and has provided many a safe meal for us. And Breana, who is always ready with labels for me to read and makes a damn great chocolate cake that is completely soy-free. Of course, my mom, who has been out to countless lunches with me and the girls, and has seen me every time whip out safe food from my purse, ALWAYS checks with me before giving to kids anything new. These things I appreciate more than I can express.
So by request, I have complied a list of recipes that I use regularly, and other dinner ideas that are Perlingieri-safe. I should have done this a long time ago just to have in my recipe binder. The following is 8 specific recipes and then a list of general ideas for anyone who is ever interested in making us a meal.
Dinners:
1)Coq au vin
Ingredients:
2 cups red wine
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (8-ounce) chicken breast halves, skinned
2 (4-ounce) chicken thighs, skinned
2 (4-ounce) chicken drumsticks, skinned
1/2 cup white or brown rice flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
3 bacon slices, chopped (Applegate Farms “Sunday” bacon or Coleman hormome/antibiotic -free from Costco are the two safe nightshade-free bacons)
1/2 cup pitted dried plums, quartered
2 bay leaves
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Remove the chicken from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat chicken dry. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in flour; set aside.
Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add half of chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.
Remove onion and carrot from marinade with a slotted spoon, reserving marinade. Add onion and carrot to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in marinade, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add chicken, bacon, dried plums, and bay leaves; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
***
2)Asian-style pork meatballs
(I have no measurments for this--i am a guess-timating...you can use your kitchen intuition!)
In a mixing bowl combine:
1 1/2 lbs ground pork
add about 1-2 Tbp maple syrup, 2-3 Tsp sea salt, and 1/4 cup rice flour
Mix with hands and form into 1-inch meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and cook at 325 for about a half hour until they are done.
Serve with long grain brown or white rice (with water or homemade broth) and stir-fry veggies (for example: garlic, onion, ginger with carrots, zuc, bok choy in sesame, sunflower, or safflower oil...)
***
3) Beef and broccoli stir fry
2-3 heads of broccoli
oil for sauteing (safflower, sunflower, canola)
1 1/2lbs beef cut-up for stir-fry (NS will do this for you if they don’t have some on-hand already but it needs to be unseasoned)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup yellow or white onion, chopped
2 cups beef of chicken broth (this must be homemade or with a “safe label”)
2 Tbs tapioca flour
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs sea salt
Wash broccoli and saute or steam with salt and pepper until tender-crisp--set aside.
Add oil to pan, saute some minced garlic, onion for a few minutes, then add the beef. Add some liquid (water or broth) if you like.
In a small saucepan, mix together broth, tapioca flour, syrup, and salt, and warm. When meat is almost done, add this mixture and bring to a simmer. Add veggies into the pan as well. TASTE! To get the "take-out" flavor--there should be a good balance of sweet to salty--so if you really taste the maple, add more salt and vice versa.
Serve with long grain brown or white rice.
Variations:
-adding carrots and/or mushrooms to the broc or the rice
-doing a sliced up pork tenderloin instead of beef
***
4)Turkish Lentil-and-Vegetable Soup
(this one could be frozen)
Ingredients:
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh parsley sprigs
4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 pounds lamb shank
8 cups water
3 cups chopped onion
2 cups dried lentils (small french green work best)
2 cups thinly sliced celery
2 cups thinly sliced carrot
1 cup chopped leek
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
8 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Place first 4 ingredients on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely.
Trim fat from lamb shank. Place cheesecloth bag, lamb, and next 11 ingredients (lamb through pepper) in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 2 hours or until lamb is tender. Discard cheesecloth bag. Remove lamb shank from soup. Remove lamb from bone, and discard bone. Cut meat into bite-size pieces, and stir meat into soup. Spoon into shallow bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon mint and 1 teaspoon vinegar.
***
5)Roast chicken (broth-free method)
5lb roasting chicken
olive oil
1 lemon, cut in half
1 head of garlic, with the top cut off
any fresh herbs on hand (parsley, rosemary, thyme...)
sea salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 500. Rub the chicken with a lemon half and exposed garlic cloves, then stuff those inside the chicken (the whole lemon and the galic head) as well as the fresh herbs. Drizzle the outside of chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes (it will make lots of noise at this temperature--that is normal, don’t panic!) then turn oven down to 350 (dont open the door to do this, it might be smoky) and roast for another hour or 1 1/2 hour, turning 180 degrees halfway. Its done when the juices run clear. Pull out and let sit for 15 minutes.
Serve with any two side dishes.
***
6)Sauteed chicken tacos with black beans and cilantro pesto
Beans:
2 cups of dried black beans
lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
sea salt
Soak beans overnight in warm filtered water and the juice from one lemon. Drain and rinse and put in a pot--add water to cover and bring to a boil. Skim foam off of the top then add garlic. Simmer, covered, for anywhere between 4-6 hours (depending on the size of the bean.) When they are done, drain, and add salt to taste.
Chicken:
1 1/2lbs chicken boneless breasts or thighs or combo of both, cut up into bite sized pieces
1 tsp dried oregano
1 lime
Heat oil in a large skillet, and add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and oregano (optional garlic powder too) and the juice from one lime. Done when cooked through.
Pesto:
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
2-4 cloves are garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 pine nuts
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
Place cilantro in food processor and pulse until well chopped. Add garlic, salt and pine nuts and blend well. Slowly add oil (if you have that attachment to add liquids drop-by-drop, use that) with motor running until a good paste is formed.
Serve with warmed tortillas (check label for soy ingredients), ripe avocado, sour cream, grated cheese.....
***
7)Pesto with chicken, olives, artichoke hearts and two different pastas
Pesto:
as above but with basil instead of cilantro
Saute some pounded chicken breasts with olive oil and sea salt and pepper until done. Slice into strips. Add some olives (santa barbara brand is what I use--check other brands for hidden ingredients) and artichcoke hearts (same deal, check label) and toss with cooked penne or any pasta.
(NOTE: I usually cook a pot of normal wheat pasta and also a separate pot of gluten-free rice pasta, then divide up the meat and sauce, making a smaller kid batch with rice pasta and a bigger wheat batch for us adults.)
***
8) Sweet and Sour chicken (Nourishing Traditions style)
(this recipe is for 8 so it could be split between 2 families--or for one family, cut recipe in half)
8 boneless chicken breast with skin ON (butcher will do this for you)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup pple cider vinegar
2 Tbs fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbs fresh garlic, peeled and minced
3 Tbs oive oil
2 cups chicken stock
Pound chicken breasts lightly to make even. Combine oj, lemon juice, vinegar, ginger, and garlic in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for several minutes. Allow to cool, then add the olive oil. Marinate the chicken in this for several hour or overnight. Remove from marinade, and broil breasts in oven for 7 minutes each side. Keep warm while making the sauce.
Place marinade in saucepan with the chicken stock and boil vigorously until reduced by half. for a thicker sauce you can take 2 tsp of tapioca flour and whisk in a small bowl with some water--when it's dissolved add to the sauce and simmer and stir until thickened. To serve, slice breasts across the grain and serve over rice, with spoonfuls of sauce. Great with steamed cabbage and sauted mushrooms, or veggie stir-fry.
***
Create-a-meal!
(meat-veggie-rice/potato dinners)
(ex: porkchops, applesauce, and greenbeans with mushrooms...chicken breasts, chard, and brown rice...)
Main dish:
*Any cut of pork, lamb, beef, or fish suitable for sauteing, grilling, broiling...prepared simply with salt, pepper, and olive oil, or any other ingredients/herbs found in the other recipes.
Side dishes:
*Green beans with mushrooms
(Cook 1 lb of green beand in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water. Heat up 1 Tbs oil in skillet, add 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot rings, saute for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups crimini mushrooms, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper; saute 4 minutes. Add green beans back in, more sea salt to taste, and stir unitl heated about 1 minute.)
*Mashed sweet pots (I add a little maple syrup and salt at the end)
*Baked potatoes (some regular bakers and 2 sweets)
*Salad w/ vinaigrette
(Salad ideas: mixed greens, grated carrots or zucchini, cucumbers, radish, avocado, sunflower seeds, apples....)
(We can’t eat bottled dressing but homemade vinaigrette is so easy! In a small mixing bowl, combine minced garlic or shallots (about 2 tsp) with 2 Tbs good vinegar--red wine, balsamic, sherry, champagne....let sit for a few minutes. Slowly drizzle in 4 Tbs olive oil while whisking. When emulsified, taste add more oil or vinegar to taste, and sea salt and pepper. Serve on the side or salad will get soggy.)
*Steamed, roasted or sauteed veggies (carrots, zuccinni, broc, squash, chard, beets, mushrooms...),
*Apple sauce
*Basic rice
(brown or white long grain is our favorite, but basmati or any rice works well made
with water or homemade broth)
*Risotto with peas
Broth recipe:
You can use a whole raw chicken cut up (after a few hours pick off the meat for a dish like enchiladas) or you can use the carcass of a roasted chicken (but that chicken cannot have any spices, butter, etc.) Drop the meat in a large pot with 1-2 chopped onions, 2-3 chopped carrots, and 2 stalks chopped celery. Fill with filtered water leaving a few inches at the top, and add 1-2 Tbs raw apple cider vinegar if you have it. If adding vinegar, let sit for 1/2 hour, if not just bring to a boil, turn down heat and cover--simmering gently for 6-12 hours. Optional add a bunch of chopped parsley the last 10 minutes (imparts valuable minerals.) Let cool then, strain into containers. Sit in fridge for fat to rise to the top then skim off (great for cooking with!!)
Do a similar method for beef broth--roast a few pounds of meaty beef short ribs in the oven until brown, about 325 for a half hour. While this is roasting, put a few pounds of knuckle and marrow bones (usually available in the meat dept--ask the butcher) into a large pot and cover with water. Add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and let sit. When ribs are done add them along with some chopped onions, carrots, and celery--add water to cover, leaving a little space to the top. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam that forms at the top, and simmer covered for a good 12 hours. Strain, put into containers and skim the congealed fat off the tops after its cooled in the fridge. You can feed the remaining meat and bones to your dog!
Things we can’t have:
Soy (includes lecithin--found in some choc and coconut milk, vitamin e--found in some oils, cooking spray, braggs, “natural flavors”--found in most things with labels, “veggie oil”, mono- and di-glycerides, “stabilizers”, condiments, margerine...it goes on and on!)
Mayan cannot eat any:
*nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes--sweet pots and yams are NOT nightshades, bell and chile peppers, “spices”, paprika, cayenne, curry blends, eggplant)
*corn (also hidden in everything--including possibly iodized table salt--use sea salt instead)
*eggs
*gluten
*dairy (butter, cheese, yogurt, milk)
Other notes:
*Cheese/dairy, corn and nighshades can all be served on the side though! Crumbled cheese, brie, crusty bread from New Seasons, buttery mashed potatoes....
*Also you can make up your own recipes from ingredients from the provided recipes:-)
*Sea salt, herbs like thyme, parsley, rosemary, etc, garlic, onion, ginger are all the basic safe foods I use to flavor our food.
Phew! Maybe over the years I can expand on these and create a whole book....thanks to everyone who has made the offer to provide us with a meal, the gesture itself is very much appreciated.
As a mother to a food allergic family though, it puts me in a hard position that really only other food allergic families can truly understand. I have learned how to cook for my family's special needs over years of practice (and many mistakes) and frequently cook two separate meals at the same time (one for Blake and I, and a tweaked version for the girls) and use ingredients that are only safe because they are very particular brand (like bacon, for example--there are only 2 brands that I know of that are safe, but I use it everyday) or make many things at home (like broth and mayo.) So eating out, or eating food made by others, is a major anxiety for me--either there are too many questions to even ask (literally needing to read every single label myself to look for the very hidden things like "stabilizers" and mono-and-di-glycerides) or the information isn't even available and the risk isn't worth it (pain, itching, nightmares...) But as part of a community, it important for me to be able to trust that someone CAN cook for my family if need-be, and there are definitely people who have put in the effort to understand and accommodate our diet--like Allison (who's husband had his own dietary issues so she absolutely knows what lurks in foods) and has provided many a safe meal for us. And Breana, who is always ready with labels for me to read and makes a damn great chocolate cake that is completely soy-free. Of course, my mom, who has been out to countless lunches with me and the girls, and has seen me every time whip out safe food from my purse, ALWAYS checks with me before giving to kids anything new. These things I appreciate more than I can express.
So by request, I have complied a list of recipes that I use regularly, and other dinner ideas that are Perlingieri-safe. I should have done this a long time ago just to have in my recipe binder. The following is 8 specific recipes and then a list of general ideas for anyone who is ever interested in making us a meal.
Dinners:
1)Coq au vin
Ingredients:
2 cups red wine
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (8-ounce) chicken breast halves, skinned
2 (4-ounce) chicken thighs, skinned
2 (4-ounce) chicken drumsticks, skinned
1/2 cup white or brown rice flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
3 bacon slices, chopped (Applegate Farms “Sunday” bacon or Coleman hormome/antibiotic -free from Costco are the two safe nightshade-free bacons)
1/2 cup pitted dried plums, quartered
2 bay leaves
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Remove the chicken from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat chicken dry. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in flour; set aside.
Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add half of chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.
Remove onion and carrot from marinade with a slotted spoon, reserving marinade. Add onion and carrot to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in marinade, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add chicken, bacon, dried plums, and bay leaves; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
***
2)Asian-style pork meatballs
(I have no measurments for this--i am a guess-timating...you can use your kitchen intuition!)
In a mixing bowl combine:
1 1/2 lbs ground pork
add about 1-2 Tbp maple syrup, 2-3 Tsp sea salt, and 1/4 cup rice flour
Mix with hands and form into 1-inch meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and cook at 325 for about a half hour until they are done.
Serve with long grain brown or white rice (with water or homemade broth) and stir-fry veggies (for example: garlic, onion, ginger with carrots, zuc, bok choy in sesame, sunflower, or safflower oil...)
***
3) Beef and broccoli stir fry
2-3 heads of broccoli
oil for sauteing (safflower, sunflower, canola)
1 1/2lbs beef cut-up for stir-fry (NS will do this for you if they don’t have some on-hand already but it needs to be unseasoned)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup yellow or white onion, chopped
2 cups beef of chicken broth (this must be homemade or with a “safe label”)
2 Tbs tapioca flour
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs sea salt
Wash broccoli and saute or steam with salt and pepper until tender-crisp--set aside.
Add oil to pan, saute some minced garlic, onion for a few minutes, then add the beef. Add some liquid (water or broth) if you like.
In a small saucepan, mix together broth, tapioca flour, syrup, and salt, and warm. When meat is almost done, add this mixture and bring to a simmer. Add veggies into the pan as well. TASTE! To get the "take-out" flavor--there should be a good balance of sweet to salty--so if you really taste the maple, add more salt and vice versa.
Serve with long grain brown or white rice.
Variations:
-adding carrots and/or mushrooms to the broc or the rice
-doing a sliced up pork tenderloin instead of beef
***
4)Turkish Lentil-and-Vegetable Soup
(this one could be frozen)
Ingredients:
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh parsley sprigs
4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 pounds lamb shank
8 cups water
3 cups chopped onion
2 cups dried lentils (small french green work best)
2 cups thinly sliced celery
2 cups thinly sliced carrot
1 cup chopped leek
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
8 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Place first 4 ingredients on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely.
Trim fat from lamb shank. Place cheesecloth bag, lamb, and next 11 ingredients (lamb through pepper) in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 2 hours or until lamb is tender. Discard cheesecloth bag. Remove lamb shank from soup. Remove lamb from bone, and discard bone. Cut meat into bite-size pieces, and stir meat into soup. Spoon into shallow bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon mint and 1 teaspoon vinegar.
***
5)Roast chicken (broth-free method)
5lb roasting chicken
olive oil
1 lemon, cut in half
1 head of garlic, with the top cut off
any fresh herbs on hand (parsley, rosemary, thyme...)
sea salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 500. Rub the chicken with a lemon half and exposed garlic cloves, then stuff those inside the chicken (the whole lemon and the galic head) as well as the fresh herbs. Drizzle the outside of chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes (it will make lots of noise at this temperature--that is normal, don’t panic!) then turn oven down to 350 (dont open the door to do this, it might be smoky) and roast for another hour or 1 1/2 hour, turning 180 degrees halfway. Its done when the juices run clear. Pull out and let sit for 15 minutes.
Serve with any two side dishes.
***
6)Sauteed chicken tacos with black beans and cilantro pesto
Beans:
2 cups of dried black beans
lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
sea salt
Soak beans overnight in warm filtered water and the juice from one lemon. Drain and rinse and put in a pot--add water to cover and bring to a boil. Skim foam off of the top then add garlic. Simmer, covered, for anywhere between 4-6 hours (depending on the size of the bean.) When they are done, drain, and add salt to taste.
Chicken:
1 1/2lbs chicken boneless breasts or thighs or combo of both, cut up into bite sized pieces
1 tsp dried oregano
1 lime
Heat oil in a large skillet, and add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and oregano (optional garlic powder too) and the juice from one lime. Done when cooked through.
Pesto:
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
2-4 cloves are garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 pine nuts
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
Place cilantro in food processor and pulse until well chopped. Add garlic, salt and pine nuts and blend well. Slowly add oil (if you have that attachment to add liquids drop-by-drop, use that) with motor running until a good paste is formed.
Serve with warmed tortillas (check label for soy ingredients), ripe avocado, sour cream, grated cheese.....
***
7)Pesto with chicken, olives, artichoke hearts and two different pastas
Pesto:
as above but with basil instead of cilantro
Saute some pounded chicken breasts with olive oil and sea salt and pepper until done. Slice into strips. Add some olives (santa barbara brand is what I use--check other brands for hidden ingredients) and artichcoke hearts (same deal, check label) and toss with cooked penne or any pasta.
(NOTE: I usually cook a pot of normal wheat pasta and also a separate pot of gluten-free rice pasta, then divide up the meat and sauce, making a smaller kid batch with rice pasta and a bigger wheat batch for us adults.)
***
8) Sweet and Sour chicken (Nourishing Traditions style)
(this recipe is for 8 so it could be split between 2 families--or for one family, cut recipe in half)
8 boneless chicken breast with skin ON (butcher will do this for you)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup pple cider vinegar
2 Tbs fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbs fresh garlic, peeled and minced
3 Tbs oive oil
2 cups chicken stock
Pound chicken breasts lightly to make even. Combine oj, lemon juice, vinegar, ginger, and garlic in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for several minutes. Allow to cool, then add the olive oil. Marinate the chicken in this for several hour or overnight. Remove from marinade, and broil breasts in oven for 7 minutes each side. Keep warm while making the sauce.
Place marinade in saucepan with the chicken stock and boil vigorously until reduced by half. for a thicker sauce you can take 2 tsp of tapioca flour and whisk in a small bowl with some water--when it's dissolved add to the sauce and simmer and stir until thickened. To serve, slice breasts across the grain and serve over rice, with spoonfuls of sauce. Great with steamed cabbage and sauted mushrooms, or veggie stir-fry.
***
Create-a-meal!
(meat-veggie-rice/potato dinners)
(ex: porkchops, applesauce, and greenbeans with mushrooms...chicken breasts, chard, and brown rice...)
Main dish:
*Any cut of pork, lamb, beef, or fish suitable for sauteing, grilling, broiling...prepared simply with salt, pepper, and olive oil, or any other ingredients/herbs found in the other recipes.
Side dishes:
*Green beans with mushrooms
(Cook 1 lb of green beand in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water. Heat up 1 Tbs oil in skillet, add 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot rings, saute for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups crimini mushrooms, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper; saute 4 minutes. Add green beans back in, more sea salt to taste, and stir unitl heated about 1 minute.)
*Mashed sweet pots (I add a little maple syrup and salt at the end)
*Baked potatoes (some regular bakers and 2 sweets)
*Salad w/ vinaigrette
(Salad ideas: mixed greens, grated carrots or zucchini, cucumbers, radish, avocado, sunflower seeds, apples....)
(We can’t eat bottled dressing but homemade vinaigrette is so easy! In a small mixing bowl, combine minced garlic or shallots (about 2 tsp) with 2 Tbs good vinegar--red wine, balsamic, sherry, champagne....let sit for a few minutes. Slowly drizzle in 4 Tbs olive oil while whisking. When emulsified, taste add more oil or vinegar to taste, and sea salt and pepper. Serve on the side or salad will get soggy.)
*Steamed, roasted or sauteed veggies (carrots, zuccinni, broc, squash, chard, beets, mushrooms...),
*Apple sauce
*Basic rice
(brown or white long grain is our favorite, but basmati or any rice works well made
with water or homemade broth)
*Risotto with peas
Broth recipe:
You can use a whole raw chicken cut up (after a few hours pick off the meat for a dish like enchiladas) or you can use the carcass of a roasted chicken (but that chicken cannot have any spices, butter, etc.) Drop the meat in a large pot with 1-2 chopped onions, 2-3 chopped carrots, and 2 stalks chopped celery. Fill with filtered water leaving a few inches at the top, and add 1-2 Tbs raw apple cider vinegar if you have it. If adding vinegar, let sit for 1/2 hour, if not just bring to a boil, turn down heat and cover--simmering gently for 6-12 hours. Optional add a bunch of chopped parsley the last 10 minutes (imparts valuable minerals.) Let cool then, strain into containers. Sit in fridge for fat to rise to the top then skim off (great for cooking with!!)
Do a similar method for beef broth--roast a few pounds of meaty beef short ribs in the oven until brown, about 325 for a half hour. While this is roasting, put a few pounds of knuckle and marrow bones (usually available in the meat dept--ask the butcher) into a large pot and cover with water. Add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and let sit. When ribs are done add them along with some chopped onions, carrots, and celery--add water to cover, leaving a little space to the top. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam that forms at the top, and simmer covered for a good 12 hours. Strain, put into containers and skim the congealed fat off the tops after its cooled in the fridge. You can feed the remaining meat and bones to your dog!
Things we can’t have:
Soy (includes lecithin--found in some choc and coconut milk, vitamin e--found in some oils, cooking spray, braggs, “natural flavors”--found in most things with labels, “veggie oil”, mono- and di-glycerides, “stabilizers”, condiments, margerine...it goes on and on!)
Mayan cannot eat any:
*nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes--sweet pots and yams are NOT nightshades, bell and chile peppers, “spices”, paprika, cayenne, curry blends, eggplant)
*corn (also hidden in everything--including possibly iodized table salt--use sea salt instead)
*eggs
*gluten
*dairy (butter, cheese, yogurt, milk)
Other notes:
*Cheese/dairy, corn and nighshades can all be served on the side though! Crumbled cheese, brie, crusty bread from New Seasons, buttery mashed potatoes....
*Also you can make up your own recipes from ingredients from the provided recipes:-)
*Sea salt, herbs like thyme, parsley, rosemary, etc, garlic, onion, ginger are all the basic safe foods I use to flavor our food.
Phew! Maybe over the years I can expand on these and create a whole book....thanks to everyone who has made the offer to provide us with a meal, the gesture itself is very much appreciated.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
can you guess what this is?
* hint: it's NOT tomato sauce....
give up?
it's MOCK tomato sauce! i just *whipped* up a batch for Mayan's birthday--i want to make her a pizza so this will make a great red base. i stress *whipped* b/c it is actually kind of a pain to make so i only do it once or twice a year. this batch will give me enough for her pizza, some spaghetti later in the week and a few containers to freeze. so what gives it the rich red color? Beets! it has a very vegetable-y flavor, pretty yummy really, but it has a pinky color unlike real red sauce. she loves it though! for this batch i went heavy on the italian herbs, but i have also given it a less-italian flavor to use for enchiladas. got the recipe from a vegan book years ago:
mock tomato sauce:
steam 7 cups of orange yams or butternut squash (peeled and cubed) and 2 medium beets (peeled and chopped--i use rubber gloves to protect my hands from beet stains)
meanwhile saute 1 yellow or white onion (chopped) and 2 or more garlic cloves (minced) in olive oil until transcent.
other ingredients:
6 cups of stock or water
2-3 Tbsp of soy sauce (i DON'T use this--i use 1 Tbsp of fish sauce since we can't eat soy)
2 tsp liquid sweetener (maple syrup, honey...)
2 tsp apple cider vinager
1 strip of Kombu sea weed washed and minced (this is too hard so i didn't do it and added some salt instead)
3 tsp chopped parsley
chopped herbs: rosemary, marjoram, basil, oregano, thyme
blend all of this together--i use a food proccessor so i split it into two batches. then put the red sauce into a big pot with 1 bay leaf or two and simmer for 20 minutes or so, until it is heated through and the flavors can "mingle." keep close to stir frequently, b/c it tends to bubble and "pop!" leaving nice reddish-pink splotches on everything:-) don't forget to take out the bay leaves when done.
give up?
it's MOCK tomato sauce! i just *whipped* up a batch for Mayan's birthday--i want to make her a pizza so this will make a great red base. i stress *whipped* b/c it is actually kind of a pain to make so i only do it once or twice a year. this batch will give me enough for her pizza, some spaghetti later in the week and a few containers to freeze. so what gives it the rich red color? Beets! it has a very vegetable-y flavor, pretty yummy really, but it has a pinky color unlike real red sauce. she loves it though! for this batch i went heavy on the italian herbs, but i have also given it a less-italian flavor to use for enchiladas. got the recipe from a vegan book years ago:
mock tomato sauce:
steam 7 cups of orange yams or butternut squash (peeled and cubed) and 2 medium beets (peeled and chopped--i use rubber gloves to protect my hands from beet stains)
meanwhile saute 1 yellow or white onion (chopped) and 2 or more garlic cloves (minced) in olive oil until transcent.
other ingredients:
6 cups of stock or water
2-3 Tbsp of soy sauce (i DON'T use this--i use 1 Tbsp of fish sauce since we can't eat soy)
2 tsp liquid sweetener (maple syrup, honey...)
2 tsp apple cider vinager
1 strip of Kombu sea weed washed and minced (this is too hard so i didn't do it and added some salt instead)
3 tsp chopped parsley
chopped herbs: rosemary, marjoram, basil, oregano, thyme
blend all of this together--i use a food proccessor so i split it into two batches. then put the red sauce into a big pot with 1 bay leaf or two and simmer for 20 minutes or so, until it is heated through and the flavors can "mingle." keep close to stir frequently, b/c it tends to bubble and "pop!" leaving nice reddish-pink splotches on everything:-) don't forget to take out the bay leaves when done.
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