Eagle Loft Kitchen

Pork Chops and Root Veggie Mash

2011-02-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

We didn't have pork chops in our house when I was growing up, so this is a food that is still new to me. I have found it easy to overcook and make tough. But then I was introduced to cooking it in the pressure cooker -- and, voila! Perfect pork chops every time. As an added bonus, I've created a recipe that produces one of your side dishes at the same time, and infuses it with the pork juices. It's an easy weekday dinner that is ready in a jiffy. I add steamed kale or a salad to round out the meal.

4 1-inch thick pork chops
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper, and seaweed salt replacer (if you have it)
2/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup dry white wine (or 1/3 cup more chicken stock if you prefer)
2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut 1/8-inch thick
1 large sweet potato (equivalent to 2 medium potatoes), peeled and cut 1/8-inch thick
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 onion, chopped or sliced
2 cloves garlic, quartered

Heat oil in pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and season with salt, pepper and seaweed salt replacer. Brown both sides, then remove from pan.
Add stock and wine to pressure cooker and scrape loose any browned pork bits.
Add veggies and garlic, then top with browned pork chops.
Close lid and bring cooker to full pressure according to your cooker's instructions.
Cook at 15 psi for 10 minutes, then release pressure.
Remove pork chops to plates to serve. Mash remaining ingredients together and taste to see if more seasoning is needed (I usually don't need to add anything).

Note that if your pork chops are not 1-inch thick you will need to adjust the cooking time. You can experiment with other vegetables in this dish -- parsnips give it a whole different flavour!

Breakfast Birthday Party

2011-02-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

A year ago if you had asked me about hosting a breakfast-themed party, I would have said "no way!". Breakfast can be a difficult meal for people with allergies, especially when making food for a crowd. But when Little Man was recently asked what food we should serve at his birthday, he replied "waffles and bacon". That sounds like the makings of a breakfast party to me!

Here's what we served for our party of nine people:

bacon (made before people arrived and kept warm in the warming drawer)
waffles (made to order)
maple syrup
blueberry sauce*
Healthy Top "whipping cream" (this was really good!)
large fruit platter
banana bread (I made the delicious one from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook)
car-shaped cake (Agave Cupcake recipe from The Allergen-free Baker's Handbook)
pina colada ice cream
juices: apricot, guava and pomegranate

The cake was our first one that wasn't white (we don't use food colouring). The pink icing (I was going for purple) was coloured and flavoured by crushing raspberries and blueberries through a fine mesh sieve and adding the juice to the icing. The brown icing had molasses added to it. I made the cake in 2 8-inch round cake pans and cut them to form the car shape. The '3' was made of raisins.

*Blueberry sauce:

2 cups blueberries
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Combine all in small saucepan. Cook at medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until sauce thickens a little.

The party was a big success and all the food was a hit. Our 3-year-old was very pleased with his special party. And when it was all over, he predictably asked "Can I have more cake please?".

Cookbook Review: Allergy Free Cookbook for the Family

2011-01-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Allergy Free Cookbook for the Family by Brianna Monson is a charming little book that delivers what it advertises: family-friendly food that is free of allergens. The recipes in this book are simple, quick and budget-conscious. They are foods that are likely to appeal to children. The author is a mother of a child with life-threatening food allergies, and her personal experience with this challenge is apparent throughout the book. Each recipe has a little note about it being her childhood favourite to bake with her grandmother, a dish she serves to her inlaws, or a weekly meal at her house. I like this little personal touch that lets you know these are enjoyed so much by her family.

Some of the recipes that most interested me included:

Breakfast burritos
Country hash browns
Sugar cookies
Pie crust
Apple crisp
Graham crackers
Raspberry pie
Meatballs
White sauce
Honey ham
Croutons
Ham and bean soup
Kale soup

The ingredients are not whole-foods conscious, which is the usual fare at our house. There is plenty of refined sugar, corn starch and corn syrup throughout the book. I simply made the recipes with replacements such as natural cane sugar or agave, tapioca or arrowroot flour, and rice syrup. For most people just venturing into the world of allergies, the ingredients in the book are likely familiar to them and easily obtainable. I also found that the baking recipes call for way more sugar than we usually use. For instance, the banana bread and muffins call for 3/4 cup of sugar, where my recipe (using the same amount of flour) calls for 1/8 cup. But in spite of this, I still like this book and have enjoyed several recipes from it, applying changes as needed for our lifestyle.

I had success with each recipe that I tried, but the one that was the biggest success was the sugar cookie recipe. They were delicious and tasted like a wheat and butter filled cookie. They flew off the cookie sheet as everyone wanted seconds (and thirds...). I followed the recipe faithfully, including all that sugar. They were wonderful for a special occasion treat, not something that we could eat every day.

This book uses rice flour, potato flour and tapioca starch for most recipes that include starch, with the occasional recipe requesting oat flour or cornstarch. Ener-G egg replacer is recommended as a substitute for eggs. Dairy-free margarine is used frequently, and sometimes shortening is used as well. A few of the recipes call for oats, oat flour, and soy-based cream cheese; we do not use these due to an allergy, so I avoided those recipes. The book advertises that "most" recipes are free of milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish and shellfish. As far as I can tell, the recipes are all free of those ingredients, with the recipes containing oats specifically listed as not being gluten-free unless gluten-free oats are used. Some recipes do contain soy and corn.

I like this book and would recommend it to families that are dealing with food allergies. I appreciate that the recipes I tried all worked successfully and were easy to make.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. As always, this review is my own opinion of the book and is not influenced by anyone except my family of taste-testers. :)

Vitamix Recipe: Orange Slush

2011-01-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

Our whole family is sick right now. There are all sorts of viruses going around this year, so everywhere we go we see people coughing and sniffling. In an effort to boost our Vitamin C, I bought two bags of fresh oranges this week. Using my Vitamix, I've made everything from orange juice to orange sorbet. My favourite is something in between: an orange slush. It packs in the vitamins from fresh oranges and is very soothing on a sore throat. You can make it in less than 2 minutes too.

2 fresh oranges
dash of agave syrup
ice cubes

Peel and quarter the oranges. I find it fastest to remove the peel with a knife, but feel free to quarter the orange and then use your fingers to peel off the skin. If a little white pith remains, that's ok.
Place the oranges in the Vitamix and add a dash of agave.
Add ice cubes until the total contents reach between 2 1/2 and 3 cups (use the measurements on the side of the Vitamix container). I use large ice cubes that my fridge makes, and this is about 6 or 7 cubes.
Blend, starting on low and dialing up to high. Flip the high-speed switch and blend for about 20-30 seconds until all ice is crushed and your drink is smooth.
Pour into a tall glass. If it is too thick, simply wait 10-20 seconds and it will become more liquidy.

Do you have any recipes that make you feel better when you are sick?

Seaweed Salt Replacer

2011-01-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

Are you looking to reduce your salt intake without reducing taste? This sea vegetable blend imparts a special flavour to soups, stir-frys, and just about anything else. Although seaweed contains sodium, it is an organic form of sodium, not the sodium chloride that is found in table salt. Seaweed is a superfood, packed with nutrients, trace elements and vitamins.

This seaweed salt replacer is an easy way to add the benefits of seaweed to your diet. Add 1 teaspoon of the mix to season your next soup and reduce the salt. Try sprinkling this over steaming veggies or add to your rice or quinoa.

Warning! Some sea vegetables are surprisingly sharp. Blending this in your Vitamix will permanently etch the bottom of your container so it will be a little cloudy. But your health is more important than the look of your blender. :)

1/2 cup arame
1/2 cup wakame
1/4 cup macro kelp
1/4 cup kombu

Crumble large pieces of kelp and seaweed with your hands. Note that amounts are approximate as seaweed is difficult to measure -- just give it a good guess.
Add all ingredients to Vitamix. Blend on high speed until you get the texture you want -- I usually process until most of the seaweed is powdery but there are still some coarse little flakes in there.
Wait a few moments before opening the Vitamix to let the powder settle. Store your seaweed salt replacer in a clean and dry recycled spice jar -- don't forget to label it!

Morning Millet in a Zojirushi Rice Cooker

2011-01-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

I love waking up on winter mornings to a hot breakfast. Even better, a hot breakfast that is already made and waiting for me! We recently purchased a Zojirushi rice cooker to replace our 12+ year old rice maker that was showing signs of distress. My favourite thing about the Zojirushi (other than the perfect rice that it cooks) is the timer feature. It saves 2 timer settings, so I have a pre-set breakfast timer and a pre-set dinner timer. When I first got the machine, I went looking online for how to make millet in it but came up empty-handed. After a bunch of trial and error, we've figured out how to make it perfectly every time.

For each portion needed, measure 1/4 cup of millet into the Zojirushi. For the 3 of us I therefore use 3/4 cup millet. (Note that some people first toast the millet -- I've tried both ways and I personally prefer it untoasted.)
Add 1 cup water for each portion. So if you used 1 cup of millet, add 4 cups water. For 3/4 cup millet add 3 cups water. For 1/2 cup millet add 2 cups water.
Shake a small dash of salt into the water, then close the lid. Plug in the rice cooker and select the "Porridge" cycle. Set the timer for when you will want to eat in the morning.
When the millet is cooked, dish up into bowls. Sprinkle each serving with cinnamon and cardamom, pour almond milk over the top, then add fresh (or frozen) berries or slices of fruit. Top with a light drizzle of maple syrup.

Eagle Loft Italian Sausage

2011-01-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

Sausages can be something tricky when you have allergies. Although there are sausages that are gluten-free, I feel safer preparing our sausages in my own kitchen. I have a sausage-stuffing attachment for my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, but it isn't necessary to have special equipment -- you can shape the seasoned sausage meat into oblong patties and fry them in a pan.

I have included two versions of the recipe, one for making patties and one for making a larger batch to stuff in sausage casings. The first recipe makes about 12 patties; the second makes about 30 sausages.

2 pounds ground pork
1 3/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 tsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 1/4 tsp anise seed
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne
2 garlic cloves, minced
scant 1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer and mix thoroughly.
Shape into oblong patties. Excess patties can be frozen for future meals.
Fry patties in a pan until browned and cooked through.

Here is the same recipe scaled for if you are stuffing these in sausage casings:

5 pounds ground pork
1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp fennel seed
1 Tbsp anise seed
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp cayenne
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup water

Put all ingredients into a very large bowl and use your hands to mix thoroughly.
Stuff into sausage casings. Sausages can be frozen.
Barbeque sausages (or fry in a pan) until browned and cooked through.

Sloppy Joes

2011-01-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

Back when I was in university, I used to make a lot of casseroles. Tuna noodle casserole (my Grandmother's recipe!), lasagne, beefy pasta bake. Comfort food. One of our favourites was sloppy joes. I looked up my old recipe yesterday and to my surprise it needed almost no modifications to fit our allergies. It was a great blast from the past, and something we will be having again for dinner once in a while as not only was it super easy and fast to make, it was also so tasty.

This recipe makes lots, so you could serve it to some hungry teenagers, eat it for lunch the next day, or freeze some for a future meal.

2 pounds ground bison
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped fine
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup safe ketchup
1 14-oz can finely diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp natural cane sugar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste

Brown ground bison in a large frying pan. Drain if there is excess fat.
Add onion, celery, red pepper and oregano. Fry on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients to pan. Heat to bubbling then reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
Serve over toasted allergen-free bread. Add a salad to round out your meal.

Vitamix Recipes: Almond Milk, Cashew Milk and Rice Milk

2011-01-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Our new Vitamix is coming in very handy. In fact, we use it more than once a day. It has made a big difference in how we prepare allergy-friendly food -- both in allowing us to make new things, and in making existing recipes faster and smoother. As I experiment and find new favourites, I will share my Vitamix recipe successes with you. To learn more about Vitamix high-powered blenders, click the Vitamix banner on my blog. Use the code 06-005769 for free shipping if you decide to order one of your own!

Some of my most-used Vitamix recipes are for non-dairy milk. Yes, you can purchase ready-made rice and almond milks in the store, but their flavour is not as good as what you can make at home. Plus, when you make it you know exactly what is in it -- no fillers or preservatives. And it is VERY easy and much less expensive to make it yourself.

Almond Milk

1 cup raw almonds
4 cups water + more for soaking
2 Medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla

Soak almonds in enough water to cover for 4 hours or overnight. Then drain and rinse almonds well.
Measure 4 cups fresh water into the Vitamix (using the handy measurements on the side of the pitcher). Add the almonds, dates and vanilla.
Secure the lid and start the Vitamix on low, increasing the speed slowly up to 10 and then flip the high power switch. Process until well blended, 1 minute or more.
Strain the milk through a nut milk bag, or 2-3 layers of cheesecloth in a wire sieve (the nut milk bag is SO much easier), for 30 minutes. Squeeze excess milk out of bag (or gently press residue in sieve) then pour milk into a container with lid (I use a 1 litre/quart mason jar). Store milk in the fridge for up to 5 days. Shake well before serving.
Almond residue (what is left in your nut bag or sieve) can be discarded, but I store mine for a few days in the fridge to use in recipes such as Zucchini Bread. It can also be used as a facial scrub!

Cashew Milk

1 cup raw cashews
4 cups water + more for soaking
1 Tbsp agave syrup
pinch sea salt

Soak cashews in enough water to cover for 4 hours or overnight. Then drain and rinse cashews well.
Measure 4 cups fresh water into the Vitamix (using the handy measurements on the side of the pitcher). Add the cashews, agave and salt.
Secure the lid and start the Vitamix on low, increasing the speed slowly up to 10 and then flip the high power switch. Process until well blended, 1 minute or more.
To decrease foam, turn off high power switch and slowly turn dial lower. A funnel should form in the middle. Decrease speed until funnel almost disappears, then hold at that speed for 15 seconds. Decrease again until funnel almost disappears and hold for another 15 seconds. Slowly decrease speed to 1, then turn off.
Cashew milk does not need straining. Simply pour milk into a container with lid (I use a 1 litre/quart mason jar). Store milk in the fridge for up to 5 days. Shake well before serving.

Rice Milk

1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups water
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

Measure 2 cups fresh water into the Vitamix (using the handy measurements on the side of the pitcher). Add the rice and maple syrup.
Secure the lid and start the Vitamix on low, increasing the speed slowly up to 10 and then flip the high power switch. Process until well blended, 1 minute or more.
To decrease foam, turn off high power switch and slowly turn dial lower. A funnel should form in the middle. Decrease speed until funnel almost disappears, then hold at that speed for 15 seconds. Decrease again until funnel almost disappears and hold for another 15 seconds. Slowly decrease speed to 1, then turn off.
Rice milk does not need straining. Simply pour milk into a container with lid (I use a 500mL/1 pint mason jar). Store milk in the fridge for up to 4 days. Shake well before serving.

New Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Egg-Free Waffle Recipe

2011-01-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

Our old waffle maker packed it in several months ago, so we have been having a lot of pancakes recently. But a shiny new waffle maker made its appearance at Christmas so we are enjoying a change to our breakfast routine. A new waffle maker means a new recipe, right? Yes! I used to make waffles from a mix, but decided to come up with something from scratch. I am so glad I did because these are much better in both taste and texture. As usual, I like to make a big batch and freeze the extras so this is a large recipe. I use a rounded 1/3 cup of batter in my waffle maker and the recipe makes 12 waffles.

2 1/2 cups almond milk (or rice milk)
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp almond extract (optional, or substitute 1 1/2 tsp vanilla)
3 1/4 cups gluten-free flour mix, OR:

2 cups brown rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour

2 Tbsp maple sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

Measure milk into 4-cup measuring cup or small bowl. Add rice wine vinegar and almond (or vanilla) extract. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda.
Melt the coconut oil and whisk into the milk mixture. Then whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Heat your waffle iron. When ready, pour batter onto hot waffle iron and follow your iron's instructions for how long to cook (generally around 4 minutes). Repeat until you have used all your batter.
Serve with real maple syrup and fresh berries for a tasty treat.

Turkey Risotto

2011-01-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. This has been a super busy month at Eagle Loft. I've been cooking up a storm and have several new recipes to share. I also have a few new cookbooks I'm excited to review.

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a set of two pressure cookers. I love them! I made a pressure cooked meal for lunch and another for dinner last night, so they are already getting lots of use. After eating turkey with mashed potatoes, yams and gravy for the several days following Christmas, I wanted to come up with a recipe to use up more turkey in a different way. I braved risotto for my first test of the pressure cooker and it was an overwhelming success! I will definitely not be making risotto the old fashioned way again. I've made it a couple more times since, including as a dinner side-dish to accompany a roast chicken. It really is easy and quick enough to make as a side-dish or a lunch.

If you are scared of pressure cookers then I encourage you to try a good quality new model as they have safeguard features now. Mine is the Fagor Duo, which comes with two size pots (both of which I've used already in the last week). I found it easy to figure out and am not worried at all about its safety. I've also heard good things about the Kuhn Rikon cookers.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small sweet onion, chopped
1 small leek, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup frozen peas
2 1/4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock for a vegan dish)
2 cups chopped cooked turkey (optional -- omit for side dish)
2 Tbsp Daiya vegan cheese (optional but delicious)
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in pressure cooker pot over medium heat and saute onion and leek for 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add rice and saute another 2-3 minutes until rice starts to slightly brown.
Add peas and chicken stock and stir. Seal lid and pressurize according to your cooker's instructions. Cook at reduced heat (once under pressure) for 7 minutes at 15 psi (13 minutes at 8 psi).
Release pressure fully then open lid and stir in turkey, Daiya, thyme, salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Vitamix Recipe: Strawberry Milkshake (Dairy-free of course!)

2010-11-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

This morning I decided I needed a little treat, so I blended up this easy-to-make strawberry milkshake. It was so delicious! I am very thankful that I froze so many strawberries this year as I can see this becoming a frequent treat.

1 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup almond milk (or rice milk)
2 dates, pitted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Add all ingredients to Vitamix. Start at speed 1 and slowly increase to 10, then flip the high power switch.
Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.
Serve immediately. Makes one large or two small servings (really you won't want to share though).

Vitamix Recipe: Green Monster Smoothie

2010-11-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

This witches' brew does not look like something tasty, but looks can be deceiving. If you have ever thought of trying a green smoothie but didn't know where to start, I think this is a good beginner recipe. It has a good refreshing flavour, and no it does not taste like spinach!

1 cup seedless grapes
1 apple, quartered and deseeded
1 pear, quartered and deseeded
1 orange, quartered and peeled
squeeze of lime
handful of spinach
1/2 cup water
4-6 ice cubes

Add ingredients to Vitamix. Start at power 1, then increase slowly to 10 while using the tamper to push ingredients to the bottom.
Flip high power switch and blend for 1 minute or until completely smooth.
To decrease foam, turn off high power switch and slowly turn dial lower. A funnel should form in the middle. Decrease speed until funnel almost disappears, then hold at that speed for 15 seconds. Decrease again until funnel almost disappears and hold for another 15 seconds. Slowly decrease speed to 1, then turn off.
Pour into two glasses and toast to your good health!

Zucchini Bread with Roasted Almonds

2010-11-26T22:35:00.000-08:00

I have been looking for a good gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free zucchini bread for awhile, and I finally found one that really caught my eye over at Gluten Free Goddess. I made a few changes, including incorporating roasted almonds. We are just starting to introduce nuts to the Little Man's diet, so we don't have a wide range of nuts to choose from. Although I would have originally wanted to pair this with pecans, the almonds surprised me in how much flavour they added to the bread. It was a perfect match! Roasting them yourself really brings out extra flavour. I also included almond residue (leftover from making homemade almond milk) for an additional flavour boost, and used an organic demerara sugar for a crisp crust.

To roast the almonds, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread whole raw almonds over a foil-lined cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Watch the oven carefully as the 10 minute mark approaches. You want a nutty smell to be coming from the oven, but if you overdo it the almonds will burn. Set cookie sheet aside for almonds to cool. Note that almonds will not crisp up for at least an hour. For using in the bread, you only need to wait until the nuts are cool enough to handle. Chop by hand or in Vitamix at power 5 for 5-7 seconds. For storage of extra almonds, wait 1-2 hours until almonds are completely cool, then store in a tightly-sealed container in the fridge. I like to use my roasted almonds to top green salads.

The bread recipe can be started while the almonds are roasting. Conveniently, the bread bakes at 350 degrees, so you can use the same preheated oven once the almonds are done.

1 rounded cup (1 1/4 cups) partially peeled then grated zucchini
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup organic demerara sugar (can be substituted with natural cane sugar)
1/4 cup almond residue (solids created by making almond milk) (optional)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp lime juice (can be substituted with lemon)
1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer whisked with 1/4 cup water
1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds (optional)

Press the liquid out of the zucchini by placing it in a sieve and squeezing. It is important to remove as much liquid as you can so the bread isn't too gooey. Fluff it with a fork and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sorghum, tapioca, xanthan, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix. Add sugar and mix again.
Add almond paste, coconut oil, coconut milk, lime juice, and egg replacer mix. Beat on medium speed until well mixed -- about 1 minute.
Add drained zucchini and almonds and mix on slow 20 seconds or so until combined.
Scrape dough into parchment-lined loaf pan (I just drape it in a U-shape in the pan and don't worry much about the ends) and smooth the top with a damp spatula.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Decadent Hot Chocolate

2010-11-22T16:53:00.000-08:00

The evenings are turning chilly now, and a good way to get warmed up is with a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate. Use a really good cocoa powder for this recipe for full flavour, and feel free to customize the spices to your taste. You could add a little chili powder for some extra heat, or replace the vanilla and cardamom with almond extract for a smooth, mellow drink.

1 can coconut milk
2 cups rice or almond milk
1/4 cup gluten-free cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup agave or pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat coconut and rice/almond milks together in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Once boiling, add cocoa powder, cinnamon and cardamom and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Add agave or maple syrup and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

What seasonings do you enjoy in your hot chocolate?

Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

2010-11-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

We eat these chicken wings all the time and I never remember to take a picture because I am so busy digging in. So please excuse the poor photo of the remaining few wings, and just trust me that these are way more tasty than they look.

These are perfect for a party as an appetizer, but also work as a main course. They are excellent for planning ahead as they freeze really well in the marinade. I usually prepare an extra batch (or two) when making these and freeze for a future easy meal.

3 1/2 pounds split chicken wings
2/3 cup safe ketchup
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 large clove garlic, minced

Mix ketchup, honey, wine, sugar, salt, ginger and garlic together in large Ziploc bag.
Add wings and squish gently to thoroughly coat all the pieces.
Refrigerate overnight, or freeze for a future meal. If you previously froze this recipe, now thaw overnight in the fridge.
Transfer chicken to foil-lined baking sheet. Pour a little marinade over each chicken wing so each is coated in sauce.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Vitamix Recipe: Harvest Pancakes

2010-11-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

Pancakes are a favourite breakfast at Eagle Loft. We have several different recipes that we alternate between, and we always make a big batch so we can freeze some to have on hand. This nutritious recipe smells divine while cooking, and tastes even better. It is such a comforting fall morning breakfast.

Although this recipe is designed to be made in a Vitamix, instructions are also included at the end to mix these by hand. Halve this recipe if you don't want leftovers (the recipe makes pancakes for eight or nine servings). These pancakes can be frozen and then heated in a toaster oven for a quick breakfast.

2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp safflower oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 banana, broken into 2 pieces
1 1/2 cups rice milk
2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix
(or use 1 3/4 cups brown rice flour, 1/2 cup potato starch, 1/4 cup tapioca flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp sea salt

Place ingredients into Vitamix in order listed.
Starting at speed 1, turn on Vitamix. Turn dial to 10 and blend 15 seconds. Turn off Vitamix and scrape sides with spatula to loosen any dry ingredients stuck to the edge. Set dial to speed 1 and turn on Vitamix again. Turn dial to 10, then flip switch to high power and blend 15 seconds or until batter looks smooth.
Heat pan over medium heat. Pour pancake mix directly from Vitamix into hot pan in circles about 2 1/2 inches round. Cook about 2 minutes per side, being careful not to burn pancakes.
If not using a Vitamix, mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls, mashing banana into wet ingredients. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to combine. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour batter into pan. Cook as directed above.

Kabocha Squash Soup

2010-11-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

I am so glad I decided to try more squash varieties this year. I picked up a Kabocha squash at a local farm and decided to make soup with it. It is a lovely sweet squash, so I made it into a sweet soup rather than a curried or spicy one. Don't worry, it isn't too sweet -- this soup has a nice delicate flavour and a lovely texture too. The Little Man gobbled it up, so I had to run out and stock up on Kabochas! I've made the soup several times now, and every time it is finished I roast another squash and make it again. I love to have this on hand for lunches. It is a perfect meal on a blustery Autumn day.

I adapted the recipe from one at AYear of Slowcooking.

1 small-medium Kabocha squash (4-6 cups cubed)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 apples, peeled and cubed
4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock for a vegan soup)
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a large kitchen knife, cut the squash into 6-8 chunks (be VERY careful not to cut yourself!). I find it easiest to start a cut next to the stem, pushing until the knife is embedded -- then remove knife, turn squash over and try to line up a cut from the under side. Repeat on edges until you can slice completely through. The subsequent cuts shouldn't be too bad once you get the squash sitting on the cut side. Remove seeds and stringy pulp (I find these seeds too tough to eat roasted). Place squash pieces in glass dish with 1/2 inch of water. Roast in oven for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, add onion, apples, stock and spices to crockpot and turn to high.
When squash is done, let cool a little until easy to handle, then use a spoon to separate the flesh from the peel. Cube squash and add to crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
During last 15 minutes of cooking, stir coconut milk into crockpot.
Puree with a hand-blender or a VitaMix.

Oooey Gooey Lasagne

2010-11-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

You may have heard it talked about as it is getting a lot of press, or you may have tried it yourself. I'm talking about Daiya, a newcomer to the vegan cheese market. If you haven't tried it I know what you're thinking: "Eeewww, vegan cheese. I'm not trying THAT again." But you have to trust me that Daiya isn't like other cheese alternatives. It contains no dairy, soy, eggs, or wheat. What it DOES contain is gooeyness. It actually melts like real cheese! It also has quite a good taste. So good the Little Man and I have consumed over 8 pounds of it since we ordered it the first week of August. He loves it raw and gobbles up slices of it. I am not so fond of it in its raw state, but love it melted on pizza, nachos, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and of course -- lasagne.

I modified this recipe from one at Gluten Free Chops.

9 Tinkyada lasagne noodles
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste
fresh oregano, basil, marjoram, parsley all finely diced
- or - dried herbs to taste (try 1/2 tsp of each)
dash of agave syrup
1/4 tsp salt for sauce plus 1/2 tsp salt for meat
1 pound ground bison
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small zucchini, diced
2 cups kale, chopped
1/4 pound (or more) Mozzarella-style Daiya

Lay dried noodles in 2 lasagne pans so they are not overlapping. Pour 1 inch of boiling water in each pan and cover with cookie sheets. Let sit 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, lightly brown bison over medium heat in a large frypan. Add garlic, onion, peppers, carrots, zucchini, kale, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook over medium-low until veggies are softened.
Drain a little liquid from the diced tomatoes, then puree with a hand-blender. Stir in tomato paste, herbs, agave, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Once the 20 minute noodle timer rings, remove the lids and transfer all the noodles into one pan (draining the other pan). Coat the empty lasagne pan with a little olive oil, then place 3 noodles side-by-side in the bottom of the pan.
Spread half of the meat/veggie mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the Daiya.
Repeat another layer of 3 noodles, the remaining meat/veggies, 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce, and 1/2 of the remaining Daiya.
Top with last 3 noodles, remaining tomato sauce, and remaining Daiya.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Have you tried Daiya? What do you think of it, and what recipes do you make with it?

Sunbutter Crispies

2010-10-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

These snack bars are very addictive. Consider yourself warned!

The Little Man goes crazy over these, and who can blame him? He's the one that came up with the name "crispies". They are definitely one of his favourite foods. But I have to confess that I eat just as many (ok, probably more) than he does. I think they are an excellent breakfast treat to add protein to your morning, and a perfect 4 o'clock tide-me-over-until-dinner snack too. And they are SO easy. You don't even need to grease the pan.

3/4 cup Sunbutter
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 1/2 tsp Agar flakes
1 283g box Perky's Crunchy Rice cereal (made by Enjoy Life)

Mix Sunbutter, syrup and Agar flakes together in a large pot (large enough to hold a box of cereal) over medium heat. Stir frequently until the mixture starts to bubble.
Remove pan from heat and add cereal. Stir to combine well.
Press mixture into 9x9 glass dish, making sure to smooth the top (a plastic rice paddle works really well).
Refrigerate 1-2 hours to set (2 is better but I usually can't wait). Use a sharp knife to cut into squares.
** optionally, drizzle melted chocolate over the top

Bean and Squash Chili

2010-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for more ways to incorporate squash into our diet and to try more varieties of squash. I am also trying to serve a couple of vegetarian meals each week, so I have been experimenting with meatless main dishes. Chili isn't something we have at our house anymore because some family members don't care for it. But this chili met with rave reviews and was greatly preferred over our traditional meat chili recipe!

My Mum and I each made this using different squashes and both were tasty, so feel free to use any variety of winter squash you prefer. The photo below shows us roasting our squashes and a pie pumpkin in my oven all at once. This worked well as we had cooked squash and pumpkin available to use in several recipes over the next few days (this chili, pumpkin pie, squash soup, and some toddler lunches). Can anyone identify the squash on the top rack? We think it is an heirloom hubbard but are not completely sure.

I adapted the recipe from epicurious.

1 small butternut squash (or other winter squash)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1 tsp chipotle chili powder, to taste
2 tsp cumin
1 15oz can adzuki beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
1 large Italian tomato, diced
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
3/4 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste
fresh chopped cilantro to garnish

Cut squash in half, remove seeds, and place halves in glass baking dish cut side down with 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the pan. Roast squash at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool a few minutes, then scoop flesh away from skin. Coarsely cube squash and set aside.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic 3-4 minutes. Add chili and cumin and saute another 2 minutes.
Add beans, broth, tomato and squash. Reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes.
Add kale, salt and pepper and cook another 10 minutes.
Garnish each bowl with chopped cilantro.

Roasted Squash and Pumpkin Seeds

2010-10-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

One of the things I look forward to every Halloween is carving a pumpkin. The best part? Roasting and eating the seeds! Throughout the rest of the year, as I cut into squashes and see the lovely seeds inside I always wonder if I can roast those seeds as well. As it turns out, you can! The photo above shows a combination of pumpkin, butternut squash, and heirloom hubbard squash seeds, each with their own unique flavour.

1 cup assortment of squash and pumpkin seeds
1 tsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Separate seeds from pulp. Wash seeds in a sieve until all orange bits are removed.
Dry seeds on a paper towel. Leave out on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes to dry.
Put seeds into a bowl, stir in coconut oil. Once covered with oil, stir in sea salt.
Spread seeds onto a cookie sheet in a single layer and roast for 35 minutes. Stir after 5 minutes, then every ten minutes after that.

Apple Rhubarb Blackberry Crisp

2010-10-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

Something I have missed with our oat restriction is a fruit crisp. It is such a comforting homey dessert. Now that it is autumn, I went looking for a crisp topping that would work with our allergies. And WOW, this is one great crisp! I didn't feel deprived of oats at all in this recipe. It is feel-good food.

I adapted the recipe from one at Allergic Adventures, a lovely blog that has recipes free of allergens similar to our own. The crisp can be served warm from the oven, or cold from the fridge. It makes a delicious breakfast as well as a dessert.

Filling:

2 apples, sliced
2 cups rhubarb, coarsely chopped
1 cup blackberries
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp minute tapioca (mini tapioca pearls)

Topping:

3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chilled coconut oil
1/4 cup boiling water

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix filling ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and scoop into a deep-dish pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, assemble topping by mixing together the flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, sea salt and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Use a pastry blender/cutter to cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until the oil is in pea-sized chunks. Add boiling water and stir just until combined.
Remove the pie plate from the oven. Using a tablespoon, scoop balls of topping onto the fruit. Try and cover as much of the surface as you can.
Return to the oven for 25 more minutes.

This post is my entry for The October 2010 "Scared Silly" Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free event -- hosted by Diana at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang. The "scary" ingredient is rhubarb due to its poisonous leaves.

Sunchoke Soup

2010-10-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

I only discovered sunchokes last year. Also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, they are a root (unrelated to the artichoke family) that looks quite similar to ginger. When cooked they can be used in place of a potato in a recipe, and provide a rich interesting flavour. I also call this soup "butter bacon soup" even though it contains neither ingredient -- but there are hints of both flavours in it!

1/2 cup olive oil
3 leeks (white part), thoroughly cleaned and coarsely chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, back peeled then chopped
2 pounds sunchokes, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
pepper to taste
6 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock for a vegan soup)
1 cup rice milk

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add leeks, onion and celery. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the sunchokes, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Add stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to a medium simmer. Cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Puree soup in Vitamix (or use a hand blender) until smooth. Add rice milk and return to stove to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

I've listed this recipe at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang for Friday Foodie Fix - Secret Ingredient Thyme.

Banana Pancakes

2010-09-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Little Man loves his pancakes for breakfast. He likes them plain, with no syrup or toppings. I have been making him pancakes from the Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix for about a year now; I make so many things from scratch, it was nice to have one thing I could simplify. But I always made it hard on myself by making a triple batch so I could freeze a few dozen little pancakes to have on hand. So I would spend two hours in the morning every few weeks standing over the frypan cooking batch after batch.

Then I saw a post from The Allergic Kid for Banana Pancakes. They looked too good to not try. I needed to make some modifications to make them gluten-free, and some other changes just because. And I must say, they are delicious!! They look like a lot of work to make compared to using a mix -- you even need a hand blender to puree the banana. But they really are very simple. I plan to make a single batch every weekend, which I know will be less work than the large mix batch I had been making. And these are much tastier!

Dry ingredients:

3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
(or use 1 1/4 cups of Bread Flour Mix from The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook in place of these 3 flours)
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

1 banana + enough rice milk to make 1 1/2 cups total
1 Tbsp safflower oil + extra to coat pan
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and whisk together.
Combine wet ingredients in tall narrow container and puree with hand blender until smooth.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Heat a large frypan over medium heat. Add oil to lightly coat bottom of pan.
Use a measuring scoop to pour batter into the pan in 3-inch circles (I use a 1/3 cup scoop to make 2 pancakes). Flip when top is filled with bubbles and bottom is light brown. Note that these stick to the pan when they are not cooked enough -- let cook longer and they should be easier to flip.

This recipe makes 1 dozen 3-inch pancakes.

Eagle Loft Quinoa Salad

2010-02-08T22:19:00.000-08:00

My recipe is featured on the Enjoy Life blog!

At first I found lunch to be a somewhat tricky meal to manage with allergies as I don't have time to prepare it from scratch every day. I wanted something I could make ahead and have on hand, a dish that could provide protein and pack in a lot of nutrients. Something that could be a side dish to last night's leftovers, a meal of its own, or a dish I could serve to friends at brunch. One dish fit all these parameters -- quinoa salad. I make quite a few variations of this salad, but over time this version has become my favourite. I eat it daily!

Eagle Loft Quinoa Salad
(makes 6 servings)

1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
2 cups water
pinch of salt
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and sliced (remove any thick outer leaves)
3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, rinsed and halved
4 slices bacon (check for allergens), cooked and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 of a sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 of a sweet yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
1/8 of a red or sweet onion, chopped small
small handful of chopped parsley

Dressing:

3 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
zest and juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

Combine quinoa, water and pinch of salt in medium saucepan with lid. Bring to boil, then turn to low simmer and cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat, remove lid and let cool.
Place all other salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add cooled quinoa.
Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Stir well to combine.

Cookbook Review: The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook

2010-02-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

When I heard that Cybele Pascal had a second cookbook coming out, I was very excited. I have previously mentioned her first cookbook, The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook, as it contains several recipes that we regularly prepare at our house. The one downfall of the first book for me was that the baking recipes contain spelt, which we cannot have as it is a form of wheat. So I awaited the new book's arrival with a bit of caution as to not raise my hopes too high. When I opened the cover for the first time I was holding my breath in anticipation.... and... NO spelt to be seen! And Oh, what lovely photographs of things I can bake!

The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook starts with a very useful dry and perishable goods pantry list. It outlines the various flours, sugars, shortening, chocolate, and other baking ingredients that are found in today's allergen-free kitchen. Cybele gives information on companies that make some of these products, as well as useful tips on why these ingredients are used and how best to use them. This is followed by a section on how to replace various allergens so you can learn what to substitute in your favourite baking recipes.

For the most part, the recipes in this book use a flour mixture consisting of brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. It is recommended that you mix up a big batch of this flour to store in your fridge or freezer so you have it on hand when needed in a recipe. This makes it so much easier to bake -- you don't need a multitude of flours each time you want to make something.

In our family there is a one-month period where we celebrate three birthdays. This book arrived just in time for the festivities! My Mum borrowed the book and made Chocolate Layer Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting for my birthday. She loved the book and decided to also try making Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting. Both were a success!

Next was Little Man's birthday -- and his first ever cake! I made the Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting -- twice, as we celebrated on his birthday and then again a few days later. I found this recipe very easy to make. The icing recipe creates a lot of icing, so I needed to make it only once for the two sets of cupcakes. It keeps well in the fridge. The cupcakes stay good in the fridge for several days, but they also freeze very well. This has become a staple baked good in our house. In just over a month, my Mum and I have made these FOUR times! When you have gone such a long time without cake I think there is a grace period where you can eat as much as you like to catch up a bit. :)

For my Mum's birthday, I made Carrot Ginger Layer Cake with Orange Buttercream Frosting. This is soooo good. We couldn't taste the ginger, so we would add a bit more next time (and yes, there will definitely be a next time). This cake was ok the day it was made, but it became outstanding the next day after it was refrigerated. The icing is good enough to eat on its own!

I also tried the Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. The results on this one were somewhat mixed, but it was through no fault of the recipe. In my area we are unable to purchase dairy-free, soy-free shortening. So in my baking recipes I substitute 3/4 cup refrigerated coconut oil for 1 cup of shortening. This worked fabulously on all three types on cakes and their icing. But I didn't measure very well with the cookies (I added too much), and I didn't refrigerate the coconut oil as long as I usually would. The flavour was divine -- but the cookies ended up flat and lacy. Next time I will try this recipe with 2/3 cup coconut oil and I bet they will turn out perfect.

There is much more to the book than cake and cookies; there are pies, cobblers, muffins, biscuits, and breads too. Everything looks delicious. There are lovely photos of baked goods that inspire you to try everything shown. I am tempted to start at the beginning and cook my way through the book, but then I would have to wait a couple months before having a vanilla cupcake again -- and that is not going to happen!

This book is so much more than just a cookbook to me. This book represents a way of experiencing "normal" foods in spite of all the allergies. It's a guide to creating a birthday cake that doesn't have to have the label "allergy-free cake", because it is so yummy that the non-allergic crowd can enjoy it too. It is a confidence booster in that you don't need to alter the recipes and hope they work out. It is the first book I pick up when I want to bake.

I received a review copy of this book, but was in no way influenced to write a positive review. I would have written everything the same if I had obtained my copy from the bookstore. This is truly a breakthrough book for those of us living with allergies and I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Cybele's web site gives the recipe for the flour mix, a red velvet cake with icing, and blueberry boy bait. Give one of these a try and you will likely see yourself needing her book. And remember, if you haven't eaten cake in awhile you have my permission to go a little crazy when you start baking from this book.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

2010-01-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

The moment I waited a year for... Little Man got to eat birthday cake. Last year we knew we were dealing with allergies before his birthday, but we didn't know what he was allergic to. So no birthday cake for the birthday boy. This year, we needed a special recipe for a two-year-old's first taste of cake. I found what I was looking for in the Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting recipe from the Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook. More on this book in a future post... but the cake was divine! Little Man's opinion? "Mmmmmm cake. Cake GOOD!"

What else do you serve a two-year old on his birthday? All his favourites of course! For Little Man, that meant baby corn, brown rice pasta, turkey meatloaf, and homemade crackers with guacamole. A tasty and nutritious meal that he gobbled up.

Quinoa Salmon Burgers

2010-01-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker for anything with quinoa in it, so when Ali at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen posted these quinoa salmon burgers today I knew I had to make them. Not just someday -- today! They are made in a food processor using cooked quinoa and fresh salmon along with some herbs and spices. They are super simple and quick to make, especially if you ask the fish market to remove the bones and skin for you. I chose wild coho for my salmon, and parsley and dill instead of the cilantro that Ali lists in the recipe.

These patties are going to be one of our dinner favourites. We both raved about them while gobbling them up. The quinoa makes them so moist, and using fresh fish really enhances both the texture and flavour. Yum!

Quinoa Crackers

2010-01-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

I have been busy in the kitchen lately cooking up a storm. So busy that I haven't found a moment to post (I also dig into dishes so fast I forget to take pictures!). But when Ali over at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen posted a cracker recipe this morning, not only did I have to make it immediately but I knew I had to share it too. The secret ingredient? Cooked quinoa! Well, I just happened to have some on hand so I decided to break out the food processor and rolling pin and give it a try.

I have been looking for a cracker recipe for months. The only crackers I have found that the Little Man and I can eat are the Hol Grain rice crackers. He loves them -- me, not so much. When checking out the recipes, however, I freeze up when I read "roll out the dough". Let's face it, crackers look like a lot of work. But this recipe says to put everything in the food processor -- easy! Easy and fast mixing combined with slow rolling might be doable. In fact, Ali suggests rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and simply transferring the whole sheet of parchment to the baking sheet. So the tedious and slow task I was expecting surprised me by being rather fast after all.

Ali's crackers are topped with three types of seeds, none of which we can eat. I made half of our crackers plain (for Little Man) and topped the other half with rosemary and kosher salt.

The verdict? Hands down, the best crackers I've ever eaten (EVER!) gluten-free or not. And if you listen carefully you might hear Little Man in the background voicing his approval... "more cracker, more cracker, more cracker!"

The Chef

2010-01-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a Christmas as fabulous as ours. I am still decompressing from the constant stream of visitors we entertained this year. So much fun! I have new recipes to share, and two new cookbooks to review, but it will take me a few more days to get back into the blogging mood. I just want to enjoy as much family time as possible right now.

As you can see, Little Man got his own kitchen for Christmas. He loves it! He cooks at it every day. I think it is increasing his interest in trying out new foods. That's my hope.

I recently started a meta-blog that links back here for recipes, but branches out into other areas of our life such as crafting and parenting. If you are interested in following our family journey, please come visit us at Eagle Loft.

Planning: Allergen-Free Christmas Dinner for Ten

2009-12-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

That's right, Christmas dinner is in full planning mode at Eagle Loft Kitchen! It is not only possible to make a holiday dinner for ten people that is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, etc. etc.... (not taste-free!), but in some ways it is even easier than the traditional way. What makes it easy? Planning. And the freezer! And a bit of a messy kitchen a few days before the event. :)

Here's what we will be serving for dinner this Christmas:

Turkey (salted, then basted with olive oil and oven roasted)
Gravy (chicken broth mixed with turkey drippings, poultry seasoning, tarragon, salt, pepper, and thickened with arrowroot flour)
Mashed potatoes (boiled, mashed and mixed with rice milk and Becel RSF)
Mashed sweet potatoes and yams (boiled, mashed together and mixed with Becel RSF, fresh orange juice and a touch of agave syrup)
Bread stuffing (cubed homemade gluten-free bread mixed with sauted onions, celery, sausage meat and bacon, tossed with poultry seasoning -- stuff in turkey or add some chicken stock or white wine and bake covered in the oven)
Sausage meat (made fresh by our local butcher, allergen-free -- hooray!)
Carrots and peas

And for dessert:

Pumpkin pie
Molasses spice cookies
Date coconut balls (I will post these sometime in January)
Chocolate star cookies (similar to my chocolate Easter cake, but in star shapes)
Chocolate cinnamon ice cream (same as my chocolate fudgesicle ice cream with a bit of cinnamon added in)

The beauty of this menu is how much can be done ahead. All of the desserts are already made and frozen except the pie, which I am making Christmas Eve night. The mashed veggies can be done the day ahead, and pretty much everything else is finished off late Christmas morning as the turkey goes in the oven. I'm anticipating getting a lot of time this year to visit with my guests Christmas evening.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, and a tasty allergen-free holiday feast.

Apple Fennel Salad

2009-12-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

This refreshing salad is quick and easy to make. It works with any crisp apple. I used Gala apples, but it would also be good with Granny Smith.

2 crisp apples, cored, sliced thinly, then cubed
1 bulb fennel (while bulb only, not stalks), chopped
1/3 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, sliced
3 Tbsp light olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp agave syrup
pinch salt (or Herbamare)
generous pinch pepper
4 iceberg lettuce leaves, whole

Mix apples, fennel, onion and mint in a medium bowl.
Whisk together oil, vinegar, agave, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Pour dressing over salad and stir to coat.
Put one lettuce leaf on each bowl/plate and spoon salad into lettuce.

Serves 4.

Ham and Split Pea Soup

2009-12-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

The days have turned cold, but we're still spending lots of time outside. There's no better feeling than returning home to the comforting smell of hot soup throughout the house. This soup makes use of leftover ham, but you can omit the ham for a vegetarian option. I don't cook the ham in the soup these days as Little Man doesn't eat ham yet; I simply stir ham into the bowls of those who are eating it. Depending on if you are serving ham or not, you need to adjust the salt -- more salt if no ham. The timing for this soup is very dependant on the temperature at which you cook it. You can have it ready in an hour and a half if you keep it at a good boil, three hours if you use a high simmer, or 8 hours in a crockpot.

9 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 1/2 cups yellow split peas, well rinsed
3 carrots, peeled and grated
3 stalks celery, backs peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp tarragon
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
cubed ham (1/2 cup per bowl)

Bring stock to a boil.
Add all ingredients (unless you are serving some bowls without ham -- then leave out the ham until serving)
Turn down the soup a little but keep the soup boiling. Stir every 20 minutes when cooking it at this heat (very important so it doesn't burn!). Cook with the lid on, but remove the lid for the last 20 minutes. The soup should be ready in 1 1/2 to 2 hours when cooked at high heat.
Adjust seasonings and serve.

Brown Rice with Lentils

2009-11-18T06:54:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe I make for Little Man, although it could also be a hearty side dish for adults. Every time I cook vegetables for Little Man I save the cooking water. I keep a 3-cup container in my freezer and add the veggie water to it each meal. We usually just have a couple tablespoons of liquid left after cooking vegetables, so it takes a while to fill the container. But when it is full, it is time to make this recipe! Run the container under hot water for 30 seconds or so to loosen the ice block from the container.

3 cups vegetable cooking water, chicken stock, or water
1 inch piece kombu (dried kelp) or dash of salt
1 large carrot, finely grated
1/2 cup brown rice, rinsed thoroughly
1/4 cup green lentils, rinsed thoroughly
1/4 cup brown lentils, rinsed thoroughly
3/4 cup chopped cooked chicken (optional)

Heat liquid to boiling.
Add carrot, rice, lentils and salt or kombu.
Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour, checking to ensure there is enough liquid at the 45-minute mark. (Add a little extra water if necessary.)
Remove from heat, remove piece of kombu, and stir in chopped chicken.

This freezes really well. If using chicken I make 4 toddler portions, otherwise I freeze this in 3 individual containers.

Leek and Potato Soup

2009-10-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Bleh. I'm sick again. Before it hit too bad, I whipped up a big pot of leek and potato soup, another of turkey meatball soup, and a batch of biscuits. Now I'm trying to lay low and let my soups work their magic. I've made this soup for years so it's a tried and true favourite. It just needed a small modification to work with our allergies.

4 slices bacon, chopped
2 large leeks, white part only, chopped (4 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, backs peeled, sliced
1 Tbsp tarragon
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
5 large yukon gold potatoes, cubed
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup rice milk
1/2 cup coconut milk

Fry bacon over medium-low heat until cooked but not crispy. Add leeks, onion, and celery. Stir. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes until wilted.
Sprinkle tarragon, thyme, salt and pepper over veggie mixture. Stir, add potatoes, and stir again. Add chicken broth, cover and bring to a low boil. Cook until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).
Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. This could also be done in a regular blender in a few batches.
Add rice milk and coconut milk to soup. Heat over low until soup is hot, then turn to low simmer until ready to serve.

Do you have any recipes that help you feel better when you are sick?

Lamb Shanks with Lentils

2009-10-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

This isn't the prettiest dish, but it is so tasty and rich that it could be served to guests. Sometimes I serve it as shown in the photo, with the whole shank on the plate. But usually I remove the bones after cooking, shred the lamb, then mix in brown rice and stir it all together. If prepared this way, you can get 6 servings from this recipe. Serve with a veggie side and a green salad for a complete meal.

I adapted this recipe to be cooked in a crockpot and made some changes for our allergies. The original recipe came from The Rest of the Best and More.

3 lamb shanks
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to season
1 large onion, sliced
2 cups beef broth
2 cups red wine
1/2 of a 5 1/2 oz can tomato paste (about 1/4 cup)
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp molasses
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cup mixed brown and green lentils, thoroughly rinsed

Heat oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Add shanks to frypan and season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes per side, turning to get all sides browned. Add browned shanks to crockpot (mine is the 5 quart size).
Add onions to frypan and fry 4-5 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Scrape onions into crockpot. Add beef broth, wine, tomato paste, molasses, sugar, vinegar, rosemary, salt, and pepper to frypan. Stir to combine. Heat to boiling. Add lentils and stir. Pour mixture over shanks and onion in the crockpot.
Cover and cook over low heat 8 hours.

I'm looking forward to more crockpot dinners now that the weather has turned cold and we have been having blustery days. What crockpot meals are you looking forward to this season?

Chicken Meatball Soup and Biscuits

2009-10-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

I woke up feeling pretty crummy a couple days ago. Not death-warmed-over flu terrible, just icky. But I knew what would make me feel better: chicken meatball soup. Homemade chicken soup really does contain some magic that nourishes your whole body. As always, it made me feel a whole lot better -- until the soup ran out. So I made another batch for lunch today. Little Man got very excited over this soup, and he *loved* his first biscuit.

Chicken Meatball Soup:

8 cups chicken broth
1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 baby zucchini, sliced
1 large yukon gold potato, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 tsp tarragon
2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp sage or poultry seasoning
salt and pepper
100 grams (about 1/4 pound) white rice spaghetti

Heat the broth to a slow boil, then add the carrots, parsnip, onion, zucchini, and potato.
Pull small chunks off the block of chicken. I use one hand (keeping the other one clean in case my toddler gets into something!) and shape the bits into roughly round shapes about the size of a large grape. As I form each one I drop it into the soup. Don't worry too much about shaping the meatballs; odd shapes work just fine.
Add tarragon, parsley and sage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Boil for 20 minutes (or more).
Break the pasta into 1-2 inch pieces and drop into the soup. Boil for another 20 minutes, then turn to simmer until you are ready to serve.

I used to always make my great-grandmother's baking powder biscuits to accompany soup. I made a few modifications to my scone recipe and -- voila! Savory biscuits. Not the same texture as baking powder biscuits (I prefer this biscuit texture as it is much smoother and flakier) but a similar taste.

Biscuits:

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup solid coconut oil (chill in the fridge to make solid)
3/4 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder and sea salt.
Use a pastry cutter to mix the coconut oil into the dry mix until you get pea-sized crumbs.
Use a wooden spoon to combine the coconut milk with the crumbs. Stir/fold until just combined.
Divide mixture into 9 biscuits. Shape gently with your hands and place on baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned around the bottom edges.

Toddler Trail Mix

2009-10-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

"Wow, all those allergies! What DOES he eat?" This is something I hear quite often. Sometimes people find it hard to think of snack foods that are outside the standard toddler fare. Cheerios, goldfish crackers, and cheese-strings appear to be very popular with the 2 year old market according to my latest shopping-mall observations. So I guess I shouldn't be so surprised when people stare at Little Man's snack cup wondering what weird food I am feeding my child.

I like to refer to this as trail mix, but Little Man knows it as Crunchies, Puffs, Raisins and Lizards. His favourite part is the lizards -- he will usually dig around until he gets every last one before he starts in on the other components. They are sheets of nori seaweed that I have cut into shapes using a craft punch. They are a great enticement for him to eat other things too. If he doesn't want a muffin, I cut it into cubes and serve it with a sprinkling of lizards over the top. Zucchini quinoa muffins on their own are sometimes not what he is craving, but muffins and lizards are hard to resist.

Trail mix:

nori sheets cut into appealing shapes using a craft punch
puffed brown rice (I use the Simple Treasures brand)
quinoa crunchies (by Gogo Quinoa -- either original or cinnamon)
raisins

What snacks do your allergic toddlers enjoy?

No Apology Pumpkin Pie

2009-10-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for Thanksgiving this year! My dish to contribute to the feast is "a pumpkin dessert". I started by checking my family's traditional pumpkin pie recipe -- how many eggs can I replace with egg-replacer? -- what gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free crust recipe should I use? Then I decided to check my safe recipe file of thousands of collected recipes that fit with our allergies. There were several options, but none seemed like they would fill my craving for my family's recipe. So I searched through the recipes of my blogging friends -- jackpot!! I should have known to look there first.

I only recently discovered Karina's Kitchen, and have tried a few of her yummy dishes already. But this recipe looked too good to be true. Ok, here's the secret: there is no crust on the pie. How is that possible? I figured this needed some investigating, so I made a practice pie prior to the Thanksgiving event. I have done a lot of sampling since then... and yes, there really is no crust and it WORKS! More than works -- I love it! No need to make excuses for your allergen-free concoction. This is a real pie and it is delicious.

I've made a few modifications to Karina's recipe, some for our allergy requirements, others to more closely resemble the seasonings in our family's traditional pumpkin pie recipe.

1 14 oz can pumpkin
1 14 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer powder
2 Tbsp tapioca flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly oil a 9" glass pie plate.
Add all ingredients to food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice.
Pour blended ingredients into pie plate.
Bake for about 1 hour, until done and the center is not wet. Mine took an hour and five minutes. Cool thoroughly, then refrigerate until time to serve.

I made the first pie without allspice and ginger and my toddler was able to eat it. Little Man's first pie! He helped to make it (ie. he insisted I hold him the whole time so he could see what I was doing), learned to say "pie" and agrees that it is delicious.

Chocolate Fudgesicle Ice Cream

2009-09-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

Luckily for us, summer has lingered late this year. So you get one extra ice cream recipe while the weather is still hot. This ice cream takes me back to childhood and the taste of original-recipe fudgesicles. I swear they changed the recipe somewhere in the last decade and added a lot of filler junk so now they taste mediocre. Of course it could be that as I got older my palate improved, but my memory tells me that fudgesicles used to be rich and super chocolatey. This ice cream tastes like that chocolatey memory.

1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 1/4 cup rice milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup crumbled chocolate cake

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours (or refrigerate the coconut and rice milks ahead of time).
Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions (I process mine for 28 minutes).
Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze at least 4 hours before serving. (If you refrigerate your blended ingredients for several hours before processing you may be able to serve immediately.)

It probably sounds odd to have cake in this recipe, but I'm sure that is what gives it such a rich flavour and texture. I usually have slices of cake on hand in my freezer so it is easy for me to pull out a piece for this recipe. If you don't have any cake available, you can probably omit it and add extra cocoa powder (1/4 cup or so). It will still be good, but it won't be quite the same.

Bison Tacos

2009-09-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Homemade tacos are a fun dinner and can be quite allergy-friendly (assuming you aren't allergic to corn). I mix up a big batch of seasoning every once in a while and then I have it on hand in my spice drawer as needed. It helps to keep this recipe quick and easy if the seasoning is pre-mixed.

Seasoning mix (makes about 8 meals):

1/4 cup chili powder
2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp oregano

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Store in a cool, dry place (such as with your other dried herbs).
To use, fry one pound of ground bison (turkey or ground beef would also work) over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain fat. Add one cup water and one heaping Tbsp seasoning mix to meat. Heat 10 minutes or so until water is absorbed. (If it doesn't absorb after 10 minutes, turn up the heat a bit).

Taco toppings are a personal preference, but our favoured choices are shown in the above picture.

Toppings:

chopped red and yellow peppers
sliced black olives
diced onion
cubed avocado
finely shredded lettuce (or pea shoots, or cilantro)
cubed tomatoes
salsa

Wrap corn tortillas in foil and heat in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Put a tortilla on your plate and scoop a narrow line of seasoned bison down the middle.
Layer preferred toppings over the bison.
Fold up taco into a "C" shape in order to eat it.

If it's in season, I like to serve sliced watermelon after a taco dinner. It is refreshing and cuts any residual spiciness.

Blackberry Scones

2009-09-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent the morning picking blackberries, and this morning I was rewarded for my efforts with these tasty scones hot from the oven. I figured scones were a thing of the past for me -- after all, aren't they wheat and butter mixed with cream? But then I saw a tasty-looking recipe for raspberry scones over at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. With a few simple modifications, I had a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free scone that used my fresh blackberry harvest. But not just any allergen-free scone -- a scone that can only be described as "Mmmmmmmmm".

And what is on top of that delicious scone? It is my own allergen-free (to me) clotted cream. After using part of a can of coconut milk in the scone recipe, I refrigerated the remainder. The coconut cream portion goes thick when cold, and is a delicious cream topping for scones. Just remember to keep it chilled until you are ready to serve it.

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup solid coconut oil (refrigerate coconut oil until it solidifies)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 overflowing cup of blackberries (I used fresh, but frozen would likely work even better)

Mix flours, xanthan gum, baking powder and sea salt together in a medium bowl.
Use a pastry blender to cut cold coconut oil into the dry mixture until it forms pea-sized crumbs.
Whisk syrup, coconut milk and vanilla together in a small bowl.
Add wet ingredients to crumbly mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon until just combined.
Gently fold in blackberries. (At this stage I thought everything looked like a gloopy mess and worried it wouldn't turn out. Don't panic!)
Drop nine mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Gently shape into desired scone shape.
Bake in a 425 degree oven for 17-20 minutes until scones feel firm and tops are lightly browned (mine took 20 minutes).

Roast Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

2009-09-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

I make this dish quite often as it is one of the few meals that we can eat as a family, Little Man included. I also roast vegetables in this herb mix without cooking a chicken, so this can also work for the vegan crowd. Just double the veggies (feel free to include other types of vegetables, preferably harder types) and omit the chicken.

Herb mix (mix all together in small bowl):

1 1/2 Tbsp parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp rosemary
1 Tbsp poultry seasoning
1 Tbsp thyme
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Chicken and veggies:

1 whole roasting chicken
4 large Yukon gold potatoes (cubed into 1 1/2 inch pieces) or 10 small red or purple potatoes
2 large red onions, cut into thick wedges while leaving a bit of the root intact so the wedges don't fall apart
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
olive oil
1 bay leaf
fresh rosemary sprigs
sea salt to taste

Wash chicken and pat dry. Coat outside with olive oil. Salt inside, then stuff with rosemary sprigs and bay leaf. Tie leg ends together with twine.
Lightly salt outside of chicken, then sprinkle half of the herbs over the outside. Rub with your hands to cover the surface and get in the crevices. Place chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan.
Put prepared vegetables in a large bowl and pour a little olive oil over. Stir to coat all the veggies in oil. Sprinkle the remaining herbs over the vegetables and stir to combine (I do this twice for better herb coverage: sprinkle, stir, sprinkle, stir again).
Place vegetables around chicken in roasting pan. I use a spatula to scrape the bowl to get the residual herbs and oil out and sprinkle it over the chicken.
Roast chicken and vegetables in a 400 degree convection oven for one hour. (For non-convection, set your oven to 425 degrees and bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes.)

Pina Colada Ice Cream

2009-09-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Summer appears to be coming to an end here. You can feel that fall crispness in the air already. So before the summer warmth is gone completely, I need to post my favourite hot weather recipe -- pina colada ice cream! (And who am I kidding? I'm going to be making this all winter long!) If you like pina coladas... and getting caught in the rain... (sing along!)

This is the most simple recipe for ice cream ever, but it has such rich flavours and textures. I don't even advertise it as non-dairy anymore, and it gets rave reviews from people who don't require allergy-friendly food. Since pina coladas contain coconut, no one questions why the ice cream is "coconutty".

1 can coconut milk
20 oz can pineapple tidbits (including the juice)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup agave syrup

Refrigerate cans of coconut milk and pineapple for at least 2 hours (I keep a can of each in my fridge for an emergency pina colada ice cream fix).
Mix coconut milk, pineapple with juice, sugar and agave in a blender at high speed until liquefied.
Transfer to an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. (I process mine for 25-30 minutes).
Pour into a freezer-proof container. At this stage I usually scrape pineapple pulp off of the beater and discard it. This is not a necessary step, but it makes a smoother ice cream.
Freeze for at least 4 hours.

If you have only pineapple rings or chunks, that would work too. You would probably need to include the step where you remove the pineapple pulp from the ice cream maker's beater. One time I only had a 14 oz can of pineapple on hand, so I included some fresh pineapple chunks and juice. It was so delicious, but definitely left more pulp on the beater.

Pesto Pasta and Artichoke Dip

2009-09-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

This recipe is two meals in one. You can just use the basic recipe to create a terrific artichoke dip, or you can add a few extras to make a scrumptious pesto sauce for pasta. Or you can do what I now do -- make a double batch, scoop out half at the dip stage and then add the remaining ingredients for the pesto sauce. Both freeze really well, so you can make double and save time another day. The dip recipe was adapted from one in the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook. It is delicious with a fresh veggie platter, on crackers, or as a rich sandwich spread.

Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor.

For the dip:

1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained (I remove outer leaves if tough)
1/2 cup rice breadcrumbs (you can use any breadcrumbs that work for you)
2 tsp capers with their juice
1/4 cup Manzanilla (green) olives (with or without pimentos)
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
fresh ground pepper to taste

For the pesto sauce blend the above, then add and puree:

1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil (pour in a steam while running the processor until you get the consistency you like)

Pancakes and Waffles

2009-07-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

Do you prefer pancakes, or are you a waffle fanatic? Did you think that going gluten-free marked the end of these delicious breakfasts? Even if you don't want to fiddle with all of the gluten-free flours and xanthan gum in the morning you can still have a hot breakfast topped with fruit and maple syrup.

I've been making my pancakes and waffles using mixes from Bob's Red Mill. For the pancakes, I use the Gluten Free Pancake Mix (are you surprised?). The waffle batter is less obvious -- I get excellent results with the Gluten Free Biscuit and Baking Mix.

For the pancakes you need:

1/2 Tbsp egg replacer whisked together with 2 Tbsp water
3/4 cup rice milk
1 Tbsp safflower oil
1 1/2 cups pancake mix

Whisk all the ingredients together and drop in various sized puddles onto a medium-hot nonstick griddle (I use a bit of oil in the pan).
The batter may not bubble when it is time to flip. Keep an eye on how brown the first side is getting and flip when it is a medium golden colour.

For the waffles I use:

1/2 Tbsp egg replacer whisked together with 2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup safflower oil
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups biscuit mix

Whisk everything together and make according to your waffle-maker's instructions. (I use 1/2 cup batter per waffle and cook for 4 minutes.)
You can triple the recipe and make a large amount of waffles at a time (20 waffles in my waffle maker). Use 5 3/4 cups water (instead of 6) and use the whole biscuit mix package (no need to measure).

I let the leftovers cool completely and then freeze them in Ziploc bags. Whenever I need a quick breakfast or snack I pop them in the toaster oven to heat. I also use the pancakes as hamburger buns, so it is very convenient to have them on hand.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2009-07-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I decided I needed an ice cream maker. Not "wanted"... neeeeded. After perusing the different options, I decided to purchase the ice cream maker attachment kit for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. Being summer, one would think this would be easy to find. But no! In our town there was not a single place that stocked this item. Thus began an ice cream maker journey that involved online shopping, shipping to friends-of-friends in another country, my parents meeting up with those friends while both parties were on vacation, and their efforts to cram it in the car to drive it home.

This story is told to highlight just how special this ice cream is. Aside from the fact that I didn't think I could eat ice cream again. After all, I can't eat cream... not even soy cream. And now I don't need to, because this ice cream is spectacular without it!

This recipe is inspired by one in the new cookbook Lick It!: Creamy, Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love. It is the first ice cream I've made that doesn't taste like the coconut milk that it contains. I am excited to try many more of the recipes from this book.

1 14oz can full-fat coconut milk
1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk (I used rice milk)
1/2 cup agave or granulated sugar (I used 1/4 cup of each)
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries
1/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Put first 4 ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Freeze in ice cream maker following the directions for your machine (I processed mine for 25 minutes).
Add cherries and chocolate chips and process a further 5 minutes.
Transfer ice cream to freezer-proof container and freeze 4 hours or more to obtain a hard ice cream consistency.

Morning Glory Muffins

2009-07-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

These yummy breakfast muffins were inspired by a recipe for Carrot Cupcakes at Speedbump Kitchen. I adjusted the recipe to make them gluten-free (they were already dairy/egg free).

I made them in my new silicone tall muffin pan, so they are shaped like mini-cakes! This recipe makes about 16 muffins.

Wet ingredients:

2 cups carrots, grated
1 apple, cored and grated
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup safflower oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer + 4 Tbsp water

Dry ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk egg replacers and water together in medium bowl. Add all other wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Whisk dry ingredients together in large bowl.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just blended.
Fill silicone or paper-lined muffin pans almost to the top.
Bake 20-25 minutes, until set on top.

Thai Chicken Curry

2009-07-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

This colourful dish is full of rich Thai flavours: coconut, lemongrass, lime leaves. If you are unfamiliar with Thai cooking, this may appear daunting at first. It took me awhile the first time, but it is now easy since I am more familiar with the ingredients. I adapted the recipe from one in The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook.

2 14oz cans coconut milk (be careful not to shake)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 kaffir lime leaves
2-3 red, orange or yellow sweet bell peppers, sliced
1 Tbsp safflower oil
1 inch ginger root, diced
1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves discarded and remainder cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
3 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tsp natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
3/4 cup snowpeas (optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or Thai basil

Separate the thick coconut cream from the thin coconut milk by spooning the cream off of the top of each can of coconut milk. Put the cream into a medium saucepan and reserve the milk for later in the recipe.
Cook the chicken over medium-high heat in the coconut cream along with 2 of the whole kaffir lime leaves. After 10 minutes, remove chicken to a medium bowl and keep warm by covering with foil.
Boil the coconut cream until it thickens and starts to look curdled. Set aside.
Meanwhile, fry the peppers in the vegetable oil in a wok for 3 minutes. Remove peppers, adding to bowl with chicken.
Combine curry paste with 1 Tbsp of the reserved coconut milk and fry in the wok for 1-2 minutes. Add fish sauce and sugar and stir together.
Stir in remaining coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, and snowpeas. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add peppers, chicken, and curdled coconut cream and cook another 5 minutes until chicken is heated through. Remove lemongrass pieces.
Sliver the remaining 2 kaffir lime leaves very thinly and stir into the wok along with the cilantro/basil immediately before serving.
Serve over Thai jasmine rice.

BBQ Pork Tenderloin

2009-06-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

This is a favourite at our house so we have it fairly often. Excuse the cutting board photo, but it was so tasty that I forgot to take a picture of my plate and had to take one instead of the leftovers waiting to be carved.

Marinade:

1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp green curry paste
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp ground Chinese ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

Mix all ingredients together in a large Ziplock bag (or a bowl with a lid).
Add one pork tenderloin and coat with marinade.
Let marinate in refrigerator minimum one hour (overnight works really well).
Grill on barbeque until cooked but still slightly pink on the inside (15-20 minutes on medium heat), basting several times with the marinade.

Spiced Teff Cookie Bars

2009-06-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Looking at this photo, don't you think of a dense chocolate brownie? What if I told you there was no chocolate in this bar? Nope, not cocoa powder either. These surprisingly light-textured cookies are dark due to the nutrient-rich ingredients of teff flour and blackstrap molasses. And no, they don't taste one bit healthy. They are super delicious!

This recipe was created by Ali of Whole Life Nutrition in order to accommodate our allergies (I'm so honoured!). And they couldn't be more perfect -- I love them! Thank you Ali!!

Rhubarb Crisp with Rhubarb Tea

2009-06-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

I never know what to do with rhubarb except bake it in a pie. I still haven't found a piecrust recipe that fits our allergies, although I have a few recipes I am waiting to try. But I had some fresh rhubarb waiting to be used and not enough time to experiment with pastry. So I decided to stew the rhubarb on the cooktop and mix in some tapioca. Mmmmmm.

As a byproduct of the cooking process, you also get a nice cup of rhubarb tea to enjoy.

3-4 stalks fresh rhubarb, chopped
1/4 cup small tapioca pearls
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup agave syrup + extra to sweeten tea
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
sprinkling of granola for each serving (I use Enjoy Life granola)

Combine tapioca and 3/4 cup of water in a small bowl. Let sit 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, put rhubarb in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.
Simmer 10 more minutes, then drain water. This rhubarb water is the tea, so pour into a nice cup and sweeten with some agave syrup to taste.
Add tapioca/water mixture to rhubarb. Stir in the coconut milk and agave syrup.
Simmer 5-8 minutes, until tapioca is transparent.
Stir in blueberries and simmer 1-2 minutes.
Pour into 3-4 serving dishes and top with granola.

Caramel Popcorn

2009-06-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Snacks have always been a tricky thing for me to think about in our allergen-free living. Everything seems to take a long time to prepare from scratch. It is so much easier to open a bag or a box and have an instant (and unhealthy) snack. What is odd is that I was never much of a snacker before I started the limited diet. We almost never ate dessert, and snacks were more likely to be cheese and pepperoni than potato chips or cookies. Nowadays though, I'm always foraging in the cupboards looking for a quick nibble.

My mother suggested I purchase a popcorn maker so I could whip up a yummy bowl of popcorn for a healthy snack. This turned out to be a great idea, and for the last week I've been enjoying popcorn with salt and Becel RSF. But today I have a new favourite -- caramel popcorn! And it was easy and quick to make.

My recipe inspiration came from a spiced popcorn and nut recipe in Super Natural Cooking. I have adapted the recipe to fit with our allergies:

10 cups popped popcorn (1/3 to 1/2 cup unpopped, popped any way you choose)
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt

Place a large sheet of parchment paper on your counter (or on a baking sheet).
In a large pot over medium heat, mix the syrups and salt and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, swirl the pan over the burner for about 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to reduce. On my gas cooktop, I tipped the pan a little then let it rest again on the burner. Then I tipped it another direction and brought it to rest again. This was more gentle on my grills than a swirling motion. After 5 minutes of the swirling or tipping motion, remove pan from heat.
Add popcorn to the pot and stir gently to thoroughly coat.
Spread coated popcorn onto the parchment paper and allow to cool and firm (or not!).

This recipe will serve two only if my husband gets home soon.

Beefy Tomato Pasta

2009-06-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

While looking through my Nana's recipes I discovered a simple pasta sauce. My regular sauce takes so long to make that I don't make it all that often. With a few changes here and there, I've updated her recipe to taste almost the same as my slow-cooked sauce -- but it can be ready in a jiffy. This recipe serves 4.

1 bunch fresh spinach
1 lb ground beef (I use bison or beef)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 5 1/2 oz can tomato paste
5 1/2 oz water (fill tomato paste can)
heaping 1/4 tsp ground cloves
heaping 1 tsp basil
heaping 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
8 spears asparagus
3 cups uncooked rice pasta spirals or elbows (I use Rizopia brand for this dish)

Heat water to boiling in pasta pot. Cook asparagus spears 3 minutes then remove from water and set aside. Keep water at a boil for pasta.
Meanwhile, wash spinach and pat dry. Divide evenly between 4 pasta bowls.
Brown meat over medium heat in a wok or large frypan. Drain excess fat.
Add onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water and spices. Stir to combine.
Coarsely chop asparagus and add to meat/tomato mixture. Bring mix to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes while pasta cooks.
Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water, and add to meat/tomato mixture.
Stir gently and let everything heat together 1-2 minutes.
Serve pasta mixture over fresh spinach in prepared bowls.

Bacon and Tomato Sandwich

2009-06-10T14:22:00.001-07:00

Your eyes do not deceive you! This is a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free sandwich -- on REAL bread!! (And yes, those are orange tomatoes, not something funny with my camera).

After having great success with the Rhubarb Muffins from the Whole Life Nutrition blog (as well as their quick lentil soup recipe that I ate so fast I didn't get a chance to photograph), I decided to try my hand at baking their Best Gluten-Free, Vegan Sandwich Bread. Prior to our allergies, I have been known to bake bread on occasion. Flour, yeast, water, salt, sugar, milk -- done! The ingredient list for this gluten-free bread was a bit daunting. Five different flours/starches? Maple sugar and agave nectar? Xanthan gum? Yeast? -- Oh wait, that one I was used to. I had to go to four different stores to obtain all of the special ingredients. But armed with my many small bags of exotic flours, I set to work. Soon, my house was filled with the delicious smell of freshly baked bread that I have truly missed.

Isn't it gorgeous? It LOOKS like real bread... but what would it taste like? I really had low expectations going into this project as I have only ever heard negative things about gluten-free bread. From funny taste, to crumbly texture, to anaemic-looking loaves for sale on store shelves, gluten-free bread has a bad reputation. So a little apprehensively, I prepared for my first bite. And.... OH MY! If someone served this to me and I was unaware of the ingredients I would definitely know it was homemade bread, but I would never have realized it wasn't made with wheat. As I gobbled down the first slice I felt guilty, as if I was eating something I wasn't allowed to eat. By the time I toasted the bread and made a sandwich, I felt like I should be re-reading a label for hidden allergens. But there was no label, because I made this and knew everything that went into it! Needless to say, I am ordering the Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook so I can get more recipes like this (and no, they didn't pay me to say that!).

Now, back to the "recipe" for the sandwich:

2 slices gluten-free vegan bread
2 slices bacon
1 small tomato
Renee's Light Poppy Seed Dressing

Fry bacon until cooked.
Toast bread until lightly crispy.
Spread dressing over toast, top with sliced tomato and bacon.

Rhubarb Muffins

2009-06-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

This has been a very exciting weekend for me. I just discovered something that opens up a whole new area of food: xanthan gum. I knew about it before -- it is listed in 95% of the recipes I read of muffins, cakes, cookies, and breads. The problem was that I couldn't find one that was made in a safe enough factory for our allergies. We have several brands available in my city, but they may be cross-contaminated with dairy, eggs, and of all things -- wheat! Who would even buy xanthan gum if they eat wheat? But I received an email from someone letting me know they had found Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum across town. It is made in a facility with tree nuts and soy, as are their gluten-free flours that we use. I feel safer with this for our allergies than with dairy, eggs, and wheat. I could hardly wait until Little Man awoke from his nap! We dashed to the store and there it was! And it was on sale for $5 off, too!

So this morning I set to work making one of the recipes that I had previously not been able to make: Rhubarb Muffins from the Whole Life Nutrition blog. They were divine! They puffed up beautifully, they had a wonderful texture, they didn't crumble to bits -- they were as good as they looked.

I also got to try my new silicone baking cups for this recipe. They worked way beyond my expectations. I made two muffins in traditional paper cups and 10 in the new silicone ones so I could compare. The silicone ones were superior! I had not expected much as I purchased 12 of them for less than $10.

This morning I also made some delicious waffles, but that is a story for another post. Needless to say, it was a great day!

Turkey Burgers

2009-05-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, a BBQ'd burger... Pre-allergy food, right? Wrong! I think I may have just discovered the best burger idea ever: Pancake buns. No, seriously! They are *delicious* and I think I even prefer them to the traditional wheat bun. They have a much more delicate texture than a bun and just melt in your mouth.

How simple is this?
Burger patty:

1 pound ground turkey (preferably thigh)

Shape meat into four patty shapes.
BBQ until cooked through.

Burger "buns":

1 recipe Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix

Pan-fry mix into 8 pancakes that are slightly bigger than your burger patties.
Load up your pancake "buns" with traditional condiments and burger trimmings as usual. (For me, that is dijon mustard and ketchup with some chopped onions).

To make things even simpler, I make extra pancakes with breakfasts and then freeze the leftovers. I then toast the pancakes whenever I need a bun. So easy and quick!

For the toddler version, I used cubed turkey meatloaf sandwiched between two pancakes. This was Little Man's first burger, and he gobbled it right up.

Lemon Coconut Pie

2009-05-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

Lemon pie is definitely something I thought I wouldn't be seeing again soon due to our egg allergy. After all, the main ingredient in lemon pie filling is egg yolk. Fortunately for me, my Mother-in-Law saw the recipe for lemon pie filling on the Ener-G site and decided to give it a whirl. Here's how she made it:

Coconut crust:

2 1/2 cups shredded coconut
3 Tbsp safflower oil (or coconut oil)

Mix coconut with oil until coconut is thoroughly coated.
Press firmly into a 9 inch pie plate.
Bake at 325 F for 10-15 minutes (until coconut starts to brown).

Lemon Filling (from the Ener-G site ):

1/4 cup Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp grated lemon rind

Mix egg replacer with sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler until well blended.
Add water, lemon juice and lemon rind and set over medium heat.
Stir constantly until smooth and thick.
Remove from heat, but continue stirring for 5 minutes to cool mixture.
Pour into pie shell. Cool thoroughly then refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Fiddleheads

2009-05-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

I've waited all year for fiddleheads to be in season and they finally are! It is a very brief season, so if you see them at the market grab them while they are still available. For those unfamiliar with them, fiddleheads are the new top shoots of ostrich ferns, and taste like a cross between green beans and artichokes. They are an acquired taste, and definitely a delicacy.

1/2 pound fiddleheads
1 small clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the fiddleheads under cold water and pull off any brown papery skin. Trim brown ends.
Boil for 15 minutes or steam for 10 to 12 minutes to kill the natural toxin in the fern. Drain and discard cooking water (it may still contain the toxin).
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry fiddleheads and garlic in oil until lightly seared, 2-3 minutes.
Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Raspberry Smoothie

2009-05-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest parts of learning to live with allergies is figuring out what to eat for breakfast. Recently I started making fruit smoothies. They are so tasty that it doesn't seem like I'm being deprived at all. I do find that I still need to have a grain (like cereal, a muffin, or pancakes) with this in order to feel full.

I choose different fruit combinations every time I make this. Here is what I had most recently, but feel free to make up your own concoction. This makes 3 large glasses of raspberry smoothie:

1/2 papaya, chopped
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 plum, pitted and chopped
handful of raspberries
1 apple, cored and chopped
3 slices banana
raspberry juice to cover 2/3 of the fruit

Add fruit to blender, pour in juice.
Puree and then liquefy until smooth and any peels are tiny.
Store leftovers covered in fridge up to 2 days.

I usually use orange juice, but the raspberry juice worked nicely with this mix. Other fruits I sometimes use include mangoes, grapes, peaches, nectarines, kiwis or blueberries.

Corn Chowder

2009-05-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

My Mother-in-law made me this delightful soup for Mother's Day. It is hearty and nourishing in addition to being delicious. She adapted the recipe from Living Without Magazine. Don't let the long ingredient list deceive you -- half of it is herbs!

2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
3 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock for vegan soup)
3 1/2 cups water
6 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups corn kernels (frozen or fresh off the cob)
1 tsp dried marjoram
2/3 tsp dried thyme
2/3 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup rice milk

In a soup pot, saute onions and celery over low heat until golden.
Add stock, water, potatoes and corn. Cover and cook over medium heat 30 minutes.
Measure one cup of soup into a food processor. Add herbs and puree. Put back into soup along with rice milk.
Cook until hot, 5-8 minutes.

White Bean and Artichoke Dip

2009-05-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

This recipe was adapted from The Rest of the Best and More, Volume 2. It is good served on a veggie platter, and also is an excellent dip with crackers, such as Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips. These crackers are super delicious all on their own too, and work with all of Little Man's allergies. There are several flavours available for these corn-based chips, and most should be safe for us so we will be trying more of these soon. Now back to the dip:

19 oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 small garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (or dill)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
dash of cayenne

Combine beans, artichokes, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor.
Blend together, adding olive oil (while machine is running) until dip is smooth.
Stir in chopped herbs, salt and pepper to taste, and the dash of cayenne.

Pumpkin Mini Muffins

2009-05-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

Very similar to my recipe for banana mini muffins, these muffins are also moist and tasty.

I adapted this recipe from one provided to us by Little Man's nutritionist.

Dry ingredients (stir together in a medium bowl):

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients (stir together in a small bowl):

1 14oz can pumpkin
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring just enough to combine.
Drop batter into mini muffin cups (I use a silicone pan, so I don't need to grease the pan).
Bake at 350 degrees F (325 F convection) for 20 minutes.

Halibut with Sweet Pepper and Basil

2009-05-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

This is our favourite way to serve halibut. I adapted this recipe from one listed at The London Free Press. My version serves two.

2 halibut fillets
3 Tbsp rice flour
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 sweet orange pepper, diced
1 baby zucchini, diced
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in an ovenproof skillet.
Season the rice flour with salt and pepper and dredge the halibut in the mixture.
Sear the halibut flesh-side down for 3 minutes.
Flip the fish over and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Move skillet to the oven and bake 8-10 minutes until fish flakes with a fork.
Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat in another small skillet. Add onion and cook until soft.
Add garlic and orange pepper, cook 4 minutes.
Add zucchini, cook 2 minutes.
Stir in parsley, balsamic vinegar, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Divide halibut and vegetable mixture between two plates. Serve immediately. Brown rice makes a nice accompaniment.

Farmer Salad

2009-05-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is a salad I have been making for years. It is slightly different each time, although there are always "core" ingredients. I once ate a "Farmer Salad" at a restaurant and it had artichokes and chickpeas in it, I think fennel maybe, and no lettuce. I don't remember what else was in that original Farmer Salad, but that is always the starting point for mine.

1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 can baby corn, sliced
1/2 bulb fennel (white part only), chopped
1/3 of a mild onion, chopped
1 red or orange pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
small handful of fresh parsley or basil, chopped
optional: I sometimes add other crunchy veggies I have on hand such as radishes or celery

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive or safflower oil
1/4 - 1/3 cup mix of vinegars: apple cider, red/white wine vinegar, sometimes a dash or two of balsamic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp molasses (optional)
dash cayenne (optional)
1 tsp dried herbs such as tarragon or oregano (optional -- don't add if using cayenne)

Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over veggies. Mix well and chill. Stir again just before serving.

Apricot Chicken

2009-05-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

I love love love this chicken recipe. I love it so much I have a difficult time thinking of anything else to do with chicken breasts. It has few ingredients and requires little supervision, so it is easy-peasy to make. But it looks so lovely on the plate and tastes so good that it is perfect for serving to company.

I got the original recipe from Lifestyle Markets. I have adapted the recipe to serve two (but I always wish I made the full recipe for four so I would have leftovers):

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup apricot jam
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (1 navel orange)
1/2 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the jam, orange juice and rosemary and set aside.
Heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
Add chicken, cook 3 minutes until lightly browned.
Flip chicken over, add onion around the edges.
Salt and pepper the chicken, cook 3 more minutes.
Pour the jam/juice/rosemary over the chicken, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 8-10 minutes (until chicken is fully cooked).
Lift chicken onto serving plates.
Turn the heat to medium-high and boil sauce uncovered for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened.
Pour sauce over chicken (also excellent on rice) and serve.

Breakfast Cereals - Part Two

2009-05-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

UPDATE 10/10/09: Unfortunately, after Perky's was acquired by Enjoy Life Foods, the decision was made to discontinue this cereal. Little Man is sad. :(

Finally my quest is over for a non-wheat, non-oat Cheerio's replacement. PerkyO's is another cereal by Perky's, which I previously discussed in my review of Nutty Flax cereal. Is it the best cereal in the world? No. Does my toddler think it is? Yes. He goes crazy when I bring out "O's". To me, it kind of tastes like I imagine the box would taste. However, if you add brown sugar it isn't half bad. And adding blueberries makes it quite good. In the cereal's defence, I think Fruit Loops tastes like sugared cardboard and I used to love it. I'm already on my second box, so I enjoy it enough to eat it fairly regularly.

Orange Beet Salad

2009-05-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

This salad is light and refreshing, perfect for a summer lunch.

6 baby beets, cooked, peeled and quartered (I used "Candy Cane" beets that are yellow and pink)
1 orange, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, grated

Dressing:

1 orange, juiced
1 1/2 Tbsp liquid honey

Mix beets, chopped orange and carrots together in a glass bowl.
Whisk dressing ingredients together and stir into salad.

Note: if using red beets you may wish to leave the chopped orange out until it is time to serve. Otherwise your whole salad will be red.

Rice Pudding

2009-04-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

This is simple and so yummy. I adapted this recipe from the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook.

1 cup cooked jasmine rice
2/3 can coconut milk (I use the rest for a chocolate ganache for other desserts)
1/3 cup liquid honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 plum (or other fruit) sliced
handful of granola (I used Cranapple Crunch by Enjoy Life)

Mix together the rice, coconut milk and honey in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring frequently (around 8 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Spoon into 3 dessert bowls and refrigerate to chill.
Top with plums and granola before serving.

Yam Fries

2009-04-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a tasty snack. Peel a yam and slice into fry fingers. An easy way to do this is to cut the yam into one centimetre thick slices, and then cut the slices into one centimetre wide pieces. Toss with plenty of olive oil to coat well. Optionally season with sea salt. Bake in a single layer on a cookie sheet at 475 F for about 30 minutes, turning once. They are best piping hot from the oven. I like to put several on my plate while leaving the remainder in the oven with the temperature turned off and the door opened a crack. Then I return for a second helping that is just as fresh and hot as the first serving.

Hawaiian Chicken Stirfry

2009-04-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

I like to call this "Hawaiian" simply because it has pineapple in it. I'm sure no one in Hawaii has ever made this, but they should! It is yummy.

6-8 chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 inch ginger, diced
2 cups vegetables, cubed (I used broccoli, onion, carrot, and bell peppers)
1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed

Sauce:

2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp cornstarch

Whisk sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Stir fry vegetables and ginger in 2 Tbsp oil over high heat for 3 minutes.
Set vegetables aside in a bowl and cover with foil.
Stir fry chicken 3-4 minutes until browned.
Add sauce and heat until bubbling.
Add vegetables and pineapple and cook for 1 minute.
Serve over cooked rice.

Avocado Chickpea Spread

2009-04-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

This isn't anything terribly fancy, but it is a favourite for my Little Man. I simply mash some chickpeas in a bowl, remove the skins by skimming my fork over the mash, and then mix in some avocado. If making this for myself, I add salt, pepper and some fresh lime juice, but for a toddler I keep it simple. I spread it on Hol Grain rice crackers.

Breakfast Cereals - Part One

2009-04-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

After recently learning that we had to add oats to Little Man's allergen list, I went cruising the cereal aisles once more in my search for wheat-free, oat-free, dairy-free, nut-free cereals. There aren't many that fit that description. But I discovered a brand, Perky's, that manufactures their cereals for Enjoy Life (and I looove them, my providers of yummy chocolate). I also trust them, which is important when looking at foods through allergy-filtered eyes.

So I decided to give their cereals a try. The first one I tried, Nutty Flax, tasted like a good-for-you health cereal.

I am not a health cereal fan.

I am more of a Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms connoisseur.

But I have to say, it's been a week, I've eaten it three or four times and now it tastes pretty good. I really like the texture (crunchy up to and including the last bite). Now it tastes nutty and wholesome (which is a much better taste than "good for you" somehow). So this will be on my shopping list again when it runs out.

Potato Pancakes

2009-04-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

I made these for breakfast on the weekend and they were so tasty. I used leftover mashed potatoes, mixed in some fresh parsley and some salt and pepper, and then fried them in a little olive oil.

But the real secret is how I had made the potatoes the night before. I put the potatoes through a ricer and then added Imagine Creamy Potato Leek Soup. This makes the potatoes very smooth and flavourful and they have a creamy texture, unlike the more watery texture with rice milk.

Avocado and Pea-Shoot Quesadillas

2009-04-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

Quesadillas: the new excitement in my life. I have finally found some corn tortillas that don't contain soy or anything else we can't have! This helps fulfil my craving for bread products at lunch. It's strange that I never used to eat a lot of bread products, but I would have the occasional tortilla wrap. Now that I can't eat wheat, I suddenly want sandwiches and wraps for lunch. Enter corn tortillas. Specifically, Grimm's 6" Tortillas.

Here's what I've been savouring for lunch:

2 6" corn tortillas
1/3 large avocado
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbps salsa
a few thin slices of leek, washed well and separated into rings
small handful fresh pea shoots

Mash avocado in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread avocado over one side of each tortilla.
Spread salsa, leeks and pea shoots on one tortilla.
Putting avocado sides together, stack tortillas.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in small frypan.
Fry tortillas until golden on first side, 2-3 minutes.
Flip tortillas and fry until golden and heated through, 2-3 minutes.
Use a pizza cutter to slice into quarters.

Turkey Meatloaf

2009-04-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

This is one of our fairly regular dinners as we can cut it into little pieces and feed it to the Little Man. It is definitely one of his favourite foods, so I usually chop up the leftovers and freeze them for him. (As I am typing this he is on my lap pointing at the picture and indicating that he wants some.) It makes four adult dinner portions.

2 lbs ground turkey
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup rice breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage or poultry seasoning
1 large carrot, grated
2 Tbsp real maple syrup

Combine all ingredients except syrup and mix well.
Press lightly into loaf pan.
Top with syrup.
Bake at 350 degrees (325 degrees convection) for one hour.

Banana Mini Muffins

2009-04-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

I'm still at the stage where I'm searching for snack food that I can eat. One of my favourites is something that I have been making for Little Man for a while, but only recently thought "hey, I could eat that too". Yes, lightbulb moment. I get so caught up with trying to find things for Little Man to eat that I completely forget that I need to eat too. So now I whip up a batch of mini muffins every 3-4 days and don't feel guilty when I eat "his" food because there are always plenty to go around.

I adapted this recipe from one provided to us by Little Man's nutritionist.

Dry ingredients (stir together in a medium bowl):

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients (mash together with a fork in a small bowl):

2 mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring just enough to combine.
Drop batter into mini muffin cups (I use a silicone pan, so I don't need to grease the pan).
Bake at 350 degrees (325 convection) for 17 minutes.

Chocolate Bunnies and Eggs

2009-04-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!

My contribution to Easter dinner this year was a dessert. But I didn't want it to be just any dessert. I wanted our family to see that "cooking with weird ingredients" didn't mean having to sacrifice in the taste department. And that it could still follow a theme. And that it could mean eating chocolate! (I still can't believe I found chocolate that fits all our restrictions -- and just a week before Easter. Thank you Enjoy Life!)

A huge thank you to Allergy Mom at The Allergic Kid for posting her recipe for "Be My Valentine" Cakes. This was my first time attempting to bake a cake without wheat, dairy or eggs and I must say I found the task quite daunting. It took literally hours to make, but was worth every minute of effort. And I learned so much that I could probably whip these up without too much fuss the second time around. Part of the lengthy time was due to reinspecting labels on all the products I had never used before. I also used a coconut spread that needed to be "warmed" first -- and this took 45 minutes. Next time I will get that going even before preheating the oven.

So, lessons learned and confidence gained for future baking projects. But did I mention the taste? OMG!! This was probably the best chocolate dessert I've ever eaten! Now I may be a little biased after not tasting chocolate for a year, but these cakes were way beyond my expectations and our family wholeheartedly gave them a glowing review.

Here are the substitutions I made to the cake batter to make these work for our allergies:

1 1/4 cup wheat flour => 3/4 cup brown rice flour and 1/2 cup tapioca flour
I added 1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 4 Tbsp water
1/2 cup canola oil => just under 1/2 cup safflower oil to accommodate the added "egg"
1/2 cup soy yogurt => 1/2 cup Wilderness Family Naturals Coconut Spread

I didn't make the filling due to lack of time and they were still delicious without it. I made the ganache as listed in the original recipe.

These cakes reminded me of chocolate lava cake, which I will try making at some point using this recipe. I picture putting batter in a ramekin, then the ganache (or maybe even just the chocolate chips), then more batter. Mmmmm.

Asparagus Leek Risotto

2009-04-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

I recently checked The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook out of the library and I have been very pleased with the first two recipes I have made from it. The first recipe was Cherry Dijon Pork Chops (page 106). I didn't have cherry jam on hand, so I made my version with blackberry jam instead -- yum! Probably the best pork chops I have ever made -- tender, juicy and flavourful.

The second recipe we ate tonight -- Asparagus Leek Risotto (page 84). It was the first recipe I had read in the book, and it was all I could do to restrain myself from running to the store to purchase the ingredients. I'm not even a fan of rice, and I've never made a risotto before. But the ingredients are some of my favourites: asparagus, leeks, fresh basil -- what's not to love? I made a few adaptations as my stomach is not a fan of shallots. The results? Delicious!

The onions and leeks dissolved into a creamy sauce that even had a hint of cheese flavour (at least in my imagination). This recipe didn't feel like I was being deprived of anything or as if I were eating an allergy-altered recipe. The picture doesn't do it justice as I was so excited to eat it that I snapped the fastest photo I could get.

Of course I didn't read the part about stirring constantly for 40 minutes until I had poured the rice in the pan. This recipe has the added benefit of a good arm workout in addition to the winning taste.

Here's my adaptation of the recipe (serves 2):

4 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth for a vegan meal)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup onion
3 leeks, chopped
1 1/3 cups Arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
1 1/3 cups asparagus, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
2/3 cup fresh basil, chopped coarsely
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Simmer broth in pan #1.
In pan #2, cook onion and garlic in olive oil, about 2 minutes.
Add leeks to pan #2, cooking until wilted, about 4-5 minutes.
Add rice to pan #2, stirring until coated in oil. Add wine and stir until absorbed.
For 20 minutes, add one ladle of broth to pan #2 at a time, stirring constantly until completely absorbed.
Add asparagus and two ladles of broth to pan #2, stirring until absorbed.
Continue adding broth one ladle at a time until broth is used up (approximately 10 - 15 minutes), stirring constantly.
Remove from heat, stir in basil, salt and pepper, and a small drizzle of olive oil.
Garnish with fresh basil leaves and enjoy!