Happy Birthday Little Man!

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

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

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

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

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

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
  

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

Serves 4.

Ham and Split Pea Soup

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)

1. Bring stock to a boil.
2. Add all ingredients (unless you are serving some bowls without ham -- then leave out the ham until serving)
3. 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.
4. Adjust seasonings and serve.
   

Brown Rice with Lentils

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)
  

1. Heat liquid to boiling.
2. Add carrot, rice, lentils and salt or kombu.
3. 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.)
4. 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.