An Allergy-Free Thanksgiving

Due to some ongoing medical issues, I am currently eating a top-8-allergen-free diet.  This means no dairy, no eggs, no soy, no wheat, no peanuts, no tree nuts, no fish, and no shellfish.  At times, trying to figure out what I am going to eat can be challenging as many of my old favorites included at least one of these items.  Today, I am challenging myself to make allergen-free versions of our traditional Thanksgiving fare.  Because of the way I cook (dump a little here, add a little there), I'm not going to include recipes, but I will include an ingredient list for each dish.   If you are faced with the same allergy-free challenges and still want to serve "traditional" Thanksgiving fare, I hope some of these ideas will help you out!

"Turkey": I have stomach issues with traditionally processed poultry and will be cooking myself some minimally processed Smart Chicken chicken breasts.

Dressing: Homemade gluten-free/vegan bread (from this cookbook), Jimmy Dean Hot Pork Sausage, WildTree Butter Flavor Grapeseed Oil, onion, celery, mushrooms, sage, parsley, pepper

Mashed Potatoes: boiled potatoes, water(saved from boiling potatoes), roasted garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper

Chicken & Mushroom Gravy:   WildTree Butter Flavor Grapeseed Oil, gluten-free flour blend, chicken pan drippings (liquid left from cooking a whole chicken in the crockpot), dried mushrooms rehydrated in boiling water, salt & pepper.  This was honestly going to be just a chicken gravy, but I made too much roux and needed more liquid.  Adding plain water would have just made a bland gravy.  Dried mushrooms added great flavor to this gravy!

Green Bean Hotdish: green beans, homemade mushroom gravy (dried mushrooms rehydrated in boiling water, gluten-free flour blend, WildTree Butter Flavor Grapeseed Oil, salt & pepper, poultry seasoning), homemade fried onions (onion, gluten-free flour blend, canola oil)

Pumpkin Chai Mousse:  Coconut cream, pumpkin puree, chai tea bags, vanilla, honey, Enjoy Life Snickerdoodle cookies (chopped into small pieces and sprinkled on top) Edit:  The tea bags didn't give it enough spice for me so I added extra cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger, and cardamom.

I'll come back and post pics and results of all my experiments after tomorrow! 

Gluten-Free Flatbread Sandwich

This was so good, I ate two...

I've been going through some food/digestive struggles lately and haven't really made anything I deemed blog-worthy.  Until today...

This recipe is for a quick gluten-free pita, but I was too lazy to putz around trying to cut a pocket.   (No yeast means that although they puff, these don't form a pocket in the middle.)  Besides, you can fit in more goodies if you just slice it in half right?  So that's what I did.  This recipe, from Gluten-Free On A Shoestring,  sliced in half like an English muffin, only thinner. 

And the goodies inside?

Homemade hummus, adapted from a recipe in my American Masala cookbook.  (Hmmm, thought I had blogged that recipe... I'd better get on that!)
Fresh baby spinach
Sliced red bell pepper
Thinly sliced carrot

This pita/flatbread recipe was delicious.  My mind is going on and on with ideas for different flavors... Italian herb, garlic & cilantro, roasted garlic... I can't wait to experiment! 

Yummy stuff from last week

Just a little update with a couple recipes I made last week that we really enjoyed.  Sorry guys, no pics... I didn't take any (palak paneer really isn't that photogenic...) and I'm not stealing anybody else's off their blog. 

Spicy Pumpkin Soup from Make It Naked.  This was good, but could have used a little more heat.  I put the minimum amount of cayenne in since my 2-yr old was eating it also and just spiced up my  individual serving.  Oh, and the 2-yr old says, "It's tasty". 

Palak Paneer  from Indian Simmer.  This was too spicy for the 2-yr old, but I knew that going in so I made him some other leftovers to eat that night :)  Instead of the thai chiles, I used 6 small serranos.  I also used queso fresco in place of the paneer.  (Sometimes you just have to substitute what is available at the small town grocery store... I was happy I could get queso fresco!)  This was delicious and was just as good leftover as it was the first night. 

Of course, I've made a couple other really yummy things this week, but in my traditional style of cooking, they involved using up the little bit of this, that, and the other thing and not writing a thing down!  So no recipes exist for them and they will never be made in that exact configuration again.  Sometimes the fun of cooking is trying the new recipe and following it, sometimes the fun lies in just throwing ingredients in a pan to see what you end up with...

Wordless Wednesday: NYE leftovers

 

 

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Lentil Vindaloo

This recipe came out of a deep desire to eat curry on our first sub-zero day of the winter....Brrrr!  And the need to use up some of our 150lbs of potatoes!

I originally went looking for an Aloo Mattar (potato & pea curry) recipe.  I found one that looked delicious, but I didn't have all the ingredients.

Then I remembered the Penzey's Vindaloo Seasoning in my cupboard.

I love vindaloo.

Oh, but it's traditionally made with lamb.  I don't eat much meat anymore and I'd had my fill this weekend.

Hmmm....

Lentils!  The perfect answer!  Not only did I have some hanging out in the pantry, but they cook up right with the potatoes, no need to pre-soak or cook for hours!

Oh, and they were delicious, too.

Lentil Vindaloo
Adapted from directions for Penzey's Vindaloo Seasoning, www. penzeys.com 

5 TBSP Penzey's Vindaloo Seasoning
2 cups plus 5 TBSP water
6-8 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 TBSP + 1 TBSP coconut oil
1 large onion, minced
6 TBSP white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 cup lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained

In a cup or small bowl, mix 5 TBSP Penzey's Vindaloo Seasoning with 5 TBSP water.  Set aside.  Heat 3 TBSP coconut oil in stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add potatoes and cook until starting to brown.  Remove from pot and set aside.  Add remaining 1 TBSP coconut oil and onions to pot, cook until starting to soften.  To the onions in the pot, add the seasoning mix, the potatoes, and the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until potatoes are tender and lentils are cooked through. 

Serve with rice or flatbread. 

Curried Split Pea Soup

This post was first published on my other blog "Another Drop In The Bucket" on 1-27-11.

My first attempt at a food post.  I figure at least this way I can't lose the recipe!

I've been craving this soup since the first time I made it a few weeks ago.  I had never had split peas before and wasn't sure I would like them so I stuck to the recipe the first time.  I hate fresh peas, so dried split peas was a leap of faith for me.  This soup is delicious and filling. Best of all, Liam loves it!

Curried Split Pea Soup (Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe as published on www.foodnetwork.com)

2 TBSP unsalted butter
Salt & pepper
1/2 large white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 TBSP curry powder
Cayenne pepper, to taste (I used 4 shakes of the jar, maybe 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon?)
6 cups chicken broth or stock
12 oz. dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes, (approx 14 oz), washed and cubed
Plain yogurt
Crushed red pepper for sprinkling

Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add onion and salt and pepper, cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic, cook for an additional 30 seconds.  Add curry powder and cayenne, cook for another 30 seconds.  Make sure you do not allow the onion and garlic to brown.  Add broth and peas, bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer for one hour.  Add carrots and potatoes, continue simmering until vegetables reach the desired tenderness, about 20 minutes.  (This will vary depending on how thick your vegetables are.)  Using a  stick blender, puree soup until it reaches desired consistency.  I like mine nice and thick but not too pureed that it's like baby food.  You may need to add water if you like a little thinner soup.  Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper.

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday

Grown-Up Ants On A Log

banana

Nutella

dried cherries

YUM!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Spring Is Here!

Tulips

Seriously, this is the forecast here for the next few days.  I think Minnesota forgot that it's only early March!

Sedum

 I even got to work in the garden!

Before: the doggies have been digging.  Bad doggies!

After: All cleaned up and holes filled!

With the forecast we've got, I may be eating fresh chives bu the end of the week!

My favorite garden ornament: a frog I found in the previous owner's garbage pile.
Froggie ain't got no eyeballs. 

Filling flats to start seeds.  Not often I do that outdoors in March!

I started my edibles in the basement this week.  Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant so far.  We'll see what else I get around to by the end of the week.  It's going to be hard to dedicate time indoors with this gorgeous forecast!

Chipotle And Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Soup

 I hadn't planned on blogging this.  It's just something I threw together. However, I had a request for the recipe before I had even tasted it to know if it was any good!

This soup has ingredients, but not really a recipe.  Everything is dependent on how big your squash are and your taste for spicy heat and garlic. So I'll tell you what went into this batch, and you can adjust from there. 

 

Chipotle And Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Soup

4 small butternut squash, washed, halved, and seeded

1 head garlic

Olive oil

Canned chipotle chiles in adobo - I used three and some sauce. This was perfect for me but would have been too hot for my husband. Use your own judgement, always starting with less than you think you need. 

Vegetable broth- I used 4 cups

Salt, to taste- I used a couple pinches for the whole pot. 

 

Place squash halves cut-side down in a lightly oiled baking pan. Add water to pan until it goes halfway up the sides of the squash halves. 

Cut tips off of garlic cloves,  leaving head intact. Lightly coat cut ends with olive oil and wrap head of garlic in aluminum foil. 

Roast both squash and garlic in a 350 degree oven for about one hour. Remove from oven and let cool.

When squash is cool enough to handle, scrape flesh into a stockpot. Squeeze individual cloves from the garlic head into the pot. Add chipotle chiles and sauce, salt, and vegetable broth.  Use an immersion blender to purée all ingredients, adding more broth as necessary to reach desired consistency.  

Heat on stove, stirring frequently, and serve. 

 

Just a couple notes on this recipe:

     -If you don't have an immersion blender, you can purée this soup in a food processor or regular blender, working in batches. If you do it in a regular blender, DO NOT do it when the ingredients are hot. The steam cannot escape from a regular blender and it will explode all over. 

     -I served this with crushed Beanitos chips on top- they fit into the wacko elimination diet I'm currently on. Regular tortilla chips would be good, as would big homemade croutons or a side of a nice crusty bread. (Mmmm, I miss bread.)

     -Garlic, chiles and salt can be easily adjusted to taste in this recipe. Always remember to start with less than you think you want and taste between additions.  

 

This soup was the perfect thing to warm my belly on a cold Minnesota winter day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Chile Lime Potato Chips

When you're on a really restrictive elimination diet, you sometimes have to get creative.  I had a huge craving for guacamole tonight but I usually eat it with chips.  Corn is on the "NO" list.  Ok, so Blue Diamond Nut-Thins- rice and nuts, right?  Yep, and butter.  Dairy is also on the "NO" list.  Grrr.  So I looked up a recipe for gluten-free crackers.  I found one that looked good, but it calls for either arrowroot powder or cornstarch.  I have no arrowroot powder, and remember...corn is on the "NO" list.  
I sat and stewed about it for a while.  I really, really, REALLY wanted guacamole!  On beans?  Nope, don't have any that aren't dried.  On chicken?  Frozen.  Then, finally, AHA! On homemade chile lime potato chips!  Potatoes, lime juice, olive oil, ancho and chipotle chile powders, and salt to taste.  Bake in a single layer at 400 degrees until crispy.  They absolutely hit the spot!   

Thai Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe was an attempt to convince myself that squash is good.  I've never met a squash that I liked, but until last year, I had never met a sweet potato I liked either. 

I decided after discovering a love for spicy sweet potato fries, that the problem with most traditional American sweet potato and squash recipes is that we add sugar in some form and make them sweet.  (Think marshmallow on sweet potatoes, brown sugar and butter on squash.)  Sweet, as far as I'm concerned, does not belong on my dinner plate! 

I love curries so this recipe was a natural choice for me in my quest to like squash.  I adapted it just slightly to fit my taste preferences, omitting the sugar, increasing the curry paste, and adding some heat with cayenne.

So did I like it?  Yes!  Will I make it again?  Yes!  But probably with one more change.  I don't mind the flavor of the tofu, it really doesn't have much, but I wasn't a fan of the texture of the cubes.  I'd either puree it into the soup next time or break it into smaller crumbles. 

Thai Butternut Squash Soup
Adapted slightly from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas For The Weeknight Table

1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups vegetable broth
24 ounces cooked butternut squash
2 TBSP lime juice
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Cayenne pepper to taste

12 ounces firm tofu
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 tsp coconut oil


In a soup pot, whisk together the coconut milk, 1 tsp curry paste, salt, and broth.  Add squash, cover and bring to a simmer.  Puree with stick blender if needed. 
Meanwhile, prepare the tofu.  Cut tofu into small cubes and put in a bowl.  Toss with soy sauce and 1 tsp curry paste.  Heat coconut oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. 
Add tofu, lime juice, and spinach to the simmering soup.  Stir and cook just until the spinach wilts.  Add more salt and cayenne pepper to taste. 

Eggplant Plop

This delicious, healthy dip recipe comes from my mother's side of the family.  No one know why this is called "plop".  It was a favorite of my grandpa.  He didn't know why it was called "plop", either.  It just was.  When I saw these gorgeous eggplants a the farmer's market, I just had to make some plop!
 

I couldn't pass up these beautiful eggplants!

Our families preferred dipping food for plop is tortilla chips (we have a local milling company that makes wonderful organic blue corn chips), but it would also be good on crackers or pita bread.

I apologize for the lack of measurements, this recipe is based on proportions and taste.  This is how it has been passed down in our family.

Eggplant Plop

Eggplant, roasted and chopped
Peppers, roasted and chopped (use any variety you prefer depending on how hot you like your plop)
Chopped onion
Garlic, minced fresh or garlic powder, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Oil
Vinegar

Measure chopped eggplant.  Add half that much chopped pepper and about 1/4 that amount chopped onion.  Season to taste with garlic, salt, and pepper.  Add oil and vinegar (in proportions of about 1 TBSP oil to 2 TBSP vinegar) until the mixture is fairly "loose" and the flavor is as desired.  May be frozen

Now to make it a little easier for anyone who would like more of a recipe, this is what I used.
2 medium eggplants
2 green peppers
4 poblano peppers
1 jalapeno
1 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 TBSP oil
2 TBSP white vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

I roasted the eggplants, peppers, and onion on the grill after spraying them with just a little bit of olive oil.  I was going to roast the garlic also, but put it on the grill by itself later and forgot about it.  So I just used fresh garlic.  I didn't measure the eggplant, peppers, or onion, I just guessed.  This made about 2 pints worth of plop, one of which I froze for later.  

I love the smell of peppers roasting!

Putting the peppers into a paper bag just after roasting helps to loosen the skins.

Roasted veggies- don't worry, I peeled off the charred parts.

Homemade Mozzarella

This year I finally got around to reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  It's been on my to-read list for several years, but while I was a new business owner, I just didn't have much time to read anything non-work related.  My new job as a  stay-at-home-mom affords me much more time for reading for pleasure.

One of the recipes given in the book was for 30-Minute Mozzarella from Ricki Carroll.  Of course, I wasn't satisfied with just one cheese recipe, and purchased Ricki Carroll's book Home Cheese-Making: Recipes For 75 Delicious Cheeses.

I was a little nervous about this whole process.  I'd made paneer before, but that was super-easy (just add lemon juice, drain, and press).  This was going to require a little more attention to detail.  

Mise en place.  Well, most of it, anyway.

I used my instant-read meat thermometer to monitor the temperature.

Curds and whey.

The mozzarella is delicious!  It was difficult not to eat the whole batch right then and there!  I suppose a pound of cheese might exceed the recommended daily intake for one person... 

I am not going to repost this recipe since I didn't alter it from the version that is posted here.  It did take me closer to 45 minutes than 30, but that may be the fault of my being a cheesemaking newbie. 

My first post on my new food blog and I didn't adapt the recipe one iota, ha!  Between that and the awesome (not!) photographs, I'm off to a good start in the world of food blogging!


Food bloggers: do you adapt or create every recipe you post? 

What kind of camera do you use to get those awesome photos?

Most importantly, what kind of cheese should I make next?

Why I Am Starting a Second Blog

Some of you may have found your way here through my other blog "Another Drop In The Bucket".  I originally intended that blog to be all-encompassing of my life.  It has taken on a focus as my running/triathlon/training blog and when I want to blog about my garden or what I've been busy doing in the kitchen (also passions of mine), it just doesn't seem to fit.  This has led me to start this blog, "Erin's Edible Adventures".  I intend to use this blog to journal and highlight my garden and kitchen exploits.  I hope you enjoy reading about my (sometimes mis-)adventures!