Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

I would like to try this with ghee or coconut oil instead of butter, but as of this moment, I am still eating butter although not any other dairy product.

I found this on simplyrecipes.com and made the following alterations [in brackets]. Delicious. (Especially the dough!)

3 cups flour [substitute Pamela's gluten-free flour mix]
1 cup organic granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup soft butter [try ghee or coconut oil]
1 egg, slightly beaten [flax seed egg substitute]
3 tbsp cream [unflavored coconut yogurt]
1 tsp vanilla (I use gluten-free)
[zest of one lemon]

Chill. Roll 1/4 thick and cut out cookies. Bake on ungreased sheet at 400 for 5-8 minutes just until edges are slightly brown.

The lemon zest and sour cream [coconut yogurt] made these so good!

   

Shepherd's Pie

Sam's diet doesn't include potatoes but ours does. We are just going to have to learn to love this without the cheese.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/30-minute-shepherds-pie-recipe/index.html

Easy Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cream Puffs

I found this recipe for easy cream puffs in the Our Best Bites cookbook and substituted coconut oil for butter and tapioca flour for wheat flour, but they were too flat, so I added in some almond flour which perked them up and made them delicious. And they look exactly like regular cream puffs. I think they were still a little on the greasy side so next time I will use a little less coconut oil and a little more flour. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/tutorial-cream-puffs/ The cream filling is coconut cream from the top of a can of Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk, chilled, and whipped with a fork with a little organic honey and some Trader Joe's Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract. I got the idea from this blog: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/16/chocolate-frosting-shots/ The ganache is organic honey (not much) and equal parts cocoa powder and coconut oil, microwaved to melt everything together, then chilled to harden it.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

My friend, Lori, sent this to me from a chef she used to work with. Thanks, Lori!

Mineral rich Grade B Maple syrup is cheaper than Grade A because it is not as refined; thus there is more flavor. Canned coconut milk works well in this soup because it is richer, however any dairy or non-dairy milk can be substituted with equally great results. If you don't care for spice but want to retain the smoky flavor of the chipotle chili, remove the stem and all the seeds and add only the skin of the chili.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 5 Cups

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (large chunks), about 4 cups
1/2 Medium Spanish (yellow) Onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (large chunks)
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled
1 ½ cups of water plus more to adjust consistency if necessary
1/4 Cup plus 1 Tbsp of Grade B Maple Syrup or ¼ Cup Agave Nectar (I used less and it was still sweet)
½ Chipotle Chili in Adobo (found in Hispanic section of Grocery Store) (I used dried chipotle chili powder)
2 Tbsp Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Canned Coconut Milk
1 tsp Sea Salt and 1 tsp Black Pepper to taste plus more if desired
Green Onions, thinly sliced, to garnish

Place Sweet Potatoes, onion and garlic in 4-quart plus-size tightly lidded pot and add the water. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook until Potatoes are tender–about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly to make handling easier. Transfer to blender and add maple syrup, chipotle chili and coconut milk  and puree until smooth. Return mixture to heat and bring up to almost a boiling point. Turn off heat and add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sliced green onions.

NOTE: Using 1/2 of a chili (as directed) is perfect if you don't like spicy food (gives it a 'kick' but not too much).

My note: This was too sweet for my tastes so next time I will use less syrup.

Puffy Oven German Pancake

Substitute Pamela's flour mix for the wheat flour, use an appropriate milk substitute, and use ghee instead of butter. The recipe below recommends heating an oven-proof skillet on the stove before baking the pancake, but this is how I did it as a child: Put the butter in a glass or pyrex pie pan while the oven is preheating, and this heats the pan as well, then pour the butter into the batter, and bake.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/german-oven-pancakes/319273e2-2f36-4cbf-8cce-3fede62a94b4

You can also make this in muffin tins for individual pancakes:

http://www.makeandtakes.com/pop-up-pancakes

Thai Hand Rolls

These delicious hand roll wrappers are naturally gluten-free! Traditional recipes include tofu and peanut sauce which are no-no's, but you can put vegetables and chicken, seafood, or meat and any sauce you want in them, and roll them up.

Tools for the Diet Newcomer

I enjoyed the transition to the new diet a lot more when I discovered it was an excuse to develop a SYSTEM. I love systems. Here are some tools that have helped me, especially since the rest of the family is still eating a traditional diet.

Amazon Prime. Totally worth it! For a yearly fee, you get free two-day shipping on any prime-eligible items. This has been a HUGE blessing as we've done this special diet.

A Second Freezer. At first, you will be spending more time cooking and it is very nice to be able to make extra food and freeze it. I keep mine stocked with organic turkey bacon, other organic meats, organic turkey lunchmeat, frozen vegetables, homemade sorbet, and fruit for smoothies. I actually have an extra refrigerator, so the freezer side has that stuff, and the fridge side is full of bags of washed organic greens and other fresh vegetables, and sometimes extra bottles of homemade water kefir.

4oz. disposable souffle cups with lids from Amazon or your local restaurant supply store. These hold one ice cream scoop of homemade sorbet.

Ice cream scoop. Doing all this cooking is a lot more fun if you have the right tools, and it is fun to buy kitchen gadgets. I love to use my ice cream scoop to fill muffin tins with cupcake or muffin batter!

Cookie-dough scoop. This is just a smaller version of an ice cream scoop, and it is great for cookie dough but also for meatballs and rice balls.

Disposable rubber gloves. I like to keep a box of these from Costco or the drugstore on hand. Make sure you get the latex-free powder-free ones (some kinds are powdered with cornstarch). It makes it a lot easier for me to mix up meatballs or rice balls or touch meat if I have gloves on.

Pamela's Gluten-Free Flour Mix. My local regular grocery store actually stocks this, but it's cheaper from amazon. I store it in the fridge after opening just because my flour tends to get bugs in it. Even though it has some sugar in it, it is naturopath-approved. I use this exactly in place of wheat flour in all my muffins, cupcakes, cookies, and sauces.

Vitamix Blender. I have thought about this for a long time and finally took the plunge. I got the cheapest one they had on Amazon which was about $400. My teenage daughter and I drink green smoothies from this every day and she ASKS me to make them for her. It is worth it to have the kale and frozen peas, etc. ground up into tiny, drinkable bits.

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. This was reasonably priced and recommended by a friend and I haven't had any problems with it. It was so rewarding when we first started this diet to see my little boy enjoying the homemade sorbet I made for him from just coconut milk and pureed organic fruit. It works super fast. And now it comes in a whole bunch of cool colors! Definitely buy a pretty one. :)

Annie Chun's Brown Rice Noodles (Pad Thai): These are just made with brown rice and water and are the kind that are used in Pad Thai but it is not a Pad Thai mix. They sell them at the natural grocery store but I found them cheaper, for a while at least, on Amazon. Boil the water, plunge the dry noodles in, turn off the stove, and wait about five minutes. The trick to decent rice noodles is not to overcook them. Toss in some olive oil to keep them from sticking. What I love about international "carbs" like rice noodles and Brazilian Pan de Yuca is that many of them were intended to be gluten-free in the first place! So they are not weird imitations of something else--they are the real thing of what they are supposed to be.

Tapioca Flour/Starch. You need this to make delicious Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pan de Yuca). I have a recipe on this blog for Pan de Yuca that uses mashed potatoes instead of cheese. We even make mini pizza crusts with it and it is delicious. Apparently you can also use this instead of cornstarch to thicken sauces and gravies.

Countertop Electric Grill. I have a George Foreman but my friend has a Cuisinart and loves it. Marinated meat and chicken just taste better when grilled and with an autistic kid running around it is not always easy to fire up the barbie.

Celtic Gray Sea Salt. It was an exciting day when my naturopath told me that salt can be GOOD for you! I bought this on amazon and as the reviewers said, it comes kind of "wet" so I did spread it out on a dishtowel to dry, before I added it to a salt grinder which was just an empty pepper grinder from Trader Joe's.

Disposable Hot Drink Cups with Lids. I'm showing the Amazon link here but I get them from the local restaurant supply store. My teenage daughter says it is easier to drink green smoothies when she can't see them, and it's nice to be able to grab this at breakfast time and take it with me.

Thai Hand Roll Rice Paper Wrappers. These are made from rice and water and are naturally gluten-free. They come dried and you moisten them with just enough water to make them pliable, then you fill them with whatever you want and wrap them up.

Today's Trader Joe's Purchases

This is for you, Tiffany! I bought:

Lots of organic produce at fabulous prices.

Plantain chips. (They look kind of like banana chips but are not sweet and sort of potato-ey.)

Dried pineapple rings! Like fruit leather, very sweet and a little tangy!

Unsulfured organic Turkish dried apricots, for making water kefir.

Organic brown rice pasta. (Don't overcook. It tastes pretty good and is a great price.)

Pear sauce individual cups, for giving Sam his meds. Jeanette doesn't believe in applesauce or apple juice.

Organic canned black beans.

Organic extra virgin olive oil.

Organic virgin coconut oil.

I didn't buy any this time but they have a huge selection of frozen fruits and vegetables, many of them organic, at great prices. They also have organic ground beef and chicken and lots of other great things that I haven't explored yet.

Grilled Marinated Chicken

A George Foreman grill can be your best friend here. I like to get the organic boneless chicken thighs or breasts from Costco, and marinate them in lemon or lime juice, sea salt (or Celtic Grey or Himalayan), black pepper, olive oil, garlic (or powder), and green onion (or powder). Make a lot and grill them all. Then cut the extra servings into bite-sized pieces and freeze in baggies for lunches. The whole family will love this!

You Can Order Applegate Organics Online!

I have an extra refrigerator in the garage that really came in handy when I changed Sam's diet--fresh produce takes up more space and it is also nice to have a freezer space just for his special food. Let's face it--it is hard to avoid processed meats, especially when you can't have cheese. My naturopath wants me to avoid giving him pork because of the toxins, even if it is organic, so we use Applegate Organic Turkey Bacon even though their Sunday (pork) Bacon is fantastic! Here are the Applegate products we use regularly. The hot dogs are just for an occasional treat--even though they are organic, I still think of them as a limited option. Applegate Organic Turkey Bacon: I keep several packages of this in the freezer at all times. I use bits of it in fried rice, in baked rice balls, wrapped around chunks of potato, or just plain. It tastes good. Applegate Organic Sliced Roasted Turkey: I keep several packages in the freezer and I send half a package in his school lunch along with rice noodles or plantain chips as a starch. Sometimes I cut it up and put it in a rice pasta salad. If I am very organized I take the whole stack of slices out of the package and cut it in half and put each half in a ziploc bag and freeze it. Most often I freeze the whole package, and when I need to use it I break the frozen block of turkey slices in half by breaking it on the edge of my kitchen countertop. Applegate Organic Hot Dogs: These are uncured and come in several varieties of meats, including grass-fed beef. Here is the link to the web site where you can order online if you live in someplace like.....OHIO?!! https://store.applegatefarms.com/A556B4/applecart2004.nsf/xpStorefront.xsp?SessionID=DI1NUOP2OG

Porcupine Meatballs

Get some organic ground beef and mix with cooked brown rice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and an egg or two (if allowed). Scoop with a cookie dough scoop onto a cookie sheet, and bake in the oven. I always keep a box of rubber gloves handy (from Costco) to use when mixing this because I don't like to touch raw meat.

Easy, Delicious, Gluten-Free Beef Chunks and Potatoes

organic beef chunks or pot roast olive oil sea salt black pepper organic onion powder organic garlic powder raw potatoes cut in chunks Preheat oven to 300. Brown the beef in a pan on the stove in some olive oil. Put it in a roasting pan, add the potatoes, add about a cup of water, and season generously. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours or until beef is tender and falls apart and potatoes are done. The potatoes thicken the liquid and make a gravy.

Gluten-Free Molasses Spice Crinkle Cookies

This is from simplyrecipes.com. Sub Pamela's gluten-free flour. I also like to sub the butter for coconut oil, and the eggs for flax eggs (1 tbsp. ground flax + 3 tbsp. water, set for a few minutes til gel-like). When I do this I increase the amount of "eggs" by one because coconut oil has no water content and butter does. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/molasses_spice_cookies/

Almond Milk Sour Cream

My friend told me that she used almond milk sour cream (from Jimbo's) in place of dairy sour cream, in twice-baked potatoes, and no one could tell the difference! Sam doesn't eat nuts but this is a great tip for our other readers.

Rice Pilaf

We had this with our potato chip chicken and it was so good! For Sam I would omit the chicken bouillon and Mrs. Dash.

Olive oil
1.5 cups uncooked rice
1/2 onion, chopped
Mrs. Dash
3 cups water
Knorr chicken bouillon

Sauté the onion in olive oil, then add the rice and some liberal dashes of Mrs. Dash and sauté it for a bit, then add the water and a couple of spoonfuls of chicken bouillon. Bring just to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, put the lid on, and steam for 15-20 minutes. This would be great with almonds or pine nuts toasted in the olive oil. You could also sauté bits of chicken to make a one dish meal. For Mexican rice, add some chopped tomato.

Note: The strictest gluten free eaters need to make sure their bouillon is gluten-free. I don't know about Knorr.

Potato Chip Chicken for my Gluten-Free Girls

In case my naturopath is reading this :) Sam doesn't eat potato chips. But the rest of us do.  Boneless chicken Trader Joe's or Kettle, etc. black pepper or jalapeno potato chips Buttermilk, milk, sour cream, or non-dairy milk Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pound the chicken sort of flat. Smash the potato chips. Dip chicken in white substance of choice, then in potato chip crumbs, then bake on greased baking sheet for 25-35 minutes.

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

These gluten-free banana muffins were awesome! My daughter, who says she doesn't usually like banana baked goods, loved these! I used Pamela's flour mix instead of wheat flour, coconut oil instead of butter, and chocolate chips in some of them instead of nuts. I also reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup organic sugar. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_nut_muffins/

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

These were really, really good. They are the best thing I have been able to make gluten-free and gave me the confidence that this diet really is possible. My GF daughters were so pleased! I did not use ginger or nuts, used oil instead of butter, and substituted Pamela's Gluten Free flour mix for the wheat flour, 1:1. I put chocolate chips in some of them at the request of one of my daughters. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pumpkin_ginger_nut_muffins/

Gluten-Free Anadama Bread

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Gluten-Free-Anadama-Bread This was my first successful loaf of gluten free yeast bread!! It was WAY better than the bread from the GF bakery. I followed the directions exactly, using Pamela's as my GF flour blend.  As it was baking it rose really high, beautifully, but it collapsed by the time it was done. I think the cooling time in the oven was supposed to keep this from happening but something went wrong. I also scored the top to make it look pretty so that might have been a factor. I will probably make this again but use more molasses and salt next time. I also won't dust the pan with flour--it doesn't look or taste good to have flour along the crust. Note that the recipe requires a loaf pan that is 8"x4", which is not a mini loaf but smaller than what I consider to be a regular loaf pan.

Vegan Pan de Yuca

http://veganandawesome.tumblr.com/ I used this recipe and rolled the balls out thin for small single-serving pizzas. Spray or brush with olive oil, bake on parchment paper at 500 for 6 minutes, then turn over and bake for 3-4 minutes, put toppings on and bake just long enough to melt the cheese. 2 1/2 cups of tapioca flour 2 cups of potatoes or yucca (your choice), cooked, and mashed Salt, to taste (1 tsp) 1/2 cup of water 1/3 cup of vegetable oil 1 tablespoon of baking powder My pizza-loving GF daughter loved this. I just microwaved chunks of potato in some water in a Pyrex container, mashed them into the water, stirred in the other ingredients with a little more water. I didn't measure the water precisely.

Great Rice Pasta!

I just made a stir fry with Annie Chun's rice noodles and they were fantastic. They are not gritty/gummy like other rice pastas I've had. You just submerge them for a few minutes in hot water and they are done. There was no distinctive Asian flavor to them and I think they would pass perfectly well for wheat pasta if you put spaghetti sauce on them. These were the very thin ones, like angel hair, but I'm looking forward to trying the pad thai width next. I got these at Jimbo's but I think they are cheaper on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Annie-Chuns-Noodle-Maifun-8-Ounce/dp/B0048IAIQ6/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1351653474&sr=1-2&keywords=brown+rice+noodles

We Made Pizza Crust With Pan de Yuca Dough!

You can easily make this recipe dairy-free. I have another recipe on this blog that is; we happened to use Laylita's recipe (see link below). We pressed a ball of dough in a tortilla press (but you could just roll or press it thin), put toppings on it, and baked it for about 6 minutes at 500 degrees. I don't think anyone would know this was not wheat crust. I just put sauce and meat on it, no cheese. Hooray for tapioca flour! http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/01/14/pan-de-yuca-pan-queso/

BEST GFCF Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think I finally did it! First, I used this recipe  http://joythebaker.com/2012/08/dark-chocolate-pistachio-smoked-sea-salt-cookies/  but substituted the same amount of Pamela's Gluten Free Bread Mix for the wheat flour, and the cookies were perfect. Step two was to substitute the butter for coconut oil, and they were still great! If you are gluten-free, make sure to use GF vanilla or leave it out. Note: I still like them with butter a lot better--they puff up and crinkle down beautifully. 1/2 cup (1 stick)  unsalted butter, at room temperature OR 1/2 cup coconut oil 1/2 cup granulated sugar (Trader Joe's Organic makes huge difference!) 1/2 cup packed brown sugar  (Trader Joe's Organic makes huge difference!) 1 flax egg (1 tbsp. ground flax + 3 tbsp. warm water) or 1 beaten egg 1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract (or omit) 1 1/4 cups Pamela's Gluten Free Bread Mix 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (if you like hits of salt) or sea salt 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips Mix ins as desired (oatmeal, coconut, nuts, etc.) You know what to do. :) If coconut oil was liquid, chill dough in the fridge for a while. Scoop onto parchment-lined cookie sheet, bake 8-10 minutes at 350. Don't overbake.

Chicken Soup with Rice and Zucchini

I made my regular homemade chicken soup the other night but decided to use rice instead of noodles to make it gluten-free. My younger daughter who has very specific tastes LOVED it; in fact she has been eating it for three days straight and even wanted it for breakfast this morning. Trader Joe's Organic bone-in chicken (reasonably priced and flavorful!) Coarsely chopped celery Coarsely chopped onion Gluten-free chicken bouillon (check for forbidden ingredients) Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Handfuls of raw white rice (you can use leftover cooked but this absorbed the broth and tasted so good) Chopped fresh zucchini and/or other vegetables Simmer the chicken, celery, and onion in water until done. Strain everything out, pick the chicken off the bones, separate the fat from the broth. Put the broth back in the pot and season with bouillon, salt, and pepper, and throw in some handfuls of rice and simmer until it's cooked. A few minutes before serving add the zucchini and cooked chicken (save half the chicken for another recipe). Don't overcook the zucchini. Note: If you have time and the desire, you can blend (using a regular or hand-blender) the mushy onion and celery from the broth and put it in the soup.

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Banana Bread

http://comfybelly.com/2008/12/banana-bread/# I used this recipe and left out the honey altogether. I also ordered the chocolate chips from amazon that she recommends. I didn't taste sweet at all so if you want it sweet and can have stevia or honey, use it. I just ate it with some butter and honey on top. Reports from my tasters were that the texture was perfect. The next time I make this I am going to include the pulp that was leftover from juicing, blended in the blender.

Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread!

Run, don't walk, to your local health food or Latino grocery store and pick up some tapioca flour (yucca flour) so you can make this amazingly easy, light, and delicious GLUTEN-FREE popover-like bread! You mix it in the blender and can leave the batter in the fridge all week to make as much or as little as you want. To make it dairy-free I substituted Rice Dream organic rice milk instead of cow's milk, and herbs (onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and dried dill) instead of cheese. I also increased the salt to 1.5 teaspoons. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/#

Easy Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cream Puffs

I found this recipe for easy cream puffs in my Our Best Bites cookbook and substituted coconut oil for butter and tapioca flour for wheat flour, but they were too flat, so I added in some almond flour which perked them up and made them delicious. And they look exactly like regular cream puffs. I think they were still a little on the greasy side so next time I will use a little less coconut oil and a little more flour. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/tutorial-cream-puffs/ The cream filling is coconut cream from the top of a can of Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk, chilled, and whipped with a fork with a little organic honey and some Trader Joe's Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract. I got the idea from this blog: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/16/chocolate-frosting-shots/ The ganache is organic honey (not much) and equal parts cocoa powder and coconut oil, microwaved to melt everything together, then chilled to harden it.

Turkey Quinoa Nuggets!

The other day Sam's teacher asked me if I would make something for his school lunch that "looked like chicken nuggets." Apparently Sam is always trying to swipe the other kids' chicken nuggets. Here is what I came up with, and Sam devoured them! The photo is showing them with the bottom-side up, which is more browned and appetizing-looking. I used pumpkin to give them that "chicken nugget" color, and I baked them on a cookie sheet on parchment paper. Half a box of quinoa, cooked 1 pound organic ground turkey Garlic powder Onion powder Black pepper Sea salt Flax seed (1/2 cup?) mixed with 1/2 cup (?) water 1/2 can organic pumpkin (for color) 1/2 to 1 cup finely shredded organic unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup (?) coconut oil Mix everything together with your hands which are wearing disposable gloves. Scoop onto cookie sheet using a cookie dough scoop, and flatten and shape with your gloved hands (if you want to impress the teacher and make them in nugget shapes. I wasn't about to make them into dinosaur shapes, however.....) Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Chicken Curry Pasta

I was making a creamed pasta casserole for the rest of the family and wanted to make something similar for Sam, and he absolutely loved this! 1 package organic brown rice pasta (rotini) Boneless organic chicken thighs Olive oil and/or coconut oil Chopped onion Chopped vegetables (I used carrots and zucchini) Organic cinnamon 1 can organic coconut milk (preferably not "lite") Cook the pasta and set aside. Saute the chicken and onions in oil. When the chicken is partly cooked, cut it into small pieces with kitchen scissors and add the vegetables until everything is cooked. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and stir in the coconut milk and the cooked pasta. I usually make a large batch of something like this and freeze individual servings in Chinese food containers (see older post).

Persimmon Coconut Ice Cream

This stuff is absolutely amazing. Combine very ripe, soft persimmons from Oakes Knoll Farm and 1 can of organic coconut milk and freeze in your ice cream maker.

Benefits of Coconut Oil

http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS

Vista Farmers Market!

Today some friends who are tired of spending so much money at Jimbo's introduced me to the Vista Farmers Market and their favorite organic vendors. Sam and I had a blast and came home with all these goodies. The persimmons are amazing!

Misto Olive Oil Sprayer

I noticed that my purchased olive oil spray had all kinds of ingredients other than olive oil, so I stopped using it. But today at Costco I found a two-pack of Misto olive oil sprayers. At $19.99 (unfortunately) I found out later that they are cheaper on Amazon. Oh, well. I look forward to testing them out!

Bread-like Stuff

I made another batch of crackers but this time tried including some cooked quinoa. There was too much moisture for this to be crisp like the first batch but it turned out like thin bread, which was a great discovery. This is the first time I've made anything bread-like with the new ingredients so it will open up new possibilities. It really held together which is awesome.

Chinese Takeout Containers!

I was thinking about how to store freezer meals in a way that would make them easy to reheat, and store better, and the idea of Chinese food containers popped into my head! I called Smart and Final and they had the ones with no wires, so perfect for the microwave! Storage tip: Use square or rectangular containers for more efficient storage everywhere. It was so fun to have these tonight as I made dinner for a friend to take home and I put it in a couple of these awesome boxes!

Bean Crackers!

I wanted to try making crackers because I haven't found anything out there to buy that doesn't have forbidden ingredients in it. My, my, my, I can't even believe how good these were! I saw someone is selling packages of 18 gluten free crackers on Etsy for $7.50 not including shipping!! Crazy. Seriously, I'm not a fan of everything on the new diet but these crackers were almost as good as pie crust. I came up with the recipe based on a few I saw on the internet. I will make a larger batch next time; this is so small because I happened to have a half cup of pinto beans I needed to use. 1/2 cup canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1/4 cup ground flax seed 1/2 cup very finely grated dried coconut (mine is called "macaroon cut") 1/4 cup (maybe more?) olive oil 1/2 teaspoon baking soda sea salt black pepper 1 clove garlic Preheat the oven to 400. Pulverize everything using a hand blender or food processor. The dough should be about the consistency of cookie dough or grainy pie crust. Roll out the dough thinly (think Wheat Thins) between two sheets of baking parchment, transfer it (still on the parchment) onto a cookie sheet, and sprinkle a little sea salt on top. Press the salt in slightly. Cut into cracker-sized pieces using a bench scraper or table knife. Bake for about 13 minutes until crisp but not burned. Cool on a rack. April 18, 2012 Update: Our naturopath suggests we stay away from legumes for a while as they are harder to digest. In addition, since posting this recipe I have eliminated baking soda since it failed a muscle test our osteopath did a while back. We really haven't missed it.

14 Karat Cookies, Sam Style

This is based off a recipe for the best carrot cake I have ever eaten, baked by my friend, Lori. http://tblondonlori.blogspot.com/2011/09/14-karat-cake-and-frosting.html I adapted it to fit Sam's diet. No cream cheese frosting or sugar, but he LOVED these! 14 Karat Cookies 2 cups finely blended oatmeal 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda (omit for Sam) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes 1 cup mashed ripe bananas 1 fresh pear, grated or finely chopped 1/2 cup coconut oil, at room temperature (to make it liquid) 4 tablespoons ground flax seed 1 cup water 2 cups finely grated carrots 3-1/2 oz flaked coconut Mix dry ingredients, then mushy/wet, then chunky. Scoop onto cookie sheet, flatten, bake at 400 for about ten minutes.

Banana Zucchini Mini-Muffins

Sam was eating the batter raw, which was no problem since it contains no eggs. 1 cup grated zucchini, with skin on 1.5 cups mashed banana (about 3 bananas) 2 tbsp. ground flax seed 1/2 cup water 1.5 cups uncooked oatmeal (Note: try grinding part into flour next time) 1 tsp. baking soda (omit for Sam) 1/2 cup coconut oil Bake in mini muffin tins at 350 for about ten minutes.

Bean Burgers

1 can pinto or other beans, with liquid 2 tbsp. ground flax seed 1/4 green bell pepper, in chunks 1/2 onion, chopped and microwaved a little to soften 2-3 cloves garlic quinoa flakes olive oil Blend everything except quinoa and olive oil in food processor until smooth. Mix in enough quinoa flakes to make a fairly firm dough (like cookie dough). Form into patties and fry in olive oil, both sides, until brown. April 18, 2012 Update: Sam is taking a break from beans per our naturopath.

Banana Coconut Ice Cream

about 5 overripe bananas 1 can coconut milk Puree with hand blender, then freeze in ice cream freezer. Makes about 14 1-scoop servings.

Mother's Little Helper #2

And I am completely in love with my large electric frying pan. I have a flat top electric stove and it's amazing how much more evenly this pan cooks, and I love the extra large surface area. With all the increased cooking I'm doing I am so grateful for this tool.

You CAN Freeze Sushi

Well, I make no claims about the safety of freezing and thawing fish. I'm talking about vegetarian hand rolls. We had to pack food to take on a road trip and Sam loved the homemade frozen and thawed sushi as much as fresh.

Sauteed Vegetables and Rice Rotini

This was simple and Sam absolutely adored it: Sautee zuchhini, yellow peppers, and onions in olive oil and toss in cooked rice pasta. Heck, I even liked it. The rice pasta didn't feel gritty in this dish.

Ode to Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's has organic brown rice pasta for only $1.99/bag! Sam hasn't had pasta yet and he will love this!

Coconut Raspberry Sweet Potato Sorbet

Sam LOVED this! It was not sweet enough for anyone who eats sugar every day, but surprisingly sweet, didn't taste like sweet potato, and was definitely sweet enough for Sam. This ingredient list is based on what I had already open in my fridge. I'm sure it would have been really delicious with a whole can of coconut milk. Half a can of organic coconut milk (with pieces of coconut in it, not the light stuff) Half a bag of organic frozen raspberries 1 cup cooked sweet potato (I keep baggies of this in my freezer) 1/2 cup water vanilla bean (I didn't have but I bet it would be good) Blend everything together with your must-have Cuisinart hand blender (or a regular blender if that's what you have). If mixture is still very cold, put it right into your ice cream freezer (mine is also a Cuisinart) and process for 15-20 minutes. If mixture is not cold, put in fridge for a couple of hours first.

Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes

One favorite family treat is tater tots wrapped in turkey bacon and baked until crispy. Here is my adaptation: 1 large potato cut into bite-size chunks 1 package Applewood Farms organic turkey bacon Preheat oven to 400. Steam potato chunks with a little water in microwave for 5 minutes. Cut turkey bacon into fourths by cutting strips once in half crosswise and once lengthwise. Wrap potato chunks in bacon and bake for 20 minutes. April 18, 2012 Update: We are avoiding potatoes for Sam for now since they are from the night shade family and failed a muscle test our osteopath did.

Brown Rice Pancakes

Cooked short grain brown rice
Eggs
Olive oil

For each pancake scramble one egg in a bowl with 1 cup brown rice. Pour onto preheated skillet that has been greased with olive oil, and pat with spoon into a 1/4 inch circle. Fry on both sides.

The texture of the brown rice is wonderful. Sam loved these. One is a serving. I cooked a whole batch to keep in the freezer.

April 18, 2012 Update: I posted this before I started omitting eggs from Sam's diet. Our naturopath says they are o.k. in moderation.

Rich Chicken Stock

This discovery yesterday reduced the sting of having paid $16 for an organic free range whole raw chicken at Jimbo's. I haven't been able to find chicken bouillon that doesn't have ingredients Sam can't have so I decided to make my own stock. I simmered the chicken with onion, celery, garlic and carrots, which is no big news.
But with my handy dandy immersion blender (and an idea I think I got from the Food Network), instead of discarding the mushy vegetables after I took out the chicken, I blended them into the liquid, yielding a rich, thick, delicious stock! Yeah! I will be freezing it in small portions for future use.

April 18, 2012 Update: This stock has come in so handy to flavor Sam's food! Since then I discovered organic frozen chicken thighs and breasts at Costco, which are a lot cheaper than Jimbo's. I often marinate the chicken, then grill it on the George Foreman and use the drippings to make stock.

Green Meatballs

These are the worst-looking and best tasting meatballs I've made so far! The green onion and lemon give a wonderful flavor, and better than regular onions because they don't stay crunchy. 1 pound ground beef 3 green onions, coarsely chopped 1/2 bag spinach 2 eggs (or 2 tbsp. flax seed mixed with 2/3 cup warm water) sea salt black pepper a squeeze of lemon juice some spoonfuls of cooked brown rice or cooked quinoa Blend everything except rice/quinoa with hand blender or food processor. Stir in rice/quinoa. Scoop onto baking sheet using cookie dough scoop and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Cookies

If anyone has had my cookies you know that this would not pass for a COOKIE (see first post). But it will certainly do for someone who hasn't had added sugar for almost two weeks. 3/4 cup cooked sweet potato 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 egg (can substitute 1 tbsp. ground flax + 3 tbsp. warm water) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (baking powder has a corn derivative) a squeeze of lemon to activate the soda 1/2 cup oil 1 cup instant oatmeal Combine wet ingredients, then dry. Scoop with cookie scoop, then flatten. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 400 for 8-10 minutes. April 18, 2012 Update: Since I wrote this we've eliminated oatmeal, even so-called "gluten free" per our naturopath, as well as baking soda. She says we can buy the aluminum-free kind but I haven't even missed it.

Little Greenish Patties

Sam really liked these a lot! I have decided if he is going to feed himself all the time, I'm going to make some things into meatballs or patties or falafel-type things. The latest creation was to combine leftover pot roast, brown rice, spinach and egg, using my hand blender, and fry little patties of it. I also made pancakes with ground up brown rice, apple, cinnamon, and egg. He ate every bite of both!

Marinated Flap Meat

Marinate flap meat or other thin beef in lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper, olive oil, garlic, and green onion. Grill.
If desired, cut into strips with kitchen scissors. Great for carne asada, on salads, or with rice and teriyaki sauce for those who can have it.

Sweet Potato Smoothie

When you can't have sugar, but you can have sweet potatoes, you improvise. I made Sam a smoothie with organic raspberries, a little rice milk and water, and added a chunk of baked sweet potato for sweetness since the berries were on the tart side. It worked!

Mini Turkey Quinoa Burgers

I got the idea to make these because Sam really used to like Ling Ling frozen potstickers with a filling made from chicken and cabbage, and I had leftover Chinese cabbage. These were an unexpected hit with my daughter who might not have tasted them if she knew beforehand what was in them! I don't normally cook with ground turkey because I don't like the smell but this frozen organic all white meat no skin product from Jimbo's was awesome. leftover stir-fry vegetables (I had Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, onion) leftover caramelized onions a couple of tablespoons cooked sweet potato (sweetness balances the cabbage) cooked quinoa sea salt pepper ground turkey 1 egg (or 1 tbsp. ground flax seed with 1/3 cup warm water) olive oil Grind the vegetables and quinoa with a hand blender, stir in seasonings, turkey, and egg. Form into mini patties or meatballs, fry in olive oil. I made extra to freeze and also froze some uncooked patties. My daughter asked to bring some in the car with her with some ketchup, on the way to Harry Potter 7.2! I haven't had a chance to tell her about the ground-up cabbage!

Finding Local Organic Produce

Lori sent me info about two local sources for fresh produce. Be Wise Ranch is organic, but I can't find information that tells whether Chino Farms is. It sure looks wonderful! http://tblondonlori.blogspot.com/2011/07/chino-farm.html http://www.bewiseranch.com/index.htm April 18, 2012 Update: Since I wrote this I have learned about Oakes Knoll Farm organic produce from the Vista and Carlsbad farmer's markets. Our naturopath actually visited the farm to make sure she approved of their practices. Their produce is wonderful.

New Diet No Longer a "Crisis"

Well, it has been a week since Brain Highways gave us Sam's Power/Brain Food Diet and by day four it no longer felt like a crisis. That is how I described what I was "in" to my friend last Sunday. It does indeed feel like a crisis when you have a house full of food but nothing to feed your child. Looking back, I realized I could have waited 24 hours to start, after I was more prepared, but there is nothing like pressure to force me to research and think on my feet.

This morning, day 7, for breakfast Sam fed himself patties made from fried rice, as well as sweet potato chick pea quinoa patties (that I invented last night and had ready in the fridge), and ate every bite. For school lunch I packed porcupine meatballs that I had made on Saturday and put in the freezer, along with apple, snap peas, and a baggie of chick peas with lemon juice.
Seven days ago he had never eaten:
--Quinoa
--Plain chick peas
--Plain tomatoes
--Raw snap peas
--Fried rice & chap chae without soy sauce
I am really grateful to Brain Highways for giving me so many great ideas (especially the bacon recommendation!) and a verbal tour of Jimbo's so I knew where to start and had something to work with.
I am also proud of Sam for trying so many new things and embracing a major change!

Chick Pea Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties

I was trying to think of things I could make for Sam that he can feed himself, and the idea of making chick pea sweet potato quinoa patties came to me. I looked on the internet and discovered this is a common idea. http://eatwellwithjanelblog.com/quinoa-sweet-potato-patties/#comments http://www.choosingraw.com/sweet-potato-chickpea-burgers/ Here's what I did. And let me say that if you have a hand blender you don't even need a food processor! Just put it right into the pan with the potatoes and mash them! And it worked great to mash up the chick peas as well. 1 can garbanzo beans, mashed 1 clove garlic black pepper fresh lemon juice a few slices of onion 2 baked or boiled sweet potatoes 2 cups cooked quinoa 1 onion, sliced and caramelized in some olive oil Puree everything except the quinoa and caramelized onions. Stir in the quinoa and some of the onions(?). Form into patties and fry in olive oil until golden brown.

Results of Brain Food Diet (Day 6)

1. Who would have thought, a week ago, that Sam would be gobbling up grape tomatoes and cucumber slices like he used to eat chips and crackers?! Not me! (He would NEVER go for a plain green vegetable on his plate before unless it was in a Chinese sauce.) And he doesn't seem to need nearly as much food to be satisfied.

2. Since day 1 of the diet he has been sleeping through the night!! He used to go to bed at around nine then wake up again, sometimes for two hours, when he heard us going to bed later. Or would pop up at 4:00am and be in his room making repetitive sounds for at least an hour. Last night he fell asleep early in the living room so it was understandable that he woke up a few hours later when he heard us. His sisters read Harry Potter to him for a while and he went back to sleep.

3. I will probably be losing weight because I don't want to eat any forbidden foods around Sam, so usually I just don't bother.

Going back and reading what I just wrote, it sounds completely unbelievable. But it's for real.

Char-grilled Asparagus, Courgettes, and Manouri Salad

Another one from Bill! Courgettes are zucchini, and he says you can use halloumi in place of manouri cheese if you can't find it--you need a Greek cheese with a firm (rubbery?) texture that will fry without melting. I could just leave the cheese off Sam's serving. http://eattherightstuff.squarespace.com/blog/2008/6/7/char-grilled-asparagus-courgettes-and-manouri-salad.html

Fennel Apple Orange Salad

Thanks for this refreshing salad recipe, Lori! She used the mandolin to slice the fennel and apple and says it's a crunchy alternative to lettuce salad. Fennel Sliced granny smith apple sliced orange fresh squeezed orange juice sea salt black pepper

Kosheri

Another one from Bill in Sweden! http://stilllifewithwhisk.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/ottolenghikosheri/

Mother's Little Helper

I've had friends recommend these hand blenders and since my blender is broken, I figured I'd give it a shot. I ordered this on amazon for $29.00 and got free shipping so it was a great deal. It has saved my life with the new diet! Sam is getting tired of taking his meds in applesauce so last night I made a tiny unsweetened smoothie with frozen raspberries and a little bit of rice milk and this morning with half a peach and rice milk. He loved it! It's hard to believe he has made the transition to so little sugar in such a short amount of time. The blender makes it frothy, so 1/4 cup of ingredients yields what seems like 1/2 cup of drink.

Chick Peas and Spinach with Honeyed Sweet Potatoes

I have friends all over the world who are interested in Sam and now my old friend, Bill, who lives in Sweden, (and I haven't seen in almost 30 years!) is contributing to the effort. He is a real foodie and is always trying something new to feed his family and grow his talent. Thanks, Bill, for sending this recipe my way that can easily be adapted to Sam's parameters! http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2011/01/chickpeas-and-spinach-with-honeyed.html

Korean Chap Chae

Mung bean noodles, soaked according to package directions Meat or chicken, seasoned with lemon juice, sea salt, pepper 1/2 onion, sliced olive oil vegetables cut into bite sized pieces (I used broccoli, mushrooms, red bell pepper, mung bean sprouts) (For the rest of the family, add soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds if desired, at the table.) Stir fry the meat in olive oil and remove from pan. Stir fry the onions, and add the other vegetables starting with the ones that take longest to cook. Season with some black pepper. When vegetables are done, add the cooked meat with any juices, then add the soaked, drained noodles and stir around. Others can add soy sauce and sesame if desired.

Teka Maki

Great idea from Lori! nori, brown rice, avocado, julienne carrots, juienne cucumber

Porcupine Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef 1 egg 2 cups cooked brown rice 1 cup shredded carrot 1/2 cup diced onion, microwaved to soften 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed squeeze of lemon juice chili powder celery seed sea salt black pepper mustard tomato juice or sauce? Mix all ingredients together except tomato juice/sauce, form into meatballs, bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 15? I'm baking these right now; I made 28 using my cookie dough scoop. Update: I didn't use any sauce. Sam will really like these. I would like them better with soy sauce or ketchup or more salt, none of which he can have for now. The onions were still crunchy after an hour in the oven so next time I'll microwave them a little before mixing into the meat.