I believe chocolate has medicinal powers. Well, maybe not medicinal, but it certainly does make me feel better at times. Like today, a day after a night when my daughter fought going to bed for 3 hours, and didn't fall asleep until 12:30, only to wake up earlier than normal. Coffee didn't cut it when I needed a pick-me-up. Which brings me to the subject of chocolate, a beloved food group in my family. My mother was the first person I ever knew to declare herself a choc-o-holic. I'm not quite there, but today I needed it like a drug.
What options are there for chocolate when you can't have dairy in your house? I certainly can't stock candy bars and milk chocolate chips to nibble on. For baking I use semi-sweet chocolate chips or cocoa powder. While it should be obvious that milk chocolate chips have dairy in them, semi-sweet chocolate chips should be non-dairy. However, the common brands found in most grocery stores, such as Hersheys, Nestle, and Girardelli , all have a mark indicating either manufactured with dairy or cross contaminated with dairy. By mark, I refer to the Kosher symbols identifying them as Dairy (e.g. OU-D). That means I can't use those brands. I buy a few different Kosher brands, such as Liebers or Mishpacha. They are more reasonably priced then the ones marketed for being "allergy-safe", and have a mark indicating they are non-dairy.
I've been running low on chocolate chips, and haven't had the opportunity to get to a store that carries them (none within a 30 minute drive of my house). That leads me to my quick fix...I made fudge. The easiest recipe on earth, I use this one: Microwave Fudge. Its on About.com's website, although Cooks.com has a similar one. The great thing about it (besides being super easy and fast), is it calls for cocoa powder. No chocolate chips needed. Only five ingredients. For my allergy-friendly version, I use: cocoa powder, powder sugar, non-dairy margarine, vanilla, and Rich's non-dairy creamer. When its freshly made, it can be used as a thick fudge sauce. Otherwise, chill it and cut it into squares ...or be really decadent and eat it with a spoon!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Winter Soup
Its that time of year to snuggle up and sip on warm beverages, that includes soup. I created a new one today spur of the moment for company, and we all enjoyed it. One of my guests does not tolerate onion, which makes soup-making a slight challenge. To me, onion adds a ton of flavor. However, except for the onion in the soup base I used (which does not appear to bother him), there was no onion in the pot.
I try to have in my pantry at all times Imagine No-Chicken Broth. It comes in handy to add as a base to soup, in mashed potatoes, and to cook poultry in. I also use it to make the rue for my gluten-free green bean casserole- that's right, I don't use canned cream of mushroom soup. Anytime you want to keep a dish vegetarian or vegan, and the only animal product it calls for is Chicken broth, this is a great substitute. So with that little plug for a favorite staple in my house, here's the recipe from today's soup.
Winter Soup
2 Large carrots, diced, approximately 1 1/2 Cups worth
2 stalks celery, diced
1-2 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 package frozen cooked butternut squash (squash is only ingredient in package)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt (approximately)
2-3 Cups Imagine No-Chicken broth
1. Saute/sweat the carrots and celery in the oil for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the sweet potato for another 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Add the thyme, salt, frozen squash, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally. Continue to cook 30-40 minutes.
4. With an immersion blender (sorry, don't have a regular blender), puree soup. Let cook an additional 10 minutes on low and then serve.
I try to have in my pantry at all times Imagine No-Chicken Broth. It comes in handy to add as a base to soup, in mashed potatoes, and to cook poultry in. I also use it to make the rue for my gluten-free green bean casserole- that's right, I don't use canned cream of mushroom soup. Anytime you want to keep a dish vegetarian or vegan, and the only animal product it calls for is Chicken broth, this is a great substitute. So with that little plug for a favorite staple in my house, here's the recipe from today's soup.
Winter Soup
2 Large carrots, diced, approximately 1 1/2 Cups worth
2 stalks celery, diced
1-2 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 package frozen cooked butternut squash (squash is only ingredient in package)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt (approximately)
2-3 Cups Imagine No-Chicken broth
1. Saute/sweat the carrots and celery in the oil for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the sweet potato for another 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Add the thyme, salt, frozen squash, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally. Continue to cook 30-40 minutes.
4. With an immersion blender (sorry, don't have a regular blender), puree soup. Let cook an additional 10 minutes on low and then serve.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Easy Entertaining
I now have an easy go-to menu for company. Its got a hint of the Southwest, and has plenty of flavor. It can be made ahead or just in time to serve. The first recipe is Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts, and the second recipe is Kicked-up Quinoa. The Quinoa has enough protein in it to be a meal in itself, and can be served warm or cold. It definitely can be made a day ahead, and the chicken can be cooked in the crockpot (ergo the easy part) or in the oven. The quinoa dish is a definite menu item when I have a vegan or vegetarian guest.
Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts
1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C lime juice (4-6 small limes)
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1. Juice the limes. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, and garlic powder.
2. If cooking in the crockpot, place chicken breasts in crock, pour marinade over them, cook 4 hours on high.
3. If cooking in the oven, place chicken in a resealable plastic bag, add the marinade, let sit in the refrigerator 2-6 hours. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken and liquid in a pan, bake for 40-45 minutes.
Kicked-Up Quinoa
1 C uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/2 tsp Table Salt
2 Cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2-1 C medium sweet onion, finely diced
1 10 oz can tomatoes with mild chilis (e.g. Rotelle), drained*
1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp canola oil
1. Put quinoa in a pan with 2 Cups cold water and 1/2 tsp table salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15-18 minutes (until liquid is gone).
2. Saute corn in vegetable oil for 5-8 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Add onions and sea salt. Cook an additional 2 minutes, until onions are softened.
3. Add corn mixture to quinoa. Then add tomatoes and black beans.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together lemon juice, cumin, sugar, and Tbsp oil. Pour over quinoa.
5. Serve warm or cold.
*if you don't like spicy foods, use a can of regular diced tomatoes, and cut back on the cumin to taste.
Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts
1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C lime juice (4-6 small limes)
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1. Juice the limes. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, and garlic powder.
2. If cooking in the crockpot, place chicken breasts in crock, pour marinade over them, cook 4 hours on high.
3. If cooking in the oven, place chicken in a resealable plastic bag, add the marinade, let sit in the refrigerator 2-6 hours. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken and liquid in a pan, bake for 40-45 minutes.
Kicked-Up Quinoa
1 C uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/2 tsp Table Salt
2 Cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2-1 C medium sweet onion, finely diced
1 10 oz can tomatoes with mild chilis (e.g. Rotelle), drained*
1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp canola oil
1. Put quinoa in a pan with 2 Cups cold water and 1/2 tsp table salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15-18 minutes (until liquid is gone).
2. Saute corn in vegetable oil for 5-8 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Add onions and sea salt. Cook an additional 2 minutes, until onions are softened.
3. Add corn mixture to quinoa. Then add tomatoes and black beans.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together lemon juice, cumin, sugar, and Tbsp oil. Pour over quinoa.
5. Serve warm or cold.
*if you don't like spicy foods, use a can of regular diced tomatoes, and cut back on the cumin to taste.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Happy Hannukah!
Its the first night of Hannukah, and we've done the traditional things, such as lighting the Menorah, playing with dreidels, listening to Hannukah songs (XM radio channel 28), and eating latkes. And now my little one is asleep in her high chair.
Making latkes allergy-friendly is extremely easy. Grate potatoes and onion, drain any liquid, add some salt, a little of your favorite gluten-free flour (about 1 Tbsp), and flaxseed (combined first with water). Mix, and fry up the pancakes in canola oil. Couldn't tell the difference! I enjoyed mine with applesauce and some Sour Supreme (soy-based sour cream).
This holiday season we have more to celebrate, because it appears we can now add rice to our diet. Yesterday, for the first time, we enjoyed Orgran Outback Animals, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free vanilla animal crackers. They were tasty, and she seemed to enjoy them. Our holiday is now off to a sweet start!
Making latkes allergy-friendly is extremely easy. Grate potatoes and onion, drain any liquid, add some salt, a little of your favorite gluten-free flour (about 1 Tbsp), and flaxseed (combined first with water). Mix, and fry up the pancakes in canola oil. Couldn't tell the difference! I enjoyed mine with applesauce and some Sour Supreme (soy-based sour cream).
This holiday season we have more to celebrate, because it appears we can now add rice to our diet. Yesterday, for the first time, we enjoyed Orgran Outback Animals, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free vanilla animal crackers. They were tasty, and she seemed to enjoy them. Our holiday is now off to a sweet start!
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