Cheesy Excitement

I was so excited that I ate it too fast and barely tasted it. But what I did taste was good. It was familiar. It was a grilled cheese...sort of.

Now that we have re-mastered toast with the Ener-G Light White Rice bread, I've been fantasizing about grilled cheese. I finally made a trip yesterday to Whole Foods, where I bought Daiya cheddar style shreds. I've tried the mozzarella before, but this was a first on the faux cheddar. I partially toasted the bread, put some shreds on one piece, topped it with another piece, toasted another minute, and voila! I'm ready for another sandwich, but I need to pace myself. Maybe tomorrow.

Pantry Staples

I was thinking about what the essentials were to cook and bake within our allergy-safe house. For those new to eating with food allergies or gluten intolerances, the first task is to start reading all labels. There are hidden ingredients that may mean containing wheat, eggs or dairy that the average person wouldn't realize. How many people know that mayonnaise contains eggs or ketchup may contain gluten (vinegar may be made of malt = barley = gluten)? Some stores are now labeling shelves for the eight major allergens (Safeway), but that doesn't always encompass all that is available.

My grocery shopping is done in mostly just a few spots in the store. Everday shopping is mostly fruits, vegetables, juice and potato chips (staples in our house). When you start out with one or several food allergies, the first place is to go natural with fruits and vegetables. If you eat meat, then that's also the next stop. But where do you go for flavor and sweets? The following are some items I find essential based on the Babe's food allergies.


Gluten or Wheat Free
Things to avoid include wheat, barley, and rye. There are several food items that contain these ingredients under different names or hidden, such as Cous Cous, gravies, even chili seasonings.

Non-glutenous grains and starches that should be safe for a gluten-free diet include corn, rice, potatoes, quinoa, millet, and buckwheat (which is actually not wheat). Oats may be cross-contaminated with other products, so should only use gluten free oats.

My other gluten-free pantry staples are:
San-J Gluten-Free Tamari (wheat free soy sauce), Apple Cider Vinegar, Gluten-Free pastas including Mrs. Leepers corn rotelle, DeBoles spaghetti and elbows, Ancient Harvest Quinoa shells, and Trader Joe's Brown Rice Pasta, Gluten Free Bisquick, Xanthan Gum (a must for baking), and Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. Now that we can have rice, I need to start experimenting with other flour mixes, but Bob's Red Mill has been a staple for me, and has worked well.

Egg Alternatives
There are a few combinations that work. First, my absolute favorite is Ground Flaxseed Meal. You combine 1 tbsp of the meal with 3 tbsp of water to equal one egg. You can halve a recipe so you use only 1/2 an egg or double for 2 eggs. I haven't tried anything exceeding three eggs in a recipe. Ener-G Egg Replacer, applesauce, and potato starch can also be used as egg substitutes in varying proportions, but to me, I love Flaxseed (words I never imagined saying 2 years ago). While nothing can replace a scrambled egg or omelette, you can still have baked treats.

Dairy Alternatives
This is much simpler. Milk, butter, cream and cheese can in some ways be substituted. I'm not fond of the alternative yogurts so have none of those to recommend. My favorite non-dairy margarine is Earth Balance Buttery Spread and Buttery sticks. Rich's Coffee Rich (Non-dairy Creamer) is great for coffee and certain baking, and can be found in the freezer section of your grocery store. I prefer Soy Dreams for soymilk, although there are many other brands. As for cheeses, the two I use are Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative in Cheddar (used to make fake mac 'n cheese), and Daiya cheese shreds.

Cooking does not have to be bland or boring on this diet. Flavors can be enhanced with citrus fruits (lemon, lime, and orange), onions, garlic, cilantro, and other herbs. Don't be afraid to experiment.

This lifestyle isn't cheap, but keeping the Babe healthy and safe makes it worth it. Good luck if you're new to Allergy Living. It does get easier with time.

Simple fare

I read a comment about planning for "spring recipes", and immediately thought of lemon. Last night for dinner I made some Pico de Gallo, and the cilantro and lime in it quickly brought that to mind. The green and citrus awoke my taste buds from the typical fare. We eat such heavier, heartier food that it felt good to have more earthy flavors.

So did that inspire me again tonight? Unfortunately not. Ease of prep and simple satisfaction were at mind. Tonight we will be having baked chicken thighs seasoned with garlic powder, crushed rosemary, and paprika, as well as boiled potatoes and a tossed salad. Not too exciting, but generally the Babe will eat it. That's all I can hope for.

Vegan Thursday

Meatless Mondays seem to be gaining in popularity, although I haven't hopped on the bandwagon. While I would love to eat more vegetarian meals, its difficult when we don't have eggs, wheat or dairy in our household. That limits us to vegan meals, which is doable if you don't have a picky toddler that you're trying to feed. And I HATE the idea of making multiple meals for dinner. I cave enough with rules in this household, such as having the Babe sleep in her own bed at night (working on it), that making two or three different menus for one night is not going to happen. Ok, on occasion when we're begging her to eat, but not tonight.

Tonight though we are doing Vegan Thursday. Why? Because I didn't bother to defrost any meat, and have no intention of driving to the store to get some. Not sure yet what else, if anything, I'm making for the Babe. However, for my husband and myself, I will be making eggplant, pasta, and a root vegetable soup.

Here's where the eggplant is kind of funny. I know, how often do we laugh at eggplant? (Can you tell I'm a little sleep deprived if I'm making really dumb jokes?) Anyhow, I plan to make the eggplant as if I were making Eggplant Parm. I do not have any faux mozzarella though, but last time I did this, we opined we didn't need it. Since there will be no Parmesan, nor any attempt at a cheese-like substance, it can't even be a pretend Eggplant Parmesan.

It is easy, and should be tasty. I will bread the eggplant by lightly dipping it in Rich's nondairy creamer, then cornflakes crumbs mixed with Italian seasoning. Broil it briefly on both sides, and then layer it in a dish with marinara. Then it will be baked, and served over pasta. Between that and the soup, I think I've got dinner covered. Now its time for me to go start making some soup.

Favorite Kitchen Tools

I keep trying to come up with what my favorite cooking tool is, and its always something different. As I previously posted, one of my favorites is the crockpot. I use it to make soup, stew, turkey, brisket, chicken, etc. Recently I found a tasty dessert recipe that was fun to try too. But I do not just use my slow cooker in the kitchen. There's a lot more that goes on there, as the multitude of dishes and utensils that get washed daily can show. Can we say dishpan hands?!

Yesterday I was prepping boneless skinless chicken breasts using kitchen shears. We bought a lovely knife set at least 4 years ago, but I didn't use it until 2 years ago. Why? Well, I'm a bit chicken around knives courtesy of my older sister being a little accident prone on occasion around blades, and she rubbed off on me. However, now that I cook a heck of a lot more than I did pre-Allergy Babe, they have come in handy. And the reason why I love the kitchen shears is that it makes working with raw meat and poultry that much easier. Yes, boneless skinless chicken shouldn't require much work. However, there are still some things that need trimming, and when I need smaller pieces or chunks, snip snip. A scissors is just a scissors, however to me it was a light bulb that went off when my mother-in-law was using it in our house prepping a cut up broiler chicken for soup. The ease with which she got rid of some excess skin was impressive...guess I'm just a slow learner.

I can think of a few more items in my kitchen that are a must. Extra sets of measuring spoons and cups definitely make life a little easier. I'm starting to think I might need a third set, but that might be going a little wild here. An immersion blender makes soup making more fun. I love my food processor, but don't use it enough. Its kept out of the way, in a box, under a dark shelf in the pantry. It sits there sadly neglected but one day it will find a permanent spot on my countertop (when my husband no longer enters my kitchen to notice it), and it will get the attention its owed. Until then, it comes out when I make potato pancakes and kugels. Now that I think about it, it needs some attention...stat!

The Sweet Smell of Toast

We have a new bread, and it taste like regular white bread. No grit nor cardboard today. Today we had toast again (a seemingly regular item now on the morning menu), and enjoyed it. Really enjoyed. Tried not to eat the entire package enjoyed it. And we can get it again, soon, if we want to or need to.

Yesterday we went to the Gluten Free Trading Company in Milwaukee, WI. It was our first visit. We live within 30 minutes of it. Its a small shop, but has plenty of options. Shhh- I even got gluten-free licorice which I will be hoarding. Sorry, but no sharing. My husband can eat whatever when he's at work, so he doesn't need to know.

In case you were wondering, I have several sources for all our specialty items. Obviously they vary by locale and price, but I am happy to be in a location that provides for options. When we lived in Northwest Arkansas, my options consisted of Ozark Natural Foods in Fayetteville, AR, and Amazon.com. I would buy my chocolate chips when I visited my parents, and some other odds and ends, but otherwise that was where I got most specialty items, like vegan cheese and other gluten free items. For the most part, our needs were met. If you're in that part of the country, I recommend stopping by ONF. Now though I have even broader options.

Presently, most of my gluten free items are purchased at Woodman's grocery store, a local store that seems to carry just about everything in the world. I can also buy gluten free items at Sentry Foods (Albertsons) and Pik-n-Save (Roundy's), which are both within a few miles of my home. For vegan cheese, I go to Whole Foods in Milwaukee. Some other items and for meat I go to Trader Joe's in Milwaukee. I don't have to chase the ends of the Earth for these products, and other than Whole Foods and the Gluten Free Trading Company, the other places are part of my regular shopping trips, and all within 30 minutes of home. I still buy a few items on Amazon, but usually just corn pasta in bulk. I don't order as much of it, now that we can have rice pasta too. Now I just need to use a little self control as my pantry is bursting at the seems.

A Taste of Normalcy

I relish those moments that seem "normal". Just a little while ago, the Babe had a snack. I enjoyed watching her eat a piece of toast with butter. Ok, not butter, but Earth Balance Buttery Spread. And the bread was Food for Life Brown Rice Bread. It was an afternoon snack, and she sat there at the kitchen table nibbling on the bread. To me, she was delicious, all pink cheeked with bright blue eyes, and eating. Eating without fussing, without me begging or cajoling. Just eating. Aaahhh.

Lemon Turkey Breast

Nothing particularly new or exciting to report today, other than I have another new recipe. I am not prolific at being creative in the kitchen, but when I find something interesting, and adjust it to meet taste or food restrictions, and it actually comes out, then I'm happy to share the info.

Another day to be happy to have my Crockpot as the turkey breast I took out yesterday to defrost did not fully thaw. That was fine, since I already knew it was going to be slow cooked. No fuss, no worry. It did mean I had to be up early, but since I've had a touch of insomnia mingled with a restless sleeping child, I was actually up exactly when I needed to start the turkey breast for lunch. When else can I be positive about sleep deprivation? It was most definitely worth it today. The turkey breast was nice and moist, and the gravy that I made from the remaining liquid in the Crockpot was just that, gravy...as in, "something advantageous or valuable that is received or obtained as a benefit beyond what is due or expected" (see dictionary.com).

Ok, vocabulary lesson aside, here's the recipe:

Lemon Turkey Breast
3 lb. Turkey Breast Half on bone
1/2 C Lemon juice
1/2 C Imagine No Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp salt +
1/4 tsp ground Sage +
1/4 tsp crushed Rosemary +
3/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Place turkey breast meat side up in slow cooker.
2. Whisk together remaining ingredients, then poor over turkey breast.
3. Sprinkle additional Sage, Rosemary, and salt on top of turkey.
4. Cook on high for 5 hours. Let meat rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve.

Lemony Turkey Gravy
Liquid from Lemon Turkey Breast
2 Tbsp Corn starch
1 Cup Imagine No Chicken Broth

1. After turkey has completed cooking in slow cooker, pour remaining liquid from bottom of crock into a small sauce pan. Turn heat onto medium.
2. Mix corn starch and room temperature broth in a separate cup. Add to sauce pan, stirring occasionally. Increase heat, bring to a boil, and turn off.

Two Pots and a Pyrex Dish

Two Pots and a Pyrex dish...that is what dinner was cooked in for our balanced meal of a vegetable, a starch, and a protein. As I earlier mentioned, dinner was Beef Curry, which I served over white rice. I also made oven roasted cauliflower. It was good, but I think it could have been better because I wimped out on the curry powder. Next time I will up the quantity a bit, and also plan to add the spices while browning the meat. Here's how I made the stew tonight:


Beef Curry
1 Tbsp Canola oil
1/2 Large onion, diced
1 Yellow bell pepper (could use red or orange), chopped
1 1/2 lbs stew meat
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp McCormick's curry powder
2 14.5 oz can's diced tomato
1 C Imagine No-Chicken Broth


1. Saute onion and bell pepper in oil until soft (5-10 minutes). Remove from pot.
2. Brown beef in pot. Remove any fat.
3. Add cooked vegetables, tomatoes with liquid, broth, salt, garlic powder, and curry powder. Stir, bring to a boil.
4. Turn heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours.

What's in a Name?

A Pot of Slop. I do not think my husband will be living this down. It was said in jest, and I took it that way, but now its time to punish. I'm sure by now you're confused, as this is midway into the story. Here's what happened.

Yesterday I made the chicken soup in the Crockpot. I strained it into another pot, removing fat and any yucky scummy stuff that happens with chicken soup. Let me point out that he is not a fan of the extra fat or scum- I skim this for him. So later in the night, after enjoying his big bowl of chicken soup with noodles and lots of chicken, my husband commented that I cook with too many pots. Not that he was volunteering to wash them last night. So today, when he asked during a phone call from work what was for dinner, I told him Stew. One pot, no mess. Hence, him thinking himself funny by calling it one pot slop.

Now for a while there we were having stew quite often, and getting bored by it for sure. However, we haven't had it in a while. So stew is on the menu for tonight. But to change things up for his Royal Highness, er, my husband, I am completely changing how I do it. I am making Beef Curry. Have I ever made beef curry? No. But here goes. It will either be a huge hit or a huge flop. If it works out, I'll post the recipe.

How We Got Here

In case you were wondering how we learned about the Babe's food allergies, I thought I'd describe the ride. The signs were there, we just didn't know how to read them. And it was not our pediatrician's fault either. He is knowledgeable on the subject, and was great after the diagnosis. Now in retrospect its clear that she had allergies early on. And by early on, I mean by 3 months of age.

The Babe was breastfed. I didn't start giving her rice cereal until she was close to 6 months. She wasn't particularly interested in it, but that wasn't one of the early signs. Early on she had eczema, or atopic dermatitis. I didn't think anything of this, as my sister's children had this in early childhood, and my husband's aunt has this even into adulthood. The Babe's eczema was primarily behind her knees, on her thighs, and at her wrists. On a good day, it would be scaly and pink, on a bad day red, raised, and starting to bleed. When it got really bad, we were prescribed a steroid cream. I never knew at the time what made it go from good to bad, not realizing what I was eating was the culprit. It wasn't until post-diagnosis, after I cut out all her allergens from my diet, that her eczema showed significant signs of improvement. So, sign #1 was the eczema.

When the Babe was 3 months old, we visited my in-laws for an extended trip. It was at that visit, that she started to regularly have exploding diapers. She always had loose diapers, but the pediatrician wasn't particularly concerned because this is common for breast-fed babies. And I had nothing to compare it too. All babies do this, I just didn't realize that her lack of solid diapers was a sign. And when we visited them, I ate cheese...a LOT of cheese.

When she was 6 months old, I wanted to start getting the Babe to take a bottle. I wasn't fully intending to wean, but wanted a little freedom since I didn't pump. The Babe had no interested in the bottle whatsoever. Didn't matter who, how, or when, she just wasn't interested. When she was 8 months old, a neighbor volunteered to take her for a few hours to try to get her to take a bottle. My neighbor tried to give her Enfamil. I returned 2 hours later to a very upset, very hungry child. I walked home with her, and immediately started to nurse her. However, I noticed a growing area of red spots on her stomach and then face. I put her in the tub thinking she came into contact with something. My neighbor keeps an immaculate house, but does have a small dog, so thought maybe dog haired triggered something. Luckily my husband just walked in the door when I got her in the tub, so we got her dressed and rushed off to the hospital. I mentioned to the triage nurse that my neighbor had her carpets cleaned about one week prior, and we all agreed it was probably the carpet cleaner in the air, especially since the Babe had been given a few drops of this same milk-based formula in the past. Again, had no clue that first or second time exposure to an allergen may not result in a response.

At 10 months of age she was cleared to try dairy. She had been fine with the prior fruits and vegetables, although not a particularly good eater since she was still being nursed full-time. I gave her a pinch of cheese- really, just a pinch. I walked a few feet away from her when my husband said he thought something was wrong. She was violently rubbing her face, which was rapidly turning red and splotchy. We immediately brought her to the tub, and watched it get worse, as did her breathing. She started to have a wheezy, croupy cough. I gave her a prescriptive antihistamine, without even realizing I had Children's Benadryl nearby. We hopped in the car, and sped off again to the ER. It was not a good ride, and completely regret not listening to my husband to call an ambulance. I kept thinking it was going to get better. I didn't know how the response time by the ambulance would be. I can keep making excuses, but I just didn't know! It was a long, life-changing night for us. And that is when we finally learned the Babe had food allergies.

Super Sunday

Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday. Besides watching the game and of course, the commercials, we had to have some treats. We started off with corn chips and guacamole. For dinner, I made pizza. It all felt fairly normal for game-night fare. However, as you now know, we don't do typical here.

Gluten-Free Vegan pizza is a challenge. I've tried allergy-safe versions in the past, but last night I was pleased with the results. There were a few options for crusts. I have in my pantry Bob's Red Mill GF Pizza Crust mix. However, I was too lazy to deal with using a hand-mixer and the anticipated mess. Another option was to make a crust using Chebe bread mix. However, when I opened my fridge, I became inspired. Out came the GF Bisquick Mix. On the package is a recipe for pizza crust. Subbing in flax seed for the eggs, I followed the recipe (plus a dash or two of salt). Now that the Babe is not allergic to rice, I got to try Daiya shredded cheese. It lived up to what I had read about it- its pretty close to the real thing. I made the pizza crust, topped it with jarred marinara, and the fake mozzarella by Daiya. I enjoyed it. Now, no mention of the Babe enjoying it because she declined to eat it. Oh well. She had pasta.

What would have balanced out the meal would have been a salad, but we were too stuffed. Tonight's menu included salad. I thought I'd share my recipe for a creamy dressing, similar to Ranch. The following is one individual serving. Since I used Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream in lieu of sour cream, it has about 85 calories and 5 g of fat per serving...not bad!

Creamy Dressing (Faux Ranch)
2 Tbsp Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
a few dashes of salt

Mix all ingredients together.

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

As I posted yesterday, I made chicken soup in my Crockpot. Truly an easy recipe. The best part- no risk of spillover on your stovetop. Can't say the same for the noodles I made to go with it, since I got distracted by a dirty diaper before I could reduce the heat.

One thing I recently learned is that the soup is more golden when made in a slow cooker, but the flavor has a wonderful depth. You don't need any bouillon to make this soup flavorful. In the past year, I have also added another ingredient to make my chicken soup tasty. Its the parsnip. Parsnips are a root vegetable that look like white carrots. I personally don't like the taste of them by themselves, but the sweetness they add to the soup can't be beat.

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup
2-3 lbs cut up fryer (whole chicken on the bone) (with or without neck)
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
4-6 carrots, peeled and cut up
1 large or 2 small parsnips peeled and cut up
1 medium onion, preferably sweet, cut into 4-6 segments
4-5 cups water

1. Place vegetables, salt and bay leaves on bottom of slow cooker. Place chicken on top. Add the water.
2. Cook on high 5 hours.
3. Soup is done, remove the chicken and bay leaves.
4. At this point, I strain the soup through cheesecloth (no, that's not cloth made of cheese) to get some of the fat out.
5. For a hearty soup, take chicken off the bone and add to soup. Otherwise, you can save the chicken for another dish like chicken salad or pot pie.
6. Fill your bowl up with the cooked carrots and/or parsnips, soup, and whatever additions you enjoy (chicken, cooked noodles made separately, matza balls, dumpling, etc.).

Best Gifts

A treasured or favored gift doesn't have to be the shiniest, sparkliest toy in the box, but something that gives you pleasure in some way. As I'm starting dinner (before lunch is even on the table), I'm reminded what a great gift my parents gave me. When we moved into our new home, my parents gave me a brand new Crockpot. No, I am not new to Crockpots. However, my last one went kaput, or just wasn't working right, so I trashed it before we moved. This one works wonderful. And it makes life easier. How? Throw and go...that's throw in a bunch of ingredients, set the heat and timer setting, and let it do its work. Another plus- no accidental spillovers on your stovetop.

Last night I realized I didn't defrost any meat, and with the recent blizzard, there's no way I'm going out to buy fresh today. So I partially thawed some chicken this morning, chopped up some veggies, and its now sitting in our Crockpot working its magic. Besides using it when I have thawed or fresh meat, the Crockpot also has come in handy with unthawed meat, too.

Tonight we will dine on hearty chicken soup with veggies, chicken and noodles. The noodles will be prepared separately because I don't want mush. That, and some rolls, and we're good to go.