tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86436511078641049442024-03-13T13:22:59.247-07:00Learning to cook all over againRecipes for eating with a butt load of food restrictions. It's not just a job, it's an Adventure!Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-82094859720694739922020-10-25T17:49:00.004-07:002020-10-25T17:50:23.314-07:00Closing things down<p>Wow, it's been nearly a year exactly since I last wrote here, phew! </p><p>What with the current Apocalypse and all, things have been a bit crazier than usual, even. </p><p>I may start blogging with this blog again, but part of the reason I started this was to keep track of what was working, and to help motivate me to actually try out some new foods and ways of doing things. And that's not quite where I am at any longer. </p><p><br /></p><p>So odds are that this baby is going to be left up as an archive and we'll be moving on to greener pastures, rather than picking this up again. But for anyone who actually does use some of these recipes, I'll be leaving it up for a few years, at least. </p><p>Everybody, take care, be safe, and I hope that you and yours are able to get and give support so we can all make it through this as best we can.</p>Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-85182999067369000152019-10-22T10:40:00.003-07:002019-10-22T10:44:13.136-07:00Chia PuddingMy son, big world traveller that he is, requested chia pudding the other day. <a href="https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-chia-pudding/" target="_blank">This recipe</a> from Minimalist Baker looks like it will hopefully work for him, but I think it could be tweaked to maybe work for folks like myself too, so.<br />
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I'm trying something new right now, which is to put in the original recipe, and then show how it can be altered. This is honestly some really basic stuff that most cooks are going to know like the back of their hand. However, this is for those of us who are NOT cooks, or at least, cooks who are used to having recipes to use rather than having to come up with our own from scratch and trying to figure it all out. So this may be too basic for some, but just remember, it's probably aimed at someone who is not as good at cooking as you are (yet, anyway). ^_^<br />
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<b>Chia Pudding</b><br />
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<b><i>The original recipe from Minimalist Baker :</i></b><br />
<i>Ingredients (in her words): </i><br />
1 1/2 cups dairy-free milk (we used DIY coconut - use creamier milks for creamier, thicker pudding, such as full fat coconut and cashew)<br />
1/2 cup chia seeds<br />
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
<br />
<i>Instructions (in my words):</i><br />
1. Mix it all together in a bowl with a wisk.<br />
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. It should be, well, pudding, and if it's not, add more chia seeds in and refrigerate for another hour.<br />
3. Serve alone, or with fruit or compote on it (mint, too) It will keep up to 5 days in the fridge.<br />
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<b><i>Recipe alterations for those of us who have jack all for ingredients</i></b><br />
<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
1 part chia seeds<br />
3 parts creamy-ish liquid<br />
a little bit of syrup/honey consistency sweetener to taste, if possible (notes below if not possible)<br />
smidge of vanilla extract, if possible. Or any flowery extract (rosewater or orange blossom water, maybe?)<br />
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<i>Directions</i> - same as original recipe.<br />
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<b>Notes for fiddling with the recipe if you don't have a lot of options.</b><br />
For creamy liquids<br />
- cow's milk - Not sure how it'd taste, but I imagine it would work.<br />
- non-dairy milks, like the original recipe. Oat milk, rice milk, almond milk, drinking coconut milk, cashew milk, pecan milk, soy milk. Most, if not all, non-dairy milks can be made from scratch for folks who can't tolerate store bought ones. (I have one for <a href="http://learningtocookalloveragain.blogspot.com/2012/05/rice-milk.html" target="_blank">rice milk</a>, for example) If you can add some fats into the homemade milk, it would probably make the chia pudding a bit creamier.<br />
- coconut milk - not to drink, but just the typical coconut milk to be used for recipes, so very thick and creamy<br />
- cashew cream - if you make your own from cashews and water, but thinned it out a bit so there is enough liquid for chia to soak up, this is probably fairly nice.<br />
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For sweetening:<br />
- If you don't have any sweetener, can you have any juices? If so, replace a few TB of the creamy liquid for the pudding with the juice and check out if it meshes well.<br />
- If you have no juices, do you have any fruits you can use? Especially apple, pear, grape? The first three can be either blended up and added as sweetener or juiced and the juice used as is or reduced by boiling and added as sweetener.<br />
- Can you use dates? There are recipes online that are pretty easy to find for simple, raw date juice/syrup that you could use<br />
- For all of these, I'd try the flavor first with already made, unsweetened pudding. I put the pudding in parts because it's easy to make a super small batch to test this out on - like 1 Tb of pudding for 3 Tb liquid, you know? Then you potentially adjust the liquid content of the original recipe to compensate for the extra liquid you are adding for the sweetener in the next batch. <br />
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<b>Notes on how it turns out.</b><br />
10/22/19 - making this for my son, we leave out the sweetener so he can add some himself, depending on his mood when he eats the pudding. Wish I could tell you the taste, but I react to store-bought chia seeds and have yet to grow enough to be worth making pudding out of, so this recipe is only for my own kids. It was just so simple and easy to alter, however, that I thought it would be worth passing along. ^_^<br />
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<b>Allergens (I'm not the expert, but a few words of advice I do know):</b><br />
- Obviously, if using non-dairy milk, this can be vegan.<br />
- To keep it sulfite free, avoid the coconut milks (they are nearly impossible to find without sulfites somewhere in the process, even if the levels are low enough to not have to be labeled - coconut oxidizes to a gray color without sulfites to keep it white).<br />
- For gluten free, just make sure any of the non-dairy milk is labeled gluten free, or use gluten free grains/nuts/seeds to make it yourself.Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-42881303467027817462019-07-01T16:03:00.000-07:002019-07-05T16:04:09.172-07:00DIY HummusI absolutely love hummus, even though I can only have a little bit before I react. However, I know that many folks may not be able to enjoy store-bought hummus due to issues with sesame or garlic, and so I wanted to put here a couple quick recipe 'bases' that you can use to enjoy some hummus for yourself!<br />
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<br />
<h2>
<b><u>Hummus (most basic recipe)</u></b></h2>
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<b>ingredients:</b></h3>
Dried chickpeas<br />
olive oil<br />
salt<br />
lemon juice (or another sour liquid or semi-liquid)<br />
(optional) any spices or seasonings of choice (chili powders and cumin are popular)<br />
(optional) any aromatics (roasted peppers, roasted chiles, and/or garlic are popular and tasty)<br />
(optional) tahini or other seed/nut based 'butter'<br />
<h3>
<b><br /></b><b>Directions:</b></h3>
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1. Soak the chickpeas in water, overnight at minimum. If you want a kind of different flavor, you can soak the chickpeas for a day or two and change out the water a couple times; they will start to ferment and develop a kind of pseudo-cheesy scent that can be pleasant with certain seasonings.<br />
2. Decide if you want 'cooked' hummus or 'raw' hummus. Either one will be fine, but the taste and texture of cooked is a bit less strong in taste and smoother in texture. If you choose 'raw' hummus, a 12 hour soaking time total, at minimum, is helpful. <br />
3. For cooked hummus - drain and rinse the chickpeas, and cook in boiling water (not salt) for a few hours, until very soft.<br />
4. For raw hummus - drain and rinse the chickpeas.<br />
5. Put the chickpeas, salt, and any potential spices or aromatics (or tahini/seed butters) into a food processor (or large mortar and pestle, if you only have that) and blend/mash until chunky-smooth. Then add in lemon juice and blend a little more. Then, while blending/mashing, slowly add in olive oil in a steady stream until the hummus is the desired texture. Done!<br />
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<b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>Notes:</b></h4>
1. Why does this have no ingredient quantities? Mostly because it's quite varied, how much you need, depending on what is added, if chickpeas are cooked, etc... And how much or little is added in terms of spices and aromatics is highly dependent on taste.<br />
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2. Isn't it weird without tahini? Nope. Making hummus without tahini was actually a technique I got from an acquaintance from the Middle East. He mentioned that where he lived, tahini was really cheap, but olive oil less so, so using ONLY olive oil and no tahini became a bit of a status symbol. I don't know how common this practice is, but it works quite well, even if tahini does make the hummus a bit smoother.<br />
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3. Is it safe to eat raw chickpeas? Yeah, no problem for most folks. If you have any digestive issues, though, especially with any kind of raw foods or beans, however, you probably want to go for the cooked chickpeas rather than raw.<br />
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4. I can't use lemon juice; what can I use for a sour taste? This one is a bit tricky. I have tried vinegar when I couldn't tolerate lemon and while it is 'okay,' it does have a distinct taste that is not necessarily a good match for chickpeas. I have considered taking plain yogurt and draining it for a few hours, and using the liquid as a good souring agent. Haven't tried this yet, but I've used that as a lemon replacement before and it sometimes works.<br />
<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-37282759651455249602019-02-01T14:47:00.000-08:002019-05-16T12:40:16.473-07:00Faux, dairy-free, beef stroganoff-ish sauceIt has been quite some time since I've posted anything. I have a loooong list of pinterest recipes I've explored, but it's been a tough year all around and I've not had the energy to put a lot up.<br />
<br />
However, I've so enjoyed this little sauce that I wanted to share. It's pretty tasty, a pale white to gray-white color, and I have used it like I'd use stroganoff sauce.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Stroganoff-ish sauce</span></b><br />
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yellow onion<br />
white button mushrooms<br />
salt, rosemary, or other seasonings<br />
water<br />
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<br />
<b>Directions-</b><br />
1. Blend up onion and mushrooms, with enough water to help it blend, in a blender until smooth-ish. I usually do 1 onion and maybe 1/2-1 small package of mushrooms, but this is honestly to taste.<br />
2. Add seasonings - I do fresh herbs like rosemary, mostly.<br />
3. Add this sauce to any beef dish you are cooking in a frying pan, to cook on a low simmer for at least 10-15 minutes. I have used this with both ground beef and beef cubes. It will stay relatively thick, and is relatively nice if the beef-sauce mixture is poured over rice, mashed root veggies, cauliflower rice, etc...<br />
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This is, obviously, not as nice as a real stroganoff sauce. But if you're in need and have very few ingredients, this works well in a pinch for something nice. ^_^<br />
<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-49958825755173980732018-08-16T13:12:00.000-07:002019-05-16T13:17:41.446-07:00The must-have for all elimination diets: herbsAt this point in my life, I've had to do a LOT of elimination diets. In the beginning, it was to figure out what the heck I could eat. These days, it's to figure out what I have started reacting to, or what previously safe food has become unsafe. Or, when I'm really feeling gutsy, it's to see if I can have something new.<br />
<br />
So through out this, one thing has save my sanity and my tastebuds:<br />
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Herbs</h3>
<br />
Every, single elimination diet I have been on allows at least SOME herbs. And even if you have to eat only three foods for weeks straight, you can usually add a few herbs in to at least make them taste a little different!<br />
<br />
I highly, HIGHLY recommend starting your own herb garden. They can be grown outdoors in crap soil (slightly stressed herbs mean better TASTING herbs), or even in crappy pots inside. And you can grow as much as you want, for just a few bucks, as opposed to spending quite a lot of money buying fresh herbs from the store.<br />
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Dried herbs - they aren't allowed on a few elimination diets, usually due to cross-contamination worries, or due to what preservatives or other substances have been used on them.<br />
<br />
So here is a link to a list of herbs and other additions that you can check out and potentially grow, if you are looking for something to add to your diet!<br />
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<a href="https://www.spicesinc.com/t-list-of-spices.aspx" target="_blank">List of herbs and spices</a><br />
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<br />
I should note that this list includes things you might not otherwise think of. Like beetroot powder - if you can have beets, it might be worth a little work to make the powder and add it in to various foods for flavor or color. Dry celery leaves and use those.<br />
<br />
You can grow cilantro and let it go to seed to get coriander (or do the same for cumin, fennel, and others).<br />
<br />
And so on. Seriously, though, it has made a huge difference in my eating life to be able to add herbs to it!Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-12734292971471994262017-04-03T11:30:00.000-07:002017-04-03T11:30:22.583-07:00Throwing Things Together 2I am literally SO happy right now with how this dish is turning out! <div>
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<b><u>Spicy Potato-Chicken stew (photo coming...when my camera stops acting like a jerk)</u></b></div>
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Yeah, a lot of my thrown together stuff is soups or stews, because it's easy. I don't even care. </div>
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First in, cubed, unpeeled, potatoes in a skillet. Because I was going to make fried potatoes and realized the one oil I can use, I'm out of. So I put in a little water with the cubed potatoes. Which looked lonely and sad, so I added two tiny chopped radishes from my garden.</div>
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Then one small chicken thigh, chopped.</div>
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And then two slices of chopped leftover onion, because it was there. And then I remembered I had about 1/4 cup of left over 'green soup'* and added that, too. </div>
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Then the color was kind of 'meh' - an odd grayish green sort of thing - so I grabbed a couple tomatoes and grated them into the pan, too. They looked really pale until they started cooking and then reddened right up. </div>
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I added some fresh grated ginger and turmeric as well, at that point, and a small handful of chopped cilantro stems, and a couple slices of chopped jalapeño, too. </div>
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Then put in some dried oregano and tiny bit of dried thyme from the garden, as well.</div>
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This stuff is finishing cooking as we speak, just the potatoes need to finish, and I can hardly wait. So far, the sampling I've done tastes amazing. Much more flavor than I thought I'd get, honestly. I will have to try this again with the green soup added to it and see if that is what makes the difference, because I don't often get this level of flavor to similar recipes. </div>
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The color is not quite that lovely red-orange you see so often in various Indian dishes, but still a nice color. The smell is great, the texture looks like it's going to be awesome.</div>
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In the future, I'd likely start things off with the onions and some herbs first, maybe the tomatoes, so the flavor is a little heightened, even, but so far...this one is a winner!</div>
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I could totally see this being served over rice (if you can have that) or even cooked down to lower the liquid content and maybe used in a sandwich or on a bun, Sloppy Joe style.</div>
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Not how I'm gonna eat it, but it could work that way!</div>
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*Green soup is a recipe from one of the Low Histamine Chef's cookbooks. My own version this time around had included water, salt, one white onion, the chopped stems and a few leaves from a bunch of parsley, 1 1/2 zucchini, 1 fennel bulb, one head broccoli, 1-2 jalapeños, a good amount of fresh thyme and savory, and salt - all blended up after cooking until soft.</div>
Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-39613671605672860862017-02-02T21:23:00.000-08:002017-03-29T21:39:27.537-07:00I reacted to what?I'm posting this one as a sort of 'pay it forward' post, because a post like this started me down the path to figuring out some of my own issues. So this is for all the people who are still struggling and searching, and who would <i>swear</i> that they are reacting to water, or to salt. Or that it feels like they are allergic to water or salt, sometimes.<br />
<br />
I'm here to tell you that you are not losing your mind. It is entirely possible to react to water or salt. Or rather, it's possible to react to water, or to contaminants present in water and salt due to our current processing.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
I'm just going to give some quick examples, that folks are welcome to go and check out for themselves.<br />
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1. Allergic to water - a condition called Aquagenic urticaria presents like being allergic to water. This is a rare condition where a person can break out in hives or a rash on contact with water. Again, very rare, and presents enormous difficulty in getting through the day, as one can imagine. (<a href="https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/10901/aquagenic-urticaria">https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/10901/aquagenic-urticaria</a> )<br />
<br />
2. Allergic to water, but not really - Aside from the urticaria, in my experience reactions to something IN the water seems to be an issue.<br />
- Reactions to a brand of water -<br />
--this is usually due to something the company adds. Sulfites, minerals, an antibacterial or anti-fungal agent. Dasani brand is one that many sulfite sensitive folks have trouble with, for example.<br />
<br />
- Reactions to water at home -<br />
--municipalities can add substances to water that some folks react to. Chlorine is one, sulfites can be one. <br />
--There can also be contaminants from substances in filters used on water at home. Coconut was commonly used for carbon filters for a while (I am unsure if it still is), corn can be an issue, and I know some who react badly to gluten who have said that a certain brand of filter was a problem, even.<br />
--Water softening agents can also be a problem, especially for those who have problems with citric acid or corn.<br />
-- temperature of water - some people can have something similar to aquagenic urticaria except to cold or heat, so the temperature of the water is the problem, not the water itself. Also, some folks with mast cell activation disorders can have a temperature trigger that causes the same issue.<br />
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2. Allergic to salt, but not really - To my knowledge, there is no allergy to salt. However, the following are difficulties that can occur (and have, in some cases I know of).<br />
<br />
- Sulfite sensitivity<br />
--sulfites can be used to bleach salt to the well known white color. So folks with a serious sulfite sensitivity can react to the majority of salt they try. Salt that is not bleached can often be consumed safely, typically sea salt. But it's important to remember that sea salt isn't typically iodine fortified and so that nutrient would have to be monitored more carefully in the diet.<br />
<br />
- corn allergy -<br />
--iodized salt has corn to help stabilize the iodine so it digested properly, so corn allergic folks often react to iodized salt.<br />
<br />
- contaminants from other products made in the same factory-<br />
--This could be an issue if, say, seasoned salts might be made in the same area, or on the same line (it would be rare to find one processed on the same line, however).<br />
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This is not a list of all the possibilities, but just a few examples for those folks who, like myself, find themselves reacting to salt, or to water. You're not crazy. You're not alone. *hugs*<br />
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<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-87476276069700816562016-12-08T13:01:00.001-08:002016-12-08T13:01:09.544-08:00My son's favorite Pizza crustThis pizza crust is from Primallyinspired.com, and it's their <a href="http://www.primallyinspired.com/grain-free-pizza-crust-paleo/" target="_blank">Grain Free Pizza Crust</a>.<br />
<br />
My son loves this one. He thought it had the best texture and taste out of the GF pizza crusts we have tried, and he has grain options available, but likes this one.Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-15964145934307778272016-11-06T13:06:00.003-08:002019-05-16T12:44:22.791-07:00Day 13 and 14 - Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce with GF General Tso's Tofu<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pinterest Day 13 and 14 </b><br />
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The Pinterest recipes I looked at these two days were <a href="https://thankheavens.com.au/2013/03/13/gluten-free-hoisin-sauce/" target="_blank">Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce</a> at the Gluten Free Lifesaver, and then a Gluten free version of <a href="http://www.grumpyshoneybunch.com/2009/05/general-tsostofu.html" target="_blank">General Tso's Tofu</a> from Grumpy's Honey Bunch, which required a GF hoisin sauce to make it work.</div>
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It turned out pretty-pretty!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FnSJ6hTpiTg/WB-aWJBztDI/AAAAAAAABJI/3URxB4vkqj4A5farYt-po-QbYmAykc7xwCLcB/s1600/generaltsotofu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FnSJ6hTpiTg/WB-aWJBztDI/AAAAAAAABJI/3URxB4vkqj4A5farYt-po-QbYmAykc7xwCLcB/s320/generaltsotofu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mid-meal, as my son ate so fast I couldn't get another picture!</td></tr>
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<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>The Reasons:</b></div>
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Trying to make more complicated recipes for my son that he will eat, as he is both a growing boy who needs a ton of calories, and doesn't have as many food restrictions as I do. </div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8643651107864104944" name="more"></a><br />
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<b>The Ingredients:</b></div>
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With this being for my son, all I had to do was make sure everything was GF, which mean making a GF hoisin sauce, which I had all the ingredients for, and using that and a GF soy sauce for those two ingredients in the original General Tso's recipe. It turned out great.</div>
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<b>The Challenges:</b></div>
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Nothing except having to make the sauces ahead of time, so planning issues, I suppose.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What I did:</b></div>
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1. Made the recipe pretty much exactly as it was.</div>
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</div>
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<b>Why did I make these choices:</b></div>
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I always used to love the super bad for you General Tso's at various Americanized Chinese restaurants, even Panda Express, so finding a recipe for it made me feel really nostalgic.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>The result:</b></div>
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Great. I felt bad that my son ate it all and still wanted more!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>How would I change this:</b></div>
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Nothing, this was awesome.</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Would I make it again:</b></span><br />
absolutely</div>
</div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Allergy issues:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Oh man, it has tons of allergens. It has soy, grains, sulfites, peanuts, corn, high histamine, and so on. It's pretty much gluten, dairy, and egg free, and that's about it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">EDIT: 4/12/17</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">After making this a few times with some complaints, I have realized that the first time I made it, I used less sweetener than called for, because I misread the recipe. So, the recipe itself is a bit sweet, for my tastes, and I deliberately lower the sugar content now.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 18px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;">EDIT: 2/12/19</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 15px;">The original author of the General Tso's has altered the recipe, so now the sugar content is lower, and some of the other ingredients seem a bit different. But, still overall it's likely good.</span></div>
</div>
Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-36372907863340160422016-10-20T09:07:00.000-07:002016-10-20T09:07:03.744-07:00Throwing Things Together II just wanted to jot down what I come up with periodically, when I'm trying to use up ingredients in the fridge. Sometimes, there's something good that comes out of it. Sometimes, there's things I want to remember to avoid!<br />
<br />
Wish I was a better cook by this point in my life, but I'm trying to cut myself a break. I have had to start my recipe making over from scratch, due to added allergies, at least six times now in the last 14 years, with the last one losing nearly all the main ingredients I used to cook with, and all the pre-made condiments and sauces. I figure I need to just view this as though I am back in my teens, learning to cook again!!<br />
<br />
And, well, I just focus on stuff other than cooking, often. If I really want to get better, I should really see if I can get some time to focus on this more, too!<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Beef, chile, potato soup</b></u><br />
<br />
Today, had about 1/4 cup leftover cubed and fried potatoes, about 1/5 of a tiny can of chopped green chile, about 5 slices of zucchini, two big slices of white onion with all the rings, and a few leaves of lettuce that were still good after the head had frozen in the fridge (grrr).<br />
<br />
So, I chopped them up, threw them all together in a pot, added some dried tepin chiles from my bushes and some ground beef about half the size of my fist, then added salt, water to cover, and wild tarragon, and cooked it on a low simmer for maybe 30 minutes - until meat was cooked and onions soft.<br />
<br />
<u><b>How it turned out</b></u><br />
It turned out surprisingly well in taste - quite nice. Color is brown and almost coffee and cream brown. Just looks pretty boring and bleh, so wouldn't serve it without something to jazz up the color - maybe red bell peppers, at least. It went well with corn chips - which I shouldn't eating as they aren't so great with me, but after caring for two sick kids, and getting little sleep and no chance to go to the store, it's been hard to make sure I eat as frequently as I need to (I start having difficulties if my blood sugar goes too low). <br />
<br />
So, I would totally make this again, but presentation changes would be nice. Might cook onions ahead of time to bring out the flavor more, too. This is a good base, though!<br />
<br />
<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-39815233723491653472016-10-18T12:25:00.000-07:002016-10-18T12:25:11.552-07:00Day 12 - Gluten Free Tortillas<b>Pinterest Day 12 </b><br />
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The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was <a href="http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2013/05/flour-tortillas-gluten-free/" target="_blank">Gluten free Flour tortillas</a> at the Art of gluten free baking. No photos because seriously, these things went SO fast I made three batches just trying to keep up with the kids eating 'em!</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>The Reasons:</b></div>
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Trying to make more things at home for my daughter, who is going to be starting another restriction on her diet which eliminates most processed bread-like goods.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8643651107864104944" name="more" style="color: #771100; text-decoration: none;"></a></div>
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<b>The Ingredients:</b></div>
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<i><u>What I can use (or rather, what I can use for my kids:</u></i></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Gluten-Free flour mix</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">1 1/2 teaspoons salt</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">2 teaspoons baking powder</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1 tablespoon pieces</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">3/4 cup (156 ml) warmish water (about 90 degrees F/ 32 degrees C)</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">tapioca flour for rolling</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="line-height: 1.4;"><u>What I can't use:</u></i></div>
<div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
nothing, my kids could actually use all of this at the moment (butter is off and on, but it's on now!)</div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4;">
<b>The Challenges:</b></div>
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Seriously, nothing, I could make it as is. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What I did:</b></div>
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1. We used Pamela's artisan GF flour, and Ener-G tapioca starch/flour for rolling, and a potato starch based baking powder</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<b>Why did I make these choices:</b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4;">
We had 'em.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>The result:</b></div>
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Super awesome. as long as they weren't cooked too long, and I kept them on the small side, they were flexible and awesome and the kids loved them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div>
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<b>How would I change this:</b></div>
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Nothing, this was awesome.</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Would I make it again:</b></span><br />absolutely</div>
</div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Allergy issues:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">It's gluten free, and egg free, but lots of other things could be an issue. More for my kids and super allergic me.</span></span></div>
</div>
Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-78593317579458651822016-10-17T12:10:00.001-07:002016-10-17T12:10:56.624-07:00Day 11 - Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili<span style="background-color: white;">P</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">interest Day 11</b><br /><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3841324467522923671" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 528px;">
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The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was <a href="http://alidaskitchen.com/2013/10/06/sweet-potato-black-bean-chili/" target="_blank">Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili</a> at Alida's Kitchen. </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LmAr_vLPfo8/WAUhhIR0K3I/AAAAAAAABIU/DVwDpzQFUx0KuFIqVap_erkhL_jKqrkrwCLcB/s1600/IMG_5880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LmAr_vLPfo8/WAUhhIR0K3I/AAAAAAAABIU/DVwDpzQFUx0KuFIqVap_erkhL_jKqrkrwCLcB/s320/IMG_5880.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><a name='more'></a><br /></b></div>
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<b>The Reasons:</b></div>
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Trying to stick to my good diet so I feel better and can be more functional, and I had sweet potatoes and beans I could use. That's really it.</div>
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<br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8643651107864104944" name="more" style="color: #771100; text-decoration: none;"></a></div>
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<b>The Ingredients:</b></div>
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<i><u>What I can use:</u></i></div>
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<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">olive oil</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">sweet potatoes (but have pale ones, not orange)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">yellow onion (so happy i can have a little of this now!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">dried oregano</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
tomatoes (just not the canned ones they ask for)</div>
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beans (just not the black ones they asked for)</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4;">
<i style="line-height: 1.4;"><u>What I can't use:</u></i></div>
<div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">4 garlic cloves, minced (working up to being </span></span><span style="font-size: 15px;">able</span><span style="color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"> to have this)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons chili powder</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon cumin (maybe if I grow this I can have it!)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">¼ teaspoon cayenne</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i><u><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">What I could have used but didn't have:</span></span></u></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">green bell pepper</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">vegetable broth</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4;">
<b>The Challenges:</b></div>
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1. I ended up with no flavored liquids to add - they had juices from the tomato cans plus broth, and I had tomatoes that were old enough they started sprouting and I had to eliminate the juicy middle parts as a result, and no broth made at all.</div>
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2. My sweet potatoes are milder, pale ones rather than the stronger tasting orange ones</div>
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3. I react to black beans, so had to have a different kind of bean.</div>
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4. Can't use most of the seasonings.</div>
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5. Didn't have a pepper</div>
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<b>What I did:</b></div>
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1. For the beans, I used an heirloom type called Mayocorba, from Rancho Gordo company. They are pale, a bit like a mild pinto bean in look and taste.</div>
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2. I used my sweet potatoes and hoped for the best.</div>
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3. I added salted water, but in smaller amounts than the broth. I tried for a thicker stew, in an attempt to avoid diluting the flavors so much.</div>
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4. Seasonings, I just used what I have, which is oregano, thyme, sage, and a wild foraged herb called wild tarragon that tastes nothing like tarragon and instead is kind of unique to itself - reminds me of the smell of mugwort, honestly.</div>
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5. Used a bit of peeled, chopped zucchini instead of bell pepper.</div>
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<b>Why did I make these choices:</b></div>
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I am just trying to find some way to eat this that's palatable and I can tolerate as I am starting my diet again! One of many attempts to just use up what ingredients I have, until it's time to shop again.</div>
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<b>The result:</b></div>
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The color palette is completely different. Pale, with the sweet potatoes looking like potatoes, and the zucchini and beans not adding much color. The tomatoes were really the only bright color. Not bad, just a totally different look than the recipe.</div>
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The flavor was pretty bland. Not bad, but just kind of 'eh.' Needed to add more salt to improve. </div>
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<b>How would I change this:</b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: small;">I think it would be improved if I can get the pepper and broth next time, plus add more seasonings - overall, texture was fine, just needed more intensity to the flavor, is all.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Would I make it again:</b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.4;">Yeah, just alter it a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Allergy issues:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">It's gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and corn free (my herbs were all from the garden). It's got onions, though, which can be an issue for some who react to high sulfur foods. The tomatoes make it not so compliant with the low histamine diet.</span></span></div>
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Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-38413244675229236712016-05-23T08:45:00.000-07:002016-08-23T08:47:47.809-07:00Day 10 - Vietnamese Spring Rolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4;"><b>Pinterest Day 10</b></span></div>
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The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was <a href="http://minimalistbaker.com/vietnamese-spring-rolls-with-crispy-tofu/#_a5y_p=2042949" target="_blank">Tofu Vietnamese Spring Rolls</a> by Minimalist Baker. I have no pictures - the food was all eaten so fast, there was nothing left. I made this three times, and the immediate disappearance of the food did not change, LOL.</div>
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<b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8643651107864104944" name="more" style="color: #771100; text-decoration: none;"></a>The Reasons:</b></div>
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Trying to find food that my son can eat, at a time when I was trying to expand my diet. Which seemed feasible for the first time in a long time, as my reactions <i>seemed</i> to be lower to a significant number of foods, even if they weren't gone. </div>
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Note: I can no longer even come close to eating this. Had this three times and reacted more each time, so the dream is dead, waah. But this is vegetarian and gluten free so my son enjoys it. </div>
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<b>The Ingredients:</b></div>
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<i><u>What I can use:</u></i></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">For the Spring Rolls - </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*carrots</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">red pepper</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">cucumber</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">1 bunch fresh cilantro</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">1 bunch fresh mint</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*Rice Spring Roll Papers ( I used gluten free certified brown rice ones)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">For the Almond Butter Dipping Sauce - </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*1 Tbsp GF soy sauce </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*1-2 Tbsp honey</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">1 Tbsp fresh lime juice</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Hot water to thin</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">For the Crispy Tofu - </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*8 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and thoroughly dried/pressed</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*4 Tbsp sesame oil, divided</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*3 Tbsp cornstarch</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*2.5 Tbsp almond butter dipping sauce</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">*1 Tbsp GF soy sauce</span></span></div>
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<i style="line-height: 1.4;"><u>What I can't use:</u></i></div>
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4 ounces vermicelli or rice noodles (the thinner the better)</div>
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1/3 cup salted creamy almond butter</div>
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1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce</div>
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1 Tbsp brown sugar or agave nectar</div>
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(And at the moment, everything with a * I can't use any longer, either, sigh)</div>
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<b>The Challenges:</b></div>
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1. Originally, the almond butter dipping sauce was a problem because hey, no almond butter and no chili garlic sauce, but that was easily solved by using peanut butter - straight peanut butter, nothing added, I can make it myself from gluten free safe peanut that I roast myself and blend up a little, if I want. There is a gluten free certified sriracha sauce now that I used instead and it worked wonderfully. </div>
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2. No safe rice noodles that are gluten free enough</div>
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3. I have tried to make crispy tofu in the past and always screw it up.</div>
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4. Rice paper wrappers are not always okay with me, so I was worried about trying to find something else, too.</div>
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<b>What I did:</b></div>
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1. For the almond butter dipping sauce, it was easily solved by using peanut butter - straight peanut butter, nothing added, I can make it myself from gluten free safe peanut that I roast myself and blend up a little, if I want. There is a gluten free certified sriracha sauce now that I used instead of the chili garlic sauce and it worked wonderfully. </div>
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2. I just left out the noodles, but thought about adding white rice for my son's.</div>
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3. For the crispy tofu, I actually used this recipes AND another recipe's advice on how to make it, <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-crispy-tofu-without-deepfrying-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-201265" target="_blank">here</a>. I like how it turned out, better, that way. The other recipe had some good tips that were helpful.</div>
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4. I tried it with lettuce instead of rice paper wrappers and it turned out nicely.</div>
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<b>Why did I make these choices:</b></div>
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I really wanted to try and approximate this recipe where I usually don't get to use some of the ingredients, like tofu or sriracha. My 'good' days of being able to eat it didn't last long, but man was it fun while it lasted!</div>
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<b>The result:</b></div>
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It was so good. Seriously, sooooo good. I love this recipe. The fact that I can no longer have it makes me pretty freaking sad, so I'm going to be working on trying to figure out how I can approximate it again some time in the future. </div>
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<b>How would I change this:</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px;">Literally nothing. It was an awesome recipe.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Would I make it again:</b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.4;">Definitely. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Allergy issues:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Oh all sorts, obviously. This is not my usual recipe and has a lot of things in it I can't usually eat, but I got to enjoy this for a short time and seriously, I will remember it fondly always!!</span></span></div>
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Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-45076164582402955362016-05-01T07:49:00.002-07:002016-05-01T07:49:57.374-07:00Edible squash leavesAt one point I thought I had put up this information, but if so, I can no longer find it, so here it goes again!<br />
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Squash leaves and stems are among those foods that are not commonly eaten here in the USA in my area, but are quite common in other areas of the world. Below is a great link to a variety of recipes for preparing and cooking them: <a href="http://poorandglutenfree.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-to-do-with-squash-leaves-and-stems.html">http://poorandglutenfree.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-to-do-with-squash-leaves-and-stems.html</a><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
For a brief summary, however.<br />
Prep info:<br />
- Any edible squash seems to have edible leaves, from what I can tell. Although I would always double check that a particular squash IS an actual squash, so nomenclature issues don't have you trying to eat leaves from a non-squash with a squash name. <br />
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- You can scrape off the fuzzy outside of the leaves and the prickly part of the stems, but these seem to soften to the point of not being an issue, if you cook them long enough.<br />
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A few examples of cooking methods.<br />
1) Simmer in broth like soup.<br />
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2) Sauté in oil or butter. Can add garlic, lemon juice, salt and/or pepper when cooking.<br />
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3) Cook squash leaves in coconut milk. Can add a huge number of aromatic herbs and seasonings with this.<br />
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The link to Poor and Gluten Free has links to a few actual recipes, as well as more in depth ideas on how to cook these, so I'd recommend taking a look!Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-5229038431352915562016-01-25T18:12:00.002-08:002016-09-10T10:34:52.606-07:00Batter for Frying plus GF cream cheese wontonsThis batter is based off of this recipe (almost exactly it): <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/batter-for-deep-frying-161589">http://www.food.com/recipe/batter-for-deep-frying-161589</a> . This is for my kids, so has a lot of stuff not so good for me, but might be fun for someone trying to figure out something similar.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<i>Batter (makes 1 1/2 cups)</i><br />
1⁄2 cup GF flour<br />
1⁄4 cup starch (cornstarch, potato starch,<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1⁄4 teaspoon salt<br />
1⁄2-1 cup water (you want to make it fairly thin)<br />
1 tablespoon water<br />
1 tablespoon egg, beaten<br />
1 tablespoon oil<br />
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<i>Additional ingredients:</i><br />
GF rice spring roll wrappers (hard, like a reeeeally skinny, big rice cracker thing - I used 'Vietnamese Spring Roll Rice Wrapper' 'from the makers of Happy Pho' it's GFCO certified GF. white rice, not brown, for the ones we used)<br />
oil for frying in<br />
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<i>Filling:</i><br />
cream cheese or substitute<br />
soy sauce or substitute<br />
chopped green onions or substitute<br />
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<br />
<b>Directions:</b><br />
For the batter<br />
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.<br />
2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup plus 1 T. water, 1 T. beaten egg, and oil.<br />
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine until mixed.<br />
4. Follow your deep fryer instructions for whatever veggie or meat you're frying.<br />
5. This batter is thin and delicious. Don't worry if it doesn't look like it's thick enough. It works great.<br />
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<b>To make cream cheese wontons.</b><br />
1. Mix up cream cheese, soy sauce, and green onions to taste.<br />
2. Heat oil to low-med/low in a frying pan, 1-2" deep. I have used olive oil and beef fat for this.<br />
3. Take the rice spring roll wrappers - they are hard circles of rice, very thin. Snap it approximately in half.<br />
4. Spread the cream cheese filling over the middle of one half of the wrapper. Not to the very edge - just the middle until you get a feel for how much will work. Press the other half of the wrapper over this - you should have a half circle of hard rice wrapper with the cream cheese in the middle.<br />
5. Dredge the wrapper quickly in the batter, wipe off any major excess, and put into the hot oil. Fry 1-2 minutes on a side (depends on your oil temp) - At the end, you have some lovely batter wrapper, cream cheese wonton tasting, food.<br />
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<i>Note: </i><br />
- The wrapper will soften as it is cooked, so it won't be hard any longer.<br />
- Making a typically styled spring roll, with the wrapper softened in water and wrapped, works well, too.<br />
- The hard wonton wrapper edges won't be sealed, and even sometimes the batter may not seal them, but it seems to seal up with frying quickly enough that the cream cheese typically doesn't spill out when frying.<br />
- Some prefer the batter thick, some thin, some generously applied, some not so much. Just try it out to see how it does.<br />
- We have made this same recipe for a dessert, with sweetened cream cheese and chopped strawberries as the filling, and according to my daughter, it was amazing, and would have been even better with a bit of vanilla ice cream.<br />
- This batter does great for things like batter coated fried apples, or vegetable tempura, as well. We haven't tried it on fish, but I imagine it might work well for that, too.<br />
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<i>Allergens:</i><br />
This recipe has tons of them, frankly. Grains, dairy, soy, histamine, sulfites, corn, etc... But for those with just a few allergens, this would probably be pretty fun.Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-28669959592734684352016-01-05T13:41:00.001-08:002016-01-05T13:41:13.637-08:00Whole30 Chicken and Zucchini with Green Chile SauceFor foods that are, likely, whole30 compliant, I'm pretty much just throwing things together, for the most part. Every once in a while I might have a 365 days of pinterest recipe, though.<br />
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For right now, though, so I can remember what works, here is the first one.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<b>Chicken and Zucchini with Green Chile Sauce</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
2 boneless chicken breasts<br />
The white and firm-green parts of 2 green onions (save green for another recipe)<br />
zuchinni<br />
oil<br />
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<i>Sauce ingredients - </i><br />
1 midget can of gluten free hatch chopped green chile (4 oz can)<br />
1-2 Tb of...some pureed tomato and veggie mix (I have ice cubes of homemade condensed tomato soup 'starters' that I would usually add to water to make soup with)<br />
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<i>Directions:</i><br />
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1. I brined the chicken in salt water for about an hour (literally just poured some salt in some water and put the chicken in, keeping it in the fridge.).<br />
2. Chopped up the onions and started frying them in the oil (I'm pretty sure this isn't so Whole30 kosher, but again, I'm using more fat), then added chicken and started to fry. Fry until brown on one side (either browned, or not pink - I went for 'not pink).<br />
3. Chopped 1 small zucchini into slices, and cut the slices into fourths, then added to the chicken.<br />
4. In another tiny saucepan, poured in can of green chile and tomato-stuff and started cooking on low.<br />
5. Turned over chicken, then covered with a lid and cooked on medium for about 5 more minutes.<br />
6. Poured off all excess liquid from the chicken and zucchini pan into the saucepan. Turned up heat to med and cooked the sauce pan. Fried the chicken a little longer to actually get it a bit browned.<br />
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Serve with chile sauce poured over chicken and zucchini. Turned out pretty well, actually!<br />
Took less than 15 minutes to cook, too.<br />
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<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-39276264766866560942016-01-05T13:31:00.002-08:002016-01-05T13:31:43.408-08:00Whole30 dietIf you haven't heard of this diet, it's kind of like a modified Paleo, with the theory - as I understand it - to take 30 days to get into a different headspace about food, while eating a bit healthier.<br />
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Basically, no grains, no dairy, no sweeteners, no sulfites/msg stuff, and almost no legumes. Meals are based around a meat or egg protein with the rest made up of lots of veggies, a little fruit/nuts/seeds/coconut/avocado.<br />
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But without the subs like paleo pancakes and breads, because again, this is supposed to be a mindset thing.<br />
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I don't really know how this works for other people, but this is pretty much what I have to eat all the time anyway, when I don't want to react, so I'm trying it for this month to get back to my good diet, and also have some folks who are, for once, eating kind of like I do. :-) Although I suspect I'll have more fats than some. :-)<br />
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It's actually helped already, because when I'm tempted to eat things I <i>know </i>I react to, I've been able to tell myself, 'just for the next 30 days, at least.' <br />
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I'm looking forward to the company, for now.Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-4910901846463895142015-12-14T13:13:00.001-08:002017-05-17T08:39:21.510-07:00Olive Leaf TeaOlive Leaf Tea is a beverage that has been around in Greece for over 5,000 years. I was introduced to Olive Leaf Tea through the Low Histamine Chef (now at a new website, <a href="http://healinghistamine.com/" target="_blank">HealingHistamine</a>). This gal has so much information about mast cell disorders and histamine intolerance - and foods and supplements that can affect them, <i>with</i> references - that it's a gold mine of information.<br />
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Olive leaf tea (made from leaves from the variety Olea europaea L.) contains certain flavonoids - these are organic compounds that occur in plants, and which can have many beneficial properties we can enjoy. They're often known for the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that some of them possess. <i>Olive Leaf Extract: the Mediterranean Healing Herb</i> mentions daily average flavonoid consumption in the USA is typically 250-275 mg. If you eat the amount of daily recommended fruits and veggies, though, it should be closer to 1000 mg flavonoids.<br />
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Olive leaf tea is one way I'm trying to increase my own flavonoid consumption as many fruits and veggies are off limits to me.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-buCLyCOEQas/Vm8wuZZ6PrI/AAAAAAAAA_w/Cm4jh9fPQ-o/s1600/olive%2Bleaf%2Btea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-buCLyCOEQas/Vm8wuZZ6PrI/AAAAAAAAA_w/Cm4jh9fPQ-o/s320/olive%2Bleaf%2Btea.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like tea, eh?</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>Olive leaves contain two specific flavonoids that are of special interest to those of us with mast cell disorders (or allergies): quercetin, and luteolin (and rutin, which is valuable as well). Quercetin and luteolin have been shown, in studies, to have a stabilizing effect on mast cells. Which means they make mast cells less likely to degranulate (what they do when we are having an allergic reaction). <br />
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Or in other words, it makes your body kinda...well, more 'resistant' to allergic reactions, almost. At least that's my layman's interpretation of what I understand happens.<br />
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Olive leaf extract is what has been tested in studies most, but olive leaf tea contains the same components, if in lesser amounts. As alcohol is something that I will react to, it's the tea or nothing for me. And as olive trees grow in my area, I was able to collect the leaves without the worries of the preservatives I react to.<br />
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This has been having a positive effect, in my opinion. And if nothing else, it certainly hasn't hurt anything. The tea is a bit bitter, and I'm trying to mix it up with other flavonoid containing foods and teas, but increasing my flavonoid intake? Yeah, that's been going well for me.<br />
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<b>Olive Leaf Tea (for regular consumption - see note below for uses beyond that)</b><br />
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<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
Dried Olive leaves (can be purchased, or collect yourself from a positively identified tree that is in a safe area. i.e. safe soil, no chemical sprays used on it, etc... If collecting yourself, they must be dried for 3-5 days, at least, before they are fully dry, typically)<br />
Water<br />
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<i>Directions:*</i><br />
1. Take 15 dried leaves and boil in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes.<br />
2. Remove from heat and let steep for 5-15 minutes.<br />
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* There are many recipes for Olive Leaf Tea, and they seem to differ depending on taste and purpose. The above recipes is not the one I actually use. If you are having the tea simply to add something new to your diet, and not looking for mast cell/allergy benefits, then steeping, or steeping with a short boiling period, is fine. It cuts down on the bitterness and creates a tea with a nice, pale color. There are recipes for olive leaf tea that is simply an infusion tea: the traditional tea where boiling water is poured over leaves and left to steep for 15 minutes. Boiling it for 5 minutes, as the above recipe says, simply gets you a few more nutrients/flavonoids for your time and effort, is all.<br />
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When I make this tea, however, I'm working to make a decoction, which is often used in herbal medicine for heavier leaves like olive leaves. A decoction has a higher concentration of leaves - 1 oz of dried leaves per 4 cups of water - and more boiling time. 15 minutes boiling the leaves in the water, and then 15 minutes steeping time afterward.<br />
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I will be honest: it doesn't taste good. It's typically pretty darn bitter. If I'm drinking it daily, or every couple of days, however, I don't make a full-on decoction, because I have not yet found any good literature on what the effects of drinking such a strong tea daily would have on my body. Most tisanes (teas drunk for health benefits) are intended for short term use, after all, so I think that making it full strength daily could have potential side effects that I may not be aware of, possibly.<br />
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I tend to have it at about 1/4 the strength for something to have daily - 1/4 oz. of dry leaves per 4 cups of water. If I'm having a very reactive day, I sometimes up the strength, but I don't usually do more than use 1/2 - 3/4 the normal decoction concentration (1/2 - 3/4 oz dried leaves per 4 cups of water). The bitterness gets too strong, in my opinion.<br />
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I don't always boil it for the full 15 minutes. But again, it seems to help me. For anyone who is interested in this, when I use my home-dried olive leaves, 1/4 cup of slightly crushed leaves (I put them in my fist and crush them a few times) is about 1/4 ounce in weight. Not sure if thicker leaves would alter that, but as a rough estimate, that has worked for me.<br />
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<b><i>Note</i>:</b><br />
Re: histamines. Olives are listed as high histamine, and olive oil can sometimes cause histamine issues in folks. I have seen no literature on olive leaves, however. They do have to be dried, so there is the potential that they could be higher in histamine if they are older. I dried my own, however, and have not had any problems with them so far.<br />
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Re: salicylates. I understand that this is fairly high in salicylates, according to acquaintances of mine who cannot tolerate them, so this is not recommended for any who have problems with salicylates.<br />
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I am, obviously, not a medical professional. I can't say that I know all the research on olive leaf tea out there, or its effects on the body. I'm just speaking from the perspective of what has worked for myself, and what effects it has had. And adding a potentially new beverage to your radar, if you've never heard of it before. ^_^<br />
<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-46232249066079683112015-11-23T10:58:00.000-08:002015-11-23T10:58:43.416-08:00Thanksgiving food Ideas when you can't eat anything The very first Thanksgiving I had after my allergies decided to go insane was pretty awful. I was down to less than ten foods, trying to figure out what to eat, and really came up with nothing all that palatable.<br />
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Although admittedly, the next Thanksgiving was more emotionally upsetting, what with being exposed to one of my allergens by my ex (just a whiff), to help prove to me that it was all psychosomatic. Yeah, that one didn't work too well, just made me sick the entire holiday, sigh.<br />
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But, anyway, back to foods. There are some AMAZING recipes for Thanksgiving foods you can make with substitutions. Awesome ones. If they help you, awesome. And I mean that - I'm all about the food porn here. I love seeing other people enjoy food, even if it's not something I'm likely to try myself (see the similarity here? Food porn - it truly is).<br />
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But if you are like I was, you may have so few foods that you just don't even know where to start. It's overwhelming. So, for those like me, here's some things that might help a little bit for Thanksgiving foods when you have very little you can have. I don't know if these will help anyone, but I hope that they may be of use for some.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
1. In place of <b>Mashed Potatoes,</b> try any mashed root vegetable. Any of 'em. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, celery root, whatever...although radishes, you might need to play with. I haven't tried those ones.<br />
- If you can have a fat, then a mashed, boiled root vegetable, salt, and a fat can be lovely. If you can render beef fat, or another animal fat, it adds an amazing flavor to root vegetable mash, yum. <br />
- If you can add in chopped herbs, that can help a lot with any odd flavors you are not used to, so I'd recommend that too. Something sour is often a really nice addition for stronger tasting root veggies (there's a reason potatoes and sour cream are popular, right?)<br />
- If you have pretty much nothing but a root veggie, with no flavorings, roasting them rather than boiling can add more flavor too them, and sweet them up. If you rub them with oil first, that helps, but it's not required.<br />
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2. This sweet potato recipe I came up during 'the dark times,' uses sweet potato and home squeezed citrus juice, and we have used it as a main dish or as a dessert. It's lovely, and this from someone who doesn't like sweet potato at all. <a href="http://learningtocookalloveragain.blogspot.com/2014/08/citrus-mashed-sweet-potato.html">http://learningtocookalloveragain.blogspot.com/2014/08/citrus-mashed-sweet-potato.html</a><br />
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3. Meat - does not matter whether you can have hamburger or turkey or chops, just get some meat cooked in a way you can eat. And then try to see what you can do to put over it like gravy. Just a little water mixed with juices from the pan? Great.<br />
- Some roasted veggies that you blend up in the blender and use as a sauce? Also great.<br />
- Or whatever fruit you can eat, if any - can it be cooked? Can it be mashed or blended up? These also make some great sauces for meat, and makes it feel a little LESS like it's the same meat you have to eat almost every day because you don't have a lot of choices.<br />
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4. Protein that's not meat - are grains more the thing you can eat? Or beans?<br />
- Something that can be fun and a little different for grains is to make a very thick porridge, pour it into a bread pan, and put it in the fridge. When it's solid and cold, pull it out and cut it into fry-shaped sizes. Then fry these in oil for polenta fries, millet fries, whatever. Crispy on the outside and very soft and creamy on the inside. For beans, you can try bean patties, roasted beans, mashed beans with veggies on top, or veggies with beans on top. Stuffed bean patties is something we've tried, with very thick homemade refried beans, and it's...well, ok, its a work in progress. But I think it can be done, still!<br />
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5. Dessert - This one is the hardest, but it pretty much comes down to: what do you have that you can add sweet to? And what can you eat that IS sweet. This latter part has proven to be most important for me, as it is a pretty small list, in my case. And the thing is, if it's sweet? Figure out how to use that sucker for a dessert. It's apples, then juice them and use the juice as as sweetener, or condense it and make it even sweeter. Cook it and blend it up. chop it to bits and use it. Doesn't matter what it is, add that sweet thing to something it tastes good with, and yee ha, it's dessert.<br />
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For nearly a year, I had one dessert - pecans and honey. I could have both of those, almost no fruit, and the honey I could only have a tiny bit without reacting, same with the pecans. I tell you, that was the best damn desert in the world for that year!<br />
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I wish you all the best, and hope that you can find some amazing foods this year!!<br />
<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-86642258626461496042015-07-10T12:16:00.001-07:002015-07-10T12:16:16.925-07:00Pacific Island FoodsAs someone with a limited diet, I'm always interested in finding new foods I can eat, or finding new <i>parts</i> of foods or plants that I can eat.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fao.org/Wairdocs/X5425E/x5425e00.htm#Contents" target="_blank">This</a> is a link to a series of leaflets on South Pacific foods and it's simply wonderful. Lots of recipes, but also lots of practical advice on how to prepare these foods from scratch, or use them in recipes. There is information on more common foods like pineapple, or foods that folks in the west may not be as familiar with, like rarer nuts or tubers. Also some great information on food we don't eat here at all typically, but could - things like how to make and prepare fresh fig leaves, or the leaves from a chile plant or pumpkin, that sort of thing.<br />
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I totally recommend you check it out!<br />
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<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-84678237670958734762015-05-14T15:39:00.001-07:002015-05-14T15:51:46.981-07:00Watermelon- Mint SaladThis turned out amazing - a nice, cool treat for summertime, and super easy. Pictures will come, as usual, when the camera is behaving.<br />
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<b>Watermelon-Mint Salad</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
Ripe watermelon, cubed<br />
fresh mint leaves<br />
a freshly juiced lime<br />
If you can have dairy: chèvre, or feta cheese (or a sour goat cheese of some kind)<br />
If you can't have dairy: I'll have a dairy free alternatives listed below the recipe.<br />
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<i>Directions:</i><br />
1. Put the watermelon in a bowl. Wash mint leaves, pull off stem, and tear into pieces - I tore large mint leaves into about 6-8 pieces each. Add to bowl and mix.<br />
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2. Juice the lime and drizzle a little bit of lime juice over the watermelon. Add crumbled feta cheese or chèvre broken into small pieces, or the dairy-free alternative mentioned below. Mix and serve and it's awesome. The mint makes the whole dish seem cooler in your mouth, and the sour of the cheese really blends nicely with the sweet watermelon.<br />
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<i>In Addition:</i><br />
1. For the ingredient amounts, basically, you want a cube of watermelon, a piece of mint, and a piece of cheese on every forkful to get a good flavor. Usually, I keep the lime juice very low - I just used 3-5 drops per soup bowl sized serving, essentially.<br />
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2. The sweeter the melon, the more you want of the sour cheese, so you may end up with more or less depending on that.<br />
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<b><i>Dairy Free Version:</i></b><br />
To make this dish dairy free, you need something sour, for the missing cheese. <i>Lemon juice</i> would definitely work (I would still keep the lime juice, too, even with added lemon), or possibly a liquid mixed with <i>amchur powder</i>, or maybe even <i>sorrel</i>, torn into small pieces, in a pinch.<br />
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If you can have <i>nuts</i> and you want to recreate the creamy, aspect, too - and that was nice in the recipes, but not essential - you could make a little <i>cashew cream</i>, maybe thin it out a bit, and mix it with something sour like <i>lemon juice</i> and maybe use it as a dressing over the watermelon, lime juice, and mint. If you don't like it chunky, I'd strain the cashew cream. Or if you want it more like the original, you could thicken the cashew cream and lemon juice in a sauce pan,let it cool, and then break it into little balls/pieces and add it that way.<br />
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You could possibly use coconut milk/cream, instead, but I think that would be something to do for a completely different type of dish (I've seen smoothies made from mint, lime juice, watermelon, and coconut water, for example). I think it would still taste pretty good, and I might alter the amount of the lime juice, but it could work. Hmm...maybe you could even freeze it for a sort of ice cream, yum.<br />
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I would definitely make this again - my daughter loved it, and ate hers in seconds on a day when many other foods were making her feel nauseated, so I'd call this recipe a total win!<br />
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<i>Inspired by:</i><br />
I got the idea for this from some random TV show I saw years ago on some food channel - I caught it playing on a TV out at a restaurant waiting room, as I recall. I only remember there was a salad and it had mint, watermelon, and some kind of cheese in it. As we had all of these, and have been exploring a little dairy now, the result is this. So thankful I saw that show and it popped into mind, after all this time!Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-68554428189132218662015-04-20T12:02:00.000-07:002015-04-20T12:04:05.785-07:00Day 9 - Fried Smelt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4;">Pinterest Day 9</span></div>
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The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was <a href="http://steamykitchen.com/15666-fried-smelt.html" target="_blank">Fried Smelt</a> from Steamy Kitchen. </div>
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<b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8643651107864104944" name="more"></a>The Reasons:</b></div>
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I literally just used the basic concept, without even trying out different spices, because smelt was on sale and I thought it'd be interesting! Sorry, but no pictures until the phone gets fixed!</div>
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<b>The Ingredients:</b></div>
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<i><u>What I can use:</u></i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">smelt</span></div>
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cooking oil for frying (I like to use olive oil)</div>
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handful fresh herbs, minced</div>
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lemon</div>
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minced fresh chili pepper </div>
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Salt</div>
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(ingredients I DID use - smelt and salt, and that's it).</div>
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<i style="line-height: 1.4;"><u>What I can't use:</u></i></div>
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1 cup matzo meal</div>
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2 teaspoons garlic powder</div>
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2 tablespoons butter</div>
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1 clove garlic</div>
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<b>The Challenges:</b></div>
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1. The coating. I can't use matzo meal, but I CAN use potato starch, as long as I make it myself, and as one company we know of just got their corn masa gluten free certified, my kids can actually have corn masa for the first time in a long time (although with the GMO issues, we don't use it much).</div>
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2. The smelt - how the heck do you clean a tiny little fish like this? I had no idea, so I had to look it up - turns out you snip it behind the gills (not all the way through). Then turn it over and slice it up the belly to around the neck. Then pull the head down and toward the belly and the tail, and the head and guts all come out at once. </div>
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<b>What I did:</b></div>
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1. Cleaned the fish (gutted them). Filled pan 1/2 inch or less with olive oil and heated to just below med. heat. </div>
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2. Put some corn masa with salt in a ziploc bag, put a few smelt in and shook it around, and fried them in the oil, about 1-2 minutes on a side. Placed on a paper towel on a plate to drain. </div>
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3. Ate with lemon or ranch or tartar, or whatever you can.</div>
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<b>Why did I make these choices:</b></div>
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Tired and hungry - I would love to try it with more spices and seasonings, but it worked well with just salt and a coating, at this point.</div>
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<b>The result:</b></div>
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Pretty darn good. Crunchy, tasty. Were good with both lemon and with a type of Ranch sauce the kids used (so I hear)</div>
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<b>How would I change this:</b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4;">1. I would not clean out the smelt! - I only found out after making this that fish this small do NOT need to be gutted. You can eat the whole thing, heads, eyes, guts and all. I made this same recipe again without cleaning and it was awesome, possibly even better than before. This <a href="http://fishcooking.about.com/od/meetyourfish/p/smelt.htm" target="_blank">link</a> has a </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">brief mention of this issue.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2. The oil temperature was more crucial than I realized. The first few batches, the oil was too hot and cooked them too quickly, and they were a bit overdone. One child liked that, one hated it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Would I make it again:</b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.4;">Definitely. These were awesome. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><b>Allergy issues:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4;">1. The fish themselves are not too great on a low histamine diet. Obviously the coating can be issues for many allergies, depending on what's used. Starches or any type of finely ground meal, I think, </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">would</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4;"> work with this. I think you could even fry it with no coating at all but sprinkled with salt as soon as it is removed from the cooking oil.</span></span></div>
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Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-29228715744663726062015-04-18T13:59:00.003-07:002015-04-18T13:59:58.843-07:00Homemade sunscreenThis one looks pretty interesting - a homemade sunscreen bar:<br />
<a href="http://wellnessmama.com/4844/sunscreen-bars/">http://wellnessmama.com/4844/sunscreen-bars/</a><br />
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One thing, though, is that it requires a lot of oils that many of us can't use. Might be able to find something to substitute with, though.<br />
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However, in the interests of the most natural sunscreen ever, I remind you of pigs. Who roll in the mud not only to keep cool, but as a kind of protection from the sun, too.<br />
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That's right: <b>rub mud on your skin - the most basic form of sunscreen there is. </b><br />
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Now, that sounds silly for folks who are going to, say, an amusement park or a picnic. Most of them dressed up and don't care to have mud all over. However, if you were, say, hiking, or gardening? You have a hat on for face protection, so typically you just need arms and legs. Which are going to be getting covered in dirt <i>anyway</i>, so hey, why not just rub them down with a little wet dirt and save the money on sunscreen? Or the possibility of a reaction, at least if you can find some clean dirt that's not, you know, contaminated by heavy metals or something.<br />
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I have a friend whose grandmother used to do this when out gardening, living out west and not having sunscreen at the time. Everything old is new again, I guess!Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-49675174204382169122015-01-13T15:11:00.000-08:002015-01-13T15:11:32.506-08:00Homemade Cashew CreamHomemade Cashew Cream<br />
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The original idea for this is from a blog that is no longer in existence (and I can't recall the name to save my life) but it's basic and easy, so not too hard to pass on. There will eventually be photos, when my camera comes back to life.<br />
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If you don't know what cashew cream is, it's AWESOME is what it is. It has a hint of sweetness to the taste, but it thickens up like dairy, like really thick, so it's a great dairy substitute for dishes that need thickening during heating, especially if the flavors blend well.<br />
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<b>Cashew Cream</b><br />
<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
Cashews<br />
water<br />
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Directions:<br />
1. Soak the cashews in water. For something that you want a little chunkiness for, I've soaked it as little as 30 minutes. For something creamier and smoother, I've soaked it for over 8 hours. It's up to you.<br />
2. Drain the cashews (you could save the water, if you like, for something else) and then blend the cashews up in a blender with new water. How much water you add depends on how thick you want the cashew cream to be. Mine tends to be thicker than store bought cashew cream if I pour the cashews into the blender and add enough water so the top cashews are only partially covered by water. Blend until it is as smooth as you want it to be. Mine tends to look like batter when I'm done.<br />
3. This can be used immediately in a dish, or you can refrigerate it for use later. I don't know how long it lasts before going bad because we always use it up in a day or two, and I also don't know if it will thicken like it should after freezing, so I'll have to tell you about that once I try it!<br />
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We use this to add to recipes for sorbets or non-dairy ice cream, for my <a href="http://learningtocookalloveragain.blogspot.com/2014/02/dairy-free-cream-of-mushroom-soup.html" target="_blank">dairy free cream of mushroom soup</a>, for smoothies, for vegan cheesecake...just so much. Many vegan recipes online use it, you'll find.<br />
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If you soak the cashews in broth, and blend them up with it, I understand it works well as a faux nacho cheese sauce, once it has a few spices added and is thickened a bit with heat. I'm sure something could be done with this for other savory dishes, and might make a good coconut milk substitute for some Thai dishes, although I have yet to try that.<br />
<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643651107864104944.post-67137837125351030332014-12-30T14:20:00.002-08:002015-01-27T09:34:11.435-08:00Dairy Free mashed potatoesThis is the simplest recipe for mashed potatoes and is shockingly good. Three ingredients, make it all yourself, if you like.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
potatoes<br />
salt<br />
rendered beef fat - I render mine myself.<br />
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
Make mashed potatoes like you normally would except use beef fat instead of butter and milk. In other words, boil the potatoes, drain them, mash them, and mix with fat and salt to the desired texture and taste.<br />
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It's seriously pretty awesome. If the potatoes are too soft, you can add some homemade potato starch to thicken them up.<br />
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<i>Vegetarian Version:</i><br />
For my vegetarian friends, I tend to:<br />
1. Make mashed potatoes cooked in veggie broth instead of water (and save the broth to make into a soup that night later or something)<br />
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or 2. Add some oil and veggie broth to the mashed potatoes later along with some homemade potato starch to make up for the extra liquid. <br />
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The one challenge with this has been the flavor of the oil. I don't have a lot of choices for oils, so there really isn't a neutral tasting one I can use, which flavors the mashed potatoes unless I have them heavily seasoned. But any oil will do, in a pinch, if you need it. And if you don't have oil, the veggie broth and a thickener (starch, for me) will do fine, too, just a bit less creamy, is all.<br />
<br />Shaunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750760694847313212noreply@blogger.com0