May is Celiac Awareness month along with food allergy awareness month. Having one of these food avoidance diagnosis is difficult, and sometimes adding the second seems overwhelming. We started off with just food allergies but quickly found out that gluten was a problem. I have been free of gluten and dairy for more than 10 years. It is sometimes hard to remember what it was like to cook with wheat flour or what certain cheeses tastes like.
I am a much better baker than cook and really enjoy baking. I have a soft chocolate chip cookie recipe that I make often, so when I came across someone raving about this cookie recipe I had to try it.
During this time of Safe at Home it has been heartwarming to see the sharing and caring coming from so many companies. Even though I have never been able to partake in the the warm cookie at a DoubleTree, I was curious about the recipe. It is often the little additions that make a cookie great. This one has three things added to make it special (four if you count the nuts, but I don’t usually replace those in recipes). Cinnamon, oats, and a squeeze of lemon make the DoubleTree cookie memorable.
Gluten-Free DoubleTree Signature Cookie (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Tree nut and Peanut-Free, and Nightshade-Free)
FARE is challenging people to make a Top 9 Free (#top9free) dinner on May 13. This is one dinner that is easy to make and is free of all Top 9 allergens. I like making this in the instapot but you could easily adapt it to make on the stovetop. You can brown your beef first, but after trying it as a dump recipe (just dump everything in the pot) I think it tastes just as good without the extra step of browning.
I have more than one pressure cooker so I usually make the rice at the same time in another pot. If you just have one pressure cooker you could make the rice ahead of time and wipe out the pot and then cook the beef.
Pair this with a salad topped with Carrot Ginger Dressing (With olive oil substituting the sesame oil) and you have a meal free of the Top 9 allergens.
1.5 pounds beef stew meat (or other beef roast cut into chunks)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup broth (beef preferred but can be whatever you have on hand)
1/2 cup coconut aminos
2 tablespoons white sugar
1+ tablespoons corn starch
1/2 pound broccoli
Directions
Add the beef, garlic, broth, aminos, and sugar to the bowl of the Instapot.
Secure the lid in the seal position.
Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
When the beef is almost done add the broccoli to a microwavable bowl with a few tablespoons of water and microwave on high for approximately 4 minutes. Broccoli should be tender.
Manually release pressure when the cook time is done.
Remove some liquid from the pressure cooker to a small bowl and stir the corn starch into the liquid. Once the corn starch is dissolved pour the mixture into the Instapot and turn on the Sauté mode.
Continually stir the beef and sauce until thickened. This usually takes less than 5 minutes. If it doesn’t seem to be thickening repeat adding some corn starch to some reserved liquid to dissolve and then adding it to the pot.
Once the sauce has thickened add the broccoli and serve over rice.
I am still working through some of My 19 For COVID-19. My best accomplishment has been the completion of a gluten-free sourdough starter. I am trying to muddle my way through keeping it alive and feeding it. It feels very wasteful discarding part of it even now that it spends most of it’s time in the fridge.
Yesterday was my day to feed my starter. So I was determined to actually use the discard. I came across a super easy recipe for discard crackers. Crackers are so elusive in the gluten-free diet. I have not found many that are edible let alone enjoyable.
I love these and have plans to spice them differently and add some mix-ins to liven them up. But this basic recipe is very tasty
Even though this time at home during social distancing has been a time of shifting priorities and relearning how long somethings now take. I’m sure you are also rearranging cabinets to hold the extra groceries and entries to house your packages while they wait the time before you can open them with out having to spend time wiping it all down.
On my list of one hundred things for the year there is usually a few (or 20) pickled/ jam/chutney/fermented type entries. I do like how these things can add to everyday meals but am often lost as to how/what to use them.
Sushi is one of my favorite foods. This is also usually on my list of 100 “make sushi”. I did make avocado rolls earlier this year and they turned out ok. We’ve made poke bowls at home so the next logical step for me was to try and make pickled ginger.
It actually was easy. To slice up the ginger I tried using the mandolin but it was still slicing the ginger thicker than I wanted. However in the end I used even the ones I thought were too thick and it turned out fine.
Enjoy this with your homemade sushi or on top of avocado toast (just watched one of my teens do this). I’ll have to look on Pinterest to see what else people are using pickled ginger for.
Prepare a large mason jar by sterilizing it in a water bath.
Peel the ginger and slice as thinly as possible
In a saucepan combine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to boil, remove from heat and cover.
While the vinegar is heating up, bing approximately 2 quarts of water to boil. Once boiling add ginger for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Strain and transfer to the sterilized mason jar.
Poor the vinegar mixture over the ginger and put the lid on the jar.
Let cool to room temperature and then store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Here in Illinois we are at the start of week 5 of social distancing. The weather has mostly been cloudy and rainy. The few nice days I have tried to get out and walk but my daily step counts have been abysmal. I have been working in my garden, and today am cleaning and roasting some dandelion roots to use in making tea. I have also been trying to grow some veggies from food scraps.
I have a few more started in water but I have run out of pots.
All of us are looking for comfort and grounding. Many have turned to working in their yard or potting plants on their balcony. I was so happy (there may have been some tears) when heard my favorite garden center would be open and delivering! One of the items on my to do list this week is to go through all my seeds and order more. I know I am out of radishes and am thankful to a neighbor who had some extras for me to use until I can order some online.
Another way many are looking for comfort is with baking. I have successfully created a gluten-free sourdough starter and am experimenting with new recipes. I have also been making some new soups. This soup is the best soup I have made in months. It will definitely become a regular in my food rotation.
Rutabagas are my go to replacement for potatoes. They do usually need to be cooked longer than the potatoes in a recipe when making the substitution
The year of the rat started last week and I celebrated with some homemade fortune cookies. You really do need to move fast when they come out of the oven to get the four on the cookie pan shaped properly. I had just watched the The Great British Baking Show (S05:E02) where the technical was fortune cookies. I don’t remember which contestant put the still warm shaped cookies inside a muffin tin, but this is definitely the best way for them to retain their shape while they cool.
Fortune Cookies in muffin tin
They were easy to make, and it was fun to have for this years Lunar New Year. Next time I may attempt the orange flavored ones from the Great British Baking Show.
Thanksgiving is late this year. This would usually be the week that I start cooking, baking and purchasing a fresh turkey. But I have one more week!
In may of the gluten-free face book groups people have been looking for holiday recipes so I have been sharing my green bean casserole recipe .
I am making my usual holiday menu. With lots of extra for leftovers for the weekend and for the freezer.
There are lots of questions about stuffing. I have been to Trader Joes and Aldi. Both of their boxed stuffing mixes contain milk so I will not be using them but I do think they are a great option for those new to the gluten-free lifestyle.
I use an old stuffing recipe and sub my favorite gluten-free bread. I’ve always used untoasted bread, torn into bite size pieces. Last year I used Walmarts gluten-free bread and will use it again this year. I made garlic bread with Canyon Bakehouse’s Mountain White last night and have some left over. I may make a small batch of stuffing with this as the base if I have some extra time today or tomorrow. To see if it makes a better stuffing base.
Today I am making a batch of Chicken Bone Broth – in the Pressure Cooker. I made lots of chicken wings the other day so I would have plenty for a batch of broth to help get me through making all the sides for Thanksgiving.
My menu includes a salad, corn casserole, a big turkey, roasted brussels sprouts, cranberry fluff, and a chocolate pie dessert that I make with Daiya Cream Cheese (contains nightshades) for my kids. On my list of 100 things for 2020 includes making my own dairy-free cream cheese that is nightshade free.
How are you preparing for Thanksgiving? What is on your menu?
I was on an nice vacation last week an left my garden tasks to my teenager. I came back to monsterous zucchini.
I don’t have many recipes that I use zucchini in, but this is one of my kids favorites. Since these happened to be sooo big, I did end up taking the skin off of most of the slices I made. I don’t like to make “boats” with zucchini because I feel like I just destroy it when I cut it into portions to serve. I like to make 1/2 inch slices like you would for acorn squash.
I don’t eat this recipe because of the tomatoes, and I used sausage that has peppers., but I am hoping to make some of my own sausage and try using pumpkin for the sauce. This recipe makes a good amount of stuffing which make great leftovers and can be used over pasta (or zucchini noodles) the next day.
Zucchini (if stuffing try to get medium to large zucchini) – approx. 4
Olive oil
1/2 pound Italian Sausage
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
1 cup Dairy-Free Cheese (I used Aldi’s)
24 ounce jar Pasta Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Coconut Oil spray
Directions
Preheat oven to 375℉.
If making zucchini boats, slice the zucchini lengthwise and take out seeds. I decided to make 1/2 inch rounds and took the skin off and scooped the seeds out.
Brush with olive oil and place on a foil lined cookie sheet.
Place in oven for 15 minutes
Brown sausage in pan.
Add the garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese and pasta sauce to sausage and mix in pan.
Scoop sausage mixture into zucchini
Any extra mixture spoon into a dish sprayed with coconut oil
One of my food preparation tips is to make extra chicken whenever you are baking chicken. And then make chicken salad. Every week I try to make a sandwich salad (ham, chicken, tuna). Often I eat these on a bed of garden greens instead of bread. I have so much lettuce growing right now and am on the second sewing of mustard greens in my garden so I have been eating a ton of greens. I have chard that I need to harvest and am looking for ideas of what to do with it since this is the first year I have had a good harvest of chard.
When I saw cherries on sale at my favorite fruit stand I knew this would be this weeks sandwich salad. If you really like citrus add some orange zest to this recipe, but I feel it is overpowering and you loose the cherries. I used two types of chives (regular and garlic) instead of onions, but you could use whatever allium you have on hand.
Organizing wise I am washing and packing away the rest of the winter coats. I had packed away the boots and snow pants a few weeks ago. My kids are older and the amount of “after school’s out” paper deluge is becoming less and less. In fact I only have one packet of papers from one child and a small pile from the other. Such a relief.
We are having a few friends over to celebrate the end of school and are planning a super simple menu. Chips and salsa, fruit, drinks and some yummy baked goods. (Including the awesome little sugar cookies in the above picture!)
In the garden I have lots of seedlings coming up and have planted plenty of tomato plants. I know, “but you can’t eat tomatoes”! But I feel a vegetable garden is not a garden without tomatoes. So this year I have 5 different types, and a few pepper plants too. My favorite part of gardening is letting things bloom and go to seed.
Carpet of seedlings.Carpet of seedlings.
In part of my garden I currently have a blanket of fennel, dill, cilantro, mustard, and borage seedlings. It smells heavenly when you walk through them. I’ll pull most of it up in a few weeks when I plant another round of seeds.
The Nourished Festival is in Chicago this weekend. If you are new to Celiac/Food Allergies it is a great place to get know companies that truly care about allergy friendly foods. If you have been living with Celiac/Food Allergies for awhile it is always good to scope out the new finds and sample some of the new products that will be in stores soon. I shared the event on the Cygnet Organizing facebook page and if you buy tickets ahead of time there is a discount.
Part of being an AllerCoach™ is Auto injector education. Always have at least two auto injectors with you.
Can you spot the auto injector?
I’m not sure I would be brave enough to not have my auto injector secured inside of something, but this made my day to see this woman biking. I usually use a running belt to hold my Auvi-q’s and phone while biking, but may need to get a real bike shirt.
Cygnet Organizing 