This year is shaping up to be a high-alert year for our family. Every time we think a return to "normal" is around the corner, another crisis or emotional shocker hits us. Everyone has times like that, for sure...those days or weeks that keep you from your usual (even if hectic) life. When life just becomes getting through the moments instead of enjoying most of them. So. Another post not directly about food today, with my apologies. In fact, this is a post (with that paragraph above saved in the archives) from my draft folder that dates back to almost this time of year in 2016! At that point, both sides of our family had gone through some traumatic events, and I was just scheduled for open heart surgery. Not necessarily an upbeat spring. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm facing another open heart surgery much sooner than anyone hoped. That means I've had a fair share of "garden of Gethsemane" moments this Lent. And I'm still walking around the house eating things (like almonds and cherries and broccoli)---not meals---for lunch or even dinner some days. So, apparently I still have some physical challenges, and (I hope) mental growth, ahead. Lenten Lessons In 2016, I treated surgery and other people's trauma as problems that I could help solve. Problems are like puzzles, and I love solving those; finding answers and solutions when people are in need is one way I help. And sometimes, it works beautifully. For example, treating my daughters' allergies as puzzles in the kitchen led to an entirely new approach in the kitchen and a new hobby for me, not to mention fun family time with my kids. In 2018, I've already learned this Lent that some problems are not for me to solve. Or are not solve-able. Instead I'm finding that standing by someone through a problem or trauma, and letting people stand with me in mine, is also a gift. A challenging one for me, for sure---to not fix things, and to let others in when I'm not 100%. But I have started finding joy in connections, and sometimes in the simplicity of accepting imperfect solutions. At the beginning of the year, I had grand plans: to work nearly full time, to put pen to paper with my recipes so the kids would have a safe cookbook, to be that great role model, to be normal (in my world that means "not a patient"). Now, I'm facing another health upheaval that reminds me: I'm not perfect or "fixed"; the trick isn't to find joy by having no problems but to find and share the joy in the problems. If I'm going all religious here, I'd say it's to be transfigured by our problems into a source of joy despite them. Also in 2018, and related to that no-problems goal, I felt like I had a happy balance in my life: work, fun, family...peace, creativity, activity. I like calm, and home. But I've had a few weeks of crazy unscheduled stuff. And it's been terrifically fun, experiences I would never have wanted to miss. I'm not a risk taker; I seem to be passing that trait or habit on to at least one of my kids, too. Risks in my world are simple things, like travel and lifting, and it's hard to see the point of taking them when the prep work is so great. But shaking up my calm balance can be so rewarding. Lent lesson #2, I suppose---those connections with others are what it's all about, even when they're scary or outside my comfort zone. Plane travel, preschooler wrestling, baby carrying. Simple things that stress my brain more than they should. Building Meals Back Up From Basics I had the chance to metro into the city (instead of drive in) and visit an old friend this week. He happens to have been dealing with food-related problems (including but not only celiac) for more than a decade...much longer than trendy foods have been available. We met at a cafe, both got drinks, and both pulled out our own meals. He's the first person who didn't start off asking me whether X food is okay for 20 minutes. And it was refreshing to just sit and catch up with a friend who didn't mind my beef jerky while we swapped stories and pictures of kids. Riding a metro train back home gave me plenty of time to pore over not just his advice but also his experiences, going through this seemingly alone years ago. We're not alone, though it's hard to remember to put ourselves out there to share and connect. I also started keeping a notebook in my kitchen this year. At first, the goal was to write out the recipes I make so that I can get them posted here, printed into books, sold online, and on and on. I think I'm again being reminded of how small I am and how large and unneeded those goals are right now, though. At this point, I need to simply put what works each day in that book. From there, eventually, I'll get to build up new creations. Right now I just need to stay nourished without losing the joy. This week, that book has things like "snacks: dried cherries, slivered almonds, roasted edamame mix" but also more elaborate entries like "dinner success: halved poblanos stuffed with meatball mix of 93/7, sprinkles of potato starch, garlic, parsley, seasoned salt, sage; drizzled in olive oil and vegetable broth. combined with parboiled brown rice." Because we have to start somewhere, right? So, here's to another week of making it work, of hoping that each day I can do something to help someone, and myself, find joy. Even through troubles, not after they're gone. And maybe I'll actually have recipes and research, from that little kitchen notebook, by April. ;-)
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It's been a whole week since I started this post (basically, since I wrote the title and then closed the laptop lid). But what full week! Somehow, Ash Wednesday (aka this year, the crazy day that ended in much peace), first Friday in Lent (and the first first Friday I remembered to stay meatless for that night's dinner in years), and a long President's Day weekend at home (with a tradition of indoor ice skating planned) seemed busy enough. But why stop there? Life threw in a new car (!), travel planning (aka food prep logistics) for me, viruses almost all around that gave us movie days instead of skating and swimming days, and reconnecting time with old friends. Plus a cardio check up (results pending), new job offers, and more. But Lenten fasting is still on my mind. After removing so much food this year already for EoE, I opted for the first time ever to not give up a food for 40 days. Frankly, there's no particular food that's a crutch/vice right now that doesn't also fill a nutritional need these days. It's weird not to have an answer to the wholy (ha!) Catholic question: "What food did you give up this year?" But it's a bit freeing, too. It allows me to widen my gaze, expand my efforts this Lent. Because Lent's not just about giving up a food. Our priest for the first Sunday in Lent (so, two days ago) is one of my favorite homilists. He happens to be the priest who counseled me and annointed me before my surgery, too, so I have a soft spot for him all around. He is wise beyond his years, humble and caring, and thoughtful and kind and funny. His homily this week was no different: he emphasized the triad of Lenten efforts that aims to bring us all closer to God (however we define God): fasting, alms, and prayer. This year, I'm trying to hold all three, not just fasting, closer to me each day. Fasting Fasting is not just about giving up a single food...or meat on Fridays...etc. That's good, but not the only way. Instead, says Father Rampino, fasting is about choosing not to have something that is ours "by right"---much as Jesus in the desert chose not to have things he could have by right---all of the kingdoms, stones into bread, etc. Fasting, then, is also about giving up something we consider natural but can go without to fill our life in other ways: can we limit our news, our tech time, our favorite comfort? Can we fill those hours with prayer, peacefulness, giving to others, sharing outside our comfort zones instead? This year, I'm fasting from foods more by necessity---choosing to go without instead of using multiple medications to maintain a normal diet. Thinking more broadly about fasting, I'd like to stick to a once-daily media check and have replaced some "by right" choice apps with new ones. My favorite: The Jesuit's Loyola Press Three Minute Retreat, an old favorite, is back on my new phone now. It's a much calmer and thought-provoking default app than Pinterest, Twitter, FaceBook. If priest's messages aren't for you, they have more choices! Speaking From the Heart is a sister (pardon the pun) podcast and blog, for example. Alms Giving for me has often revolved around food, so I am again challenged to rethink my charitable acts. I'm seeing a theme. :) I'm still giving foods to show love and sometimes for support of others, but on a much smaller scale. I mourned that change for some time, but I do see that it's given me time to try new ways of reaching others. Again well outside my homebody comfort zone, but already fulfilling in surprising ways: new friendships, progress toward tangible gifts for friends and strangers alike (in particular efforts to really commit to sending handmade knits to children and groups in need), and more. I hope this Lent to renew an old favorite of mine that I had to give up because of metal allergies: making and donating rosaries and other prayer beads. It's up to me to come to peace with my limitations and make something for others with materials I can use---not to make the most beautiful item, but to make something meaningful and useful that can help others in journeys that are undoubtedly harder than mine. Prayer It's easy to get into prayer ruts, for just about any person, any religion. I tend to slide out of my daily rosary every winter when the days get shorter and the outdoor walks end. Every Lent, I bring back my rosary walk, though (ideally sooner than in years past!). This week's homily reminded us that other things are simply things---niceties; prayer is what we all need. And prayer should strengthen us and others, not just be words to say. This year, I'd like to take my devotions a step further and talk about them more with others. Regardless of established religion, many people have strong faith and devotional practices. This year, because I've reached outside my comfort zone already, I have already found new prayer experiences in surprising places. To enhance my prayer life and hopefully use it toward positive efforts and relationships, I'm introducing two new daily reading experiences to my 40 days, one of which came directly from those surprising places: 1) 40 Ways for 40 Days: A daily text message, with a link to meditations, is a brand new effort from our diocese, which is under the direction of a new Bishop. Bishop Burbidge seems caring, funny, and willing to meet people where they are (so, on tech). He's started a new podcast (!) and initiated this outreach based on messages of Pope Francis, too. It's a great feeling when the text ping isn't a new work deadline but instead is a message of how to encourage love or how to bring more Christ-like mindfulness and awareness to yourself and your actions. 2) 40 Graces for Forgiveness is a thought-provoking, meditative book that's also already calling me to actions that I hope will become past-Lent habits. In addition to daily Scripture and prose, the passages naturally promote journaling, or other reflective comforts, to slow down our days and widen our gaze on the world---our needs, those of others, and more. I had been lucky enough to randomly meet the author, Maria Keffler, at a meeting for our kids' school music program. We both showed up with knitting. :) It turns out that we have a shared love of music, and that we are both writers. Plus, she has an awesome sense of humor! Stop back by the blog after Easter, and you can find my full review of 40 Graces. So far, I'm having a hard time sticking to one passage a day! So, I may have added enough Lenten goals to fill a 40-hour day, 40 times over. But if I keep to even some of them, I'll have learned a lot and hopefully helped a lot. It's not the successful checking off of each item every day that counts; it's the meaning behind it, and the love in the effort, and the getting back up and doing it every day despite "failures" the day before. This is a low-photo post this week, but for a happy reason: Every time I've tried to make something for dinner with masa harina, it's been gobbled up in a snap, without leftovers. Rather than recipes, I'd like to go into some differences about corn products that can replace wheat in (mostly) savory free-from products. That sounds simple, but it's deceptive---there are enough types of ground corn available to make my head spin. At the start, let me offer an obvious disclaimer: this post isn't for you if you have a corn allergy! If you're a sometimes baker, you probably are already familiar with cornstarch (cornflour when in Australia and the United Kingdom). It's a white, tasteless, powdery ingredient that, when heated, thickens everything from gravy to pie fillings. In the Americas, corn flour is yellow---the powdery ingredient of the entire corn kernel (not just the hard-shell endosperm of the kernel that gives us cornstarch). If you pride yourself on homemade pizza on special stones, you might even have some cornmeal, that coarser grind of the entire kernel. Or maybe you're a fan of polenta or grits, which is just a medium-ground version cooked into porridge. SemolinaI thought that this was plenty of corn for my new wheat-free life, but it's really just the beginning. I came across semolina corn flour at our local international food market and picked it up without knowing what I'd do with it. Semolina wheat is the type used for Italian pastas, but I'd never heard of a corn version. The word semolina actually refers to an extremely fine grind of the endosperm of a grain only. Thus, corn semolina or rice semolina are absolutely real. Finding semolina corn flour led me to an Italian corn pasta company called Le Veneziane. I do have black bean, lentil, and other wheat-free pastas in my cupboard, but this corn pasta was the first success: It didn't get gummy, could be cooked like wheat pasta (for me, that means no timer, cooking until al dente), and did not stick together upon draining). It's amazing! Now I'm excited to try making my own pasta with corn semolina flour. But first, I'm going to try the grain in a semolina corn cake recipe (like this one). I've tried corn cakes before, by mixing corn kernels with corn and chickpea flours, but the results were a bit too bland and a bit too gritty for my liking. MasaBut all of these options and ideas aren't enough; Mexican corn flours take the grain a step or two further. The most common option available in typical US grocery stores is masa harina---a corn flour that is soaked in lime (calcium) to break down the hulls before grinding and drying. When I stopped eating wheat and yeast in our already--dairy-free household, I found myself making a lot of Asian and Mexican dishes. Naturally (right?), that led me to wonder about making my own tortillas instead of buying them. I used a Craftsy class subscription to learn more, quickly, about authentic tortilla methods and varieties. It was a fantastic experience! I learned that I only needed water, masa harina, and salt to get started. You don't need to, but I went ahead and bought a small tortilla press and a small comal, or cast-iron griddle. I picked up some masa harina (Maseca is the brand I used) and got started: mix, roll, press, brown each side on a dry griddle, wipe the griddle clean at the end. The biggest tip I learned from my classes and online recipes was that the dough is best rolled and pressed by hand to the consistency of Play-Doh. So making dinner was also a lot of fun! Since my first attempt at tortilla making, we have
We have even shaped the uncooked dough into muffin tins and parbaked them, then filled them with taco meat and returned them to the oven to crisp and heat up some more. My next plan is to try yet another corn flour product: arepa flour, or masarepa. This flour is an instant yellow flour, pre-cooked masa harina that is prepared similarly to tortillas but cooks quickly when stuffed or topped. This could be my sandwich bread replacement down the road...what do you think? Sounds appealing, doesn't it? 😊 I'm actually not making snacky recipes for a Superbowl event. I don’t really do football---too much of it in my youth, for one, and no good music involved, for another. But I love to feed people, especially crowds, and Superbowl weekend is when people gather to eat non-holiday foods. I made these last month instead, for post-holiday visits and such. But you feel free to use them for football-y things all you want. I don't need to know! I’ve been experimenting (sometimes out of desperation) with dinner and snack ideas that don’t include wheat, yeast, poultry, many legumes, and the usual host of food allergens in our house. One thing I’ve wanted to make for a long time is a vegan spinach artichoke dip. To make my gluten-free crackers more palatable, I finally dove into this goal. I started off with this recipe from Forks Over Knives. We get a lot of soy already in our house, so a recipe that doesn’t use tofu is a winner for me. Reviewers suggested that this was somewhat bland, more of a jumping off recipe. I took one suggestion in particular: to use pureed cannellini beans. This safe-for-us option added the creaminess (and some hidden protein for the bean averse) that I love. I didn’t even bother to use a blender, just my well-loved potato (really, applesauce and berry jam) hand masher. I also used artichokes from a glass jar (nickel allergy!); spinach that I’d pre-frozen, partially thawed, and chopped; and a combination of water and chickpea+sweet rice flours to thicken and flavor instead of a plant milk (no one in my house agrees on a favorite). And, of course, I went my own way with seasonings: In addition to the traditional and garlic and pepper, I threw in Green Goddess spices and hot sauce. The result was scoop-able and tasty warm or cold, lasted for days in the fridge, and didn’t make me miss gooey cheese—too much. Check it out: BONUS: Free-From Veggie Dinnertime Nachos After a late (that’s 8:30 pm, by the way) night out with the girls, I realized that I had no dinner options---they had chicken dumplings---and nothing defrosted or ready-made. But I did have corn tortillas and lots of fresh veggies, so…nachos! Because I was making and eating these while the kids were already upstairs and asleep, I added all of my favorite cheeses. If you’re dairy free and have a favorite vegan cheese, go ahead with that. We aren’t in love with the typical vegan cheese options, but I’ve recently come across Follow Your Heart vegan cheese, which John’s of 12th Street in NYC uses. If it can stand up to an old Italian family, it’s worth a shot for mine, too! I’ll be sure to update the post if I succeed in making kid-safe nachos one day. Until then, here’s a Superbowl-ready recipe for nachos made with your own baked tortilla chips. Perhaps as healthy as a nacho can get? For starter ideas, I used the Paula Deen Macho Nachos recipe, which gave me ideas about warming the nachos and alternating crunchy and wet layers, and a great article (even if you aren't geeky about food) about nachos from The Guardian. I had some personal inspiration, too: A well-loved, favorite indulgence with my mom on evenings during my middle- and high-school years was a bag of tortilla chips spread out, covered with shredded mozzarella, and nuked until the cheese became stretchy and delicious. For my version, I planned to bake my chips as usual, on parchment at 350 degrees F. I use any type of corn tortilla rounds, quarter them, line them slightly overlapping, and lightly spray them with oil before baking. I put a tiny bit of salt on at this stage, only, too.
To top them, I used just what I had on hand, putting together ideas to cover dinner nutrition as best as I could: crumbled beets, dried bell peppers, diced onions, chopped romas, quartered artichokes, and torn up fresh spinach. After the chips were just lightly brown (not as much as if I weren't topping them), I added a bit of cheese [pick your vegan replacement here as desired], liberally poured on Arizona Dreaming spices from Penzys, and started layering, big to small: artichokes, romas, onions, crumbly items. Then I topped it all with...more cheese. :) Last, I returned this tray to the oven just long enough to melt the cheese but not brown it (something like 5 minutes or so). Try it and enjoy! Free time. So fleeting, so hard to squeeze in. I'm more jack-of-all-trades than expert in any one hobby or topic. There's always much talk about work-life balance, but I have been thinking about life-life balance. With older kids, routine work loads, and a year without enormous health or other challenges, my family and I have been having so much fun together, from swimming to skating to travel. It's been a real joy! I've found, though, that I struggled to make an effort to enjoy my own interests regularly when I found myself with time alone. Example: Blogging weekly! I did it for a year, so this shouldn't be a challenge. But I find myself either baking, or writing, or reading, or knitting, or playing piano. What a first-world problem to have, I know. :-) Last week, I had the chance to work on my family's 100+-year-old Italian mandolin. It's not a valuable antique, but it is a personal family treasure. While I'm devoting all of my energy to non-food joy (finishing the gluing and staining this week, I hope), here are some photos of the start and the work in progress. I haven't abandoned the kitchen entirely...just the documentation. Some of my recent successes: In a clockwise circle: Mel's veggie sauce (before puree), sweet potato brownies, cherry brown bread, free-from snack mix, unsliced brown bread, my favorite scones (now GF), dairy-free artichoke dip, Sicilian-style mackerel meatballs...and a centerpiece of homemade veggie nachos (with real cheese snuck in while kids were on playdates!)
I'm bound to return to writing down my kitchen efforts as soon as I am done with my obsessive focus on this gorgeous instrument! Until then, have a great week everyone.
It seems that I'm on an 8-day rotation for blog posting in 2018. I need to step up! This week, I intended to post a recipe round-up of five new favorite recipes adapted from some expert gluten-free bloggers. Unfortunately, that turned into more book than post, so I'll be doing a recipe per post, instead. And, of course, I'm starting with dessert!
A soft skillet brownie by Kelly at The Pretty Bee caught my eye this month. Grain free, and overall free of our family allergen list (not to mention DOUBLE chocolate), I had to try it. To get that lava cake--like softness, she used sweet potatoes! I miss lava cakes so much...and I happened to have a leftover baked sweet potato. Kismet.
You know I can't just leave a recipe well enough alone, though. And I wanted to use some of my King Arthur Flour gluten-free all-purpose mix in something. And I was out of maple syrup. And I don't own a small cast-iron skillet. So I can't say that I actually made Kelly's recipe, except maybe in spirit. And her recipe was inspiring---both the size and the moistness of ingredients, and the easy baking and serving instructions.
I have a habit of pulling ideas from all over the place when I get started in the kitchen. Sometimes, that ends with boiling brownies. Other times, it all comes together, at least eventually. Unbelievably, this inspired-by-but-not-quite-the-same recipe worked on the very first try! And the second try...and third.... It was good enough on the first try that we've now made it three times in one week. I'll blame that on the small size, but really it's just because it's so easy and yummy and fun to share.
So, in addition to The Pretty Bee recipe, I used a 4-ingredient recipe for ideas about baking without the leavener and how to increase the longevity by refrigerating overnight to set the brownies a bit more without losing the awesome fudginess.
And I'm linking it up to this week's FreeFromFridays, because...brownies, as soon as possible, and often.
Here's my short version of our successful sweet potato gluten-free vegan fudgy brownie: INGREDIENTS 3 ounces sweet potato (no skin), baked and cooled 3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp psyllium 1/2 cup chocolate chips (reserve a small handful of these until the end) 3/4 cup gluten-free flour mix (I used King Arthur All Purpose) DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the sweet potatoes, applesauce, sugar, and cocoa until smooth. Add the salt, psyllium, scant half-cup of chips, and GF flour. Stir until just combined. Spoon the thick batter into a small baking dish (I used a 4" square ceramic cake dish, ungreased; lightly greased is fine, too). Top the batter with the remaining chips. Bake for 20 minutes.
And here's a prettier downloadable version:
On try two, I doubled the quantities, baked half as on try 1, and baked the other half in a 24-count mini-muffin pan with liners (ungreased). I baked that pan for only 14 minutes. Those turned out bite-size and delicious, too!
My biggest take-away: Always keep a baked sweet potato in your freezer in case you have a fudgy brownie craving. :-)
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Hi, I'm Nicole. ABOUT THE BLOG An apothecary is a person or a place. Either one implies healing and relates to pharmacy in its truest sense, as a source of treatment and advice. This blog is my way of uniting my pharmacy training with my efforts to provide a healthy and safe lifestyle for my family. In true apothecary form, I research and prescribe alternative ingredients that work just right in each specific recipe, and I would like to share the results with anyone who needs help making their own family’s kitchen allergy safe and heart healthy. Categories
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I made the 2017 Top-40 Food Allergy blogs!
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