This is great to use on dry, chapped hands. It's also great for feet - put some on at night before bed and cover your feet with socks - your feet will be nice and soft the next morning.
1/2 pound beeswax
generous 1/2 cup almond oil
generous 1/2 cup hazelnut oil
3 drops peppermint essential oil*
6 drops lavender essential oil*
Heat the beeswax in a double boiler until melted. Heat the almond oil through the lavender oil in a separate double boiler until warm.
Place the warmed oils in a large bowl. Slowly add the melted beeswax, whisking constantly until blended (this is easiest with a hand-held or stand alone mixer). Continue whisking as the mixture cools. The end result should be soft, something like mayo, and be able to spread easily. If while cooling it looks like it will be too hard, add a little more oil a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
*For a different scent, play around with different essential oils.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Cuticle Oil
This is good to use all year round. In the winter I'll rub a little bit into my hands as well as my cuticles. The almond oil is light and fragrance free. If you are allergic to nuts and can't use almond oil, canola oil would be a good substitute.
1/4 cup almond oil
2 - 3 drops ecalyptus or lavender essential oil
Whisk ingredients to blend and massage into cuticles. Store at room temperature.
1/4 cup almond oil
2 - 3 drops ecalyptus or lavender essential oil
Whisk ingredients to blend and massage into cuticles. Store at room temperature.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Allergies and Immune Systems (How Anna and Megan are different)
I recently took Anna in to the allergist for more testing for antibodies against gluten, casein, etc. It's been a year since her first test and I wanted to see how far her levels had come down since being on "the diet". A year ago her levels were classified as level 4, or very high. This year her levels are classified as level 3, or high. So even a year later, her antibodies are still patrolling vigilantly. The allergist suggested that since her levels have come down, to give her a challenge to see what happens. I wanted to say "What, man, are you crazy?!". I'm doing no such thing (especially knowing how bad my own gluten challenge made me feel). Once gluten intolerant, always gluten intolerant - or at least that's how I understand it.
I've noticed an interesting correlation between Anna's general health before the diet and after the diet. Before the diet, she was healthy as a horse. In 4 1/2 years she had rotavirus once, and a mild stomach bug maybe twice. She had the flu once at 5 months old, and that was it. No earaches, no sinus infections, nothing. I'm pretty sure that last year the only time she missed a day of preschool was to visit the neurologist. But this year, she's been sick a lot, mostly with cough/sinus/fever stuff (and by a lot, I mean a lot for Anna). She's missed three days of school already in just half the school year.
I can't remember where I heard this or read this, but this is how I understand why she was so healthy before the diet. Some people when their antibodies react strongly to an invader, their whole immune system goes into overdrive and protects strongly against every invader - every little bug and virus that comes their way stands hardly a chance because the immune system is already so revved up.
Now that she's had the foods her body considers invaders removed from her diet and her immune system has relaxed a little bit, she's not as healthy as a horse like she used to be. It's a little bit hard to feel bummed out by that, really. I guess it's another one of those indicators I have that the diet is working and it's good for her. And again I ask - why would I want to reintroduce those foods back into her diet and make her immune system go berserk again? That makes no sense to me. A body constantly on high alert and on the defense against everything is eventually a body that will give out and have bigger health issues decades later. I want Anna to be healthy now AND later.
Interestingly, I understand that the reverse can also happen with allergies. In some people, their immune system is weakened by the invader and they end up being sick all the time. This is how it is for Megan. That girl is constantly at the doctor's office for something. Whenever I take her in, her pediatrician looks at me with a "what now?" sort of smile on his face. You'd think that after removing the offenders from Megan's diet, she'd be a little healthier, but no. Her doc just told us the other day, after spending two mornings in a row at his office to check on her oxygen levels, that she officially has asthma. He says every little thing she gets sick with, will make her more sick and take her longer to get over than other children. After my eyes stopped crossing over the differences between my children, I started appreciating how interesting all of this is. Although I sort of wish I didn't have to see these two extremes in my own children. One of these days things will go from "how interesting!" to "how obnoxious!". Oh well, on the bright side at least it's not boring around here.
For more illumination on allergies and how they effect everyone differently, see here. For more information on food allergies and IgE vs. IgG responses, see here. And as always, I recommend reading Dangerous Grains.
I've noticed an interesting correlation between Anna's general health before the diet and after the diet. Before the diet, she was healthy as a horse. In 4 1/2 years she had rotavirus once, and a mild stomach bug maybe twice. She had the flu once at 5 months old, and that was it. No earaches, no sinus infections, nothing. I'm pretty sure that last year the only time she missed a day of preschool was to visit the neurologist. But this year, she's been sick a lot, mostly with cough/sinus/fever stuff (and by a lot, I mean a lot for Anna). She's missed three days of school already in just half the school year.
I can't remember where I heard this or read this, but this is how I understand why she was so healthy before the diet. Some people when their antibodies react strongly to an invader, their whole immune system goes into overdrive and protects strongly against every invader - every little bug and virus that comes their way stands hardly a chance because the immune system is already so revved up.
Now that she's had the foods her body considers invaders removed from her diet and her immune system has relaxed a little bit, she's not as healthy as a horse like she used to be. It's a little bit hard to feel bummed out by that, really. I guess it's another one of those indicators I have that the diet is working and it's good for her. And again I ask - why would I want to reintroduce those foods back into her diet and make her immune system go berserk again? That makes no sense to me. A body constantly on high alert and on the defense against everything is eventually a body that will give out and have bigger health issues decades later. I want Anna to be healthy now AND later.
Interestingly, I understand that the reverse can also happen with allergies. In some people, their immune system is weakened by the invader and they end up being sick all the time. This is how it is for Megan. That girl is constantly at the doctor's office for something. Whenever I take her in, her pediatrician looks at me with a "what now?" sort of smile on his face. You'd think that after removing the offenders from Megan's diet, she'd be a little healthier, but no. Her doc just told us the other day, after spending two mornings in a row at his office to check on her oxygen levels, that she officially has asthma. He says every little thing she gets sick with, will make her more sick and take her longer to get over than other children. After my eyes stopped crossing over the differences between my children, I started appreciating how interesting all of this is. Although I sort of wish I didn't have to see these two extremes in my own children. One of these days things will go from "how interesting!" to "how obnoxious!". Oh well, on the bright side at least it's not boring around here.
For more illumination on allergies and how they effect everyone differently, see here. For more information on food allergies and IgE vs. IgG responses, see here. And as always, I recommend reading Dangerous Grains.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Cumin and Coriander Crusted Pork Chops
My husband gives these pork chops a big thumbs-up. The original recipe can be found here.
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless pork loin chops
Combine the cumin, coriander and salt. Add the garlic and olive oil and stir until combined. Coat both sides of pork chops with the cumin mixture. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork chops and cook about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless pork loin chops
Combine the cumin, coriander and salt. Add the garlic and olive oil and stir until combined. Coat both sides of pork chops with the cumin mixture. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork chops and cook about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Sweet Potato Falafel with Tahini Sauce
I miss falafel. I used to get fresh falafel pitas at a great Mediterranean cafe. The owner was half Syrian and half Italian and he made the most amazing food. When you broke open his falafel they were green on the inside, which was slightly alarming at first because I was used to the boxed stuff. But it tasted so good - not dry, and the tahini sauce that was served over top was terrific. Boxed falafel didn't hold a candle to what Omar made. As far as I knew, falafel was made with bulgar wheat and so I wrote it off on a gluten free diet. But then I stumbled upon a sweet potato falafel recipe here a couple of weeks ago - it looked so pretty and there was no gluten in sight. I've been drooling for falafel ever since.
So I started searching for other falafel recipes (sweet potato and otherwise) and decided sweet potato falafel might be good with quinoa instead of bulgar and served with tahini sauce. I took cues from several different recipes and came up with this (and then I deviated from my own recipe, but hey, it happens). And I must say, these falafel are pretty good! Not exactly like the falafel Omar makes, but still amazing in its own right. I served these with Cumin and Coriander Crusted Pork Chops and sauteed summer squash tonight for dinner. Tomorrow I am looking forward to making sandwich wraps and tucking these babies inside, nestled in baby greens and drizzled with tahini sauce. Yum.
Sweet Potato Falafel
1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed
1/2 cup hummus*
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup cooked quinoa**
1 tbsp. parsely
1 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
potato flour for thickening, as needed
Preheat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat .
Combine the sweet potato through the cayenne. Adjust seasonings to taste. If needed, thicken the mixture with a little potato flour. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls into the skillet and flatten slightly. Leave plenty of room between the falafel so you can flip them easily. Cook a few minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Serve warm with tahini sauce. Makes about 12 falafel.
*You can also use 1 can mashed chickpeas. This will make the falafel thicker and easier to form into patties (make sure you flatten them so they won't be mushy in the middle - and you want a nice crisp crust on the outside). Add 1 small clove minced garlic and an extra tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture if using chickpeas.
**Quinoa keeps the falafel from being too mushy and gives it a pleasing texture. If you don't have quinoa handy, thicken mixture with potato flour or chickpea flour (or maybe even gluten free breadcrumbs) instead.
Tahini Sauce
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 minced clove garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. water
Stir together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and salt. Add the olive oil and stir to blend. Add the water and stir until creamy.
So I started searching for other falafel recipes (sweet potato and otherwise) and decided sweet potato falafel might be good with quinoa instead of bulgar and served with tahini sauce. I took cues from several different recipes and came up with this (and then I deviated from my own recipe, but hey, it happens). And I must say, these falafel are pretty good! Not exactly like the falafel Omar makes, but still amazing in its own right. I served these with Cumin and Coriander Crusted Pork Chops and sauteed summer squash tonight for dinner. Tomorrow I am looking forward to making sandwich wraps and tucking these babies inside, nestled in baby greens and drizzled with tahini sauce. Yum.
Sweet Potato Falafel
1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed
1/2 cup hummus*
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup cooked quinoa**
1 tbsp. parsely
1 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
potato flour for thickening, as needed
Preheat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat .
Combine the sweet potato through the cayenne. Adjust seasonings to taste. If needed, thicken the mixture with a little potato flour. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls into the skillet and flatten slightly. Leave plenty of room between the falafel so you can flip them easily. Cook a few minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Serve warm with tahini sauce. Makes about 12 falafel.
*You can also use 1 can mashed chickpeas. This will make the falafel thicker and easier to form into patties (make sure you flatten them so they won't be mushy in the middle - and you want a nice crisp crust on the outside). Add 1 small clove minced garlic and an extra tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture if using chickpeas.
**Quinoa keeps the falafel from being too mushy and gives it a pleasing texture. If you don't have quinoa handy, thicken mixture with potato flour or chickpea flour (or maybe even gluten free breadcrumbs) instead.
Tahini Sauce
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 minced clove garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. water
Stir together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and salt. Add the olive oil and stir to blend. Add the water and stir until creamy.
Buckwheat Granola
This is my favorite granola recipe. I've substituted buckwheat for oats, not only because I can't seem to find gluten free oats in local stores, but also because Megan is sensitive to oats. Buckwheat is not a grain and NOT related to wheat. It's a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel. Buckwheat is high in fiber, protein, magnesium and lysine. It's also thought to be a prebiotic, which means that it supports the growth of good bacteria in the gut. (For more information about buckwheat, go here.) I personally don't like buckwheat as a hot cereal - I prefer it crunchy. I think it's great in streusel toppings and it makes a pretty good granola, too!
2 cups whole grain buckwheat hot cereal*
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup rice bran
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins, currants, dried cranberries, snipped apricots or chopped dried apple, or a combination of dried fruits
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, making sure there is no overhang. Set aside.
In a medium bowl stir together the buckwheat through cinnamon. In a small bowl combine the canola oil through the vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the buckwheat mixture* and stir thoroughly to coat. Add the nuts and toss. Spread the mixture evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake granola for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and spread evenly over the baking sheet. Return to oven for 15 minutes. Repeat twice, until the granola has baked 45 minutes and is a nice golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool in the baking sheet. After the granola has cooled, break it up into bite-sized pieces and place it in a bowl. Add the dried fruit and toss. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Serve as a cereal or as a topping for dairy free yogurt, pudding or ice cream.
*Note: Consider adding a couple of tablespoons of whole flax seed to the buckwheat mixture before baking.
2 cups whole grain buckwheat hot cereal*
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup rice bran
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins, currants, dried cranberries, snipped apricots or chopped dried apple, or a combination of dried fruits
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, making sure there is no overhang. Set aside.
In a medium bowl stir together the buckwheat through cinnamon. In a small bowl combine the canola oil through the vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the buckwheat mixture* and stir thoroughly to coat. Add the nuts and toss. Spread the mixture evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake granola for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and spread evenly over the baking sheet. Return to oven for 15 minutes. Repeat twice, until the granola has baked 45 minutes and is a nice golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool in the baking sheet. After the granola has cooled, break it up into bite-sized pieces and place it in a bowl. Add the dried fruit and toss. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Serve as a cereal or as a topping for dairy free yogurt, pudding or ice cream.
*Note: Consider adding a couple of tablespoons of whole flax seed to the buckwheat mixture before baking.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Fennel Body Scrub
I used to make Buttermilk Fennel Facial Scrub. It worked well and smelled great, but it was a hassle to remember to take it out of the refrigerator to use it in the morning (I'm always running out the door late in the morning no matter how early I get up). Besides, it's not like I keep milk around in the refrigerator anymore (I've kind of soured on dairy - ha!). So tonight I made a fennel scrub using olive oil and honey in place of the buttermilk. The fennel acts as an exfoliant, the olive oil acts as a moisturizer. I think it works better and smells better than store bought scrubs. This really takes no time at all to throw together. Make sure to coarsely grind the fennel seeds in a coffee grinder, otherwise they'll just spin around endlessly in a larger food processor. A plus - you don't have to store it in the refrigerator!
1/2 cup whole fennel seeds
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
1 tbsp. honey, warmed slightly
Coarsely grind the fennel seeds in a coffee grinder. This only takes a few seconds - don't over grind or the fennel will turn to dust. Place the fennel in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and honey and stir to combine. It should be thick, but not paste-y. When using, remember that a little bit goes a long way.
1/2 cup whole fennel seeds
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
1 tbsp. honey, warmed slightly
Coarsely grind the fennel seeds in a coffee grinder. This only takes a few seconds - don't over grind or the fennel will turn to dust. Place the fennel in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and honey and stir to combine. It should be thick, but not paste-y. When using, remember that a little bit goes a long way.
Friday, January 23, 2009
GFCF Vanilla Pudding
This is a simple recipe that is fast and easy to make. I used coconut milk, but any soy and dairy free milk with heft would work such as almond, hazelnut or hemp. This recipe can be easily doubled and is very versatile...try serving it warm over a bowl of fresh fruit, put it in a trifle, make it into a custard pie by pouring it into a graham cracker crust, or spread a thin layer on top of a sugar cookie and top it with thinly sliced fresh fruit for a personal cookie pizza...the possibilities are limited only by your imagination!*
6 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot starch
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (lite or regular)
1 beaten egg
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. casein free ghee, if desired
Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch or arrowroot starch in a medium saucepan. Add the coconut milk and whisk to combine. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Cook two minutes more. Remove from the heat.
Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg, then add the egg mixture to the rest of the milk mixture in the saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook until almost bubbly but do not boil. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the vanilla extract and the ghee, if desired. Pour into serving cups, cover with plastic wrap to keep a film from forming on the top of the pudding, and refrigerate until set.
*Looking for chocolate pudding? Go here.
6 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot starch
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (lite or regular)
1 beaten egg
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. casein free ghee, if desired
Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch or arrowroot starch in a medium saucepan. Add the coconut milk and whisk to combine. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Cook two minutes more. Remove from the heat.
Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg, then add the egg mixture to the rest of the milk mixture in the saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook until almost bubbly but do not boil. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the vanilla extract and the ghee, if desired. Pour into serving cups, cover with plastic wrap to keep a film from forming on the top of the pudding, and refrigerate until set.
*Looking for chocolate pudding? Go here.
Memo to Myself - It's the Dairy, Stupid!
Yes, that's right. My blood test came back showing antibodies to dairy. The gluten test results have not come back yet. I don't know if stuffing myself with gluten 29 hours before the blood draw would be enough to spark an IgG response, if that's what it is (that is what the dairy is, and I have not been dairy free), since an IgG response is a delayed one that may take days to show up. But I don't even care, because after 6 servings of gluten I could not do it anymore, and I felt sick for a week after that. And I'm not doing a challenge again. I might do a different test, but no challenge.
So dairy is my other tormentor. It's making me slightly crazy that dairy doesn't make me feel immediately bad like gluten does, but it's a problem anyway. I thought there was something else going on besides the gluten, but it's hard to listen to your body when it's craving a nice hunk of extra sharp white cheddar. I ignored the little voice that said "Maybe it's dairy! Just like your daughters! Where do you think they got it from?!". "Back! Back, you rotten subconscious voice! Gimme some cheese!". I'm not sure why it happened like this, unless the gluten is the bigger offender and my body needed time to stop freaking out about it before it could start focusing on the lesser offender. I've been tired, headachy, and unable to filter out noise and focus, feeling kind of crummy without knowing why. Now I know - it's the dairy. Duh. I knew better. I knew that gluten and dairy intolerances often go hand-in-hand.
I didn't mourn the loss of gluten from my life. But I am going to mourn cheese for a couple of days. Oh, and milk for my coffee. I like my coffee blonde and sweet, and nothing dairy free (or soy free) will make my coffee blonde. And since I can't do carrageen (another known offender), my options are limited to rice milk and hemp milk. I don't care for rice milk straight up or in coffee, it tastes metallic. The vanilla flavored hemp milk in coffee is okay. It makes the coffee look a little muddy, but it tastes sort of like Coffeemate. It's not too bad. And the cheese, well, the girls are kind enough to share their rice cheese with me. It'll be okay. I'm looking forward to feeling better soon.
So dairy is my other tormentor. It's making me slightly crazy that dairy doesn't make me feel immediately bad like gluten does, but it's a problem anyway. I thought there was something else going on besides the gluten, but it's hard to listen to your body when it's craving a nice hunk of extra sharp white cheddar. I ignored the little voice that said "Maybe it's dairy! Just like your daughters! Where do you think they got it from?!". "Back! Back, you rotten subconscious voice! Gimme some cheese!". I'm not sure why it happened like this, unless the gluten is the bigger offender and my body needed time to stop freaking out about it before it could start focusing on the lesser offender. I've been tired, headachy, and unable to filter out noise and focus, feeling kind of crummy without knowing why. Now I know - it's the dairy. Duh. I knew better. I knew that gluten and dairy intolerances often go hand-in-hand.
I didn't mourn the loss of gluten from my life. But I am going to mourn cheese for a couple of days. Oh, and milk for my coffee. I like my coffee blonde and sweet, and nothing dairy free (or soy free) will make my coffee blonde. And since I can't do carrageen (another known offender), my options are limited to rice milk and hemp milk. I don't care for rice milk straight up or in coffee, it tastes metallic. The vanilla flavored hemp milk in coffee is okay. It makes the coffee look a little muddy, but it tastes sort of like Coffeemate. It's not too bad. And the cheese, well, the girls are kind enough to share their rice cheese with me. It'll be okay. I'm looking forward to feeling better soon.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Camera Crankines and Egg-Free Cupcakes
Our camera does not want to connect to our computer. This makes me crazy, especially since the camera is brand spanking new. I've been baking like a mad woman for the past several days and taking pictures of my egg-free trials in the kitchen, and finally when I have a spare moment to upload some recipes, I can't get the pictures off the camera! Grrrr.
And on the subject of taking pictures of food, Anna has caught on to how weird that is...I feel like a freak when I do it, but I can't help myself. One day not long ago I was taking a picture of something that just came out of the oven and Anna came sauntering over to investigate. She looked at the cookies, looked at the camera, looked at me and said "Mommy, you are always taking pictures of food!". She may as well have looked at me like I had two alien googly eyes sprouting out the top of my head. Although I have to admit, I was secretly pleased that she used such an on-topic, fully constructed, grammatically correct sentence.
Now about those egg free cupcakes. I had posted a list of egg free substitutes a month ago, even though I do not (yet) bake without eggs. So when a mom in distress asked for help obtaining some gluten free, casein free, soy free and egg free cupcakes for her son's birthday party, I put my money where my mouth was and offered to help. Really, this was a very silly thing to do since I had only two days to figure this out and I was not sure it was going to work. But I do love a challenge and have always gotten a thrill out of flying by the seat of my pants. And really, there is no better way to learn how to do something than when there's a deadline breathing down the back of your neck.
So I got on the phone with my BFF to ask for her advice, because she bakes gluten and egg free and she had just made a cake that she said turned out pretty good. Julie said the substitute she used was 2 tbsp. water + 1 tbsp. canola oil + 2 tsp. baking powder...mix it up till it starts frothing and add it to the creamed sugar mixture that way. So that's what I did. I'm sorry to say that pride goes before a fall. Ten minutes into baking I turned on the oven light to see how the cupcakes were faring and I observed with horror that they were exploding all over the oven. No seriously, they were exploding. The cupcakes had risen to the top of the muffin tin but they were full of dozens of little air bubbles that popped vigorously like little geysers. Each geyser that blew up had the exact same effect as opening the oven door and slamming it shut. Eventually there was batter running over the sides of the muffin tin onto the floor of the oven and huge craters developed in the middle of each little volcano of a cupcake. Aw crumb, I thought. There was too much leavening.
So I tried again using less leavening in the next egg sub, which was 1 tbsp. tapioca starch + 2 tbsp. water + 2 tsp. canola oil + 1/2 tsp. baking powder. The same thing happened - little popping geysers - but instead of exploding this time they imploded and left big craters in the cupcakes while sparing the oven floor. Still too much leavening.
I tried that one again without the leavening. Still the same thing happened, but not as bad. Now I was starting to panic. I tried again using 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp. warm water. The flax seed should help hold things together, plus add a little weight to the batter, if you will. These cupcakes did not have exploding little geysers, but after rising they still cratered. Rats. There was no extra leavening to blame and I eyed starch as the culprit. There was too much starch flour in my flour mix. I'm not sure why this would make a difference in egg free baking, but it does. So I got online to see who else was baking gluten and egg free and found a muffin recipe here at Gluten Free Goddess that looked a lot like the recipe I was using, but it had scaled way back on the starch flour. Aha. I'm not good at math, but I guesstimated that the starch flour was a little less than 1/4 the ratio of the other flours in her recipe, where in mine it half.
I tried again measuring out my flours for the recipe instead of using a pre-made flour blend and kept the starch flour to a 1/4 ratio. I used the flax seed substitute again. This time, the cupcakes came out with cute wee bellybuttons instead of yawning craters. I switched from using palm shortening to canola oil and tried again and this time, it worked. The cupcakes had just a hint of a dimple in their middles which could be masked with frosting. I broke one open and inside, the crumb was beautiful - not soggy, not dense, not gummy. And they tasted amazing. I'm not lying to you. The girls ate them without the frosting, not even blinking slightly to suggest they noticed anything different about these cupcakes than any others I've made in the past. In fact, they would have eaten them hand over fist if I had let them. When my husband came home and I foisted on one him and he was not lying to me when he said they were awesome. Then he had another one. Later that night I woke up hungry at about 4:30am - I hate it when that happens, but I had not eaten a good dinner because I was busy baking. There was nothing easy to grab except the cupcakes so I grabbed one of those and even through my sleep-fogged brain I thought "gosh darn it, these taste good" as I stumbled back to bed.
Success. I made two different cupcake recipes (here and here) that turned out great. The mom in distress loved them. The birthday boy loved them. And I floated on an egg-free high for two days, VERY happy I had made it work. Phew! Egg free baking is not so bad, after all (fingers crossed behind back).
~~~~~~~~~~~
I realize I could have tried using Ener-G Egg Replacer in my recipes. But not only is it expensive, it's simple enough to make at home (basically it's just tapioca starch, potato starch and leavening). And I want to be empowered in the kitchen. I want to use the simple ingredients I have kicking around in the cabinets, not a specialty item that becomes a crutch so when I can't get any I panic that it's not there. And I had just posted a list of egg free substitutes to make at home that I felt I should try first. So that's why I didn't use it in my egg free trials. I may go buy some eventually to test it against other egg free substitutes, but only out of interest, not because I have to. Instead I bought Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, which includes two great looking gluten free recipes and which will be a better investment in the long run!
And on the subject of taking pictures of food, Anna has caught on to how weird that is...I feel like a freak when I do it, but I can't help myself. One day not long ago I was taking a picture of something that just came out of the oven and Anna came sauntering over to investigate. She looked at the cookies, looked at the camera, looked at me and said "Mommy, you are always taking pictures of food!". She may as well have looked at me like I had two alien googly eyes sprouting out the top of my head. Although I have to admit, I was secretly pleased that she used such an on-topic, fully constructed, grammatically correct sentence.
Now about those egg free cupcakes. I had posted a list of egg free substitutes a month ago, even though I do not (yet) bake without eggs. So when a mom in distress asked for help obtaining some gluten free, casein free, soy free and egg free cupcakes for her son's birthday party, I put my money where my mouth was and offered to help. Really, this was a very silly thing to do since I had only two days to figure this out and I was not sure it was going to work. But I do love a challenge and have always gotten a thrill out of flying by the seat of my pants. And really, there is no better way to learn how to do something than when there's a deadline breathing down the back of your neck.
So I got on the phone with my BFF to ask for her advice, because she bakes gluten and egg free and she had just made a cake that she said turned out pretty good. Julie said the substitute she used was 2 tbsp. water + 1 tbsp. canola oil + 2 tsp. baking powder...mix it up till it starts frothing and add it to the creamed sugar mixture that way. So that's what I did. I'm sorry to say that pride goes before a fall. Ten minutes into baking I turned on the oven light to see how the cupcakes were faring and I observed with horror that they were exploding all over the oven. No seriously, they were exploding. The cupcakes had risen to the top of the muffin tin but they were full of dozens of little air bubbles that popped vigorously like little geysers. Each geyser that blew up had the exact same effect as opening the oven door and slamming it shut. Eventually there was batter running over the sides of the muffin tin onto the floor of the oven and huge craters developed in the middle of each little volcano of a cupcake. Aw crumb, I thought. There was too much leavening.
So I tried again using less leavening in the next egg sub, which was 1 tbsp. tapioca starch + 2 tbsp. water + 2 tsp. canola oil + 1/2 tsp. baking powder. The same thing happened - little popping geysers - but instead of exploding this time they imploded and left big craters in the cupcakes while sparing the oven floor. Still too much leavening.
I tried that one again without the leavening. Still the same thing happened, but not as bad. Now I was starting to panic. I tried again using 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp. warm water. The flax seed should help hold things together, plus add a little weight to the batter, if you will. These cupcakes did not have exploding little geysers, but after rising they still cratered. Rats. There was no extra leavening to blame and I eyed starch as the culprit. There was too much starch flour in my flour mix. I'm not sure why this would make a difference in egg free baking, but it does. So I got online to see who else was baking gluten and egg free and found a muffin recipe here at Gluten Free Goddess that looked a lot like the recipe I was using, but it had scaled way back on the starch flour. Aha. I'm not good at math, but I guesstimated that the starch flour was a little less than 1/4 the ratio of the other flours in her recipe, where in mine it half.
I tried again measuring out my flours for the recipe instead of using a pre-made flour blend and kept the starch flour to a 1/4 ratio. I used the flax seed substitute again. This time, the cupcakes came out with cute wee bellybuttons instead of yawning craters. I switched from using palm shortening to canola oil and tried again and this time, it worked. The cupcakes had just a hint of a dimple in their middles which could be masked with frosting. I broke one open and inside, the crumb was beautiful - not soggy, not dense, not gummy. And they tasted amazing. I'm not lying to you. The girls ate them without the frosting, not even blinking slightly to suggest they noticed anything different about these cupcakes than any others I've made in the past. In fact, they would have eaten them hand over fist if I had let them. When my husband came home and I foisted on one him and he was not lying to me when he said they were awesome. Then he had another one. Later that night I woke up hungry at about 4:30am - I hate it when that happens, but I had not eaten a good dinner because I was busy baking. There was nothing easy to grab except the cupcakes so I grabbed one of those and even through my sleep-fogged brain I thought "gosh darn it, these taste good" as I stumbled back to bed.
Success. I made two different cupcake recipes (here and here) that turned out great. The mom in distress loved them. The birthday boy loved them. And I floated on an egg-free high for two days, VERY happy I had made it work. Phew! Egg free baking is not so bad, after all (fingers crossed behind back).
~~~~~~~~~~~
I realize I could have tried using Ener-G Egg Replacer in my recipes. But not only is it expensive, it's simple enough to make at home (basically it's just tapioca starch, potato starch and leavening). And I want to be empowered in the kitchen. I want to use the simple ingredients I have kicking around in the cabinets, not a specialty item that becomes a crutch so when I can't get any I panic that it's not there. And I had just posted a list of egg free substitutes to make at home that I felt I should try first. So that's why I didn't use it in my egg free trials. I may go buy some eventually to test it against other egg free substitutes, but only out of interest, not because I have to. Instead I bought Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, which includes two great looking gluten free recipes and which will be a better investment in the long run!
Gluten Free, Vegan Apple Spice Cupcakes
Yes, these cupcakes are free of gluten, casein, soy, egg and nuts! I love them because they are a great subversive dessert food for kids (as are the banana cupcakes here). I modified Applesauce Spice Cake to be specifically egg free/vegan. You can frost them with vanilla Mock Buttercream Frosting or eat them straight up plain - either way, they taste great.
1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup rice flour (or millet flour)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. ground flax seed meal
6 tbsp. boiling water
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup rice milk or apple juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with disposable muffin cups, set aside.
Sift together the sorghum flour through the ginger, set aside.
Combine the applesauce and rice milk or apple juice, set aside.
Combine the flax seed meal and boiling water. Stir until thickened, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and canola oil. Add the vanilla and beat until blended. Add the flax seed mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the applesauce mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fill muffin cups 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until the centers are set, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, and the edges of the cupcakes are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup rice flour (or millet flour)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. ground flax seed meal
6 tbsp. boiling water
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup rice milk or apple juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with disposable muffin cups, set aside.
Sift together the sorghum flour through the ginger, set aside.
Combine the applesauce and rice milk or apple juice, set aside.
Combine the flax seed meal and boiling water. Stir until thickened, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and canola oil. Add the vanilla and beat until blended. Add the flax seed mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the applesauce mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fill muffin cups 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until the centers are set, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, and the edges of the cupcakes are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Gluten Free, Vegan Banana Cupcakes
Yes, these cupcakes are free of gluten, casein, soy and egg. Oh and nuts too. I modified Banana Cake to be specifically egg free/vegan. I love them because they are a great subversive dessert food for kids (as are the apple spice cupcakes here). These cupcakes are good plain (like for breakfast!), frosted with chocolate Mock Buttercream Frosting, or vanilla mock buttercream frosting rolled in mini chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life).
1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour (or rice flour)
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
scant 1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. ground flax seed meal
6 tbsp. boiling water
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup rice milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with disposable muffin cups, set aside.
Sift together the sorghum flour through the salt, set aside.
Combine the bananas and rice milk, set aside.
Combine the flax seed meal and boiling water. Stir until thickened, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and canola oil. Add the vanilla and beat until blended. Add the flax seed mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the banana mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fill muffin cups 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until the centers are set, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, and the edges of the cupcakes are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour (or rice flour)
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
scant 1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. ground flax seed meal
6 tbsp. boiling water
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup rice milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with disposable muffin cups, set aside.
Sift together the sorghum flour through the salt, set aside.
Combine the bananas and rice milk, set aside.
Combine the flax seed meal and boiling water. Stir until thickened, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and canola oil. Add the vanilla and beat until blended. Add the flax seed mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the banana mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fill muffin cups 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until the centers are set, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, and the edges of the cupcakes are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Casein Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free Cheese (Galaxy Rice Vegan)
(Look, it melts! Grilled Cheese and Tuna!)
This morning at Whole Foods I picked up a package of Galaxy Vegan Rice Cheese, American flavor. Galaxy is the only brand I can find that makes a cheese alternative without casein, soy or gluten. It's expensive, but after a year of no cheese I thought it'd be worth it to try finding a tolerable cheese treat for the girls. We tried the Cheddar flavor about a year ago and it was terrible - nobody would eat it. But I asked Megan today if she would like to try a "safe" cheese, figuring if she was desperate enough she'd go for it. She practically fell over herself with excitement and said "yes"!We got home and I gave Megan half a piece of cheese. I tried a bit of it before giving it to her and I have to say, it's really not that bad. The texture is a little different, but the taste is pretty okay. She tasted the cheese and then without further ado, she stuffed that half piece in her mouth, grabbed the other half piece and stuffed that in her mouth, and then implored me for more. (Think of Beavis saying "fire, fire, fire!", and then imagine Megan with a mouthful of cheese saying "Cheese! Cheese! Cheese!".) I guess it's a hit! Since this cheese even melts, I promised to make her some grilled cheese for lunch - she was so happy she was even in the mood to share with her stuffed cat.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Dried Fruit Coffeecake
This is another recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's Healthy New Choices. Anna can't get enough of this coffeecake. She approves of the buckwheat I used in the topping and demanded that I give her the most streusel-y, most crunchy piece out of the entire coffeecake. And then she asked for more!
Streusel Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose GF flour blend
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. palm shortening
1/4 cup chopped nuts or nut meal
1/2 cup gluten free oats or 1/4 cup buckwheat hot cereal
Coffeecake
2 cups all purpose GF flour blend
1 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. flax seed meal
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup rice milk
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins, dried currants, dried cranberries, snipped dried apricots/cherries/figs, etc.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.
Prepare the streusel - combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening until well blended, then add the oats or buckwheat and walnut meal, tossing to combine. Set aside.
Prepare the coffeecake - sift together the flour through the nutmeg. Make a well in the center, set aside. Combine the canola oil through the egg, blending well. Pour into the dry mixture all at once. Beat until well combined. Fold in the dried fruit. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with streusel. Bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool a bit on a wire rack and serve warm.
Streusel Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose GF flour blend
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. palm shortening
1/4 cup chopped nuts or nut meal
1/2 cup gluten free oats or 1/4 cup buckwheat hot cereal
Coffeecake
2 cups all purpose GF flour blend
1 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. flax seed meal
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup rice milk
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins, dried currants, dried cranberries, snipped dried apricots/cherries/figs, etc.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.
Prepare the streusel - combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening until well blended, then add the oats or buckwheat and walnut meal, tossing to combine. Set aside.
Prepare the coffeecake - sift together the flour through the nutmeg. Make a well in the center, set aside. Combine the canola oil through the egg, blending well. Pour into the dry mixture all at once. Beat until well combined. Fold in the dried fruit. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with streusel. Bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool a bit on a wire rack and serve warm.
Friday, January 9, 2009
My Gluten Challenge
Last month before the holidays, I went to see the allergist. What finally drove me there was recurring symptoms I'd had while gluten-full, not gluten-free. What spurred the recent onset of symptoms was, to my best guess, a to-go caesar salad from Central Market. I picked off the croutons and forgot to read the ingredients in the salad dressing. The next day, I was feeling bad like I had eaten some gluten.
Now, I can tell in several hours when I've accidentally eaten gluten. The longer I'm gluten free, the worse the symptoms get and the less gluten it takes to provoke a bad response. That is not normal. Getting a bad response to crouton dust is not normal either. And I want some answers.
The allergist ordered a celiac panel in addition to RAST blood testing against different foods. I got the results on Wednesday and they were all negative. All of them. I wanted to cry. So I asked, even the IgG results were negative? And they said, what IgG? We didn't order that.
I asked them to do some IgG testing please (especially since Anna only showed IgG reactions she's done so fabulously with the offending foods removed from her diet). So they ordered another RAST test for IgG antibodies to all the foods previously tested. I've been all gluten free (no cheating) for about five months, aside from a few goofs. And I told the allergist that I would not do a challenge. But this is ridiculous and I don't want to go through this process again if the results come back negative a second time. So I called my husband on Wednesday evening and ordered him to come home with take-out of the gluten variety. He said "wow".
So from Wednesday evening through noon today (blood draw was this afternoon), I stuffed myself with gluten. It was a rogue challenge. I don't know if it will work, because a typical challenge involves eating a piece of bread or two a day for 6 months. But I'm not going for a biopsy to look for flattened villi (which after 5 months have probably done a good job of healing anyway), I just wanted to provoke any latent antibodies to rise up in revolt enough to be detected in a blood test.
I don't know if any antibodies rose up in revolt, but I know my body sure did. Wednesday night was take-out, which happened to be my former favorite quesadilla from the tex-mex place down the street. I ate it and instead of thinking "whoo-hoo!" I though "...meh". The next morning I went to Whole Foods to get some other stuff. I stood in front of the bakery case and thought "I have to eat that stuff. I can't believe I'm making myself eat that stuff. Yuck." I was seriously unimpressed. I got a bagel, a bran muffin, a cookie, a side of pasta and a bake-at-home pizza to share with my husband. Nothing tasted good. I was jealous of the girls' gluten free pizza with no cheese I made for their dinner. I had to force myself at 9pm last night to have a slice of the pizza I had bought. I don't miss it. I don't like it. My tastes have changed.
Not only have my tastes changed, I feel so much better after going gluten free. And you know what happened only a few hours after starting my little challenge? I developed a constant nagging headache. I was so tired I wanted to crawl under a rock and sleep for days. A patch of eczema flared up over one eye, I couldn't think through brain fog, I felt bloated and fat, and I felt vaguely sick to my stomach. Actually I still feel sick and it will probably be a few days before I start to feel better. I NEVER want to do this again. I feel completely lousy. That is not normal. I'd like some answers, but whether or not my scheme worked - even if the results of the test from the blood sample taken today come back negative - there is nothing that will convince me to be anything other than gluten free. If nothing else, after doing this little experiment at least now I know for sure it's not all in my head, and that's all the confirmation I need. Goodbye gluten for good - I don't miss you at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As an aside, the girls had blood drawn for more testing today too. It was a family affair - well the girl part of the family anyway. Anna is doing great but I wanted to see what her test results would show after a year on the diet. Megan, on the other hand, is not doing so great. She has developed more GI symptoms after doing really good for almost a year. Her allergies happen to be IgE reactions to dairy, soy and egg. I thought her IgE to egg was low but it turns out I was wrong - it's high enough to raise the allergist's eyebrows. The allergist thinks her symptoms may be due to eggs. Can you believe that? I don't feed her eggs, but I bake with eggs. I may not be baking with eggs for much longer.
Now, I can tell in several hours when I've accidentally eaten gluten. The longer I'm gluten free, the worse the symptoms get and the less gluten it takes to provoke a bad response. That is not normal. Getting a bad response to crouton dust is not normal either. And I want some answers.
The allergist ordered a celiac panel in addition to RAST blood testing against different foods. I got the results on Wednesday and they were all negative. All of them. I wanted to cry. So I asked, even the IgG results were negative? And they said, what IgG? We didn't order that.
I asked them to do some IgG testing please (especially since Anna only showed IgG reactions she's done so fabulously with the offending foods removed from her diet). So they ordered another RAST test for IgG antibodies to all the foods previously tested. I've been all gluten free (no cheating) for about five months, aside from a few goofs. And I told the allergist that I would not do a challenge. But this is ridiculous and I don't want to go through this process again if the results come back negative a second time. So I called my husband on Wednesday evening and ordered him to come home with take-out of the gluten variety. He said "wow".
So from Wednesday evening through noon today (blood draw was this afternoon), I stuffed myself with gluten. It was a rogue challenge. I don't know if it will work, because a typical challenge involves eating a piece of bread or two a day for 6 months. But I'm not going for a biopsy to look for flattened villi (which after 5 months have probably done a good job of healing anyway), I just wanted to provoke any latent antibodies to rise up in revolt enough to be detected in a blood test.
I don't know if any antibodies rose up in revolt, but I know my body sure did. Wednesday night was take-out, which happened to be my former favorite quesadilla from the tex-mex place down the street. I ate it and instead of thinking "whoo-hoo!" I though "...meh". The next morning I went to Whole Foods to get some other stuff. I stood in front of the bakery case and thought "I have to eat that stuff. I can't believe I'm making myself eat that stuff. Yuck." I was seriously unimpressed. I got a bagel, a bran muffin, a cookie, a side of pasta and a bake-at-home pizza to share with my husband. Nothing tasted good. I was jealous of the girls' gluten free pizza with no cheese I made for their dinner. I had to force myself at 9pm last night to have a slice of the pizza I had bought. I don't miss it. I don't like it. My tastes have changed.
Not only have my tastes changed, I feel so much better after going gluten free. And you know what happened only a few hours after starting my little challenge? I developed a constant nagging headache. I was so tired I wanted to crawl under a rock and sleep for days. A patch of eczema flared up over one eye, I couldn't think through brain fog, I felt bloated and fat, and I felt vaguely sick to my stomach. Actually I still feel sick and it will probably be a few days before I start to feel better. I NEVER want to do this again. I feel completely lousy. That is not normal. I'd like some answers, but whether or not my scheme worked - even if the results of the test from the blood sample taken today come back negative - there is nothing that will convince me to be anything other than gluten free. If nothing else, after doing this little experiment at least now I know for sure it's not all in my head, and that's all the confirmation I need. Goodbye gluten for good - I don't miss you at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As an aside, the girls had blood drawn for more testing today too. It was a family affair - well the girl part of the family anyway. Anna is doing great but I wanted to see what her test results would show after a year on the diet. Megan, on the other hand, is not doing so great. She has developed more GI symptoms after doing really good for almost a year. Her allergies happen to be IgE reactions to dairy, soy and egg. I thought her IgE to egg was low but it turns out I was wrong - it's high enough to raise the allergist's eyebrows. The allergist thinks her symptoms may be due to eggs. Can you believe that? I don't feed her eggs, but I bake with eggs. I may not be baking with eggs for much longer.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Cocoa and Fresh Fruit Coffeecake
We got treated to an ice storm of sorts yesterday. It rained all day, and it was cold enough that icicles formed on tree branches and such, but not on the roads.
I didn't think much of this. But the trees here must not be used to the weight of even a weensy bit of ice, and they all began to droop, hang into the streets and drop their branches. So we stayed inside and since it was cold enough to actually enjoy hot cocoa, we had hot cocoa and coffeecake for a snack.
About an hour later, we heard two big booms, the sky lit up a bright orange and the power went out. Apparently the lines can't take a little bit of ice down here either. I called the electric company. The woman who took my call was very polite. She said she'd call it in but these sorts of calls were the only ones they were taking and to basically "get in line" behind all the other people who had already called about blown out transformers across the rest of the city.
By now our hot cocoa was cold and Anna was flipping out that there was no power (talk about high anxiety!) so I packed the kids and a few overnight things into the car and we camped at a friend's house for the night (lucky they had power, or Anna would have been in hysterics all night). It warmed up enough overnight that by this morning the ice was gone and the trees are back to looking perky. Thankfully the power is also back on and there is leftover coffeecake to enjoy.
Homemade Hot Cocoa
1/4 cup cocoa powder (natural or dutch)
1/4 cup sugar
dash vanilla extract
mini marshmallows
Combine the cocoa and the sugar. Heat a mug of rice milk and stir in a tablespoon or two of cocoa mixture. Add a dash of vanilla and top with marshmallows.
Fresh Fruit Coffeecake
(adapted from Betty Crocker's Healthy New Choices cookbook)
2 cups all-purpose GF flour blend
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. flax seed meal
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup rice milk
1 beaten egg
2 cups fruit (blueberries, sliced banana, chopped apples, chopped peaches, chopped pears, etc.)*
Streusel for Coffeecake
1/4 cup all purpose GF flour blend
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. palm shortening
1 cup gluten free oats or 1/2 cup buckwheat hot cereal
1/4 cup walnut meal
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coata 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside. Prepare the streusel - combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or the tines of a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Add the oats or buckwheat and walnut meal, toss to combine. Set aside.
Sift together the flour through the allspice in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and set aside.
Combine the canola oil, rice milk and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients all at once. Stir until well blended. Fold in the fruit. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with half of the streusel. Pour remaining batter over the streusel, then top with the remaining streusel. Bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.
*Sometimes I'll use a can of apple pie filling (chop up the apples but toss the wet stuff) - this makes the coffeecake very moist.
I didn't think much of this. But the trees here must not be used to the weight of even a weensy bit of ice, and they all began to droop, hang into the streets and drop their branches. So we stayed inside and since it was cold enough to actually enjoy hot cocoa, we had hot cocoa and coffeecake for a snack.About an hour later, we heard two big booms, the sky lit up a bright orange and the power went out. Apparently the lines can't take a little bit of ice down here either. I called the electric company. The woman who took my call was very polite. She said she'd call it in but these sorts of calls were the only ones they were taking and to basically "get in line" behind all the other people who had already called about blown out transformers across the rest of the city.
By now our hot cocoa was cold and Anna was flipping out that there was no power (talk about high anxiety!) so I packed the kids and a few overnight things into the car and we camped at a friend's house for the night (lucky they had power, or Anna would have been in hysterics all night). It warmed up enough overnight that by this morning the ice was gone and the trees are back to looking perky. Thankfully the power is also back on and there is leftover coffeecake to enjoy.
Homemade Hot Cocoa
1/4 cup cocoa powder (natural or dutch)
1/4 cup sugar
dash vanilla extract
mini marshmallows
Combine the cocoa and the sugar. Heat a mug of rice milk and stir in a tablespoon or two of cocoa mixture. Add a dash of vanilla and top with marshmallows.
Fresh Fruit Coffeecake
(adapted from Betty Crocker's Healthy New Choices cookbook)
2 cups all-purpose GF flour blend
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. flax seed meal
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup rice milk
1 beaten egg
2 cups fruit (blueberries, sliced banana, chopped apples, chopped peaches, chopped pears, etc.)*
Streusel for Coffeecake
1/4 cup all purpose GF flour blend
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. palm shortening
1 cup gluten free oats or 1/2 cup buckwheat hot cereal
1/4 cup walnut meal
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coata 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside. Prepare the streusel - combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or the tines of a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Add the oats or buckwheat and walnut meal, toss to combine. Set aside.
Sift together the flour through the allspice in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and set aside.
Combine the canola oil, rice milk and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients all at once. Stir until well blended. Fold in the fruit. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with half of the streusel. Pour remaining batter over the streusel, then top with the remaining streusel. Bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.
*Sometimes I'll use a can of apple pie filling (chop up the apples but toss the wet stuff) - this makes the coffeecake very moist.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Anniversary
January is a month of anniversaries for us. Yesterday DH and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. We've been together in all for 15 years. I can't believe it. The time has flown by so fast, especially since having children. It does not seem like so many years have passed. It seems like such a short time ago that the girls were babies, laughing and drooling and learning to walk. But that was years ago, and before I know it the pictures we've printed and kept in their baby books will look dated and faded with age.
When DH and I got married, we were kids straight out of college and just starting to carve out a life for ourselves. Two Januaries ago, Anna visited a pediatric neurologist who said "autism spectrum disorder". We carved out a place for ourselves within that definition and forged ahead with early intervention therapies. Last January, we found out the girls had food sensitivities and implemented "the diet". I didn't so much carve a place out for the new diet in our lives as much as I tore through the kitchen like a whirlwind, but the end result is the same. I feel comfortable with our realities. They are somehow becoming old friends.
Another anniversary of sorts is that my blog is now almost one year old. At first the blog served two functions - the first was to document the changes the diet was producing in Anna. It was astounding the effect removing the offending foods from Anna's diet had on her behavior, communication, attention span and sensory "quirks". The second was to provide an outlet for my angst over having to switch gears so drastically in the kitchen. Anger might better have described my disposition back then - not anger over having to do the diet, but hearing how horrible it was, how expensive it was, how food options were limited and tasteless. Basically, I ended up giving the diet a big thumb to the nose and made my new mantra "I reject your reality and substitute my own". Nobody was going to tell me I could not share with my children the foods I grew up enjoying, and no diet was going to dictate what I could or could not feed them. So what if they couldn't have butter or wheat flour? I was going to make them chocolate chip cookies anyway, and they would not only be "safe", they would also taste good. The blog became be my new cookbook.
Now a year later the function of the blog is more to share my recipes and shine a light on our experiences living with ASD. At first hearing the diagnosis made me feel that we were isolated and alone. But we are not the only ones out there living this reality and it's been very nice to connect with other people who share our joys and struggles. Thank you to everyone who stops to read what I've written. Thanks for your comments - your tips and advice, and the hope you share from your own experiences. I'll keep the recipes coming - I am nowhere near done adapting the ones I have on hand, and there are many more that others have shared that I want to try!
To celebrate our anniversary last night we took the girls out to dinner. We never go out as a family, just the four of us. We used to, but it got too difficult to bring Anna with us - she could not sit still and it did not take long for her to reach sensory overload, which resulted in one of us exiting the restaurant with Anna so as not to disturb the other diners, and the other quickly paying the bill before we all retreated home. We've been a little gun shy since then, and even though Anna does much better in public recently it had not occurred to us that we can probably try going out to dinner as a family again. So instead of finding someone to babysit while we went out (which brings its own challenges due to Anna's anxiety), we decided to celebrate with the kids. And you know what? They enjoyed it and so did we. I was very proud of the girls, they were very polite and well-behaved. They sat still and ate dinner, they were smiling and engaged, and there was no hint of sensory overload to be seen. Anna got a little loud because of the excitement of going out, but all I had to do was remind her to lower her voice. The girls were happy, I think, to be going someplace special with mommy and daddy. DH and I were happy to go out with our girls, too. It was the perfect way to spend our anniversary - thankful for all our years together, for our wonderful daughters, and for the milestones we've reached and the others that are yet to come.
When DH and I got married, we were kids straight out of college and just starting to carve out a life for ourselves. Two Januaries ago, Anna visited a pediatric neurologist who said "autism spectrum disorder". We carved out a place for ourselves within that definition and forged ahead with early intervention therapies. Last January, we found out the girls had food sensitivities and implemented "the diet". I didn't so much carve a place out for the new diet in our lives as much as I tore through the kitchen like a whirlwind, but the end result is the same. I feel comfortable with our realities. They are somehow becoming old friends.
Another anniversary of sorts is that my blog is now almost one year old. At first the blog served two functions - the first was to document the changes the diet was producing in Anna. It was astounding the effect removing the offending foods from Anna's diet had on her behavior, communication, attention span and sensory "quirks". The second was to provide an outlet for my angst over having to switch gears so drastically in the kitchen. Anger might better have described my disposition back then - not anger over having to do the diet, but hearing how horrible it was, how expensive it was, how food options were limited and tasteless. Basically, I ended up giving the diet a big thumb to the nose and made my new mantra "I reject your reality and substitute my own". Nobody was going to tell me I could not share with my children the foods I grew up enjoying, and no diet was going to dictate what I could or could not feed them. So what if they couldn't have butter or wheat flour? I was going to make them chocolate chip cookies anyway, and they would not only be "safe", they would also taste good. The blog became be my new cookbook.
Now a year later the function of the blog is more to share my recipes and shine a light on our experiences living with ASD. At first hearing the diagnosis made me feel that we were isolated and alone. But we are not the only ones out there living this reality and it's been very nice to connect with other people who share our joys and struggles. Thank you to everyone who stops to read what I've written. Thanks for your comments - your tips and advice, and the hope you share from your own experiences. I'll keep the recipes coming - I am nowhere near done adapting the ones I have on hand, and there are many more that others have shared that I want to try!
To celebrate our anniversary last night we took the girls out to dinner. We never go out as a family, just the four of us. We used to, but it got too difficult to bring Anna with us - she could not sit still and it did not take long for her to reach sensory overload, which resulted in one of us exiting the restaurant with Anna so as not to disturb the other diners, and the other quickly paying the bill before we all retreated home. We've been a little gun shy since then, and even though Anna does much better in public recently it had not occurred to us that we can probably try going out to dinner as a family again. So instead of finding someone to babysit while we went out (which brings its own challenges due to Anna's anxiety), we decided to celebrate with the kids. And you know what? They enjoyed it and so did we. I was very proud of the girls, they were very polite and well-behaved. They sat still and ate dinner, they were smiling and engaged, and there was no hint of sensory overload to be seen. Anna got a little loud because of the excitement of going out, but all I had to do was remind her to lower her voice. The girls were happy, I think, to be going someplace special with mommy and daddy. DH and I were happy to go out with our girls, too. It was the perfect way to spend our anniversary - thankful for all our years together, for our wonderful daughters, and for the milestones we've reached and the others that are yet to come.
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