September 18, 2011 · 5:38 pm

Renewing my food vows

It has been about a year since my doctor called me to say; “Your allergy panel came back.  You are allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, white fish, and several environmental allergens.  You are going to have to change how you eat.”  A phone call that seemed so overwhelming and upsetting at first, but now seems like a life saver in retrospect.

Not only did I have to change what I eat, but also how I think about food.  I have had to read labels, ask questions, and experiment to see if a reaction occurs.  Most people would think of these tasks as annoying or oppressive, but I see them as enlightening.

Through personal research about wheat and dairy products, I have come to learn how prevalent they are in our society.  They are prevalent because they are cheap and easy to mass produce.  And marketers use words like “natural” to make us think that these products are good for us.

These findings have led me to further research vegan diets as well as diets based on local products.  I have learned that they aren’t “diets” but ways of life… these eating plans urge people to really examine what we put into our bodies because what we eat affects us.  And there is no coincidence that our American diet has led to such high rates of high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, cancer… at least higher rates than other countries’ with vastly different diets.

I know more about food now than I ever did, and I think that is a blessing.  Unlike people who eat mindlessly, I actually know what I am putting into my body and how it affects me.  Most of my foods have one ingredient and aren’t packaged.  I urge you to also take a greater insight into your diet.  I believe that you are what you eat, but also that you can always make that better.

So, I am renewing my food vows for the next year… I will only eat food that is good for my body, that is less processed than how I used to eat, that is more plant and animal based than factory based, and food that makes me feel good.  I hope you do, too.

For more inspiration, read my upcoming review of Mark Bittman’s “The Food Matters Cookbook.”  A wonderful insight into the idea that what we eat matters to our bodies and where it came from.

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September 15, 2011 · 3:32 pm

Seven Secret Savings

The end of summer and the beginning of a new school year reminds me to refresh my ideas on budgeting both my time and money.  Since my allergies, my food bills have increased greatly.  I am eating healthy options all the time, but that comes with a price tag.  Since I have finally figured out how to eat well, now I am going to focus on how to save some money in the process.

Here are my Seven Secret ideas on how to eat on a budget:

1.  Coupons.  I was never a big coupon clipper, but there are so many coupons online now.  Check your grocery store’s website for coupons, or use a mobile phone app.  Coupons.com has an app that brings the coupon right to your phone… no more clipping!  Those $.50 coupons can really add up and save money in the long run.

2.  Often times, coupons print out with your grocery receipt.  But I have noticed that these coupons are often of the “buy 2 and save” variety.  So, buy two and check expiration dates.  You can buy coffee creamer with a close expiration date, but also look in the back of the shelf for products that have expiration dates a while from now (that is where they are hiding!).

3.  Check out the Dollar Store and Target.  Soap is soap.  And often times the soap you buy at the grocery store is the same soap in the dollar store for less.  Same goes for ziploc baggies and other paper goods.  Target is great for packaged items like juice or frozen veggies.  I just bought frozen veggies at Target for a $1 a bag!

4.  Look online at your grocery store’s website and see the weekly specials.  Then plan your meals around the specials.  This also lets you get a little creative by challenging yourself to combine different special ingredients!  Furthermore, when you see a product like chicken on special, buy a couple of packages and freeze.

5.  Sign up to receive online newsletters from your grocery store.  Not only do they tell you weekly specials, but they send you secret deals as well.  Recently, my mom got a whole package of hamburger meat for free because she got the secret email!

6.  Utilize farmer’s markets and grow your own herbs.  Farmer’s market fruits and veggies can often be cheaper because they don’t need to involve the middle man, the grocery store, to sell.  Growing your own herbs also saves money… those small packages of herbs are expensive!  Might as well use your own dirt.

7.  Preserve your veggies with those cute plastic containers that look like the veggies you store in them.  I use them and swear that they work.  They really do keep veggies fresh for a long period of time so you aren’t wasting money by throwing out sad looking veggies.

Happy Saving!

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September 13, 2011 · 5:17 pm

Squeezing out the last bit of summer…

We all know that fruit and veggies have become a major staple in my diet.  The end of summer marks the dwindling of fresh fruits and veggies and their peak seasons, so I have been trying to make summer last as long as possible.  That means as many fruit and veggie recipes that I can make before the days shorten into fall…

A recent conversation with a friend, about food of course, left us comparing cucumber salad recipe ideas.  She uses balsamic vinegar and I use rice vinegar.  My mouth watering, I of course had to come home and make some cucumber salad to go with my summer tomato basil burgers on the grill pan.

Crunchy Cucumber Salad

Pieces

  1. 1 half of a cucumber
  2. One quarter of a red onion
  3. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  4. 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  5. One half teaspoon sugar
  6. Salt and Pepper for seasoning
  7. 2 basil leaves for garnish

 

Process

  1. Slice the washed cucumber on a mandolin so the slices are thin.  Leave the skin on, that is where all the nutrients are!
  2. Finely chop the red onion into your favorite bite size pieces.
  3. Over the cucumber and red onion, add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper.  Toss to combine.
  4. Garnish with chopped basil leaves.

Happy Allergy Free Eating!  Enjoy the final days of summer.

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September 11, 2011 · 6:46 pm

Summer Cocktails

I had a great food and drink weekend… it started with a birthday celebration with friends at a hibachi grill which included tropical cocktails, and ended with salads and summer cocktails along the waterfront.  The hibachi grill was such a fun atmosphere with friends, and our personal chef around the table was careful to cook my food without soy sauce and butter.  The weekend continued with a wonderful beet salad including candied walnuts and craisins, while sitting along the waterfront.  A perfect end to summer and beginning to a new school year.

As summer winds down, I wanted to share some of my favorite summer cocktails.  I will probably try to recreate these in the dead of winter, encouraging summer to return again!

Pimm’s Cup

  1. Fill a cocktail glass half way with Pimm’s Liquer.
  2. Add two tablespoons of sweet and sour mix.
  3. Fill the rest with Sprite.
  4. Garnish with a cucumber slice and some ice cubes.

Green Apple Mojito

  1. In a cocktail glass, add 2 shots of green apple vodka or  green apple rum.
  2. Add a few sprigs of mint and the juice of half of a lime.   Muddle to release the herb flavors.
  3. Add one teaspoon agave nectar.
  4. Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling white wine and ice cubes.

Sparkling Peach Cosmo

  1. In a martini glass, pour 1 shot peach vodka.
  2. Add 1 shot of cranberry juice.
  3. Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling white wine.
  4. Garnish with a lime slice.

Cheers to the end of summer!

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September 8, 2011 · 6:44 pm

Crispy Eggplant

Potatoes are a great side dish, but sometimes they can get boring.  When looking for a veggie with substance, eggplant is such an underrated vegetable!  It is meaty and delicious when roasted… or when made into crispy chips like I cooked this week.  Crispy eggplant has a fried feeling, but without the calories because it is baked.  Delicious and waist line friendly!

Pieces:

  • 1 whole eggplant
  • 1 cup of rice flour
  • 1 cup of egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
  • 1 cup of cornmeal
  • olive oil for misting
  • salt and pepper for seasoning

 

Process:

  1. Cut the eggplant into one quarter inch thick slices.
  2. On a paper towel, spread out the eggplant slices and sprinkle salt over each slice.  Let them sit for an hour as the moisture inside the eggplant comes to the surface.  When the eggplant has sweat, wipe off the moisture and salt with a paper towel.  Now the eggplant is dry and won’t be soggy when you bake it.
  4. Put the rice flour, egg substitute, and cornmeal into separate shallow bowls.
  5. Dip each eggplant slice first into the rice flour to coat, then the egg, and finally in the cornmeal.  Each slice should be coated on both sides with the cornmeal mixture.
  6. Lay each coated eggplant slice on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non- stick spray.
  8. Mist each eggplant slice with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (just a pinch on each slice).
  9. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the eggplant slices are tender when pierced with a fork.
  10. Serve your crispy eggplant with your favorite tomato and basil sauce!

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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September 6, 2011 · 5:51 pm

New Kitchen Additions

Like a man in a hardware store buying tools, I love getting new kitchen gadgets.  You can only cook great food if you have the right tools.  I have three new additions to my kitchen that I just have to share because I don’t know how I lived without them before.

1.  My Staub grilling pan.  You know you are foodie when your favorite birthday present is for your kitchen.  Because I don’t have a grill, I got this grill pan that has grill lines on the bottom of the pan, as well as on the lid!  You heat the grill pan up until it is very hot (both top and bottom pieces), add your meat, cover with the top lid, and listen to the sizzle.  Perfect grill marks!  Now I can grill all year long, right on my stove.

2.  My bendable cutting board.  Sheer genius.  The cutting board lays flat, and then can bend in different directions so you can slide the veggies right into whatever you are cooking.  No more spilled veggies over the side of the pan.

3.  My salt and pepper grinder.  Not grinderS… grinder.  Sea salt and black pepper in ONE grinder.  A few twists, and you have the perfect black and white seasonings.  This is where my mom and I would ask ourselves why we didn’t think of this and become millionaires…

Happy Allergy Free Cooking!

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September 4, 2011 · 5:42 pm

Gimme some Gumbo!

Still in a New Orleans haze, Mom made Gumbo this week.  In every restaurant we went to in New Orleans, gumbo and jumbalaya were staples.  Both use a meat (and/or shrimp), rice, and veggie combination… but Gumbo is more soup/stew like and Jumbalaya is primarily a rice dish.  Both use a unique Cajun or Creole spice combination.

Gumbo begins with a roux, a butter and flour combination.  Not very Lauren friendly.  However, using a butter substitute and rice flour did the trick (thank you, Earth Balance and Bob’s Red Mill).  The roux didn’t come out as dark as it should in true Gumbo fare, but the taste was still there.  We made a roux with one cup of rice flour and one cup of butter substitute, mixing constantly for about 45 minutes over medium heat.

When the roux is ready, add one orange pepper and two green peppers that are sliced.  Stir a few times.  Then add one diced onion and two diced celery stalks.  Continue to stir while also incorporating one 28 ounce can of drained diced tomatoes and one carton of chicken broth (gluten free of course).  Next, add the meat… one package (4 small links) of Andouille sausage and one pound of diced chicken breast.  To season, add a few shakes each of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, chile powder, oregano, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.  We don’t know the secret Creole or Cajun spice combination or proportion, but can season to taste.  Cover and let the gumbo simmer for another 45 minutes to cook through.  Meanwhile, cook one box of your favorite rice.  When ready to serve, incorporate the cooked rice into the gumbo and enjoy!

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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September 1, 2011 · 5:30 pm

A Lil’ Lunch Sharing…

Yesterday, I had a great lunch with my mom at Nolen Kitchen in Charlotte, North Carolina.  So great that I had to share.  It is one of my favorite lunch places, and we sat outside which made the dining experience that much better.  Nolen Kitchen has mediterranean cuisine, which is a perfect fit for someone who eats a lot of meat and veggies.

When in the south, I have to have sweet tea with lunch… there is something so thirst quenching about it (even though it is also high in calories… you probably sweat them all out while sweating in this heat).

For lunch, I ordered a Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken on top… sans the feta.  I love that the greek salad at Nolen Kitchen has largely chopped peppers, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  And the dressing is a red wine vinaigrette that is very light and yet also very flavorful.  I think I see next week’s lunches to bring to school!

The best part of lunchtime was dessert.  We happened to walk into Yoforia, a self serve frozen yogurt place, just to see if there were any dairy free options.  I was beyond excited when I saw “dairy free raspberry sorbet.”  Finally, I can eat in an ice cream store again!  I haven’t had ice cream outside of my own freezer in over a year.  Just being in an ice cream store was the pinnacle of summer for me.

I wish everyday’s lunch could be like this!  Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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August 29, 2011 · 6:29 pm

Naaawlins

What a trip!  I am an official blogging conference attendee!  I had a wonderful time at IFBC NOLA and would definitely attend another blogging conference.  I learned about how to market a brand, how to take good food photos, how to incorporate video, how to write a recipe… and more.  I also met some great fellow bloggers… it is so nice to share a common interest and have your eyes opened to new ideas.  I have so many ideas now for the blog… now just have to find the time to use them all!

The conference was of course about food, and I was unique in having wheat and dairy allergies.  But I still ate very well!  Here are some of the highlights…

Our first seafood restaurant, Deanie’s Seafood, served potatoes instead of bread when you sit down!  Perfect for me!

My Cajun breakfast… potatoes, peppers, onions, and sausage with local seasonings!

NOLA, Emeril’s restaurant, was very accommodating to me… they made a special watermelon gazpacho with crabmeat on top!

I wish this photo could look as good as it tasted… beef with corn, tomatoes, and portabello mushrooms.

A salad with shaved brussel sprouts and hazelnuts… SO good.

A potato chip!  Just looked cool.

Barbeque Shrimp is a local favorite.  I think I ate my weight in shrimp this weekend.

We loved Emeril’s NOLA so much that we went back for lunch… beef brisket, white beans with bacon, and I got snap peas instead of mashed potatoes.  Again, so accommodating to me.

So, I would say that my first blogging conference was a total success.  I learned a lot, met really cool people, and ate very well!  My next mission is to try to emulate New Orlean’s cooking in my own kitchen… stay tuned.

 

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August 25, 2011 · 5:19 pm

IFBC NOLA

That was a lot of letters, wasn’t it?  Well, it is where I will be the next few days… at the International Food Bloggers Conference in New Orleans!  (Click here if you want more details.)  I am so excited to go to my first food blogging conference!  I am not sure what to expect, but the agenda and vendors look amazing.

When we get there on Friday, there are workshops on Blogging your Values and Food Styling and Photography.  Then a wine hour, reception, and cocktail crawl… already off to a good start!  On Saturday, there are a few different options for workshops, including How to Market Your Brand, an Allergy session (yes!), Culture, and Recipe Writing.  Those are followed by a New Orleans lunch, a cooking demonstration, and a wine and food pairing dinner.  Sunday offers How to Use Video, Restaurant Reviews, and Eating on a Budget.  All of these sessions look amazing and I can’t wait to hear what others have to say about the food blogging world!

So, wish me luck.  I will return with many things to write about, I am sure!

I also wanted to share with you one of my favorite birthday gifts that I received from a close friend…an apron that says “Balanced Fork, Healthy Life!”  It even has a fork logo on it.

I should wear it to the conference and market myself! 🙂

 

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