March 21, 2011 · 4:16 pm

Pantry Picks

I had to replenish my pantry this weekend, which made me really think about the pantry items I use the most.  I find that if I have a well stocked pantry, I can make a great variety of meals with just a few fresh items from the grocery store.  That means if I decide to make chicken and sweet potatoes, I can buy the meat and potatoes fresh and then just rely on what is already in my pantry.  I love to look at the pantry and fridge and be creative with what I already have.  Here are my absolute-have-to-have-staples in my fridge, pantry, and spice drawer.

In the fridge, I always have creamer, vegan butter, squeeze-y minced garlic, chicken stock, and scallions:

The creamer is great in any recipe that requires cream or milk; the soy alternative is the exact same consistency.  The squeeze-y garlic is perfect because I hate chopping garlic.  Oh, and I always have lemons and limes on hand!

In the pantry, I always have olive oil, 3 vinegars (balsamic, white wine, and red wine), and agave nectar.

I feel like I can make any dressing or sauce with these major players and my favorite spices!

In my spice drawer, I always have rosemary, parsley flakes, sea salt, lemon pepper, garlic salt, smoked paprika, and cumin.  Sea salt and smoked paprika are very different than regular salt and regular paprika… try them!

I have one last must have for the pantry- an oil spray pump:

You put the olive oil in the spray bottle and it dispenses the oil in a light mist instead of a large spoonful.  It is really great when roasting veggies or moistening chicken because you only use the small amount you need.

Now, what to make for dinner tonight with all these fixin’s!

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March 18, 2011 · 4:18 pm

135

Last night, a few friends and I ate dinner at Cheesecake factory.  I thought it was a great idea because they are known for their huge menu.  Surely someone with food allergies would be able to find something to eat.  Not so much.

As I read the menu over and over, I kept saying to myself “I could get that, but I would have to ask for it without x, y, and z.  Or I could get that, but I would have to ask how it is made.”  That is usually how my thoughts evolve when I go out to a restaurant, but I really thought it would be easier with this extensive menu.  It got pretty frustrating!  I ended up getting a salad and having to ask for it without cheese, which wasn’t the end of the world.  I also got a greek salad and edamame for my lunch today, again having to ask for it without cheese on the salad.  

These items were off of their “bar” menu, which are small plates of your favorite things.  Very handy when you want to eat a normal sized meal and not a cheesecake factory sized meal.

I started thinking about how limited their choices were when I got home.  I looked again at their menu online and did some math.  There are about 135 menu items for lunch or dinner, not counting side dishes or the 35 different cheesecakes they offer!  Within that count, there are only about 10 items that someone with a dairy and wheat allergy could eat.  And that is assuming I even like or would want to eat those 10 menu items!  I never realized before how much cheese the cheesecake factory used, or how many of their menu items are fried.  Personally, I was a little disappointed, and think that they should offer more low calorie and allergy friendly fare, like other restaurants are doing.  Time to get on the bandwagon, Cheesecake Factory! 

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March 15, 2011 · 7:19 pm

Fruity and Flavorful

The weather this week in Boston is that soft whisper of spring that makes us think summer actually might arrive sometime this year.  We are supposed to get into the 60s this week… break out the flip flops!

With the nice weather, I made the switch from hearty roasted vegetables to spring fruits.  Tonight, I made a seriously flavorful fruit salsa to top off my dinner, a recipe that my mom and I created and talked out over the phone.  She tried her version of it over white fish; I added a few zingers and put it over chicken.

Here are the grocery ingredients:

Into small cubes, I chopped up one red pepper, one can of pineapple rings, one half of a red onion, one mango, and one half of a bunch of scallions.  The chopped pieces should all be around the same size.  I then added the juice of one orange and two limes, a few shakes of garlic salt, lemon pepper, and ginger.  Toss, and then let sit for an hour before serving.  Here is the final product:

The mango was a new adventure for me.  I have never really bought or cut up a mango, and it was a great new experience.  Did you know what the inside looks like?

I am definitely going to keep this recipe.  It can be put over chicken, fish, pork, rice, salad, beans… the possibilities are endless. Welcome, summer!

 

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March 13, 2011 · 5:22 pm

Spoiled!

This past week, I went over a friend’s house to catch up and spend time with her family.  She used to teach with me, and we became fast friends.  Now, she is a wonderful mother to two children and a brand new baby.  I couldn’t wait to meet the new cherub and catch up over a home cooked meal!

While I was drooling over the beautiful new baby, my friend was cooking a delicious meal.  An allergy friendly meal!  It takes a thoughtful and wonderful friend to make such a special dish.  She cooked her favorite Giada recipe, Roman Chicken.

It was deeeee-licious!  It was a very fancy version of Chicken Cacciatore, with prosciutto and white wine.  You can see how great it looks, but I wish I could somehow link the flavorful smell to my post, too!  And, she even bought gluten-free pasta to go with it!  I brought a side of Raspberry Walnut Chicken Salad, without the chicken on top.

If I didn’t think I was spoiled enough, she bought coconut milk ice cream for dessert!  I have tried the SoDelicious brand before, namely their yogurts and coffee creamers.  Their products are made with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk, which makes them really rich and delicious.  The ice cream was especially tasty… the kids didn’t even notice the difference and had chocolate mustaches just like I did!  I am sure I would eat it even if I wasn’t dairy free.

What a great night…the Roman Chicken was savory, the ice cream was decadent, the company was perfect, and I was spoiled!!

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March 10, 2011 · 4:31 pm

Stuffed and Sauced

I LOVE making stuffed chicken breast.  There are so many different combinations and flavors, depending on your mood and what is in your fridge or pantry.  To make stuffed chicken, I cut each chicken breast length-wise so they look like pita pockets.  I then stuff, bake, and sauce!

My latest stuffed chicken breast recipe was roasted red peppers with a balsamic glaze.  I cut the chicken breasts lengthwise, stuffed them with red peppers, and baked them at 375 degrees for about a half hour.  While the chicken was cooking, I made the sauce.  In a small saucepan, I combined about one cup balsamic vinegar (it will reduce when heated), 2 tbsp. olive oil, some salt and pepper, and a few shakes of rosemary.  I then let it simmer on medium heat until the balsamic vinegar thickened.  When I decided that it was thick enough, I poured over the cooked chicken and enjoyed!

Here are my favorite sauces (each recipe is enough for one or two chicken breasts):

Balsamic Glaze, described above

Honey Mustard Sauce (from my mom’s cookbooks): Combine 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. thyme

Italian Dressing: Combine 3 tbsp. olive oil, 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp. dijon mustard, 1 tsp. agave nectar or sweetener, a few shakes each of thyme, dill, rosemary

Asian Glaze: Combine 2 tbsp. sesame oil, 2 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. tamari (wheat free soy sauce), 1 tsp. garlic, ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp. ginger

Here are my favorite stuffing combos:

Roasted red peppers and mushrooms

Ham and swiss (dairy or not)

Sun dried tomato and chopped basil

Green peppers and onions

Craisins and chopped pistachios

Spinach and parmesan (dairy or not)

Halved cherry tomatoes and artichokes

Canned pumpkin and chopped walnut

Chopped chili peppers, tomatoes, and olives

Getting creative in the kitchen is so fun.  Do you have any favorite combinations?

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March 8, 2011 · 5:06 pm

A sweet secret

Shhhh…. I have a sweet secret.  It’s called Agave Nectar.  Ok, so I might have given that one away too quickly.  But not many people have heard about this wonderful little sweetener and I want to make it more popular.

Even before my allergies forced me to eat a more natural diet, I was cautious about sweeteners.  I did the whole “diet” sugar thing and used artificial sweeteners in my coffee.  But after a while, it bothered me.  I barely even looked at the research that claims artificial sweeteners cause cancer and other health risks; I just didn’t like the idea of putting so many chemicals in my body.  Artificial sweeteners don’t taste natural because they aren’t.  It was a conscious decision to not use artificial sweeteners anymore if I could avoid it.  No more Equal.  No more soda.  More reading labels.

I didn’t notice an obvious benefit to my health, I just felt better that I wasn’t putting chemicals in my body.  So, I turned to sugar.  Sugar does have calories, but I was willing to take the extra calories if it meant I was chemical free.  But even sugar isn’t that great.  It is bleached and processed, and has a high glycemic index.  This high glycemic index means that it raises your blood sugar really quickly and can cause a “sugar crash”  and make you even more hungry.  So now what?

Agave Nectar!  My mom told me about this sweet secret and I decided to give it a whirl.  I bought some and used it in my coffee.  Sweet!  It looks like honey, and has a dense sweet flavor.  It does have calories, but you really don’t need that much because it is so sweet.  It is also all natural.  The ingredients are literally “agave nectar” which has not been processed.  And it has a low glycemic index.  (Sugar has a glycemic index of over 60, and agave nectar’s is under 30.)  So, it is processed in your bloodstream more consistently.  Think of its possibilities…. coffee, oatmeal, smoothies, cocktails, baking… anywhere you normally use sugar.  Here is more information about agave nectar. I hope you try it and feel good about what you are putting into your body!  I do.

Here is a mojito recipe using agave nectar.  (My arm really had to be twisted to try this out 🙂 )

In a bowl, crush together a handful of mint leaves, 1 tbsp. of agave nectar, and the juice of one lime and blend the flavors.  In a cocktail glass, add  1 or 2 shots of citrus rum, two cups of club soda, and the mint/agave/lime juice mixture.  Add a few ice cubes, stir, and enjoy!

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March 6, 2011 · 6:55 pm

Very Veggie

I had a serious afternoon in the kitchen today.  I wanted to roast some veggies and chicken to put on salad for my lunches this week. But I got a little too excited about the veggies and ended up making homemade veggie burgers too.  (You should have seen my shopping cart at the grocery store yesterday… eggplant, sweet potatoes, red peppers, corn, tomatoes, mushrooms, more mushrooms, lettuce, carrots, parsley!)

So I blasted the music and started chopping and peeling.  It was actually easy to do the roasted salad veggies and veggies for the burgers at the same time.  I am sure I saved time and oven heat.  I am excited to make my lunches this week… on romaine lettuce, I am going to put the roasted veggies, roasted rosemary chicken, and some balsamic vinegar.  Yum!

For the veggie burgers, it was trial and error.  I knew I wanted to put veggies and beans in them, but also knew I needed a binding agent.  So I took a risk.  I bought quinoa!  Quinoa is a grain that is full of fiber as well as protein.  It looks like couscous.  As I read the box, it said it was a good alternative to wheat grains, and the protein and fiber content was astounding.  For each serving of quinoa, it boasts 11 g of fiber and 7 g of protein.  Wow!  Talk about healthy.

Here is the recipe for the veggie burgers.  Turned out pretty well!  (Although next time I would add the bread crumbs to make them a little more firm.)  I am going to eat them on top of a portabella mushroom (instead of a bun), add some ketchup and mustard, and eat with a tomato and avocado salad.  Very veggie, and very good!

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March 3, 2011 · 4:29 pm

Wonder Woman

I am sure you know Giada De Laurentiis, amazing Italian chef on the Food Network.  She has delicious recipes, a friendly personality, and a love of food and family.  When you visit her website, you can see why I am calling her Wonder Woman.  She has recipes, books, a TV show, her own cookware line, and also her own blog.  She does it all.  Here are my top 3 reasons to love Giada, including one reason that is not based on what she can make with her hands, but what she can do with her heart.

Reason #3:  Her cookware is smart.  Not only can you use her cookware everyday, but she sells it at Target.  So it is easy to find and affordable.  My mom and I both have a pan of hers that we fondly call “the Giada pan.”  We use it everyday.  Seriously, everyday.

Reason #2:  Her recipes are light.  Traditionally, when I think of Italian food, I think of oil and heavy flavors.  Garlic, cheese, pasta.  Yummy, but heavy.  Giada’s recipes use those great Italian flavors, but in a light way.  They don’t put you into an instant food coma.  When I recently visited my parents, my mom found a great new recipe from Giada.  Instead of using traditional tomato sauce for pasta, she made a sauce out of roasted eggplant and cherry tomatoes.  It was such a delicious and inventive way to make sauce. 

Reason #1: Her heart is big.  My father sent me this article on Giada and her upcoming visit to local South Carolina schools.  These schools have implemented this wonderful program called “Back the Pack.”  For the schools’ needy children who often go hungry at home, students are sent home Friday afternoons with their backpacks filled with food.  Better yet, high school children work at the food warehouse to help organize the distribution of food and give back to their community.  Giada is visiting these communities to raise awareness of the program and help feed hungry children.  I am thrilled that Giada is doing this and raising awareness of the lives of our students outside of schools.  This program deserves the press and shows that Giada has a heart as big as her taste buds.

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March 1, 2011 · 4:52 pm

Dairy Allergy? SOy what?

Milk does a body good, right?  Well…

I was talking with a close friend yesterday who wants to eliminate dairy from her diet for health reasons, including eczema.  I eliminate dairy because of my allergies.  Kathie Lee Gifford eliminates dairy because it makes her throat have excess phlegm, which is not good for her morning talk show.  Sounds like there are a variety of reasons to eliminate dairy.

Dairy has so many nutritional components, namely protein and calcium, and yet is also the culprit of many health problems.  Enter the soybean!  

Well, soy also has great nutritional benefits as an alternative for those of us who can’t handle dairy.  When I first had to pour my container of cow milk down the drain, it took some guts to buy soymilk.  I knew it would taste different, but like everything else, I have gotten used to it.  Not only have I grown to like the taste, but I have also learned about the wonderful health benefits of soy… and have never looked back at that container of milk down the drain.

The soybean is native to Eastern Asia, and has been used in Asian cooking for centuries.  (Soy sauce, anyone?)  Now, Brazil and the US are mass producers of it.  The power of the soybean is that it packs in both protein and fiber, but is a plant.  It is a superfood.  Our culture generally looks towards meat and milk for protein power, but these also come with a hefty saturated fat content and harm all those cute little animals.  So, not only is the soybean great because it is environmentally friendly, but it has great nutritional value without the fat.

Comparing ourselves to other cultures, we are one of the few cultures that drinks milk from a cow (which is actually intended for baby cows), and drinks milk past infancy.  Look at the Asian culture where the soybean originated… is primarily dairy free, and most Asian women have beautiful skin, glossy hair, and lean bodies.  Coincidence?

The soybean itself has other benefits… such as reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, warding off certain cancers, maintaining hormone levels, providing healthy omega-3 acids, and aiding in weight loss.  All packed into a little bean!

My favorite soy products are Silk products, edamame, and tofu.  Yes, tofu.  You really should give tofu a try at least once.  And not just out of the container (gross!), but cooked as part of a meal.  My new favorite breakfast is “Tofu Scramble” where I cut up chicken sausage and tofu, and saute them together as I would scramble an egg and sausage.  A little fresh salsa on top, and there is a perfect protein packed and low cal breakfast.

Yes, there still remains some controversy about soy, just as there is with everything.  However, it seems that the benefits are limitless, and the prevalence of soy in our society speaks to its power.  Just as with everything we put into our bodies, we need to be mindful of how it affects us and it seems that soy is beating milk in the nutritional race.

Articles that I found interesting and helpful:

Soy Nutrition

Women’s Health

Pros and Cons of Cow Milk

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February 27, 2011 · 1:28 pm

Mama’s Ssssmokin’ Chowder

I love my mother’s kitchen.  The smells, the creativity, the knowing that something delicious will ALWAYS come out.  My father and I know how lucky we are to have such an amazing chef, and we always joke that “everything tastes better when Mommy makes it.”  Peanut butter sandwich?  Totally not the same when I make it.  Mommy has to make it.

This week, I went to visit my parents in North Carolina.  I knew I would get a break from the dreary Boston winter weather, but I also knew I would get some inspiration from my mother’s kitchen.  When I found out that I had food allergies, she took on the challenge readily.  She never once thought that she wouldn’t be able to make her usual gourmet meals, but instead took the challenge as inspiration.  Now as my father and I put down our forks and savor the deliciousness of what we just ate, she says “Gluten and Dairy Free!”

So this week, she made a couple of my favorite meals as well as some new ones.  She made grilled-to-perfection steak and dairy free creamed spinach, one of my all time favorite dinners.  (My father didn’t even know that the creamed spinach didn’t actually have cream in it!)  She also made a new pasta dish (recipe to come soon), as well as what we now call Mama’s Ssssmokin’ Chowder. She based it off a recipe she found in her local supermarket, but of course… she made it better.  It’s always better when Mommy makes it.

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