mmmmmmuffins!

Pancakes. Those buckwheat pancakes. As good as they are, making them for breakfast every morning for the past - I am not exaggerating - nine months got to be a little...old. This week I declared that I could not stand it for another week. And so, gluten-free muffins.

I adapted a recipe from Michael McCamley's Gluten Free Baking, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. Adding liquid glycerin to the mixture? Yeah, no thanks. And we were out of rolled oats, and I'm very allergic to almonds, so the recipe became more inspiration that outright direction.

For the all-purpose gluten-free flour:

1 1/2 cups sorghum flour

1 3/4 cups arrowroot starch or tapioca flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

Makes enough for two full batches of muffins with a little left over.

For the muffins

1/2 cup butter, soft

1/2 cup scant sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 egg

1 2/3 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1 cup scant blueberries

raw sugar to sprinkle

1. In a food processor, combine first four ingredients until well mixed.

2. Add dry ingredients and process until just combined.

3. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add blueberries, stirring with a spoon.

4. Spoon into 12 muffin cups and top with a sprinkling of sugar.

5. Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until tops are browned and crunchy and a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for several minutes before serving.

I have no idea how these would store: we keep eating them all up at one meal!

curried tuna noodle salad

Somewhat sparse cupboards and a restricted diet can make for a lot of rice-cake-and-peanut-butter meals. As much as I really do enjoy it for a munch, when lunchtime rolled around today I just couldn't do it yet again. I needed something different, but full of proteiny-goodness and loaded with taste. I had some rice pasta, some onions, a few carrots, and a neglected can of tuna. So I made this:

Curried tuna noodle salad. And it's super yummy! Since I rarely measure things I can't give you a precise recipe but rather an approximation, such as it is.

Curried Tuna Noodle Salad

1 small onion

1 medium sized carrot

1 large entrée sized portion of rice pasta

1 can water-packed chunk tuna, well-drained

Dressing (measurements are very approximate: use your best judgement and personal taste here):

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/4-1/3 cup coconut milk

1 tsp curry powder

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/4-1/2 tsp maple syrup

salt and pepper

1. Cook rice pasta in salted water until al denté, draining and rinsing in cold water immediately. I used rice spaghetti broken into small pieces, but any small shape of pasta will work beautifully.

2. Slice the onion very thinly, then place in a wire strainer and rinse very thoroughly with warm water (this eliminates a lot of the acids in the onion that can upset sensitive stomachs when onions are eaten raw). 

3. Peel the carrot and either grate it with a large grater or use your speed peeler to shave it. Rinse carrot in the same manner as the onion.

4. Whisk dressing ingredients together, adjusting to taste.

5. Place pasta, onion, carrot and tuna in a medium-sized bowl. Pour dressing over salad and toss well to incorporate.

Enjoy!

chocolate peanut butter fudge pudding

Yes, really.

In my previous post I talked about the challenge of baking gluten-free. But what's a sweet-tooth to do? Fortunately, no-bake gluten-free desserts are easier and generally more successful than baked ones. Any recipe that fits into a raw-food or nearly-raw diet will almost certainly be gluten-free (uncooked wheat flour? No, thank you!) as well as egg-free. As a result I've been looking at a lot of raw-food recipes, as well as vegan recipes to accommodate the current limitations to my diet.

And yesterday I came up with this:




Chocolate peanut butter fudge pudding. Free of gluten, dairy, eggs, soy and refined sugar. And let me tell you: it's awesome. Actually, rather unbelievably so. And it's easy: really, really easy.

In a food processor or blender combine:
1/2 cup tahini
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
3fl oz (or 6 tbsp) nut, coconut or rice milk.
Blend well.

And that's it! If the pudding seems too thick or stiff, add a little more milk. It also tends to thicken up with standing, so if you're planning to make it ahead add an extra tablespoon or two while blending. This makes about 2 portions. It's very rich, so I find a moderately sized portion satisfies nicely.

Creamy, chocolatey and delightfully nutty, this pudding is going to be getting a lot of spoon time at our table from now on.

allergen-free but definitely not yummy-free

Cored pineapples were on sale the last time I went to the grocery store. I bought two. My current favourite thing to do with fresh pineapple is so ridiculously simple and so undeniably yummy I needed to share it with you. Last night I made it with quinoa, but it works just as well with cooked rice.



For one large serving, cook 1 cup of dry rice. While it's cooking, chop 1/4 to 1/2 of a pineapple into small bite-sized pieces. Heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat, adding the pineapple once it's hot. Sauté the pineapple pieces until they begin to soften and turn golden brown or about 10 minutes. To the pan add about 1/4 cup cashews (I used raw cashew halves, but you could use roasted cashews. Adjust your seasoning if you use salted cashews) and 1/4 tsp ground coriander and sauté about 2 minutes.  While they cook, rinse and loosely chop baby spinach leaves, removing stems.  Turn off the heat and add the cooked rice or quinoa and the spinach leaves. Toss well, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.



Eat it up! This a great, easy, common-allergen-free meal containing both protein and healthy fats. Yummm....

Gluten-free dinners require only a re-imagining of how meals can look. Gluten-free baking, on the other hand, is a tricky business. Before we went gluten-free I rarely used recipes: I was a "throw it in a bowl until it looks right" type of baker. And it worked, surprisingly well at times. But gluten-free? Using a recipe - heck, even using a mix - I've had some pretty sorry baking fails, let alone going without a recipe. Baking is always science, and eliminating gluten (and in my current diet, also eliminating dairy, soy, eggs and refined sugar) makes that science far more tricky. Every time I go to bake something I feel a certain inner lurch: "Oh...I hope this works..."

Take Wednesday morning, for example. Peanut declared she wanted muffins. I happened to have Ontario-made The Mix Company's Spice Lovers Muffin Gluten-free Mix in the cupboard. Score. But I warned her: "Honey, these might not turn out. We'll have to wait and see. I hope they'll be good, but if they aren't we'll have to think of something else for breakfast, alright?" Because I'm just never sure what will happen.



I thought about using eggs per the recipe on the package, but I really wanted to be able to try them myself. What I love about The Mix Company's mixes is that many are also sugar-free, so I can use an alternate sweetener to adhere to my elimination diet. So I swapped the eggs out for ground flax seed, the sugar for maple syrup and used coconut oil instead of butter. Mixed them up in the food processor, stirred in some frozen blueberries and then popped them in the oven.



They took a little longer to cook than the 15-18 minutes recommended but in the end they were really quite tasty.



Now: did you notice what I did there? Just up there about the muffins? Do you recall the post where I said I killed my food processor? No, it didn't rise like Lazarus and start blending up dates again: this momma has a new toy. A new, functioning, shiny red toy.



Because this momma has a birthday coming up this month and has a wonderful momma of her own who couldn't wait to gift it.



This thing makes short work of whole, pitted dates. It's amazing. I made a small batch of Lara bars in a fraction of the time I could have with my old machine. I love it! And it makes the recipe I'm about to share with you unbelievably quickly, too. Check the next post for something extra-yummy.

to wellness

Nearly 6 months ago, I came out, as it were. I admitted to myself and - possibly more importantly - my family as well as to the internet that I was struggling. More than struggling: drowning, and needed real help.

It took five more months before I actually started getting help. Because... I don't know. Mainly I just really didn't want to go on prescription medication. I have no moral or philosophical objection to antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications - years ago I was on them a number of times - I just really didn't want to take them this time.

We tried to support me better as a family, tried to make concessions to my mental health, but ultimately, things continued more or less the same as they had been before that post I wrote back in November. And I clung for dear life to my sanity and tried - but largely failed, if I'm being very honest - to keep it from affecting our children. Our darling, beautiful children.


Finally, it was time to commit to healing. But my reticence to visit my family doctor and start prescription medication hadn't changed. Instead, I contacted a local naturopathic clinic - the Ottawa Integrative Health Centre. I filled out a fourteen page intake form which touched on literally every part of my life. I wept through half of my hour and a half long first appointment, describing to my new, lovely naturopathic doctor, who looked on with kind and understanding eyes, the myriad ways my mood turns in the course of a week. The ways it tortures me and my children. The feelings of desperation and utter loss of control and helplessness.

And she listened to me, for a very long time, and she read through my intake form. When she got to the section where I was to list the five "most significant, stressful events" of my life, she was caring and concerned and sympathetic - "You had a housefire?!" And then, when she'd heard and read everything, she said, "Well, I definitely see some things..."


I breathed a sigh of relief because if she sees some things of concern, there might be room to make me well. Truly well.

Food allergies, particularly gluten. So I'm gluten-free again as I mentioned the other day. Hypoglycemia, so I'm eating protein every few hours. More B6. Some breathing exercises.

It's helping. It's far from a magic wand, but it's definitely improved things. I've been mapping my moods along with my diet and the pattern is undeniable: when I go too long without food, I lose my grip on my sanity. My brain just ceases to function properly. So we're all about snacks around here these days. I discovered the loveliness that is Lara Bars, and then proceeded to start making my own. I made two batches of that gummy, delicious, datey goodness... and then I killed my food processor. Truly: there was smoke. Smoke. In my kitchen. I had to finish that batch by hand (ever hand processed upwards of four cups of dates with just a chef's knife? Big fun, let me tell ya). If you have recommendations for food processors that can handle several cups of dates, I'm all ears (or eyes, as it were).

It may still come down to medication. For now, though, this is what we're trying and I am happy and relieved to say that it's helping.

Today was a good day. And, at long last, I can say I am hopeful that tomorrow will be a good day, too.

allergen-free soft drinks

There aren't any. Psych! But seriously: take a look at this list and then try to imagine eating, well, anything. Even produce can have corn-based waxes on them to preserve them and make them look nice. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect on my baby.

But! I will not concede defeat that easily. No, sir! I will find something fun to drink other than water (obviously), tea and coffee. Enter the home-made soft drink.

Home-made corn-free soft drink recipe


1tbsp of cane sugar (I used a dark cane sugar) or more to taste.
2tbsp very hot/boiling water
1/2tsp lime juice
1/2tsp lemon juice
1/4tsp orange juice
soda water

Spoon sugar into bottom of a large, sturdy glass (a wide mouth mason jar works beautifully). Pour boiling water in and stir or slosh vigorously to dissolve sugar in the water, then add juices, adjusting to taste. Add soda water to fill glass.

It's not particularly sweet. In truth, it's pretty tart, so if you really want a sweet drink double the sugar, which may require a slight increase in the amount of water to dissolve the sugar. Also, it's not pretty: it looks like swamp water, which is why I opted not to include a picture (which is a lie: I drank it before I thought to snap a pic).

Happy corn-free soft drinking!

faux-chos

Remember this? At the time I was wheat, dairy, soy and egg-free. Now we've added corn to see if we can't get Bubby's rash to finally clear up. Here's a head's up: in North America corn is. in. everything. It's madness.

Anyway, there are some obvious, common sources of corn that this totally eliminates. Until now, I had been sort of desperately clinging to the fact that while I couldn't eat bread (sigh) or cheese (whimper) or cake (sob) I could, at least, have corn chips and Coke. Yeah, yeah, I know, cola is death blah blah blah. I ran out of vices so I cut myself some slack. Today, though, I really wanted nachos and a Coke. You know, dairy-free, wheat-free, corn-free nachos and Coke. Made of what, exactly? Made of this:







And you know what? It's awesome. My inspiration was this recipe from my friend Alyson. Here is approximately what I did:

1/2 can black beans, rinsed
1 clove garlic
2 tsp onion powder
1/ 2tsp cumin (I freaking love cumin)
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp rice flour

Throw everything in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Spread on an oiled, foil-covered cookie sheet to about the diameter of a dinner plate, or 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Top with Daiya Shreds ( I used cheddar flavour because it was all we had, but pepperjack or mozzarella would make more sense) and bake at about 340*F until the edges look dry and the shreds are all melted, maybe 20-30 minutes. Serve by topping with salsa, shredded lettuce, more salsa and cashew cream. Drink a Blue Sky Cola alongside to complete the feeling of guilty indulgence.

edited 10/15/11: I have just discovered that while Blue Sky is HFCS free, the caramel colour and citric acid in it are manufactured using...corn! And the Daiya Shreds? More citric acid from...corn! ARGH! Well, we'll keep trying. It was still delicious, though.

the things we do, part II

You likely haven't noticed from the pictures I've posted, but Bubby has a pink face. Or more accurately, circles of pink around her eyes. And all over her scalp. And she's had some hives on there, too. It's not something a parent likes to see on her baby. After a little deliberation - including several days of thinking we were cursed with a sunlight allergy - I concluded it was likely a food sensitivity. So for the past 6 weeks I've been gradually eliminating foods from my diet. First wheat, then dairy, then eggs and now soy and, thankfully, we're now seeing a real improvement: it would seem soy is a major offender. Ever tried to eliminate all soy from your diet while living in North America? Yep, it's an eye-opener.

So I'm eating differently now. Some dishes are right out - like, say, a delicious tofu stir fry in a tamari-based sauce and virtually every prepared food out there - while others just need a little adapting. This evening, as I watched Peanut happily munching away on some oven-baked chicken fingers I realized that I really wanted some, too. But bread crumbs, wheat flour, butter, milk and egg wash are all out, so cleverness was called for.







Some crushed gluten-free cereal - corn flakes and puffed rice - a little buckwheat and arrowroot flours and some various seasonings and we were in business. But how to make it stick without eggs or milk? Honey-water! 2tbsp of warm water and at least 1tbsp of honey well mixed together, toss the chicken pieces in the solution and then into the crumb mixture. Bake on an oiled pan at 375*F, turning once.

They were delicious. Even if they hadn't been, though, this is what we do, isn't it? As I told my mother a few weeks ago, I don't care if my own health ends up suffering: I'll gladly sacrifice my own health on the altar of my child's well-being. So far my dietary restrictions haven't had a deleterious effect on my health, just occasionally on my mood and hopefully, with enough inventiveness, that won't be the case too often either.