Recipes, rants and rambles on: living and loving life with chronic illnesses, cooking with multiple food allergies, disability justice, and more!
Queries
(this is a work in progress, there are tons of other great resources out there. please point me to those you find more/most useful! also, our communities are so diverse and i still have a lot to learn, so feel free to point out places where i’ve missed something, misspoken, used the wrong language, misrepresented.)
c. Fragrance Free Spaces: people with chemical injuries, sensitivities, or asthma can become severely ill if people smoke or wear scented/perfumed products to your event (more likely, they will just stay home):
e. ASL interpreters - can be expensive, but fundraise in advance! Write it into grants! Be creative! Build relationships with those in the deaf and hard of hearing communities. If you offer ASL upon request, ask for RSVP’s in advance of the event as it’s often difficult to get interpreters at the last minute.
Also, consider including trigger warnings for topics that could be deeply unsettling to people who have experienced various kinds of trauma (sexual assuault, domestic violence, child sexual abuse; trauma related to: war, racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, audism, etc.)
“But why are they so upset/angry?” Be patient, be sensitive. People with disabilities have been systematically excluded from so many social and political spaces (not to mention being imprisoned, killed, selectively aborted, institutionalized, involuntarily sterilized, mocked, denied basic rights, abused and sexually assaulted at high rates, denied education,and fired from jobs, etc.) for a very long time. If people with disabilities you work or consult with sometimes seem frustrated when you don’t prioritize making your event accessible, try and remember there’s a long history of discrimination and oppression at play (which has also shaped your assumption that it’s ok/understandable not to spend the energy/resources needed to fully include and value people with disabilities.)
* Although, ironically, this page is not accessible as it doesn’t include descriptions of the images for people who can’t see them
[picture of sunlight shining on blue bowl filled with quinoa, studded with chard, apples, leeks and sweet potatoes]
Saffron Scented Quinoa with Leek, Apple and Chard (wheat & gluten free, dairy free option, vegan option, citrus free, tomato free)
The other day I realized that I have a tendency to post recipes for baked goods and sweets. In part this is because it’s rare that I can find any bakery, restaurant or grocery store that sells a treat I can eat. The combination of being gluten-free and having allergies to rice, coconut, chocolate and citrus means that 95% of gluten-free baked goods are off limits for me. So for the most part, if I want to treat, I have to make that treat.
When living with food allergies because we are often deprived or unable to eat food in many situations, it’s important to indulge on occasion. For me that means baking at home, where I can create safe, delicious baked goods. I also post an abundance of treat recipes because I have a sweet tooth and that I had been known to eat chocolate, pie, or leftover birthday cake for breakfast before the onset of my allergies. :)
As many people with chronic health issues have, I’ve had any variety of diets pressed upon me that promise to solve or improve every health issue under the sun. Most of these diets eliminate all or most sweeteners, but since none have worked wonders (or even minor miracles) for me, I continue to snuggle up to my snickerdoodles (Enjoy Life! makes a nice one that’s gluten and mostly rice free!)However, a lot of people I know do avoid sweets more than I do — and so I thought it would be nice to share some recipes that are not all for parties, teas and treats.
The other day I was rummaging around the refrigerator trying to figure out what to have for lunch, and cobbled together a rather simple and comforting lunch that tasted like autumn: leftover quinoa, a forgotten leek, a handful of chard from the garden, a half eaten apple, some raisins and a sweet potato, finished with a dash of cinnamon. I added a pinch of saffron at end and love the way that it’s rich, musty fragrance adds to this dish and the gorgeous streaks of vermillion bleeding into yellow that it leaves in the quinoa if you let it sit for a while. The color reminds me of the sharp blaze of maples trees burning on Beacon Ave: shocks of yellow orange, brighter than saffron, and crimson more brilliant than fresh pomegranate kernels. I also love saffron because I’m allergic to turmeric, and it’s another (albeit more expensive) way to add the colour of monk’s robes to my food.
As with all recipes for people with food allergies, there are many such substitions that can be made to adapt to your specific needs: substitute vegetable broth for chicken or olive oil for butter/ghee to make this easily vegan/vegetarian. You can also make this either a moist grain dish or more soupy by varying the amount of broth. Add a handful of chickpeas to make it a meal.
Saffron Scented Quinoa with Leek, Apple and Chard — serves 2
1 1/2 cups leftover quinoa 1 leek, light green and white parts, thinly sliced (or 1-2 shallots) 1 1/2 T. butter, ghee, olive oil 1/2 bunch chard, spine removed and roughly chopped 1/3 - 1 c. homeade chicken broth 2 small pinches of saffron 1/2 a tart apple, diced 1 small cooked sweet potato (baked/boiled/microwaved), diced handful of raisins or dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds optional: handful of toasted pine nuts or chickpeas season with: salt, pepper and a dash or two of cinnamon
1. Melt butter/ghee or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté leeks until soft and just beginning to colour (If using shallots, sautee until golden brown and beginning to get crispy and remove to separate bowl).
2. Add chard and sauté until wilted. Add quinoa to the pan and deglaze with broth, bringing it to a simmer and then turning off the heat. Stir in saffron.
3. Toss quinoa and chard mixture with sweet potato, apples, raisins and pine nuts. Taste and add salt as needed. Top with crisp shallots.
4.Close your eyes, inhale the fragrance, smile at how lucky you are to nourish your body with such delicious food, and eat.
P.S. I’m thinking of moving to WordPress because Tumblr keeps crashing my browser/eating my posts and doesn’t allow you to post more than 1 picture at a time. Sample here: http://lifeafterchocolate.wordpress.com/
[Caption: Picture of large steel bowl sitting on a table covered by an orange floral cloth. Bowl is overflowing with hops, which look like small, soft green pinecones.]
[photo: Chipped, white plate, the rim of which is a slim crescent moon with a man’s face, sits on a grey embroidered background. In the middle of the plate is a large, pock-marked, golden-brown cookie.]
LIFE WITH FOOD ALLERGIES pt 2 + CRISPY MOON COOKIES!
ADJUSTING: So it’s been a few months since my last woeful food allergy post. And while the miraculous hasn’t happened yet (aka, all my food allergies disappearing), I’m adjusting pretty well. Last weekend I went to a destination wedding where there was a luscious buffet spread if five or six sumptuous looking dishes of which I could eat 1. Across from me at the table, two women with heaped plates full complained to one another. One was allergic to wheat, the other allergic to dairy. They gazed at each other’s plates mournfully, “I wish I could eat that bread,” said one, “I wish I could try that cheese,” said the other. I knew what they meant, but even so I thought, “Wimps.” ;) {Not to worry, I had my own delectable meal waiting in a cooler in the trunk of our car.}
After grieving for the loss of a bajillion foods I love, I’m slowly figuring out how to cope, relax and enjoy life and food again. It takes a bit more planning in advance — cooking a few days ahead to pack a cooler full of food for the weekend wedding trip, making sure I have my own meal to bring to a party or meal-time meeting, freezing leftovers so I can grab one for the go if I don’t have time to cook and am going to a gathering where everyone will be eating. And sometimes friends and family are up to the challenge: an aunt has figured out a standby menu of mostly safe foods to make whenever I’m over while holding the almonds, citrus and wheat items on the side.
TREATS! Last night we went out for a late birthday dinner - my sweetie called weeks in advance to give the restaurant my 20-odd list of allergies for them to design a fixed-price menu around. They didn’t even blanche and were so accommodating and polite, not making me feel at all like a burden as some restaurants do. When we win the lottery, I will eat at this restaurantall the time. What a treat! To walk into a restaurant and not have to be anxious about having an allergic reaction, finding nothing on the menu I can eat, or special ordering a dish without my allergens but having the kitchen mess up and getting a heaping plate of anaphylactic delight! It was a birthday present was waiting for.
And now a recipe to share. These cookies were an accident, and the best kind of accident I might say. So good, in fact, that I ate the entire batch, largely by myself, over the weekend. I stumbled upon it when I’d meant to make one recipe, but realized halfway through I’d been working off another. I improvised a few measurements and instead of the thick, chewy cookies I thought I was making, I got these: round, crispy thin, golden cookies with delicate browned edges, and full of buttery goodness. I call them moon cookies because they’e speckled with dozens of tiny little holes that look like craters on the moon.
Ingredients: 9 tablespoons of butter, softened 3/4 c. packed brown sugar plus 2 T. 1/4 c. white sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cups of gluten-free baking mix [I use: 3/4 cup of white sorghum flour, 1/4 cup of chick pea flour, 3 tablespoons tapioca starch, 5 tablespoons of cornstarch] 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum 1/2 teaspoon salt (increase to 3/4 if using unsalted butter) 1/3 cup pine nuts, slivered almonds, cashews, or pepitas* 1 T. milk or water
* Other ideas: to avoid nuts and seeds entirely try 1/2 t. lavendar blossoms. If you’re not allergic to chocolate, sub dark chocolate chips to make what I suspect would be an addictive marriage of bitter, butter & sweet.
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350-375°. (lower for chewier cookies, higher for crispier) 2. In a medium bowl or a stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until well mixed. Then, beat in egg, vanilla and milk/water. 3. In a separate bowl, mix gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum till well mixed. Stir dry ingredients into wet. Finally, mix in the nuts or seeds. 4. Use a spoon to drop small dollops onto a cookie sheet at least 6 inches apart (they spread out a lot while baking - my first batch all ran into one another). 5. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until they turn a rich, golden brown. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two carefully removing with a spatula. Put cookies on a paper towel laid over a flat surface until they harden. 6. Try and fail to exercise self-restraint when you take your first bite. They’d go swimmingly well with a glass of milk or cup of tea. Enjoy!
Last year, out of the blue, I developed over a dozen food allergies. Now here’s the thing. I love food. I know, I know, everyone says that. But what I mean is that I get an inordinate amount of joy and pleasure in my daily life through eating and preparing food. Often eating meals or preparing meals are the things I look forward to most in the day. I went shopping for food like other women went shopping for shoes or clothes (which I detest). When other people dreamed about movie stars and dream vacations, I relaxed by daydreaming about what to cook for dinner or pouring over food blogs and cookbooks.
So in 2010 when I developed a gaggle of foods allergies, I panicked. Previously I’d had random walnut, coconut and cardamom allergies - but these I could cope with. They were disappointing given my adoration of coconut-centered Thai cuisine and my family’s homecooked Indian food in which cardamom is as common a spice as cinnamon in American cuisine. But I could work around them.
The nightmare started last year when I suddenly became allergic to citrus and chocolate… then apricots, peaches, plums, strawberries, raspberries and coffee. I went on a long elimination diet, which was supposed to help me uncover other sensitivities or allergies. It didn’t help much, although I now I knew the early warning signs of allergy and noticed them when eating dates, bananas, soy, ginger and tomatoes among others. I halfheartedly avoided these things, reluctant to give up more foods.
I suppose I should pause here for a moment and clarify what I mean by food allergies. The word is bandied about to mean anything from “when I eat X I go into anaphylactic shock” to “when I eat X I get a headache -or- I break out -or- I get a stomachache”. I’m no word police, but for my own purposes I have found it useful to distinguish between the two. Allergies tend to be severe, almost immediate reactions like difficulty breathing, swollen lips and tongue or vomitting. They also are likely to get worse over time upon repeated exposures. Everything else I call intolerances: headaches, mild upset stomach, bloating, nausea, etc. These foods aren’t good for you, but they are rarely life-threatening and tend not to get worse over time.
Mine, unfortunately, were allergies. I ignored the early ones, especially coconut, because I loved eating it and didn’t realize it was an allergy. I didn’t mind the occasional sores in my mouth, terrible stomachaches, and an itchy throat. But, over time, the reactions got so bad that I could barely breathe. That’s when I knew I had to stop and my doctor made me start carrying an epipen. We also decided I should avoid things I was intolerant to (wheat, eggs, dairy) in case they were contributing factors.
Things seemed to settle down late last year. I was upset, but I adapted - developed new recipes, invited people to my house where I could cook an allergen-free dinner, travelled with safe snacks. But then a couple of months ago I spontaneously developed over a dozen more allergies, bringing to over 40 the total number of foods I have reacted to. This time I plunged into fits of depression. With no answers from doctors and specialists (it turns out food allergies are not well understood), I spent hours reading books and surfing the internet for answers, but to little avail. At this rate, I feared I wouldn’t be able to eat anything at all in a couple of years! There also seemed to be no limit to what I could become allergic to. Thinking rice was safe, I bought a rice-protein based meal replacement formula, thinking that the fewer foods I ate, the less likely I was to develop new allergies. All this did was end up giving me a rice allergy (yes, this is possible and more common in Asian countries).
Everywhere I went there seemed to be reminders of what I could no longer eat, what I could no longer enjoy. People feasted on foods I longed for but might never be able to eat again. I had adored cooking for people, trying new foods, going out to eat, savoring fresh fruits and vegetables from our garden, traveling to sample cuisines in new places. Why was it all being taken away from me? Why couldn’t it happen to somebody who saw eating than more of a chore and less of a passion?
Maybe you were waiting for the magic answer or cure at the end of the story? Well, me too. So far the only reliable treatment for most food allergies is avoidance. So, how am I coping? The answer is: better some days than others. On a strict rotation diet and replacing some of my meals with a blechy tasting ‘hypoallergenic’ meal replacement formula, things are still rough. I’m going to the Mayo Clinic next week and keeping my fingers crossed for some answers. In the meantime, here are a few tips and tricks I’m learning along the way if you should ever be so unlucky as to become allergic to the edible world.
1. Cancel your subscription to food magazines. Either that, or, when they come in the mail immediately put them in the closet. Maybe you’ll look at them in the future when page after page of delectable photos and recipes of food you cannot eat won’t depress you.
2. Avoid social gatherings centered around food. For now. This one is hard because, if you haven’t noticed, when people get together they like to eat — usually considered a universal pleasure. These days it can be terribly depressing for me to be surrounded by people raving about how tasty things are that I can’t eat. It makes me feel a little bit like an alien from another planet - sad and lonely and left out. What’s nourishing to you is poison to me. Of course, if my severe food limitations are permanent, I will adapt and be able to cope with socializing around food. But not right now I’d rather not.
3. Find other ways to treat yourself. For us, even on a tight budget, we would usually go out once a month or a nice meal. Or on a special (or rough) day I’d grab a tart at a favorite bakery, bake a cake, or splurge on a small chunk of artisan cheese. Instead, I’m trying to see this as a fun challenge to redirect some of my energies — what local museums have interesting exhibits? Any upcoming concerts I’d like to go to? I’m hoping to use this opportunity to get back into music and art - old hobbies which, over the busy years, fell by the wayside. If you’re healthy enough (which sadly I’m not) planning hikes to beautiful locations or trying a new sport could be fantastic too. Oh, and buy yourself some pretty posies too - there are other ways to indulge your senses.
4. Help your friends out — they are probably feeling badly for you and may not sure how to navigate your new limitations. Suggest walks in the park, a movie, or some of the activities in #3 instead of dinner or coffee or drinks. Try meetings after or between mealtimes, or cook a meal you can eat and invite them to share it.
5. Let someone else do the cooking or shopping. If there are people you’re close enough to that you don’t mind asking, it can be great relief to ask for some help. With so many restrictions and a highly structured diet, grocery shopping and cooking have started to feel stressful. Especially since we are on a budget and I now have to spend a lot more money than I used to to get a lot less tasty items (that icky meal replacement formula sure is expensive!) Ask a family member or lover or friend to cook from recipes you provide or, if your allergy list isn’t too massive, hand it over and let your friend be creative. You deserve a break! On the other hand, if your list is as long as mine or you’re on a strict rotation diet, it can be stressful to have someone else offer to cook for you.
6. Bring it along. If there are social gatherings you really want to attend where food will be a focus, bring your own food along. Either a dish to share with others or your own little container with a safe meal, drinks or snacks. When going out with friends who will all be drinking, I’ve started carrying my own sparkling mineral water.
7. Savour it. Those things that you can still eat, take the time to linger on each luscious bite. You’ll find that you may get more enjoyment from one bite than most people (who can eat anything and take food forgranted) do in a whole meal.
8. Snacks. I find I get very hungry on a rotation diet which, combined with my multiple food allergies, mean there are a very limited number of things I can eat every day. And if I’m out and about, there’s almost nothing I can buy that’s safe to snack on. Plan ahead and have portable snacks ready to go. (Or, for me, little containers of meal replacement formula)
9. Explore new Cuisines. People with multiple food allergies can benefit from expanding the variety of foods they eat to lower risk of developing new allergies (to frequently eaten foods). It’s almost impossible to be allergic to something you have never been before. At a local Asian grocery store, I stocked up on taro root, dasheen, custard apple, dragon fruit, cassava, brilliant purple yams, longans, chayote, new varieties of greens, seaweeds, tamarind candy, bean thread noodles, and banana blossom (okay, I haven’t bought the last one yet, but I want to!). Many cuisines use staples that are unusual or rare here: millet, sorghum, buckwheat, quinoa, and more. Spend some time surfing the Web or your local library’s cookbook bookshelf.
10. Reach out for support. Whether from your friends and family or online communities or blogs for people with multiple food allergies. It’s good to know you’re not alone. Although, I have found fewer resources for people with dozens of food allergies, there is an abundance of resources for people with multiple common food allergies (wheat, corn, soy, nuts, fish, dairy, egg, gluten/wheat).
11. Keep the Hope! A little denial is okay. Not a lot of denial as in eating foods you are allergic to at the risk of worsening your reactions (I made this mistake when traveling in India where turning down foods is tantamount to snubbing your host, and consequently made some of my allergies much worse). But a little denial is good. If you feel yourself going into about depression about never ever been able to eat chocolate again, hold out hope. Although there are no cures for food allergies out there yet, there is research being done and who knows, in time you may be able to eat some of your favorite foods again. At least that’s what I tell myself, because I seriously can’t yet come to terms with never being able to eat a chunk of creamy milk chocolate, a hot gooey brownie, or some decadent chocolate ice cream ever again.
[Photo: 2/3’s of a cake, topped with glistening cranberries, and a smattering of crumbs remains on a brown, speckled platter.]
A Cake to Fall in Love With (gluten-free)
During my forays in gluten-free baking I’ve been pleasantly surprised a number of times, discovering that not all gluten free baked goods are solid as a brick and about as tasty as one. I’ve found and modified some lovely recipes with very tasty results: a light multi-grain bread recipe with a lovely, spongy grain and a melt in your mouth piscachio cranberry shortbread recipe that goes swimmingly with a cup of coffee or tea.
However, in half a year or of sporadic gluten-free baking I hadn’t yet fallen in love with a recipe. You know… the kind of recipe you can’t wait to share with friends and family, the kind of recipe that makes you feel a little sad \when you finish the last piece because there isn’t any more to look forward to, the kind of recipe that you fantasize about making again from the moment you finish the last crumb.
I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later - although I thought my most tender feelings were reserved for gluten-filled goodies. I would almost feel guilty if I weren’t so busy fantasizing about the next time I make this cake. So then, it’s official: I’ve found my first gluten-free love - a buttery and tenderly moist upside down coffee cake with a light crumb and faint lemony fragrance. (I know the picture isn’t the prettiest, so you’ll just have to take my word for this one.) It’s studded with a sweet-tart layer of gleaming red cranberries glazed in a sticky brown caramel sauce.
This is the kind of gluten-free recipe that no one will believe is gluten-free and that, if topped with a dollop of whipped cream, people will beg you for the recipe. If you prefer your cakes sweet enough to for dessert, add a bit more sugar - but if you prefer a gently sweeten cake that you can eat more than one piece of at a brunch or tea, stick with 2/3 a cup (be forewarned I haven’t tested it with more than 2/3 a cup). The cake was inspired by the lovely looking gluten-filled version over at Smitten Kitchen. From that recipe I borrowed and slightly modified the cranberry and caramel sauce and, from my own experimentations, substituted a lemon scented gluten-free cake base. I made it at Thanksgiving and had meant to make it for Christmas as well, but ran out of time. Having a bag of cranberries left in my fridge, it’s making an appearance this weekend as a lovely new year’s brunch cake… in fact, after freezing two pieces for a rainy day and giving two pieces to a friend, D & I managed to polish off nearly half the cake in one day… sneaking back throughout the day for ‘just one more’ tiny slice. Yes, it’s that kind of cake. Without any further ado, I present you with the recipe:
Caramelized Cranberry Upside-down Cake
Caramel Glaze
2/3-3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
4 T. butter (if not salted, add a small dash of salt)
2 T. water
1 T molassas
2 1/2 cups sorted cranberries, rinsed and patted dry
Cake
2/3 cup of softened unsalted butter
2/3 cup of sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup of sour cream or whole milk yogurt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract (optional, if excluding substitute extra vanilla)
2 T. lemon juice (or substitute a pinch of citric acid mixed with water if you’re allergic to citrus juice )
1 1/2 cups + 2 T of gluten-free baking flour mix (one mix I use: 1/2 c. finely ground brown rice flour, 1/2 c white sorghum flour or millet flour,1/4 cup tapioca flour, 6 T. cup cornstarch)
2/3 t xanthan gum
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°
1. Grease a 9 inch cake pan with butter. Add a 9 inch round of parchment paper and place it inside the buttered pan, butter the top of the parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 T butter and then stir in brown sugar, molasses and water. Bring to a simmer, and stir several times until all the sugar is dissolved. Pour into cake pan. Spread cranberries in a single layer over the caramel glaze, pushing extra berries around the edge of the pan.
3. In a standing mixer or with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating fully before adding the next.
5. In medium-sized bowl mix the sour cream/sugar, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon juice until smooth.
6. In another medium-sized bowl, mix together the gluten-free baking mix, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
7. Alternate adding the gluten-free baking mix with the wet mixture, adding about a third each time. Mix until smooth.
8. Pour batter over cranberries and smooth in pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fairly clean.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 to 20 minute. Run a knife around the outside edge of the pan. Take a large plate/platter and place it upside down over the cake, then holding the plate over the pan carefully flip/invert the pan. The cake should fall out easily. Gently remove the parchment and serve with dollops of whipped cream spiced with cinnamon, if you please :)
[photo: A white bowl filled with below recipe sits on a table covered by an orange, Indian block-print tablecloth. A few fallen tiger lily petals lay scattered beside the bowl.]
Here’s a hearty and nourishing recipe that’s perfect for mid-winter – tender chunks of sweet potatoes melting into warm spinach and toasted brown mustard and cumin.If you don’t have Bengali 5 spice mix (panch phoram) just dry roast the seeds listed in the recipe in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until they’re slightly darker in color). I invented this recipe last night and served it with brown basmati rice and left over rajma (kidney beans stewed in a browned onions, spice & tomato sauce).Garnish with a dollop of yogurt or your favorite acchar (Indian pickle).
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed (3/4”) 2 T vegetable oil + 1 T ghee (or butter*) salt 1/2 t. jeera (cumin) 1/2 t. rai (brown mustard seed) 3-4 dried red chilies or 1 green chili, chopped 1 medium yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 t. ginger, peeled and finely grated 1/2 t. ground, roasted jeera (cumin) 1/4 t.+ red chili powder 1 t. Bengal Five Spice/panch phoram {or: 1/4 t kalongi (nigella seeds) + 1/3 t. rai (brown mustard seed) + 1/3 t jeera seed (cumin) + pinch fennel + optional pinch of fenugreek - all dry roasted) 2/3 bag of frozen spinach amchur (unripe mango powder) - to taste, 1-2 t. (or sub. lemon juice or an amchur-based chaat masala) chopped cilantro
* Just use all vegetable oil or coconut oil if you’re vegan.
1. Steam sweet potato, covered and in 1” water, for 6 minutes in microwave. Remove and drain water.
2. Heat pan to medium/medium high.Add oil, when hot add 1/2 t. jeera & 1/2 t. rai & chilies. When they begin to crackle, quickly add onion.
3. Stir onion for about 10 minutes, until golden and starting to brown on some edges.You can add salt partway through sautéing the onions.
4. Add garlic and ginger and reduce heat a bit.Stir for a minute and then add sweet potatoes, stirring to keep the garlic and ginger from burning.
5. Add ground jeera, chili powder and panch phoram. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add frozen spinach and continue stirring for several minutes until spinach is heated all the way through.
7. Season with salt and amchur to taste.Though a handful of chopped cilantro on right before serving.
[photo: a small rectangular vase sits on a window sill overlooking a white house capped by blue sky. The vase is filled in the bottom with pebbles, on top with blue cornflowers, crimson and saffron-yellow nasturtiums, and a sprig of rosemary.]
![[picture of sunlight shining on blue bowl filled with quinoa, studded with chard, apples, leeks and sweet potatoes]
Saffron Scented Quinoa with Leek, Apple and Chard (wheat & gluten free, dairy free option, vegan option, citrus free, tomato free)The other day I realized that I have a tendency to post recipes for baked goods and sweets. In part this is because it’s rare that I can find any bakery, restaurant or grocery store that sells a treat I can eat. The combination of being gluten-free and having allergies to rice, coconut, chocolate and citrus means that 95% of gluten-free baked goods are off limits for me. So for the most part, if I want to treat, I have to make that treat. When living with food allergies because we are often deprived or unable to eat food in many situations, it’s important to indulge on occasion. For me that means baking at home, where I can create safe, delicious baked goods. I also post an abundance of treat recipes because I have a sweet tooth and that I had been known to eat chocolate, pie, or leftover birthday cake for breakfast before the onset of my allergies. :) As many people with chronic health issues have, I’ve had any variety of diets pressed upon me that promise to solve or improve every health issue under the sun. Most of these diets eliminate all or most sweeteners, but since none have worked wonders (or even minor miracles) for me, I continue to snuggle up to my snickerdoodles (Enjoy Life! makes a nice one that’s gluten and mostly rice free!)However, a lot of people I know do avoid sweets more than I do — and so I thought it would be nice to share some recipes that are not all for parties, teas and treats.
The other day I was rummaging around the refrigerator trying to figure out what to have for lunch, and cobbled together a rather simple and comforting lunch that tasted like autumn: leftover quinoa, a forgotten leek, a handful of chard from the garden, a half eaten apple, some raisins and a sweet potato, finished with a dash of cinnamon. I added a pinch of saffron at end and love the way that it’s rich, musty fragrance adds to this dish and the gorgeous streaks of vermillion bleeding into yellow that it leaves in the quinoa if you let it sit for a while. The color reminds me of the sharp blaze of maples trees burning on Beacon Ave: shocks of yellow orange, brighter than saffron, and crimson more brilliant than fresh pomegranate kernels. I also love saffron because I’m allergic to turmeric, and it’s another (albeit more expensive) way to add the colour of monk’s robes to my food.As with all recipes for people with food allergies, there are many such substitions that can be made to adapt to your specific needs: substitute vegetable broth for chicken or olive oil for butter/ghee to make this easily vegan/vegetarian. You can also make this either a moist grain dish or more soupy by varying the amount of broth. Add a handful of chickpeas to make it a meal.Saffron Scented Quinoa with Leek, Apple and Chard — serves 21 1/2 cups leftover quinoa1 leek, light green and white parts, thinly sliced (or 1-2 shallots)1 1/2 T. butter, ghee, olive oil1/2 bunch chard, spine removed and roughly chopped1/3 - 1 c. homeade chicken broth 2 small pinches of saffron1/2 a tart apple, diced1 small cooked sweet potato (baked/boiled/microwaved), dicedhandful of raisins or dried cranberries or pomegranate seedsoptional: handful of toasted pine nuts or chickpeasseason with: salt, pepper and a dash or two of cinnamon
1. Melt butter/ghee or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté leeks until soft and just beginning to colour (If using shallots, sautee until golden brown and beginning to get crispy and remove to separate bowl). 2. Add chard and sauté until wilted. Add quinoa to the pan and deglaze with broth, bringing it to a simmer and then turning off the heat. Stir in saffron.3. Toss quinoa and chard mixture with sweet potato, apples, raisins and pine nuts. Taste and add salt as needed. Top with crisp shallots. 4.Close your eyes, inhale the fragrance, smile at how lucky you are to nourish your body with such delicious food, and eat.P.S. I’m thinking of moving to WordPress because Tumblr keeps crashing my browser/eating my posts and doesn’t allow you to post more than 1 picture at a time. Sample here: http://lifeafterchocolate.wordpress.com/](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltjmgrPuVZ1qe1gkfo1_1280.jpg)
![Today’s Harveset: Hops! Centennial, nearly 2 lbs.
[Caption: Picture of large steel bowl sitting on a table covered by an orange floral cloth. Bowl is overflowing with hops, which look like small, soft green pinecones.]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltjlcz6SHu1qe1gkfo1_1280.jpg)
![I love calendula season! The most beautiful weed - these blossoms were dried to be made into a tincture.
[Photo: Cobalt blue plate brimming with bright orange, daisy-like blossoms.]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lr8ipjaxoI1qe1gkfo1_1280.jpg)
![[photo: Chipped, white plate, the rim of which is a slim crescent moon with a man’s face, sits on a grey embroidered background. In the middle of the plate is a large, pock-marked, golden-brown cookie.]
LIFE WITH FOOD ALLERGIES pt 2 + CRISPY MOON COOKIES!
ADJUSTING: So it’s been a few months since my last woeful food allergy post. And while the miraculous hasn’t happened yet (aka, all my food allergies disappearing), I’m adjusting pretty well. Last weekend I went to a destination wedding where there was a luscious buffet spread if five or six sumptuous looking dishes of which I could eat 1. Across from me at the table, two women with heaped plates full complained to one another. One was allergic to wheat, the other allergic to dairy. They gazed at each other’s plates mournfully, “I wish I could eat that bread,” said one, “I wish I could try that cheese,” said the other. I knew what they meant, but even so I thought, “Wimps.” ;) {Not to worry, I had my own delectable meal waiting in a cooler in the trunk of our car.}After grieving for the loss of a bajillion foods I love, I’m slowly figuring out how to cope, relax and enjoy life and food again. It takes a bit more planning in advance — cooking a few days ahead to pack a cooler full of food for the weekend wedding trip, making sure I have my own meal to bring to a party or meal-time meeting, freezing leftovers so I can grab one for the go if I don’t have time to cook and am going to a gathering where everyone will be eating. And sometimes friends and family are up to the challenge: an aunt has figured out a standby menu of mostly safe foods to make whenever I’m over while holding the almonds, citrus and wheat items on the side. TREATS! Last night we went out for a late birthday dinner - my sweetie called weeks in advance to give the restaurant my 20-odd list of allergies for them to design a fixed-price menu around. They didn’t even blanche and were so accommodating and polite, not making me feel at all like a burden as some restaurants do. When we win the lottery, I will eat at this restaurant all the time. What a treat! To walk into a restaurant and not have to be anxious about having an allergic reaction, finding nothing on the menu I can eat, or special ordering a dish without my allergens but having the kitchen mess up and getting a heaping plate of anaphylactic delight! It was a birthday present was waiting for.And now a recipe to share. These cookies were an accident, and the best kind of accident I might say. So good, in fact, that I ate the entire batch, largely by myself, over the weekend. I stumbled upon it when I’d meant to make one recipe, but realized halfway through I’d been working off another. I improvised a few measurements and instead of the thick, chewy cookies I thought I was making, I got these: round, crispy thin, golden cookies with delicate browned edges, and full of buttery goodness. I call them moon cookies because they’e speckled with dozens of tiny little holes that look like craters on the moon.
CRISPY MOON COOKIES (wheat/gluten-free, rice-free, chocolate-free. Containts: Eggs, Sugar & Dairy) Yield: 18-24Ingredients:9 tablespoons of butter, softened3/4 c. packed brown sugar plus 2 T.1/4 c. white sugar1 egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 cups of gluten-free baking mix [I use: 3/4 cup of white sorghum flour, 1/4 cup of chick pea flour, 3 tablespoons tapioca starch, 5 tablespoons of cornstarch]3/4 teaspoon baking soda3/4 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum1/2 teaspoon salt (increase to 3/4 if using unsalted butter)1/3 cup pine nuts, slivered almonds, cashews, or pepitas* 1 T. milk or water
* Other ideas: to avoid nuts and seeds entirely try 1/2 t. lavendar blossoms. If you’re not allergic to chocolate, sub dark chocolate chips to make what I suspect would be an addictive marriage of bitter, butter & sweet.
Directions:1. Preheat oven to 350-375°. (lower for chewier cookies, higher for crispier)2. In a medium bowl or a stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until well mixed. Then, beat in egg, vanilla and milk/water.3. In a separate bowl, mix gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum till well mixed. Stir dry ingredients into wet. Finally, mix in the nuts or seeds.4. Use a spoon to drop small dollops onto a cookie sheet at least 6 inches apart (they spread out a lot while baking - my first batch all ran into one another).5. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until they turn a rich, golden brown. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two carefully removing with a spatula. Put cookies on a paper towel laid over a flat surface until they harden. 6. Try and fail to exercise self-restraint when you take your first bite. They’d go swimmingly well with a glass of milk or cup of tea. Enjoy!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqcrveSbOp1qe1gkfo1_1280.jpg)
![[Photo: 2/3’s of a cake, topped with glistening cranberries, and a smattering of crumbs remains on a brown, speckled platter.]
A Cake to Fall in Love With (gluten-free)
During my forays in gluten-free baking I’ve been pleasantly surprised a number of times, discovering that not all gluten free baked goods are solid as a brick and about as tasty as one. I’ve found and modified some lovely recipes with very tasty results: a light multi-grain bread recipe with a lovely, spongy grain and a melt in your mouth piscachio cranberry shortbread recipe that goes swimmingly with a cup of coffee or tea.
However, in half a year or of sporadic gluten-free baking I hadn’t yet fallen in love with a recipe. You know… the kind of recipe you can’t wait to share with friends and family, the kind of recipe that makes you feel a little sad \when you finish the last piece because there isn’t any more to look forward to, the kind of recipe that you fantasize about making again from the moment you finish the last crumb.
I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later - although I thought my most tender feelings were reserved for gluten-filled goodies. I would almost feel guilty if I weren’t so busy fantasizing about the next time I make this cake. So then, it’s official: I’ve found my first gluten-free love - a buttery and tenderly moist upside down coffee cake with a light crumb and faint lemony fragrance. (I know the picture isn’t the prettiest, so you’ll just have to take my word for this one.) It’s studded with a sweet-tart layer of gleaming red cranberries glazed in a sticky brown caramel sauce.
This is the kind of gluten-free recipe that no one will believe is gluten-free and that, if topped with a dollop of whipped cream, people will beg you for the recipe. If you prefer your cakes sweet enough to for dessert, add a bit more sugar - but if you prefer a gently sweeten cake that you can eat more than one piece of at a brunch or tea, stick with 2/3 a cup (be forewarned I haven’t tested it with more than 2/3 a cup). The cake was inspired by the lovely looking gluten-filled version over at Smitten Kitchen. From that recipe I borrowed and slightly modified the cranberry and caramel sauce and, from my own experimentations, substituted a lemon scented gluten-free cake base. I made it at Thanksgiving and had meant to make it for Christmas as well, but ran out of time. Having a bag of cranberries left in my fridge, it’s making an appearance this weekend as a lovely new year’s brunch cake… in fact, after freezing two pieces for a rainy day and giving two pieces to a friend, D & I managed to polish off nearly half the cake in one day… sneaking back throughout the day for ‘just one more’ tiny slice. Yes, it’s that kind of cake. Without any further ado, I present you with the recipe:
Caramelized Cranberry Upside-down Cake
Caramel Glaze
2/3-3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
4 T. butter (if not salted, add a small dash of salt)
2 T. water
1 T molassas
2 1/2 cups sorted cranberries, rinsed and patted dry
Cake
2/3 cup of softened unsalted butter
2/3 cup of sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup of sour cream or whole milk yogurt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract (optional, if excluding substitute extra vanilla)
2 T. lemon juice (or substitute a pinch of citric acid mixed with water if you’re allergic to citrus juice )
1 1/2 cups + 2 T of gluten-free baking flour mix (one mix I use: 1/2 c. finely ground brown rice flour, 1/2 c white sorghum flour or millet flour,1/4 cup tapioca flour, 6 T. cup cornstarch)
2/3 t xanthan gum
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°
1. Grease a 9 inch cake pan with butter. Add a 9 inch round of parchment paper and place it inside the buttered pan, butter the top of the parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 T butter and then stir in brown sugar, molasses and water. Bring to a simmer, and stir several times until all the sugar is dissolved. Pour into cake pan. Spread cranberries in a single layer over the caramel glaze, pushing extra berries around the edge of the pan.
3. In a standing mixer or with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating fully before adding the next.
5. In medium-sized bowl mix the sour cream/sugar, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon juice until smooth.
6. In another medium-sized bowl, mix together the gluten-free baking mix, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
7. Alternate adding the gluten-free baking mix with the wet mixture, adding about a third each time. Mix until smooth.
8. Pour batter over cranberries and smooth in pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fairly clean.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 to 20 minute. Run a knife around the outside edge of the pan. Take a large plate/platter and place it upside down over the cake, then holding the plate over the pan carefully flip/invert the pan. The cake should fall out easily. Gently remove the parchment and serve with dollops of whipped cream spiced with cinnamon, if you please :)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_leinhxRbya1qe1gkfo1_400.jpg)
![[photo: A white bowl filled with below recipe sits on a table covered by an orange, Indian block-print tablecloth. A few fallen tiger lily petals lay scattered beside the bowl.]
Shakrkand & Saag (Spiced Sweet Potatoes & Spinach)
Here’s a hearty and nourishing recipe that’s perfect for mid-winter – tender chunks of sweet potatoes melting into warm spinach and toasted brown mustard and cumin. If you don’t have Bengali 5 spice mix (panch phoram) just dry roast the seeds listed in the recipe in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until they’re slightly darker in color). I invented this recipe last night and served it with brown basmati rice and left over rajma (kidney beans stewed in a browned onions, spice & tomato sauce). Garnish with a dollop of yogurt or your favorite acchar (Indian pickle).
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed (3/4”)2 T vegetable oil + 1 T ghee (or butter*)salt1/2 t. jeera (cumin)1/2 t. rai (brown mustard seed)3-4 dried red chilies or 1 green chili, chopped1 medium yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced4 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 t. ginger, peeled and finely grated1/2 t. ground, roasted jeera (cumin)1/4 t.+ red chili powder 1 t. Bengal Five Spice/panch phoram {or: 1/4 t kalongi (nigella seeds) + 1/3 t. rai (brown mustard seed) + 1/3 t jeera seed (cumin) + pinch fennel + optional pinch of fenugreek - all dry roasted)2/3 bag of frozen spinachamchur (unripe mango powder) - to taste, 1-2 t. (or sub. lemon juice or an amchur-based chaat masala)chopped cilantro
* Just use all vegetable oil or coconut oil if you’re vegan.
1. Steam sweet potato, covered and in 1” water, for 6 minutes in microwave. Remove and drain water.
2. Heat pan to medium/medium high. Add oil, when hot add 1/2 t. jeera & 1/2 t. rai & chilies. When they begin to crackle, quickly add onion.
3. Stir onion for about 10 minutes, until golden and starting to brown on some edges. You can add salt partway through sautéing the onions.
4. Add garlic and ginger and reduce heat a bit. Stir for a minute and then add sweet potatoes, stirring to keep the garlic and ginger from burning.
5. Add ground jeera, chili powder and panch phoram. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add frozen spinach and continue stirring for several minutes until spinach is heated all the way through.
7. Season with salt and amchur to taste. Though a handful of chopped cilantro on right before serving.](http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/lifeafterchocolate/2436219321/1/tumblr_ldwixfVGRr1qe1gkf)
![last flowers of summer
[photo: a small rectangular vase sits on a window sill overlooking a white house capped by blue sky. The vase is filled in the bottom with pebbles, on top with blue cornflowers, crimson and saffron-yellow nasturtiums, and a sprig of rosemary.]](http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/lifeafterchocolate/1321810249/1/tumblr_lacixh6FOy1qe1gkf)
