Monday, November 12, 2012

Addition by Substitution: Learning how to bake for food allergies

After hearing that you or a loved on has food allergies, it can feel like a death sentence to some of your favorite foods and recipes. However, that does snot have to be the case. Today, there are many options available in order to substitute for these culprit ingredients. In our house, the biggest contributors to stomach upset are dairy and gluten, but I've learned a few quick substitutions to help me get around them.

In preparation for the holidays, I have been trying to figure out what I want to make for the 13 members of my family that I am expecting this Thanksgiving. On top of pouring through some time tested recipes, I am also hoping to bring a few more to the table, but I want make them friendly to everyone.

In December, 2012 edition of Food & Wine Magazine, they had an awesome looking caramelized pear custard that I wanted to try but needed to tweek first. Anyone who does substitutions knows that there is no universal replacement and it is all about application. In this case, I replaced the dairy by either omitting it completely or replacing it with Maypo's canned coconut milk (I get mine at my local Asian market). I chose canned because I needed it to replace evaporated milk and needed it to be thicker than every day milk. You can use carton alternatives but you will need 3x's the volume of liquid than required and patience to SLOWLY reduce it down. I also adapted sugar sources but be warned, changing too much of the recipe can cause it to be a major flop. That is why I recommend testing it in advance, rather than the day of you big event.


Caramelized Pear Custard Pie
9" Crust
Pears:
4 bosc pears, peeled and halved with stem and seeds removed (you want then ripe but firm)
3 TB water
1/2c honey
1/2tsp cinnamon
1 TB vanilla
Filling:
3 TB Turbinado sugar
2 TB instant tapioca pearls (such as Minute brand)
1 TB vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4c + 3 TB canned coconut milk
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake weighted crust for 10 minutes then reduce oven temp to 350.
  2. Place remaining pear ingredients in skillet, except for pears, over medium heat. Add pears round side down once mixture starts to bubble. Continue to cook, continuously swirling and basting pears until bottom gets caramelized and starts to soften (10-12 minutes).
  3. Flip pears to flat side and continue to baste until bottom has done the same (5-7 minutes).
  4. Transfer pears (flat side down and stem-end in to make a flower pattern) to pre-baked crust and reserve sauce to the side.
  5. Mix together all filling ingedients, reserving the 3TB of coconut milk for caramel) and pour over pears.
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until almost set. Pie will firm upon standing. Let cool completely.
  7. For caramel, place reserved sauce over medium heat. As it softens, add coconut milk and continue to heat until almost to a boil. Remove from heat and use to drizzle over cooled pie slices. 
Completed pie. If I had been paying more attention,
I would have made sure that my pears were more evenly spaced.

Though this pie will not be exactly as the standard recipe would have tasted, it is still very good and it will not disappoint. Enjoy!

 

Friday, November 9, 2012

Recovering from the Political Runs...

Finally... It's over. No more ads, no more signs, no more guessing... The election is finally over.

This election was a tumultuous one... neighbor against neighbor; husband against wife and co-worker against co-worker. It's amazing after everything is said and done, the Earth still turns and it is business as usual. My primary hope for the next four years is that people can put aside their differences and do what it is best for the country as a whole.

All hopeful thoughts aside, I would like to say that I am extremely proud of my home State, Maine, for allowing for equality to prevail and accepting gay marriage into its constitution. As a heterosexual, married person who has never really quite fully understood the connection between love and marriage, I would never want to stand in the way of someone else who wanted to make that commitment and make it legal. I am optimistic that Maine will continue to be progressive and hopefully shed some of the stereotypes that it has had cast upon it.

Now, on to the kitchen. After going to the polls, we came back home and even though I really wanted risotto, it was late and I didn't really have 45 minutes to make it... not to mention I was out of rice. However, I did have couscous, which is a small "grain" toasted pasta and decided to use that instead with asparagus and poached eggs.

Couscous "Risotto" with Asparagus and Poached eggs
6c Chicken Broth
Pinch of saffron
1c Mushrooms (Baby Bella or Shitake)
1/4c EVOO
2 cloves of garlic (or one Elephant clove)
1c leaks, shallots or white onion, minced
1 16oz package of large grain couscous
1/2c white wine
4TB Butter
1 bunch asparagus
1TB Vinegar
6 eggs
  1. Bring broth to a boil and reduce to medium high, then add saffron and mushrooms.
  2. Heat EVOO over medium heat then add garlic and leaks (or alternative) and continue to cook until translucent.
  3. Add couscous and stir until coated. Continue to cook until starting to turn brown.
  4. Add wine and stir around to stop couscous from sticking. Continue to cook until evaporated. 
  5. Add broth by the ladle-full, stir frequently and continue to cook until broth has evaporated--at which point, add more. Continue to do this until pasta has cooked, starts to break down and appear as if it has started to create it owns sauce. 
  6. While couscous is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil then add asparagus and vinegar. Cook for 5-7 minutes until tender then remove from water and add to an ice bath to stop cooking (reserve water for eggs). Chop then add to couscous in the last few minutes that it is cooking. 
  7. Stir in butter and remove from heat to let sit.
  8. Poach eggs by returning asparagus water to a boil then reduce to medium high. Break eggs one at a time into a bowl and slowly lower into water. I find that a large stock pot can comfortably hold 4 eggs. Continue to cook until eggs are slightly jiggly when picked up with a slotted spoon (about 5 minutes). You want the whites to be cooked but the yolks to be runny. 
  9. Plate by putting risotto down first then top with freshly poached eggs. Serve with salad and crusty bread. 
You can also stir in about 1/2c of Parmesan cheese. I didn't because my husband can't do dairy. However, I found that this meal was the perfect balance of comfort food and decadence. Just what I needed after months of negative, political torment. :-)
Sorry these pictures aren't that good. It was so good that I forgot to snap a good shot.



Saturday, November 3, 2012

Eliminating the Processed and Getting Back to Basics

I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by. I feel like we were just watching the last of the ice melt away and, within a blink of the eye, we are awaiting the first winter flakes to fall. One of my cold weather preparations is to keep my eating habits in check, which is hard with the upcoming holidays.
My "bat family" all dolled up for Halloween
As you may have noticed in my earlier posts, I was making it my goal to eat fresh and unprocessed foods. However, we got busy this summer with moving, unpacking, meetings and summer fun. As a result, more of our meals were from restaurants or prepackaged foods; the consequence was the 20 lbs that I quickly lost came back even faster and I went from feeling bright and "fluid" to bulky and
 slow.

So, I made a resolution that, after Halloween, we were going back to eating nutrient rich, fresh foods. Our biggest problem is not liking these foods, because my three year old daughter will wolf-down broccoli and other veggies without a second thought, but more the foods' shelf life and the time to transform the food. I don't have the time to make several trips to the farmers market and salads get old quick. The way I get around this is by creating my own dressings and eating the salads in wraps- nothing amazing but it manages to trick my brain into thinking that I am getting variety.

The other night we had fresh kale with apples, tofu, cucumbers, and a quick cilantro-lime dressing and it was a big hit. The best part was it was FAST. I literally squeezed a lime into a bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and chopped cilantro and let my kale marinate in it while I chopped up the other vegetables. We eat have our own preference of nuts... I like flax and pinenuts; my husband likes raw sunnies; and my daughter likes hers with all other above and sliced almonds.


The hardest meal for me to eat, although very important, is breakfast. I am an early riser, and I am usually a get-up-and-get-out-of-the-house sort of person or I lounge around until it is lunch time. I always make sure that my daughter is eating the appropriate number of meals, but have always missed the mark with myself, which is one of the primary reasons that I struggle with my weight. The way I get around this is by making foods that last several days or taste a bit more fulfilling than traditional breakfast foods, such as cereal. One of my favorites is quiche because I can eat it anytime of the day, they are filling and taste delicious. 

The below recipe is a goat cheese quiche with sauted vegetables, homemade pesto, and fresh eggs. It takes about an hour, start to finish, to make but it can be refrigerated and eaten over a week (if it makes it that long). 



Sauted Veggie Quiche with Pesto and Goat Cheese
1c basil leaves, loosely packed
1/4c EVOO
1 clove of garlic
9" Crust (keep refrigerated in pie pan until needed)
1/4c goat cheese
1Tb Coconut Oil
1 zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
6 eggs
1c veggie cheese shreds
1/2 cup almonds, sliced
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a blender, place the first 3 ingredients in order, liquify and set aside.
  3. Break up goat cheese and place along the bottom of pie crust and keep cold while preparing remaining ingredients.
  4. Saute veggies in coconut oil (feel free to add salt and pepper to taste) until soft. Coat with pesto and add to pie pan over the goat cheese.
  5. Whisk eggs until they are uniform and pour over the veggies and cheese. 
  6. Bake on the bottom rack for 15 minutes to cook the crust then add the cheese and almonds and move to the top rack and continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes until no longer "giggly." 
  7. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to continue setting and serve warm. 
Can be eaten with salad, cottage cheese or toast. You can also switch up the vegetables (such as broccoli, asparagus...etc) or even add salsa for an extra kick!
Enjoy!