Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery

Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love .... 2/24/12

2012-02-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

===== LUNCHBOX LOVE #21 ====

Welcome to our weekly Friday feature, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love! This link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox, and if they're free of some (or all) of the top eight food allergens, that's even better :) We all need some inspiration when it comes time to fill that lunchbox week after week!

Today's feature is from Veggie Wonder. It's a fun Blueberry Bread featuring oat flour and GF beer! For those of you who are familiar with the Tastefully Simple beer bread mix, you know that beer bread is habit-forming (in a good way :) ). The beer not only provides the means for the bread to rise, but it adds a delicious, nutty flavor to the finished loaf. Remember to look for certified gluten-free oat flour if you are avoiding gluten. Click on the title above the photo here to jump to the Veggie Wonder site for all the recipe details.

Wild Blueberry Oat Bread

from Veggie Wonder

Now for this week's party! Please link up anything you've made that works for a lunchbox and is free of some or all of the top 8 allergens. Thanks for coming, and can't wait to see what you're sharing this week :)

Creamsicles and Candied Ginger (Or, Jello All Grown Up)

2012-02-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Creamsicle Jello Cake with Candied Ginger

Blood Orange Jello Flowers with Nutmeg

Yes, the kids love Jell-O, but it's filled with horrible things like artificial sweeteners and artificial colors. Take heart, however! If you can track down a box of Knox unflavored gelatin, you can make all kinds of sophisticated yet fun desserts with just some sorbet and a little bit of grown-up flavoring.

I had a pint of organic blood orange sorbet in my freezer that no one was eating, so I thought I'd try to make a few interesting desserts -- one for me and one for the boys. My issue with regular Jell-O is that it's kind of boring, so I scoured my pantry and pulled out candied ginger and nutmeg -- two somewhat elegant flavorings that go well with orange.

For the boys, I left the gelatin relatively simple, and just added the nutmeg after I had poured it into the molds. It didn't sink to the bottom, to my relief, and when the finished gelatin was inverted onto plates, it wasn't evident -- so they ate it without complaining and loved it!

For myself, I made a grown-up version of a Creamsicle, one of my favorite flavors. To the blood orange gelatin mixture, I added coconut milk (the creamy part that rises to the top), then garnished the finished product with candied ginger. Boy was that good! I used a glass storage container as a mold, and the final dish looked like a gourmet dessert when it was plated. Very simple and elegant -- and yummy :) This would actually make a nice dish for company. When was the last time you thought about Jell-O and company in the same sentence?

Creamsicle Jello Cake with Candied Ginger

1 package unflavored gelatin
1 cup very hot water
1/2 pint blood orange sorbet*
1 cup coconut milk (creamy part)
1 Tbsp candied ginger
cranberries for garnish

In a large bowl, combine gelatin with hot water and stir until dissolved. Add sorbet and stir until melted in. Add coconut milk, then pour into molds. Refrigerate for about 4 hours. Invert onto plates, then garnish with cranberries and candied ginger. (If you try to mix the ginger into the gelatin, the sugared coating will dissolve.)

This small recipe made two 3"x3"x2" cakes, as seen in the photo above. Depending on the size of your mold, you may get more or fewer servings. This recipe is easily doubled to serve more people.

Blood Orange Jello Flowers with Nutmeg

1 package unflavored gelatin
1 cup very hot water
1/2 pint blood orange sorbet*
1/2 tsp nutmeg

In a large bowl, combine gelatin with hot water and stir until dissolved. Add sorbet and stir until melted. Pour into molds. I used a tray of 12 shallow flower-shaped molds and had just a little gelatin left over. Depending on the size of your molds, you may get more or fewer servings. Sprinkle nutmeg on top of the gelatin, and refrigerate for at least an hour. (If your molds are deeper, refrigerate gelatin longer.)

* I used Ciao Bella sorbet. It's organic, and contains only orange juice, cane juice, lemon juice, pectin and natural coloring.

** Side note: Here's a cool post about the excellent health benefits of gelatin from Food Renegade.

Shared with Allergy Free Wednesday at Real Food Allergy Free and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free WEdnesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist and the Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Tea Party Tuesday at Sweetology and Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Thursday's Treasures at Recipes for My Boys and Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies and Jellybeans and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade and the Gallery of Favorites at Premeditated Leftovers and Fusion Friday at JEnnifer Cooks and Friday Food at MomTrends.

Sweet Chicken & Parsnip Balls

2012-02-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sweet Chicken and Parsnip Balls

These yummy little bites look like meatballs, but have a much softer texture. You can put them out for a nice warm appetizer, or serve them for dinner alone or with pasta. The addition of parsnips makes them deliciously sweet, and the bit of carrot gives them a nice color. The coconut oil will make your whole house smell wonderful! If you prefer a more substantial texture, use fewer potatoes and don't process the chicken as long. These cuties are a fun way to make chicken seem different, and the sweet taste makes them perfect for kids!

Sweet Chicken and Parsnip Balls

1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 lb potatoes (abt 4 small), peeled and quartered
3 large parsnips, peeled and cut in lg pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
4 - 6 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp salt

Poach chicken breasts by simmering in a large pot of salted water over low heat for about 10 minutes (longer if frozen). Drain and set aside.

Boil potatoes and parsnips in salted water until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Soften onions, carrots, and a pinch of salt in 3 Tbsp coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, about 10 minutes.

In a large food processor, finely chop the chicken, onions and carrots. Scrape mixture into a large mixing bowl. Then process the potatoes and parsnips with 1 Tbsp coconut oil. Add this mixture to the mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp of salt and stir thoroughly until well blended.

Roll or scoop the chicken mixture into 1" balls (makes 50 - 60 balls). You can cook these two ways -- either by frying in batches in coconut oil on the stove, or baking in the oven. If you choose to bake, add a good tablespoon of coconut oil onto each of three baking sheets, and cook the balls at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. Using tongs, turn the balls at least once.

Shared with Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist and the Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and Make Your Own Monday at Nourishing Treasures and Hunk of Meat Monday at Beyer Beware and Melt in Your Mouth MOnday at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and the Hearth and Soul Hop at Premeditated Leftovers and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Traditional Tuesday at Whole New Mom and Tuesday Talent Show at Chef in Training and Allergy Free Wednesday at Real Food Allergy Free and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFLGINS and Freaky Friday at Real Food Freaks and Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade and Fusion Friday at JEnnifer Cooks.

Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love ... 2/17/12

2012-02-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

===== LUNCHBOX LOVE #21 ====

Welcome to our weekly Friday feature, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love! This link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox, and if they're free of some (or all) of the top eight food allergens, that's even better :) We all need some inspiration when it comes time to fill that lunchbox week after week!

Today's feature is from Tasty Yummies, and is free of just about everything you can think of except for taste :) These No-Bake Oatmeal Chia Chocolate Chip Cookie Balls are dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, corn-free, soy-free, raw and vegan. Beth describes herself as a gluten-free, conscientious omnivore (I like that!). Click on the title above the photo to jump to her site and read all the details for the cookie balls.

No-Bake Oatmeal Chia Chocolate Chip Cookie Balls

from Tasty Yummies

Penne Rosa with Creamy Bacon Sauce (dairy free)

2012-02-15T12:16:00.004-05:00

Penne Rosa with Creamy Bacon Sauce

One of my favorite restaurants in the '90's was a wonderful Italian place called A Touch of Garlic. Their signature dish was a pasta "rosa," which was made with a sauce that combined tomatoes and cream, making it pink (hence the name). I loved that sweet, creamy sauce, but haven't had any in years. As I stood in front of my fridge today weighing my options for dinner, I realized I could combine a few random ingredients (leftover bacon, a jar of baby food) and make something pretty fancy. So I did!

This recipe is a great way to hide veggies in your pasta for the kids. Use mashed baby sweet potatoes or carrots for a mild sweet flavor in your sauce, and make sure to mention that BACON is the major ingredient -- that's always a big selling point at my house! Luckily, VeganDad is off on a business trip this week, so we don't have to feel guilty about eating meat :)

Penne Rosa with Creamy Bacon Sauce

1 pkg rice pasta (penne style)
1 24 oz. jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 14 oz can of coconut milk, creamy part only
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 jar mashed baby sweet potatoes
1 tsp salt
4 slices nitrite-free bacon

Cook pasta as directed. Place bacon on a baking sheet and heat in oven for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Drain on paper towels when finished. Cool and crumble.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, mix together marinara sauce, the creamy part of the coconut milk (reserve thin liquid for another use), minced onion, sweet potatoes (or you can substitute baby carrots), and salt. Heat through, then add crumbled bacon. Toss with pasta and serve warm.

Shared with Allergy Free Wednesday at the Willing Cook and Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist and the Homestead Barn Hop at Prairie Homestead and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and the Hearth and Soul Hop at Premeditated Leftovers and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Traditional Tuesday at Whole New Mom and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Midweek Fiesta at Food Corner and the Weekly Recipe Swap at This Chick Cooks and the Homemaking Link Up at Raising Homemakers and the Tuesday Talent Show at Chef in Training and Made From Scratch Monday at Living With Food Allergies & Celiac and Creative Juice at Momnivore's Dilemma and Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies and Jellybeans and Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Happiness Is at Rub Some Dirt On It and Thursday's Treasures at Recipes for My Boys and This Week's Cravings at Mom's Crazy Cooking and Make Your Own Monday at Nourishing Treasures and Hunk of Meat Monday at Beyer Beware and Melt in Your Mouth Monday at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade and Friday Food at Mom Trends and Allergy Friendly Friday with Cybele Pascal.

Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love ... 2/10/12

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

===== LUNCHBOX LOVE #20 ====

Welcome to our weekly Friday feature, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love! This link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox, and if they're free of some (or all) of the top eight food allergens, that's even better :) We all need some inspiration when it comes time to fill that lunchbox week after week!

Today's feature comes from Jo's Health Corner. Last week she shared her super-healthy Grain-Free "Lara" Bars made with dates and cashews for a high protein snack anytime, anywhere. I'm always looking for foods that I can send with the boys to school, and if you're avoiding grains, all the easy options are off the table. Jo's bars are easily portable, and they're free of refined sugar as well! Click on the title above the photo to jump to Jo's site for all the details.

Grain Free Lara Bars

from Jo's Health Corner

Now it's time for this week's party! What did you pack for lunch this week?

High Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

2012-02-08T20:22:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

I've decided that the greatest boon to healthy parenting is the muffin. Kids love them, and it's so easy to hide good food inside -- fruit, fiber, even veggies! Plus, you can serve them for any meal, snacks, or even dessert.

Lately I've been brainstorming about ways to get the boys to eat more protein at breakfast time. They are all allergic to dairy and eggs, so the typical options aren't available ... no omelets, no yogurt, no whey protein smoothies, etc. Only one of the three boys likes sausage (and I even found an organic, no-nitrite, chicken maple sausage at the store), but he gets sick of it after a few days.

So, I thought I'd see if I could make some kind of high-protein bread product. I always have a container of homemade gluten-free baking mix on the counter (see my recipe here), which I usually use for pancakes on the weekend. With just a few simple additions - poof! - we had muffins!

Normally I tend to add way too much sugar when I bake, so this time I purposely tried to cut back. I used molasses as a sweetener, and chocolate chips made with evaporated cane juice. The protein comes from the quinoa flour, the peanut butter, and a bit from the flax seed. You could always substitute your favorite sweetener or other nut butter if peanuts are an issue.

The muffin itself is hardly sweet at all (I'm trying to re-train our taste buds), so don't skimp on the chocolate chips or you're in danger of a mutiny among the young ones. Alternatively, you could frost these with a Nutella-type spread, homemade or otherwise.

High Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

1 1/2 cups gluten-free baking mix (recipe here)
1/4 cup chocolate peanut butter*
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp ground flax seed plus 6 Tbsp rice milk (or almond milk)
1/2 cup rice milk (or almond milk)
1 cup chocolate chips (or more, to taste)

Combine flax seed and rice milk and set aside. Mix together peanut butter, molasses and coconut oil. Add flax/milk combo, plus additional 1/2 cup rice milk. Mix well, then add chocolate chips. Bake in muffin tins for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.

* Our local store sells Peanut Butter & Co. chocolate peanut butter. If you can't find any, mix together melted chocolate and regular peanut butter.

Shared with Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Allergy Free Wednesday at Real Food Allergy Free and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet and Wellness Weekend at Diet Dessert and Dogs.

Tips For Managing The Stress That Comes With Food Allergies

2012-02-05T16:59:00.002-05:00

Join a gang...

Sure, there are challenges out there in the world that are tougher than handling food allergies, in theory. You could be living in a war zone, or maybe you got lost in the jungle, or perhaps a man-eating shark is chasing you. However, when you're living in the midst of the craziness that comes with food allergies, it really doesn't seem as though anything could be harder.

Between keeping dangerous foods away from your children, cooking every meal from scratch, shopping all over the planet for unusual foods to use as substitutions, trying to keep the kids from boycotting the foods that are safe for them to eat, making sure the non-allergic members of your household are happy at mealtimes... it's no surprise that we moms can be found throwing tomatoes at the neighbor's cat, or sitting on the floor next to the pantry eating cashew butter straight from the jar because we can't dredge up one more ounce of energy to cook something healthy for ourselves.

What's a mom to do? While I can't claim to be handling our food allergies particularly well, I can share with you the tips and tricks I've found while researching on the Internet. Perhaps one or two might work for you? Or, you can just join me out by the mailbox with a bin of moldy squash and we'll see if we can hit the garbage truck when it goes by. (You know I'm kidding, right?)

Ways To Handle The Stress of Living With Food Allergies

1. Learn everything you can. There may be solutions out there to the problems you thought were insurmountable.

2. Be prepared. If there does come a time when you just can't cook one more thing, you won't feel so guilty if there are a few "safe" foods in the freezer and pantry to fall back on.

3. Lower your expectations. No one will die if you don't put a completely different dinner on the table every night this month.

4. Find a friend or two who has a similar allergy issue at home. Even if she's an online friend, at least you have someone to commiserate with.

5. Help your kids find a friend or two with food allergies as well. When your child is happy, your stress level will automatically decrease.

6. Take a few minutes for yourself. Stepping away from the stress can help you rebuild the inner resources you need to tackle it again later.

7. Focus on what you (and your family) CAN eat as opposed to what you CAN'T eat. Try new and funky foods in whatever food group you can eat safely.

8. Practice your polite shutdown for those difficult people who may cross your path. Unfortunately, there are those who would spread negativity, but you don't have to get sucked in. Here's a great site with suggestions about what to say to a variety of uneducated people.

9. Look out for signs of burnout and get help as soon as you can. Don't let depression spiral out of control, and don't feel too embarrassed to ask for medical assistance from your primary care physician.

10. Try not to let your allergies become the focus of your life. Food does not define you. Regardless of how much time and energy you put into keeping your family safe, you can still be an art lover, or a mystery writer, or a runner, or Disney fan... let those things you love be who you are, not the things you are forced to deal with.

What do YOU do to keep the stress of dealing with food allergies from overwhelming your life? Please share your tips with us in the comment section...

Shared with Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and the Gallery of Favorites at Premeditated Leftovers and Freaky Friday at Real Food Freaks and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and the Hearth and Soul Hop at Premeditated Leftovers and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Allergy Free Wednesday at The Tasty Alternative and Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet.

Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love ... 2/3/12

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

===== LUNCHBOX LOVE #19 =====

GF Vegan Fig Newtons

from Tessa the Domestic Diva

Now it's time for this week's link party. What did you pack for lunch?

Shared with Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet.

Spunky Carrot Ginger Soup

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Spunky Carrot Ginger Soup

I'm rolling out a new label today for my recipes! I've been doing a lot of reading about the GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) and how it can help mediate behavioral symptoms resulting from food allergies. I haven't jumped full-bore into following the diet myself (yet), but I'm testing the waters a little bit by seeing what I can make within the rigid boundaries of the introductory stage of the program.

Today's Carrot Ginger Soup will work for stage 1 of the GAPS diet. It's simple to make and delicious as well! Over the next few days I'll go back and add a "GAPS-Friendly" label (or tag) to my older recipes, so if you're a GAPS family, you can more easily sort through this site.

This soup is SO easy to make. Just plop everything in a pot, boil it for about 20 minutes, then blend and eat. I'll bet this tastes even better on the second day when the flavors have had a chance to develop, but I finished mine on the first day! For fun, you might like to chop up a few hazelnuts for garnish.

Spunky Carrot Ginger Soup

4 cups beef broth (for meatless, substitute veggie broth)
1 Vidalia onion
1 lb carrots
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and shredded

In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine all ingredients. Your onion should be diced, but don't worry about making very small pieces (you'll be blending the whole thing later). I didn't peel my carrots, but you are welcome to. Cut them into about 2" pieces. Add a little salt if your broth isn't already salty. Let boil for about 20 minutes, or until carrots are soft. Cool for 10 minutes, then blend with an immersion blender. Enjoy!

Shared with Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist and Just Another Meatless Monday at Hey What's For Dinner Mom? and Real Food 101 at Ruth's Real Food and The Homestead Barn Hop at The Prairie Homestead and Mop It Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor and Melt in Your Mouth Monday at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Traditional Tuesday at Cooking Traditional Foods and Hearth and Soul Hop with Premeditated Leftovers and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet.

Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love ... 1/27/12

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

===== LUNCHBOX LOVE #18 =====

Welcome to our weekly Friday feature, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love! This link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox, and if they're free of some (or all) of the top eight food allergens, that's even better :) We all need some inspiration when it comes time to fill that lunchbox week after week!

Today's feature is from Sherimiya at Happy Little Bento. Her dragon lunchbox is absolutely adorable, and illustrates an important point about feeding your allergic child. So often our little ones want desperately to be like everyone else -- which at lunchtime tends to mean eating sandwiches filled with allergenic things and drinking chocolate milk from little cartons. Sometimes it's hard to be the guy who eats weird things in little containers. However, with a little extra effort, your child's allergy friendly lunch can be the envy of the classroom! What child wouldn't flip for a dragon in his lunchbox? Click on the title over the photo to jump to the Happy Little Bento site for all the details.

Chinese New Year Dragon Bento

from Happy Little Bento

Now it's time for this week's link party. What did you pack for lunch this week?

Shared with Anything Goes at Bacon Time and Shine On Friday at One Artsy Mama and Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now and Friday Food at Mom Trends and Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence and Teach Me Tuesday at Growing Home and Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different, Act Normal and Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello and Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime.

Is a Detox Necessary to Cure Food Allergies?

2012-01-24T10:42:00.000-05:00

Cigarettes and Gin & Tonic: The Hip Accessories of the 1960s

Regular readers of this site may have noticed that I have a habit of introducing questions for which I have no answers. I'm not an expert on the human body in any way; I'm just a mom trying to handle a diagnosis of multiple food allergies (perhaps, just like you). I am very grateful for the forum this blog has given me, both to share what I have learned, and to meet others in similar situations who share their knowledge and experience with me.

This week I've been reading voraciously about cleansing and detox. I was thrilled when the reader comments to my post last week confirmed my suspicion about a link between gluten and behavior, but I have noticed that my efforts to rid myself and my family of all of our trigger foods are being torpedoed by cravings for food we can't have. We've been on limited diets for six months, and our allergist suggested that we start to add back foods a little at a time to see what happens. Well, what happened was that as soon as we opened the door a crack, the flood waters burst in and we are having a difficult time limiting our "exceptions." In other words, as soon as we allowed ourselves to break a few food rules, we went bananas and broke them all.

Not good. Not only are our symptoms returning, but the boys are rebelling, grumbling that they don't like the non-allergenic food options anymore. I started surfing the 'net for help, and got caught up in the very magnetic pull of cleansing and detox claims. Rid your body of toxins! Feel better than you have in years! Well that sounds nice. But then I looked up reviews and results, and found a significant number of negative comments about the unpleasant side effects of detox programs, and the unproven aspect of their related health claims. While we don't smoke and drink daily (like my grandparents, above), food allergens can certainly be considered toxins, and we certainly feel addicted to them.

Sooo.... I am turning to you again, dear readers. Have you tried a cleanse? Did it work? Was it hard? How long did the results last? And most importantly, did it help you kick the gluten (or sugar, or dairy, or whatever) habit?

Thanks so much for your comments! Can't wait to read them :)

Shared with Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist.

Slow Cooker Pork with Dark Beer and Molasses

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Slow Cooker Pork with Dark Beer & Molasses

Sometimes, I just want to eat something that tastes deep and rich. Technically, I'm not supposed to be consuming beer because of the gluten and also the molds, so I didn't actually eat this dinner, but the family liked it, and I loved the smell that wafted through the house as it was cooking (all day!).

A few years back we were lucky enough to take a trip to Ireland, and I had the most delicious beef stew with Guinness. This dish mimics that taste. I didn't have any Guinness in the house, so I used a brown ale, and I was all out of onions as well so I had to use minced dried onion, but the end product was still a hit :) I served it with oven roasted potato wedges, which the boys dipped in the extra cooking liquid. I'm not sure if there is any gluten-free dark beer on the market, but I'll bet a regular (GF) beer would work just fine.

Slow Cooker Pork with Dark Beer & Molasses

2 lbs boneless pork chops
2 bottles dark beer (I used Newcastle Brown Ale)
2 cups beef broth
1 cup molasses
2 Tbsp minced onion
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste

Season pork with salt and pepper and brown on both sides in a large skillet. Transfer to slow cooker, and add the rest of the ingredients. If you need to stack your pork chops on top of each other, drizzle a little molasses in between the layers. Cook on low heat for 7 hours.

Shared with Hunk of Meat Monday at Beyer Beware and the Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and Melt in Your Mouth Monday at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms.

Nut-Free Berry Snack Bars and Lunchbox Love ... 1/20/12

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Nut-Free Berry Snack Bars

Welcome to our weekly Friday feature, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love! This link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox, and if they're free of some (or all) of the top eight food allergens, that's even better :)

Today I have a fun little snack bar for you...instead of nuts, it contains ground pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and oats, and for flavor I used dried berries and jam to hold it all together. You'll need a food processor to grind the pumpkin seeds (they'll be shooting all over the kitchen if you try with a knife), but don't worry about getting them crushed to a powder ... leave them a bit choppy for texture.

Nut-Free Berry Snack Bars

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 cups instant oatmeal (GF)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1 cup fruit-only jam (I used raspberry & blueberry)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut oil to grease the pan

Grease an 8x8" baking dish with coconut oil. Grind the pumpkin seeds in a food processor. In a medium mixing bowl, combine pumpkin seeds, oatmeal and sesame seeds. Add dried fruit and cinnamon, then stir. Add the jam and mix well. Press into the baking dish until well-flattened, then bake at 275 degrees F for 1 hour. Let cool completely before cutting.

***

At last week's link party, Life Currents shared a funky green muffin made with spinach and quinoa (not the flour, the whole grain). Click on the name of the muffin below to jump to her site for all the details.

Spinach Quinoa Muffins

by Life Currents

Now it's time for this week's link party! What did you pack for lunch this week?

Shared with Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Freaky Friday at Real Food Freaks and Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade and Farmhouse Friday at LaurieAnna's Vintage Home and Friday Food at Mom Trends and Happiness Is at Rub Some Dirt On It and Wonderful Wednesday at Ducks In A Row and Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist and Real Food 101 at Ruth's Real Food and the Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager.

Compulsive Behavior and Gluten Intolerance

2012-01-17T20:23:00.000-05:00

Zarouhi Soultanian, circa 1915

I know a young boy who is smart, charming, and has a sunny smile, but he seems to be falling deeper and deeper into the grip of compulsive behavior. He makes up rules for himself that seem a bit superstitious, but I think he is quite serious about his need to follow them to prevent "bad things" from happening. When he passes a mirror, he must smile into it. When he goes to bed, he must repeat the same sequence of steps each night, and his head must be completely under the blankets before the lights go out. When he is forced to eat something he finds suspicious, he whispers a special phrase to himself under his breath three times first.

At first, his quirks were cute, but as they have multiplied, his parents are becoming increasing concerned. Interestingly, I was reading an article today about "brain allergies," or the behavioral symptoms produced by ingesting allergenic foods. In it, the author mentions that compulsive behavior has been linked to gluten sensitivity. Other behaviors also linked to gluten problems include depression, anxiety, withdrawal from social situations, mood swings and even clumsiness.

As I searched further for other articles to back up this claim, I found a number of sites that assert that most mental illness has allergies at its root. The site Alternative Mental Health quoted a study (which was not footnoted) where 100% of subjects diagnosed with depression were also allergic to egg whites, and 80% of the schizophrenic subjects were allergic to milk and eggs. Scary!

Other studies seem to show that these conditions can be reversed in most instances with the removal of the allergen from the diet. Most food allergies sites insist that the additional step of healing the gut is also necessary for a full recovery (and to prevent relapses).

Those of us in the food allergy community are familiar with the success stories of mothers like Jenny McCarthy, who was able to lessen her son's autistic symptoms with a radical change in diet. Has anyone had any experience with compulsive behavior symptoms? To add to the frustration of parents dealing with these issues, it appears that a small amount of gluten in the diet can produce effects lasting up to four days after ingestion -- making it difficult to definitively tie behavior to diet. I am particularly interested to hear about instances of gluten avoidance positively affecting compulsive behavior.

Let me know what you've seen, heard, or tried, and how it worked. Could there really be a link here, or is this just another case of pseudo-scientists airing their theories before they're completely proven?

Sources:
http://www.centerimt.com/Research-Gluten.asp
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/brainallergies.htm
http://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/health_food_addiction.html

Shared with Family Time Tuesday at Celebrating Family and Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven and Teach Me Tuesday at Growing Home and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Creative Juice at Momnivore's Dilemma and Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet and Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

Chickpea and Arugula Salad with Warm Balsamic Blackberry Dressing

2012-01-15T19:35:00.001-05:00

Berries make everything so much more fun, don't you think? We've been lucky to find fresh blackberries at our local market pretty often this winter, and for Christmas we were even luckier to receive a number of gourmet pantry items as a gift -- one of which was a bottle of Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar. Vegan Dad mentioned he had been craving chickpeas, so I decided to see what I could make with chickpeas and blackberries.

This sweet and tangy salad is the result. It's extremely quick to make, and if you're a big fan of chickpeas and eat the entire salad as your dinner, you'll have consumed over 20 g. of protein! Since Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar probably isn't very easy to find, I've included substitutions in this recipe.

Chickpea and Arugula Salad with Warm Balsamic Blackberry Dressing

1 can chickpeas
1 cup arugula
1 cup fresh green beans
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp honey (or agave nectar if you're vegan)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp powdered)
1 pint fresh blackberries

In a small saucepan on the stove, mix together vinegar, honey, ginger and olive oil. Add 5- 7 blackberries and crush with a fork. Warm mixture over medium heat, add chickpeas and toss to coat. Add the rest of the blackberries and stir carefully to keep them whole. Warm through, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut green beans into 1" pieces, set in a glass bowl with 1 - 2 Tbsp water, and microwave for 1 - 2 minutes to soften. Don't overcook; you just want to warm these. If you are using haricots vert, you won't need to cook them as long.

Arrange arugula in a large, shallow bowl. Place green beans on top, then chickpea mixture. You may want to manually reposition a few berries to make the dish look nice. Serve warm; serves 1 hungry person as a main course, or up to four people as a side salad.

Shared with Friday Food Flicks at Traditional Foods and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Real Food Link Love at Butter Believer and Freaky Friday at Real Food Freaks and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist and the Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and the Hearth and Soul Hop at Premeditated Leftovers and Traditional Tuesday at Cooking Traditional Foods and Just Another Meatless Monday at Hey What's For Dinner Mom? and Real Food 101 at Ruth's Real Food and Make Your Own Monday at Nourishing Treasures and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Midweek Fiesta at Food Corner and Simple LIves Thursday at GNOWFLGLINS and Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet and the Gallery of Favorites at Premeditated Leftovers and Wellness Weekend at Diet Dessert and Dogs and Allergy Friendly Friday with Cybele Pascal.

Camden's Italian Wedding Soup & Lunchbox Love ... 1/13/12

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our weekly Friday feature, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love! This link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox, and if they're free of some (or all) of the top eight food allergens, that's even better :)

So, who is Camden and why is today's soup named after him? He's our new baby cousin! Born just a week ago, he's my first nephew and the boys' only first cousin. We're so excited to have a new member in our family, my youngest proposed naming our next recipe after him. And so we did! Here's a photo for you to oooh and aaaah over :)

So today's featured lunchbox recipe is Camden's Italian Wedding Soup. Our version is dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free, and I've replaced the pork in the meatballs with ground turkey. My boys think limp green things floating in soup are poison, so I've also replaced the curly endive with barely-cooked green beans. Would you believe, it worked! All three boys ate their dinners tonight, right down to the bottom of the bowl. I made extra, so there will be leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Luckily, they have access to a microwave at school, so the soup will be nice and hot for them at lunchtime. If you can eat dairy, you might like to sprinkle a little Parmesan on top of your soup, but it's fine without it as well.

Camden's Italian Wedding Soup

12 cups chicken broth
2 lbs ground turkey
1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
1/2 cup rice milk
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups rice pasta (penne)
2 cups fresh green beans, cut in 1" pieces

Start by heating the broth in a very large pot on high. While the broth is warming, mix together the meatballs. First, combine the bread crumbs and rice milk in a medium bowl, and mix until the liquid is absorbed. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Add the ground turkey and mix with your hands until everything is well combined. Roll very small (1" diameter) meatballs and drop into the boiling broth. Add the pasta, then five minutes later add the green beans. When the pasta is tender, the soup is ready.

***

At last week's link party, The Mom Hood shared a super-easy, grain-free cookie made with just three ingredients! These SunButter cookies include just SunButter, sugar and your favorite egg substitute.... couldn't be any simpler :) Click the title over the photo to jump to her site for all the details.

Allergy Free SunButter Cookies

from The Mom Hood

Now it's time for this week's link party. What did you pack for lunch this week?

Shared with Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist and This Week's Cravings at Mom's Crazy Cooking and the Gallery of Favorites at Premeditated Leftovers and Traditional Tuesday at Whole New Mom and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Tuesday Talent Show at Chef in Training and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and These Chicks Cooked at This Chick Cooks and the Homemaking LinkUp at Raising Homemakers and Creative Juice at Momnivore's Dilemma and Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies and Jellybeans and Happiness Is at Rub Some Dirt On It and Allergy Friendly Friday with Cybele Pascal and Farmhouse Friday at LaurieAnna's Vintage Home and Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health and Friday Food at MomTrends and Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence and the January Blog Hop at Fave Diets and Sunday Night Soup Night at Easy Natural Food and Hunk of Meat Monday at Beyer Beware and Melt in Your Mouth Monday at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms.

Lemony Garlic Broccoli Slaw

2012-01-10T20:20:00.004-05:00

Yes, coleslaw is easy, but it's been done. A lot. However, the smart folks over at Food Network came up with a clever idea to make coleslaw fun again in this month's Food Network magazine. In their version (presented as a side dish for Falafel-Crusted Chicken), they thinned some hummus with lemon juice and tossed it with shredded coleslaw mix. What a brilliant idea!

For my version, I used broccoli slaw (because my kids like it better than cabbage), roasted garlic hummus (for a stronger flavor), and I sprinkled sesame seeds on top for a little visual cue that "this isn't your mom's slaw, baby!" It's amazing! The garlicky flavor makes a great contrast to any relatively plain or breaded meat, and the lemon juice replaces the vinegar nicely. The Food Network chefs added sliced radishes, but I like to let the garlic and lemon be the major flavors. And best of all, this super-healthy side dish comes together in under five minutes!

Lemony Garlic Broccoli Slaw

1 1-lb. package broccoli slaw (about 4 cups)
6 Tbsp roasted garlic hummus
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Mix hummus and lemon juice until smooth. Toss with broccoli slaw, then top with sesame seeds.

Shared with Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Just Another Meatless Monday at Hey What's For Dinner Mom? and Real Food 101 at Ruth's Real Food and the Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and Make Your Own Monday at Nourishing Treasures and the Hearth and Soul Hop at Premeditated Leftovers and Traditional Tuesday at Whole New Mom and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Wellness Weekend at Diet Dessert and Dogs and Freaky Friday at Real Food Freaks.

Raspberry Crumble Bars and Lunchbox Love ... 1/6/12

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our weekly Friday feature, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love! This link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox, and if they're free of some (or all) of the top eight food allergens, that's even better :)

Today I have a yummy dessert recipe for you that's gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free. These Raspberry Crumble Bars are quite soft, even after they've cooled, so you might want to freeze individual portions if you're planning to serve them in a lunchbox. With a little bit of cinnamon (and a lot of sugar) in the topping, these little bars pack a great flavor punch -- use demerara sugar or maple sugar if you're avoiding white sugar.

Raspberry Crumble Bars

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup demerara (or other natural) sugar
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
3 Tbsp rice milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1 cup oats (use certified GF oats)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 jar raspberry jam
additional 1/4 cup sugar
additional 1/2 cup oats
1 tsp cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine flax seed and milk, and let sit for 3 minutes. Mix together the coconut oil and sugar in a medium bowl, then add vanilla and flax mixture. In a large bowl, combine two flours, 1 cup oats, salt and baking powder. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture and blend well.

Divide this batter in about half (60/40 will work). Press the larger "half" into the bottom of an 8"x8" baking pan. This will be your crust. Spread the jelly on top of the crust.

To the smaller "half" of the batter, add the additional oats, sugar and cinnamon. Crumble over the top of the jelly. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.

***

At our last link party, way back before Christmas, The Humbled Homemaker shared a recipe for allergen-free graham crackers, and I'm featuring it today so you can all have a chance to enjoy it! These crackers are gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free, and if your kids are anything like mine, they'll appreciate the fact that you're not making them eat boxed GF crackers (my middle son won't touch them).

Allergen Free Graham Crackers

from The Humbled Homemaker

Now onto today's link party. What did you pack for lunch this week?

Shared with Fusion Friday at Jane Deere and Anything Goes at Bacon Time and Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence and Friday Food at MomTrends and Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now and Thursday's Treasures at Recipes for My Boys and Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet and Tea Party Tuesday at Sweetology and the Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and Melt in Your Mouth Monday at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff and Tuesday Time Out at Reasons to Skip the Housework and Anti-Procrastination Tuesday at New Nostalgia and Crazy Sweet Tuesday at Crazy for Crust and Tuesday Talent Show at Chef in Training and Tasty Tuesday at Naptime Creations and Totally Tasty Tuesday at Mandy's Recipe Box.

Dairy-Free Swedish Meatballs

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

While Vegan Dad was enjoying his Sweet and Spicy Lentils & Rice yesterday, the boys inhaled an entire batch of Swedish Meatballs (served over the same brown rice with smoked paprika their dad ate). The meatballs were soft and moist, and had a delicious sweet flavor from nutmeg and allspice, which kept the guys ooh-ing and ahh-ing all through dinner -- love it when that happens! Made with gluten-free breadcrumbs, the meatballs also contain grated onion to add to the sweet flavor.

The sauce was tricky. In my first batch I used coconut flour -- and I had to throw it out. Yuck. Wrong flavor and texture. My second batch was more successful, using sorghum flour instead. I still haven't found anything that can duplicate the taste of sour cream, so the flavor isn't exactly the same as Grandma's Swedish Meatball sauce, but it was pleasant enough and made a nice change from red sauce.

Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Swedish Meatballs (makes 20)

1 lb ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, grated
1 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup rice milk
1/2 cup GF breadcrumbs
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax meal plus 3 Tbsp rice milk)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup beef broth
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup GF flour (I used sorghum)
1 cup rice milk
2 Tbsp grated onion
salt and pepper to taste

For the meatballs, start a small frying pan on the stove on medium heat. Soften the grated onion in the olive oil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the rice milk and breadcrumbs. Keep stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add the meat, flax egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg and allspice. When the onion is softened (about 5 minutes), add it to the meat mixture as well. Combine thoroughly with your hands, then roll into 1" balls and bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes in a 375 degree oven. The meatballs may seem wet at first, but they cook through nicely. Flip them after 5 minutes if you like (or not).

While the meatballs are baking, start a medium frying pan on the stove for the sauce. Melt coconut oil in beef broth over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lumps are gone. Add rice milk to taste (I used 1 cup, but if you like your sauce thicker or thinner, you can adjust the amount). Stir in a bit of grated onion, then salt and pepper to taste. Warm through for about 5 minutes so the flour doesn't taste raw.

Serve meatballs over rice or rice pasta with sauce on top. Adding smoked paprika to the rice cooking liquid adds a nice, complementary flavor.

Shared with Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFLGLINS and the Homemaking Linkup at Raising Homemakers and Freaky Friday at Real Food Freaks and Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health and Farmhouse Friday at LaurieAnna's Vintage Home and the Gallery of Favorites at Premeditated Leftovers and Fusion Friday at Jane Deere and Friday Food Flicks at Traditional Foods.

Sweet and Spicy Lentils with Harissa

2012-01-03T19:53:00.000-05:00

After all of our elaborate cooking for the holidays, it's nice to be able to whip something together with minimal effort. Tonight's dinner for Vegan Dad is a "pantry" dish that became much more than the sum of its parts! I stood in front of our pantry and loaded up my arms with things I needed to get rid of, intending to make something for my husband and eat something else myself.... but after I took this photo I made myself a plate, then went back for more!

The base of this dinner is a simple mixture of lentils and rice (cooked separately, then stirred together). I added a bag of frozen corn, the rest of a shredded raw onion left over from another recipe, 1/2 a jar of harissa sauce, then served the whole shebang over arugula. Wow! The sweet corn really stands out against the spicy harissa, and the bitter arugula cuts through the mushy rice and beans. I may actually go back for a third helping :)

My brown rice was over the hill and starting to get that stale smell (that my husband can't smell, but drives me nuts) so I mixed in some smoked paprika to the cooking liquid ... and it worked! I can't taste or smell that "old" flavor, and the smokiness works very well with the harissa. I lucked out tonight :)

P.S. Harissa is a hot chili sauce from North Africa.
P.P.S. Don't skip the arugula... the dish will be too mushy without it.

Sweet and Spicy Lentils with Harissa

1 cup cooked brown rice (preferably cooked in vegetable broth with 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp olive oil)
1 (1 pound) bag lentils, cooked (in broth, with a little olive oil)
1 package frozen sweet corn
1/2 cup harissa paste
1/2 raw sweet onion, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch arugula (or one box pre-washed)

Warm up rice, lentils and corn. Mix together in a large bowl and add harissa, onion, salt and pepper. Serve over arugula. You might like to add more onion or harissa if you are the spicy type!

Shared with Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist and Just Another Meatless Monday at Hey What's For Dinner Mom? and Real Food 101 at Ruth's Real Food and My Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory and Make Your Own Monday at Nourishing Treasures and the Hearth and Soul Hop at Premeditated Leftovers and Traditional Tuesday at Whole New Mom and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and Midweek Fiesta at Food Corner and Whole Food Wednesday at Beyond the Peel and Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet and Wellness Weekend at Diet Dessert and Dogs and Freaky Friday at Real Food Freaks.

Happy New Year! Let's Start Fresh...

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome 2012! This year, I will eat right, exercise, and finally stop wishing I could eat things that make me sick. It's a beautiful, sunny day today on Cape Cod, and this morning we watched a few dozen brave (crazy?) souls charge into the Atlantic Ocean for the annual Polar Bear Plunge. No, I was not tempted to join them, despite the lovely warm weather!

This gorgeous day is inspiring me to start fresh this year... no more whining about things I can't have, and lots more smiling about things I can have. I'm looking forward to trying lots of new, delicious recipes, both from my cookbooks and from all the wonderful allergy-free blogs out there.

This week I'm focusing on making some new healthy school lunch options for my sons. They're getting tired of rice bread and SunButter sandwiches, so I'm going to try a bunch of new ideas ... some wraps, some soups, and some salads. Hope they go over well! Check back this week and see what the boys are eating (or not eating!).

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas 1971

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

Have a wonderful holiday season, and I'll see you after New Year's.
Pop back to find lots of new recipes in January, and our popular Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love link party on Fridays.
See you soon!

Slowing Down For The Holidays

2011-12-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

Looking for some new recipes from me? Between being sick with bronchitis, having an old back injury acting up, and all the holiday hoopla, I haven't been able to cook much lately. But I promise I'll be back with some great new dishes in the new year, after a good long rest ... preferably on the couch looking up at the Christmas tree lights :) My link party, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, will be taking a two-week break as well, and will be back on January 6th.

In the meantime, scroll down to find my posts featuring an allergy-friendly Christmas cocktail party, Christmas breakfast and Christmas dinner. Lots of great ideas to steal! I'll leave you with this photo of last year's Christmas dessert, one I like to call "The Fork's View of the Christmas Cake." Have fun cooking this week! I'll be thinking about you :)

Allergy Friendly Christmas Dinner Menu

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Day 20 of the 25 Days of Christmas Blogshare! Today it's my turn :)

One of the best parts of the holiday season is the chance to share special meals with friends and family... but what can you do if some of your loved ones are allergic to your favorite traditional foods? It can be tricky to avoid gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, fish and nuts... the most common food allergens. But there is hope! I've searched my favorite blogs to find delicious recipes that are free of the top 8 allergens, and I've collected them here with photos and links to inspire your own holiday feast! Just click on the title of the dish to jump to the original post and see all the recipe details.

*** * ***

Allergy Free Vintage Cookery's

VIRTUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER

*** * ***

=== BEVERAGES ===

Cherry Mojito

from My Baking Addiction

Peppermint Smoothie

from Pumpkin's Pantry

=== APPETIZERS ===

Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms
from Made Just Right

Capri Tomatoes
from Manifest Vegan

=== SOUP, SALAD & BREAD ===

Garlicky Leek & Artichoke Soup
from C'est La Vegan

Red Cabbage Salad
from Wheat Free Meat Free

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
from Come Walk With Me
(use GF flour to make allergy-free)

=== ENTREES ===

Roast Chicken with Red Wine, Bacon and Rosemary
from My Real Food Life

Vegan Polenta with Chestnuts and Wild Mushrooms
from Vegalicious

=== SIDE DISHES ===

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
from Quick & Easy, Cheap & Healthy

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
from Clean Green Simple

Cranberry Orange Relish
from Gluten Free Foodie Heaven

=== DESSERTS ===

Chocolate Yule Log
from Pig in the Kitchen

Vegan Caramel Flan with Cranberries
from Hobby and More

Have a wonderful holiday everyone!

Shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff and the Hearth and Soul Hop with Premeditated Leftovers and Anti-Procrastination Tuesday at New Nostalgia and Tuesday Talent Show at Chef in Training and Tasty Tuesday at Naptime Creations and Seasonal Inspiration at Crumbs and Chaos and the Holiday Link Party at Momnivore's Dilemma and This Week's Cravings at Mom's Crazy Cooking and Tasty Tuesday at 33 Shades of Green and Gluten Free Wednesday at the Gluten Free Homemaker and the Homemaking Linkup at Raising Homemakers and Teach Me Tuesday at Growing Home.