Cardamom Ring

This post is really just for me (although you are welcome to read it. Ha!). Every year about this time, I go looking in my email for my grandmother's cardamom cake recipe. Then, I try to remember how I made it gluten free. I am pretty sure this is accurate, although if I find Christmas Eve that I'm missing something, I promise to update. I'm hoping that this post will keep me from having to re-invent the wheel every, single year.

This is our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. James loves it. He eats nearly the entire thing himself every year.

This is an "oven saver," actually an oven pie guard, but it's a family recipe and we always called it an oven saver. When i went to buy my own as an adult, this caused endless confusion. I'll try to save you that trouble (affiliate link):

When I was a child, my mom used to carefully decorate it with candied cherries to look like a wreath. We just as carefully picked them off because - yuck! I have chosen not to decorate it. There's lots of tastier ways than candied cherries it could be done though.

Cardamom Cake

2 c gluten free flour

1/2 c sugar

3 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground cardamom

1/4 lb butter, softened

2 eggs

1/2 c milk

1. Mix together the first 5 ingredients.

2. Cut in 1/4 lb softened butter.

3. Stir in egg and milk until only just

combined.

4. Spoon onto a greased oven saver.

5. Bake at 425 for 15 min.

6. Spoon on icing (1 1/2 c. conf.

sugar, few drops milk, 1/2 t vanilla).

Thanksgiving, Allergy Style

The food restrictions we will accommodate on Thanksgiving include: vegan, peanut, tree nut, soy, and wheat allergies, OAS to melon and tomato, avoids most legumes (not peas anymore! This means vegan butter is in. Hoping to re-introduce at least one more legume before Thanksgiving). My goal is not to make every dish meet every need, but for everyone to be able to eat a complete meal within their restrictions.

These are not my recipes, but the collection of what I will use and how I will adapt them.

Pre-Thanksgiving (with guests):

Avocado Pasta (with cheese on the side)

Taco Soup: No recipe, vegetable stock (4 c), salsa (1 small container), whatever add ins everyone can have and lots on the side. Suggestions for add-ins/toppings: black beans, cheese, tortilla chips, meat, avocado, corn, kidney beans, sour cream (yuck, not here).

Thanksgiving Day:

Turkey
Mashed Potatoes (will not make vegan)
Sweet Potato Casserole (will be vegan)
Green Bean Casserole (Will not be wheat and maybe soy? safe. James doesn't eat it so I honestly don't really know the allergens present. Also not vegan - my sister also doesn't eat it)
Stuffing stuffed pumpkin
        Vegan Version: Wild Rice and Brussels Sprouts  (but I replaced the nuts with sunflower seeds)
         Non-Vegan version: Sourdough Artichoke (I will use GF Jules recipe to make baguettes)
Pumpkin Ravioli with a Sage Pesto
     Pasta Recipe
     Pumpkin Filling (no cheese)
     Pesto recipe (pumpkin seeds to replace the walnuts)
Caesar Salad and Autumn Salad (to be vegan)
Gravy (not vegan)
Cranberry Sauce

Seriously, I already feel sick looking at that collection. But, we still have ...

Dessert:

Apple Pie (vegan)
Whoopie Pies:
     Pumpkin and Chocolate but both using the pumpkin version's filling

My Action Plan:

Making Now:

The pumpkin ravioli and the wild rice stuffing are already in the freezer. I am going to pre-bake and freeze some baguettes. And, I will pre-make and freeze the cranberry sauce. I'm hoping to test out and maybe freeze the whoopie pies before Thanksgiving. Maybe some "Whoopie! The election is over" pies.

A Day or Two before Thanksgiving:

Bake the sweet potatoes and prep the casserole. Make the green bean casserole. Bake the mini pumpkins, make the artichoke stuffing and stuff the pumpkins. Make the apple pie.

Thanksgiving Morning:

Make the whoopie pies (if they aren't done). Prep the salads. Make the pesto.

Right before eating:

Bake all that needs to be baked, make the mashed potatoes and gravy. Boil the ravioli.

My husband dos the turkey (and the gravy and Caesar salad for that matter) so that doesn't make my plan. He usually cooks it outside (either smoked or fried) so it also doesn't interfere with oven space.

Have you started your Thanksgiving plans?

Allergy Friendly Chinese New Year Collection

Twelve years ago, for the last Year of the Monkey, we were in China, adopting James. Technically, we were there just after the New Year; it's a lunar holiday so the dates move. But this year, the first day of the New Year and the day we adopted James fall on the same day, Feb. 8th.

For years, we had a Chinese New Year's party, with friends, food, and red envelopes. After James's diagnosis with food allergies, we stopped. Pretty much everything we made, had at least one ingredient he couldn't have.

Over the years, I have slowly started cooking Chinese food again. I am not one who creates recipes. However, I've gotten pretty good at adapting. And a hat tip here to Sharon at Nut Free Wok, who has given me the confidence and recipes to begin branching out. So this year, we will again be celebrating Chinese New Year - nut free, peanut free, soy free, and wheat free.

 I have collected here for future years (and others) the recipes we are using and adapting.I hope you enjoy them.

Appetizers and Soups:

Hot and Sour Soup (from Closet Cooking) Adaptations: I will leave out the tofu and double up on mushrooms. I will use coconut aminos for soy sauce. I used to make one low/no heat and one spicy when James was younger, but I think we can skip that step now.

Chicken Potstickers (from Nut Free Wok) with the GF wrapper recipe from Food & Wine Adaptations: Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos.

Egg Rolls (from Steamy Kitchen) Adaptations: Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos. Leave out the meat for a vegetarian dish. Replace the egg roll wrappers with rice paper wrappers.

Char Siu Bao Adaptations: Use the Char Siu recipe below, with coconut aminos, cornstarch, some cha siu marinade, sugar, and green onions for the filling. I have made gluten free bao before but have not perfected my recipe. It's close enough to work but still in progress. If I get it perfected, I will share.

Main Dishes:

Roasted Braised Duck (from The Woks of Life) Adaptations: Replace soy sauce with coconut animos. Wish me luck as I have never cooked a duck before!

Char Siu (from Nut Free Wok) Adaptations: Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos. Replace black bean paste with ketchup.

Desserts (100% non-traditional):

Chocolate cupcakes: The recipe is from The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free (affiliate link). I plan to decorate them with red frosting with yellow piped characters.

Fortune Cookies (from Honest Cooking) Adaptations: I plan to dip them in white chocolate and add red sugar sprinkles.

A New Epi-pen Case for Christmas

I know many people are looking for new epi-pen cases, particularly for teens, after the Auvi-Q recall. I bought James this one .

(That's the Super Smash Bros symbol for non-Nintendo fans out there. The shop has a lot of different images). 

I have no relationship (other than being a customer) with this shop. I like this case because it seems like it will be large enough to hold the epi-pens when they are in the Veta Case.

Kindness of Strangers

We have been the recipients of many kind deeds from strangers this year - someone bought our lunch at In and Out, an online friend bought James an art class, people have willingly put away their peanut butter sandwiches when standing in line - and then, another person from a Facebook group gave us tickets to Disneyland's Halloween Party. I will admit to being completely overwhelmed by this generosity.

Our Night, Allergy Wise

Trick or Treating

As per an email from Disneyland Special Diets, I went to Town Hall to ask about trick or treating for those with allergies. James was not interested in trick or treating much - there was so much to do non-food related - but I still wanted to get the information so I could relay it. I was told that in previous years, information on the candy was kept at Town Hall, but now you should ask at each Trick or treat station. The cast members there should get you something from below their stand. 

We only went to one area with no line for trick or treating. The cast members there really knew nothing about allergies and dug through the candy to get what we told them was safe. There were four stops in this area and by the third, James was asking for carrot sticks and potato chips (the alternative snack) to avoid the hassle. It was not at all a big deal for him, but I can see that a younger kid might be more disappointed. It would be nice if they trained the people handing out candy as well as the chefs or had allergy friendly stations (maybe with non-food treats).

There were teal pumpkins at some of the stations, but these were only for decoration and had nothing to do with the Teal Pumpkin Project.

Dinner

James wanted pizza, so we headed to Pizza Port. The chef there informed us that they could not guarantee "that nut particles wouldn't end up in his pizza." She directed us to Tomorrowland Terrace, where they had no tree nuts or peanuts in the kitchen. The chef there was thorough, going over each ingredient several times. For instance, there was soy in the regular hamburger bun, but not the gluten-free one. The fries were cooked in soybean oil, but in their own fryer. We felt very comfortable with the care given to his order.

Non-Food Celebration

If there is a place where the food really doesn't matter, then this was it. We didn't stop except to eat dinner, and then we watched the Monsters U Dance Party. From the time we arrived until leaving, we rode every ride on our wishlist. The lines were virtually non-existent during the party. We watched the parade and fireworks.

Taking the focus off of food and onto fun is a good idea for everyone, not only those that are food allergic.

What plans do you have for Halloween that are not focused on food?

 

Teal Pumpkin Project

James's first reaction was the day before Halloween, three years ago. On Halloween night, with no diagnosis (although we were pretty sure it was the nuts he had been eating), I sent him trick or treating with his friends, no adults, his new epi-pens in his candy bag, with strict instructions, "Do not eat anything."

That rule holds today. We buy him our own candy and switch out when he gets home.

Even at 13, he still loves everything about Halloween: dressing up, being out on the streets at night with his friends, looking at the decorations.

The Teal Pumpkin Project

The Teal Pumpkin Project was started last year in an effort to raise awareness for food allergies. I don't do this for James, because he, honestly, is perfectly happy with Halloween. I do this for awareness and for other kids with food allergies or other medical conditions. At a minimum, if you print the sign and make non-food (not allergy safe, because the requirements for that vary widely) treats available, you will have participated. 

We are terrible candidates to participate. We live in an area where no one trick or treats (too rural). But, I still participate in the easiest possible way. I bring my teal pumpkin, my sign, and my non-food treats to our friend's house, where James will be trick or treating. 

For treats, I've gotten glow in the dark bracelets and I will get mini-comic books from the comic book store in October, when they are available.

I hope you will consider participating. It's not about not offering candy (my friend will take care of that on her end) but about offering options.

The TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT and the Teal Pumpkin Image are trademarks of Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).

Pursuit of Happiness

Thank you to my guest blogger today, Stacey Cohen Sturner. Stacey is a mom of two boys, one who has a peanut allergy and the other diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Not only does she have a real-life job working to expand opportunities for those who have developmental disabilities, but she is actively working to expand her children's health opportunities as well. If you or anyone you know is affected by Crohn's, you might be interested in attending this International Research Symposium on August 16th, which she is organizing. She also pens the blog, Curing Jackson. I was fortunate to meet this dynamo through the Facebook group she started related to food allergies, Food Allergy Treatment Talk. 

62 Days of Happiness

Last year, there was a popular social media challenge, aptly titled “100 Happy Days.” The goal was simple – be happy 100 days in a row. We all want to be happy, right? Science isn’t so sure. It turns out that happiness takes a certain degree of effort… more for some than others. 

As part of the TODAY Show’s ongoing TV series, Summer Secrets of Happiness, reporter Maria Shriver recently asked, “Is happiness born or bred?” According to the segment, “One of the common denominators among the people they found say they CHOOSE to be happy.” The mission of the non-profit organization, Project Happiness, is aligned with this sentiment as well. It’s dedicated to empowering people with the resources to create greater happiness within themselves and the world. Reason being, happiness isn’t intrinsic to one’s welfare. It often depends on how you handle your day-to-day and what it throws at you. Relinquishing the desire to control everything and everybody. Letting life happen, the good and the bad.

I excitedly participated in the “100 Happy Days” project a year ago, almost exactly. On day one, I captured my oldest child blowing bubbles with the clever title, “Ready, Set, Blow!” On day two, my youngest child readied himself for his first day of camp ever. By day 22, our family had really embraced the idea of daily happiness and enjoyed a fun afternoon at the beach. It was truly eye opening how the act of seeking happiness brought happiness. We were happy!

It changed by day 34, the Fourth of July, which was recorded for posterity’s sake on my Facebook timeline with a photo of my little guy wearing a star cover-up and pushing a toy lawnmower (“Independence”). This was when my big boy was starting to exhibit signs of a significant medical condition. My display of photos and outward happiness naturally began to wane and felt more forced. Between days 34 and 41, he was becoming increasingly gaunt, lethargic and sickly. 

I pressed on, both publicly and privately, to prove to myself that happiness conquers all. I. Am. Happy. But the reality was quite the opposite. It became a regular struggle to project a positive outlook. Inside, I was falling apart. Even though doctors hadn’t yet put their fingers on a cause for my son’s ongoing illness, mother’s intuition had kicked into high gear and I knew that something was wrong.

Day 62, spent in San Diego for our summer vacation, was depicted by a photo of my youngest curiously watching a snail slide past him on the sidewalk (“Snail’s Pace). That day, I ultimately decided that I couldn’t carry on with the ruse any longer. It felt disingenuous. These weren’t happy days after all. Truth be told, they were among the darkest days of my life. There wasn’t a social experiment to express those feelings. So, I retreated.

Eighteen days later, my son was officially diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 6-1/2. No photo, no post, no positivity. However, after a lot of soul searching and time to adjust to our “new normal,” happy days did manage to return again. Because I CHOOSE to be happy.

Under Pressure for the Fourth

On the CHA FB Group,there have been multiple conversations about the benefits of pressure cookers and their benefits. Dr. Li has recommended them to some patients. To be clear, she has never discussed them with me, or any particular diet at all, except for asking James to stop eating cheese and amending that to less cheese at the dismay on his face.

The benefit of pressure cookers, for those with allergies, is that the pressure makes the proteins easier to digest than other forms of cooking. This post from The Food Renegade has a nice collection of abstracts outlining the research (scroll down to "But, Doesn't Pressure Cooking Still Denature Proteins in the Food?"). Here is another example, comparing the nutritional quality of microwaved and pressure cooked legumes.

The benefit of pressure cooking for legumes with it's fast cooking is pretty obvious, but we don't eat legumes. I still use the pressure cooker multiple times a week and recently got a question as to how I used it. It turned out that our July 4th meal was a great example, although we don't usually use it so much for a single meal.

Please note that the times listed are for the cooking times, not for the time it takes to come to pressure. I haven't timed that, but I think add approximately 10 minutes to come to pressure.

Also, I have an electric pressure cooker, which will affect times. If you have a manual, please adjust accordingly.

The Night Before

Potato Salad

I have included the recipe I used below, but you can use any recipe.

Peel and cube the potatoes.

The potatoes and the eggs can both be added to the pressure cooker, the eggs nestled on top of the potatoes, on top of or in whatever steamer basket/trivet your pressure cooker came with. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cook on high for 4 minutes. Release the pressure and put the potatoes and eggs in a waiting ice bath. Allow to cool, peel your eggs and proceed.

I have found that eggs are easier to peel out of the pressure cooker. No promises.

The recipe I used was adapted from Hellman's Original Mayonnaise Potato Salad Recipe :

4 lbs potatoes

4 eggs

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup sliced green onion

1 c mayonnaise

2 T prepared mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

To make the dressing, combine the cooked egg yolks, mayonnaise, and mustard until smooth. Mix together the potatoes, cooked egg whites, celery, and green onion. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Day Of

Ribs

I like falling off the bone ribs, whereas my husband and James likes ones with a little more pull to them. The pressure cooker makes the ribs fall off the bone tender like I like. Since we had a crowd coming over, I made some in the pressure cooker and my husband smoked some outside and everyone was happy.

For the record, the score at the party was nearly split, with the smoked ribs coming out slightly ahead of the pressure cooked ones.

I hope that he will adapt some Chinese style steamed rib recipes to the pressure cooker at some point, because the texture at the end is perfect.

That said, for BBQ style ribs, here is how we cook them:

1. Cut the ribs into 3-4 ribs sections. Our pressure cooker is 6 quarts and can hold about 2 lbs of ribs at a time.

2. Season the ribs with whatever spices you like.

3. Place the ribs in the pressure cooker and just cover with water.

4. Cook at high pressure for 18-22 min (I split the difference and use 20 min).

5. Release the pressure and allow to sit for 10 min.

6. Pull the ribs out of the water and let sit for 5-10 min.

7. Use a BBQ sauce of your preference on the rib and grill for 5 min per side.

I was doing 2 racks of ribs. The pressure cooker needs time to sit and cook in between uses, so I let both the ribs and the pressure cooker sit for 5-10 min. Then, I repeated the steps.

Corn on the Cob

For the party, I cut the corn in half, but you can leave it whole. The directions don't change. Put in the steaming basket or trivet. Add water. Amounts depend on how much corn. I used ten 1/2 ears and 1 1/2 cups of water. The timing won't change - 2 minutes at high pressure and then release the pressure.

Final thoughts

I love the pressure cooker, the way some people love their slow cooker. James would never eat any food out of a slow cooker because of the texture, but there's never any complaints about the pressure cooker.

Things I love:

1. It uses little energy.

2. It doesn't heat up the house.

3. It's fast.

4. It's easy.

On a usual basis, I use it at least a couple times a week. It has replaced our rice cooker. In the "not quite so hot months," (some places refer to them as winter), I make stock and soup. James will eat pretty much any vegetable in a soup, but the soups he loves are canned soups, with their ultra-soft vegetables. Pressure cooking soups gives you ultra soft vegetables. When I have stock, it is simple to make soup at lunch in 6 minutes for a healthier lunch than he otherwise would have.

I have this 6 qt Cuisnart Pressure Cooker   (affiliate link) 

If you are not as much of a wimp as I am, stove top pressure cookers can be very inexpensive. I understand they are very safe but I like the easy button.

Holidays with Food Allergies

Is it any wonder that holidays and parties are a source of stress for those with food allergies?

July 4, 2005 Head to toe hives and the start of chronic urticaria

May 27, 2012 Home from a friend's birthday, head to toe hives

October 30, 2013 Day before Halloween and first known serious food reaction

June 30, 2014 Day before his birthday, self-administered epi-pen, Urgent Care visit

October 19, 2014 Flushed face and swollen eyes during Halloween party

And these are the only the incidents I remember or thought to record. So how do you get safely through the holidays?

Have a Plan

James always goes to parties (and holidays) now with his own food. He's become more conscious about if nuts are served, wiping his hands frequently when touching things (which is what happened during the Oct. 19th reaction). We let the host of the party know his allergies and that he'll be bringing his own food. He usually brings enough dessert to share. And of course, he always has his epi-pens. But, he never skips an event because of his allergies.

This is what works for us. James is 12 and the high school (and college) years are not far off. For any tween (and teen) kid, learning to navigate the world independently is what these years are about. For us, food allergies add another layer, but do not negate that need. Depending on the age of your children and the severity of their allergies, you may handle these situations differently. But, having a plan in advance so you are prepared and can relax is the key to being able to enjoy yourself.

Create New Traditions (aka It's only Food)

I firmly believe that I can pretty closely replicate any food tradition in an allergy friendly form my family wants. And have spent a lot of time (and calories) doing so. But, it's only food. I think one reason we get attached is we have memories of having the same food, year after year, throughout our childhood. But, you can certainly repeat other traditions, that can grow in complexity as your children age.

Here's a brief list to get you started of non-food ideas for this Easter:

• Cascarones/Confetti filled eggs (use plastic eggs for the egg allergic)
• Tie Dye
• Get a new game and play it (last year we got an outdoor game but this year, video game, of course)
• Grow real grass in their Easter basket (late for this year, but I got my nieces some cute little pots with faces to grow grass from Target, not good for those with environmental allergies)
• Go for a bike ride/hike/geocache

What do you do to create successful holidays for your food allergic child?

Happy Easter!