King Arthur Bakealong Challenge

It turns out, learning to bake with wheat has a learning curve.

This was my first attempt at pizza dough. It got away from me somewhat.

Learning to bake without wheat was enormously frustrating. I'm now a bit intimidated about going back.

Serendipitously, I got an email from King Arthur about their monthly bakealong. I may have been getting these for ages (I have no idea how long they have been running this) but I used to ignore the King Arthur emails because of wheat. This caught my eye.

I would love to have friends join me in my quest to be a better baker. I will admit I love this is a monthly challenge. I barely successfully shower every day; I am bound to fail any daily challenge.

For June, King Arthur is making baguettes. Because I have complete understanding of those with food restrictions, if you are wheat free, here is an amazing  gluten free version from Gluten Free Jules. She even has directions at the bottom for a yeast free version. All of her recipes come with adaptions to be free of the top 8 allergens.

Let me know if you decide to bakealong!

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 Dog Treats

In honor of National Dog Day, I'm going to share a couple of "recipes" (more like directions) for dog treats I make for this guy

He has been known to have digestive issues from liking his snacks a little too much. So, this first recipe is for those who want to have their treats and eat them too.

Pumpkin Dog Treats

1 can pumpkin

flour

Really, that is it. I put one can of pumpkin in the mixer. I add flour (for us, a blend of whatever GF I have on hand) until the mixture is able to be rolled.

Roll out thinly, cut into squares (or whatever shape) and bake for 20 min at 375. Flip and bake for another 20 min.

These can be stored at room temperature.

A photo posted by AllergicRevolution (@allergicrevolution) on Apr 23, 2016 at 2:50pm PDT

Liver treats

This one is for people who buy their meat in large quantities and so end up with offal. Or, those who don't mind handling offal for their dogs.

Ingredients

Beef Liver

Yup, that is it.

Cut the liver into small pieces (this is much easier if it is still partially frozen). I have a dehydrate setting on my oven but if you don't, you can set your oven to 200. Put on parchment paper on cookie sheets. I dehydrated it for a total of 2 hours, flipping at the 1 hour mark. That was not long enough and they are still sticky. I would recommend flipping every hour and dehydrating for at least  4 hours. I will update when I try this.

Especially because they are not completely dry, I am storing this in the refrigerator.

 

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.

Allergy Friendly Copycat Candy Bars

Or, how I came to make two of my least favorite candies

When I was a child, I loved Butterfingers, one of my absolute favorites. I must have overindulged (a King sized bar was to blame I believe) and I had a nightmare. I ate a Butterfinger and ended up blowing an oil bubble as a result. It's pretty tame as nightmares go, but I was done with butterfingers. 

As an adult, I would have an occasional snack-sized bar, but I never regained my love. However, for the past couple years, I have been seeing easy homemade Butterfinger recipes and finally decided to give it a try.

Peanut Free Butterfingers

Free of: peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish, shellfish, milk       

Contains: Soy and Egg

*The soy means that James will not be able to eat them. It is in the form of soy protein in the candy corn. Luckily, I caught this before offering a taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups candy corn

2 cups Sunbutter

Chocolate coating (I used Vermont Nut Free dark chocolate melts)

Sprinkles (I used Target Dollar Spot sprinkles)

Directions

1. Melt the candy corn in the microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth.

2. Add the sunbutter and stir. This will not be easy and I recommend a mixer.

3. Press into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan which has parchment paper in it.

4. Put in the freezer for at least 30 min.

5. Cut the Butterfingers into pieces.

6. Using the directions here, melt your chocolate for dipping.

7. Cover with chocolate and quickly add the sprinkles on top.

Note:  Keep in mind that the smaller you cut the butterfingers, the more dipping you will have to do. This step may have gotten old for me.

And Mounds

I have never liked Mounds, not even as a child. They were only good for trading candy as far as I was concerned. However, I was not paying attention to our Amazon Subscribe and Save subscriptions and currently am buried in coconut. This was an attempt to use it up.

Free of: peanuts, tree nuts (except coconut), wheat fish, shellfish, and soy (yay!)

Contains: Egg and dairy (can be adapted to be dairy free)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup coconut flakes

2/3 c sugar

1/4 c cornstarch

1/2 c heavy cream

1/2 c coconut milk (in the carton not can)

2 egg yolks

2 T butter

Dipping chocolate and sprinkles

Note: To make dairy free, replace the 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 c coconut milk with 1 cup full fat coconut milk from the can. Also replace the 2 T butter with coconut oil.

Directions:

1. Put the coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan.

2. heat over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Add the heavy cream, cornstarch, and butter and stir until combined.

4. Add about 1/3 c of the hot liquid to the egg yolks, stirring continuously. This will help to keep the egg yolks from scrambling.

4. While stirring continuously, add the egg yolk mixture to the pan.

5. Add the coconut flakes to the pan and stir until the mixture thickens.

6. Allow to cool in the refrigerator. Then place in the food processor and pulse until you have a smooth mixture. This step might not be necessary depending on the thickness of your coconut flakes.

7. Roll into balls (or flat ovals to copy Mounds more exactly).

8. Again, melt the dipping chocolate and use to cover each one. Add the sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet.

 

Chocolate Dipped, Wheat Free (Gluten Free) Graham Crackers

Why Not out of a Box?

James is avoiding legumes, and so far, I have yet to find a wheat free graham cracker that does not have pea protein as an ingredient. I am open to suggestions! However, these are not that difficult and tasty to boot.

Free of: Peanuts, wheat/gluten, eggs, fish, shellfish, legumes (soy-see below)

Depending on comfort level/variation: tree nuts (contains coconut), milk (type of chocolate/shortening you use), soy (lecithin depending on type of chocolate)

Ingredients

1 c GF all purpose mix

1/4 c. seed meal*

1/4 c coconut flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c butter*, cold, cut into chunks

3 T water

2 T molasses*

1 T honey*

1 t vanilla

*Ingredient notes:  I get seed meal from Gerbs Seeds but it can also be made by chopping your seeds to a powder in your food processor. If leave the processor on too long, you will end up with butter, so pulse the processor until the texture is a coarse powder.

To make this dairy free, use whatever safe solid shortening replacement you prefer.

To vary the taste of the end product, change the amount of the honey and molasses. The way it is written here, they will taste similar to a spice cookie. With all honey and no molasses, they will taste quite sweet, more like a traditional honey graham cracker. Use your preference are your guide.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°.

2. Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper, depending on how thick your final crackers will be rolled out. If you want the crackers to be crisp (good for s'mores), you will need 2 cookie sheets. If you want a softer cracker (more cookie like and also, I think, good for ice cream sandwiches), you will only need 1. 

3.  In a food processor, add from flour mix through salt. Pulse once or twice to combine.

4. Add the butter (or shortening) and pulse until blended and resembles cornmeal.

5. Add the water, molasses, honey, and vanilla. Pulse until combine and a soft dough forms. 

6. Sprinkle powdered sugar on the silicone baking sheets (or parchment).

7. If you are using 1 cookie sheet, roll out the dough to about 1/4", using powdered sugar as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. If you are using 2 cookie sheets, divide the dough and roll each out to about 1/8" thick.

8. Use a pizza cutter to score the crackers into whatever shape you want. Then, poke with a fork in a regular pattern.

9. Bake for 15-20 min, depending on thickness, until edges begin to brown.

10. Remove from oven.

11. While still warm and on pan, use a sharp knife to cut along the scored lines. Allow to cool for 10 min. Then cool completely on a cooling rack.

12. Using the directions from this post, melt the chocolate of your choice.

13. Use a pastry brush to apply the chocolate and place in the refrigerator for approximately 4 min or until set.

Bean Less Chili

We avoid legumes, because they seem to cause GI problems for James. So, here is our Bean-Less Chili with, like all good chilis, a secret ingredient.

Free of: tree nut, peanut, wheat, fish, egg, milk, shellfish, soy, and legumes

Bean Less Chili

Ingredients

6 slices bacon*

1 1/2 onions, chopped*

2 T minced garlic

1 lb ground beef*

4 T chili powder

1 T cumin

1 1/2 t paprika

1 t Sichuan pepper*

1 bay leaf

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 c stock

Salt and Pepper to taste

* Ingredient Notes: Chili is an easily adaptable recipes and I rarely make this the same way twice. For instance, I prefer slab bacon (I use between 4-6 oz diced when I have it), but didn't have it this time. I often add whatever vegetable I have on hand along with the onions. If I have made a beef roast recently, I use leftover roast beef, as opposed to ground beef. 

Sichuan pepper looks like red peppercorns, slightly, but are not related botanically to peppercorns, What they are known for is causing a numbness when eaten, but they will not cause that effect in this dish, having been cooked too long. You can buy this at Penzey's if you can't find it locally (they spell it Szechuan). The information I have from Penzey's as of 4/2015 is that they have no peanuts at their facility. They do make almond flavoring but the almonds are kept in a separate part of their facility.You should contact them regardless, but I do not know specifically the information on their other allergens.

If you don't want to use it, substitute what you like: extra black pepper, jalapenos or other chiles, hot sauce, or leave it out.

Whole Sichuan Peppercorns

Ground with Cumin

 Directions

1. Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry them in a stock pot.
2. While they are frying, chop the onions and garlic and set aside.
3. Grind any spices you need to and combine all the spices except the bay leaf and the salt and black pepper. Set aside.
4. Remove the bacon pieces and set on a plate with a towel. Drain most of the fat.
5. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring often, until soft and translucent.
6. When the onion and garlic are ready, add your ground beef and break it up. Add the spices, including the bay leaf, on top.

7. Cook until the beef is cooked and the spices are fragrant, stirring frequently.
8. Add the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, and the stock.

9. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, covered, stirring occasionally.

10. Remove the bay leaf and serve with whatever garnished you desire.

It's Done

I hope you enjoy!