sprouts!

I am a very delinquent blogger here. apologies. i have been traveling and not cooking, resuming my hospital cafeteria salad diet so there haven't been a lot of new recipes to share. there is something i am about to try, and one thing i have been recently exposed to while traveling--brussel sprouts.

I have a feeling that will get a very mixed reaction from y'all but hear me out--i feel that sprouts have gotten a bad reputation. They are actually quite delicious when cooked properly and also very nutritious! Wikipedia tells me "They contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre. Moreover, they are believed to protect against colon cancer, because they contain sinigrin." Thomas Jefferson himself grew them at Monticello. With a recommendation like that...

Cut the sprouts in half. Get a frying pan good and hot and add oil and brussel sprouts flat side down. Let them brown nicely on that side. Shake them around and good a while longer. If they need to, you can ad a tiny bit of water, put the lid on until they are eating consistency. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme if you like. 

They really do need to be browned and crispy otherwise they're just soggy cabbage.

I challenge those of you who have never tried Brussel sprouts and have avoided them based on reputation to try them. Maybe you'll change your tune.

accidents

So sorry, y'all, to NOT be posted. but there hasn't been a lot to say! I've been really busy with work/school stuff and subsequently haven't been cooking. All of this is also happening while I'm staying with my mom, who has been doing all the cooking and grocery shopping. We can find some cool stuff, but mostly it's nice because i thoroughly detest grocery shopping.

In good news: my mom has perfected the yeast-free black bean burger, which was an accomplishment. It's very difficult to find something to bind the black bean and corn together, but somehow couscous works. Also, it was a good time to find out that couscous is not an allergen. I had it sometime in the last two years, but it was one of those super-organicy places, where I took it out of a barrel. There are so many potential allergens within that--the barrel, whatever the scoop had last been placed, poor storage allowing microscopic mold to take hold, etc. So I've been enjoying actually being able to have a burger again--in my own way. We take a Pillsbury biscuit, slice it in two and hope it doesn't crumble up too much, put the burger on it, cheese, and a dab of ketchup (we found a safe brand). It is a similar enough experience to the real burger that I have been eating these fairly regularly recently. It's amazing the craving for a burger that hits sometimes--there are so many occasions in America that call for burgers.

So the other news is that one of the reasons why it's been almost a month since I posted anything is because I've been travelling rather extensively. It's funny enough travelling by car and unloading in a hotel room: garment bag, suitcase, purse, bag o' food. The fewer meals I eat out, the better. And even better: flying. I always wonder about the TSA and what they will let through. I didn't have any problems this time, but all I took was the vanilla cupcake graham goldfish and a sleeve of shortbread. delicious, but even my sweet tooth was down and out after a few 'meals' of this. Flying in the morning means all the restaurants are serving bacon, eggs, and biscuits. No fries. I can do fries. And then I flew back late, so places were closed. I texted my mom that I was almost home and please can i have something warm to eat, since i was subsisting on shortbread.

Overall, the reason I'm writing this now is to make an accounting for a recent event--I was out to dinner with a group of applicants pre-interview and we'd ordered some appetizer plates. I didn't know what was on each one, but the one in front of me looked like fried shrimp and some quesadillas. Nobody had touched it yet, in a polite, etiquette kind of way, so I went ahead and got things started. Except as I bit into the shrimp, I realized--NOT SHRIMP. CHICKEN. It was a very odd looking wing. And of course, not a wing, with no bone. Regardless, chicken! Chicken! It sounds so stupid--I accidentally ate chicken! but it's wholeheartedly true. I avidly avoid the meats I'm allergic too, and for good reason. Besides my anxiety ticking off the charts at that moment, knowing that my H2 blockers aren't going to be powerful enough to combat chicken, I knew I had to a) finish getting through the dinner and b) I still had my interview the next day. Luckily, I was able to order some scallops seared with lemon butter that was totally safe, and a safe dessert also. Sometimes when I eat something I shouldn't, I'll try to overwhelm my body with other, safe particles. Doesn't work always, but sometime it'll mitigate things. At the very least, dessert makes me happier.

I woke up the next morning and felt like I had done an intense abs workout, how sore my abdomen was. Luckily I was also suffering through a sinus infection, so my meds had kept me mostly knocked out and unaware of what I know is crippling abdominal pain.

And I made it through my interviews just fine. :)

I was also recently eating apple pie, which seems to be just fine...not exactly easy for me to distinguish, because at the same meals I had other allergens present so I couldn't sort it all out, but it was interestingly a very minimal reaction so we'll see...

And then there was the Greek food yesterday I was presented for lunch...I could not identify a single thing on the plate besides the grape leaves...always a pleasure to be eating out and have no say in my food.

But then there are occasions, like where I got to order the vegan creme brulee, made with avocado and coconut milk and something else, topped with raspberry sauce--it was amazing. AMAZING. makes up for some of the other stuff.

Never a boring day in my life with food.

chocolate chip banana donuts

I have finally wrested control of the kitchen back from my mother this weekend. It involved getting up and started before she did and also had me going, "mom, where's this? and then that?" because she's reorganized the kitchen in the years while i've been gone. But i have persevered to the delicious smelling house that generally indicated a recipe well done.

and the best part? Mom's allergic to bananas so this recipe is all mine!

Chocolate Chip Banana Donuts

·        1 cup Mashed Ripe Banana (Roughly 2 small bananas)

·         1/2 cup Raw Cane Sugar

·         1/2 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt (I use 0% Fage)

·         1/4 cup Unsalted Butter (Melted)

·         2 Eggs (Room Temperature)

·         1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

·         2 cups Spelt White Flours (You can also use AP Flour)

·         1 teaspoon Baking Powder

·         1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

·         1/4 teaspoon Salt

·         1 cup Chocolate Chips 

1. Preheat the oven to 325F

2. Using your electric mixer with the whisk attachment, add the mashed banana, sugar and greek yogurt. Mix until incorporated.

3.Add melted butter, eggs and vanilla extra and mix.

4.Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the batter and mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix!

5.Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.

6.Scoop the batter into a zip lock bag and seal shut. Using scissors, snip the bottom corner of one side of the ziplock bag to create your homemade piping bag.

7.Grease your doughnut baking pan and pipe 3/4 full the batter into each doughnut mold.

8.Optional: Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of each doughnut batter before baking. Or you can dip the doughnuts once baked in the cinnamon sugar mixture. You may need to paint melted butter on top of each doughnut before dipping the doughnuts in the sugar mixture to allow them to stick. Both options work perfectly.

9.Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool before eating.

(http://janieskitchen.com/2012/12/03/banana-chocolate-chip-baked-doughnuts/)

It was interesting--the first time i'd cooked with greek yogurt. Really not a big component at all, but a new thing for me. Also, i think using real eggs in this would be a big plus over my powdered-add-water-egg-replacer because the dough ended up being a little-to-a-lot dry and difficult to get into the pan, but you lose that nice eggy quality with the thickened paste of "egg" that I add. I have a container of egg whites currently in this kitchen (in the land of non-allergic people) but I still chose to use the powder. I've been having problem with egg whites recently so we're not going there.

So they do make your place smell delicious! Always a plus. And generally, these are the ingredients you probably have at home. I was surfing my pinterest recipes this morning, craving to make something new and this caught my attention--yes, i did have two bananas, and greek yogurt (it was banana flavored, but that would obviously work) and the rest is basic kitchen requirements.

they're rather good. Particularly when still warm and the chocolate is gooey. Mine were a little dry which I think is because of the lack of egg, but they're a nice way to wake up on Saturday morning. :)

A warm breakfast on a chilly morning.

pumpkin cream cheese

Voila! Quick and easy, though I recommend using honey instead of maple syrup. We didn't even try the maple syrup--it's not a staple in this house and considering that the whole concept of maple means it's from a tree and has its own subset of allergens....we stick with honey. nice and creamy on a piece of toast!

Also, I'm not sure what my mom ended up using instead of the pumpkin pie spice, but probably just some nutmeg and allspice. Balance to taste.

Happy fall y'all!

mini pumpkin rolls

hey y'all--it's almost fall! which means that one of my favorite food items is back in play--pumpkin! So far this almost-fall week I've had these delicious mini pumpkin rolls and also a pumpkin cream cheese spread. My mom made the latter for me so I have yet to finagle that recipe from her, but I made the mini pumpkin rolls so here goes:

MINI FALL PUMPKIN PIE CROISSANTS—makes 32

2 Tubes Pillsbury crescent rolls

4 oz. (1/2 block) of softened cream cheese 
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 – 2 T pumpkin pie spice (adjust to taste)
3 – 4 T sugar (granulated or powdered; adjust to taste if you want the filling sweeter)

Start with 2 tubes of Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls. Roll each crescent roll out and cut lengthwise in 2.
Beat the cream cheese, pumpkin, and 1T of spice together until fluffy and spread about one teaspoon of filling over each triangle of dough. Roll into croissant shape.
Mix together 4 T sugar and 1 T pumpkin pie spice and roll each pumpkin pie croissant in it.

Bake at 375* for about 13-15 minutes (this time is for on a baking stone) – you want them to be lightly browned and the dough baked through.

I used allspice instead of cinnamon which gave it a little different flavor. Also, I thought that the pumpkin spread inside could have been a little sweeter--it may have been because we didn't use the cinnamon, but somewhere between a teaspoon to tablespoon of sugar could have been a real benefit to this recipe. 

I enjoyed using the crescent roll dough, but I know that pillsbury also makes a roll of pastry dough (as does Pepperidge farm) that is safe for me to eat and I almost wonder if this would be better in a jelly roll format. These are great and bite sized, so a nice hors d'oeuvre shape, but a jelly roll/pastry dough version of this recipe could be better for say Thanksgiving dessert.

As a side note (side dish), check out this interesting article I saw on CNN about Food Allergies cost. I obviously don't have the issues of my family losing productivity time to be protective about my allergies, but I can tell you that my food budget is unbelievably more in the post-food allergy age.

And now I'm off to return the "cherry tarts" my mom bought for me yesterday which are most definitely strawberry...it'll be interesting to see the reaction at the store.

here's to you

here's to you, who let me read every food label and patiently wait while I reread it more slowly.

here's to you, who welcome me into your house, and understand when I have to read every food label of every item in the meal you're preparing.

here's to you, who invite me to stay and email/text to see what you can buy for me...and for understanding when I bring my own food.

here's to you, who don't add a single spice to a food without checking with me.

here's to you, who invite me into your house while i'm travelling and offer me safe harbor from foods.

here's to you, who cook me food that seems bland and boring and IS bland and boring, but don't comment on it.

here's to you, who go out to eat with me and understand while I question the server. who understand why i peruse the menu before we even go out to eat. who doesn't comment when i proceed to scarf down every morsel on my plate because I so rarely get to eat such deliciously prepared food I didn't have to make myself.

here's to the server who thinks to tell me the pasta is made fresh with eggs in it and that the bread is made in an environment with eggs in it. who brings the dessert menu already knowing which item has eggs in it. (i tip well to prove my gratitude to you!)

here's to you who scout out places for me--be it to check if there's a kitchen or to tell me there's a grocery store here or a good, safe restaurant here.

here's to my mom, who cooks me shrimp even though it makes her anaphylactic and thus generates twice as many dishes when she goes to cook her own beef/chicken entree.

here's to my brother, who can't remember the list of foods and offers me bread, to have his wife reprimand him, to his comment of "just say no."

here's to my sister, who tells me to order anything on the menu that i want, knowing the options are limited.

here's to you, who listen when I complain about my diet and my theoretical anemia or vitamin deficiency.

here's to you, who understand that it's not gluten and I'm not a vegan.

here's to you, who don't say, "hey, I didn't know you were a vegetarian!" like there's some expectation that everyone knows I'm a vegetarian.

here's to you, who don't judge when I do eat something I shouldn't just because it looks so good.

here's to you, who walk with me as I peruse the fair looking for something safe to eat.

here's to you, who modify your holiday plans and feasts to incorporate something that I can eat.

here's to you, who text me from your wedding caterer visit to make sure that there's something i can eat.

here's to you, who understand why I don't tell everyone that i'm allergic to everything on the list and who understand why sometimes I eat allergens when people offer it to me.

here's to you, who say "we don't have to go out if it's too hard." who understand me skipping meals. who understand the lunchbox I carry with me almost everywhere and the snacks in my purse. and the pills.

here's to you, who send me new recipes. and to those who teach me the recipes of their culture.

here's to you, who understand my shyness and discretion.

here's to you, my fabulous support system.

Cauliflower Casserole

I remember my parents always being so proud of my siblings and I as kids for always raiding the veggie plates at events; we were, and still are, big broccoli and cauliflower eaters. So when I saw this recipe for cauliflower casserole on my sister's pinterest, I pinned it myself as a possibility. And I will outright say I didn't like it. I'm not a huge fan of sour cream and this had a tendency to collect in the crevices between the cauliflower. However, my mom liked it AND she took it in to work (since I obviously wasn't going to eat it) and they all liked it too. It's apparently quite good on certain dishes, like a baked potato.

It was a bit of work, since I had to shred the monterey jack myself. I also will caution y'all to make sure your steamed cauliflower is well drained--between the water that cooks off that and the cheese, I ended up draining a bit of water out of my finished dish.

• 2 lbs cauliflower florets
• 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream 
• 2 bunches green onions, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 6 sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Steam cauliflower florets until tender.

3. While cauliflower steams, cream together 6 oz of the shredded cheddar, 6 oz of the Monterey Jack,

cream cheese, and heavy cream.

4. Stir in sliced green onions, chopped bacon, and garlic.

5. Set aside.

6. Drain any liquid from steamed cauliflower and add hot cauliflower to cheese mixture.

7. Stir cauliflower and cheese mixture together.

8. Taste for seasoning, and add as necessary.

(If you want a finer texture, give a few mashes with the potato masher.)

9. Pour into a 2-3 quart casserole and sprinkle on remaining cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.

10. Cover dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is brown and bubbly.

I would also add that you could probably add a lot of variety to this--broccoli and cauliflower mix, more/less bacon (bits or otherwise), garlic or onions in greater quantity, etc etc. I probably won't have anything further to say on this subject because of the whole clumps of sour cream antipathy that I have going on towards this dish, but for anyone who likes cheese/cream, the world's your oyster. :) (but not mine, I'm allergic!)