Otai

I can feel summer on its way. I’m even melting a little.

Otai fits the season perfectly—a concoction of the best fruits of summer. This is a Tongan food, which makes it pretty common in Hawaii. We drank this up yesterday and liked the cool in our bellies. Coconut, watermelon, pineapple… This is what the word “refreshment” was made for.  

I’ve heard you can make this with mango, too. As soon as my tree gives us its bounty, I’ll be trying that out.

This is a drink that you slurp and eat in chunks. So you can justify it for breakfast, as I did.

Otai (makes a pitcher full)

• 5-6 C seedless watermelon, scooped out of the shell
• 2 C fresh pineapple, grated with the large holes of the box grater
• 1 can coconut milk (2 C)
• 1 can filled with cold water
• ice cubes
• sugar as needed

1. Mash the watermelon lightly. You don’t want it pureed—just chunky and juicy at the same time.
2. Mix in the grated pineapple. You can leave this out if you prefer, but I like the tang.
3. Mix in coconut milk and water and ice cubes. Stir thoroughly and taste to see if you want some sugar. I didn’t need any extra sugar because it was sweet enough. Serve very cold and you may need a spoon.

Jim's Pancakes

Dads are the best. They just are. This dad wins the prize. His whole blog is dedicated to making fun pancakes for his 3 year old daughter.

My son would just die for this crane pancake.

and this cereal pancake is pure genius.  Jim you are the man and your videos explaining how to make your pancakes are a riot. Your daughter is l-u-c-k-y!

Go check out Jim's Pancakes blog but make sure your kids aren't near by or else it will be the end to plain pancakes as you know it.

p.s my friend Natalie sent me the link. She has the best eye for this sort of thing. You're the best Nata. Obrigada!

hot dog pasta

Because choosing between hot dog or pasta for dinner is just to dang hard when you're 4 years old.

By the picture I'm sure you can figure out how I made these but just for your info don't  use more than 8 dry spaghettis at a time to weave through pieces of hot dog. Oh, and cook a little longer than you normally would, like a minute of two, or else the spaghetti inside the hot dog doesn't cook all the way through. 

Secret Recipe Rice Krispy Treats

I went shopping on Friday to buy some foods I could eat for the “Eat Like Us for a Day Challenge”. Did you know cocoa rice krispies have soy and gluten ingredients? Did you know that SPAM is top 8 allergen free?

I made some strange discoveries on that day.

Like this: I made Rice Krispy treats and substituted coconut oil for the margarine/butter. Even though margarine is made with vegetable oil there is always whey or other milk products in there. (The exception would be a vegan butter spread like “Good Earth”). Even the one I found that was based on olive oil had soy in it. I didn’t want to pour just straight vegetable oil in, but coconut oil actually sounded tasty.

AND IT WAS!

I was so happy about that. Because I really wanted some treats on Friday, and I didn’t have gluten free cookie mix or even alternative flour on hand.

Everyone liked the addition of coconut oil to the Rice Krispy treats and I think I’m going to make that a permanent change. I just made the perfect food even better. Ha.

Rice Krispy Treats (top 8 allergen free)

• 1 bag marshmallows
• 6 C rice krispies
• 2 T coconut oil plus a little more for the pan

1. Prepare a 9x12” glass pan with a tsp of coconut oil, rubbing the bottom and the sides.
2. Pour the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl and nuke it at 100% power in the microwave for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the rice krispies and 2 T coconut oil and stir stir stir until they’re combined.
4. Spread the mixture into the pan, cover, and chill. Cut into squares.

Eat Like us for a Day Challenge Friday May 14, 2010 MENU

I’ve been thinking all week….WHAT WILL I EAT???

Every time I think of something, suddenly it’s-- “Wait, that has cheese in it.”

Or wheat. Or nuts.

I finally came up with some ideas:

Breakfast:

Smoothie: 1 banana, handful of spinach, 1 T chia seeds (optional. If you soak them in water it helps thicken your smoothie), 5 frozen strawberries, 2 T oj concentrate, 1 T agave syrup and 1 C rice milk or water or juice. I’m also planning on making this topping, minus the almonds and wheat germ. I’ll let you know how it goes. I like to eat smoothies in a bowl with stuff on the top—granola and bananas, so if this topping works out with the bananas, I’ll be happy.

Lunch: Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

Dinner: Rice and beans. Maybe some steak, marinated in lemon and garlic and flash sautéed in the pan. Corn tortillas. Salsa.

That doesn’t seem too bad, don’t you think? I hardly would even call that a sacrifice. And you didn’t even have to buy anything weird.

Good Luck! Let me know if you have other ideas or plans!

Anatomy of a Jumbo Freezie

Isn't this just so right on?

(I'm loving carolyndraws.)

If you're excited about summer raise your hands.

Black Bean, Corn, and Avocado Salsa

In honor of the Eat Like Us for a Day Challenge on May 14, I decided to find an actual recipe that I use that could fit with this challenge.

Well, I spent a long while at my cookbooks before realizing that I basically eat wheat, soy, and dairy at every single meal.

Yikes!

I was looking in the fridge and realized I needed to use a few ingredients and a light bulb went off in my head. YES!

Black bean salsa. I love to make this, because it’s easy, can be made in big huge batches, and people are always asking me for the recipe (which is funny, because, 'recipe? for salsa?’ I barely pay attention to measurements for this).

The girl can’t keep her hands out of it, as long as I don’t put too much hot pepper in it. This time I left it out entirely and when I turned around to get my camera, she was going at it with the spoon. Ha. And I thought salsa was just a good excuse to eat chips.

I usually use my food processor for the first half of the salsa, because I’m lazy and it’s way easier than mincing onions. Just make sure you PULSE properly instead of spinning it around and around, otherwise you’ll have tomato puree rather than salsa. But if you’re not lazy, like me, just mince everything. I let Amaya cut up the other half of the cucumber for fun (with a butter knife) to keep her busy. I also recommend putting in a papaya or mango or even pineapple if you have it around. I love the sweetness added to it. Then a minced jalapeno in there is counterbalanced so well.

Black Bean Salsa

• 1/2 red onion (or white/yellow is fine)
• 3 medium tomatoes (about 2 C)
• 1 T cilantro or to taste
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cucumber (Japanese is best—thin and less seedy)
• 1 C black beans from a can
• 1/2 C frozen corn
• 1/4 t to 1/2 t salt (to taste)
• juice from half a lime
• 1/4 t sugar
• 1/4 t apple cider vinegar
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 avocado

1. Cut the onion into large chunks and throw them into the food processor. Pulse the onion until the bits are pretty small. Maybe about 10 half second pulses.
2. Core and chunk up the tomatoes and add them to the processor as well. Put in the garlic and cilantro. Pulse about 6-8 times until chunky.
3. Remove the mixture and put into a bowl. Cut the cucumber into small cubes and add to the mix. Rinse and drain the beans and heat up the corn to defrost. Put in all the ingredients except the avocado and stir lightly to mix them up. Taste and add more seasoning as needed.
4. Dice up the avocado and add to the salsa. Toss lightly so as not to squish the avocado.
5. Serve with corn tortilla chips (make sure they’re not cooked with soybean oil) for the challenge! Serves 6-8 people as an appetizer.

Follow the link to the challenge! Remember to join us next Friday, May 14th.

Eat Like Us for a Day Challenge Friday, May 14, 2010

Now, I complain a lot about cooking and getting my kid to eat. But let’s face it. My daughter can eat anything.

What if eating anything was the problem? What if your kid was severely limited in what he/she could eat? I’m not talking about picky eaters, I’m talking about being allergic to food. We’re often aware of common allergens—peanuts or milk… But there are some people who are allergic to almost everything. I say everything, because I look at the list they can’t eat and I think, “Whoa. That’s everything I eat.”

Eosinophil-associated Gastrointestinal Disorders (EGID) occur when specific white blood cells are in too great abundance in digestive systems (okay, so this is the really unspecific non-technical version) and these react to cause diarrhea, malnutrition, chest pain, choking, and so on. Basically, people with this problem have a variety of food-related allergies. Many of them have to avoid the entire “top 8 allergens”: wheat, eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and soy. Some people with EGID are allergic to other foods in addition to these—vegetables and fruits, even. When I say “avoid” I mean, labels have to be checked for even small amounts of any of these related products. Did you know Barilla brand pasta sauce is one of the few bottled sauces without any of these allergens? Even a couple of their varieties have soybean oil.

I look at that and despair. Feeding tubes and drink/food supplements are not uncommon in this group. Hospital trips, surgeries, research—these things are a part of their everyday lives.

But I’ve been reading a lot about these parents with kids that have EGID. It’s amazing how positive they are. Over and over they say that there is a focus on what they can eat vs. what they can’t. The parents know that food becomes an enemy and they work hard to try to make eating a positive experience.

Now that’s love.

Meet Katie, a friend of mine from high school who has THREE kids with symptoms or confirmed cases of EGID. I asked her to write about her children and how this diagnosis has affected their lives. Here’s a little about her family: Nathan is 4 and has confirmed EGID but Matthew is 1 and 1/2 and does not. We knew something was not right with Nathan from the time he was born. He had nasty reflux, was always crying, and would choke and gag when he would eat. It took 18 months that were filled with hospital stays and doctor visits until we got a diagnosis. Nathan wound up choking on a banana and having to get taken to the ER by ambulance. They found out then that there was something wrong with his esophagus. Nathan gets most of his nutrition through a feeding tube in his stomach called a g-tube. He is a very picky eater and has a diet free of the top 8 allergens. You cannot tell by looking at him that he has any health issues.
Our 18 month old Matthew does not have a confirmed case of this disease. As soon as Matthew started showing signs of EGID, we removed the top eight food allergens. Like his brother, he is on neocate through a g-tube and eats a restricted diet. He is also on oxygen at night and has neurological issues.
Starting when school gets out, for social reasons, Nathan will be on an elemental diet and then we will probably start food trials. Both boys get daily pulmicort  (a steroid) through the nebulizer. The only difference between them is that one has EOS on a biopsy and the other does not probably because he does not eat foods that he is allergic to. So I consider Matthew to likely have it but not officially diagnosed......yet. We are going to Cincinnati Childrens' Hospital for a good 2nd opinion on the boys in late summer/early fall.
Our oldest, Zoe does not have a confirmed case of EGID but she does have stomach issues. However, since we started eating allergen free at home, her stomach issues have improved as well as her behavior and performance at school.

Katie writes a blog called “Cooking Allergen Free” if you want to read more about her adventures in cooking.

To raise awareness for EGID, a facebook group has been started for the “Eat Like Us for a Day Challenge” which will happen on Friday, May 14th. Do you think you could go even one day without eating any of the top 8 food allergens? I’m going to try. The group is also asking that participants donate to aid research into EGID, which has no cure, and basically the only treatment is restricted diet.

Just to get you started even thinking about it, here are a few things you can eat:

• potato chips (you’d be surprised at how often I saw this as a recommendation)
• rice (yay!)
• beans (check the labels) or make it from scratch
• french fries (if you get them at a restaurant ask them to cook them in a freshly washed, separate fryer). Apparently Burger King is okay.
• meat (cooked at home)
• rice krispies
• oatmeal
• salsa and  corn tortilla chips (check the labels)
• Cabbage, rice, and Kielbasa dinner
• Doughnuts (special ones)
• Herb-marinated chicken breast
• orange juice (as long as the facility doesn’t prepare peanuts!)

I was amazed at how many wheat/dairy/soy free prepared foods are available at Whole foods and other grocery stores. But I was happy to find that cooking itself isn’t totally out as long as you have some resources. The website Living Without is a magazine for those with food allergies. Even if you can eat some of the top 8, a lot of the recipes in this magazine are for those with even 1 food allergy.

I don’t have food allergies. And suddenly I’m looking at the variety of food out there and just loving it. I’m so lucky! My daughter has no excuses at the dinner table.

But let’s be sensitive to those who do have food allergies. Just the social atmosphere that surrounds food must be a huge issue for these kids. When you bring cupcakes to school for your kid’s birthday—they just have to watch. Coming over to your house for a play date could turn into a whole Q&A about why eating that snack is forbidden. Food is such an afterthought for most of us.

Please join us for Eat Like Us for a Day Challenge on Friday, May 14, 2010. You can ask questions to the group and find support if you or your children have been affected by food allergies. You can also contribute to research for EGID at www.apfed.org. Leave us a comment so we know if you’re joining!

I’m also going to post a recipe tomorrow that you could make on that day, and you won’t even feel like you’re going without. Promise.

Sneaky Chocolate Cupcakes

Do you love the sneaky chef?  I go back and forth about this method, of trying to sneak vegetable and fruit purees into desserts. Today my son really wanted me to make cupcakes. I said I would and then I busted out some sweet potato puree and had him but it in the batter. I want to be a little less sneaky about what I feed him. YUCK! he said over and over again. Then he tried the cake batter and was all like, YUM!

Sneaky Chocolate Cupcakes- yields 20 cupcakes

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sweet potato puree
• 1/2  cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup baking  cocoa
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. heat oven to 350*
2. line muffin tines with cupcake liners
3. beat all ingredients with electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
4. bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

chocolate cream cheese frosting

• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1 cup Nestle Quick
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Whip with electric mixer on high for 1 minute.

enjoy!

Cookie Genius

Sometimes I just want to make something that only requires me to follow a recipe, and everyone will think I’m a genius when I do.

Do yourself a favor. Follow this recipe. Exactly. And everyone will praise your genius. When you take these out of the oven, you will be saying to yourself, “This is the best idea ever. I am amazing and I make amazing cookies.” Every bite you take you’ll be saying, “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe how awesome I am.” And then hide the cookies, because you will try to eat them all. Believe me.

The girl actually woke up pleased, for once, because I could put a beautiful cookie in her mouth before she started her post-nap syndrome.

Chewy, crispy-edged, melty chocolate, perfect cookies.
Pretty soon you’ll forget that you ever made any mistakes in your life at all.

Tips:

• Yes, it matters if you use bread flour and cake flour. Special trip to the store. Whatever. DO IT.
• Make the cookie dough balls bigger than your usual ones. They need to be a little bigger.
• Don’t eat all the dough before at least 24 hours is up. 36 hours is optimum, but 27 came out just fine.
• Use cool, unsalted butter. Not rock hard, but not very close to melty, either.
• Do NOT use a silpat. The bottoms won’t be crisp enough. I am completely against silpats for cookie baking anyway.