0 Recipe: Vegan Lentil Soup with Spinach and Avocado

Lentil soup January 13, 2015, 1:03pm

Lentil soup is one of my go-to recipes.
It’s vegan. (But you can add sausage to much delight!) 
It’s food allergy free. (Top 8 allergen free, but not for you legume allergic folks, natch)
It’s hearty. 
It’s incredibly healthy.
It only takes about an hour to cook.
And it has infinite varieties. 

This week, my lentil soup includes spinach, a squeeze of lemon and a half a perfectly ripe avocado. Here’s the recipe. Makes 4, 1 cup servings.

Lentil Soup with Spinach and Avocado

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of green lentils, rinsed 
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, skinned and minced
2 carrots, scraped and chopped
1 large bay leaf (or two small ones)
Fresh baby spinach, one handful per serving of soup (broccoli, chard, kale, collards or escarole works beautifully here, too)
¼ fresh lemon to garnish (lime would be perfect, too!)
½ ripe avocado to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Water (you could use commercial chicken broth or veg broth if you like, just cut out the salt)

DIRECTIONS
In a large heavy bottomed pot on medium heat, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent and fragrant (5-7minutes). Add in garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes, also until fragrant. Then add carrots and sauté the whole lot for another minute or two.  Add lentils and bay leaf, stir into veggie mixture until coated and mixed through. 

Add 8 -10 cups of water and one teaspoon of salt (you can add more salt and/or water as needed). Bring the whole mixture to a boil and then simmer for 45-minutes to an hour until lentils are tender. Adjust seasonings i.e. add more salt and freshly ground pepper.

When you’re ready to serve, add your favorite greens and warm through by stirring into the soup still simmering on the stove. It will only take a minute or two for the greens to cook and brighten; that's when they are at their best. This step is crucial: if you cook greens with this soup (which you can absolutely do) they tend to get soggy, overcooked and sad. You want bright green, happy greens like you see in this picture. 

A squeeze of lemon brightens the whole dish and lemon (any citrus) helps the body digest the nutrients in green veggies.

Avocado is perfect on top: a smooth, cool texture on top of hot and hearty. Also, because it’s a vegan, almost fat free soup, the healthy fat in avocado will help you feel full longer. 

Enjoy!

Detail: Recipe: Vegan Lentil Soup with Spinach and Avocado

0 Udi’s Gluten-free December 2014 Contest, #EatDrinkBeMerry

Udi's Gluten Free #EatDrinkBeMerry sent me some of my favorite tree nut-free gluten-free bread - white French rolls,  cinnamon raisin bread and bagels and their white bread and bagels -  in support of their contest where *you* can win some of their goodies. 

Here's one of my favorite weekend morning recipes using Udi's white bread: 7 Essential Ingredients for French Toast. 

Even simpler, yet equally delicious: cinnamon sugar toast. My bubby would make this for me as a snack when I was little and it never disappoints as a snack, breakfast or after dinner treat:

White bread toasted
Generous gobs of butter (or butter substitute)
A mix of cinnamon and sugar, sprinkled on top, in generous amounts.

What’s your favorite treat of any kind? You can submit your recipe entry on http://shop.udisglutenfree.com/eatdrinkbemerry or share a recipe using  #EatDrinkBeMerry on social media and be entered to win. 

More details, rules and regulations on the Udi’s website: http://shop.udisglutenfree.com/eatdrinkbemerry 

Contest runs through December 31, 2014 so get those recipes in and be entered to win!

Detail: Udi’s Gluten-free December 2014 Contest, #EatDrinkBeMerry

0 Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake With Cinnamon Marshmallow Frosting

As my friend Chris said: my cupcake is wearing a "jaunty beret" of frosting

This is less of a recipe for more like semi-barely-not-really-homemade-but-I-did-use-my-mixer-and-bake-it homemade and all delicious.  I’ve always been severely allergic to tree nuts and seafood (and OAS to some fruits and veg) but since becoming intolerant to wheat, dairy and soy ten years ago, my baking from scratch has been curtailed. 

*Here a link to an explanation from AAAAI.org about the difference between allergy and intolerance.* 

Food allergy friendly mixes have saved the day and I have a few favorite go-tos, like Namaste Foods. 

CAKE: For this cupcake, I use the Namaste Foods Spice Cake mix and make the pumpkin variation on the box. Namaste is a lovely company that built their own facility in 2011 that is free from: "wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, dairy, casein, peanuts and tree nuts, are carefully manufactured in a dedicated allergen free facility and Kosher certified."

From a Namaste Foods 2011 press release: “Operating under the name of Taylor Gleason Enterprises, LLC, the new facility is virtually a one-of-a-kind allergen free facility. In addition to being free of the top eight allergens (dairy, 
egg, wheat/gluten, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish) the facility is also free of corn and potato. It is estimated that 30 percent or more of the people with food allergies have multiple allergies. Being free of so many allergens demonstrates Namaste’s commitment to people with
food allergies above and beyond other manufacturers."

So yum!

FROSTING: And this is simply my new go-to frosting recipe. It's nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and oh my goodness worthy.

Marshmallow Frosting

By Lori Karavolis and further adapted by me




1 C Domino’s confectioners’ sugar

1/2 C Spectrum organic palm shortening

1 C Durkee’s marshmallow fluff

1 t Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract

2 T hot water

Pinch of kosher salt


Mix well and try not to spoon directly into your mouth.

***

The reviews of this cupcake: 
“Do you have more?”
“You could sell these.”
"The frosting. The pumpkin cake. The frosting. YUM!!!!! So amazing!"

My uncle loved them so much that he created a thank you card featuring me and my mother atop the cupcake!

Detail: Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake With Cinnamon Marshmallow Frosting

0 Food Allergy Counseling: Family, Holidays and Food Allergies

I read this New York Times opinion piece by Frank Bruni about his Italian American family - On Thanksgiving, an Abundance That's About Much More Than Food - and his Thanksgiving which he likens to “…. a forced march, only a catered one, with prosciutto” and thought, even though my family is not Italian American, anyone with food allergies can relate to the sentiment, especially on Thanksgiving. 

Bruni goes on to say: “We Italian-Americans exalt food because we Italian-Americans exalt family. They’re intertwined. Indistinguishable.”

Many cultures express their love through feeding each other. Ahem, I’m looking at you my Jewish brethren. And when you have severe food allergies and cannot indulge in beloved family recipes, sometimes feathers get ruffled. Or worse, rifts can form.

So how do you initiate a loving conversation with extended family about the holiday season? 

Here’s a handy solution for only $1.50, the family e-chapter from my book Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies.

You can download this chapter, Allergic Girl Family Guide to Food Allergies from Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com’s Kindle Store. 

If you want a more personalized approach, contact me about a short term counseling program today.

Detail: Food Allergy Counseling: Family, Holidays and Food Allergies

0 Recipe: Tree-Nut Free, Gluten-Free Birthday Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

Birthday cake perfection

I start celebrating my birthday pretty much the moment after Halloween until around Thanksgiving; that is, the better part of November. I start thinking about my birthday cake way earlier. I’m not a chocolate looooover, I’m more of a vanilla person but for some reason I do love chocolate cake with white icing and that is my recent (like last twenty years) choice for birthday cake. 

I usually make cupcakes because everyone can have their own mini-cake and they are easy to transport or set out on a pretty platter. And also, let’s get real, there's a higher ratio of frosting to cake in a bite per bite level. At least in my household.

I did a trial run of whoopie pies earlier in the month, thinking maybe that would be something fun to do but it didn’t feel celebratory enough. I wanted cake. But that marshmallow–based frosting for the middles turned into a small obsession. (More about how the Durkee Marshmallow fluff factory works here.) I decided to make cupcakes with a new frosting recipe and everyone who has tried it has gone gaga for it. One rave from my pilates instructor: “Every cake should be that cake. Every frosting should be that frosting.”

I agree. 

Is this a recipe? Not exactly.  More like semi-barely-not-really-homemade-but-I-did-use-my-mixer-and-bake-it homemade and all delicious. 

CAKE: I use King Arthur Gluten-Free Chocolate cake mix. I use their instructions on the back. It’s made in a top 8 facility, even though the package doesn’t say it anymore. They changed the label because they don’t test for those allergens and didn’t want to be unclear; they only test for gluten. I emailed with them this week to triple check. And yes, all the same. Please call them directly if you have any questions.

MORE CHOCOLATE: I add Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips to the batter, a handful or two for funsies.

FROSTING: I made two batches of this frosting recipe that I slightly altered.

Marshmallow Frosting

By Lori Karavolis and further adapted by me



1 C Domino’s confectioners’ sugar

1/2 C Spectrum organic palm shortening

1 C Durkee’s marshmallow fluff

1 t Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract

2 T hot water

Pinch of kosher salt

Mix well and try not to spoon directly into your mouth.

The result is above and here again.

It’s so easy to throw together and everyone, with dietary restrictions or without, loves. Most of all this birthday girl. 

Enjoy!

Detail: Recipe: Tree-Nut Free, Gluten-Free Birthday Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

0 Recipe: Sandwich Cookies, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free

Finished sandwich cookie of goodness

So I got it into my head that I wanted to make an Allergic Girl friendly Whoopie Pie for my birthday. I don’t think I’ve ever had a whoopie pie growing up (my mom’s confirms, we didn’t have them in the house); moon pies at camp yes, with marshmallow filling and graham cracker, enrobed in chocolate, but whoopie pie, nope. 

The last few years I (or Brooklyn Allergy Mom) made safe for me birthday cake that was chocolate cake with white icing, which is my favorite flavor combo. I use King Arthur Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Mix and this dairy-free buttercream recipe.

This year I thought, let me try a whoopie pie. I looked up on Google who was making them gluten-free and nut-free and I also wanted to use a mix that was safe for me like  King Arthur Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Mix or Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Devil's Food Cake Mix.

I found this GF Whoopie Pie recipe online. It’s based on Cake Mix Doctor Bake Gluten-Free's recipe, whose book I really liked and I reviewed here. When I looked at the original recipe  in Anne Byrn’s book, it had way more ingredients and steps. As this GF Whoopie Pie recipe looked simpler, I thought I’d try.

The upshot: the finished product was delicious. Several fellow musical improvisers, none with food allergies or dietary needs, all loved and were licking their fingers looking for more.

The cookie is fudgey and cakey, with a dark cocoa taste. It's not overly sickly sweet, which I like, a lot. Even with the filling, it's a great balance of texture and sweetness.

Cooling cookies

The inside the cakey part and the edges have a little crusty texture. A nice mix of textures overall.

Inside view of the cookie

The filling is very soft when made, which is why the top cookie looks like it's sliding off; because it is.

I don't know that cooling the filling once made would help but the filling sets-up and gets firmer once chilled. So there's that.

And I don’t know that I would call it a whoopie pie. Having said this, one of my testers, upon having a bite, said, “What a great whoopie pie!” 

I prefer to think of it a super yummy sandwich cookie. I would make them again. But for my birthday, I'm sticking with cake.

The recipe as written bellow is gluten-free, tree nut free, peanut-free and can easily be made dairy-free. Here is the recipe with my substitutions. 

Enjoy!

***

Recipe, Sandwich Cookies, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free
By Lori Karavolis and Anne Byrn, further adapted by me


Cookies:
1 -15 ounce box GF Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 medium size organic eggs 
5 T melted organic butter (or diary-free substitute)

Filling:
1 C confectioners’ sugar
1/2 C vegetable shortening (I used palm shortening)
1 C marshmallow fluff
1 t vanilla extract
2 T hot water
Pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all cookie ingredients in heavy duty mixing bowl; mix well. It will be dry looking. That's correct, don’t worry. Using a scoop or a teaspoon, shape batter into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

As cookies are cooling, make the filling. Place the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. 

To make sandwich cookies, spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto the flat side of one cookie. Top with a second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Chill to set as they will be sloopy.

Yield: 15 Sandwich Cookies

Detail: Recipe: Sandwich Cookies, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free

0 Recipe: My Mother's Tzimmes

The tzimmes is in the bowl between the kugel and the challah

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year celebration. The first two nights of the Days of Awe, the foods we eat are symbolic of having a sweet new year. Many of the dishes are honey based or laced with honey; honey is everywhere: in the meats, the sides and the desserts. Here’s a slightly fuller explanation of the Jewish New Year.

One of the many dishes I look forward to every year is my mother’s tzimmes. My dad used to make a carrot raisin maple curry tzimmes that was divine. It transitioned from the Rosh holidays to just a side dish for many years. Then a few years ago my mother started making this one: fresh carrots and dried fruits. She used to make the recipe below as printed and then she started playing around with additions and subtractions. (That’s how I cook too: do the recipe once and then make my own tweaks. My dad on the other hand doesn’t use recipes but is one of those throw-things-together-and-it-comes-out-great cooks.) Anyway, this tzimmes is the perfect sweet compliment for any Rosh plate. More about tzimmes here.

***

Recipe: My Mother's Tzimmes

Read through carefully FIRST before making. Enjoy!

Directions:

"I usually at least 4 carrots and I don't use corn starch, it thickens without it, just sitting there. I also used more water once it was done and then simmered for a bit and then let it sit without the heat on. Most of the water gets absorbed. I used dried apricots, prunes, figs and dried pomegranate seeds that were sweetened with fruit juice, not sugar as most are. I didn't use the peel or pith of the orange and lemon, just the juice and the pulp cut up.  I also took out the bay leaf with the carrots and didn't put it back in."

My Mother’s Rosh Tzimmes

3 medium carrots peeled & sliced into 1/4" coins

2 bay leaves (I use one)

1/2 orange, juice & peel, chopped into 1/2" pieces

1/2 lemon, juice & peel, chopped into 1/2" pieces

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups mixed dried fruit (prunes, pears, apricots & apples)...I use whatever I've got

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp cornstarch

1. Place carrots in a large pot with bay leaves and just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until al dente

2. Remove carrots with slotted spoon and set aside, retaining cooking water in pot. Add orange and lemon juices and pieces and simmer for about 10 minutes

3. Add honey, sugar & cinnamon and stir until dissolved. Return carrots to pot & simmer for about 5 minutes.

4. Add dried fruit & raisins with 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that everything cooks evenly.

5. If you're using cornstarch, mix it with a tsp. of cold water in a small bowl and stir until fully dissolved. Add mixture to the tzimmes, stir and simmer for 10 minutes or until liquid is almost completely dissolved.

Yield 1 quart or 8 servings

My Rosh plate!

Detail: Recipe: My Mother's Tzimmes

0 Recipe: Blueberry and Corn Clafoutis, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free

Blueberry and corn clafoutis, fresh from the oven

The clafoutis is a very simple pancake type dessert make with an easy batter and whatever fruit you have around. So simple, so French. I haven’t made on in ages, not since culinary school. Oh, have I mentioned that I was classically trained in the French cooking style?  Yup yup.

When I ran across this on Chef Marcus Sameulsson’s siteI thought about the extra blueberries, corn and Gluten-Free Bisquick mix I had in my fridge. Could I pull all of that together into this recipe? Of course.

Why I love it? It’s the flavors of summer in a light, buttery, not-to-sweet package: the fresh sweet corn bursts in your mouth, as do the tart juicy blueberries.  A perfect dessert after a summer meal.

A yummy slice

Here’s my food allergy free for me version. It’s free from peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish and is lactose-free. It *does* use milk, butter and eggs.

Blueberry and Corn Clafoutis Recipe

Adapted from Chef Marcus and Sandra Lee 

Ingredients

1 cup blueberries, washed and dried

1 cup fresh corn kernels from 1 corn cob

3 organic large eggs

3/4 cup organic lactose free 2% milk

1/3 cup raw brown sugar

½ cup GF Bisquik (pancake mix)

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp unsalted organic butter, melted, plus room-temperature butter for the pie dish

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch diameter glass pie dish. Mix the blueberries and corn kernels together and arrange in the buttered pie dish, set aside.

2. Combine the eggs, milk, sugar, GF pancake mix, and salt in a Tupperware container that has a top. You can hand mix by doing a quick shake shake shake! Blend until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the melted butter, and blend again, until well combined, about 15 seconds. Pour the batter over the blueberries and corn.

3. Bake in the oven until the center is set and the edges are golden, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Serve with fresh blueberries, a dusting of powdered sugar. It’s great for a tea time snack, after dinner treat or even breakfast.

Detail: Recipe: Blueberry and Corn Clafoutis, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free