long long time ago...

So a long, long time ago I decided to start a blog.  I promised myself to update it regularly with new posts of allergy free food that I have cooked or want to cook.  Epic fail on my part!  Many things have changed since November 2012.  I've been in a relationship with the most wonderful girl, I have taken 3 classes + working full time this semester and have kept my sanity!!  I haven't done much cooking or baking which is very disappointing...however sometimes life gets in the way.  Shortly I will post some of the pics of the food that my gf and I have made together!  (I know what you are thinking...it's so stinking cute or it's completely disgusting!)  :)

My goals for this Spring and Summer are to take my last graduate course (finance) at Kent State University and graduate with my MBA!  Also I want to get back to the gym on a regular basis or at least go hiking a couple times a week or even bike riding.  I joined a new gym last November and I have not been going like I want too...don't worry Planet Fitness I will make it up to you!   I plan to also do some gardening to grow my own organic food.  I'm even considering buying a juicer this summer to get the most out of my fruits and veggies!

Anyways...more to come soon...stay tuned!  :)

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

http://domesticfits.com/2012/08/08/chocolate-coconut-ice-cream-vegan/

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2 (13.5 oz) cans of full fat coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
Yield: About 2 1/2 cups

Instructions

1. In a pot over medium heat, add all the ingredients and stir. Allow to simmer until thickened slightly, about 8 minutes.
2. Place in a container and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours.
3. Add to an ice cream maker and churn until set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Freeze until desired consistency is reached
*Note: I use a Kitchen Aid Ice Cream maker: churn time was 15 minutes for a "soft serve" consistency and another 2 hours of freeze time for a harder scoop style ice cream.

A lot has changed...

So it's been a while...actually a very long time since I have posted.  There has been quite a few changes in my life since July!  Moved out of the gf's house...moved too fast and it ended up being very bad decision.   Found a new place to live and I'm slowly making it my home.  Lots to still unpack and decorations to hang...oh and lots of organizing to be done  One person should not have this much stuff; it is ridiculous.  I have found someone new who lights up my world every time I see or talk to her.  I am so incredibly happy!!  :)

OK on to a new recipe:

Just made this dish this week.

Ingredients: 

~Marinated Chicken in an olive oil based Italian dressing (I used store bought, but you could also make your own)
~Broccoli, green peppers, scallions, zucchini all cooked in the same dressing.

I started cooking the chicken first then added some of the dressing.  Next I cooked the veggies in a separate pot (you could cook them together if desired) with the dressing.  You will want to cook the veggies until they are slightly soft yet still crispy.  Once finished, mix the chicken and veggies together on a plate and enjoy!  I was even told the leftovers were just as good!!  Next time I will hopefully remember to take pictures.

Keep posted, new recipes coming soon!

Homemade Lara Bars

Homemade Lara Bars (energy bars part 3)

http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/02/home-made-lara-bars-energy-bars-part-3.html

Apologies for this post being a few days late, but my love for LARA bars demanded several tries and multiple flavor variations before posting—I really wanted to get this as close to the real thing as possible.

Whether you’ve heard of them or not, LARA BARS are one of the very best energy bars on the market, largely because they are made from a short list of real food ingredients: nuts, fruits and spices. In addition to their inarguable yummy-ness, they boast the following assets:

Unprocessed - Raw - Non-GMO - Gluten Free - Dairy Free - Soy Free - Vegan - Kosher.

For comparison sake, take a look at the Lara bar ingredients and the ingredients for another apple-ish flavored bar on the market (made by Powerbar):

LARABAR: Apple Pie Flavor (from http://www.larabar.com/)Dates, Walnuts, Unsweetened Apples, Almonds, Raisins, Cinnamon

Powerbar: Apple Cinnamon Flavor (from http://www.powerbar.com/)High Fructose Corn Syrup With Grape And Pear Juice Concentrate, Oat Bran, Maltodextrin, Milk Protein Isolate, Rice Crisps (Milled Rice, Rice Bran), Brown Rice Flour, Almond Butter, Apple Powder, Natural Flavor, Glycerin, Soy Protein Isolate, Cinnamon and Peanut Flour.CONTAINS ALMOND, MILK, PEANUT AND SOY INGREDIENTS.

Umm, glycerin.

The only downside to LARA bars is that once you try them, you love them, and you’ve got to have them. And at about $1.60 to $2.00 per bar, times three family members (yes, baby likes small bites of them, too), it starts to get pricey. Hence my ersatz, but equally enchanting, rendition.

Just me and my food processor…
A few raw ingredients, and no cooking required? Replication seemed possible. I found a handful of blog posts with recipes for homemade LARA-type bars, but they didn’t sound like they could possibly be correct.

The primary problem was that quite a few recipes pushed for a one to three ratio of fruit to nuts. I tried it, and my suspicions were correct: far too many nuts, nowhere near enough fruit (an easy give-away: if there were so many nuts, it would always be listed as the first ingredient on the LARA BAR packaging; it is not).

In addition, the specifications for each of the steps (how fine to chop/process the nuts and fruits, how to blend, etc) were vague.

After a few delicious rounds of testing, I think I’ve got a good facsimile; Kevin agrees, and baby Nick kept pleading, “More! More!”.

So here’s what to do for two bars (and this can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc; it only depends on the size of your food processor). I’m using cherry as my main example, but I’ve listed some variations below. You can be as creative as you like with the combinations.

Raw or Toasty—It’s Up to You
The Raw Foods Movement is fascinating, but if the raw angle does not matter to you, and you have a bit of extra time, consider lightly toasting the nuts; it boosts the flavor significantly (but truth be told, I still like the raw flavor best). Or, if you like salty-sweet, you can opt for roasted, lightly salted nuts—yum!
.
Bars, Shmars...
There is no rule saying you have to shape these into bars; you can shape them into little truffle shapes or squares (see photo 6). It's a great candy alternative (and this comes from someone with a not-so-secret affection for sour fruit jelly bellies).

Very Cherry Bars (use as a template for almost any combination)

LARA BARS use a multi-layer package that keeps out UV light and oxygen, which, in turn, maintains freshness without the use of preservatives. I use plain old plastic wrap and my refrigerator, then pop one in my bag when I’m ready to go.

1/4 cup chopped dates (roughly chopped whole fresh dates; see my note about pre-chopped below)
1/4 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
1/3 cup whole pecans, almonds or walnuts
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Set out two pieces of plastic wrap for shaping and wrapping the bars. Do this first; you’ll have sticky fingers when you need it.

Place the dates and cherries in a food processor. Pulse until processed to a paste (photo 1). Transfer paste to a medium bowl (don’t clean processor).

Add the nuts to the processor and pulse until finely chopped (photo 2). Add the nuts, along with the cinnamon, to the bowl with the fruit paste (photo 3). Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste (just keep squishing, it’s fun; brings back memories of play-dough; see photo 4).
.
Divide mixture in half. Place each half on each of one of the sheets of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic around each bar and start squishing into a bar shape form, 3 and 1/2 inches long, 1 inch wide and 3/4-inch thick); press against countertop to flatten bottom side, flattening top side and ends with flat of hand (photo 5) Tightly wrap the plastic around each bar and store in the refrigerator. Makes 2 bars.
.
Nutrition per Serving (1 bar): Calories 207; Fat 9.4 g (sat .8g, mono 5.2g, poly 3.1g); Protein 3.9g; Cholesterol 0mg; Carbohydrate 24.9g; Sodium 0.4mg. (Note: I did the nutrition analysis using Diet Analysis Plus 7.0.1)

Note about using pre-chopped dates: Pre-chopped dried dates are much cheaper than whole dates, and sometimes are the only option available at the supermarket, depending on where you live. However, they are typically coated with oat flour (to prevent sticking), and sometimes a bit of sugar, too. They are too dry and hard to work as is in this recipe, but with a bit of tweaking, they will work just fine. To make them usable for larabar purposes, place them in a small bowl and cover with warm water (not hot or boiling water; this will make them turn to mush). Let stand 3 to 5 minutes until softened; then drain and pat dry. Not only will this soften the dates, it will remove any oat flour and/or sugar).


A Few Ideas for Variations:

Apricot-Almond: Use 6 tablespoons coarsely chopped dried apricots and 2 tablespoons date (to measure 1/2 cup total); use almonds for the nuts.

Tropical: Use tropical fruit bits (these come pre-packaged at the supermarket); use raw cashews for the nuts. Add 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, and 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice to the mix.

PB & J (cheap and delicious!): Use 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries and 1/4 cup raisins or dates; use raw or roasted peanuts (lightly salted or unsalted) for the nuts.

Blueberry Bliss: Use 1/4 cup dried blueberries and 1/4 cup dates; use almonds for the nuts. Add 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, and a drop of almond extract to the mix.

Cashew Cookie Dough: Reverse the proportions of fruit to nuts--Use 1/3 cup dates for the fruit and 1/2 cup raw cashews for the nuts.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Same as cashew cookie dough, but add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of cinnamon and 1/2 ounce very finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate to the mix.

Pistachio Heaven: Same as cashew cookie dough, but use raw pistachios and add a tiny drop of almond extract.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough: Same as cashew cookie dough but use raw or roasted (lightly salted) peanuts for the nuts.

Dates Nutrition Notes:
Dates are included in a majority of the LARA Bars, so I thought I’d mention a few facts about these wonderful fruits.

I love dates because I love brown sugar, and dates taste like brown sugar candy--hence they are a delicious and healthy way to curb my sweet tooth. One date has a mere 23 calories and is loaded with nutrition. Dates are an excellent source of carbohydrates (great for pre- or post-workout), contain no cholesterol, are high in fiber, and boast a wide range of nutrients, including calcium (32 mg per serving), Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Copper, and Manganese.

Dates also contain vitamins A1, B1, B2, B3, B5, C and more than 20 different amino acids; they help in the digestion and assimilation of carbohydrates, and help to regulate blood sugar levels and fatty acids content in our bodies.


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PHOTO 2

PHOTO 3

PHOTO 4


PHOTO 5

PHOTO 6

Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad...A must try!

karina's grilled vegetable quinoa salad

Vegans and omnivores alike will love this summery quinoa dish with smoky grilled veggies. The easiest way to grill marinated veggies is to use a grill basket. But foil also works (and solves the whole cross-contamination issue for those eating gluten-free). If you don't have an outdoor grill, you can grill your veggies using a cast iron grill pan.

Ingredients:

1 large red onion, peeled, trimmed, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, sliced
1 large yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
1 medium eggplant, trimmed, sliced
2 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed
1 pound asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
2 ears of fresh corn, corn silk removed, husks on
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Juice from 1 lemon
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a large bowl combine the the onion, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, portobello mushrooms, and asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Add the garlic, and thyme. Season with sea salt and ground pepper, to taste. Gently toss to coat. Cover and marinate for one hour.

Heat the grill to medium-high heat.

Grill the ears of corn separately on a rear rack, away from direct flame. The husks will get a bit blackened and smoky. This adds so much flavor. Rotate them every five minutes or so. After 10-20 minutes, when the corn is tender, remove and set aside to cool. Strip off the husks and carefully slice the kernels off the cob. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the veggies in a grill basket, or spread out the veggies on a large sheet of foil. Add a top sheet, crimp the edges of the sheets together to make a packet. Place on the hot grill and cook until tender crisp, about 15-25 minutes, depending upon the size of your grill. Remove the veggie basket/packet to a large platter or cutting board, and set aside.

Place the cooked quinoa in a large serving bowl. Add the grilled corn, chopped fresh parsley, and mint. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper. Toss to coat.

To serve, you can either slice the grilled veggies and add them to the quinoa as a salad, or serve the simple quinoa-corn salad with big beautiful pieces of grilled veggies on the side.

Hummus with tahini is a lovely condiment with grilled veggies.

Serves 6.


Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2012/06/grilled-veggie-quinoa-salad.html#ixzz20nBZcNOu

Recipe for cherries?

Does anyone have a recipe using fresh cherries...of course it has to be gluten, dairy, egg, and soy free!  ;)

The move is finished...

Well my move is finally finished...now it's time to start unpacking!  YUCK!  I have boxes everywhere.  It's driving the gf and myself crazy!  I don't even have room in the kitchen to bake. And to top it off, I can't find my favorite recipe book with all my mom's recipes in it.  :(

Here is a recipe book I recommend for those of you with food allergies!  The author is Cybele Pascal.



One of my favorite recipes is the Blueberry Boy Bait:

Allergen Free Baking!
Blueberry Boy Bait

Blueberry Boy Bait
makes 8 servings (gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, soy,  peanut, tree nut,  and sesame free)
This moist, buttery coffee cake with its crisp, cinnamon-sugar topping is based on an old-fashioned recipe from the 1950s, called Blueberry Boy Bait, a coffee cake named for the effect  it had on teenage boys. My boys aren’t teens yet, but this bait works for them. They’ll gobble it up in one day—with not a crumb left over.
2 cups Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix, or Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend, or King Arthur gluten-free multi purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
41/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer mixed with
6 tablespoons rice milk
3/4 cup rice milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries tossed with
1 tablespoon Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 9-inch baking pan and sprinkle with a little
gluten-free flour mix, tapping out any extra.
2. Whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until fluffy.
4. Add the egg replacer and mix for about 20 seconds.
5. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in one-third of the flour, mixing for 15 seconds.
6. Add half of the rice milk, mixing for 20 seconds.
7. Beat in half of the remaining flour, then the remaining rice milk, and finally the remaining flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
8. Add half of the batter to the pan, using a frosting spatula to spread the batter evenly
across the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with half of the blueberries. Top with the remain-
ing batter, spreading it as evenly as possible across the blueberries. Top with the remaining blueberries, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
9. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour, until the cinnamon-sugar mixture has begun to caramelize and the top is golden. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes before turning out
onto a serving platter (or just cut into pieces and serve out of the pan). Serve warm or at
room temperature. This cake is even better on day two!
Tip:  If using frozen blueberries, keep frozen until the last minute, or they’ll turn your
batter blue-green