Vegan with a Side of Beef

Everyone eats…TOGETHER!

“…A shared meal is a social event where thoughts, experiences and emotions are shared.” (Gillian Crowther)

Recently, Kevin and I hosted a fish fry at our house on a cold Lenten Friday night. Getting together for fish on the Fridays during lent is something we’ve done for years with my sister, Darlene, her husband Tom and their kids. We take turns going to each other’s houses; if you’ve got fish in the freezer, bring it over – same goes for french fries, mushrooms and onions.

At our house, Kevin fires up the deep fryer outside. (Michigan weather permitting.) We all go in and out of the garage, to chat and maybe have a beer while the food cooks. As one batch comes out of the fryer; someone runs it into the garage, where we have a table set up waiting for the food, putting it in a dish lined with paper towel. Everyone wanders in and picks up whatever is fresh out of the fryer; choosing to stand and eat with their fingers – even though I’ve got paper plates and utensils setting on the table. There’s a feeling of camaraderie we all share as we do this.

Then, food allergies came into play. The breading we were using on the fish, mushrooms and onion rings contained wheat. Later as the food allergy list grew, tartar sauce and coleslaw (both made with mayonnaise) also became forbidden for some of us. We made adjustments. We cooked some of the foods in the house, in its’ own oil with a gluten-free flour – which didn’t quite do the job, but was an honest effort. Darlene went above and beyond, making salads, finding salad dressings that all of us could eat. She picked up a gluten-free pancake mix and suggested we try breading the fish, mushrooms and onions in it. It was very good. A couple of years we even tried grilling or baking the fish to eliminate the need for breading.

But, this year, Kevin just really wanted to have a regular fish fry again. I told him I would make the tartar sauce and coleslaw with “Hellmann’s Vegan – Carefully Crafted Dressing and Sandwich Spread”. (https://www.hellmanns.com ) I would pick up some gluten-free panko to try as breading since I can no longer find the pancake mix that Darlene had used before.

Bradley, who was home that weekend, mentioned to Kevin and I that he enjoyed a good fish fry, but was always a bit disappointed at having to cook our foods in the house while everyone else hung out in the garage or by the fryer. Not only were we away from the others while cooking in the house; our foods were almost always done before everyone else’s. He and I both agreed it’s a drag cooking our foods separately and having to eat different food than everyone else.

This year, Abby took care of that situation for us. She brought a box of Zatarain’s “Fish Fri Crispy Southern”. (https://www.mccormick.com/zatar ains ) We erred on the side of caution, only breading some of the foods which would go in the deep fryer with the Zatarain’s; not sure if we would like it. (Everyone liked it.) Bradley and I still cooked our fish in the kitchen, but were able to reach in and grab a mushroom or onion ring from the same dish as the others. Such a simple act, yet it felt good to be a part of something larger.

If we, as adults, can feel a bit “left out” in a situation like this, how do kids feel in a similar situation? How do elementary age kids feel when they can’t eat a birthday treat that the rest of the class is enjoying? Sending in enough cupcakes for everyone and also a small fruit or vegey tray allows everyone to have a snack together without drawing too much negative attention to anyone. (Ask the teacher or the child’s parent if you’re not sure what you should send.) This also can be tough for teenagers. When Bradley and Abby were in high school; they mentioned more than once, that every team/classroom meal or reward seemed to revolve around pizza, sub sandwiches, pasta or ice cream. They didn’t expect, nor want, these rewards to be eliminated because of their food allergies. They just wanted their food allergies acknowledged, and if possible, a substitution offered. Some of the teachers did just that, and ordered them a large salad when the class had pizza or subs. Bradley’s cross country coach and his wife, prepared everything gluten-free for him at their week-long team camp.

The simple act of sharing food is more important to all of us than I think we truly understand. No one likes to feel “left out”.

“Good food is all the sweeter when shared with Good Friends.” (gimme some OVEN)

Everyone liked it! (photo credit: Abby Becker)

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:

These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels!)

Mushroom Soup

Kroger had their 16 ounce packages of fresh sliced mushrooms on clearance. There’s nothing wrong with them, they’re just close to their expiration date. Fresh mushrooms on clearance mean – time to make mushroom soup and time for a post about mushroom soup.

Okay, I’ll stop here for a minute and remind you we’ve been eating wheat/gluten-free for over ten years. When we started with the gluten-free diet, I couldn’t find a cream soup that didn’t contain wheat; so we went without. Fortunately, I eventually found Dr. Carol Fenster’s book, “Gluten Free 101 Basic Dishes Without Wheat”. In it, she has a recipe for cream of mushroom soup.

The first few times I made it, I pretty much followed the recipe. I liked having cream soup again to use in one-dish meals. But, making the soup as well as the rest of the meal all at the same time wasn’t convenient. I decided I needed to streamline the process. I would make up a larger batch of soup, using Dr. Fenster’s recipe, and freeze it in 2 cup portions for future use.

I would recommend to everyone to try the recipe (which makes approximately 2 cups of soup) a few times before multiplying it. You should do this for three reasons. #1: Let’s make sure you really like the soup. #2: You should get a “feel” for it – how much time is involved for one batch, how it looks, the texture, everything. #3: This can get pricey if making a large batch, be sure you’re ready to commit. If after a couple times you’re ready to make a larger batch, check out the paragraph below my version of the recipe.

Below you will find a picture of Dr. Fenster’s recipe. On the recipe, you will see some of my notes and some of the changes I’ve made to the recipe which work for my family. (Sorry.) You should still be able to follow her recipe if you’d like to try it. Below her recipe I have also typed my recipe for gluten-free/dairy-free cream of mushroom soup.

Dr. Fenster’s recipe (with a few of my edits – sorry)

Brenda’s Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

7 oz. fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup butter substitute (divided)
1 cup milk (rice or almond)
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of pepper
2 Tablespoons rice flour (for paste)
1/4 cup milk (rice or almond) (for paste)

First rinse the mushrooms in a colander. Drain all the water off. Slice them up or put them in a food processor. Next, saute mushrooms in a saucepan with 1 Tablespoon butter substitute. Remove from heat, add milk and remaining butter substitute. Add all of the spices to mixture. Stir. (I have a Calphalon 2 in 1 Immersion Blender and use that to chop up all the mushrooms as they cook so I don’t have chunky soup.)

Stir rice flour into 1/4 cup milk to form a paste. Whisk* paste into pan and continue heating. Whisk* till it thickens. Remove from heat. It’s ready to be used in your one-dish meal. (*Again, I use my Calphalon 2 in 1 Immersion Blender.) www.calphalon.com

Instructions for multiplying the cream of mushroom soup recipe:

That’s pretty much what you do, just multiply. You can double, triple, even more. Myself? I tend to cook with the “Go Big or Go Home” philosophy. I multiply this particular recipe by 10. (Don’t feel you have to do that much.) After cooking up the larger batch, let it cool before putting it in a container(s) suitable for freezing. I freeze it in 2 cup portions in zipper freezer bags and lay them flat in the freezer. They store nicely that way.

Soup is chunky if you haven’t run it through food processor or used immersion blender.

Thanks for stopping and enjoy the soup!

Brenda

Disclaimer:

Lunch for two…at Whole Foods!!!

Yesterday morning Kevin and I were in Okemos for an appointment and some shopping. (He needed work boots, dress shoes, a shirt and tie. Trust me, if he didn’t need these things, he wouldn’t have been shopping with me.) After having made all but one of our stops, we talked about the fact that the morning was shot and we still had to go to Whole Foods for a few things. With a 45 minute drive home still ahead of us, after Whole Foods, we debated if we wanted to get something to eat now or wait till we got home. To many, this may be a no brainer – just grab something quick. To us, this is not a decision which is made lightly. Fast food and an allergy to dairy, egg and wheat do not make good partners. We weighed our options; options which are totally dependent upon our location. I have five “go to” restaurants where I can grab something quick to eat; either eating in or if needed, on the go. Which one I choose is solely based on where I am and which of the five is in the area.

My five options: Qdoba for a burrito bowl, Chipotle for a burrito bowl, Pancheros for a burrito bowl, Taco Bell for 2 or 3 crunchy tacos – NO cheese or Wendy’s for a side salad w/balsamic dressing. As much as I enjoy these foods, it does get a bit monotonous eating pretty much the same thing whenever I need a quick bite to eat. (We do occasionally go out to a sit down restaurant, but we really didn’t have time for that. Sit down restaurants are a huge commitment for us. I will expand on eating at sit down restaurants in a future post.)

I reminded Kevin that Bradley has mentioned to me, more than once, that I could actually eat at Whole Foods. They have a salad bar and a hot buffet, and also a small sit down café where you can order food. Our decision was made; it was time to check out Whole Foods as a lunch option as well as a grocery store. We spent a fair amount of time walking around the two hot food buffets. Each food item was labeled with its’ name and a complete list of ingredients used when preparing it. Just being able to read the list of ingredients myself was so comforting when choosing what to eat. It removed the apprehension I have at other restaurants when placing an order and my well-intentioned server replies with, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they don’t put butter on the vegetables. It’s just like a spray of some kind.” I am not reassured by that comment and I can’t order food on their assumption and run the risk of a 2-3 day migraine afterwards.

After circling the buffet countless times, we got our plates and made our choices. Next we went to the cashier and paid for our food. (They weigh your food like they do in a cafeteria.) Both of us were a bit surprised when given the total. We’d been expecting this endeavor to be a bit “pricey” and were pleasantly surprised to find out my lunch was only $4.50 and Kevin’s, $8.50. This was less than we spend when we both get a burrito bowl or eat at Taco Bell. After paying, we were told we could sit anywhere we’d like to in the café. Other than the food having cooled a bit while waiting in line to pay, it was really good. I got a BBQ chicken breast, some potato fingerlings and steamed asparagus with onions. Kevin also got the BBQ chicken, but opted for zucchini and carrots with fennel and a favorite he never gets at home, macaroni and cheese. He said the mac and cheese was very good; even though it was the “low calorie” version.

I am confident I will be doing Whole Foods for lunch again. If I don’t have time to sit down to eat, I can always pick something up from their deli. They have a wide range of salads and they even have some that are made with egg-free mayo.

Not the best picture, I had to take it quick, food was getting cold.

A couple quick notes on my five options listed above. The employees at Qdoba, Chipotle and Pancheros are all pleasant enough when I ask if they can change their gloves before preparing my burrito bowl. I ask them to change their gloves; because they use their gloved hands when putting the toppings on the burrito bowl, not utensils. Also, there are times that I will see shreds of cheese in the lettuce or guacamole. If I tell them I have a dairy allergy, they will take out a new container of lettuce or guacamole to put on my burrito bowl. (Qdoba on W. Saginaw, Lansing is really accommodating.)

At Taco Bell (in St. Johns), when I ask that my crunchy tacos have NO cheese, they always ask if I have an allergy. When I respond, yes – they not only make a note of it on my order, they also walk to the back and tell the individual that will be putting my order together that I have a dairy allergy.

At Wendy’s, when I order the side salad, they will also bring out all of the different salad dressing packets so I can read the ingredients listed on each packet enabling me to choose one that works for me.

I hope this post helps a little if you’re looking for someplace to stop for a quick bite.

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

Disclaimer:

Easy as 1, 2, 3

Several years ago, my friend Laurie introduced me to what is now my favorite gluten-free baking mix – “1-2-3 gluten free”. (www.123glutenfree.com) Not only are they gluten-free, most are also free of dairy/casein, peanuts/tree nuts, egg, soy, sesame, corn and sugar. (Depending on the product – READ your labels!) These mixes work great for everyone in our immediate and extended family. (I’ve been told food allergies tend to be genetic, and that seems to be the case on my side.) These mixes also come with a simple added perk: They give you not just one recipe on the back of the box, but 4 or 5 more are printed on the inside of the box. This allows you to use the same mix with a change-up on one or two ingredients giving you a different flavored treat! They offer mixes for cakes, rolls, pan bars, cookies, poundcake, brownies, biscuits, pancakes, cornbread and a flour mixture.

I’ve only used of few of their products (more on that later), but so far, my favorite is the “sweet goodness sugar ‘n spice Pan Bars “ baking mix. When making this bar, I use their recipe which includes canned pumpkin. After baking, I drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over the top. It makes a 9” x 13” pan of flavorful, moist, soft pan bars that can be served as either a dessert or a breakfast cake. (Flavorful, moist and soft are all thrilling to me because for years, those 3 words did not go hand in hand with gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free baking. I’m sure many of you can feel my pain.)

Now, why have I only used a few of the “1-2-3 gluten free” products? They are not easy to find in stores. I’ve tried looking in Kroger, Walmart, Target – all unsuccessfully. I’ve had a bit of luck finding a few of their mixes in some, but not all, Meijer stores. I do realize that these mixes may be carried in these stores in other regions – they’re just not in mine. I’ve reluctantly looked online. I’m not a fan of online shopping. Online shopping can mean having to buy large quantities and let’s not forget about shipping costs. It can get expensive quick. While I was looking online, I found some of the mixes at a company called VitaCost. (www.vitacost.com) While they offered a fair number of mixes, most of the ones I was interested in were “out of stock”. They did have a poundcake available, so I ordered it.

A few days later I received my “delightfully gratifying just a hint of lemon Poundcake” baking mix. My first thought: Lightly flavored “anything” when baking gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free is not, in my opinion, a good idea – these foods can tend to taste a bit like cardboard. You gotta have some added flavor. I was pleased to see they must feel the same way because the recipe on the back of the box was for an orange poundcake. (My grandma used to bake a dessert with an orange flavor to it. I liked it, so I was hoping I’d like this too. Fingers crossed!) They also had 5 alternate recipes printed inside the box. – I really like that they give you several alternatives. The recipe I’d chosen called for ¾ cup of either citrus soda-pop or orange juice. Soda-pop?!? Yikes! I’ll stick with the orange juice. This mix made up a lot of batter, so I decided to do some in a muffin tin and the rest in one full size loaf pan. I like to use different pans when baking something new to see if there is a variation on how well one turns out versus the other. All of them baked up beautifully – they actually puffed up! After taking them out of the oven, I let them cool a bit before drizzling the muffins and the loaf with my powdered sugar glaze. Kevin and I each ate 2 of the muffins while they were still warm. The next morning we ate a couple more for breakfast. That evening we cut into the poundcake (loaf) and enjoyed it with fresh strawberries. This poundcake mix was definitely a success! It also made a ton of cake, way more than the two of us could ever eat in just a few days. You may want to freeze some of the cake.

These mixes are a bit pricey at $7 – $8 per box, although they usually make about 2 times more than any of the other mixes you can buy. I don’t bake with these mixes often. I like to keep a box or two on my shelf, so when I’m in need of a baked good quick, I’ve got one. (This is especially handy because you know when baking for allergies, nothing is fast.)

Below I have a picture of the front of the box and the back of the box showing the recipe. I also took a picture of the muffins and the poundcake, but didn’t think to take a picture of one of them cut open so you could see what it looked like inside. (My bad.) As far as my using their recipe; the only variation I really had was using my Ener-G Egg Replacer instead of 5 eggs and my Earth Balance Buttery Spread instead of butter. That’s it. I’ve also typed up a probably not so helpful recipe for my powdered sugar glaze. I don’t really give you any measurements. I just mix it up till I think it looks and tastes good.

Brenda’s Powdered Sugar Glaze

*Word of warning: A little bit goes a long way!

Powdered sugar
Melted butter (or whatever butter substitute you use) – maybe ½ teaspoon or so
Splash of vanilla extract
Milk (whatever milk or milk substitute you use)

Melt the butter in a microwavable glass dish, add a splash of vanilla extract, then the powdered sugar, add milk to thin and stir till you get the consistency you want. (If you’re like me, you will have to repeat the powdered sugar and milk a couple of times till you get it right. The good news is that this will freeze well.)

Taa-daa! The finished product. Don’t they look great?

Enjoy and thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:

Dairy Substitutes

This past summer it was discovered that my niece is allergic to dairy. Her mom, my sister, said she likes to check out my blog for ideas. I looked at my past posts and saw I haven’t devoted much time to the foods I use. Today I will share, with all of you, some of the dairy-free foods I use. I’m also giving you pictures because my sister said it helps to have them while shopping. They give her an idea of what it is she’s actually looking for. Initially my plans were to post all of the pictures of the food items at the end of this post, so you wouldn’t have to scroll through all of this while shopping. But, the more I thought about it, I think it’s nice to see the picture beside the description of each item.

Earth Balance Buttery Spread – I use this wherever I used to use butter – on a slice of bread, potatoes, cooking, sautéing, and baking. It’s my butter replacement.

Unsweetened Cashew Milk (I also make sure it doesn’t have vanilla in it.) – While I no longer drink a glass of milk, I use it in my oatmeal or on my cereal. I also cook with it; using it in mashed or scalloped potatoes, casseroles, soups and baking. It also works nicely for hot cocoa. I’ve tried the other dairy alternatives: soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk and almond milk – cashew milk is (in my opinion) the creamiest and I really do miss the creaminess of cow’s milk. (I don’t have a favorite brand name; I usually pick up whichever brand I can find that day.)

Cashew Chocolate Milk (hard to find) or Almond Chocolate Milk is good too – Yummy and creamy to give me my chocolate fix. (I don’t have a favorite brand name; I usually pick up whichever brand I can find that day.)

So Delicious Dairy Free Coconutmilk Yogurt Alternative (Unsweetened – NO added vanilla) – I use this unsweetened yogurt as a replacement for sour cream; using it on baked potatoes, tacos/nachos, in cream sauces and for baking.

So Delicious Dairy Free Coconutmilk Yogurt Alternative (Flavored) – Raspberry and blueberry are my favorites, strawberry and key lime are both okay. I haven’t tried their other flavors; I’m not real adventurous when it comes to my yogurt.

Natural Bliss Coconut Milk Creamer –Sweet Crème – This is by far my favorite over soy and almond varieties. I know quite a few people that also use this brand. (I recently tried using just coconut milk as suggested by one of my readers. It just didn’t float my boat. Maybe I did something wrong? So, for now, I will continue to buy the Natural Bliss. Be sure to READ the labels well, they have non-dairy and dairy together on the same shelf.

daiya cheese – I prefer the cheddar style over the mozzarella style – just my personal preference.

daiya pizzas – “Supreme” is my favorite by far., but they have several options.

Just. (Ranch) – For salads and a dipping sauce for pretty much anything.

Just. (Thousand) – For salads, on burgers (reminds me of “special sauce”) and as a chip dip. When I was growing up, my mom always made 1000 island dressing from scratch and we loved to dip potato chips in it.

Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips – I really like these, not only for baking but also for eating by the handful (I’m not kidding) with some potato chips. I will also mix them with 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter for a “candy fix”. They really are nice to bake with or to drizzle over pretzels.

So Delicious Cashew Milk Ice Cream – After trying soy milk ice cream, rice milk ice cream, almond milk ice cream and coconut milk ice cream (I’ve been doing this a long time.) – my sister told me about this. Well worth the wait. The “Dark Chocolate Truffle” is incredible. An added perk with this ice cream: One day I didn’t get my groceries put away as quickly as I should have and I discovered the ice cream was very soft. It was the consistency of a chocolate pudding. It was really good. So, every once in a while I fill a small dish with it and let it set out for a while – if I can be patient enough.

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese – I’m not a huge fan of this. I used it to make cream cheese frosting for a pumpkin roll – big disappointment. I do like it for ham and pickle roll-ups.

Hope this helps you if you are in need of a few ideas for dairy substitutes. Sorry for the picture quality. They were taken to be a reference for you, not to showcase my marvelous photography skills – which I’m hoping look a bit better than these quickly snapped pictures.

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:

Peter Rabbit

The movie Peter Rabbit, recently released in theaters, is causing a bit of a stir in the food allergy world. I have not seen the movie, but several weeks ago I did see multiple online articles about it.

Apparently there’s a scene in the movie where blackberries are used as a weapon. One of the movie’s characters, Mr. McGregor, is allergic to blackberries. In an effort to get into Mr. McGregor’s garden, Peter Rabbit and his forest friends intentionally shoot a blackberry into Mr. McGregor’s mouth with a sling shot. This causes an anaphylactic response and the need for an epi pen. You can see one of many articles on this scene at (www.newyorker.com – then search: The Real Problem with Peter Rabbit’s Allergy Scene.) Or you can just google peter rabbit movie food allergy and you’ll find plenty to read.

Some have called for a boycott of the movie saying it is food bullying. (www.cnn.com – then search: Parents Boycott Peter Rabbit Movie over Food Allergy Scene.) Others have retorted with – I’m summarizing here: “…there are larger injustices in this world to get indignant about, leave the poor rabbit alone…” (www.telegraph.co.uk – then search: Peter Rabbit food bullying) I will add here that Sony has issued an apology regarding the scene. (www.nytimes.com – then search: Sony apology)

I am not advocating a boycott, nor am I saying there shouldn’t be one. I do want to say, I am bothered by this. This scene may have been done all in the name of “slapstick comedy” – something many of us were raised on. In fact most of us have laughed as a piano has been dropped on someone. But we also have to admit that the likelihood of a piano falling on someone in real life is quite low. Someone getting sick, or worse, dying as a result of food allergies – that happens. I think my biggest complaint here is that it trivializes food allergies. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen people roll their eyes when I tell them my kids and I have food allergies. These people can be acquaintances or someone assisting me in a store or taking my order in a restaurant. I believe many honestly think we are making it up. A while back I read an article in a magazine entitled something to the effect of “The Things That Annoy your Food Server.” In it, they actually listed “Telling your server you have food allergies.” They really did! Our food allergies are being viewed as an annoyance, not a real and serious issue. That tells me right there, someone is not taking food allergies seriously and it’s more than a few people. Attitudes like this don’t help any of us with food allergies.

Okay, I will get off of my soap box now and get to the topic of this week’s post. I actually decided a few weeks ago, after seeing all of this news about the Peter Rabbit movie that this incident would be a nice way for me to open up a dialogue about another hotly debated issue: Food Allergy versus Food Intolerance/Sensitivity – What should we call it?

First off, let me clarify, no one in my family experiences an anaphylactic response when eating their offending foods. My children experience GI troubles, hives, headache, fatigue, and low grade fever, when consuming their offending foods. I experience three day migraines. Below you will see I’ve copied one source explaining the difference between allergy and sensitivity along with it’s link. I also have a link below the first link that is very informative, but way too long for me to copy into this post. I have found, the more I search, the majority of sites list anaphylaxis as the key component in saying whether or not someone has food allergies; whereas GI troubles (bloating, gas, diarrhea, stomach pain, stomach ulcers), signal food intolerance/sensitivity. You can call it what you want, but I’m calling it as I see it, and that is an allergy. I was told my kid was allergic to ragweed & grass when her head got all stuffed up and that her brother was allergic to penicillin when he broke out in hives after taking it. Neither had an anaphylactic response to those things and yet they called it an allergy. (How many of you have seen the red wristband on someone in the hospital to alert hospital staff to a drug allergy?) So why don’t we call this a food allergy? I suppose what we call it really doesn’t matter. If what you are eating is having a huge negative effect on your life; causing you to stay home from work or school, cancel your plans to go out or have friends over, end up in the bathroom or your bed sick for hours, then it really doesn’t matter what you call it; it just needs to be addressed! This being said, I will continue to refer to our issues as food allergies – as I have since starting this blog.

If you or a loved one has food issues, please don’t let people trivialize them. They are real. They are having a negative impact on your life. Don’t let someone make you feel silly because of this. You don’t owe anyone an apology because you cannot eat their food or because you’ve brought your own food. Advocate for yourself and/or your loved one – you ARE worth it!

Heads up here: One of my editors (Brent) informed me that I need to expand on this whole Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance/Sensitivity debate in a future post. He said one post cannot do this topic justice. So be on the lookout for that. And in the name of transparency, while I’m sure I’ve just impressed all of you with the fact that I have multiple editors; I should mention my editors are my children (Read: unpaid/Mother guilt????) This is a dubious honor which has been bestowed upon them all because – I’m the Momma! In all seriousness, they (as well as their significant others) all truly do their part in helping me with this blog – and I thank them. And I owe special thanks to my husband, Kevin, who endures more than you will ever know as a result of veganwithasideof beef.com (“Are you done taking pictures of our food yet? I’d love to eat it while it’s still warm.”) Last but not least, I thank all of you for supporting me, reading, sharing and commenting on my blog! We’re all in this together.

Another editor request was for Dad’s Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit) Stew recipe to finish out this post. Brent can have a bit of a skewed sense of humor – something he gets from both his parents. While our 3 kids were growing up, rabbit hunting was an almost weekly event at our house during rabbit season. That meant we had a lot of rabbit meat. This stew was always a favorite of the kids on a cold winter day. (Me? Not so much. I’m not a wild game fan – I’m just not.) Don’t forget to check out the 2 links below the recipe.

Kevin’s Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit) Stew

This recipe is one of those that you have to “eyeball” when it comes to your ingredients. Kevin would do up rabbits as he got them so he usually did up 1 or 2 rabbits at a time. He couldn’t really can’t give me any exact amounts on the veggies and mushrooms. I’ll give you this recipe using one rabbit.

You will need:

1 wild rabbit, skinned and cleaned with all meat cut off bone.
Potatoes (cut into chunks)
Carrots (cut into chunks)
Mushrooms (cut into chunks)
Onion (diced)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2-3 bouillon cubes
3-4 cups of water
Rice flour and potato starch to thicken broth

Boil rabbit slowly in water and bouillon (boiling slowly helps tenderize the rabbit). After it’s been boiling for a while, add veggies and mushrooms. If the water has boiled down quite a bit, you can add more water. When veggies are soft, thicken broth with rice flour and potato starch.

Serve warm.

When Kevin had a lot of rabbits he would can this stew in quart jars in our pressure canner. Pressure canners are tricky things so I’m really not comfortable giving out a recipe using a canner. I can tell you that his recipe can be easily converted to canning with it. If you have a pressure canner, and want to try canning rabbit stew, please refer to the instruction booklet you received with your canner finding the section regarding canning meats and stews. All pressure canners are different and I am not qualified to instruct you on canning with your pressure canner.

These are the links I mentioned:

Physical reactions to certain foods are common, but most are caused by a food intolerance rather than a food allergy. A food intolerance can cause some of the same signs and symptoms as a food allergy, so people often confuse the two.

A true food allergy causes an immune system reaction that affects numerous organs in the body. It can cause a range of symptoms. In some cases, an allergic food reaction can be severe or life-threatening. In contrast, food intolerance symptoms are generally less serious and often limited to digestive problems.

If you have a food intolerance, you may be able to eat small amounts of the offending food without trouble. You may also be able to prevent a reaction. For example, if you have lactose intolerance, you may be able to drink lactose-free milk or take lactase enzyme pills (Lactaid) to aid digestion.

(http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-allergy/faq-20058538)

This is a good site:

https://www.avogel.ca/blog/allergy-and-intolerance-find-out-the-difference/

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:

Read, Read, Read your Labels.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” (William Shakespeare – Romeo and Juliet)

The above quote is actually quite relevant to today’s post as I discuss the fact that there is more than one way to say milk or egg or wheat or any of the top 8 allergens when listing the ingredients in food products.

I keep saying you need to read, read, read your labels. In fact I stressed this in one of my previous posts titled, “They Put WHAT in Body Wash?” in which I discussed personal care products and their often hidden ingredients. This time I want to touch on food labels and what it is, exactly, that you are looking for. While the food industry is getting better at listing ingredients in our food products, they still have a long way to go. The following is para-phrased from www.kidswithfoodallergies.org “The FDA food allergen label law requires food to state if they contain a top 8 allergen…But there are many foods and products that are not covered by the law…”.

A perfect case in point is coffee creamer, sometimes labeled as “non-dairy” or “lactose-free”. About 5 years ago, I used a non-dairy coffee creamer for several months, not knowing it actually did contain dairy. I kept having headaches and eventually discovered my non-dairy creamer contained “casein”. Casein is a derivative of dairy. Simply put – it is a dairy protein. – Definition of casein: The main protein present in milk and (in coagulated form) in cheese. It is used in processed foods and in adhesives, paints, and other industrial products -. (www.oxforddictionaries.com). This was a lesson learned the hard way. Go to www.medbroadcast.com and search non-dairy creamer. You’ll get quite an education.

So while I am now able to find casein listed quite easily on many products, I’ve found there are many other ways to say, not only dairy, but egg and wheat – and all of the top 8 allergens. (For example when a food lists “natural flavoring” that is often another way to say wheat without saying wheat.) I know I mentioned in my previous post that I wanted to compile a list for you to reference, but with so many different allergies out there, I think I need to suggest that you take to the internet to make your own list specific to your allergies. Go online and google, as an example – milk allergy avoidance list. I found this site (www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-grocery-shopping-guide/dairy-ingredient-list-2), among many others. Check out several sites and you will discover that some sites are more thorough than others. Use whichever site you feel best meets your needs. You may want to keep the list(s) on your phone to reference while shopping. Good luck.

My husband’s creamer, International Delight. It doesn’t say non-dairy, but it does say Lactose-Free which leads some to think it’s dairy-free- it’s not. Read your lablels!

Lactose-Free, but notice: Caseinate* (a milk derivative). Some companies are getting better about labeling all ingredients clearly.

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

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Daiya Food Products

As I mentioned in my last post, we stopped at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and I picked up some new foods. It’s time to start experimenting. I started simply, deciding to take another shot at the “daiya Cheddar Style Shreds” and the “daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds”. (www.daiyafoods.com ) It seemed while I immensely enjoyed vegan cheese on my S.U.V. (Straight Up Veggie – a sandwich of vegan cheese, avocado, sprouts, tomato, onion, lettuce and Creole mustard all served on toasted gluten-free, vegan bread) at the Chicago Diner (www.veggiediner.com), I just couldn’t seem to get past the taste difference when using it at home. My first thought on this is that I believe when you have eaten cheese made from cow’s milk for over 40 years, it’s going to be hard to convince your taste buds you’re eating anything but the real thing. Because I was having a hard time finding a cheese replacement, I’ve been cheese-free for over 6 years. This means, cheese-less pizza, nachos, tacos, burritos. No more grilled cheese, cheeseburgers or chili-cheese fries. I’ve missed cheese.

First, I used the cheddar style shreds on nachos, a hamburger and chili-cheese fries. All tasted pretty good. Next I used the mozzarella style shreds on spaghetti and garlic bread, again, pretty good.

The next item I tried and really enjoyed was the “daiya deliciously dairy-free Supreme with Meatless Sausage & Vegetables Gluten-Free Pizza”. This was good. While the daiya doesn’t melt quite like mozzarella cheese and it doesn’t get all stringy as you take a slice of pizza, it still tasted great. I thoroughly enjoyed this pizza the first evening I made it. (I ate half the pizza.) It also was good reheated the next afternoon for lunch. When eating it for lunch I also had a little “Just” Ranch dressing (www.justforall.com) for dipping – nice addition. I liked this pizza so much that this afternoon I picked up another; a Margherita Pizza. (I found the daiya pizzas in Meijer today!) This will be a much anticipated dinner for one of my meatless Fridays during Lent.

Now, let me give you a little “disclaimer” here. This is not real cheese, nor does it quite taste like real cheese, but it does do a nice job. If you’re going to try the “daiya”; just keep this in mind. My taste buds are still not completely sold on this cheese replacement; but, as stated earlier, that may be because I ate dairy cheese for so many years. If you were not a cheese fanatic, like I was, or maybe you have a younger family member having to go dairy-free; then you, or they, might be sold on this product quicker than I’ve been. With all of this being said, I can tell you I’m pleased with how my foods have tasted with the addition of daiya products. I plan to continue to cook with it. But, because I have been eating foods without cheese for over 6 years I’ve found I really don’t have a great need to smother everything in cheese the way I used to. With that being said, I will continue to buy the daiya shreds and will keep them in my freezer because I’m sure a package will last me 1-2 months. I will definitely continue to buy the daiya pizzas. While I am sure that a daiya pizza would keep fresh in my freezer for 1-2 months, that’s just not gonna happen – I will be eating them much faster than that!

One last note: Remember when buying new foods to read, read, read the labels. Over the years I’ve tried to buy pizza and while it was gluten-free, dairy-free it still contained egg in the crust. Fortunately, I’ve now found the daiya pizza. You really have to read your labels well. You also have to read them every time you buy something. More than once, a product I’ve used for several months or years, has all of a sudden changed up their ingredients which is really frustrating to me.

Forgot to take pic the 1st night. It still looks great even after being reheated on day 2.

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

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A Box of Chocolates

Wow, what a whirlwind week! Bradley and Tim came home this past week. They came bearing gifts; which makes sense since they were home to (finally) celebrate Christmas with all of us. (Such is the life of those working retail and living out of state.) Along with gifts, they brought chocolates – and my inspiration for this week’s blog. They had boxed chocolates; two boxes, one of which was just for me! I haven’t eaten boxed chocolates in over 6 years.

My chocolates came with “Dear Coco be transported by chocolate” printed in blue on its black cover. www.DearCoco.com This box, with its’ beautiful blue organza ribbon made my heart swoon. I LOVE chocolate and have always appreciated tasteful product presentation. I’m the girl who enjoys a beautifully wrapped package almost as much as the gift itself. I carefully slid the ribbon off the box and slowly removed the cover. Oh my, the smell was intoxicating. I removed the protective paper covering the candy. What a sight to behold. Some of the prettiest candy I’d ever seen. Yes, I am getting emotional. For crying out loud people, we’re talking about someone who has been living with a sea of chocolate floating all around her and she has been stuck in the middle on a deserted island with nothing but fruit. I savored every moment of this unveiling. I breathed in the heavenly aroma, looked over the little “key” or “map” or “index” cards they enclosed in the box identifying the different chocolates. (I actually went to ask.com to get an official name for these cards; there is none.)

Next I did what I believe most of us would do, if we could, when eating a box of chocolates. I picked up a piece of candy, took a bite out of it; enjoyed it thoroughly and put the remaining half back in its’ place in the box, to enjoy later. I did this about eight times, smiling and laughing as I did it. It’s crazy how much I enjoyed this. I had no idea how much I’d missed the sheer act of eating boxed chocolates. I can also tell you this made me think of my dear friend Dee, a fellow chocolate lover. She was famous for taking bites out of multiple candies and putting them back if she didn’t like them – even though we were all sharing that same box of candy. It was a given this was going to happen, there was no use in complaining. LOL

I have to tell you, over the next four days I ate about ¾ of that box. I can’t really name a favorite, although the Belgian Chocolate Velvet, Peppermint Powerball and Tahiti Lime all stand out in my mind. The Tahiti Lime – that was a nice surprise. I can honestly say I did not find one bad piece of candy. That’s a bit surprising to me because we’ve all taken a bite of the chocolate covered jelly whatever it is piece of candy and wished we could put it back and choose a different one. With this box that never happened, I liked them all. While some of the flavor combinations seemed a bit unusual, they really paired nicely.

The four day visit was filled with family, fun, our Christmas dinner of roasted chicken and vegetables, mashed potatoes and stuffing, a Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland visit and a trip to Whole Foods. www.wholefoodsmarket.com Yes, for us, Whole Foods is a “destination stop”. We enjoyed a glass of wine as we wandered through the aisles. I picked up foods I usually don’t try along with some of my everyday staples. I took a picture of the new foods I purchased, so if I like them I will remember what they were. I’ll be trying these foods over the next few weeks and will let you know if I’ve found something I will buy again or if I had to throw it out.

So now we all know where we can find good chocolates for our family and friends with dietary restrictions (unless they have a nut allergy) and/or those choosing a vegan lifestyle. Thanks Tim for doing the research for us and for the box of candy. Below you will see pics of my box of chocolates. Check out their website.

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Bean Dip for Super Bowl

Wow! I really dropped the ball (pun intended) on this one!!

Super Bowl Snacks! That’s what I should have done earlier this week. I really hadn’t thought about it because we are not really a “watch sports on tv” kind of people. We’re just not. That being said, you really don’t have to be a sports watcher to attend a Super Bowl party. Everyone loves a good Super Bowl party and the food (and commercials) that go along with it. Also Brent and Chels are hosting a Super Bowl party, so we have a party to go to.

I’m going to make this short and sweet. I will give you one recipe for a bean dip I make and then you may want to go back to my post titled, “It’s a Party and I’ll Snack if I Want To…” for some other quick snack ideas.

Bean Dip:

You’ll need an 8 x 8 pan or if you want to double this recipe you can do it in a 9 ½ x 13 pan.

Ingredients:

1 – 8 ounce container of guacamole. (see note below on *guacamole)
1 – 16 ounce can of refried beans (see note below on **refried beans)
Seasoning*** for refried beans: You can use ½ packet of prepared taco seasoning (although many contain wheat) OR
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ – ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Dash or two of Cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 pint (16 ounces) of salsa – strained
1 – 15 ounce can black beans (rinse well)
Shredded lettuce, dice up: onion, sweet pepper (also can do up jalapeno if you like), tomato
Shredded cheese (if you’re not me)
Seasoned taco meat (if you’re not making this a meatless dish to pass)

What to do:
Spread guacamole in bottom of 8 x 8 pan.
Combine seasonings with refried beans, mixing well. Spread over guacamole.
I strain salsa in a colander for at least 10-15 minutes and scoop it out of the colander with a slotted spoon because if salsa is too runny it makes a mess in the dip. Spread salsa over top of refried beans.
I then rinse the black beans in the same colander I just strained the salsa in. Run cool water over beans in colander until water runs clear. Shake them off well so you don’t get water in the dip.
Cover top of dip with lettuce and fresh veggies.

Cover and refrigerate until serving with corn chips or beanito chips.

*Guacamole: If I have time I make my own guac. (that’s another post) but when I’m in a pinch I will buy either a guac in the store’s deli or pick up a package of Wholly Guacamole.( www.eatwholly.com )

**Refried Beans: I generally make this dip as a vegan version, meaning I have to buy the vegetarian refried beans, but you don’t have to.

***Seasonings for refried beans: The amounts given are approximations. I generally cook by smell so as I add the seasonings if I think it needs a little something more, I add it. I also will check taste with a couple chips or so.

Enjoy! Go team!!

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

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