Heart of Cooking

Last weekend we had a belated second birthday party for Elijah and his friends at the downtown Fire Station in Frederick.  His birthday lands three days before Christmas so we decided to wait to have the “kid” party when people weren’t so busy.

It was great!  The firemen and women showed us around the station, we got to sit in the fire engine (best part), see a fire man get dressed in all of his gear and see inside an ambulance. We also got to witness a 911 call and an ambulance driving out of the station.

The cake:

My mom found a fire truck cake mold at a local craft store so I made the cake in the shape of a fire truck.  One of Elijah’s favorite cakes that I made over the holidays for the Just Desserts for Limited Diets e-book was the Carrot Cake with Vanilla Icing.  So I used that recipe but ended up doubling it because the pan was pretty big and said it fit a two layer cake mix.

When we took it out of the mold, it ended up looking like a rectangle with a point at one end because the fire truck imprint didn’t show up on the cake.  I realized that I was going to have to decorate it so that people could see what it was!  I guess I just hadn’t thought about this before I made the cake.

Natural Red Food Coloring:

I had already planned on using the Vanilla Frosting recipe from GNOWFGLINS.com.  I then decided to make the wheels and ladder out of raisins (since the cake has raisins in it, I thought this was a good choice).  Then, I was trying to figure out how to make red frosting without red food coloring to outline the shape of the truck.

I decided beet juice was the was to go so I sent Dave to the store.  We have a juicer so we juiced the beets to make the juice.  It didn’t take very much to turn the icing bright red-fuchsia.  My mom had a cake decorating kit that I used to outline the truck in red icing and it turned out adorable.

Unfortunately, my USB cable for my camera is malfunctioning so I am unable to get the picture off my camera.  When I get it fixed (hopefully), I will add the picture.

Here are the recipes:

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First off, I apologize again for my absence on my blog.  We now have a contract on a house and are in the midst of all the details before we close.

Also, on a personal note, I am finding that winter time has been urging me towards resting more and being more internal.  I mentioned in one of my New Year’s posts that I am not suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) this season like I have in the past.  What I feel is happening instead is that I am actually enjoying the “yin” energy of the winter.  This is mostly showing up as working less, relaxing more, taking more baths, and not going out as much.  It seems like it started shortly before the massive winter wonderland we received a few weeks ago. To me, this is a real sign that my being is balancing out and becoming more in tune with nature, the way we are supposed to be.

New Changes to my Menu Planners and Website:

At the same time, I am very excited about some upcoming changes to my website.  I am not ready to go into all the details of what is going to change but I feel I want to start talking about them at some level.

These changes are in response to the needs people with multiple food allergies have.  When I started my menu planners, I didn’t really know what I was getting into.  But I did realize that making menu planners for people with food allergies posed some real problems to solve.  The main one being – everyone is allergic to something different.  There are common food allergens, but from there, there are so many other foods that people can be allergic to.  Beyond that, people, especially children, have many preferences of what they like to eat and what they don’t like.

I have been solving this problem by creating menu planners for specific diets.  The response to this has been great and so far I have the following menu planners.  Most of them are for four weeks of menu plans:

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If you’ve been waiting for the GAPS menu planner, it is now available!

I am very happy to be able to offer this menu planner for people who follow Full GAPS, SCD or Paleo diets.  This menu planner is also dairy-free with nut-free options.

It is also a great menu planner as an elimination diet or for people who are on a yeast-free diet.

I have personally found this diet to be extremely helpful in my own life.  I truly can’t believe the changes that have occurred in my life as a result of following a grain, starch, sugar and yeast free diet.

To name just a few major changes, my lifelong mood swings and depression have almost completely vanished.  I have much more energy and the anxiety that I began to experience postpartum has been replaced with a peaceful and happy mind and heart!

I am really full of gratitude for the diet coming into my life!  I have been writing about these changes in my blog, and will be continuing with my post-postpartum experiences very soon.  You can read about my experiences with GAPS here.

Who can benefit from the GAPS diet?  (Find out more here at the official GAPS website)

Anyone with the following symptoms or experiences in life:

• Depression
• Autism
• ADHD
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Learning disabilities
• Schizophrenia
• Anxiety
• Nightwakings
• Behavioral problems
• Hyperactivity
• Bipolar disorder
• Ecxema
• Asthma
• Colic
• Failure to Thrive
• Fussy eaters
• IBS – Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Frequent colds, flu or ear infections
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Not breast-fed
• Have had numerous courses of antibiotics
• Chronic cystitis
• Mood swings
• Poor memory
• Difficulties to concentrate
• Underweight
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Any other digestive disorder

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Sometimes when I’m experimenting, something doesn’t turn out how I expected but it does turn out as something that is very delicious.  For this recipe, I was trying to adapt the Devil’s Food Cupcakes from the Valentine’s Menu Planner into an egg free grain-free version.  At first, I thought it was a disaster because it was taking a lot longer to bake and it was bubbling.  It looked like bubbling chocolate hot lava and I really wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out.

I ended up baking it for about 50 minutes and it was still bubbling when I took it out of the oven.  But as it cooled, I had hope that it was still going to be edible.

What it turned into is an awesome batch of grain, egg and gluten free brownies.  Moist, very rich and very yummy.  It was so good that I decided to add the recipe to the Valentine’s Day Menu Planner for Limited Diets.  But I’m also going to give you the recipe here:

Devil’s Food Chocolate or Carob Brownies (Egg, Grain and Gluten-Free)

Dry:

1 2/3 cup almond flour

1/2 cup cocoa or carob powder, sifted

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp flax meal mixed with 6 Tbsp. boiling water

Wet:

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil or melted butter

1 cup coconut milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon juice

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.   Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl.  Mix the dry into the wet and mix until it is thick cake batter consistency.  Add a little flour if too runny or add a little milk if too thick.

2.  Grease an 8.5 inch square cake pan with coconut oil or butter.  Pour batter into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes .  Brownies will be soft and bubbling but should be done after 50 minutes.  Let cool for at least an hour or overnight before serving.  They will be very soft and moist.

Note about GAPS: This recipe is not GAPS-legal because it uses chocolate.  Also, carob is also not on the allowed list.  I have to confess I ate WAY more than I intended to, as I am trying to stick to GAPS.  I tested it for the menu planner but didn’t have the will power to just eat a nibble…

I did notice a slight increase in irritability, which is a good sign for me that chocolate doesn’t work for me.  I still don’t know exactly why this is though.  Anyone?

The Valentine’s Menu Planner for Limited Diets is now available! Don’t miss this awesome meal planned specifically for people with multiple food allergies, the GAPS diet and gluten-free diets.

Have a beautiful Valentine’s Day!

I am very excited to announce the new Valentine’s Day Menu Planner for Limited Diets!

Many people like to spend a nice meal with their spouse or significant other on Valentine’s Day.

However, if you or your loved one is on a limited diet, this can be more complicated than making reservations at your favorite restaurant.

What if you were to surprise your loved one with a home cooked, romantic meal?

Maybe there is a menu that your significant other would love to eat at a restaurant but normally contains their food restrictions.

When I had the idea of making a Valentine’s Day Menu Planner, I thought of what kinds of meals that people on limited diets would love to eat – if only they could eat the ingredients!  I also considered food that is known for being “romantic…”

So, I put together a simple but delicious and allergen-friendly menu that I believe almost anyone could enjoy, even if their diet is very limited!

Here is the menu:

Veggie Lasagna (I am including three recipes so that you can use the one that work best for your diet)

• Grain-Free version (made with egg noodles – these taste just like real noodles!)
• Grain and Egg-Free version (made with zucchini noodles)
• Gluten-Free version (made with brown rice noodles)

Strawberry Avocado Salad with Crispy Pecans

Three Desserts to choose from to fit your diet:

• Hazelnut Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing (Grain-Free)
  
• Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Sauce and Vanilla Icing (Grain and Chocolate Free)
• Devil Food’s Chocolate Cupcakes (Gluten, Nut and Egg Free)

All dishes are free of the following:

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First of all I have to apologize for my absence and lack of blog posts lately!  Things have been a very busy on the home front between shopping for a home and Elijah being sick.  But I hope to get back into the swing of things soon!

So for today I want to share a very yummy and very simple recipe for gluten free drop biscuits.  The original recipe comes from Elana Amsterdam’s new cookbook, The Almond Flour Gluten Free Cookbook.  I love her recipes and her blog and they are very adaptable to the GAPS and SCD diets.  I simply use honey in place of agave and coconut oil or butter in place of the grape seed oil.

If you’re on GAPS or don’t want to use baking soda, I have found that separating the eggs and then beating the egg whites until stiff helps the bread to rise without baking soda.  You can read more about this here.

For this time, I also used almond meal (also called natural almond flour) because I didn’t have any blanched on hand.  In my experience, almond meal is more like “wheat flour” and blanched almond flour is more like “white flour.” These biscuits were still delicious with the almond meal, but I think they would be a little lighter with blanched almond flour.

So here’s the recipe:
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Egg, nut, and grain free pizza crust

I admit that when things get really limited and you start to use strange concoctions like gooey flax seed meal paste, ground up pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, it is easy to have little hope that the recipe is going to be any good at all!

But even though this pizza crust is free of eggs, nuts, grains, gluten, sugar, dairy and yeast (all the things pizza is normally made with), it is mighty delicious!

I am continuing to be stretched by my own restrictions as well as others who are looking for recipes free of many of the common allergens including eggs and nuts.  I found the original version of this recipe at Grainfreefoodies and from there made it free of eggs and added a bit of honey to balance out the taste of the seed flours.  (It was already grain and nut free.)

I wasn’t sure how it was going to be replacing the eggs with the flax seed meal.  My husband even said he was “scared of this one.”  He actually thought it was going to taste like cardboard when I told him what the ingredients were.

We were all pleasantly surprised.  The crust was a bit crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  It held together very well.  And the crust had a very nice flavor, kind of nutty even though I didn’t use any nuts.  And the last minute idea of adding the roasted butternut squash ended up being a great idea.  Elijah liked it too, and he’s been getting more picky lately.

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Last summer I was gifted a bottle of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil along with the book, Virgin Coconut Oil by the company.  It has taken me this long to write a review of the coconut oil because of what I experienced when I started eating the oil on a regular basis.

At the time of receiving the oil and the book, I knew of coconut oil’s nourishing and healing qualities.  I wrote a post about it in the fall of 2008 talking about the different qualities of coconut oil.  I even wrote:

“The principle fatty acid in coconut milk, lauric acid, is a medium-chain 12-carbon saturated fatty acid that has potent antiviral, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties.”  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

However, I was also not eating coconut oil regularly enough to really benefit from its highly nourishing and healing properties.  But when I received the Tropical Traditions oil and read most of the book about its qualities, I decided to start eating it regularly.

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This is a follow up post from my previous post about my healing journey with the GAPS diet.  If you didn’t read my previous post, it may make sense to read it either before or after this one.

I have thought a lot about how to write about my life and how I have come to the place I am right now.  I feel as though I have walked over a landscape of mountains in my life and have arrived at a cozy meadow in a beautiful wood.  Things are pleasant and beautiful right now.  And while I believe that life is about growth and continually walking towards deeper healing and love in our hearts, there is something different about the meadow I am finding myself in right now.

While I know I will continue growing, something really profound has opened up in my life the past few months.  In short, I believe this beautiful meadow is here to stay as a presence of happiness in my heart and in my life, despite any changes life may bring on the outside.  A couple months ago, I wrote this in my journal:

“This is how we were made – all of us – full of joy, happiness, beauty and creativity.  But what happens to us during our life can take this away, and it is our journey to find it again, and to know it is the truth and realness of who we each are.

“Although there is suffering in life, life is not about suffering.  It is about finding a way through our suffering to find the joy again.  To discover that it was there all along, but we simply didn’t see it.”  I would add now, “couldn’t feel it” as well.

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Apple Cinnamon Coconut Muffins

I have always used baking soda and baking powder in baking.  After I suspected corn was bothering me, I started making my own baking powder with arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch.  Here is the recipe I was using:

Corn and gluten free Baking powder:

1 part baking soda

2 parts cream of tartar

1 part arrowroot powder

Mix well and store in an airtight container

However I never really thought that the actual baking soda may also be a problem for me until I came to the GAPS diet.  According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, baking soda shouldn’t be eaten by people following GAPS because most people with digestive issues have low stomach acid.  Baking soda is very alkaline, and therefore decreases one’s stomach acid even further.

I have been a little slow to accept this fact completely but do follow it most of the time.  I did use baking soda in the cake I made for the birthday party.  But for the most part have tried to find other ways to create leavening in my baked goods.

While I was creating the Just Desserts for Limited Diets recipe book, I created most of the cakes free of baking soda or baking powder by using egg whites as leavening.  This worked extremely well and I am continuing to use this method to create moist and springy baked goods without baking soda.

It is very simple but it does take more time and equipment.  But the results are worth the extra step I assure you.

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