Thursday, July 22, 2010

WEMP Free Cinnamon Bread

Here's yet another great recipe from Kelly Rudnicki, that I turned into wheat-free as well as egg, milk, and peanut free!

I just baked it today, and so I don't know yet how well it will keep, but straight from the oven it was awesome!!!!

WEMP-Free Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dairy-free shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 cups wheat-free flour blend
1 tsp xanthum gum
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk

Topping:
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp melted dairy-free margarine

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with dairy-free baking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening and 3/4 cup sugar thoroughly, adding the water as the mixer runs. Beat until fluffy.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients. Add the dry mixture to the shortening mixture, alternating it with the soy milk.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp margarine to make the topping.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the batter with the topping mixture. Bake for 45 minutes, or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean and the topping is crusty brown. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

WEMP Free Thai Tilapia

It's so funny that Annabelle has come SO far in her short little 6 years! :)

Even as recently as 2 years ago, there was not a lot that Belle would eat that wasn't plain, simple, and boring...you could not get her to eat a bell pepper, no matter what. And, that was just the beginning.

But, today, she is an awesome, adventurous eater! And, except for those few and far-between days now that she complains about food, her brother and sister are following her every move and enjoying quite a variety of foods! That's so great! Especially since we're so limited with Derek's allergies, it's nice to have lots of flavor and spice (especially with thai and indian dishes), so we don't feel so deprived all the time!

Anyway, I found this recipe tonight and decided to try it...because not only are we a family of thai-cuisine lovers, but the kids LOVE tilapia! So, why not join the two together?

I did change it quite a bit though, so I'm claiming this as my own recipe! LOL! I've been wanting to perfect a sauce so that it tastes like the Panang Curry dish at a small little restaurant in Winchester, VA...and I think it's pretty darn close! :) Can't wait to try it with chicken!

Of course, the panang curry sauce has peanut in it, so only add those if you can! If not, it's delightful even without!!!

In fact, I made 7 fillets tonight (they are very small), doing 4 in one skillet with NO peanut butter for the kids, and the rest I did for Chris and I with peanut butter, and they are both SO very good! I think this is my new best creation! :)

Note: If doing more than 4 fillets, you'll need to do in 2 skillets, so double the sauce for sure! I doubled it when cooking 7...

WEMP Free Thai Tilapia

Ingredients:

1/2 can coconut milk (about 6-8 oz)
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped (I just sliced some off the end of my ginger root & threw in blender)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chopped fresh lemongrass (I used about 1/4 tsp dried lemon grass powder)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp fresh basil
1 tsp fresh garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 tilapia fillets
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste
1-2 Tbsp peanut butter (IF YOU CAN HAVE PEANUTS!) - totally optional here!

Directions:
1. In a blender, combine coconut milk, onion, ginger, turmeric, lemon grass, salt, basil, garlic, and peanut butter (if using). Blend until smooth.
2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper on both sides, then place them in the skillet. Pour the pureed sauce over the fish. Use a spatula to coat the fish evenly with the sauce. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired.
3. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the puree is thickened and fish flakes easily with a fork.

Monday, July 19, 2010

WEMP Free Chili

This was a Chris creation tonight...I was feeling discouraged about what to cook that was safe for Derek, and my wonderful hubby decided to whip something new up. He's so good at that! :)

It was VERY tasty!!!!

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground beef
2 beef cubes
1 chicken cube
1 cup diced carrots
3 medium potatoes, cubed
1 cup wax beans
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery
1 squash, cubed
1 cup peas
1 cup green beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
2 cups diced cabbage
Old Bay, to taste

Directions:
1. Brown ground beef over medium high heat.
2. Add 10 cups water.
3. Add beef and chicken boullion cubes.
4. Add carrots, cook until tender.
5. Add potatoes, cook until tender.
6. Add wax beans, bell pepper, celery, squash, peas, and green beans.
7. Sprinkle Old Bay on top.
8. Add cabbage, cook for few minutes, then add kidney beans.
9. Cook until heated through.

Pizza Hut Supreme Sandwich

I used to work at Pizza Hut...a LONG time ago :)

We used to serve this sandwich (I don't even know if they still sell it or not), but it's super good! It's one of our favorite quick lunches!

Pizza Hut Supreme Sandwich

Ingredients:
(for each sandwich)

1 Italian style Roll
4 slices thin sliced ham
4 slices hard salami
1 slice provolone cheese, cut in half
Creamy Italian Dressing

Directions:
1. Place opened roll on baking sheet.
2. Top with ham on one side, salami on the other. Top both meats with 1/2 slice of cheese.
3. Place under the broiler (on high) for about 3-7 minutes, until cheese is melted and bread is just barely toasted.
4. Top with Italian Dressing and enjoy!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Caramel Brownies

The other amazing recipe from church this weekend was brought by our friend Jen V...it was caramel brownies! I've seen lots of recipes for these, but have never felt any desire to actually try them out...don't know why, but it just didn't seem like it would be my thing.

Lets just say that Caramel Brownies, it turns out, are TOTALLY my thing! LOL!

Can't wait to try these out, and will even try to do a WEMP-Free version soon too!

The recipe came from allrecipes.com, and you can find the original recipe here. The original recipe calls for a german chocolate cake mix, but Jen used a regular brownie mix...and I would do the same for sure!

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix
3/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped pecans
13 oz individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup evaportated milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 inch pan with non-stick coating.
2. Combine the brownie mix, butter, and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Mix well and pour 2/3 of the batter into pan.
3. Press pecans into batter and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
4. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Stir until melted and smooth; pour over cooled brownie mix.
5. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of caramel and top with spoonfuls of remaining cake mix. Bake for additional 15 to 18 minutes; cool and cut.

Blueberry Gingerbread

This is so AMAZING! Thanks to my friend Annette for passing the recipe on to me! She baked it for us yesterday and it was FABULOUS!

I actually made it WEMP-Free today, so if you are looking for that recipe, it's here!

But, here's the regular wheat, egg, milk infused version! :)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup plus 3 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
4 Tbsp molasses
1 cup fresh blueberries, washed, stemmed, and dried

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt; set aside.
3. Dissolve baking soda into buttermilk.
4. Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in egg.
6. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, always beginning and ending with flour mixture.
7. Stir in molasses.
8. Gently fold in blueberries.
9. Spoon batter into well greased 9x9x2 baking pan.
10. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top.
11. Bake 50 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached)

WEMP Free Blueberry Gingerbread

Oh. My. Word. My friend Annette made this for our worship team yesterday and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! So I had to ask for the recipe! And, luckily, not only did she send me the recipe already, but I just happened to have fresh blueberries sitting in my fridge! YEY!

So, of course I had to make this today! And, since I wanted Derek to be able to eat it, I went ahead and made it WEMP free!

I'm so glad I'm figuring out all the secrets to cooking and baking allergen-free! It's opening up our food world so much! Although, there's still nothing like REAL cheese and there's not a real substitute for tomato sauce!...but we're managing!

If your child has allergies, please DO NOT feel overwhelmed! The wheat allergy really threw me for a loop, but after experimenting (a BIT, not even a ton!) I've been able to figure out about what I need to use for substitutions, and it's been mostly successful! Please email me if you need any help!

Without further ado...

***OK, weird note about this...the sugar on top did NOT melt into the cake...very weird! So, I broiled it for a few minutes after baking to melt the sugar. Sometimes this WEMP-Free stuff cooks so weird! Who would think that a non-wheat cake mix would not allow the sugar to melt into it?!***

WEMP-Free Blueberry Gingerbread

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat-free flour blend
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthum gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup dairy free shortening (I use Spectrum since it's NON-Hydrogenated!)
1 1/2 tsp butter flavoring
1 cup plus 3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
2 Tbsp soy milk or water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup soy milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp molasses
1 cup fresh blueberries; washed, stemmed, and dried

Directions:
1. In a liquid measuring cup, pour 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and then fill to the 1 cup measure with soy milk; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour 9x9x2 baking pan (I use Pan Grease to both flour and grease in one easy step! You can make your own or you can buy it at the cake and wedding cottage - it's wemp free!)
3. Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, xanthum gum, and baking powder; set aside.
4. Dissolve baking soda into soy milk mixture.
5. Cream shortening, butter flavoring, and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
6. In small bowl, whisk together egg replacer and water or soy milk. Beat into shortening mixture.
7. Alternately add flour mixture and soy milk/lemon juice mixture, always beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
8. Stir in molasses. Gently fold in blueberries.
9. Spoon batter into baking pan; sprinkle remaining sugar on top.
10. Bake 50 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached).


***NOTE: I ended up burning the top just a bit when I had to turn the broiler on to melt the sugar...so next time I think I'll mix a bit of water into the sugar and pour on top...that would give it the moisture it seems to need to melt. Who would think that after an HOUR in a 350 degree oven, that sugar wouldn't melt at all?!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Cheesy Chicken Pasta

Chris made up this recipe tonight (he also made up the WEMP Free Cheesy Chicken Pasta, as well)...and this was pretty awesome! The girls both ate 3 plates of food tonight! They loved it! I only got a bite b/c they ate it all, but it was really good!

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 jar Ragu Marinara Sauce
1/4 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
3 cups cooked ziti

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, lemon zest, and garlic powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is fully cooked through. Add marinara sauce, spinach, pasta, and monterey jack cheese. Stir to combine.

WEMP free "Cheesy" Chicken Pasta

Chris whipped up an original creation tonight for Derek, and he LOVED it!

I tried it, and it wasn't bad...although I'm such a cheese lover, that it still wasn't the same for me, but since he doesn't seem to notice the difference, hopefully he'll never feel like he's missing out! It was a really nice change for him, since he can't generally have mac 'n cheese or anything like it!

The cheese didn't completely melt, but it melted enough to mix together with the pasta! :)

WEMP Free "Cheesy" Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 chicken breast
2 cups Wheat/Egg-free pasta
2 tsp vegan butter
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup shredded vegan cheddar

Directions:
1. Cook pasta, according to directions.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, stirring occasionally, until cooked through. Add lemon zest, pepper, and garlic powder, stirring to combine.
2. In separate small skillet, heat vegan margarine over medium heat. Add spinach and saute until slightly softened. Add spinach to chicken mixture.
3. Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture. Top with shredded cheddar and heat through.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Grilled Pineapple Angel Food Cake with a roasted marshmallow chaser


An Erin Allport Original! :)

OK, when talking about how awesome grilled pineapple is, someone suggested that I try grilling it and adding cinnamon and sugar. That sounded amazing, so I had to try it!

I decided to also grill some angel food cake, add some vanilla ice cream (frozen yogurt this time), whipped cream, and add a side of roasted marshmallows. Not sure how I formed this idea in my head, but it sounded awesome...and let's just say, I could eat this EVERY day, and never tire of it! It was SO good!!!!

Chris doesn't like marshmallow (I Know, crazy, huh?!) And pineapple isn't his most favorite thing, but he enjoyed it...but I think the marshmallows definitely put this over the top! It's just awesome with roasted marshmallows! :)

Sorry that it's not allergy free at all (eggs, milk, wheat...it's got it all) :(

Grilled Pineapple Angel Food Cake with a Roasted Marshmallow Chaser

Ingredients:

Angel food cake slices (one for each serving)
Fresh Pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into bite size chunks
Cinnamon & Sugar
Vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream
Marshmallows (2 large for each serving)

Directions:
1. Either in grill pan or on skewers, grill pineapple for about 5-10 minutes over medium flame. Once it's fully heated through and starting to get grill marks, remove from heat and add cinnamon and sugar, to taste.
2. While grilling pineapple, roast marshmallows, removing from skewer and putting aside on a plate (I let mine catch fire to quickly char the outside, while not making them super gooey on the inside, so they'd keep their form).
3. Grill slices of angel food cake over high heat, for about 30 seconds or so each side, until it has nice grill marks, but isn't burned!
4. To serve, put angel food cake slice on plate, top with grilled pineapple, whipped cream, a scoop if ice cream, and 2 roasted marshmallows!

The only thing I might try and add to this sometime is some chocolate drizzled on top :) That might be great too!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Summer Squash Pasta - WEMP Free (or not)



This is a recipe that my brother whipped together way back when we were in high school...and I still make it all the time! It's so yummy and uses lots of fresh veggies, so it's very healthy too!

Summer Squash Pasta - WEMP Free (or not)

Ingredients:

1 lb whole wheat OR corn/rice/potato angel hair pasta
2 small yellow squash, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 small zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small bell pepper (red/yellow/orange will be best flavor for this!), cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 small onion, optional
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup white cooking wine
1 tsp fresh basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
parmesan cheese, optional (of course, not for WEMP-free!)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook pasta, according to directions on package.
2. In large stir fry pan, heat oil until very hot. Add garlic and onion and saute for a minute or two. Add squash, zucchini, and bell pepper. Add white cooking wine, basil, and crushed red pepper, if desired. Turn heat to medium and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until veggies are a bit tender.
3. Drain pasta when finished cooking, and put onto plates. Top with veggies and the oil/wine sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired, or just sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.


Here's the WEMP Free version:

BEST WEMP-Free Brownies!!!!



OK, so with all the 4th of July parties this weekend, I knew I needed to bake some kind of yummy treat for Derek, so he could feel included in the festivities! But, I wasn't sure I wanted to make the ones I made several weeks ago. I mean, they were AMAZING for my first attempt, but I didn't think I was satisfied with this recipe for brownies. They tasted like very very dark chocolate, but still with a touch of the apple flavor from the applesauce...which I just don't enjoy much.

So, I decided to tweak another recipe from my Kelly Rudnicki cookbook - The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book. For some reason, I've found that I really LOVE when I make her recipes (making them wheat free, of course!) so much better than the ones that are already wheat free. :)

And, I'm SO glad I tried! These were OUTSTANDING!!!! FAR superior to my last attempt! I would be willing to bet no one would EVER know they are wheat, milk, egg, and nut free! AWESOME! Derek's enjoying some for breakfast! (Hey, I had to do something, his sister got to go out to breakfast with Daddy, and he was devastated! What's a mom to do?! Bake brownies for breakfast, of course!) :)

Now, these brownies use tofu in place of the eggs, and I HIGHLY recommend it! I've never baked with tofu (in fact, I've only used it once in my life, while being a Pampered Chef consultant...for a show for a vegetarian!)...so I was a bit skeptical. But, I'll never worry again! It was great! In fact, I had one package, and didn't want to waste any of it (since this is the only recipe I have at the moment with tofu), so of course I did what any sane woman would do at 9 am...I baked not one, not two, but THREE pans of brownies, just to use the tofu up! I'm telling you, the brownies are THAT good! :) I'll just let them cool, slice them, and place them in the freezer so I can grab them for Derek and Julie whenever we need a special treat out! :)

BEST WEMP-Free Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dairy-free shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup silken tofu
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup wheat-free all-purpose flour mix
about 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips
powdered sugar, optional

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, thoroughly combine the shortening, sugar, tofu, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk. Add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture, and mix until just combined, adding soy milk to help it come together. Stir in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray (or brush with shortening) 8x8 baking pan with dairy-free baking spray. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely, and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.