I have wondered for a while how a soup without onion or garlic would fare - like a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips? A lame excuse for a soup? I experimented and I was actually pleasantly surprised, yes, one shouldn't assume, because we all know what that means. I used parsnips for sweetness and celery as the base, added a chipotle for some smokiness (ok, so not quite the same as pork...) and an avocado for creaminess. It was yum! Onions be gone.
1 parsnip
3 ribs of celery
3 cups of green split peas, preferably organic
water
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 chipotle
sprig of thyme
sage leaf
1 ripe avocado
- Put split peas into a pot and cover with cold water. Let them sit for at least 2 hours, making sure they are topped up with water. They should increase significantly in volume - the pre-soaking decreases cooking time and helps the peas cook more evenly.
- Peel & grate parsnip.
- Finely mince or grate celery stalks
- Add 3 tbs of olive oil to a pot on medium heat, add parsnip, celery, thyme, sage and the chipotle pepper; cook until the parsnip and celery are translucent and soft.
- Drain peas and add to pot.
- Top up with water (about an inch above the peas). Monitor soup as it cooks over med-low heat to make sure it does not dry out. You don't want to add too much water, otherwise the soup will be, well, soupy... you want this to be thick and porridgey (if there is such a word)!
- Season to taste; I found the peas needed a significant amount of sea salt.
- Cook until the peas break down. You can then puree the soup (it's nice to leave some texture though) or leave it chunky. At this stage, mash the avocado until very smooth and mix into the soup for creaminess. Yum!
4/02/2007
3/23/2007
Angelhair
One of my favorite quick (and slightly nutritionally unbalanced) dinners is spelt angelhair pasta, cooked until al dente in salted water, slithered into a bowl with a splosh of really good, fruity olive oil, a few long grindings of pepper, a smattering of an aged balsamic and as much freshly grated parmiagiana and pecorino as your wrist can tolerate.
Seems the aged cheeses are low in lactose because as they age they dry out and the whey dissipates, taking most of the lactose with it. Yay!
Seems the aged cheeses are low in lactose because as they age they dry out and the whey dissipates, taking most of the lactose with it. Yay!
3/17/2007
Cookie science
Technically I should avoid butter. But I don't. At all. Butter's trace amounts of lactose do, however, affect some people and with my recent reading about inflammation (one of the main reasons I'm avoiding a long list of foods - the allergic reaction causes inflammation, which leads to other problems) I've decided to forgo butter, where possible. I guess I'll get used to it, like I did with wheat (I no longer dream about Alvarado Street Bakery bread, with plump, chewy, whole grains). I attempted to use a butter substitute, specifically Spectrum Naturals Spread, and while I think it works in baking, it will never grace my rye toast.
I added a few spices; lemony coriander, fragrant nutmeg and, for a bit of spice, ground pepper. This recipe also uses chickpea flour, which adds to the protein content and makes this a more 'well-rounded' treat, if there is such a thing...
These cookies are soft and a little bit chewy, with crunch from the hazelnuts and more chewiness from the ginger.
Hazelnut & Ginger Cookies
Makes 12
1 3/4 cup wholemeal spelt flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup 'spread' (any natural, non-hydrogenated spread)
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (chunky, not too fine)
1/4 sliced crystallized ginger
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
few grindings of black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- With a mixer, beat spread and agave nectar together until combined (don't overmix).
- Sift together all dry ingredients.
- Add half at a time and combine.
- Add hazelnuts and ginger and quickly combine.
- Roll dough in plastic wrap, into a log, and refrigerate until oven has reached temperature.
- Once oven is at right temp, slice cookies (just under 1/2 inch) and place on greased cookie sheet.
- Bake 25 - 20 minutes, until light golden (bottoms will brown more quickly).
Note: my sister gave me a different cookie recipe utilizing rice bran oil (she also lives in New Zealand and that oil is fairly common there, not so much in the US) as the lipid. She said the cookies came out crispy and delicious - that'll be my next cookie experiment.
3/16/2007
Chick(s)
My latest discovery is chickpea (or garbanzo bean) flour - golden yellow with a pungent aroma, it's a great addition in baked goods (additional protein) or as a quick base for savory dishes. I saw a hummus recipe that called for chickpea flour instead of the whole beans - so, so, SO much easier; no boiling beans (which, in my experience, half of them don't cook and the other half are mushy) or opening a can for a watered down, metallic-tasting experience.
This recipe is another quickie, loosely based on panella (a Sicilian fritter) and pakoras (amber-colored, deep fried Indian vegetable fritters). The flavor of chickpeas is quintessentially savory. The courgette (zucchini) adds a green fleck to the batter and rounds out the nutritional value. I'm going to try a batch with baking soda, which should (could) make them puff up like little golden pillows.
Golden Chickpea & Courgette Fritters
Makes approx. 12
1 cup chickpea flour
approx. 1 1/4 cups water (you may need a tad more)
1 grated organic courgette
3/4 tsp sea salt (taste for seasoning before frying - you'd be surprised at how much salt the flour needs)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cumin
Extra virgin olive oil for frying
(Optional) freshly grated Pecorino Romano or freshly chopped cilantro
- Preheat a frying pan to med-high heat.
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Bear in mind that the flour will soak up the water as it sits, so check the batter consistency before you fry them - it should not be too dry (paste-like), but also not so wet it is sloppy (definitely not soupy). Something like an American pancake batter.
- Let the batter sit while the pan heats.
- Once the pan is up to temperature, add the olive oil (shallow fry in about 3 tbs) and add the batter a table spoon at a time.
- Fry until amber brown on either side, taking care to make sure that they don't brown too quickly; you want the inside to cook through too, so there is now 'raw' taste.
- Drain briefly on paper towels; plate and grate over fresh Pecorino, if wanted, or freshly chopped cilantro.
Yum! I had this for dinner last night. And breakfast this morning...
Edit: the addition of 1/2 tsp baking soda makes them puff!
3/15/2007
Thai it up
In a potato-less world, sweet potato has been a beacon of light; I can still get my starchy fix, but this tuber is subtly sweet and wonderfully carrot-colored - feast with the eyes, first.
This dish is ridiculously simple - 4 ingredients and salt; it's the quickest Thai-inspired dish you'll ever make. You can easily substitute any leafy green instead of the spinach, like swiss chard or kale, but I prefer the spinach that melds into the coconut cream. You can also use red or green Thai curry paste or Tom Yum soup paste (for all I like the Thai Kitchen brand) - note that some brands have garlic or onion. Don't mistake a yam for a sweet potato, which I used to do; the consistency of a yam is entirely different, it's sort of like a giant carrot, fibrous and not smooth.
If you have it, you can add fresh a lemongrass stalk (hard to come by) and/or grate fresh ginger in and even garnish with a sprinkle of fresh basil.
Sweet Potato, Spinach & Coconut Milk Curry
Serves 2
2 medium organic sweet potatoes
bunch of fresh organic spinach, cleaned or 1 bag of frozen
3/4 - 1 can coconut milk
Red or green curry paste, or Tom Yum soup paste, to taste (I usually like about 2 heaped tsps, which makes the dish a bit spicy and very fragrant)
sea salt (to taste)
- Peel sweet potatoes and uniformly dice in one inch cubes.
- Clean spinach well, if fresh.
- Add sweet potatoes to a heavy bottomed pot with the salt, curry or soup paste and 3/4 can of the coconut milk (the tops of the sweet potatoes should just peer above the coconut milk).
- Cook over a medium-low heat until the sweet potato is cooked and creamy; it shouldn't be falling apart, but it should be tender and soft.
- Add the spinach, fresh or frozen, and mix in until it is wilted (if fresh) or defrosted (if frozen).
- If you prefer a 'saucy' curry, add the remaining 1/4 can of coconut milk.
- Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
Serve as a meal or with brown rice or rice noodles.
This dish is ridiculously simple - 4 ingredients and salt; it's the quickest Thai-inspired dish you'll ever make. You can easily substitute any leafy green instead of the spinach, like swiss chard or kale, but I prefer the spinach that melds into the coconut cream. You can also use red or green Thai curry paste or Tom Yum soup paste (for all I like the Thai Kitchen brand) - note that some brands have garlic or onion. Don't mistake a yam for a sweet potato, which I used to do; the consistency of a yam is entirely different, it's sort of like a giant carrot, fibrous and not smooth.
If you have it, you can add fresh a lemongrass stalk (hard to come by) and/or grate fresh ginger in and even garnish with a sprinkle of fresh basil.
Sweet Potato, Spinach & Coconut Milk Curry
Serves 2
2 medium organic sweet potatoes
bunch of fresh organic spinach, cleaned or 1 bag of frozen
3/4 - 1 can coconut milk
Red or green curry paste, or Tom Yum soup paste, to taste (I usually like about 2 heaped tsps, which makes the dish a bit spicy and very fragrant)
sea salt (to taste)
- Peel sweet potatoes and uniformly dice in one inch cubes.
- Clean spinach well, if fresh.
- Add sweet potatoes to a heavy bottomed pot with the salt, curry or soup paste and 3/4 can of the coconut milk (the tops of the sweet potatoes should just peer above the coconut milk).
- Cook over a medium-low heat until the sweet potato is cooked and creamy; it shouldn't be falling apart, but it should be tender and soft.
- Add the spinach, fresh or frozen, and mix in until it is wilted (if fresh) or defrosted (if frozen).
- If you prefer a 'saucy' curry, add the remaining 1/4 can of coconut milk.
- Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
Serve as a meal or with brown rice or rice noodles.
But I want it!
One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, "Pavarotti, My Own Story"
Unless you're intolerant to wheat. And lactose. Oh, and bakers yeast, coffee, citrus, tomato, mushroom, onion, garlic, shallots, leeks, spring onions, tea, potato, broccoli, corn, MSG, eggplant, bell peppers, cayenne, paprika, pineapple, apples, plums, kiwifruit, strawberries and, oddly, dust mites, grass and flower pollen (not something I ingest by choice).
For those of you who have a food intolerance, you are well aware that life isn't worth being lived on the on the wild side where corn, lactose and wheat abound. Alas, food is not fuel for me, nay, it is to be savored and cherished; so when I recently took an allergy test and the results came back I was utterly shattered. Post-result panic attacks ensued, followed by bouts of bingeing on pizza, tomato and mozzarella (and garlic knots) - my last hurrah.
The first month of trial and error (far more error and cheating than trialing) was rough (and a tad depressing and mildy claustrophobic), as I made a foray into a world sans my trigger foods, but, after much internet research and ingredient reading, I have now found a comfortable state where I don't feel like I'm missing out of my old favorites, rather, I'm broadening my horizons and experimenting with those seldom thought about staples like garbanzo flour, coconut milk and maple syrup.
My conversations are now peppered with phrases like 'the Allium family' and Solanaceae, as in the nightshade family of whom eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes are a part of; all things I now know better than to eat. I have to say, crispy, salty french fries I can do without, even mashed potatoes in all their creamy goodness, but tomatoes - that was a heart wrenching departure. One of my favorite meals was an heirloom tomato, that fist-sized, misshapen fruit, sometimes tiger-striped grass green, sometimes lemon yellow - thickly sliced to reveal it's meaty, ruby flesh, sprinkled with Portuguese sea salt, draped with a milky slice of fresh mozzarella and ornamented with grassy olive oil and a Pollock-like smattering of balsamic. Heaven on a plate. Sniff, sniff...
I am lucky enough to be able to tolerate gluten, so although I can't have wheat, I can have spelt, kamut and the other grains with gluten. Lactose is out, which rules out milk, yogurt (rather a shame as those of you who have experienced Old Chatham's sheep's milk yogurt in all of it's creamy, tangy goodness can attest to). Butter is okay though, not great (there are still trace amounts of lactose), but ghee (clarified butter, typically used in Indian cusine) is 100% lactose free as are most cheddar cheeses (as a general rule of thumb they all should be, but there is always room for variation). This discovery made my day, as I live for cheddar. No, I do - really. I'm down to a block a week - a good, aged one that almost crumbles as you cut it and prickles your tongue as you eat it.
This blog is dedicated to finding recipes, yummy recipes (that stay yummy after removing said intolerances) and tweaking them so we, The Intolerant, don't feel neglected. Hopefully I will be able to provide the light at the end of your tunnel, so you don't have to endure the tribulations I did when I set out. Did I mention that I'm vegetarian too? I started eating seafood a few years ago (having once been verging on veganism), but only sustainably caught, wild seafood. It just adds to the madness! So here's to always enjoying, always looking forward to that next (sans wheat, lactose, potato, tomato....) meal.
~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, "Pavarotti, My Own Story"
Unless you're intolerant to wheat. And lactose. Oh, and bakers yeast, coffee, citrus, tomato, mushroom, onion, garlic, shallots, leeks, spring onions, tea, potato, broccoli, corn, MSG, eggplant, bell peppers, cayenne, paprika, pineapple, apples, plums, kiwifruit, strawberries and, oddly, dust mites, grass and flower pollen (not something I ingest by choice).
For those of you who have a food intolerance, you are well aware that life isn't worth being lived on the on the wild side where corn, lactose and wheat abound. Alas, food is not fuel for me, nay, it is to be savored and cherished; so when I recently took an allergy test and the results came back I was utterly shattered. Post-result panic attacks ensued, followed by bouts of bingeing on pizza, tomato and mozzarella (and garlic knots) - my last hurrah.
The first month of trial and error (far more error and cheating than trialing) was rough (and a tad depressing and mildy claustrophobic), as I made a foray into a world sans my trigger foods, but, after much internet research and ingredient reading, I have now found a comfortable state where I don't feel like I'm missing out of my old favorites, rather, I'm broadening my horizons and experimenting with those seldom thought about staples like garbanzo flour, coconut milk and maple syrup.
My conversations are now peppered with phrases like 'the Allium family' and Solanaceae, as in the nightshade family of whom eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes are a part of; all things I now know better than to eat. I have to say, crispy, salty french fries I can do without, even mashed potatoes in all their creamy goodness, but tomatoes - that was a heart wrenching departure. One of my favorite meals was an heirloom tomato, that fist-sized, misshapen fruit, sometimes tiger-striped grass green, sometimes lemon yellow - thickly sliced to reveal it's meaty, ruby flesh, sprinkled with Portuguese sea salt, draped with a milky slice of fresh mozzarella and ornamented with grassy olive oil and a Pollock-like smattering of balsamic. Heaven on a plate. Sniff, sniff...
I am lucky enough to be able to tolerate gluten, so although I can't have wheat, I can have spelt, kamut and the other grains with gluten. Lactose is out, which rules out milk, yogurt (rather a shame as those of you who have experienced Old Chatham's sheep's milk yogurt in all of it's creamy, tangy goodness can attest to). Butter is okay though, not great (there are still trace amounts of lactose), but ghee (clarified butter, typically used in Indian cusine) is 100% lactose free as are most cheddar cheeses (as a general rule of thumb they all should be, but there is always room for variation). This discovery made my day, as I live for cheddar. No, I do - really. I'm down to a block a week - a good, aged one that almost crumbles as you cut it and prickles your tongue as you eat it.
This blog is dedicated to finding recipes, yummy recipes (that stay yummy after removing said intolerances) and tweaking them so we, The Intolerant, don't feel neglected. Hopefully I will be able to provide the light at the end of your tunnel, so you don't have to endure the tribulations I did when I set out. Did I mention that I'm vegetarian too? I started eating seafood a few years ago (having once been verging on veganism), but only sustainably caught, wild seafood. It just adds to the madness! So here's to always enjoying, always looking forward to that next (sans wheat, lactose, potato, tomato....) meal.
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