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denisedaniel – Page 12 – surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

Author: denisedaniel

  • Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Bisque

    Pumpkin Bisque
    Pumpkin Bisque

    We hope you all made it through Thanksgiving okay. Mary Kate and I only set two smallish fires on her stove, but no harm, no foul. There will be more posted about the “Fry-Day” Thanksgiving later on.

    The reason I developed this recipe is because I had a pumpkin from the Community Supported Agriculture share I split with Mary Kate. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin, I hated pumpkin pie in the long, long ago when I could still eat whatever I wanted. And I never eat pumpkin spice anything when the seasonal pumpkin spice everything starts. But I do like pumpkin bisque with a bit of onion, rosemary and sage. You could also do this with your left over butternut squash from Thanksgiving if you have any. I finished this soup just before the power went out on Wednesday the night before Thanksgiving, and the power did not return until Friday evening.  It warmed up really well in my Jetboil camp stove set up on my dining room table while we had no power and no heat. Yeah, I know I’m not supposed to use them inside, and I’m not advocating that anyone else follow my poor example (don’t sue me if you do something dumb just because I did).

    Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Bisque

    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 1 Tablespoon of olive oil (or other safe for you oil)
    • 2 cups of vegetable stock (I used homemade, here’s a link on how to make vegetable stock, or if you can buy safe commercial stock, have at it)
    • 4 cups of cooked pumpkin or butternut squash (here’s a link on how to roast and make puree, also if you’re using pumpkin, make sure you use pie pumpkins or your bisque might be a little blah)
    • 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary
    • 1/2 teaspoon of sage
    • 2 Tablespoons of non-dairy safe for you margarine (I make my own margarine due to the corn thing, but if you can use Earth Balance, go for it)
    • 1/2 cup of cashew milk (or other safe for you non-dairy milk, I make my own from this recipe but I skip the added ingredients other than water and cashews)
    • Salt and black pepper to taste
    • 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar (optional – you might not need it if you’re using butternut squash)
    • A couple of squirts of your favorite hot sauce (optional)
    • A bit of minced parsley as a garnish (optional)

    In a large stock pot or dutch oven, saute your onions in the olive oil until they have some color, and they are softer, as shown below.

    Sauteed Onions
    Sauteed Onions

    Once your onions are ready, add the vegetable stock. Make sure to mix in all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan into the stock to get all the flavor you can.

    Vegetable stock and onions
    Vegetable stock and onions

    Add the pumpkin puree (you’ll note mine wasn’t that pureed), the sage and the rosemary.

    Pumpkin, vegetable stock and onions
    Pumpkin, vegetable stock and onions

    I simmered mine for a bit to make sure my roasted pumpkin was tender, and for the onions to cook and soften further.  Once I thought the pumpkin and onions were tender enough, I used my immersion/hand/stick blender to puree everything nicely.

    Pureed Pumpkin Bisque
    Pureed Pumpkin Bisque

    Now add your margarine, and cashew milk, and stir well to incorporate.  Taste your soup and add the salt, pepper, brown sugar, and hot sauce as needed. Ladle some into a bowl, sprinkle with your parsley, and bask in the warmth of the soup.

    Pumpkin Bisque
    Pumpkin Bisque

     

  • Chunky Mustard Refrigerator Pickles

    Chunky Mustard Refrigerator Pickles
    Chunky Mustard Refrigerator Pickles

    So here’s another canning inspired recipe, because these pickles were really a winner. I used the recipe from the Ball Complete Guide to Home Preserving, but modified it to leave out the ClearJel (which is modified corn starch) and to substitute the distilled white vinegar for apple cider vinegar instead. I did water bath can them originally, but I’ve rewritten the recipe here for a much smaller quantity and so that you can do them as a refrigerator pickle for those of you who don’t can. These would be great to do as a part of your appetizer plate for Thanksgiving. They’ll need to sit in the refrigerator for a week or so to absorb the flavors, so start them now for Thanksgiving.

    Makes 1 quart.

    • 2 cups of a mix of zucchini and summer squash, washed, trimmed of stem and blossom ends, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you can use pickling cukes, but they are harder to get this time of year)
    • 1 2/3 cups of onions, chopped
    • 1/2 Tablespoon and 1/4 teaspoon of canning salt or sea salt (nothing with any additives)
    • 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup of sugar
    • 1/2 Tablespoon and 1/4 teaspoon of ground mustard
    • 3/4 teaspoons of ground ginger
    • 3/4 teaspoons of ground turmeric
    • 1 1/2 Tablespoons of water
    • 1/2 cup, 1 Tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (safest for those allergic to corn is probably Bragg’s)
    • 1/4 of a red bell pepper  (put the rest in your freezer in a zip top freezer bag and use it the next time you make pasta sauce or chili)

    In a non-reactive bowl (stainless steel or glass), mix the zucchini and summer squash and onions. Sprinkle them with the canning or sea salt, cover and let them stand at room temperature for an hour or so.  Transfer the vegetables to a strainer/colander over the sink and drain them well.

    In a non-reactive (stainless steel or ceramic or enamel, do not use aluminum or cast iron) sauce pan, combine the sugar, mustard, ginger, and turmeric. Stir well, gradually blending in the water. Add the vinegar and red bell pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Add the drained vegetable mixture and return to a boil for two minutes.

    Ladle the mixture into a non-reactive heat safe container (beware that putting them in a plastic container will cause the plastic to be permanently dyed yellow with the turmeric). Your best bet is probably a mason jar or glass container with a lid.  Just make sure to warm up the jar/container with some hot water (don’t leave the water in the container, just put the hot water in the container to warm it up and then dump it out) before putting the hot veggies and brine into it. Put a lid on the container and let it sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature, and then place it in the refrigerator for a week.

    In a week, enjoy the fruits of your labors!

     

    Chunky Mustard Refrigerator Pickles
    Chunky Mustard Refrigerator Pickles

  • Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce

     

    Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce
    Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce

    As many of you know, I’ve been canning for well over a year now because it was the only way to replace commercial condiments that I could no longer buy at the grocery store because of the whole corn thing. When I saw this recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (you can also find it at this link) I knew I had to make it because I loved that sauce. And I made it, and it was good. Really good. So good that you want to dip all fried food in it. Seriously, dairy-free, gluten-free, fried onion rings are so good dipped in this stuff). I shared a jar with Mary Kate, and she discovered that it’s awesome when used as a salad dressing. So when she ran out, she asked me for help in converting the recipe to a reasonable amount that she could just put in the fridge, as she did not want to learn to can and have nine 8 ounce jars hanging around her apartment. (If you do want to make it in quantity and can it, follow the recipe at the link above.) Since it’s free of the top eight allergens, complies with each of our restrictions, and is fantastic, I thought I’d share the refrigerator version.

    Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce

    Makes a little less than 2 cups.

    • 4 1/2 teaspoons of finely chopped garlic
    • 1/2 teaspoon and a pinch of salt
    • 1 cup, 3 Tablespoons, and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (safest for those allergic to corn is probably Bragg’s)
    • 1 cup, 3 Tablespoons, and 1 teaspoon of sugar
    • 4 1/2 teaspoons of hot pepper flakes

    Combine the garlic and salt in a small bowl, and set it aside.

    In a non-reactive (stainless steel or ceramic or enamel, do not use aluminum or cast iron) sauce pot, add the apple cider vinegar and bring it to a boil.  Add your sugar and stir with a non-reactive utensil (wooden, rubber, nylon or silicone spatula or spoon), until the sugar is fully dissolved into the vinegar. Reduce the heat and boil gently for about 5 minutes or so. Add the garlic mixture and hot pepper flakes and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the sauce pan from the heat and let it cool until it is safe to put it into a storage container. Place it in the refrigerator to store.

    Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce
    Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce

    Go fry all the things, and dip the fried things in this stuff, or dump it on your salad. You won’t be sorry.

     

  • Dry Rub for Barbecue

     

    Dry Rub for Barbecue
    Dry Rub for Barbecue

     

    This one’s pretty simple, but often the rubs and seasonings that you can buy pre-mixed at the grocery store have something I’m not supposed to have, whether it’s citric acid for flavor, or a filler, or an anti-flow agent that happens to be derived from corn, wheat or milk. I can’t tell you how ticked off I was to find that one of my favorite taco seasonings had lactose in it. I’ve given this a try on some boneless pork ribs and I bet it’d be great on chicken, but I can’t find out since I’m allergic to chicken. I really liked the bark (the crispy browned bits) the rub gave to the pork. I mixed just enough as listed in the ingredients below to cover two pieces of pork about six to eight inches long and about  five inches wide, because I live in an apartment and they won’t let me put a grill on my second floor balcony. If you grill a lot, you might want to double or triple the recipe so that you can have it on hand. This is also pretty great on roasts and stuff you broil in the oven since we’re getting pretty close to only indoor cooking time of year. The recipe below makes about a third of a cup or so.

    Dry Rub for Barbecue

    • 2 Tablespoon of brown sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt
    • 1/2 Tablespoon of ground cumin
    • 1/2 Tablespoon of paprika
    • 1/2 Tablespoon of garlic powder
    • 1/2 Tablespoon of onion powder
    • 1/2 Tablespoon of chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne

    Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a fork or a whisk until everything is completely blended.  Wow, that was easy wasn’t it?  Put it in an air-tight container to store.

    To use it, simply coat your cut of meat with it and put it on the grill or roast or broil it in the oven.  If you’d like to use it with vegetables, I’d coat the veggies in a safe oil first, and then coat them in the rub.

    Dry Rub for Barbecue on Boneless Pork Ribs
    Dry Rub for Barbecue on Boneless Pork Ribs

  • Cure your own Corned Beef

    Cure your own Corned Beef
    Cure your own Corned Beef

    You may remember that we posted a Stout Braised Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe way back in the depths of time. Well, that was in the time before my wheat and corn allergies were diagnosed.  At the time, since Mary Kate had issues with gluten, and a lot of our readers are gluten-free, I had put in the modifications needed to make it gluten-free. But once my corn allergy hit, I couldn’t find a safe brand of corned beef that I could buy, because of the dextrose, sodium erythorbate, and other corn ingredients that tend to show up in commercial versions. A while ago, I came across a beef brisket while shopping, and it occurred to me that maybe I could research how to make corned beef, just like I had for learning to cure bacon. Worst case scenario, I’d cook it as brisket if it didn’t work. So I bought it, but I didn’t have time to deal, so I threw it in the freezer. During my most recent “vacation” otherwise known as “food prep week”, I finally decided that it was time. So I looked at recipes from Alton Brown on the Food Network and the Wellness Mama, and modified and added things based on my other research.

    I prepared the brine, then I brined the brisket for 10 days, and cooked it according to my original recipe, but using the gluten free tweaks, and without cabbage, because I forgot to buy any. And it was corned beef, and it was good. Even my husband (no food allergies) said it was good. So I’m sharing.

    Just a note, this takes a long time. And it’s probably best to do the brine the day before you’re actually going to start marinating, because it has to be completely chilled. Also, be aware that it’s not the right color because we’re not adding curing salt or saltpeter, but it still tastes right.

    Cure your own Corned Beef after curing and cooking
    Cure your own Corned Beef after curing and cooking
    Cure your own Corned Beef after cooking and slicing
    Cure your own Corned Beef after cooking and slicing

    Cure your own Corned Beef

    • 2 quarts of water
    • 1 cup of kosher salt
    • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
    • 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces (I used a zip top bag and a rolling pin and smacked it a couple of times)
    • 1/2 Tablespoon of brown mustard seeds
    • 1/2 Tablespoon of yellow mustard seeds
    • 1 Tablespoon of whole black peppercorns
    • 8 whole cloves
    • 8 whole allspice berries
    • 2 bay leaves, broken into bits
    • 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger or 1/2 Tablespoon of crystallized ginger (whichever you have on hand)
    • 2 pounds of ice
    • 1 cup of fresh celery puree (Take 5-7 stalks of celery and put them through a food processor or blender until they are pureed)
    • 1/4 cup of juice from sauerkraut made from red cabbage (optional – just an attempt to get the correct color since I’m not using curing salt)
    • 1 – 2 1/2 gallon zip top plastic bag (They have these now! They are brilliant for marinating and knitting projects!) 
    • 1 – 4 to 5 pound beef brisket

    In a large stockpot, add the water, salt, sugar, cinnamon, both kinds of mustard seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, allspice berries, bay leaves, and ginger, and mix to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat until salt and the sugar have dissolved completely. Remove the stockpot from the heat, and add the ice. Stir the mixture until the ice has melted. Put the brine in the fridge until it has completely chilled. And I mean it, completely chilled, so that could take several hours or it might even be the next day.

    Once the brine is completely chilled, mix in the celery puree and the sauerkraut juice.  Place the brisket in the 2 1/2 gallon zip top plastic bag and add the brine mixture to the bag.  Push as much of the air out of the bag as you can and seal it.  Place the zip top bag in a container that allows it to lay flat and put it in the fridge for 10 days. You want to check it daily to make sure that the brisket is completely submerged and to flip the bag to stir the brine. After 10 days, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it off using cold water. Discard your brine, it can’t be used again.  Now you have corned beef brisket to cook as described in our original Stout Braised Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe, or to cook it how you normally cook corned beef.

    Enjoy!

     

  • Blueberry Habanero Hot Sauce

    Blueberry Habanero Hot Sauce (and my pathetic attempt to do a smiley face with the hot sauce bottle dripper)
    Blueberry Habanero Hot Sauce (and my pathetic attempt to do a smiley face with the hot sauce bottle dripper)

    So remember earlier this summer when I went berry picking with Mary Kate and I made the blueberry barbecue sauce? Well, I also made this Blueberry Habanero Hot Sauce. Just a warning that the outset, when I say hot, I mean hot. This is not a sauce for the faint of spice. Please be advised that my taste buds no longer think that Sriracha is all that hot, and I use it like ketchup, so when I say this is hot, I freaking mean it. Now with that out of the way, it’s really good. I really like the fruity spice combination and it was great to kick up my portion of the ribs we made with the Blueberry Barbecue Sauce to acceptable spice levels. Also, it was really good when I dipped marshmallows into it. I used to have a hot sauce collection in the long ago and far away time before corn, and I had a blueberry hot sauce in it. It’s really nice to get it back.

    Blueberry Habanero Hot Sauce

    Makes about 4 cups.

    • 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 1 1/2 cups of apple cider vinegar
    • 1/4 cup of lime juice
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 2 teaspoons of salt
    • 1 Tablespoon of sugar
    • 10 habanero peppers, seeds and stems removed, chopped.

    Combine all ingredients, except for the habaneros, in a saucepan and bring to a medium boil. Cover the saucepan, and gently boil for 10 minutes.

    Place the habaneros and the contents of the saucepan in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

    You can either can this recipe in a water bath as described here – or you can store in the refrigerator or freezer. Also if you’re worried about using up this much hot sauce, you can make half the recipe.

    Go blister your taste buds, it’s yummy!

  • Grilled Peach Salsa

     

    Grilled Peach Salsa - Photo by J. Andrews
    Grilled Peach Salsa – Photo by J. Andrews

     

    When Mary Kate and I began to plan the cookout we held several weeks ago (grilling, friends and lots o’ posts for the blog, what could be better?), we started with thinking about what ingredients were in season and could be grilled.  We wanted to do a dessert, but I couldn’t figure out anything with my restrictions by the time we were solidifying the menu. I had seen a recipe for peach salsa for canning, but I wondered what it would be like grilled instead, because it would bring out the sweetness of the peaches and combine it with some lovely caramelized, smokey flavors. So we tried it. It’s good. And for those of you that can’t have chips like me (the corn chips are only to make the picture pretty in my case, although Mary Kate can eat them), this salsa is really good on pork chops as a sauce. You could also use it as a marinade or a glaze on pork or chicken, depending on how finely you chop the ingredients or just put it in the blender for a peach barbecue sauce. This is a low heat salsa, so don’t be afraid because I’m posting it. For the chili heads, don’t worry, I’ve got a hot sauce coming up in few weeks that blows my head off, and will have appropriate warnings.

    Grilled Peach Salsa

    • 1 pound of peaches, grilled
    • 1 small red red onion, grilled
    • 1/2 of a orange bell pepper, grilled (If you don’t know what to do with the half of orange bell pepper you’ll have left over, de-stem and de-seed it, put it in a freezer zip top bag and put it in your freezer. Peppers need no additional prep to freeze. Use it the next time you make a soup, stew, chili or marinara sauce.)
    • 2 jalapeno peppers, grilled
    • 1/2 of a bulb of garlic, with top cut off and with most of the outer layer peels removed (Grill the whole bulb and put the remainder in the fridge to use for mashed potatoes or something else where roasted garlic would be awesome)
    • 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil or other safe-for-you oil
    • 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
    • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
    • 1/8 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper

     **Please keep in mind as you look at the pictures that I was cooking a whole lot of other things the day we were grilling, so the pictures do not reflect the correct amounts of the ingredients shown, or may show additional ingredients. Also, my original recipe made a holy ton of salsa, so we cut the ingredients in half for the purposes of this post.

    De-stem and de-seed your peppers.

    Peppers de-stemmed and de-seeded.
    Peppers de-stemmed and de-seeded  – Photo by J. Andrews

    Place the peppers on the grill and grill until they get a bit tender and have a bit of char on them.

    Peppers on the grill
    Peppers on the grill – Photo by J. Andrews
    Peppers and Garlic on the grill
    Peppers and Garlic on the grill – Photo by J. Andrews

    Take your garlic bulb, slice off the top so that the cloves are exposed a bit (see the picture and description in our previous Grilled Salsa recipe), and place it on some aluminum foil large enough to wrap the garlic in as shown in the picture above. Drizzle the olive oil over your garlic bulb, and wrap the aluminum foil around it and place it on the grill. Roast the garlic until the cloves are cooked and mushy.

    Trim and peel your onion and then slice it in about half to one inches slices and place on the grill. Grill until you have a bit of char, and the onion is tender. (Ours were a bit more charred probably than strictly necessary, we were having issues with the grill, totally user error.)

    Sliced Onions
    Sliced Onions – Photo by J. Andrews
    Sliced onions on the grill
    Sliced onions on the grill – Photo by J. Andrews
    Sliced onions on the grill just before they got a bit too done.
    Sliced onions on the grill just before they got a bit too done – Photo by J. Andrews

    Cut your peaches in half and remove the pit. On some of them I had to cut the peaches in quarters to get the pit out, but it’ll still work, it’s just halves are a little easier to manipulate on the grill.  Place the peaches on the grill and grill until they are a bit more tender and have some nice charring on the outside.

    Peaches in halves and quarters
    Peaches in halves and quarters – Photo by J. Andrews
    Peaches on the grill
    Peaches on the grill – Photo by J. Andrews

    Once all your grilled ingredients are cooked, squeeze out the roasted garlic from the cloves, and put the garlic, peppers, onions, and peaches in a blender or food processor, and process until chopped to the level of chunkiness that you like. I used the manual food processor from Pampered Chef because I wouldn’t have to truck everything back inside or find an electric outlet (no affiliation, I just like it). You are likely going to have to process in batches.  Place all the chopped ingredients in a large bowl and add the white wine vinegar, brown sugar, cumin and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly.

    Completed Grilled Peach Salsa
    Completed Grilled Peach Salsa – Photo by J. Andrews

    Enjoy!

     

  • Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

     

    Blueberry Barbecue Sauce - Photo by J. Andrews
    Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. Andrews

    When Mary Kate invited me to go berry picking earlier this summer, I had already done a good bit of canning with blueberries. So when I wound up about 6 cups of blueberries, I decided I want to do something other than jam and syrups, since I had already made syrups and blueberry butter. In poking around online for ideas, I found a canning recipe for blueberry barbecue sauce. I make some tweaks to it in order to make it safe for me, and reduced the amounts by half to make a more reasonable amount for those of you who aren’t into canning. If you do want to can it, the original recipe is here. This is a low heat sauce, as verified by others, so don’t worry that just because I’m posting it, you won’t be able to handle it.

    Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

    Makes about 2 cups.

    • 1 3/4 cups of fresh blueberries
    • 1/4 cup of safe-for-you ketchup (I don’t have a corn safe one so I make it myself) 
    • 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar
    • 1/2 Tablespoon of fresh grated ginger
    • 1/8 of a teaspoon of black pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes
    • 1/4 teaspoon Penzey’s Cajun Seasoning

    Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a medium boil. Stir and lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 15 minutes. Use a hand blender to puree all the ingredients, being careful not to splash, or pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.

    Once the sauce has cooled you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer until you’re ready to use it.  When grilling, I prefer to use a dry rub first, and then once the meat is almost completely cooked, I use a silicone pastry brush to coat the meat with the sauce and then grill each side to warm and/or char up the sauce.

     

    Blueberry Barbecue Sauce - Photo by J. Andrews
    Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. Andrews
    DSC_0343
    Brushing pork with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. Andrews
    DSC_0345
    Grilling each side after coating with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. Andrews
    DSC_0348
    Boneless pork ribs with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. Andrews