Finding out you have a food allergy can be devastating.

Finding out you have a food allergy can be devastating. I think my first thought was, "What does that mean?" You ask your doctor and he says just avoid that food. It's just a skin test. They aren't entirely accurate.

I am going to attempt to give you ideas and recipes on how to avoid corn. It can be quite the challenge.

Sorry that my blog is evolving into a little bit of everything in life.



Recipes

I have found I do better if I make food in advance.  I started making extra rice and freezing the extra in quart size freezer bags.  Put the date on the bag with a sharpie.  I also make extra beans and do the same.  That way I can just take it out of the freezer the days I don't feel like cooking. 

Recently I have been cooking about every 3rd day.  I bake a squash, and sweet potatoes at the same time.  It saves on oven use and cost.  I also will make either quinoa or whole millet.  Then I have food for a few days.  I have been eating Shelton or Applegate hot dogs with it.  Frequently I put grated cheese and sour cream on my quinoa, beans, or rice.

Beef Sausage
Ground Beef
In my coffee spice only grinder I powdered Sage, Fennel Seed, Rosemary, Oregano.  Add Salt, Powdered or minced Onion, minced Garlic, 1/4 cup water.  Mix together and refrigerate over night. 
I use McCormick Fennel, Real Salt. Home Grown: Powdered green onion, garlic, sage, rosemary, and oregano.  These spices are pretty easy to grow.

Here's the recipe I got from my friend Kristy's of livingitupcornfree 
I get my ground beef with a fat ratio of 70/30 or 75/25. If I'm not making sausage, I just drain off the excess fat when I cook it and use it to cook veggies or eggs. For sausage it works great. I blend mine in the food processor in one pound batches so it gives it a finer texture like sausage as well. It's important to mix in the seasonings, let it rest in the fridge overnight (or at least a few hours), then cook the next morning. I can't add red pepper flakes or cayenne powder because of a nightshade allergy in the house, but I would if I could.
 
This is what I generally add (you know I don't have exact amounts - I use the "wing it" method of cooking):
First I puree some garlic and onion in the food processor until mush (no large pieces) - about half an onion and 1/3 an elephant garlic clove. Add meat and the two most important spices:
fennel seed powder (I bought this from MRH and it is divine! I'm getting a bigger bag next order)
sage
then smaller amounts of these:
marjoram
rosemary
oregano
sugar
if you like, you can add:
basil, anise, cayenne
 
Be sure to add lots of salt or it won't taste right. Sausage has to be saltier than usual hamburgers. You can roast fennel seeds and use a spice grinder to powder them if you don't have the fennel seed powder, but I suggest you buy it. Once you smell it, you will think of all kinds of things that would be improved with a dash of it - same thing with celery seed powder.

Chili Powder Recipe link to southern food. about.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder

Oven Roasted Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Green Onion Sour Cream Dip
Preheat oven 425 
Cut the top off the garlic put in foil or covered oven safe dish.  Drizzle with oil (olive, grape seed, or just put 1/2 tsp of  palm shortening on top.  It will melt)  Place garlic in the oven. 
Chop potatoes (peeled or unpeeled) put in pan with any kind of oil.  You can use coconut or palm shortening.  Put the pan in the oven to melt the shortening before you put the potatoes in so you can coat the potatoes.  Set timer for 10 minutes.  Stir potatoes every 10 mins until brown.  Usually at least 30 minutes.  The garlic should be done then too. You could also cook kale chips when the potatoes are almost done.  Just coat kale with oil and cook until edges are brown about 5 - 10 minutes.
Dip - Mix about 1/2 roasted garlic, 3 chopped onions, 1/2 - 1 cup sour cream, salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

Note:  Using regular potatoes sprinkle with shredded Kerrygold cheddar cheese.

Whole Millet and QuinoaTried Whole Millet today.  Fried whole chopped fresh sweet onion, and 5 pieces fresh minced garlic.  In a separate pan 1 tablespoon palm shortening browned 1 cup arrowhead whole millet.  Put the millet in with the onion and garlic.   Added 2 cups pre-boiled water from the micrwave.  Stir, make sure its boiling, reduce to low, put on lid and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes. 
I don't brown quinoa but I do add sauted onion and garlic, but cooking time is 20 minutes for quinoa.  Try 2 tsp to a Tblsp shredded fresh ginger too.

Ginger Tea
You can get fresh ginger in the produce section of your grocery store.  You use about an inch.  Scrap the peel off with the side of a spoon.  (If I bought organic I scrub and just slice in half without peeling)  simmer 10 - 15 minutes in 2 - 4 cups water.  The color will be very light yellow.  You can save it in a jar or thermos.  I put a lid on my pan and leave it on the stove and use it within 24 hours.  You can also refrigerate it.

Baking Powder 3/2/2011 So this was the first time I tried cream of tartar for a while.  I use to make my own baking powder.  1/4 cup cream of tartar, 2 Tbsp baking soda.  I have one of those brown yeast jars labeled with the recipe.  I would then sift it with my mesh strainer and funnel it into my jar.  It sticks together so stir it before each use.  You could also add a bit of tapioca flour or potato starch to keep it from sticking together, I just never felt the need for that.  So cream of tartar is the by product of wine making. 

Pancakes
I have decided that you could use just about any flour with this recipe, since that’s what I have been doing to find safe food.  So far I have used Millet, buckwheat, and Teff flour
1 cup flour, 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp tapioca flour(EnerG), 1/2 tsp or less baking soda and vinegar (Braggs) or 1 tsp of the above baking powder receipe, salt to taste, mix in water to consistency of pancakes or thinner.  I fry them in a Teflon pan I bought just for me with a little palm shortening (Spectrum).  The tapioca flour holds it together.  If eggs are ok you could use that instead or just egg white.  You can also add chopped onions, garlic, or spices to the mix.  I eat them plain.  You could sweeten them with maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, or sugar
Cooking:  I have found the millet cake batter needs to be thin and cooked on medium low.  Let the tops dry before turning them over to be sure the middles cook.  Teff flour cooks faster and can be cooked on a notch higher setting.  Spelt takes longer to cook then millet.  Cook on a notch lower setting than millet.  Remember the thinner the batter the quicker they will cook.  The centers shouldn't be doughy.

As an added treat I like to rebrown cut up pancakes in palm oil.  It gives you a kind of crispy pita chip.  I heat the palm shortening in my teflon pan and brown halfed or quartered pancakes.  Then don't forget the salt!  :-)  Yum!  A little chip replacement.
Bean Pancakes I made these a few times before I decided I was allergic to beans(legumes)  Black beans seemed to work the best because they mash better.  If that makes any sense.
Full cook 1 small bag of black beans, drain
Mash (I use a electric hand blender)
Add 1 Tbsp tapioca flour, 1 tsp salt or to taste, 1/2 tsp vinegar, and baking soda
Scoop onto an oiled teflon pan, pat with wet fingers to flatten, brown on one side and flip.
You can also add chopped onion, garlic, crushed red pepper or other spices as desired.
Beef with Vegetables
Breaded Okra

Millet with lemon thyme and rosemary
Swiss Chard Salad
Cooking Beets

Roasted Potatoes and/or Sweet Potatoes

Cooking Winter Squash (Butternut)

Raisin Cookies (millet and buckwheat flour)

Pumpkin Pie Without Evaporated Milk

Quinoa Flakes Cereal (apples, raisins, cinnamon)

Artichoke Recipe From Rich my 3rd cousin who lives in Washington State.  Please note I usually just boil my artichokes.
First you start off by cutting the stem close to the artichoke and about 1 1/2 to 2 /12 inches off the top, just so you can see the little fuzzy leaves in the middle. Then soak them in water for about 20 min stem down and make sure they are under water.

The peel and slice the garlic so that they will fit better between the leaves. Hit: I have found cutting them about this thick I I (about 3/8 of an inch works best). Now take the artichoke out of the water turn over an just let the extra water fall out until you no longer have a solid steam.

Now pull evenly as you go around the artichoke to spread the leaves open a little (just so they are not so tight) Now place your garlic in between the leaves, as much as you want, I feel more the marry.

Now place the artichokes on some foil so that you make a cross with two pieces of foil. Drizzle olive oil over the top going around and around starting in the middle and working your way out. sprinkle your favorite seasoning salt all over the top of them. (you don't want to put so much olive oil on it that you fill it up, and don't worry about the seasoning salt I always put a ton because not very much of it makes it down to what you are going to eat)

Now wrap them up like a heresy kiss with the foil, put them in a oven pan stems down, these were about the size of softballs, so I cooked them at 425 degree's for 1:15 min.


Cracker Recipes
http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2009/08/basic-cracker-recipe.html

Spelt Crackers
2 cups whole grain spelt flour, 1/4 cup ground sesame seeds, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/3 cup oil, about 1/3 cup water (may require more or less)
Stir together dry ingredients. Add oil and blend in well. Add enough water to make a dough soft enough to be easily rolled out. Roll out 1/8 inch thick on a cookie sheet then cut in desired shapes.Bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown --about 15 to 20 minutes.

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