Fighting Against Taste-Free

When I posted my red velvet cake on Pinterest with the description “gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free,” someone commented “taste-free.” Though I let the comment stay, I was offended by it. I spend a lot of time and effort searching for recipes and techniques so that foods Joseph can eat are not “taste-free” or the consistency of bricks.

Admittedly, some of Joseph’s foods are not particularly palatable. Rice cakes are not particularly interesting (Joseph tends to only eat them in desperation). None of us dairy-eaters can bring ourselves to even try Joseph’s Daiya cheese. Gluten-free breads have some funny consistencies.

This is why I work so hard to compensate for these shortcomings. I have a cupboard full of herbs, spices and sauces so that his meals are not bland. And he definitely appreciates the flavor. He’ll gladly chow down foods that other toddlers will turn up their nose at because it’s “too spicy.” When I made sugar cookies, I read several recipes, and tried out a few batches before I finally learned how to make a Joseph-safe one that wasn’t the consistency of powder. There are several things I’ve made Joseph-safe that we all like to eat.

So calling something taste-free just from reading a description really annoyed me. It’s not like you’re making fun of someone who chooses to eat fat-free to be healthy. If Joseph cheats on this diet, he suffers consequences! He already suffers from wanting to eat Wheat-thins and goldfish crackers that his sister eats. There’s no need to rub it in that his food is sub-par, especially when those who try it believe that it’s not.

Of course, I know with this blog, I’m preaching to the choir, since many of my readers also deal with allergies in their families. So how has this topic come up in your life? How did you respond?

Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops Trial: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Soy-free

Herb rubs seem simple, but for a long time I wondered if I was doing it right. When I rubbed, it seemed that half the spices came off on my fingers, and another chunk would come off during cooking. So, I was excited to read the recipe for Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops from Taste of Home, since it gives clear instruction on how to actually do an herb rub. And I was surprised to see that almost all of it actually stuck to the meat.

The Changes

The only change I needed to make this free of Joseph’s allergies was to add more olive oil to the pan instead of cooking spray. I used boneless pork chops because I hate trying to cut meat off the bone. And I cut each chop in half because my husband doesn’t like how thick and tough porkchops can get. I also decided against making the pan juices, because when I do, I’m usually the only one who pours them on top of my meat or potatoes. But I didn’t decide that until I was in the middle of cooking, which is why the chicken broth appears in the ingredients picture.

The Method

First, prepare the rub by mixing all the spices (parsley, marjoram, sage, garlic powder, salt, and pepper) together in a small bowl.

To prepare the meat, I first carefully cut the porkchops in two, so that I had four thin chops. Next, I brushed each side with olive oil, then I rubbed the mixed herbs onto both sides of the meat.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add porkchops. Add porkchops and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until browned.

While there is a good chance that the porkchops would have been done after this (since they were so thin), the rest of the meal wasn’t done yet. So I turned the chops down to low until the potatoes and corn were done.

Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops

Adapted from Taste of Home

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 boneless pork loin chops
• 4 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

Mix parsley, marjoram, sage, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Slice pork chops in half, so you have four thin chops. Brush 1 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil over all the porkchops (both sides). Rub herb mixture onto both sides of all the pork chops.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Cook porkchops over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on both sides.

Makes 4 small servings

What I Thought

This meal was nice and quick, and very tasty! My husband and I both enjoyed it. Joseph ate an entire chop and then some on his own. Best of all, after being force-fed the first bite of porkchop, my daughter willingly ate 5 more bites of it! It’s definitely a keeper! My only alteration might be reducing the amount of oil in the pan.

Shared at Allergy Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free-Wednesdays, and Gluten-free Wednesdays

Joseph and Allergy Tests

Currently, all of Joseph’s allergies have been self-diagnosed based on me observing his reactions to food that he eats. I didn’t want to have him tested before he turned one because since we already knew a lot of what he reacted to, it felt like drawing blood or giving him the skin test would not be worth the trauma it would cause in an infant.

When he turned one, we were busy getting ready to move, so I decided to wait on testing until we were settled down in our new place. But once we were settled down, my husband said he didn’t want to have Joseph tested until he was two. That way, he could have more of a chance to grow out of it before it went down on his medical records with proof to back up my statements.

Another reason I’ve waited to get Joseph tested is that testing can do more harm that good. Skin tests are prone to false positives, and blood tests are prone to false negatives. And something I just learned from that article was that the number they get can’t really tell you their chances for growing out of an allergy, or how severe it is. Darn, I’d hoped that a test would give us an idea of if/when Joseph would grow out of his milk allergy.

Still, next month when we seek allergy testing, it will be beneficial to see if he really is reacting to peanuts and tree nuts. I’ve suspected it, but due to the high occurence of anaphylaxis, I’ve not wanted to confirm his reactions by feeding him those again. I’d also like to see what tests say about eggs, because I suspect he reacts to it in low cooked form (scrambled eggs). I’ll report back on the results.

Red Velvet Cake with Raspberry Frosting Trial: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free

Red velvet cake is one of my favorite flavors. Part of that is probably due to the fact that it’s not that common (although if you look at pinterest lately, it’s everywhere from fudge to whoopie pies). So when I saw a recipe for Joseph-safe red velvet cupcakes at Your Vegan Girlfriend, I knew I had to try it. And since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I figured that was the perfect excuse. However, I needed a frosting to go with it. Unfortunately, I didn’t know a good way to make a Joseph-safe cream cheese frosting, which is traditional. But then I remembered a raspberry whipped frosting I’d made for a red velvet cake years ago, and decided to go with something similar, using a recipe from Gluten-Free and Vegan Holidays as a base.

The Changes

These recipes are already Joseph-safe. But since he can tolerate eggs in baked goods, I added those back in to the red velvet cake. Also, instead of making cupcakes, I made a two level cake. I also thought that since I was using gel food coloring instead of the drops, I could get away with reducing the amount.

As for the frosting, the original recipe was for a blackberry frosting, so I just swapped in raspberries instead.

The Method

Whisk together dry ingredients (gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt).

Combine vinegar and coconut milk. Allow to sit until it starts to curdle (should be ready by the time you are ready to add to the batter).

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, shortening, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mine took a couple of minutes.

Add food coloring and stir until evenly colored. I started with 1 teaspoon of food coloring, but when it still looked a bit pale, I added more (without measuring) but I believe it was around 1/2 teaspoon extra.

Add a little bit of the flour mixture. When that’s incorporated, add a little bit of the coconut/vinegar mixture. Repeat until all flour and milk has been added. I did four iterations.

Pour the cake batter into two greased cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. The instructions say to combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy (starting at low speed then moving to high). However after a couple of minutes of beating, there were still chunks of coconut oil. So, I thought it would be a good idea to put it in the microwave to make the oil softer so it could be beaten. However after I did that, the frosting started to separate into white bits suspended in a red liquid. Adding more sugar helped a little, sticking it in the fridge for a bit helped more. I didn’t get it as completely incorporated as I wanted. Nor did the frosting develop soft or stiff peaks like whipping cream does. I suspect the reason it didn’t stiffen like in the pictures was because I was too generous with the amount of raspberries, though I’m sure the microwaving could have affected things too.

To assemble the cake, trim the top off of one of the cakes so that it’s flat on top. Top it with frosting, then the other cake. Frost the entire thing. With the consistency of my frosting, I let it drip down the sides rather than using a spatula to slap it on.

Red Velvet Cake with Raspberry Frosting

Adapted from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook and Gluten-Free and Vegan Holidays

Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free

Cake Ingredients

• 2 3⁄4 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour*
• 1⁄4 cup  cocoa powder
• 3⁄4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups coconut milk
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 3⁄4 cup palm oil shortening
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoon gel red food coloring (add more for a more ruby color)

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raspberries (mine were frozen and not thawed. I recommend thawing first)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two cake pans with shortening, then dust with cocoa powder.

In a large bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine coconut milk and vinegar. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add food coloring and mix until incorporated.

Add flour a little bit at a time to the egg mixture, alternating with coconut milk mixture. Wait until it is fully mixed in before moving to the next iteration.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least ten minutes in the pans before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

While cakes are cooling, prepare frosting. Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Start on low until combined, then increase the speed to high until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

To assemble cake, trim the top off one of the cakes so that it is flat. Put this cake on a plate/cake server. Top with frosting. Place the other cake on top of the frosting. Spread frosting over the entire cake and down the sides.

*To make your own flour mix, follow these instructions from King Arthur: Whisk together 6 cups (32 ounces) King Arthur stabilized brown rice flour; 2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) potato starch; and 1 cup (4 ounces) tapioca flour or tapioca starch. Store airtight at room temperature.

Makes one 9″, two-layer cake.

What I Thought

I was disappointed with how the cake looked. The vibrant frosting isn’t particularly appetizing, and the cake itself was more brown with pink highlights than true red velvet. Still, it tasted good. My husband said that “It’s not bad for Joseph-safe food.” My daughter enjoys eating it, frosting first. Joseph took awhile before he ate an entire piece of cake. I believe this is mostly due to him engorging himself during dinner shortly before, rather than not liking the cake itself. So with some adjustments (especially to the frosting), I’d do it again

Shared on Allergy-Friendly Friday

Building a Year’s Supply of Allergy Friendly Food in $10/Week

My church strongly encourages all of its members to be prepared for whatever events may come. Part of this preparation includes storing food in your home so that if there is no food in the store due to something like a natural disaster, or if there is no money in the bank due to something like a lost job, we are still able to survive. This counsel comes in two parts. First – have a three month supply of foods that are part of our normal, daily diets. Second – have enough essentials that can last for an entire year. As a guide for these essentials, here is a list of suggested amounts of basic foods for one adult for one year.

• 400 lbs grains (including wheat, flour, rice, corn, oatmeal, and pasta)
• 60 lbs legumes (including dry beans, split peas, lentils, etc.)
• 16 lbs powdered milk
• 10 qts cooking oil (16 lbs shortening equals 10 qts oil)
• 60 lbs sugar or 67 lbs honey or a combination of the two
• 8 lbs salt

I believe food storage is even more important for people with food intolerances because when aid comes, the rescuers may not have any food that won’t cause a reaction. While I’ve been slowly adding cans to our pantry over time, we probably don’t have much more than a month’s worth of food in our house for our family. So when I came across a plan for buying a year’s worth of food for two adults for about $10 a week for 52 weeks, I thought it would be a great idea to follow. Except for the fact that Joseph couldn’t eat 75% of the food on the list.

So I went through the list and made my own plan to build my food storage for $10 a week. I don’t expect to get a full 2 adults worth of food for a year on this plan, because gluten-free pastas and dairy-free powdered milk is more expensive than their counterparts. However, if I budget $10 each week towards this plan, I’ll at least be farther ahead on my food storage than I am today, and that’s what’s important.

A couple of notes before I share my revised plan. Yes, I include a couple of things Joseph can’t eat. I do this because there are still three people in our family that can eat wheat. And if we can free up Joseph’s food by eating our own stuff in an emergency, then that is reasonable. Also, if I was really organized, I would pair the items on this plan with the weeks they would likely be on sale. But I’m not that organized. If you want to do so, go for it. Finally, some of these items have an amount to buy in a week, but most don’t. This is due to me not knowing a good amount to buy to keep it under budget. So, I plan to just buy $10 worth of that item that week, however much that is.

Plan to Build Allergy Friendly Food Storage in $10/Week

Week 1 – 6 lbs salt
Week 2 – chicken base (I found organic Better than Bouillon is Joseph-safe)
Week 3 – 20 lbs sugar
Week 4 – spaghetti sauce
Week 5 – tapioca starch
Week 6 – GF pasta
Week 7 – 6 lbs brown sugar
Week 8 – cans of clams
Week 9 – 1 lb each of yeast, baking powder, and baking soda
Week 10 – quinoa
Week 11 – tomato sauce
Week 12 – 20 lbs sugar
Week 13 & 14 - DF powdered milk (DariFree appears to be the best brand I’ve seen, but it costs $10 to ship it)
Week 15 – cereal
Week 16 – 25 lbs rice
Week 17 – chicken noodle soup *not Joseph-safe*
Week 18 – 1 bottle vitamins
Week 19 – canned coconut milk
Week 20 – applesauce
Week 21 – brown rice flour
Week 22 – canned tomatoes
Week 23 – black beans
Week 24 - tuna (some pouches are soy-free)
Week 25 – 3 lbs shortening, 3 lbs oil
Week 26 – 25 lbs rice
Week 27 – 5 lbs honey
Week 28 – 20 lbs sugar
Week 29 – sunbutter & peanut butter
Week 30 – popcorn (can be ground into cornmeal)
Week 31 – cereal
Week 32 – mayonnaise
Week 33 – 1 bottle acetaminophen
Week 34 – beef base (organic Better Than Bouillon is Joseph-safe)
Week 35 – 50 lbs wheat *not Joseph-safe*
Week 36 – cereal
Week 37 – 6 lbs salt
Week 38 – refried/pinto beans
Week 39 – spaghetti sauce
Week 40 – xanthan gum
Week 41 – flaxseed (I’ve actually never used this, but since it can replace eggs, I figured it would be good in storage)
Week 42 – 20 lbs sugar
Week 43 – 1 bottle vitamins
Week 44 – canned salmon
Week 45 – sorghum flour
Week 46 – GF pasta
Week 47 – 20 lbs sugar
Week 48 – pineapple
Week 49 – 5 lbs honey
Week 50 – certified GF oats
Week 51 – tomato sauce
Week 52 – potato starch

I’ll check in next year with how this plan worked for us. I’m currently on week 3, and it seems to work all right so far.

Shared on Allergy-Free Wednesday

Corn Soup Trial: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Soy-free

Corn chowder is my very favorite soup. I’ve been meaning to make it Joseph-safe for a long time, so I finally sat down to do it. I’ve seen a couple of recipes online, but wanted to try this recipe from Cooking for Isaiah first, because I was intrigued by the idea of making a thick, creamy soup by mashing beans. It’s certainly cheaper than using coconut creamer.

The Changes

The recipe is already Joseph-safe, so I didn’t have to make any changes for allergy reasons. Since fresh corn isn’t available this time of year, I used frozen corn. I also subbed great northern beans for the cannelini beans, since that’s what I had in my pantry. I added bacon, because corn chowder needs to have bacon bits in it. I also reduced the salt and cayenne pepper in half. I wanted to keep the soup mild, since we’re wimps with spice, and 2 teaspoons of salt seems excessive, even before adding salty bacon to the picture.

The Method

Saute onion and celery in oil until tender.

Add a bit of chicken broth to the beans, then blend until creamy. Alternatively, you could mash them, but I thought using my immersion blender was a lot less work, and would give a creamier consistency.

Add potato, corn, bean mixture, and broth to the pot. I quickly realized this soup was going to be more brothy, rather than thick and creamy like a real chowder.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until potato is tender. Add bacon, salt, and pepper. You can choose to top your servings with extra bacon, extra corn, chives, or cheese (for dairy-eaters).

Corn Soup

Adapted from Cooking for Isaiah

Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Soy-free

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 potato, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Heat oil in a dutch oven or large pot. Add onion and celery. Saute until tender.

Add about half a cup of broth to beans, and mash or blend until creamy. Add bean mixture, the rest of the broth, potato, and corn to the onion and celery. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until potato is tender.

Stir in salt, pepper, and crumbled bacon.

Makes 4 main-course servings.

What I Thought

The soup did taste nice, but the entire time I was eating, I was thinking about how it was not creamy or a chowder, like Nardone claimed in her recipe. My husband quite liked it. Joseph, however, only ate what he was force fed (and the kid usually likes bacon and corn). My daughter did her best to avoid eye contact with the soup. Too bad for my kids, I’ll eventually try this soup again, adding some coconut creamer and cornstarch to get it closer to a chowder. At least I’ll give them a bit of a break before trying again though.

Shared at Allergy Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, and Gluten-free Wednesdays

Cookbook Review: 2012 Taste of Home Annual Recipes

A few months ago when I went through the 2011 Taste of Home Annual Recipes looking for Joseph-safe recipes, I was very emotional. There were whole chapters of good looking foods that I didn’t think that I could make anything from for Joseph.

This month, when I went through the 2012 Taste of Home Annual Recipes cookbook to look for Joseph-safe recipes, I wasn’t nearly as emotional. That’s probably because I didn’t have to toss as many recipes. I’ve found a Joseph-safe mayonnaise. Also, we know that fish is safe, so I can use fish sauce to substitute for soy sauce and worcestershire sauce. Most importantly, though, due to the experiments I’ve been making each week with adapting recipes to be Joseph-safe, I have more confidence that I can make other recipes like cakes and quick breads gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. In total, I have 83 recipes that don’t need adaption and 68 more that I feel I can adapt. (This is out of 509 total recipes).

I’ve not had much of a chance to try out many of the recipes yet. My favorite that I have tried was Best-Ever Chicken Fajita Chowder which was pretty easy to make Joseph-safe by just allowing everyone at the table to add their own sour cream and cheese separately. Joseph just ate the meat, which is a good thing as it turned out that the green enchilada sauce I used contained soy. *sigh*

Still, I’m looking forward to trying out these recipes this year, and you’ll see several reports on my blog from it.

Chocolate Banana Muffins Trial: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free

I keep seeing chocolate and bananas together in recipes recently. Definitely a divine pairing. A little bit of healthy to balance the sugar influx. I’ve had Chocolate Banana Muffins by Linda’s Lunacy pinned on pinterest for 9 weeks now, so I’m glad that I finally got around to making them.

The Changes

Linda already made these muffins Joseph-safe, so I didn’t need to make any changes for him. However, I only had two ripe bananas, so that’s what I used. Linda also didn’t specify which kind of gluten-free all purpose mix she used, or how much xanthan gum. So I used my regular pre-mixed blend, with half the amount of xanthan gum I normally do. I decided to follow some of the advice I’ve seen on other blogs that quick breads like muffins only need 1/2 teaspoon for every cup of flour.

Yes, these bananas pictured aren't ripe. But the frozen bananas I used weren't very pretty.

 The Method

In a mixing bowl, beat bananas, eggs, and oil together until smooth.

Add in sugar and vanilla and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Slowly add it to the banana mixture with the mixer going. (Sorry there’s no pictures of these steps. I totally forgot while making these that I was blogging about them.) Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Linda made this recipe into 16 muffins, but hers were quite flat. In my experience, gluten-free muffins don’t rise as much as those with gluten, so I only had slight misgivings as I filled these nearly to the top. Wipe up any drips on the pan with a moist paper towel.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes (mine took 23) or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm with your preferred milk.

Chocolate  Banana Muffins

Adapted from Linda’s Lunacy

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free

Ingredients

• 2 very ripe bananas
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup King Arthur Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour*
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large mixing bowl, beat bananas, eggs, and oil together until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, blend together gluten-free multipurpose flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Slowly add to banana mixture while stirring. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 12 paper-lined muffin tins. The tins will be nearly full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

*To make your own flour mix, follow these instructions from King Arthur: Whisk together 6 cups (32 ounces) King Arthur stabilized brown rice flour; 2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) potato starch; and 1 cup (4 ounces) tapioca flour or tapioca starch. Store airtight at room temperature.

What I Thought

These had a very pleasant taste. Though after one mouthful I had to pour myself a glass of milk. At first I thought it was because it was rich, but I found (especially the next day) that while the muffins don’t taste dry, they absorb the moisture in my mouth. On tasting his first one, my husband said he was jealous that Joseph would be eating most of these. My daughter ate 2/3 of her muffin before deciding she was done. When Joseph ate his first muffin, he screamed for more. He was upset when I didn’t give him more, so he settled for climbing up into his sister’s chair and eating the rest of her muffin. He had a tougher time eating an entire muffin the next morning though. So definitely a success, though I might look at tweaking the ratio (it surprises me that there’s so much oil and no water or milk) in order to add more moistness.

Shared on Made from Scratch Monday and Allergy-Free Wednesdays

Chicken Flavored Rice & Pasta: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free

When my husband and I were in college, we ate a lot of Rice-a-roni since it was cheap and quick. When I became a stay-at-home mom, I bought it less, since I didn’t care for it that much, and wanted to develop my cooking skills beyond boxed food. Then when we learned of Joseph’s allergies, I stopped buying it, since Joseph couldn’t eat it. But my husband wasn’t happy with that solution. So, I set off to make a Joseph-safe version of Rice-a-roni. Unlike my First-Try Friday posts, this recipe was refined until we liked it.

I have never seen vermicelli pasta on it’s own – with or without gluten (although orzo [only seen with gluten] comes close). So, I made my own by breaking brown rice spaghetti noodles into one-inch pieces. I tried using a chef’s knife, but found it was easier to break them in my hands. Just extend the noodles an inch above my fingers and snap them off.

Heat oil in a skillet, then add the rice and spaghetti bits. Stir occasionally until the pasta turns golden brown. This time around, I let it go a bit longer, so the rice turned light brown as well. Oops.

Add the chicken broth and spices. Stir to evenly distribute spices.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. To make it a one pot meal, add meat and vegetables to the skillet along with the broth.

Chicken Flavored Rice & Pasta

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free

Ingredients

• ¾ cup rice
• ½ cup (about 4 oz) brown rice spaghetti broken into 1″ bits
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon rubbed sage
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add rice and spaghetti bits. Stir occasionally until pasta turns golden brown.

Add chicken broth and spices – stir to combine. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Makes 4 side dish servings

Shared at Allergy-free Wednesdays, Allergy Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, and Gluten-free Wednesdays

Hasselback Potatoes Trial: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Soy-free

Today’s First-try Friday recipe comes from Pinterest. Even though the majority of people that I follow are friends that don’t have fod restrictions, every so often they’ll share a recipe that Joseph can eat as is, or I can modify easily enough that Joseph can eat it, and such is the case with this one.

When my husband saw the picture for Hasselback Potatoes from Seasalt With Food, he described it as “Nearly-headless Nick meets scalloped potatoes.” It’s definitely stunning, but not a whole lot of work.

The Changes

To make these dairy-free, I omitted the butter and just used olive oil. I also omitted the pepper, mostly because I forgot. And because I didn’t have cloves of garlic in my pantry, I used garlic salt.

The Method

Slice the washed potatoes in 1/4″ intervals almost all the way to the bottom. It took me a few tries to get right, as you can see from my picture below. I ended up cutting on a slant instead of straight up and down, so with the front end of the knife resting on the cutting board I could gage how far I had before I cut through. Afterwards, I looked on another recipe, and found that they put something under the potato, such as resting it in a basting spoon, so that all the cuts were uniformly deep without cutting through.

I then found that the potato slices (especially if they weren’t cut very deep) just wanted to stick together. So when I drizzled olive oil over it, I couldn’t get it inbetween the slices like I wanted. That led to me using more oil than I wanted to. Same with the garlic salt (which I didn’t measure). Angie solves this issue by placing slices of garlic between the potatoes. However, other recipes for Hasselback potatoes didn’t have anything between the slices, so I pressed onward without.

I roasted the potatoes at 425 for 45 minutes (recipe said for 40 minutes) and they still seemed underdone in the middle. I’m not sure if this was because the slices didn’t split apart very well, or if my oven just wasn’t hot enough or what.  Still, they looked pretty cool when they came out.

Hasselback Potatoes

Adapted from Seasalt With Food

Dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free

Ingredients

• 3 medium potatoes
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil (could probably get by with less)
• ~1 teaspoon garlic salt (I didn’t measure)

Slice the potatoes in 1/4″ intervals almost all the way through the potato. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until outsides are crisp and insides are tender.

Makes 3 servings

What I Thought

Even though they seemed underdone, I thought these were really nice. I would have liked more of the flavor to be inside the potato instead of just on the skin. My husband said he’d like to have these again with baked potato toppings. He finds regular baked potatoes to be dry, but these weren’t. Joseph ate his potatoes when there was nothing else left on his plate to eat instead. My daughter just ignored them. So as much of a success as we can get in our family.

Shared at Allergy Friendly Fridays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten-free Wednesdays and Allergy-free Wednesdays