Sweet Potato Salsa

Sweet potatoes are a kitchen staple.  This sweet potato salsa is a good change of pace from the usual ways we cook and eat them.  Top steak, fish or chicken with this salsa together with some sliced avocado.  Then, reserve some of the diced sweet potato for your toddler.  




What you need:
3-4 sweet potatoes
juice of one small orange
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 scallions
lime juice and zest, optional


What to do:
Bring pot of water to a boil.


Peel and dice the sweet potatoes in small cubes.  


Add the sweet potatoes to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes, until just soft.


While the sweet potatoes are cooking, chop the scallions finely and add them to orange juice and red pepper flakes


Back to sweet potatoes!  Drain off the water, add the sweet potatoes back in the pot and cover.  Put pot back on stove with burner off.  Let the sweet potatoes dry out for about 5 minutes.  Then transfer to a bowl and set aside. 


When the sweet potatoes have cooled, add the scallion mixture and toss carefully until all pieces are coated.  Cover the bowl and chill for at least one hour.  Taste and season with salt and lime juice and zest.  

Chocolate Pudding Cake

hot out of the oven

I grew up eating chocolate pudding cake.  I would always beg my grandmother to make it for me. She must have agreed because it is simple to prepare, Grandma does not like to be in the kitchen! Her recipe calls for store-bought prepackaged ingredients: just pour chocolate pudding in baking dish and top with box of devil's food cake crumbled with butter.  Her chocolate pudding cake recipe was the first one in my personal collection and I used to make it when I had nostalgic cravings.  This recipe is from www.bakersbites.com and was exactly what I was looking for: no eggs and and I can ensure both quality of ingredients and allergy-safe ingredients.  I am happy to have this recipe in my collection, and I will save it for special occasions and when I really need to eat it. I will also save it for after introducing chocolate to my toddler. You will enjoy reading the description of the website's original recipe plus valuable facts and information about how to bake without eggs. 


Next time I make this, I will change things up a bit.  Coconut milk and some shredded coconut instead of half the amount of sugar.  I also wonder how the taste and texture would turn out with some pureed avocado or sweet potato/pumpkin.  And if I used some maple syrup instead of sugar? Would some barley flour be a nice change?
  


What you need:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar (I use Wholesome Sweetener's, I have used as little as 6 tablespoons)
1/2 cup cocoa powder, divided (check out www.vermontnutfree.com/)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (I used skim milk since that was what I had in the fridge)
3 tbsp canola oil
2/3 cup brown sugar (I use Wholesome Sweetener's)
1/4 cup mini-chocolate chips (Enjoylife chocolate chips are perfect!)
1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups hot water


What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees


Combine flour, sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder and salt in an 8 inch square baking pan and stir with a fork to combine. Mix in milk and oil until batter is uniform.


Sprinkle brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and chocolate chips evenly over batter. Add vanilla to the hot water and pour over everything. Do not mix.

Place pan in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until surface of the cake looks dry. The pudding will be bubbling around the edges. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. You can reheat before serving if you want to serve warm.

dig in, and remember to
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AND CHECK OUT THIS RECIPE TOO: 
http://thechiclife.com/2011/11/chocolate-depression-cake-minis-recipe.html

Super Sandwich Combinations

This is a great go-to guide for interesting sandwich combinations.  So many good ones without mayonnaise.  I'm sure you will find a new family favorite here.


http://www.wholeliving.com/photogallery/build-a-better-sandwich?lpgStart=1&currentslide=1&currentChapter=1

Buttermilk Scones

Buttermilk scones lend themselves to all sorts of mixed in flavors.  These ones have shredded cheddar cheese and a hint of black pepper; they go great with apricot jam.  Basil and Parmesan is another favorite flavor combination.  Next time I will try bacon and chives.  Making them in the Thermomix is extremely simple as it does all the work for you. I whip fresh cream in the Thermomix about once a week and end up with both butter and buttermilk. There is something marvelous about baking scones that use both homemade butter and buttermilk.  We  will be enjoying theses scones for breakfast tomorrow with chive cream cheese and lox.  


Some allergen thoughts that come up when thinking about making my own scones.  My eyes always pop out when I see the baked goods at cafes and bakeries, but more often then not, I avoid due to cross-contamination with tree nuts.  Also, the "safe", in terms of actual ingredients, items usually are touching the ones with nuts.  So many opportunities for nuts getting in my baked goods via the tongs that touch everything.  For these reasons, I eat from places I fully trust and/or have researched first.  Now with the added seed and egg allergy in the family, I like to carry my own snacks around anyway.  And there is nothing better than watching my toddler run over to the oven door when I turn the light on for him to see in.


I love when the reaction, "wow, there are no eggs in these!"


This recipe is from the Thermomix Everyday Cooking guide.


What you need:
440 grams self raising flour (made in a flash in Thermomix)
2 tbsp caster sugar (grind granulated sugar in Thermomix)
pinch salt
60 grams butter, chopped
220-230 grams buttermilk
jam and or/ whipped cream to serve


What to do:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Place flour, sugar, salt and butter into TM bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 8 until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.


Add grated cheddar cheese and a pinch or two of black pepper.


Add Buttermilk through lid opening and mix for 5 seconds on speed 5 until dough almost comes together.


Set dial to closed lid opening and mix for 20 seconds on interval speed to form a soft and slightly sticky dough.


Place dough on lightly floured surface and press out to a 3 cm thick round. Cut out scones with round cutter.  Gently press leftover dough pieces together and repeat.


Place scones, touching, in a prepared pan.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until light golden and hollow when tapped on top.


I sometimes brush with melted butter when hot out of the oven.

Ricardo's Allergy-Friendly Asian Menu

I was so happy when I saw this food show dedicated to allergy-friendly cooking. Ricardo puts together a delicious asian-inspired menu for a family whose boy is allergic to dairy, eggs and nuts.  The bubble tea and beautiful chocolate cake make the gathering even more special.  You can view the menu and look for when the episode airs: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/Ricardo-and-Friends/episode.html?titleid=101887&episodeid=111352


*Please make sure to check that all ingredients, especially the sauces are free of your particular allergens!  Hoisen sauce has sesame, so we would work around it.  Also, I like to contact each brand for possible cross-contamination information.  I particularly suggest reviewing the allergen warning on soy sauce, ketchup ("spices" and "natural flavorings) and coco powder.  


**The episode visually shows how to replace eggs with flax seeds.  

Pork Tenderloin with Wild Blueberry Sauce

served over coconut, garlic brown rice

This dish is lean, simple, fast and delicious.  I like that the list of ingredients is quite short, free of all top allergens* and gluten free.  I would like to share that you will only have one dish to clean after dinner.  You can serve this pork for dinner any night of the week in little or no time, but you can also serve this for a dinner party since it has a touch of elegant simplicity.  If you have children around while you prepare dinner, I recommend seasoning the pork tenderloin the night before or the same morning.  Then your hands will be free besides the 5 minutes you need to brown the meat and the 3 minutes you need to make the sauce.  Serve with a mixed greens salad (lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil dressing for salad is a good alternative "sauce" for the pork if guests prefer) and either rice or some sweet potato fries/mash and everyone in the family will be happy.  My toddler eats the pork tenderloin with rice and steamed veggies.  I have not given him the blueberry sauce yet.  


Original recipe from, Best Recipes, a Canadian food show: 
http://www.cbc.ca/bestrecipes/2011/03/pork-tenderloin-with-wild-blueberry-sauce.html


What you need for the pork:
dried thyme
salt and pepper
garlic powder, something I sometimes add
1 pork tenderloin
a drop of canola oil


What you need for the sauce:
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
3/4 cup red wine*
1 splash of maple syrup
zest of one lemon (you can add the juice too)
1-1/2 tsp of either cornstarch or arrowroot 


What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rub pork tenderloin with seasonings  or have ready ahead of time if possible.  
Heat skillet or dutch oven and add canola oil.  
Brown the tenderloin on all sides.
Transfer to oven and roast for about 30 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160.
Transfer tenderloin to cutting board and tent with foil.  Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.


Meanwhile, transfer skillet/dutch oven to stove top and pour in wine; bring to boil over high heat, stirring to scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan. 
Boil over medium-high heat until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
Stir in blueberries, sugar and lemon rind; return to boil.
Dissolve cornstarch or arrowroot in 2 tablespoons of cold water.
Stir into sauce and simmer.
Pool sauce on dinner plates. Top with slices of pork.  
I poured sauce on top in above photo.


*leave out wine for sulphite allergy.  Also, if there is an egg allergy, please make sure to check that egg whites are not used in the wine making process for particular wine you are using.  I have contacted Cono Sur, a Chilean winery, and they have confirmed that they do not use egg whites.  I make this dish using Cono Sur Pinot Noir.

Spaghetti with Broccoli Pesto

with slices of chicken and a scoop of
fresh ricotta

Pesto is wonderful in so many dishes and there are many varieties beyond the ubiquitous basil pesto with pine nuts.  I like to play around with different greens while leaving out the pine nuts. This particular broccoli pesto is the result of having a lot of broccoli in the refrigerator at one time.  My toddler, who usually loves steamed broccoli with olive oil, was bored with broccoli for the time being so I needed to find another way to use it all up.  It was so simple to puree the steamed broccoli and then mix in minced garlic, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and olive oil.  The bright green color was terrific!  In just a few minutes, I made a delicious spaguetti dish tossed with freshly grated Parmegiano and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

What you need:
3 cups steamed broccoli florets (you can include stems)
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
zest of one lemon
a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice

fresh ground pepper and red pepper flakes (you can leave out for children's portions)
extra olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmagiano

What to do:
Cook spaghetti according to directions.  You can save a little pasta water to add to the pesto if you want a thinner sauce.

Puree first list of ingredients together in food processor, Thermomix or with hand blender.

Toss with spaghetti and add in the second list of ingredients according to personal taste.

For ore nut-free pesto ideas, visit:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/good-questions/help-me-find-an-alternative-to-nuts-for-pesto-good-questions-155326