Scrumptious Saturdays: April

delightful tomatoes 

strawberry joy

munching on daikon

weekly menu planning

Baby Brother enjoying what we brought home

Kinder Cafeteria Lunch Visit

Big Brother was so happy to have lunch with Baby Brother and me today in the cafeteria.  He planned our lunch, making sure that we could all eat safely together. Here was our menu: brown rice and quinoa spaghetti (Trader Joe's-our favorite safe pasta), meat sauce, dilly and lemony cucumber slice salad and juicy pears (Trader Joe's in glass jar). I often make bolognese sauce in my Thermomix, it is so quick and easy.  It's also easy to throw in extra veg and to stretch into several meals. This bolognese had lots of spinach that needed to be used up. I warmed up the spaghetti and meat sauce right before going so that it would be warm and yummy.  The best part was packing up everything and delivering it in a picnic basket; It made a nice visit even more special. 

On an allergic mom note: oh boy, is the cafeteria a scary place for Baby Brother. Allergens everywhere! We were tucked away at our own table where we were comfortably safe from it all. 

Baby Brother has his own green food containers
no sharing ensures no cross-contamination

Big Brother's lunch container

Carrot Molasses Cookies

Who doesn't love breakfast cookies? I sometimes make these on Sunday afternoon for tea time when I have a little bit of homemade coconut milk that needs to be used up. Then I have a batch of cookies for breakfast the following day. If you prefer to use sprouted oats, you can order them here. These cookies use all of our family favorite pantry items and exclude all top allergens. 

What you need:
2 cups oat flour
2 cups rolled oats
1-2  cups shredded carrots  (1 giant carrot or 2 medium carrots)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup homemade coconut milk
1/2 cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses 
Handful of raisins or chopped unsulphered dried apricots
Handful of shredded unsulphured coconut 

What to do:
Set oven to 350 degrees

Prepare baking sheet with baking paper

Grind oats to oat flour in TM, 30 seconds, speed 9.  Set aside.

Chop carrots in TM bowl

Add back in the oat flour to TM bowl as well as the rest of the ingredients

Mix on reverse blade, speed 3 for about 15 seconds

Form into balls, flatten slightly, and bake for 15 min at 350 degrees

New Food Introduction: Strawberries

Perfect steel cut oats topped with
 local strawberries from Gundermann Acres
Love the delay button on our Vitaclay crockpot

Strawberries! This particular fruit topped my worry list.  Those histamine rich foods, such as citrus, tomatoes and strawberries, oh boy!  Would Baby Brother tolerate them, would his gut approve?  When strawberries arrived at the market recently, I just went for it.  Baby Brother loves blueberries, and even cranberries.  He needed a new berry to enjoy.  And the more fresh, local food we can eat in season, the better my spirit.

I just happened to read this about sulfites and histamines in relation to drinking red wine.  Click here if you are interested. 

Back to talking about enjoying strawberries:

berry breakfast bowl: Freedom rice flake cereal, sprouted sunflower seeds,
sprouted pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, dried mulberries,
fresh strawberries, coconut flakes
all drenched in homemade hemp/date milk

 homemade strawberry mint ice cream: coconut milk, strawberries, mint,
maple syrup,  local raw honey pinch of real salt

Scrumptious Saturdays: March

our family favorite Chilean salad: apio palta is back!
Baby Brother given go ahead to reintroduce avocado

farinata is always a  favorite with avocado, anchovies and salads from
Saturday farmer market.  see the little piece of avocado for
Baby Brother?  so exciting!

our version of avocado toast

grass-fed steak and salad for  Saturday afternoon leisurely lunch
avocado is back on the menu
Baby Brother and I shared this plate

Baby Brother loving watermelon radish
who knew?!

strawberry introduction this month with their arrival at market

capturing local delights: olive oil

Chicken Liver Pâté

Chopped liver was part of my childhood.  Always just a little scoop, always on marble rye bread, always with sour pickles, and always from my cherished deli at The Crown kosher market. As a child and even as an adult, I had never been quite sure I actually wanted to like chopped liver. Did I really enjoy eating it? Was it even ok to like it? 

Fast-forward to having children and learning about nourishing your little ones.

I am an interested reader of all things food-related. From all my studying, I have learned that foods, like liver, are included in traditional diets for a reason. Nourishing Traditions is a good book to read to learn the reasons why.

By making it myself, I can choose the best quality ingredients as well. It wouldn't be the same as the chopped liver from my childhood, but I would figure out a way to make my new version with my special allergic twist on bookmarked recipes. I would make my very own pâté with just a few ingredients.

I made my first version a few years ago when Big Brother was a baby. I thought that I should feed him liver. So I set out down the street to The Healthy Butcher (oh I miss my butcher shop terribly!), and made sure to get good quality chicken livers.  Big Brother knew the names of the butchers as we went regularly. I remember bringing the chicken livers home that very cold Canadian day and having to take a deep breath as I reluctantly took them out bag and started to clean them. There is something about the livery smell that can be repulsive. 
  
Now enter Thermomix. As always, Thermomix to the rescue! I find that my super kitchen helper takes away some of the unpleasant sensations. Since the livers are cooked and blended in one spot,  some of that queasy sensation goes away.  

This pâté uses just a few ingredients: coconut oil, coconut milk, herbs and onion. Perhaps I should think about trying some schmalz next time?  I have to say that I really prefer chopped liver or pâté on crackers or on rye bread, but I have found that rice cakes do the trick and actually serve as an easy way to get the spread inside Baby's mouth. Apple slices and carrot sticks are another good vehicle to serve this spread. 

Read here about the reasons to include liver in your diet. Are you also interested in including nutrient rich foods like liver in your family's diet? 

I start by soak the chicken livers in pure water in a glass bowl with a pinch or two of salt. Then I rinse them and proceed preparing them. 

Ok, ready for the instructions and ingredients? 


What you need and how to prepare:

Add to TM bowl: some scallions or onion, turn up dial to mince.

Then add a good tablespoon of coconut oil.  You can add  a couple strips of turkey bacon if you'd like as well.

Cook 2 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1.  Scrape and push down to bottom of bowl.

Add in 350 grams of chicken livers

Cook 8 minutes, 100 degrees, reverse/ soft spoon

Add a few splashes of homemade coconut milk,  a handful of cilantro and sprig of rosemary

Process 30 seconds, turning up dial until you reach desired consistency. 


I have made a giant batch using this recipe that I adapted to my Thermomix, it includes gelatin.  Read here and here about reasons why you may want to include good quality gelatin in your diet

Share with pregnant friends and new mommies :)

No-Bake Coconut Crackles

top crackle flipped over to show "secret" treat for Big Brother

Are you looking for a no-bake version of Passover coconut macaroons?  Are you avoiding all top allergens and wanting to make something like this delicious treat? We will be enjoying these this year for Passover, and for everyday tea time as well. For the original recipe, click here: 

What you need:

2 cups of organic, unsweetened desiccated coconut, about 125 g 
2 heaping tablespoons raw local honey
pinch real salt
splash of vanilla
Enjoylife chocolates chips, optional

What to do: 
Add all ingredients to TM bowl

Mix, Reverse, speed 6 until mixture is well combined.  (I think that if you combine without reverse spoon, then you'd get a more compact mixture, but with less coconut flake texture)

Press down into lined or silicone cupcake tray

Freeze until set

Pop out and store crackles in fridge

New Food Introduction: Corn

We have introduced gluten-free cereal grains and pseudocereals to Baby Brother in the following order: rice, quinoa, millet, gf oats, buckwheat and amaranth. When was the time going to feel right for trying corn?  

We recently gave corn a go after wanting to fill the house with Freedom Foods cereals and realizing that they all contained corn. Sometimes, packaged cereal is needed. With this realization we started corn in packaged cereal, moved on to homemade corn tortillas, and then to corn/quinoa herb muffins. It feels good to have another pantry staple to incorporate into our family diet.  

The boys are loving the process of making tortillas, almost like safe edible play dough with a super cool flattening device called the tortilla press.  Big Brother and I used to make these tortillas weekly prior to wheat and dairy allergy. 

These delicious corn muffins work well for breakfast with homemade coconut yogurt or sliced avocado.  I am enjoying them for lunch to go along with simple ground turkey and veg and humble stews. They will be a great addition to my Thanksgiving dinner. 

Are you looking for safe, organic, sprouted corn? Allergen free and free of GMO's? I have found this sprouted, organic corn flour, and will be switching over from Bob's Redmill gluten-free masa harina to this. 

Baby Brother not so sure he wants to try
first time presented with his corn muffin

corn muffins for breakfast served with
local strawberries, defrosted wild blueberries
and homemade coconut yogurt
local raw honey and coconut oil for spreading

Baby Brother eating tortilla without toppings
for taco night.  Prefers chicken drumstick as is. 

Big Brother eating his taco sandwich

We are having so much fun making tortillas again
It's been a while! So liberating adding corn!

Baby Brother likes his toppings on the side
Aren't the plate's compartments awesome!?

Shortbread Cookies

I was so delighted to open my Valentine's present a few weeks ago and find four boxes of flavored shortbread cookies.  There was vanilla, lavender, citrus and chocolate.  The best part was that they were gluten and allergen free for all of us to enjoy together.  My husband had wanted to find a special treat for all of us to share, one that I could just open and not bake myself.  He did some good research to find these for us.  If you would like to see the full range of allergen-friendly treats Natural Decadence is baking and can send to your home, click here. 

Gluten Free Facility, Nut Free Facility

Time to enjoy

Baby Brother's cookie

Information about Natural Decadence 

Scrumptious Saturdays: February

Baby Brother watering our baby apple trees

strawberries from  today's market trip to go with my 
local honey topped homemade coconut yogurt 

lunch after unpacking from farmer's market

plate of baked sweet potato wedges

Baby Brother crunching on a purple carrot 

Meyer lemons

gorgeous radishes, this one i'm loving

Tatsoi, a favorite green 

New Food Introduction: Cooked Onions

coconut chicken stew with rice noodles
and sautéed tatsoi

We recently went to the allergist for skin testing.  We tested Baby Brother for avocado, banana, raw ginger, cooked garlic, cooked onion, raw onion, sesame, sunflower seeds and watermelon.  We got the go-ahead for raw and cooked onion, sesame and sunflower seeds.  Avocado and banana remained questionable. I have posted about sunflower seed introduction.  Soon I will post about sesame introduction.  As for onion, we have since introduced cooked scallions in chicken stir-fry and grilled salmon, and cooked onions in stews.  

Big Brother's bowl

Big Brother's t-shirt

And for me, topped with sauerkraut 

Lamb stew on cute, new mushroom plates
with tender broccoli and farinata
to soak up juices

Cowboy stew for Go Texan Day