Month: March 2012

Multiple Sclerosis and Food

Posted by | Mar 30, 2012 | |

Although MS is rarely associated with children, it is another neurological disease where there is evidence that food is a potential cure. Dr. Wahls went from unable to sit upright in a wheelchair to completing an 18 mile bike ride…in 2 years on a veggie heavy diet. She references PubMed as a data source. It is a great resource for finding genuine, agenda-neutral research. You do need to know something about what makes a decent trial because there is some really bad science out there too (wow you studied 12 people for a week and nothing changed…and you are concluding that it means that there is no cause and effect….) and all too often those studies get the headlines. That said, PubMed is where I start looking for proof that one theory or another has any evidence to support it. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc If you have MS you may want to share this with your doctor. If she thinks that eating more vegetables and less sugar is somehow a bad idea, you may wish to get a different...

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Garbanzo Bean Salad

Posted by | Mar 29, 2012 | |

This is a pretty dish that requires no cooking or heating. I put it on top of washed greens as a lunch and have brought it to a potluck as a vegan entrée. Ingredients 2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans (I use Eden Organics as they are BPA free. They actually test for BPA) ¾ cup minced onions 1 cup minced green peppers 1 cup minced red bell peppers 1 cup chopped artichoke hearts (from a jar) ¾ cup loosely packed roughly chopped parsley leaves ½ tsp salt ¼ cup lemon juice (about one fresh lemon squeezed) ¼ cup olive oil Tools Wooden spoon Can opener Colander Cutting board Knife Measuring cups and spoons Glass storage container with lid Instructions Wash and then mince / chop all the vegetables and the parsley. Ideally you want pieces about the size of the garbanzo beans. Open the cans Drain and rinse the beans Put the veggies in the container. Add the salt, lemon juice and oil Stir to coat the veggies Add the beans Mix thoroughly Refrigerate. It is much better the next day, and even better three days...

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Jaime Oliver’s TED Talk

Posted by | Mar 28, 2012 | |

Confession time here. I have seen every single episode of Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution…twice. I signed up as a food revolutionary. I have a strong bias against “edible foodlike products” and I especially don’t want my tax dollars to be spent on them via school lunch programs. I was not always this way. Ten years ago I had two donuts for breakfast three days out of five. Only 450 calories for both of them. And since I exercised and was thin, I thought meant that I could eat what I wanted. WRONG! It turns out that you can be diabetic without being overweight. That sure was a nasty surprise. I have actually found celiac disease to be an odd sort of blessing. I had to teach my child how to eat and how to cook. I have to plan every meal. I cannot “grab something” because for me mindless eating is punished immediately by dizziness followed by one full night in the bathroom. Yes, there are marvelous choices now for gluten-free treats, and I enjoy them on the weekends, but once I realized that food had literally been killing me, I never saw it the same way again. I changed. I realized just how much food really matters. It took time, but I changed. And then there is Jaime Oliver who reminded me yet again that every choice I...

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Dairy Free Chocolate Yogurt

Posted by | Mar 27, 2012 | |

When my child went on a limited diet, we needed to use vitamin and mineral supplements. We can’t eat dairy. Sure, kale is rich in calcium, but kale chips did not go over well, and honestly, supplements were less onerous. So we went with GF/DF calcium, magnesium and zinc supplements. The problem with those was that they are too large to swallow. And thus begins the story of the chocolate yogurt. Ingredients 1 tablespoon Gluten & Dairy free unsweetened baking cocoa powder 1/2 to 1 cup of plain or vanilla soy or coconut yogurt (preferably organic or at least non-GMO) Stevia drops Probiotics, calcium supplements, magnesium supplements, zinc supplements…whatever neutral tasting supplements your medical team recommends (do NOT try this with iron or vitamin B supplements…the flavor is too strong to be hidden in yogurt). Instructions Put yogurt in bowl. I use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup Add cocoa and stir to combine thoroughly. I use a full tablespoon both because unsweetened dark chocolate is supposed to be good for you and because it ensures that the entire bowl will be consumed in a timely manner. Sweeten to taste (be careful with stevia. A drop is like a teaspoon of sugar) Open capsules on minerals, probiotics etc. Put them in yogurt Stir Serve Our nutritionist prefers that he get calcium and magnesium at night to prepare him for sleep,...

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Betty Crocker Chocolate Cupcakes

Posted by | Mar 26, 2012 | , |

I am a food snob and was prepared to hate Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix. The truth is that if you can handle soy and are not too picky about GMOs it makes an astonishingly good, normal tasting, egg-free cupcake. What I love about it (besides the fact that its easy) is that as of the last box I used, its vegan, corn free, gluten free, dairy free, peanut free and, depending on the oil you use can also be tree nut free. Unfortunately they have added soy to their ingredients so you may instead want to work with the new King Arthur Flour versions which avoid the big 8 entirely. That said, I have not tested that one with egg replacer. The instructions on the box led to lumpy cupcakes when I tried them. So I messed with them to some extent. These fool everyone. Ingredients 1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix 5 tsp Energ Egg replacer 6 TB cool to cold water 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 cup WARM black coffee (or warm water) it needs to be hot enough keep the shortening liquid until the cake mix is added. 1/2 cup of either Spectrum Organics Butter Flavor Shortening or organic coconut oil warmed just to the point of liquification (we don’t have any issue with coconuts so we use coconut...

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Chocolate “Buttercream” Frosting

Posted by | Mar 25, 2012 | , |

Most of the bakery cupcakes that I tried that were allergen-free had frosting that was really hard and almost the consistency of a crayon when cold. It would pop off the cupcake. This has the texture of regular buttercream even if refrigerated. It does not get hard in the fridge. The secret ingredient is the Organic Whipped Earth Balance margarine. Yes, they make non-organic too, but unless otherwise certified, corn, canola and soy oil know that are not organic are, as of this writing, in the United States, typically GMO. The problem with most margarine or palm oil based frostings is that they can’t be aerated (I tried and it’s a fascinating if somewhat pricey science experiment in watching the failure of an emulsion). Because this margarine is already aerated it behaves like butter that has had air whipped in resulting in frosting with the “right” consistency straight from the refrigerator. Ingredients 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3c organic powdered sugar (or 100% Cane sugar). Sugar not labeled cane is typically from beets which are frequently GMO. ¾ c whipped Organic Earth Balance Margarine 1/3 c non-GMO creamer (coconut or soy…I use So Delicious or Silk) plus up to 3 tb more) ¼ tsp coffee granules ½ tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla Equipment Electric Mixer Flexible Spatula Measuring cups Measuring spoons Sifter Instructions Remove Organic Earth Balance Margarine from...

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Ellen’s Famous Chicken

Posted by | Mar 14, 2012 | , |

This is a great meal for a dinner party. The recipie can easily be doubled or tripled (depending on the size of your oven), and the chicken can be kept warm for 30 minutes or so without getting overcooked. Leftovers can be eaten cold with slaw or salad. Leftovers can also be reheated. Just heat the oven to 350 degrees, put the chicken and remaining drippings back in a pan or casserole dish, cover the chicken and drippings and heat for half an hour. Each chicken feeds 8 heart healthy people or 4 teenagers. If diabetes is not a problem, then you can make a complete meal with leftover or precooked rice (just reheat it with some pan drippings) or the Chicken Mashed Potatoes recipie that follows. Chicken mashed potatoes can be reheated in the oven with the chicken for leftovers. If diabetes is an issue or if you are watching your weight, this dish is also really good with steamed or microwaved peas or broccoli as a green side dish. Ingredients (all amounts are for one chicken) 1 chicken cut into standard parts (2 Drumsticks, 2 Thighs, 2 Wings, 2 Breasts cut in half horizontally (across the breast) to make them thigh sized). Make sure the skin is on and the chicken is not boneless. This recipie does not work with boneless or skinless chicken. Garlic powder in...

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Easy Baked Bacon

Posted by | Mar 9, 2012 | , , , , |

I always hated making bacon. It was as if I had a choice between spatter going everywhere when cooking on the stovetop or checking in layers of greasy, slimy, environmentally uncool towels to see if the bacon was done yet (plus microwaved meat just tastes weird). I know they invented that bacon hanging rack thingy for the microwave but between the odd taste, the hairpin shape, the fact that I now need to store an item which has, as its sole use, the microwaving of bacon, and the fact that I still had too much cleanup I wasn’t all that interested. Then I discovered the oven. As it turns out you can make perfectly straight, perfectly crisp bacon in the oven by laying it in a layer in a pan and baking it for about 20 to 30 minutes (depends on how thick your bacon is and how cooked you like your bacon. Not only do you end up with very little cleanup (just one 13 x 9 pan) but you also get to keep all the rendered bacon fat that ends up in the pan. Yes, I do save rendered bacon fat. Ingredients 1 lb sliced bacon (preferably organic, humanely raised, and additive free. Equipment 13×9 pans (how many you need depends on how many slices of bacon you have. Thin slices require 2 pans) Instructions Put raw...

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Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Corn-Free Pumpkin Pancakes

Posted by | Mar 5, 2012 | , , |

As written these pancakes are gluten-free and dairy-free but not vegan, egg-free or nut free. They can however be made vegan and egg free by use of egg replacer and nut free by the use of Spectrum Naturals Butter flavor shortening (palm oil based) instead of coconut oil. This recipe serves 8 to 10 people and each serving contains half a cup of pumpkin, so you are sneaking in fruit. I cook them, let them cool, and freeze them in a Ziploc bag. They also keep for a day or two in the refrigerator. Microwave and serve. It’s great for Christmas morning brunch. This recipe works with egg replacer because pumpkin, like banana, adds fiber that holds the food together. Ingredients 4 cups or 1 26 oz pkg Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten-Free Pancake and Baking Mix 3 cups milk (if you use a different brand of pancake mix you may need more milk…for example I used Pamela’s products pancake mix and needed 4 cups of milk) 2 15 oz cans cooked pumpkin ¾ cup eggs which, for those of you using egg replacer, is about 3 to 4 eggs (you can use mostly whites. I have used one egg and a bunch of leftover whites. I have been burning through yolks trying to make a Key Lime Pie that is neither runny nor chewy. Also if it’s a bit...

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