New Food Frontier For Me

#dairyfree #foodallergies #cooking

I had the most amazing day at Barnes and Noble. A few weeks ago I began my food experiment journey into the world of gluten-free and dairy free recipes. I am happy to report the non-dairy butter was and is awesome. I found a recipe for non-dairy shortening. I haven't tried it yet but since it is from the same cook I expect it to be amazing as well. That experience combined with my new love for certified organic foods got be excited to learn more. I went to Barnes and Noble on a search for a gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan cookbook. That was kind of silly since vegans are dairy free. :-D Nevertheless, I spent some time searching for a cookbook that would satisfy my education and cooking for my Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted to find a particular book that I had seen in an Adventist market. I didn't see it so I went to customer service like a good little researcher and asked about the book. I didn't find the book but I did discover that I had only tapped the service of Barnes and Noble's cookbooks. The WHOLE back wall contained cookbooks. I just HAD to come back another day when i could explore.

Much like that little kid at Christmas, I couldn't wait. I was so excited that I came back and purchased a gluten-free, dairy-free cookbook without the research.. I got home and decided it really did not do it for me. The next day I returned the book and spent that amazing day searching for a cookbook that would meet my needs.

I found it! I found it! I found the perfect book for me. It has recipes but it is more of a "How to make your own" book. It is a Vegan substitution cookbook, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions by Steen and Newman. The guide explains the relationship between items used to prepare a meal for carnivores and herbivores and how to make the substitutions for the best results. As I said in the last post, I was expecting a diverse set of dietary needs to visit my home for Christmas. I needed to change my mac and cheese and sweet potato pie ingredients to accommodate animal product free, dairy free, and gluten free allergies. Rather than guessing and serving the meals with trepidation, I went boldly into the kitchen to prepare the requested dishes. The mac and cheese was a hit. I know because there was very little left over. We  ate so much that we didn't have room for the pies. That was left to today's dining experiences.

By the way, corn allergy is coming to visit for the weekend. What's one more. Corn, in some form,is in almost everything.  Read your labels people.Got to label read!

We Forgot!

#peaceonearth #respect #Christmas #joy #stress #spouse #love

I remember when I was a child this was the most inspiring, joyous time of the year. My grandmother shopped downtown listening to Christmas carols being piped through speakers on the city streets. The night air was crisp and clean. People who you didn't know, greeting you with smiles and Merry Christmas on their lips. It may have been stressful to some but it sure didn't feel like it. The list of things to be done seemed like a privilege and a joy. Giving wasn't something you had to do. People who couldn't afford to buy gifts made them. Those were usually the best ones. Sharing what you had was magnified.

But Now...

There seems to be more concern with how much I can get and how much did you pay for it. That put unnecessary stress who can't spend a lot. We forgot the joy is in the giving, however little and the fact that someone thought of you. We forgot! We have taught our kids to be unappreciative. Then we get mad at them when they are.

The stress of this season breaks up relationships. We have come to value the things given over the giver. If your spouse or significant other doesn't give you what you want at the price point you expect, there is NO Peace on Earth. We forgot. 

• Let's remember to treat each other the way we want to be treated; with love and respect.
• Let's remember to value the person more than anything they give, even if all they can give is a smile and a hug.
• Let's remember the joy many of us felt as children. 

    If you don't have those kind of memories begin to make them now. Those of us who have them, share that love with them.

• Let's remember "To do to others what we want done to us."

          I guess in this perverted world I should explain. I mean treat others with the love and respect you want to get. Don't fight in the stores and don't curse people out in the parking lots.

• Let's remember to be kind and spread joy. 

Don't forget. The Messiah's birth was to bring Peace not Stress. 

Remember!

Have Very, Blessed, Joyful, and Loving CHRISTmas celebration!

The Thanksgiving Cooking Experiment

I hope you had a wonderful time with your family. It was just my husband and I. Our children were away this year. I had a ball. Not because they were away though. I experimented with our traditional recipes. I was motivated by my newly vegan son and my dairy-intolerant grand-baby. I had wanted to try vegan cooking for a while and I figured now was a good time.

Mac and Cheese

Attention went first to my mac and cheese. This is my grandmother's mac and cheese so the flavors are sacred. I decided to use rice elbow macaroni. I never used it before. Next concern: How do you bring those southern flavors to vegan world: Butter, real milk, sharp and mild cheddar cheese? I was skeptical but I went all in. I replaced the cheese with veggie cheese. I replaced the milk with flax seed milk. I found it to be creamier than almond and other nut milks I've tried. However, what to do about butter? I found some vegan butter in my favorite organic store but the cost was ridiculous. Google came through. I found several vegan sites that had recipes for making your own vegan butter without using soy products. I made my first non-dairy butter. The results were good but I still didn't know how it would work in my mac and cheese. It was wonderful. That gave me hope for my sweet potato pie.

Sweet Potato Pie

This was not completely vegan but it was still an experiment. I used my non-dairy butter, a blend of flax and evaporated milk and egg. I thought my husband had bought an egg substitute but he bought egg whites instead. The filling was good. The real experiment was the pie crust. I decided to try gluten free flour. Who knows why? I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil or shortening. I either had a crumbling mess or something that was very oily looking. I wanted that flaky crust I was familiar with. As it turned out, the taste was great but the texture was too thin. Saved by the flavors.

I have learned a lot through this experiment.

1. I will never plan to buy dairy butter again. 
2. I have since found a recipe for homemade baking shortening. That's next. 
3. Coconut oil, refined and unrefined are my new best friends. It has so many uses besides cooking. 
4. I have found a website of a vegan sweet potato expert. Things are looking up for my Christmas pies.  http://sweetpotatosoul.com/2014/01/how-to-make-vegan-sweet-potato-pie.html
5. Sunflower oil has entered my pantry.
6. I found non-soy, non-gluten, non-wheat egg replacer. They also gave the ingredients and I have them in my cabinet. I wonder if I can make my own?
7. I just found an egg replacer recipe using chia seed. Who knew? Got to try this. http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-make-egg-substitute-chia-seeds/

I also found this link for powdered egg replacer recipe. If any of you have used these recipes, I would certainly like to hear from you. My holiday baking begins in about a week and a half. I am planning to experiment ahead of time.

Vegans out there please share your experience and wisdom. I am on fire to test things out.