Small Update

Just checking in to add some semi-new information about Jack.
This past Summer, he had some blood work run by his Arthritis doctor (Rheumatologist) to see if he'd be a candidate for a different type of medication to try (Methotrexate injections).  Well, the results showed that he was likely bleeding internally somewhere, so they sent him for a full upper and lower scope series (Endoscopy and Colonoscopy) and discovered several very large ulcers in his GI tract.  They decided to go ahead with the MTX but also were trying to treat the ulcers.  Jack lost 13 pounds between July and early December, and then early this month (January) his blood work showed that his liver was having problems.  The doctors took him off the MTX (thinking it was a likely cause for the issues as anything), and he started gaining back the lost weight again.  HOORAY!  However, his follow-up scopes showed that his ulcers were not all the way healed and likely to get worse again.

Jack currently has very few foods and very few safe (we think) spices.

His foods currently are:
Rice, white potato, sweet potato, butternut squash, broccoli, pears, peeled apples, tomato, chicken, pork, and beef.

His GI doctor was talking about starting him on a new steroid to see if it helps with the allergic gastritis better than the ones he is already on.

I haven't been here for a while

I know that I've been gone from this blog for a long time now. But, I figured I'd at least give an update about my son.

Jack is now FIVE! Can you believe that? Time goes by so fast. He also has a little sister named Sara who is almost two and a half.

Sara is allergic to rice, barley, soy, corn, fish, cinnamon, and I am sure a few other things.

Jack now has very few safe foods at all. He loses a few foods every year. He no longer has soy, corn, any legumes, most fruits... the list goes on and on. He basically has around 14 foods we still *think* he isn't allergic too (or at least not enough that he reacts when on his daily antihistamines and mild steroids), but things happen to show us we're wrong on occasion.

Jack was also diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis in 2010 and sustained some pretty not fun joint damage before it was diagnosed. However, we are pretty confident it is not the typical JIA like they initially lumped him into but instead "Allergic Arthritis." Once we realized it was a reaction to foods he had been eating more of at that time, we were also able to realize he was getting joint inflammations even from contamination reactions and minor food trial exposures to known mild allergens. So, the arthritis symptoms actually helped us pin-point some of his other food allergies. We then had the allergist confirm them. We're very lucky that even Jack's joint issues seem to resolve themselves without the need for medication within a week as long as the offending food or contamination is totally removed. Which is good because he is also allergic to NSAIDS. Or at least the corn most children's medications are compounded with. ;)

Blueberry Muffin MIX!

I made my first packaged easy-prep mix last weekend. :-) It turned out REALLY well and even my picky husband liked the finished product.

One bag of mix makes 1 dozen muffins, and all the baker has to add is 3/4 cup natural (sugar free/unsweetened) apple sauce, 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup rice milk, and about 1 cup of strained canned blueberries (I used a little less because I had already used a couple spoonfuls in my pancakes that morning). This mix is: wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free, nut-free, etc. :-) It is a really great universal allergen-free muffin mix.


If any of my friends would like to try this (or other future mixes), just write me an email and I'll send one off. If I don't know you, leave me a comment and I'll try to keep checking the comments on my *mix* posts frequently.

Dry baking mixes!

A friend suggested that I start making baking mixes so she could easily whip up some of my favorite creations. I went out and bought vanilla extract powder and some other replacers for some of my wet ingredients. I am pretty sure I will be able to re-design quite a few of my baked goods recipes into easy dry mixes that will be one-bowl and only need the basics added (water, rice milk, or apple juice... butter or oil... canned pumpkin, shredded veggies, or fruits). I am also currently working on some muffin "mixes". I have drawn up preliminary ideas for pumpkin, banana, apple streusel, and blueberry. It is too bad I can't eat blueberries or bananas. ;-)

A new idea to experiment with...

After the chewy-factor of the cupcakes I made the other day, I have decided that base would work really well for STICKY BUNS! It just seems so perfect. I am going to try it out with some cinnamon and some orange sticky buns next week. I am VERY optimistic on this one! It is a little thin for a dough, so I'll probably have to do a cake pan or cupcake pan for the cooking vessel, but it should work out really well. :-D

Orange Party Cupcakes

If you are like me and have family members who don't like much chocolate *gasp*... then this might be the cupcake for you/them.


Orange Cupcakes

1 1/3 C self-rising flour mixture
1 1/4 C sugar
1 tsp (extra) baking powder
1/2 C apple sauce
1/4 C canola oil

2 units egg replacer (I used 3 tsp ener-g)
1/2 C rice milk
2 Tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
* 2 drops yellow and 1 drop red food coloring... just adds a slight color to look more "normal".


Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Wisk together egg replacer, rice milk, and 2 Tbsp canola oil in a small bowl.

Add "egg" mixture, apple sauce, remaining oil, vanilla, orange, and food coloring to the flour mixture and stir well.

Spoon into cupcake pan/shells (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup and it turned out perfect). Makes 12 cupcakes.


Bake at 375F for 25 mins or until toothpick comes out clean...

Cool and frost with your favorite allergen-free frosting or make a simple whipped frosting yourself (powdered sugar, shortening, rice milk, and vanilla) if you are going no-soy.

** It might be a good sweet bread too if left unfrosted and the sugar reduced a little. The texture is a little chewy like a bread and not crumbly like most cupcakes. I'll work on that.

Decorating Easter cookies...

I made some of my sugar cookies and flavored some with lemon extract, some with cocoa powder, and some with soy nut butter! I even flavored the icings to match the colors. heh

Very basic cookie dough base...

Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups GF flour mixture
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp egg replacer
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup dairy-free margarine
1/4 cup veg shortening
3 Tbsp agave nectar (or rice syrup, or just use 3/4 cup sugar total and up the rice milk to almost 1/3 cup )
1/4 cup rice milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Mix dry ingredients well in a large bowl. Cut in margarine and shortening until well blended. In a separate bowl mix together the vanilla, rice milk, and agave nectar and pour over dough mixture. Mix well. Either refrigerate and prepare like a refrigerator dough, or spoon out into very small dough balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and press a little bit flat (but still fairly thick).

Bake at 350F for 8-12 mins (very soft - very crisp)



Chocolate Chip Cookie variation:

1 1/3 cups GF flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
3 Tbsp agave nectar
1/4 - 1/3 cup rice milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips

Bake at 400F for 9-11 mins.



Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie variation:

1 1/4 cups GF flour
1/4 cup corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1/3 cup rice milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips

Bake at 400F for 9-11 mins.

Fun with PIES!

I spent the morning baking pies!!!!

Jack will never eat any because I used some coconut milk, and he HATES coconut milk... but sometimes mom and dad just want PIE! ;-)

I used Jack allergen-safe Jell-O bake and serve pudding mixes cooked with 2 parts rice milk and one part coconut milk instead of cow's milk. Make sure to read the labels, because some have "modified food starch" which is a BIG no-no. Others have just corn-starch, and luckily Jack isn't allergic to corn like many allergic toddlers are.

I made one vanilla with banana slices (we are starting to reintroduce banana into MY diet to see if he is getting less sensitive to it, but he refuses to try any himself). I'll call it "banana coconut cream pie." The other pie was with chocolate pudding mix, so I'll call that one "chocolate coconut cream pie."

My basic pie crust is as follows:

For sweet pies:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups gluten-free flour mixture (detailed in a previous entry)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup room temp allergen-free margarine
3 Tbsp veg shortening
1/4 cup water

For savory (pot pies, meat pies, etc.):
1/8 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour mixture
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup room temp allergen-free margarine
3 Tbsp veg shortening
1/4 cup water


Mix dry ingredients and cut in margarine and shortening until in very small dough chunks. Sprinkle water over the top and mix dough together with your hands.
I just press it into pie pans and stab a few small holes in the bottom to prevent bubbling up... or roll balls and press thin and round for small cookie sheet "pies" (I made "meat pies" with sausage, potatoes, and carrots last night for dinner). However, for rolling out into sheets, just flour the pin and surface with more GF flour mixture making sure to not over-dry the dough.
Bake at 400F for 12-15 mins or until done.

Then let cool and fill as directed... OR if you are cooking with a fruit filling or a baked-in filling, just bake as directed in most other pie recipes. The 12-15 minutes still seemed to apply for my "meat pies" since the filling I made for them was pre-cooked.

not too sweet Pumpkin Muffins

Today I decided to revisit my breakfast muffin recipe and make them a little more mild, spongy, and bread-like. I ate 3 right away! lol



Pumpkin Muffins (revisited)

2 C rice flour
1/2 C potato starch
1/4 C tapioca flour
1/4 C buckwheat flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 C sugar
2 *units* egg replacer (I used 3 tsp ener-G powdered egg replacer)
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 C pumpkin
2/3 C canola oil
2/3 C apple juice

(raisins or nuts can also be added)


Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix the dry ingredients well and then mix in the wet ingredient. Stir/mix until very well blended.

Portion into greased muffin tins.
Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Makes approx. 18 muffins

Raspberry Chocolate Mini Cupcakes

Ok.. I admit it. I have a SERIOUS sweet-tooth and am a total choco-holic!

Raspberry Chocolate Mini Cupcakes

1 C self-rising flour mixture (detailed in previous post)
2 Tbsp buckwheat flour
1/4 C cocoa
1 C sugar
1 *unit* egg replacer (I used 1 1/2tsp ener-G powdered egg replacer)
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 C applesauce
1/3 C canola oil
1/4 C rice milk
2 tsp raspberry extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix the dry ingredients well and then mix in the wet ingredient. Stir/mix until very well blended.

Grease mini muffin pan (or line with paper mini muffin cups) and fill the cups mostly full with the cake batter.

Place on the middle oven rack and back for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 2 dozen super moist, not too strong, not toooo sweet, super fluffy mini cupcakes. (or one cake, 1 dozen cupcakes, etc...)

"White" bread...

Basic "White" Flat Bread

2 C self-rising flour mixture (see below)
1/3 C sugar
4 Tbsp applesauce
1/4 C canola oil or light olive oil
1/3 packet of gluten-free yeast
1 2/3 C rice milk
2-3 Tbsp apple juice (optional)
1/3 - 1/2 packet of fast acting gluten-free yeast

Warm up 1 2/3 C of rice milk to approx. 120-130 F. Mix in 1/3-1/2 of a packet of gluten-free fast-acting yeast.

Add all the other ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add in about 1 C of the rice milk and yeast mixture and mix well. If the mixture seems thicker than a sticky cookie batter, add more milk mixture until it is a very wet dough bordering on a very thick batter.

Cover with a warm damp cloth and set aside in a warm place for about 20 minutes.
Spoon knead well and set aside covered for 10 more minutes. It won't rise very much, but it will gather a few little air pockets with each rise. The yeast ends up being 75% for taste and only 25% for texture.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease a small sheet cake pan or small bordered cookie pan.

Use a greased spatula to spread the dough gently onto the well-greased pan. Coat your hands in olive oil and gently press out the surface until it is even and against the edges. Cover again and let rest in a warm place for 15-20 more minutes.

Place into the preheated 350 F oven in the middle rack for about 15 minutes. The top will not brown, but it will be springy and fairly firm. The edges will start to turn golden though.

turned upside-down:Remove and let cool. Use a thin spatula to separate the bread from the edges of the pan and work under it to make sure it is free from the pan (or if using a flexible acrylic pan, you won't have these issues). Then flip the bread and let air out for a couple minutes upside-down. Let cool completely and cut into sandwich bread size slices. Either use within 24 hours or freeze until needed. :-)

My husband even likes this bread replacement and he can eat the real thing! We think it is most similar to plain bagels in taste and texture, and would be great toasted with some jam or for kid's sandwiches. Enjoy!

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Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix (from http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com)

Combine:
2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum


Self-Rising Flour Mix (from http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com)

Combine:
2 cups gluten-free flour mix
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

"Pound Cake"

This recipe is in honor of my husband who doesn't like chocolate! Such blasphemy... but, I guess a good white cake base is important for other future recipes as well. ;-)

"Pound Cake"

1 1/4 C rice flour
1/2 C potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 C sugar
2 *units* egg replacer (depends on the brand of egg replacer. 1 unit = the amount needed to equal one egg)

* approx. 1/2 to 2/3 C apple sauce
2/3 C canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp apple juice
* enough rice milk to get desirable batter consistency. Fairly thick but easily spreadable, and thin enough to shake out the bubbles and level in a sheet cake pan.
Mix dry ingredients well. Add wet ingredients. Mix until smooth.
Spread out onto greased sheet cake pan. Something like those larger tart molds would be super cute too for a fruit-topped dessert!
Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes. I finished it off with 2 minutes on low broil to get more of a "skin" on the top. However, that was just for aesthetics and is not needed. :-)

This makes a very basic, sturdy, and very versatile, white cake. You can also add your favorite flavored extracts for a number of other flavor twists.
* I wasn't really measuring closely when I was playing around with this one, so some of the ingredients are approximations. I will recreate it in a few weeks and write down the specific amounts (and add a comment here). The non-exact amounts are noted though.



This is how I store my baked goods (I then freeze them and thaw at room temperature as needed/desired).

Buckwheat Pancakes

Buckwheat Pancakes

1/2 C rice flour
1/4 C buckwheat flour
1/4 C potato starch
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder (corn starch-free if corn is a problem)
1/2 - 1 tsp salt (1 for cooking in just veg oil, 1/2 if you are using a salted margarine)
1 tsp ground flax (optional)
dash or two of cinnamon

Mix the dry ingredients well and mix in rice milk (or your preferred milk substitute) until the batter is a smooth pancake batter consistency

This would be a very easy dry mix to make in bulk ahead of time and store in the freezer. Then just add milk and cook the desired amount.

Silver dollar pancakes for Jack:

Deep frying fun...

Tonight I made battered fried cod and used the batter to also fry up some halved crimini mushroom tops, zucchini slices, Chinese eggplant slices, and thin-sliced squash.


My approx. batter recipe:

1 1/4 C flour mixture (3/4 C rice flour, 1/4 C potato starch, 1/4 C corn flour 1/2 tsp xanthan gum)
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp fine-ground pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
mix well and add enough seltzer water to make a smooth consistency similar to a fairly thin pancake batter

1/2 C potato starch too coat everything before dipping in the batter

enough canola oil to cover 2 inches in a pan or wok

It took a couple test fries to get my oil the right temperature and my batter the right consistency. If you're worried about it being too thin, just start with it on the thicker side and add more seltzer water until things work out the way you like them. :-) I preferred the batter thin and the oil super-hot. It made for the nice crispy texture and not too much oil absorption.

My favorites were the mushrooms and eggplant.

"Squashed Potatoes"

That is what my husband calls them at least...

Our mashed potato solution:

Really it is just 2-3 parts potato to 1 part butternut squash (helps with moisture and a good way to sneak in some veggies/fiber). Cut into cubes and boiled just as if you were making normal mashed potatoes. Boil until very soft, and strain off most of the water. Leave enough to keep things moist after mashing (it may be more than you expect at first).
I add 1-2 bullion cubes (just some salt and garlic powder would be good for vegans), olive oil, and a little ground pepper. Mash mash mash...

This is one of Jack's favorite side dishes or a great late afternoon snack. It reheats much better than normal mashed potatoes too.

Quinoa pasta...

Today for lunch Jack and I had rainbow quinoa pasta with a butternut squash sauce. I had never tried quinoa pasta before, but I had heard good things. I didn't care for it too much. I prefer the rice pastas out there, but Jack seemed to really like it. The texture is very different, and it has a slight nutty taste.

I make all my sauces ahead of time and freeze them in 2-person meal-sized containers for easy microwave reheating and use.

Jack really likes the butternut squash sauce and handles it a lot better than tomato-based sauces. It is very simple. I just steam or boil some cubed butternut squash. Add (or boil in) chicken bullion (or a veggie broth would probably be good too), olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. I just add all the seasoning to taste. I then puree it with my hand blender.

Before we were trying to go low-soy, I also added medium texture tofu and pureed everything together. I called that over rice pasta "no mac, no cheese, mac and cheese." The texture and appearance was very similar to Kraft mac and cheese. heh

Focaccia sandwiches...

I used the focaccia recipe tonight for some sandwiches. I changed it a little bit by taking the bread out after 10 minutes, brushing the top lightly with olive oil, and then broiling for a couple more minutes to sort of toast the top. mmmm

I cooked up some crispy bacon and then grilled some thin-sliced zucchini and chinese eggplant with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I layered those onto the focaccia along with some deli cut turkey slices.

This is how Jack's looked:

The BEST allergen-free cake yet!

Seriously! You have to try this one!

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 *units* egg replacer (depends on the brand of egg replacer. 1 unit = the mount needed to equal one egg)

1/4 cup rice milk
2/3 cup apple juice
approx 11/2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp mint extract

Mix dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and stir until evenly blended. If the batter seems just way too thick, add just a little bit more rice milk.
Bake in 2 lightly greased cup cake pans for approx 25 mins (or until toothpick comes out clean). They'll look a little wet in the middle, but they aren't as long as the toothpick comes out clean. :-)
This batter is also great for licking the spoon/bowl/spatula. This is the first allergen-free cake batter I have tried (pre-packaged or from recipes) that I can say that about!

Good breakfast muffins!

Pumpkin Raisin Muffins:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 *units* egg replacer (depends on the brand of egg replacer. 1 unit = the mount needed to equal one egg)
1/2 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup raisins (or nuts/seeds or a mixture)

Mix dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and stir until evenly blended. Bake in a lightly greased or non-stick muffin pan approx. 25 mins (until toothpick comes out clean). Makes 1 dozen muffins.