Happy Fall! - Apple Pancakes

Happy first day of Fall y'all!

This past week I encountered one of the most challenging parts of having a child with dietary restrictions, food at school, specifically in the classroom. I'm thankful that our dietary restrictions are not life or death however that are just as important to adhere to just the same. In a lot of ways this makes it more difficult though. People who are not accustom to having to make major lifestyle changes like this don't tend to take it seriously even when it is doctor proscribed.

School has been in session for a smidge less then a month and we have had these events come up 3 times already, one of which was daily for the first two weeks of school. This time was apple pancakes for the study of Johnny Appleseed. When I read this was coming up this week and the ingredient list was being divided amongst the parents my stomach sunk and immediately started worrying the "what if's". "What if they don't realize that no dairy includes all products like butter or that labels aren't clearly read." "What if they do both gluten free and regular pancakes but cross contaminate with the spatula or something." My first instinct is to retreat and opt out of these activities but reality sets in that I can not have my child miss out on an opportunity to be involved with his class.

I'm happy to say this apple pancake activity was a success. I think the teacher & class aid heard me an understood. I was surprised when I found out that they were planning on making all of them gluten, dairy and peanut free. I was concerned with how they might turn out since not all alternative products are the same (I've had my fair share of bad gluten free and dairy free pancakes) but I recieved a happy report that they were delicious. The teacher sent home copies of the recipes they sounded awesome. My son went on and on with how great they were so we tried them out for breakfast this morning. OH MY GOODNESS THESE ARE GOOD!

(please forgive the pictures this was very impromptu and I decided halfway through making these this morning that I just had to share)

So I kinda messed up the the recipe when I made it (I'm not a morning person, following directions is just too much me) I included the oil in the batter, Ooops! But it still turned out. They were delicious!

I grated the apples with the skins on as recommended.

The chef's plate. Pancake #8 and the first one I was able to try, the kids were inhaling them. The gluten free flour mix I used is the Simple Truth Organic brand from Krogers. I'm thinking that the King Arthur brand would be good here as well. I tend to stay away from blends with sorghum flour, I find it has a bitter taste but maybe that's just me. I also prefer unsweetened soy milk (West Soy or Soy Dream) for my cooking and baking. I've tried coconut, almond and rice milks but they have left undesired flavors or chewy, gummy or under cooked consistencies. 

 Nothing better then a well seasoned cast iron grittle. Watch out these burn quick don't walk away!

APPLE PANCAKES

2 apples cored and grated
2 cups gluten free all purpose baking or pancake mix
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup soy milk (or alternative milk of your choice)
1/2 cup canola oil

Stir together the grated apple, gluten free baking mix, cinnamon & brown sugar to a bowl. Coating each strand of apple with the dry mix (this help keep the apple evenly distributed in the batter). In a separate bowl or large measuring cup whisk together the egg, milk and oil (I'm sticking with my oops, it was good!). Add the milk egg mix to the apple mix. Stir till smooth. Ladle and spread desired amounts on a lightly greased griddle or skillet that is over medium low heat. Cook to golden and flip cook again till golden and serve.

Happy Breakfast!

What made these even more special was that we used the apples we just picked as a family. Apple picking has been an annual tradition for me since moving to Ohio in 1994. I love that this is now a family event that my kids look forward to. Even though the calendar doesn't reflect it, apple picking is the official kick off to Fall for me😊

By far this is my favorite season but also my busiest season. Every year I hope to enjoy all that Fall has to offer but usually fall short;) This year will probably be the same but I'm holding out hope that this is the best Fall yet!

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Corn Avocado Dip recipe & a little about me

 Something you have probably noticed about my recipes but I have not really share a whole lot about myself is that I eat dairy and gluten free. This is true for several members of my family. Several years back I was determined to make some lifestyle changes which included how I ate. At the time one of my cousins was going through a ridged elimination diet and seeing a naturopath due to health issues. She share the Eat Right for Your Type - The Blood Type Diet book. At first I blew it off because how in the world was I going to be able to eat like that. No dairy and no wheat (as well as a bunch of other stuff) come on! I eat cheese for almost every meal and could drink a gallon of milk within a couple day's. Not to mention my addiction to a crusty loaf of bread. I still joke that I want my last meal to be a block of cheese and a loaf of good sourdough bread. Still the blood type diet it was lingering in the back of my head. 

At the time I was going through my own set of aches and pains; vertigo, one sinus infection after the other and shooting pain that ran from my hands to my elbows. Only things doctors would do is tell me to "wear arm braces because you have carpertunal" and prescribe me antibiotics to get rid of yet another sinus infection. Then one day something just clicked. I don't know if it was something I remembered reading or something someone said to me but I was determined to try this diet. Before starting I made no correlation to my pain to my diet but with in about a month of eating for my type my hand and arm pain went away and.... I will do my best not to be gross.... we'll just say my sinuses when through a great purge. That was 8 years ago and you know, I have not had a sinus infection since and colds when I rarely get them only last a couple day's. My husband who is a seasonal allergy sufferer has told me that he has found relief from his allergy symptoms since we changed how we eat too. I was sold and I never looked back.

This is not to say that I don't occasionally indulge in wheat & dairy because I do and quite often around the holiday's or anytime we are celebrating with others. But when I do, no matter how small the amount, I usually have horrible sinus headaches from the dairy and joint pain when I eat wheat. Sometimes those are great reminders why I eat how I eat. It's just not worth the pain not to eat right. I don't consider myself allergic but intolerant or sensitive to gluten and dairy. 

Well, you now know more than you ever wanted to know about my eating habits but hopefully you know what type of recipes to expect from me. I have gotten pretty good and knowing how to do exchanges in recipes and what can and can not be altered or omitted.  So has several of my family members so we share recipes quite a bit. Just like this corn salsa (is it a salsa if it doesn't have tomatoes?) below. We are big eaters when we all get together and get a little sad when we all make things that none of us should really be eating. Little by little we have been adding new favorites to the communal table and this is one of them that everyone loves.

Corn Avocado Dip

1  16 oz  organic frozen sweet corn, thawed

2  4oz cans chopped ripe (black) olives, drained

1  med red bell pepper, diced

1  small red onion, diced

5  cloves of garlic, minced

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c lemon juice (fresh is best)

3 tbsp white wine vinegar (not aged)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 med avocado (ripe but firm), diced right before serving

Combined first 4 ingredients in large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together remaining except avocado. Pour over corn mixture. Marinate in fridge 6 hours or over night. Right before serving mix in diced avocado.

Serve with tortilla chips.

* can replace half of the ripe olives with chopped green olives

** Also good over a salad

*** Cucumber has been used in place of avocado.
**** If you like a little spice add a jalapeno

I really hope you enjoy this recipe. Please let me know what you think. I love feed back!

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

Detox & Garlic Salad Dressing Recipe

Well I wasn't to far off with my recent lentil soup recipe post. It fit my qualifications for a detox recipe. According to the reading I've done it contains a few cleansing ingredients. Lentils for fiber and garlic and onions for cell development and protection. Plus I had always heard that garlic is great for fighting general illnesses and bacteria growth. The next time I think I will try using thyme instead of oregano since it to has healing powers too according to those who are experts. I also read here how (beef) bone broth is excellent for brain cell development and health. So maybe next time try bone broth in place of the box stock. The rest of the ingredients are at least benign and aren't on the experts avoid list. And I am happy to say my family ate the soup with out complaint (well at least most of us, my daughter is going through that picky eater toddler phase).

Let me be clear I am not an expert in these matters, I am just an every day Mom who need to expedite feeling better after a horrible eating jag. I figured why not share recipes for healthy meals my family will eat that, according to experts, contain detoxifying ingredients to speeds up healing. From the looks of it I already of a stash of healthy meals that may need a little tweaking but fit the bill. I have put together short list of good and avoid foods for detoxing (according to experts, ie. not me). 

Good
seaweed
onions
garlic
ginger
turmeric
beans & lentils
beets
pineapple
broccoli
lemons
avocados
cabbage
cinnamon
thyme
cranberries

Avoid
dairy
grains containing gluten 
nitrates (found in most sausage, bacon & lunch meats)
animal fats
sugars
alcohol
caffeine

At the bottom of this post I included links to my source information.

I'm happy to see that my family already has the top two avoids under control. The caffeine is going to be a killer. I live on coffee. Got to say I don't see my family embracing the seaweed so don't plan on seeing that in any of my ingredients lists. I have read a lot of detoxing with smoothies, tea's and consuming random things through out the day. These are not for me and I can't imagine most family households that struggle getting a meal on the table that appeals to everyone is hard enough than to add in these new routines with things they don't already have in stock. However, from my perspective, that makes the avoid list all that more important. Plus it may take longer to reap the detox effects, which is OK with me, Its better than wasting money and food.

I am sure there are a lot of beneficial foods that are not on my list, like olive oil and coconut. This list is the most common I found across many experts detox lists. That doesn't make those foods bad they may just not be as detoxifying. Perfect example is the Bone Broth. It's very healthy for brain development but does not help or prevent detox. 

Alright enough with that lets get on with today's recipe. I call this recipe "Stacy's" Garlic Dressing since my awesome friend Stacy shared this recipe with me a few years ago. It uses several cloves of raw garlic with very little oil or vinegar. Its a good thing I have friends that love garlic as much as I do cause after eating this salad dressing you smell of garlic for day's but it is so worth it. My grandmother use to eat a raw garlic clove every day which I thought was weird but really when I think about it now this dressing isn't much different from that.  

Stacy's Garlic Dressing

6 cloves of garlic (fresh not bottled!)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Mince garlic in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in oil and vinegar. Serve over your favorite greens. A little goes a long way.

I think this dressing would be great over shredded cabbage for a coleslaw or on steamed broccoli. If you try this recipe on any thing interesting, leave me a comment and let me know how it tastes.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Source information:
Dr. Oz
Alt medicine
BemBu
Care2
Eat Local Grown

Lentil Soup Recipe

In our house New Year's Day is the day where we get back to better eating after all our holiday indulgences. As I may have mentioned in the past for the most part our family is gluten and casein (dairy) free. However for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations I make exceptions. Well today I feel like crap and every aspect of my being reflects this: my energy, my mood and I feel like I am on the verge of a cold. It's a firm reminder of why we practice gluten and casein free eating. And for all you sceptics, no I did not drink alcohol at all this season, since I have a baby it just puts me to sleep.

You would think year after year of going through this I would remember and use better restraint. Since I am so stubborn I think I need to put together a new year's week long family friendly detox menu to use every year. Since I have not done my research yet I am going to start out with sharing my lentil soup recipe. It may not be detoxifying but it is pretty healthy so I will start there.

This recipe contains Worcestershire sauce which can contain gluten if the wrong brand is used. As with all gluten and casein free eating, read your labels to ensure they contain safe ingredients.

Lentil Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups/16oz of dried brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
8 cups beef stock (vegetable or chicken stock work well too)
1 14.5 oz can of diced or crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Saute onion, celery, carrots and salt till translucent. Add black pepper and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add lentils, stock, tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, parsley and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a bubble then reduce to low. Covered and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in vinegar and serve.

Sausage variation (pictured above)
If you are not looking for an overly healthy but yummy lentil soup recipe I like to brown a pound of a good smoked sausage or kielbasa, diced, in the pot first. Then I remove it from the pot and drain off all but 1 tbsp of the fat to cook the vegetables in instead of the olive oil. Then continue with the rest of the above cooking instructions. Add sausage to the soup with the vinegar. Simmer for a few extra minutes to warm through the sausage again.

I hope your family is having a wonderful Christmas Season and a Happy New Year!

Thanks for stopping by the nest and God bless!
Darla

Recipe - Oatmeal & Banana Magic Bullet Pancakes

I adapted this from two other recipes. This one here and here. The recipe only feeds 2 people (or two toddlers & one grown-up). I love that this is super easy, gluten & casein (dairy) free and does not produce leftovers. This is a perfect weekday breakfast for me and the kids. They do have more of a soft custard quality rather than the bread like quality since they are primarily banana and egg. Going gluten free I much prefer this over the gritty results that most gluten free flour blends produce, I think the kids do too.

Gather the ingredients

Add the oats to a clean dry blender.

Pulverize Oats in Magic Bullet until ground.

Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend till smooth.

This is how it should look. I typically have to scrape down the sides once.

This is the oil I use in the pan. I just love this stuff. It never leaves a gummy coating on my pans and it is healthier than other oils.

Heat coconut oil in the pan over medium heat and cook like a regular pancake.

Serve with syrup, fruit or whatever you like on your typical pancakes and enjoy!

Oatmeal & Banana Magic Bullet Pancakes

Serves 2 (makes 8 small pancakes)

Ingredients:

1/2 c G/F Rolled Oats

2 eggs 

1 large ripe bananas

1/4 c Apple Sauce

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

coconut oil for the pan (I really like the coconut oil spray from Trader Joe's)

Instructions:

1.  Pulverize Oats in Magic Bullet until ground.

2.  add the other ingredients (all but the coconut oil) to the bullet cup & blend

3.  Heat coconut oil in the pan over medium heat and cook like a regular pancake.  

Serve topped with powdered sugar or syrup. 

Doubling the ingredients in 1 bullet cup would be too much and overflow or not blend properly (even in the biggest cup). I have doubled this recipe by using a second bullet cup (same blade). The key is to pulverize the 1/2 cup of oats in each of the cups before moving to on to step 2. Once the blade is wet or damp it makes it impossible to ground the oats.

I love the magic bullet I just wish you got more than one of the double blades or they made it possible to purchase a second/replacement one(s).

Another option is to use a large blender or food processor and double, triple or even quadruple the ingredients. I have not tried this however so I do not know how well it would work. 

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

Pepperoni Pizza Soup Recipe

OK, so my plan to do a week of zucchini recipe posts is a bit of a fail. The zucchini sitting in my refrigerator is a visual reminder of that (not to mention the ones I have had to trash). I may have bitten off more than I can chew trying to do week long posts while being a leader for my kids vacation bible school, making a dress for a sweet birthday girl (I'll post on that when I can get the tutorial together) and my family taking a mini vacation. I have still not completely thrown in the towel on the zucchini recipe thing. We have quite the collection of zucchini and more ripening on the plant.

The temperatures around here have been dropping which has put me in the mood for soups and stews. Fall is my favorite time of year for all things. The weather, the colors, hayrides, apple picking, pumpkin patches, Halloween, Thanksgiving, I love it all! It was quite spectacular to see the school bus drive past my house yesterday. My kids are not in school just yet but there is just something about the first day of school that makes me giddy. Not that I am ready to rush my kids out in to the world but I am truly looking forward to their school days. Ahhh fall.... I digress....

It seems silly to be talking about Autumn in August but the weather will do what the weather will do. As I sifted through my collection of soups and stews I was delighted when I came across my pepperoni pizza soup. It has been a while since I had made this and forgot how I put it together, it has zucchini!!! I created this recipe in 2008 when I had given up wheat and dairy and missed pizza so much. I was determined to find a way to enjoy the flavors even though I would be missing the gooey cheese.

When I make this I like to make spelt bread sticks. Which is just a spelt pizza dough baked in a heavily oiled (EVOO) 13x9 pan topped with more oil and sprinkled with italian seasoning. If you would like a detailed recipe for this leave me a comment and I will put one together.

Even though I specifically created this recipe to be wheat & dairy free there is no reason you can't use traditional pasta and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Chop up all your veggies. I like to chop mine small enough that I get to enjoy all of the flavors in one bite.

Collect the rest of the ingredients. Note that my recipe calls for stock not broth. Broths are just watery in my opinion. I prefer the kitchen basics stocks, I think they have a much richer flavor than other brands. 

In a large pot saute the pepperoni in a small amount of olive oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. The olive oil is just to get things going and not to scorch the pepperoni before it starts cooking. Do not over cook the pepperoni. This step is mainly to get as much oil out of the pepperoni as possible. If you think that the pepperoni needs to come out before 5 minutes, do it. 

Remove pepperoni from the pot with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 1 table of the pepperoni fat. Look at all that fat. My husband was shocked when he saw how much I poured off. Not all pepperoni has the same fat content so you might have less then I did however it is best to do this anyway. Fat + soup = not good.

Be sure to leave behind, or add back, the 1 tablespoon of pepperoni fat to cook the veggies in. A good amount of the flavor comes from this.

Add the onion, green & red bell peppers, zucchini and black pepper to the pot. Over medium high heat saute the vegetables in the pepperoni fat for 5 minutes. 

Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and oregano. Saute for 2 minutes. Do not brown the garlic it can become bitter.  

Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and pasta. Cover and cook for about 8 min or whatever your pasta's cooking time is. 

I had to show you this. It's an Ulu chopping set. My in-laws brought this back for me from a trip they took to Alaska.  I think I was told that it is used for something with fish. I don't care for fish but have found that it works great for chopping herbs. Isn't it nifty?

The blade is super sharp and does a great job chopping the herbs and not bruising them. Of course any cutting board and knife would work for chopping herbs. I find herbs stain and I like having a dedicated board for this. 

Since the pepperoni has a ton of salt and the chicken stock I use has salt I don't add salt to this recipe. After the pasta is done cooking I always taste to see if salt is needed then add salt to taste. 

Turn off heat and stir in the the chopped basil and parsley and serve.

Pepperoni Pizza Soup (D/F & W/F)

by Darla Quail

1 tsp of olive oil

1/2 of a large stick of pepperoni, cubed (quartered lengthwise then chopped)

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 small zucchini, diced

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 16oz can crushed fire roasted tomatoes

4 c chicken stock (= 32 oz carton)

8 oz dried rice pasta (anything should work, I have even broken up lasagna noodles)

small handful of fresh parsley (I have used 1 tsp dried in a pinch but fresh is always better)

small handful of fresh basil (I have used 1/2 tsp dried in a pinch but fresh is always better)

In a large pot saute the pepperoni in olive oil over medium high heat for about 5 min. Remove pepperoni from the pot with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 1 table of the pepperoni fat. Add the onion, green & red bell peppers, zucchini and black pepper to the pot. Over medium high heat saute the vegetables in the pepperoni fat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and oregano. Saute for 2 minutes (do not brown the garlic). Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and pasta. Cover and cook for about 8 min or whatever your pasta's cooking time is. Taste to see if salt is needed then add salt to taste. Turn off heat and add the chopped basil, parsley and serve. 

If you are one of the lucky ones who can enjoy dairy this soup is great with parmesan cheese or an italian cheese blend sprinkled on top.  

I really hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Zucchini Bread Recipe

I have to say I have created what I would consider the definitive zucchini bread recipe. Sorry for being so immodest, but I really think this is yummy. A few years back during another mountain crop of zucchini I tried at least a dozen or more recipes from all the standard cookbooks and websites none turned out the way I thought this bread should. Sweet but not too sweet, moist with a bit of spice. Out of frustration I took what I knew from making quick breads in the past and came up with this recipe. 

I find zucchini does not freeze very well since it has has a large water content however it does freeze well when it is made in to a bread. Like all baked goods they are best fresh from the oven and freezing does detract from it yumminess but it is still very good. It's better than throwing out a good crop of zucchini when we can not eat all that we harvest. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any pretty finish photo's of the bread. It didn't last long enough to get a pretty photo. Its is all about the taste which I can't show you any way's. Take my word for it and bake up a couple loaves and get a hot cup of coffee. HEAVEN.

I prefer to use the larger zucchini's for baked goods and reserve the smaller ones for meals. The larger one in this picture was the perfect size (3 cups) for this recipe. 

Move the oven racks so the tops of the loaf pans is in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350. Grate the zucchini. I like to use my food processor for this. 

Have a little more fun and get your super-duper helper. My guy is so silly. He is an awesome helper too.   

Mix all your wet ingredients in a large bowl and then your dry in a separate bowel. Grease two loaf pans. After the oven is done preheating add the dry mix to the wet. It is a very thin batter, trust me it will turn out.  Pour into the loaf pans and bake for 50 - 70 minutes. If you have a convection bake I highly recommend using it when baking this bread. Using my convection bake it takes 60 minutes.

When a toothpick comes out clean remove and cool in the pans for 10 min. Remove the loaves from the pans and continue to cool on the racks. Or if you are like me, immediately cut a slice and get a cup of coffee and savor the yumminess.

Zucchini Bread
by Darla Quail
D/F

3 c shredded zucchini
2 1/4 c sugar
1 c canola oil
3 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
3 c flour (I use white spelt)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Move oven racks so the tops of the loaf pans are center in the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 350. (If you have it, convection bake works great here.) Grease two loaf pans. Mix the zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla & eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg & baking powder. 
Once the oven has finished pre-heating add the dry ingredients to the wet. If you are adding nuts mix them in at this time. Pour in to the loaf pans dividing the batter as even as possible. Bake for 50 - 70 min. 
Remove from the oven when a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and continue to cool on a rack. 
If freezing, wrap a completely cooled loaf in plastic wrap then wrap again in foil. Label and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

I have not tried this recipe with wheat all purpose flour however I use white spelt as my substitute for wheat all purpose flour for all recipes that call for wheat all purpose flour. White spelt is very close to cake flour which is more tender then all purpose. So you will most likely have good results with wheat all purpose flour it just may not be as soft and tender. 

Spelt has less gluten then wheat all purpose flour however it is not gluten free. I have not tried this with a gluten free flour mix yet but plan to for my next batch. I will update this post when I do. If anyone attempts it before I get to, let me know how it goes by leaving me a comment. 

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla