The Recipe Thread! Part II: Electric Mixaroo

[_a_A_C_c_]

^i recall a hippie friend who was obsessed with all things hemp talking about it. i googled it and found places you can buy it online but i know very little about it. were you able to find sunflower seed butter at the grocery store?

i realize the child can just eat fresh fruit and steamed veggies but he is bored of that. the kid hates eating and i don't blame him. his mother blends green bell pepper, apple and papaya into a frothy "juice" at every meal. then he has either a stir fry with green beans, mushrooms, rice, chicken, beef or pork (no seasonings) or a burger made of beef and pork with veggies in it on a rice bun. on the side he gets apples, banana or grape slices. mom makes everything from scratch at each meal and it takes forever.

i like being creative and i like the challenge of cooking for people with food restrictions but this is ridiculous. she considers things like rice cakes too processed and wants to control exactly what this kid eats. so like i said above, i am open to any easy to prepare, kid friendly recipes/foods that are free of soy, tree nuts, beans (i think i forgot to mention that), processing and dairy.

 

[addictivepersona]

^ Yup, I've found sunflower seed butter in multiple grocery stores--The smaller grocery store in my town actually has two different brands offered! I was very surprised.

Has mom (or you) looked in the gluten-free section of the grocery store? Some of those products are not only gluten-free, but are made on dedicated equipment.

He's allergic to all beans? That SUCKS! I was totally going to suggest black bean burgers and hummus. Once again though, let me think on this, and I'll get back to you if I think of anything. :)

 

[_a_A_C_c_]

^its not really that he is allergic as much as his mom is worried that he will have an allergic reaction to new foods. i've looked through many gluten free items at trader joe's but they unfortunately contain other things which are a no-no in his diet. like in the past, i have used bean or nut flour as a substitute when baking. i am really struggling with how to expand his diet and appease mom tho

currently, meal time takes 1 to 1.5 hours which i think is absurd. my job is to tutor the child, not torture him with foods he dislikes for several hours a day...

 

[addictivepersona]

actually, does anyone have suggestions for foods/recipes free of: tree nuts, soy, dairy and gluten. but that are "kid" friendly. like the child can eat pureed frozen bananas when his classmates have ice cream and it won't seem strange. his mom is very nervous about introducing new foods because of possible allergic reactions. or even new textures like frozen bananas as opposed to normal bananas. right now his meals consist of a starch made from rice or rice flour (english muffin, sandwich bread), a meat based protein and a few of the 6-7 veggies and fruits he has had in the past. i want to help her to feel comfortable expanding his diet and come up with foods he can prepare himself.

How old is this boy? I mean, is he old enough to safely handle a knife to cut things up? Also, does he eat eggplant? I used to make eggplant sandwiches: Just cut the eggplant from one end to the other (so you get circles ). I don't know how "kid friendly" that is to be honest, but it's gooood if you get an eggplant that isn't too big (otherwise the seeds get bitter). And contrary to popular believe, raw eggplant is not toxic. 8) Along the same lines as an eggplant sandwich, what about portobello mushroom burgers?

Have you/mom heard of quinoa? It's a seed used as a grain that's delicious. What about buckwheat? Tried that yesterday and it is gooood. (And despite the name, I don't think it's in the same family as wheat.) Israle couscous or couscous in general--Though these probably have gluten. Brown Basmati rice is delicious and you can cook up a whole bunch and have it last for almost two weeks (you'll probably eat it first though ). Baby corn--While nothing substantial, it's certainly kid-friendly (or at least I loved it when I was little) as they're baby corns! What about rice noodles? I prefer the white rice noodles surprisingly (I found 'em in the Asian section of the grocery store) but the brown rice noodles (found in the gluten-free section) are okay too.

Also, as far as each meal time taking that long, that IS crazy! Couldn't a bunch of the prep work (say, chopping the vegetables) be done at once for a couple days? That's what I do sometimes: I get a bunch of broccoli and pre-chop it one night to use it for the next few days. Also, couldn't some of what she makes be frozen to eat later? I spend a few hours a week, total, cooking my food, and I eat mostly from scratch. Though I do eat a lot of beans and things with gluten.





Bringing this over from the last page:

Shot in the dark here, but I may be in luck: Does anyone have a recipe for figs that is not horribly complicated and does not involve meat? Don't ask how, but I mistakenly bought figs instead of dates 8( and I do not like the taste of figs when eaten alone. I did find one recipe that sounds delicious, but it only calls for six figs--three if I halve it:

NSFW:

[SIZE=-5]Banana Oatmeal Fig Breakfast Cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 16 minutes
Yield 16 cookies

Ingredients:
4 medium Bananas
4 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1/2 tsp All Natural Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Honey
3/4 cup Pecans
1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds, Raw
6 Figs (dried)
1 tsp Cinnamon, Ground

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In food processor or blender, grind 2 cups of old-fashioned oats into a fine powder.

In a large bowl mix dry ingredients (ground oats, unground oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Using a blender or hand mixer, puree four ripe bananas. Add vanilla and honey. Mix well.

Combine wet and dry mixtures and blend together. Stir in pecans, sunflower seeds and chopped figs. The consistency should resemble batter/dough. If you used large bananas and pureed them and the consistency is runny, you may add an additional 1/2 of oats.

Scoop the cookie dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchment, using a large spoon.

Bake for 14-18 minutes or until done in the middle. Store in airtight container when cool.


Note: I individually wrap half of my batch of cookies and store them in a zip-lock bag in the freezer.

Found here.[/SIZE]

 

[_a_A_C_c_]

quinoa is a good idea, thanks

she likes to cook and prep everything right before cooking. it would be awesome if i could convince to her prep ahead of time or freeze meals. but right now i want to focus on getting her comfortable with the child trying new foods and expanding what he eats.

here are some fig recipes. i want to try the fig salsa sometime.

 

[Mariposa]

^I'll gladly give what advice I can about picky kids (and their parents). There are two boys I watch over as a favor to their father here and there. The younger is slightly picky but open-minded (if he sees me eating something he hasn't had, he'll ask for a bite); the older will eat nothing but white rice, cheese, some beans, wheat tacos, occasionally ground beef, Kraft Dinner, and instant mashed potatoes. That, or McDonald's. My attitude is "you get what you get and you don't get upset" and I'm working to educate them on how their diet needs to be modified... the parents are getting fed up with the pickiness. I plan to replicate some of their favorites with better ingredients; we're all going to the yuppie grocery store later this week, where they will learn to select the best ingredients and hopefully sample some things they like. In your case, a_c, perhaps the mom can put together all of the ingredients for her chosen recipe and give you instructions. If the kidlet is old enough, then perhaps he can participate in preparing a little bit? That is a rather restrictive diet.

Addictivepersona has made some EXCELLENT posts - nice job I'll only add that not everyone loves quinoa. I will eat it, but I feel it tastes like birdseed. I had some over the winter with lentils and a whole bunch of Middle Eastern spices - it was delicious that time. That's a recipe I need to procure!

My newest recipe is a hybrid of a few different vegetarian lasagna recipes. I avoided tomatoes (to which I am allergic if they are raw - no paranoia, I really am) and wanted to make some summer-y comfort food with what's in season. I took a couple cheats in that I had some prepared pesto on hand and I used a little bit of prepared alfredo sauce that I had left over from another meal. Also, I am now officially a believer in the noodles here, which are preboiled:

http://www.barillaus.com/Products/13/lasagne-oven-ready.aspx

This is all approximate and easily modified. I was feeling creative and since this was a winner, I wanted to share it w/the fellow foodies.

VEGETARIAN HYBRID LASAGNA

Ingredients:

- Alfredo Sauce (if anyone has an awesome recipe for it, that would be a GREAT share - I'm finding it tricky but I managed)
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 egg (it binds the whole thing together)
- Shredded mozzarella (you can really get creative with this as you layer the lasagna - I believe it was around 8 oz)
- Barilla pre-cooked lasagna noodles
- Fresh or frozen spinach (I used 10 oz. frozen organic spinach)
- Pesto (to your taste)
- Walla Walla or other sweet onion, diced
- 3 zucchini of reasonable size, sliced thinly but with texture
- 2 carrots (see above)
- Fresh garlic (to your taste)
- Garlic powder (to your taste)
- Salt and pepper (to your taste)

Procedure:

1. Prepare your alfredo sauce if you are not using canned or frozen (which you can, and yeah, I need a good technique or a hand blender).
2. Spray your lasagna pan with olive oil cooking spray (it will stick otherwise, big time).
3. Cook all of the above veggies aside from spinach on the stove or oven-roast them. I pan-fried mine in light olive oil, and they had the same texture as if roasted.
4. While that's cooking, combine your spinach with the ricotta, the egg, and pesto in a separate mixing bowl. Add your garlic powder to this mixture if you'd like.
5. Spread the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of sauce.
6. Layer lasagna noodles to fit the pan (they do expand).
7. Spread the lasagna noodles with the ricotta-spinach mixture.
8. Add 1/2 of your other veggies.
9. Add mozzarella to cover it all.
10. Repeat steps 5-9 until your pan is full.
11. Add a final layer of Italian cheese of your choice, but this should include mozzarella as it melts so nicely.
12. Place in a 375 degree oven covered in foil for 40-50 minutes.
13. Remove the foil from the lasagna when it looks cooked-through and let the top brown at a higher heat. I went with 425.
14. Once the top is browned, remove and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
15. Cut with a serrated knife and enjoy!

Here's a (work-safe) photo of the end result:

NSFW:

It was delicious. What little was left of the leftovers was frozen in little packets and enjoyed later.

Modifications and suggestions are welcomed. I believe this could be made vegan with the use of faux-alfredo sauce, noodles without egg, and vegan shredded cheese, but I haven't tried that yet.

 

[Fawkes]

actually, does anyone have suggestions for foods/recipes free of: tree nuts, soy, dairy and gluten. but that are "kid" friendly.

i'm not sure how helpful this might be but have you read the blog Fed Up with Lunch? as a teacher, the blog's author decided to commit a year to eating the cafeteria food with her students. it was sort of scary especially when she reported the negative health impacts she had from eating the kids' food.

now that the project's over, she's continuing the blog with "good food" options and suggestions. the reason i think you might find it beneficial is that her son, a toddler, has several food restrictions (i can't remember how many restrictions align with the child you're tutoring) but she details what she includes in his daily lunch box (as well as her own) with photos. could help.

 

[_a_A_C_c_]

thanks for link fawkes and thanks for your advice mariposa

i'm cooling it on introducing new foods for awhile. i really don't want the mom to hate me right off the bat.

 

[Dave]

So, the coconut oil thing didn't really work. Since I was adding an oil with a relatively high solidification temperature to an icy cold paste, it pretty well just froze into little shards. Not great, texturally. I still re-froze some though, and I'll check on it in a bit-- I think that if I started with warm bananas and worked in the oil, then froze it like normal ice cream it would probably work a lot better.

Mari-- That lasagne looks killer! I used to make a similar one, but with a tomato sauce base. Very good, but very dairy heavy so it didn't get along with me too well.

 

[amanda_eats_pandas]

Bump.
Why is this thread so many pages back?

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Addictivepersona, the problem with raw eggplant is that it's got an astringent mouthfeel -- it tightens up the mucosa of your mouth, which is an effect of the nightshade alkaloids in it. Most people don't grow up eating many astringent things and don't learn to define the sensation as pleasant.

Speaking of eggplants, I'm curious to try making two things with them that I reckon could be hits:

1. A condiment made of a paste of boiled-down and finely pureed eggplants, with vinegar, garlic, salt, and maybe a bit of cumin, plus maybe a little added pectin for consistency's sake. If tomatoes (ketchup) and chili peppers can be used to make similar sauces that people enjoy, why not eggplant? It's a fellow nightshade berry, that goes well with salt and garlic, and adds a nice background note to a lot of foods. I'd try it on my burger or kebab!

2. An eggplant based spiced sweet loaf, kind of like zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, banana bread, or carrot cake. I'd have to experiment on the spice mix -- I don't think a clove and allspice heavy, chai-ish sort of blend would taste quite right. Nutmeg though ...
I dunno, people are a lot more skeptical on this one. My wife doubts that eggplant has any dessert potential.

 

[gsx2ts4u]

I have a very unnatural obsession with my slow cooker.. I use it almost everyday.. srs.

Here is a recipe for Pasta fagioli for your slow cooker/crock pot. (this to me is better then Olive Garden's soup).

--1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
--1/2 large red onion, chopped
--1 cup carrots, chopped
--2 celery stalks, sliced
--2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice)
--1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
--1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
--4 cups beef broth (check label for gluten!)
--1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
--2 tsp oregano
--1 T Tabasco sauce
--1/2 tsp salt
--1/4 tsp black pepper
--1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time (I used TJ's brown rice fusilli)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart or larger crockpot, or cut the recipe in half. This makes a lot.

Brown the meat on the stovetop, and drain well. Let it cool a bit.

Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the empty crockpot.
Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and Tobasco sauce. Stir in your meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.

Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit.

Serve with a bit of parmesan cheese if you have it.

 

[Samadhi]

So this is a REALLY simple recipe, using caramel made by boiling tins of condensed milk for about 4 hours. I know that you can buy tins of caramel nowadays, but for me, there is something really unique about the taste of this caramel. It takes me back to when i was little and lived with my grandparents. I made this caramel about 6 months ago and refrigerated the unopened tins. It lasts for ages and yesterday my husband and I decided to open one and make caramel tarts.

We cheated though, and in a patty tray, placed ginger nut biscuits and heated slowly until they 'wilted' into the shape of the patty tins. Once cooled, we spooned caramel into them. Here is the result. NOM.

 

[belarki]

^ haha a workmate of mine used the same ginger-nut biscuit trick to make little sweets with creamed cheese, condensed milk, and lime filling. They were delicious. Those caramel tarts look pretty tasty too

 

[Samadhi]

So i cooked chicken & leek pie for dinner tonight. it's in the oven cooking right now.

Here is the recipe we used:

Ingredients
Serves: 6
6 Boneless chicken breasts (cubed)
2 medium leeks
1 chicken stock cube or 1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock
3 cups (750ml) milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
2 large sheets puff pastry
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Preparation method

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 20 mins

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. In a large frypan, add half the olive oil and lightly brown the cubed chicken, then set aside.
2. Using the same frypan, and the remaining oil, sautee the leeks till tender.
3. In a large pot, make the sauce by melting butter then mixing in flour, making a roux. Once the flour is mixed in and smooth, add milk and stir until thickened.
4. Add chicken and leeks and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Pour into a 23x30cm casserole dish and cover with the puff pastry. If you wish you can brush the top with an egg wash.
6. Bake in preheated oven for approx 15-20 mins or until golden brown.

So I changed it up a bit - you need more thickening agent as after using the 1tbs flour and butter it still didn't thicken, so i ended up using actual cornflour to get the right consistency. I added 1/4 cup dry white wine after adding the leek/chicken mix to the sauce.

I also added extra garlic, mushroom and some fresh parsley to the mix.

I"ll let you know how it tastes - it's the first time i've cooked this, and it smells so good!

 

[ocean]

You're making me hungry.

 

[addictivepersona]

Addictivepersona, the problem with raw eggplant is that it's got an astringent mouthfeel -- it tightens up the mucosa of your mouth, which is an effect of the nightshade alkaloids in it. Most people don't grow up eating many astringent things and don't learn to define the sensation as pleasant.

Huh! Interesting! Did not know that eggplant did that. I did notice it made my mouth feel a bit funny, but it didn't give me an unpleasant sensation--Unless I got an eggplant that had a lot of large seeds.

I think both of your ideas sound really good. :) I'd try them.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

^ Awesome. I'll send you a bottle/loaf if I try and it works.

Yeah that 'strange' taste / feeling is the astringency. Banana peels have that quality too, when I've accidentally bitten them. There's a taste that goes along with the feeling for me, which is kind of chemicaly or soapy.

I'm generally a bigger fan of Chinese than Italian eggplant. It's got a little more structural integrity for things like skewers and stirfries, not seedy, easy to cut, never bitter. Pity they don't match the Italian strains for aroma.

Last time I ordered Szechwan egglpant from my local Chinese take out, I noticed they used Italian eggplant, which I thought was strange, but probably done as a cost-saving measure. The taste was great, but the texture was all wrong -- oddly shaped slab-like cuts that turned to mush pretty readily.

 

[Dave]

OMG, Szechwan eggplant is to die for! I must find a recipe for it some time.

Speaking of which, I recently went to a proper Chinese restaurant (pan-Chinese, although with a heavy Szechwan bias) and tried a dish that used whole Szechwan peppercorns. It was a rather spicy dish, as they often are from that area, but I found that if I bit into a peppercorn I would get a hit of lemony something along with an almost electric numbing sensation. Turns out that it's from Hydroxy-alpha-sanshool found in the pepeprcorns (at a whopping 3% w/w concentration!), and while it was unusual it did give a really interesting extra dimension to the otherwise mostly just hot (and somewhat sweet) dish.

Since then, I've been trying to think of a way to incorporate the peppercorns into a more western-style dish. I'm actually leaning more toward a dessert; maybe extracting the sanshool into a cream substitute, whipping it up and putting it on top of a lemon meringue pie type thing. Or even just a lemon/peppercorn sorbet as a palate cleanser?

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Dave, those are called huajiao (literally "flower pepper") in Chinese, and they have a numbing effect on the inside of mouth also along with a distinctive gustatory sensation which I'd describe as something betwen spicy and metallic. I first had them in Beijing in the best rendition I've ever had of kungpao chicken. A well-made Beijing-style kungpao chicken, with celery, peanuts, huajiao, and generous chili peppers (and nothing else!), is probably in my top ten beer foods of all time.

When I order kungpao chicken, I try telling them in Mandarin to add huajiao. Even then they're sparing with it. It's one of the more shocking sensations I've ever put in my mouth, and definitely not something you'd just want to surprise dinner guests with.

You can also go to a Japanese store and ask for a shaker of a ramen condiment called 'sansho'. This is ground szechwan peppercorn. It comes in formulations with ground chili pepper and nori, too.

I think I'm going to have to up the ante and sprinkle some fried fire ants on my pad thai next time I'm in bangkok.