A Year in the Kitchen: Going gluten-free

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to post here, but I’m happy to be back among fellow Hudson Valley Parents.  My family had a number of health problems to sort out, and this took much of my time and energy for the last few months.  I’d never stopped photographing my food, though, and knew I’d be back.  The biggest change I bring to the table is that we are now gluten-free.  In September, my daughter and I were diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which is a genetic intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and contaminated oats.  Given that I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen, mastering a new method of cooking was a challenge I gladly accepted, especially since it meant healing my daughter.

As this blog goes forward, I am keeping an emphasis on healthy, uncomplicated, creative family meals.  Everything featured here will be appropriate not just for the gluten-free cook, but for all.  Feel free to make whatever substitutions are best for your health and lifestyle, whether it be traditional flour in place of gluten-free flour, non-dairy substitutes in place of dairy, or whatever tickles your fancy.

And sometimes, we want a meal that requires no substitutions.  The other morning at breakfast, we were in the mood for something different.  I perused my fridge, and found an almost-empty carton of OJ, a few bananas who’d seen their hayday and then some, and the yogurt I’d made the day before.  I thought for a minute, and then pulled out the blender.  We were tickled how this turned out; to quote my husband and daughter, “It was the best smoothie ever.”

A Sunny Smoothie

In a blender, combine 1 c. vanilla yogurt (I used Greek), 1 c. orange juice, 1 1/2 c. frozen mango chunks, and two bananas.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon (about one teaspoon) and blend until smooth.  This was a nice and thick, sweet but not over-the-top, and really filling.  It’ll definitely be a part of my smoothie repertoire from now on.

If there are any readers out there who are gluten-free, have Celiac Disease, or any type of gluten-intolerance, I’d love to hear from you.  Each day is a learning experience on this new journey, and I’ve found that we gluten-free fanatics tend to stick together.  To see what’s happening in our kitchen, or to share what’s going on in yours, please stop by, or become a fan on Facebook.  Happy g-f cooking!

A Year in the Kitchen: Whole grains

Lately we’ve been attempting to lower our overall bread/pasta/carb intake as a whole.  I’m by no means endorsing a carb-free lifestyle– I think balance is essential for the majority of folks– but to focus more on fruit/vegetables, dairy, and protein rather than making carbs the main course has been our goal.  This seems to be most challenging in our house at breakfast and dinner.  Cold cereal is a frequent weekday meal, while eggs with pancakes or waffles is common on weekends, and who doesn’t love pasta as a side dish on a cold winter’s eve?

As a compromise, whole grains come into play.  Whole wheat flour or whole grain pastry flour are excellent ways to utilize carbs while upping the nutritional value and fullness factor.  Adding in lots of fruits and veggies is another way we’ve been balancing it out.  Here’s a recent day:

Whole grain blueberry pancakes.  Using a typical pancake recipe, but substituting whole grain pastry flour (which is very light and fluffy) for half of the flour made these possible.  Adding two cups of frozen blueberries enhanced them further.  This was a two-hour delay morning, so there wasn’t time for eggs or anything extra, but I gave my kids some low-fat cheese sticks and sliced oranges to round out the meal.

Later that day, our meal was chicken potpie with a whole wheat biscuit crust, green salad with steamed vegetables, and cantaloupe.  Again, this was a meal that did include carbs, but the whole grain biscuit crust made it healthier.  Further, lots of veggies on the side meant we ate less of the main course and more healthy greens.  The potpie came from a favorite cookbook of mine, Make it Fast, Cook it Slow, and was made in the crock pot.  I’m sure it can be adapted for a conventional oven (as I’ve made potpie before) but the recipe can be found here.

Stop by to see what we’re having for dinner, or become a fan on Facebook.  Happy eating!

A Year in the Kitchen: Getting Healthy

This was a busy week in our house, with lots of cooking due to being home on snow days and chilly afternoons.  We’ve been focusing even more on healthy eating, specifically more fruits and veggies with every meal, and I hope that’s reflected in what you’ll find here.  My daughter was delighted to help as we made yogurt, a batch of vegetable purees (which I use in recipes), and other freezer staples, which streamlines cooking during the week.  Stop by for ideas or to get a peak at what we’re having, or become a fan on Facebook.

A weekend breakfast: Oatmeal made with strawberries, skim milk, cinnamon, and a touch of maple syrup.  In lieu of too much sweetening, we often sprinkle cinnamon atop of oatmeal, fruit salad, etc., as it aids in both digestion and regulation of blood sugar levels.  We call it “fairy dust,” which tickles and excites my children.  This was quick and easy to make: old-fashioned whole oats, made on the stove top with skim milk; near the end I added diced strawberries, a drizzle of maple syrup, and sprinkling of cinnamon.  Thawed, frozen strawberries were perfect in this, although fresh is great too when available.

Dinner: Teriyaki chicken (with carrot puree) over brown rice pilaf (with cauliflower puree), served with vegetable medley and orange slices.  Both recipes are from Jessica Seinfeld’s Double Delicious, and are perfect examples of how I use purees.  After making a batch of purees on one day, I store them in the freezer in small glass jars, and defrost a jar a few hours before I make dinner.  It makes things run more smoothly as I assemble the meal, and it thrills me to know that our foods are nutritionally enhanced without costing me too much time.  My husband, who is not much of a chicken fan, raved about this meal and requested we have it again soon, and both of my children gobbled it up as well.  This is definitely a family friendly meal.

Until next week… Happy eating!