Smart Flour Foods and a yummy, healthy chicken salad recipe

Ok, I have one heck of a chicken salad recipe for you guys that is healthy and omits mayo altogether!  What's that you say?  How can you have chicken salad without mayo?  Listen here my friends:)...

I have been quite obsessed with Pinterest and I've seen alot of pins that have been subbing avocado puree for mayo.  Even though we LOVE avocado and I can see the similarity in the textures I was still unsure of this.  Well no longer my friend!  I had 3/4 of a leftover rotisserrie chicken from a recipe I made earlier in the week and I shredded all the meat into a bowl, added 1/2 C of celery and if you like raw onion, 1/2 cup sweet onion both diced or for a little twist you could add 2 minced shallots.  In my food processor I put two HAAS avocados, seed and skin removed, 1 TBSP organic sour cream and a pinch of salt, garlic powder and cumin.  Combine in the food processor and stir into the chicken, celery and onion if using.  It was FANTASTIC!  I added some halved grape tomatoes and put it in a lettuce cup and had it like a lettuce wrap but you could also stuff it inside a gfree pita half or a Gfree tortilla with some arugula and cheese. 

Happy eating!

Now for some Gfree talk about a new company, ok well it's not new but it's new to me and this is ONE HAPPY MOMMA.  I found them by accident when I followed a gfree recipe link that ended me on their website and the opening line reads, " Many gluten free products lack essential vitamins & minerals. Smart Flour™ is a unique gluten free flour blend of ancient grains created by Smart Flour Foods." OK, you definately have my attention.  The whole website was filled with great information on their products and ancient grains.  They have products from their flour blends for bread, pizza, all purpose baking  to actual cookie dough and brownies, premade pizza crusts and so on.  The price of the products themselves were very reasonable, the shipping however was almost a deal breaker.  BUT, they offer if you have a $100 in products the shipping is free....now THAT'S what I'm talking about.  It didn't take me long to rack up a $100 in products to try! I ordered a sampler pack as well as some other things and let me tell you, we love it ALL.  Everything we've tried, all I have made with their flour, it is amazingly good.  So here's a small plug for a wonderful Gfree company!

http://www.smartflourfoods.com/

Garden...Sustainable Living

This year we have tried our hand at gardening.  We've always had herbs in pots but this year we decided to go all out and teach the kids about what healthy organic food is all about.  We live a healthy food lifestyle but growing it ourselves???? I thought no way can I keep anything else alive other than the kids and the dogs;).  BUT...to my surprise, we have had an entire garden all summer, including surviving in the worst heat we've ever seen.  This year we have grown  tomatoes, corn, summer squash, spaghetti squash, mint, sage, rosemary, basil, and now pumpkins and watermelon.  When we started it, it was an easy thought to run out and grab something to deal with aphids on the tomatoes.....I insisted that if we were doing this, doing this and teaching our children that we would use NOTHING that was not safe and healthy for the kids.  So I researched what the best way to treat Aphids naturally was....lets see: there are lady bugs, there is a couple of drops of dawn dish detergent in some water sprayed onto the aphids a few times and there is the 3 TBSP of minced garlic soaked in olive oil for 3 days and added to the same dawn water you have leftover. 

This is just the beginning of our amazing adventure in gardening:).  Stay tuned but how cool is it that we have a pumpkin patch in our back yard?????:)

Vacation, vacation, vacation....

Traveling is one of the most difficult things to do when you or your child has food allergies.  As a mom, I constantly plan and worry that the trip will go well and without incident.  Sometimes planning the route of travel, if we are driving, by where we can safely stop to eat.  Honestly, nothing makes me happier than hitting the Florida border and seeing that first Publix sign on the way back to our hometown.  I know the grocery stores there but Publix is by far the best for organic, gluten free and peanut fee items in a normal, regular grocery store.  You guys have to remember where I'm living and that our only grocery store is Walmart.  The first week of our trip we stayed in a condo on the beach with a full kitchen.  When we travel for lengthy times I like to have a full kitchen so that I know for sure I can feed my child if there are no other options for her there.  In big cities we have been lucky but so often in other places there is the risk of cross contamination and she has gotten sick due to this.  For other people who actually have celiacs, sometimes it's easier for them to "cheat" and eat the occasional gluten when traveling but for me, my children are my life and to think that I would give something to her that is not only unsafe for her but to know that it will make her sick, it's like a knife in my heart.  I would do anything to keep any of my children safe and healthy and we have had our fair share of health issues in our family over the last 16 years, some in my control and some not.  This is why it is so important for me to share the things we've learned, because I know how hard it is. 

So, in Jacksonville, I relied almost entirely on Publix and a few good restaurants during our stay.  I did bring two loaves of homemade bread sliced from home and some of her favorite snacks so we didn't have to search multiple stores for a few things.  We were hit with a tropical storm at the start of our trip and some time we needed to kill that we couldn't be at the beach or pool.  We ended up finding a really great restaurant in the Town Center area called BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse.  I am shocked as I was very unsure about this place initially but they had an entire gluten free menu. It ended up being fabulous.  There was also Mellow Mushroom Pizza and Taco Lu's that offer Gluten free options.  The best part of the trip though was our second week.  We spent the second week at Disney.  We had researched and called and still had no clue what we were in for.  Disney does everything right, why I lost sight of that, I just don't know.  We had an amazing condo on Disney property with a kitchen yet I barely cooked that week at all, I think breakfast was the only thing I ended up making yet it wasn't necessary, just worked out with timing.  Literally, Isabelle could eat at any restaurant on the property or any restaurant at any of the parks comepletely safe.  The deal with Disney is you tell either your waiter or waitress you have a food allergy and the chef comes out of the kitchen and talks to you.  He gets an understanding of the allergy/ies, offers you options for the specific allergies and then goes to a seperate part of the kitchen, prepares the meal and hand delivers it back to the table.  EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.  It was the most amazing and fantastic part of our vacation and I was finally able to relax a little and enjoy the entire Disney experience.  It was pretty funny, Lana and Shelby said we should come back and live there after they head off to college so that Izzy could eat whatever she wanted. HAHAHAHA.  Isabelle was offered so many amazing options, I didn't even care about nutrition for a week, they had options for her that she NEVER gets unless I figure out a way to make it homemade or find a product I can trust that tastes good.  It was truly an amazing experience for everyone in the family.

free Food Allergy Webinar for Back to School

http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/pages/webinars

Food Allergies in School: What Parents Need to Know

Many parents don't know where to start when they need to send their children off to school with food allergies. Attend this free webinar and you will learn the following from Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc, pediatric allergist, parent of a child with food allergies, food allergy educator and chair of our Medical Advisory Team:

1. Facts regarding food allergy and safety in the school setting
2. Universal food allergy management strategies (preventing accidental exposures and preparing for allergy emergencies)
3. Applying food allergy management strategies to the school setting
4. Partnering with your school community

RSVP: Reserve your seat by registering
WHEN: Tuesday, July 31, 2012
TIME: 2-3pm Eastern (11am-12pm Pacific)
WHERE: Your computer or iOS device

Things that I've been working on lately....

First and foremost, the last month has been crazy busy!  A girls trip with my baby sister to Chicago to scout places to live when she moves there in the fall plus a little fun.  We had an amazing food adventure while we were there and in turn I truly fell in love with that city.  It's like NYC with a midwest flare. being on Lake Michigan was cool, and nice this time of year but I can only imagine what winter will bring.  The seafood was spectacular everywhere we went though.  I got back and right after Memorial Day and my other sister, Justine arrived with her two beautiful kiddos for about a week and a half in between Maryland and her move to Oklahoma City.  We did some crafts with the kids, made homemade magic shell chocolate sauce for ice cream, made homemade blueberry sauce for pancakes/waffles/ice cream, made a sugar scrub for the shower and possible gifts later, and the supplies for some Father's Day presents and some other crafts.  Lots of swimming and eating and fun and then they left and have closed on their house.  We are headed out that way this week for a few days to help unpack!  Cannot wait! 

So Saturday was Isabelle's very first ballet recital and we had to get up very early for her dres rehearsal.  Once we finished with that, we headed for the Farmer's Market.  A meltdown from Noah and Dad later, Izzy and I were strolling with our fresh zucchini and peaches we had bought when my eye caught something that made me stop dead in my tracks.  The prize and coveted and never found in this little small town of mine....squash blossoms.  A WHOLE HUGE bag of them for $3!!!!!!!!!! I knew we were having friends over for dinner and that got my mind twirling with possibilities.  After Izzy's draining but adorable recital (any recital mom's out there know, you hurry up and wait, then wait in a crowded room with a bunch of 4 year olds, then finally in 2 minutes all the waiting is over and you tear up with how proud you are!) we rushed home to marinate the chicken and zucchini and prep the squash blossoms.  I made homemade GF tempura batter and put it in the fridge to rest for an hour and then stuffed the blossoms with a delicious herbed goat cheese mixture and set in the fridge for 30 minutes while out friends arrived, we chatted and caught up and let the kids play in the back yard.  I came back in while Jason was grilling the corn, zucchini and chicken (so this was my esaiest meal to prepare and cook EVER!:)) and took out the gorgeous blossoms, dipped in the tempura batter and added to the golden peanut oil and watched with baited breath.  To my surprise, they fried up beautifully and tasted absolutely AMAZING!

Tonight, I took the last of the zucchini and cut into 1/4 inch slices, tossed in olive oil and then with homemade italian gf bread crumbs and parmesan cheese I topped each zucchini round, popped in a preheadted 400 degree oven and watch them crisp up and taste like fried zucchini with half the fat. I took the remainder of the corn from our garden and took it off the cob and made creamed corn and then we had leftover grilled chicken from last night.  All the good recipes start NOW:

Magic shell:

1 1/4 C semi sweet chocolate chips (for GF, DF and Nut free I use the Enjoy Life semi sweet chips, you can also use Hershey's for just GF)
1/2 C solid coconut oil (it's like Crisco)

melt for 1 minute in microwave or stove top and let rest, stir until the oil melts the chips and then store in mason jar in refrigerator.  When time to serve, warm in microwave 1-2 minutes swirling in between until the solid melts and top on ice cream of choice.

Blueberry sauce:

4 1/2 C fresh blueberries, pulsed in food processor
2 TBSP lemon juice
7 C sugar for regular syrup recipe ( you can use juice with sugar free fruit pectin for lower sugar content)
2 pouches of fruit pectin

make as if you were doing a cooked jam recipe: add fruit to saucepot, stir lemon juice. Stir in sugar or juice into fruit, add 1/2 Tsp butter for no foam and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Quickly stir in pectin, and return to full rolling boil for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  You can either can the blueberry jam at this point or pour into mason jar and add to fridge.  I canned ours and it did not set completely so we used as syrup.  Once opened, we refrigerated it and then it set but when we wanted the syrup/sauce, we took some, added to microwave bowl and warmed for a minute or so until liquidy and syrup texture.

Sugar scrub:

Its 2 to 1 ratio of sugar to coconut oil with 4 or so drops of essential oil.  So depending on if you are making a large batch for gift giving or a small batch for home would depend on your measurements but we did 1 C cane sugar; 1/4 C coconut oil and 4 drops or til fragrance desired is reached of essential oil (we used lemon verbanum since it's summer but you can use lavender or at chirstmas use candy cane or gingerbread or vanilla with brown sugar instead of cane.)  Mix all ingredients in a bowl with hands until desired consistancy and store in mason jar or decorative container with cute fabric top if gift giving and little tag or hand written note.

Zucchini Blossoms: (adapted recipe from Wolfgang Puck: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/wolfgang-puck/tempura-fried-squash-blossoms-with-tomato-sauce-recipe/index.html)

Tempura Batter:

• 1/4 cup super fine white rice flour
• 2 cups GF all purpose flour of choice ( I used the GF Artofglutenfreebaking.com Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix (mix together and store in a cool, dark place, or in fridge for long-term storage). 1 C of this mix equals 140g. Use this mix cup-for-cup or gram-for-gram in all of your recipes:
  1 1/4 C (170 g) brown rice flour
  1 1/4 C (205 g) white rice flour
  1 C (120 g) tapioca flour
  1 C (165 g) sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour or under the brand name, Mochiko)
  2 scant tsp. xanthan gum


• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 cups soda water

Goat Cheese Filling:

I had a huge bag of squash blossoms (20-25) and I used a 16 ounce log of already herbed goat cheese, softened and added the olive oil for some time savings as well as money savings and it was FABULOUS!

• 1 (8-ounce) log mild goat cheese, softened
• 5 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped chervil
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 16 squash blossoms

Tempura Batter:

Sift together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk in the soda water, a little at a time (about a cup at a time), until the right consistency is achieved. The batter should coat the back of a spoon, but some excess batter should run off the spoon. Allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before use.
Goat Cheese Filling:
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. or if using already herbed goat cheese that's softened, add olive oil and mix together.  For easy filling put into a ziploc or piping bag and cut tip, add about I TBSP each blossom into base of blossom. Cover with the petals and pinch the top to seal. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat a fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with peanut oil to 375 degrees F.
Hold the squash blossoms by the stem. Dip each into the tempura batter, making sure to coat completely. Let any excess batter drip off. Place the blossom in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, turning often to brown evenly. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Zucchini Crisps: (adapted from Elie Kreiger's recipe)

1 lb. zucchini or squash (about 2 medium-sized)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan (heaping)

1/4 cup Glutino parmesan and garlic bagel chips, ground in food processor

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable spray.
Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil, coating well.
In a wide bowl or plate, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper.
Place rounds in parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere. The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side.
Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds.
Bake for about 22 to 27 minutes, until golden brown.

My crazy, crazy life....

It has felt like a century since I last posted!  I cannot believe how quickly this entire year is flying by and how grown all my sweet angels are getting. Life has truly been so hectic since our mild winter entered into an early spring and an earlier summer here in NWA.  We have been back and forth sick, visited Tulsa and Oklahoma City and I'm now prepping to meet my baby sister (26) in Chicago for my first ever girls trip and house hunting trip for her (she was recently accepted for her PhD at NorthWestern).  As soon as I'm back, the house is being painted; my sweet sister, Justine and family are coming for their amazing move to a MUCH closer place (OKC). Then they close on their house, followed by me and 3 kids heading to help the transition/move and Jason and Shelby heading to Kansas City the same week for Gymnastics camp. All this fun and excitement brings me much joy and happiness for I know that I will completely miss this in a few years once my beautiful older girls head off for college ( 2 and 3 years away) and then as my sweet babies (not babies anymore at 3 and 4) grow into the amazing children, teens and adults I know they will.  BUT with all that said, I have totally neglected this blog and it's purpose.  I have talked with many people on FB and via email who have had questions and need help and then....there was Pinterest....OH MY GOODNESS!  What a fabulous site with amazing recipes that people pull together.  Some work fantasically, some are ok but I have been able to convert so many new recipes to GF as well as DF and ALWAYS PF it has just been amazing.  I have a treasure trove of recipes to share and some new things to talk about as well: like"What's a safe suncreen to use;? How do you know sunscreen, lotions, make up, self tanners, vitamins and other things are safe?; What is Ataxia? ; Celiacs and Diabetes AND How to entertain GF , as well as how to organize your "month at a glance" menu planning like the pros yet GF."  So, trust that I have not abandoned you....just taken some well needed time off for some super important times in my life with family and kids. 

Yesterday was the last day of preschool for the regular school year and today is the last day for both teens.  I am super excited about sharing some great summer recipes and safe tips for traveling.  If you guys need any help reorganizing a pantry, starting the GF diet or converting recipes, shoot me an email or comment on my post. I will be updating some things on my blog and some new pics and sharing in the coming weeks but will always answer questions or things you'd like to hear about, so drop me a line anytime!

Chicken Pad Thai

Ok, it's been a while since I posted last.  Since the last time we went to Little Rock for Lana's biopsy, celebrated her amazing 1 year heart day of her transplant, and I somehow hurt my shoulder and have been a little out of commision lately.  BUT, you know I haven't stopped cooking AND I am happy to say that I have some great recipes to share over the next few days.  So Sunday, I sat down and organized myself, menu planned and made my shopping list and while everyone was napping I headed to the store and got everything I needed to feed us for an entire week to try and cut down on my stopping and ending up with unnecessary things!  IT worked!  I didn't make but that one trip to the store this week and my stress level was so much better.  You know how I am always telling you to plan ahead and it will prevent slipping up and eating something that will make you sick.  SO, this weeks menu was Spaghetti and meatballs; Tilapia pouches with broccoli and zucchini with rice, Pasta with white beans and broccoli pesto, Shepards Pie, Chicken and vegetable Pad Thai, and chicken tortilla soup.  As always all of this is GF and almost always DF and definately Peanut free (yes that means even the Pad Thai).  So this post I will highlight the Pad Thai as well as the pasta with white beans and broccoli pesto at the request of several friends of FB.

Chicken and Vegetable Pad Thai or Tofu and Vegetable Pad Thai:
(Thai Kitchen makes a whole kit even that has the Thai sauce GF together with the noodles for an even faster version BUT, we eat very few processed foods where I can control the salt/sauce so I made mine from scratch)

8 oz dried wide flat rice noodles (the Thai ones can be found a natural food stores or Whole Foods (most of you know we don't have WF here and re really challenged to find some things that are GF here but our natural store did have them in the GF soy area.  LOVE LOVE LOVE these noodles for any type of stir fry or lo mein and they make the super thing ones as well)

1/4 C fresh lime juice plus lime wedges for serving
3 TBSP GF Tamari soy sauce
1 TBSP GF chili sauce (like sriracha)
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
2 TBSP Vegetable oil (I only use olive oil but you can use your choice)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 pkg firm tofu (drained, thinkly sliced and patted dry) OR 4 oz cubed cooked chicken breast
2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (for a quicker version I buy the organic already shredded carrots)
8 scallions, white and green parts thinkly sliced ( 1 tso green part reserved)
kosher salt
2 TBSP roasted salted and chopped cashews (or peanuts if you are not allergic)
1/4 C cilantro leaves chopped roughly

Boil 4 C water in a saucepan, remove from heat and soak noodles for 4-8 minutes until tender but aldente (still firm to the bite).  Meanwhile, in a small bowl wisk together lime juice, soy sauce, chili sauce and brown sugar and set aside. 

In a large skillet or wok heat 1/2 tsp oil over medium high heat tilting to coat pan.  Add eggs and swir in a crepe type fashion to coat bottom of pan and cok until just set.  Remove to cutting board, loosely roll up and cut into thin strips.  Add 4 tsp of oilto skillet or wok and add tofu in single layer or if using uncooked chicken cubes salt and pepper well and add to pan.  Cook tofu until brown on each side (abt 7 minutes) or on medium high heat brown chicken until cooked through and sprinkle with a little lime juice and transfer to a bowl.  Add 1 1/2 tsp of oil to skillet/wok and add carrots, garlic and scallionsand cook until soft (about 5 min) and add lime juice mixture, bring to simmer and add noodles, stirring to combine.  Add egg, chicken/tofu and toss one last time.  Season with salt to taste. Garnish with cilatro, lime wedges and a tsp of the green part of the scallions.

Pasta with white beans and broccoli pesto:

I personally LOVE the Quinoa Fusili or rotelle pasta for this dish but the Schar penne is also good.  Use the GF pasta that you like best.

1 head Broccoli, cut into 1 inch peices
10 oz GF pasta of choice, preferrable short like fusili or penne
5 tsp olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1/2 ouce Parmesan (this is not DF, Diya makes a shredded version but some people who are DF can tollerate parm in small amounts but this portion is even optional altogether), finely grated plus more for serving
1 tsp grated lemon zest, 1 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 c chopped parsely (Italian flat leaf)
1 clove garlic
1 can cannelini beans (BPA free can) rinsed and drained

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook broccoli just until tender and bright green (about 4 min) and remove with slotted spoon.  Transfer to food processor and return water to boil, add pasta.  Reserve 2 C pasta water and drain pasta when it's aldente.  Add oil, parmesan (if using), zest, lemon juice, parsley and garlic and puree until smooth.  Transfer pesto to pot with pasta adn stir to coat, adding enough reserved pasta water to make a creamy sauce.  Stir in cannelini beans and heat until warmed through.  season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with more parm if desired.

Both of these recipes are great, kid approved and take 20-25 minutes to make!