A Few Tips...

Since I am so busy with school at the moment, I thought I would just take a minute to review some rules for dealing with food allergies. Really, many of these can be applied to cooking in general, so please let me know if you have any other ideas!

1. Always, always, always wash your hands after touching food that contains an allergen. If I make a bean and cheese burrito for Elsie, I immediately wash my hands with soap before attending to Kavin's turkey roll.
2. Never reuse utensils that have touched an allergen. Forks, knives, spoons, spatulas, etc.
   
3. Use a separate plate/preparation surface for allergen foods.
4. Remember that the allergen is a protein- so whether the amount transmitted is small or large to the eye, any amount of tiny protein will trigger the allergy.
5. Reading an allergy alert ingredient list for Milk, Soy, Egg, or Wheat is insufficient for searching out allergens. Many of them are disguised under other names such as 'lactic acid' or 'whey.' Know their pseudonyms! WebMD actually offers lists of other names for allergens.
   
6. Wipe down all surfaces with either soapy water or an antibacterial agent before and after cooking/eating. This is an easy way to prevent cross contamination.
   

SaLsA TiMe!! (dairy, soy, egg, wheat, nut free)

Salsa has been a part of my relationship with my husband since we were dating, all those years ago (8 to be exact). We continue the tradition by re-inventing our recipe from time to time; this is a weekly tradition in our house. Here is our latest concoction, and I must say, it is one of the best!! Enjoy with the dollar-a-bag Fry's tortilla chips... there's nothing more satisfying on taco salads, full-course burritos, or just in front of a movie with some salty chips!

Home-Made Salsa

1- 16 oz can of tomato sauce (Costco carries organic S&W brand)
1 bunch green onions
2 large green chilis
1 medium tomato, or 1 handful of grape tomatoes
1 lime
1 jalapeno
1 handful of fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin

Open can of sauce, pour into 32-0z or larger storage container. Add salt, sugar, pepper, cumin, garlic, and juice from the lime. Dice green onions, chilis, tomatoes, and cilantro, or chop them in a mini chop, then add to the sauce mix. Test the heat of the jalapeno by chopping about 1/4 of an inch under the stem, and touching the inside to the back of your tongue. If it burns immediately, just add 1/4 of the jalapeno for mild salsa, more for spicy salsa. Dice the jalapeno accordingly and add to the mix. Cover, shake to mix, and refrigerate!

Enjoy the added benefits of lycopene from the tomatoes and the sauce. The fresh fruits and veggies are great for your immune system, not to mention your digestive system!! All this, with no preservatives or hydrogenated oils... amazingly healthy!!

Keeps for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.

Taco Time! Soy, Wheat, and (can be) Dairy Free

I love tacos, but they certainly can be messy. All of the good stuff ends up falling out, and I have to eat it with a fork. I figured that I may as well turn it into a salad that I will actually be able to eat; the bonus is that the kids like it too- even the lettuce! This is our new favorite Friday lunch special in the VanDyke household.

Taco Salad
1 handful of corn tortilla chips per person- I prefer Fry's brand, as they are $1.00 per bag!
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 can black beans
6-8 small sweet peppers, sliced thin
1 handful of cheese per person
1-3 tablespoons of homemade salsa per person
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper

Brown the ground meat, and add all of the spices, place on low until the salad is ready. Chop romaine lettuce and slice sweet peppers. Place lettuce in bowls, arrange chips around the back, or crush them over the salad if preferred. Place taco meat, cheese, black beans, and sliced sweet peppers over the bed of lettuce. Top with homemade salsa, and enjoy!

Spaghetti: Dairy, Soy Free (Wheat Free- Optional)

This recipe is crucial to our weekly schedule; spaghetti is such a staple, and its so easy to make! It took awhile to find a sauce that did not contain cheese, but I managed to narrow it down to two brand/types: Ragu Organic Traditional, and Prego Heart Smart Traditional. Both sauces are excellent in flavor and ingredients. If you need to make it gluten or wheat free, then replace the wheat pasta with rice spaghetti; my favorite brand is Pasta Joy, and it can be found at Whole Foods, Sunflower Market, and Sprouts. Of course, if red meat is not your thing either, just sub in ground turkey for the ground beef; its just as good, and probably a smidge healthier for you! For an extra treat, add diced avocado on top of your spaghetti instead of cheese!

1 lb ground beef
Whole wheat spaghetti- try Garofolo from Costco
2 cups/ 1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 clove/ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bell pepper / 6 sweet peppers, chopped small

~Set up the water to boil for the spaghetti, and setup a medium skillet for the ground beef.
~Cook the ground beef on medium, until barely pink, then add the garlic, oregano, basil, bell or sweet peppers, and the ground pepper.
~Continue to cook on medium until the beef is fully browned and the bell or sweet peppers are tender.
~When the water boils, add the spaghetti, and set the timer: 8 minutes for wheat pasta, or 15 minutes for rice.
~When the meat is fully browned, add the spaghetti sauce and reduce the heat to medium low.
~Add the sugar and olive oil to the sauce, stir.
~Everything should end up ready at about the same time.
~The entire meal takes about 20 minutes to prepare and cook, a little longer if the beef is frozen.

Full-Course Burritos

Full-Course Burritos

These are the joy of my life at lunch time... they allow me to wrap up protein, calcium, fruits, veggies, and whole grains into a simple meal that I can eat while filling up sippy cups and serving lunch for my toddlers. Not to mention that they are completely delicious and take 10 minutes to make! That's my kind of meal!! Anna, you were my inspiration for this meal...

Flour tortilla
1 or 2 small sweet peppers, diced
Shredded cheese, preferably colby jack
3 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup black beans
2 slices of deli meat of choice
1 tablespoon of home-made salsa or hot sauce
1/4 of an avocado, diced

Laying the tortilla flat, spread shredded cheese, black beans, deli meat, diced peppers, and hot sauce lengthwise in the center of the tortilla. Microwave the open burrito for 1 minute, or broil it in the toaster oven for 2. Remove and add diced avocado and tomato, fold ends in, and roll up. Ta-Da!

Nutrition....
- the flour tortilla provides your whole grain serving for the meal, provided you choose one made with whole grains! At Sunflower Market, I pick up Tortillas Rosario, which do not have any hydrogenated oils either!
- Protein: black beans, deli meat, and avocado
- Vitamin C- sweet peppers and tomatoes
- Good fat- avocados
- Lycopene- tomatoes, salsa/hot sauce, sweet peppers
- Calcium- tortilla, cheese

A New Endeavour...

I have thought about posting my recipes on several occasions, but I was never ready to go forward with the idea until now. I think that this blog spot will be the perfect format for posting, editing, and sharing cooking ideas with friends and family. My hope is to encourage fresh cooking by showing just how easy cooking can be; after all, if April can do it, then everyone can!! I hope that you will all stick around to add comments and ideas to my crazy concoctions!
Enjoy!
Ape