Thanksgiving / Holiday Guide – Part I

First shopping trip - Whole Foods

As the holidays are approaching, there are certain ‘staples’ that I need to have a tasty yet healthy and allergen free Thanksgiving.  Certain ingredients need to be acquired from Whole Foods and a few others.  So today I shopped at Whole Foods for the fundamental ingredients:  the turkey and some baking ingredients:

The turkey-I need a turkey that has no additives, no ‘pre basting’ – not stuffed with antibiotics, hormones…and it would be nice if the turkey was somewhat ethically treated:

Christmas I usually make duck (my son LOVES it)-again don't want an over processed duck that doesn't even taste like duck.  Again, it is pricier than the cheaper frozen duck you find in typical grocery stores....

Since I'm at Whole Foods, I may as well pick up some uncured bacon and bratwurst (my son loves both-and I don't have to feel guilty about all the nitrites I'm feeding him):

My mother used to make great goose...I have yet to do this-but I need to make sure I master this technique before I make it - this goose is $100

Since I'm here I may as well pick up some drumsticks for oven baking (my son loves this)

When roasting turkey, chicken broth needs to be under the turkey rack...this is a reliable allergen free broth.  Some may say why bother with free range?  It turns out what's good for the animal is also good for your diet.  Free range chickens eat a healthier diet, which ultimately affects the nutrients in the the chicken that humans consume.

How I spend 50% of my time in the grocery store-found a new product...read the ingredient list to make sure I see no dairy derivates (or shellfish, nuts and peanuts)-no casein, no whey, no lactic acid starter culture from dairy. I also have to read the allergen information on what type of facility the product is made to assess the risk of cross contamination. 

In the "dairy section" - some great soy based butter (I can make the best desserts with this...no butter needed).  The Tofutti cream cheese is dairy free and is great on bagels or as a base to wild salmon.

 Free range organic eggs are more nutritious than the ones from the tortured chickens (again, being ethical has health benefits). They are higher in Omega 3s because of the diet of the chicken.

Regular Olive Oil has a lower frying temperature than this one.  So this is an expeller pressed (less processed) canola oil.  

I don't even like cranberries but these are good....

 Reread ingredients EACH time...just in case they changed something

The 365 Organic Ketchup was rated the highest in a taste test conducted by Chicago Tribune.  My son agrees...he no longer likes Heinz (which also is not composed of  the best ingredients)-he now eats food just so he can have this ketchup with it.

This is the shortening I use for frosting and other baking...(combine with Earth Balance shortening for cookies though).  NO crisco

What would Thanksgiving be without a pumpkin pie?  Yes, one can have a dairy free creamy pumpkin pie....this is one of the ingredients.

Sometimes it's nice to have some ready made cookies though.  Jovial cookies are delicious.  They are made in Italy and are made with an old world flour.  But mostly, they are delicious.  Usually quite pricey, but today they are on sale....time to stock up.

Creamy sauces...need a thick milk substitute.  This is one of my favorite ingredients for making cream sauces.  Clearly dairy free, but also soy free (many are allergic to soy)

We also make some Tofu dishes...this is a fairly new discovery.  I like it because: 1. it doesn't need draining and it's already firm, 2. I can use just part of it and put the rest back, 3. is higher in protein than the usual tofu.

And for a treat....caviar and wild salmon.  This will make a great appetizer.

Now I still need to plan the menu...acquire the vegetables...and start cooking...brine the turkey, make bread for stuffing (best stuffing is 'made from scratch') and dig through my recipes-most likely pumpkin pie, mocha cake - all free of dairy.




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Garlic breadsticks in the comfort of your home

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about anything.  I have plenty of new additions, I just have to take the time to write it down.

As I resume the blog, it’s best to start with a simple addition-garlic bread sticks.  Some people go to Olive Garden for this.  We all know that most restaurants will not use the most wholesome ingredients.  The food is at best partially pre made and it’s not that fresh.  When you cook at home, you are in control of the ingredients, flavor and hygiene.   Yes, it’s more work….but we all know it’s better for you.

Recipe

Pizza dough/breadstick dough

Dough:

1 ½ cups of warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cups bread flour (I use Bob’s Redmill Organic non bleached flour)

2 ¼ tsp. dry yeast (package)

Use bread machine to knead dough

Breadsticks:

Preheat oven 375 (this is convection oven)

Take a cookie sheet and line with non stick foil paper

Make bread stick shapes and lay them out on cookie sheet

Lay them out on cookie sheet

Brush top with extra virgin olive oil

Put coarse kosher salt and garlic powder on top (not garlic salt)

At this point you can add other herbs if you choose….

Bake for about 25 minutes…but when top starts looking dry – about 20 minutes into it….take a pat of butter and run it over the breadstick top.

Bake until golden brown (total 25 minutes in convection oven)

 And enjoy while warm.

Note:  Pizza/bread stick dough can stay in the refrigerator for days; just make sure you bring it to room temperature before baking.

Why the paper plate?  This was a nighttime snack while working and doing dishes wasn’t appealing.




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Great Finds

Nutella no more

I’m always looking for something new, something tasty and something that won’t cause health issues and always something that maybe replaces a food that Jordan lost due to allergies.  Here is a recent mix of recent favorite finds

No nuts, not dairy and not hydrogenated NUTELLA like

One of the things my son misses the most is Nutella.  But due to his dairy and nut allergies it’s not even a possibility. 

This one took a long time to find.  But this is safe for his allergies and is a vegan Nutella like item as well (no dairy). 

It’s a Kosher PARVE chocolate spread that I found in the kosher section of  Garden Fresh.  I first discovered it at a kosher store when I was shopping for wheat/soy free items.  When my son was off of wheat/soy-Kosher for Passover was a great option for his diet.  These items were mostly available around Passover.  The Kosher diet actually lends itself nicely to a diet that needs to cater to food allergies (and various dairy free options).  You can find out more by researching Kosher diet, but in a Kosher diet you cannot mix meat and dairy. This is ideal for us. 

Recently I did try Nutella-the fact is that it wasn’t as good as I remember.  I like the flavor of rich dark chocolate and don’t like that flavor of milk chocolate.  Nutella tasted too sweet and diluted.  It’s what we are used to.  Maybe by now they have a dark chocolate version.  But as much as I love hazelnuts, I can’t bring them in the house due to my son’s allergies.  This is a great substitute for Nutella.  It would be great for crepes.  My son loves it over white bread (homemade).  Make sure you get the PARVE version (there is a non PARVE version that has dairy).

 Wasabi without Sushi

This snack is for me.  For anyone that loves wasabi , this is a nice way to get the wasabi flavor with a rice cracker.  As you can tell by the label, not fried, nothing hydrogenated.  It’s a flavorful snack.  It is made in a facility with nuts, so only I eat this one.

Smart, tast and easy

This is another quick little snack.  I love the flavor of wings.  But we don’t go out for wings anymore, and I actually like the flavor more than the meat.  It’s high in protein, not fat and very easy to make.  The only bad part is that so far I can only find this in one store (Woodman’s) - safe for my son's allergies.

Taco Tuesday-one more version

Taco Tuesday-sometimes I use vegan chorizo or a non processed chorizo (see prior blog on tacos).  Recently Whole Foods was sold out of both (I didn’t realize this blog had that many readers - J).  So I picked up some low fat, kosher ground turkey instead.  I didn’t expect this to taste so delicious.  I’ve made turkey tacos before, but the flavor of this meat is great.  It doesn’t have the gross side taste.  There really is a difference.

Ancient wheat from Tuscany

These cookies are great and addictive.  But they are not your typical overprocessed cookies.  Also, they are not too sweet as most American cookies are. They are made with Einkorn wheat (not over processed wheat).  Here is the ingredient list:

Organic Einkorn Flour, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Organic Eggs, Organic Cocoa, Leavening (Monocalcium Phosphate, Baking Soda), Salt.
Contains wheat and eggs.

The cookies are crafted in Italy.  Although they are made in a facility they state:

 “We use milk, tree nuts and soy in our facility. Strict sanitary practices and batch testing prevent cross-contamination.”

They also make gluten free cookies.  So far, I’ve only found these at Whole Foods.  They also have an informative website.

This was the only food I could find for lunch at work....so it was a great find....at work.




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Real - vegan or meat chorizo tacos for Taco Tuesday

meat or veggie based ingredients

REAL Chorizo

Frying - with onion, giner and garlic

Veggie based chorizo (no loss of flavor)

Not high sodium/high fat processed cheese

American stye of taco (someone can't even wait for this photo to be taken)

Taco Tuesday is becoming an American institution. I see facebook status updates on Taco Tuesday activities.  Of course many people opt for a local eatery for all you can eat tacos.  Typically this involves ground beef and American style toppings along with some taco shells.  But it’s best if one doesn’t start thinking about what’s really in the cheap deals.  It’s cheap for a reason.  Whether you like vegan tacos or meat tacos, making healthy tacos is not that difficult.  A vegan chorizo or meat chorizo taco recipe is simple.   You can easily set up a taco bar at home and have people prepare the tacos either American style of the authentic Mexican style (which is a filling of your choice, onions and cilantro…no cheese, no lettuce or tomatoes).  Like any dish, a little conscious eating goes a long way. So what constitutes a healthier, yet tasty taco?

Mexican style-cilantro and onion with filling

Filling:

Vegan chorizo

  or

Meat chorizo from the butcher  (I get mine at Whole Foods)

This is a personal choice.  I am not a vegan (but I wish I was as we all know the benefits of being one), so I try to vary it.  Mostly I like making the vegan version, but my son still has a strong taste for meat.  So the real chorizo is another alternative.  This is not the sodium nitrate laden version you get from the grocery store for $3.  Instead it is real sausage chorizo and it doesn’t have infinite shelf life.  A lot of the additives of the processed food  are added to prolong shelf life.  As a consumer, you don’t need long shelf life.  You can freeze things.

With respect to price, the two are about evenly priced.  The real chorizo (from Whole Foods or a good butcher) will cost you about the same as two vegan packages.  There is no way around this.   The Yves veggie chorizo is not cross contaminated with my son’s allergens and it’s very clearly labeled, so we use this one (I buy it at Whole Foods).  It does not have GMO ingredients.  Even vegan food can be processed.  So read the label.

For frying – I like to add chopped ginger.  To me it adds a refreshing quality to the filling.  Ginger is also great for digestion. I also add garlic-again great taste.

Taco Shells:

As far as the taco shells- use a quality brand that is not made from hydrogenated products. I use Garden of Eden Taco shells.  They are made from organic blue corn and expeller pressed oil.  My son likes crunchy tacos.  I don’t buy the over processed soft tortillas you find in grocery stores.  Many of the hard shell tacos contain hydrogenated ingredients and processed genetically modified (GMO) corn.

Vegetables, etc.:

I never add sour cream….I think it’s simply gross and takes away from the fresh flavor (personal taste).  If I feel like adding some sort of creamier filling, then avocado/guacamole is the best option (again homemade, not the processed envelope variety-guacamole is very easy to make). 

I actually prefer just onions and cilantro.  When the chorizo (either one) filling is fried with ginger, onions and garlic, it already is well flavored.

My son of course loves the cheese.  Since he is allergic to dairy (and over processed shredded cheese is not good anyways, high in fat and sodium), I use Daiya ‘cheese.’  This is not a soy-based product, so even people allergic to soy can consume it.  Even if there was no dairy allergy, I would still use this product instead of the unhealthy processed shredded cheese you find in the supermarket. 

The technique is fairly simple-here are some key points for this chorizo taco recipe:

Vegan chorizo filling:

·      Since it’s already cooked, pan fry ginger and onion (until translucent) and add a little crushed or chopped garlic for the last few minutes.  Add the chorizo and heat through.

Meat chorizo filling recipe:

·      fry the meat on medium high heat in a tiny amount of expeller pressed canola oil and drain most of the juices it renders. 

·      Add onion and fry for about 5 minutes more; add garlic. 

Typically chorizo is already well flavored so you don’t need to add spices.  But you can add cumin or some other spice if you prefer the flavor.  You can also add chopped cilantro for the last minute (if you eat the Mexican style then just add cilantro straight to the taco).

Heat the taco shells for about 5 minutes at 350.

This is very simple and healthy.  One of the easiest dinners I make.

Lay out the ingredients on the counter (much like restaurants do…except you won’t have gross spoon handles that everyone touched falling into the food)

Let your guests/family prepare the tacos as they choose. You can add your own salsa or an organic brand (I don’t).

In addition to the health benefits of making tacos at home, you may get to know your family/children/friends better.  With hectic schedules and eating out, dinner conversations are becoming extinct.  Yes, meals  and conversation are still critical to developing and maintaining relationships.

With respect to costs, it will not cost more than having a taco dinner in a restaurant.  And the quality of the food will be radically better.  As much as I love to eat out, I know that I don’t control the quality of the ingredients or the hygiene when I eat out.  Would it be great to go to a restaurant that serves this quality of taco?  Yes, but the restaurant would have to charge a lot more than its lower quality competitors and unfortunately people would not be willing to pay more.  So making a higher quality dinner at home is a better option.

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The refreshing taste of the Mediterranean - Rose Water Lemonade

Organic lemonade and rosewater

With my strong love for Middle Eastern cuisine, music and beverages, this is a summer treat.  In the winter, it’s Turkish coffee or mint tea but after a little time in the sun, I needed something to cool off with.  The choices were typical soft drink, water, club soda, some form of ice tea.  No, I didn’t want any alcoholic beverages – I actually find these choices more refreshing and I need to finish a work project.

Rose water lemonade is heavenly.  Most Middle Eastern restaurants serve it.  This simple and delicious beverage is available at the Egyptian booth at International folk fest and Arab World Fest. 

I happened to have some organic strawberry lemonade available and I always have rose water.  Rose water is a great addition to Middle Eastern desserts as well as Indian desserts.  For example, the popular Indian dessert Gulab Jamun has rose water; gulab means rose. 

This is so simple.  Fill up a glass with ice, pour in lemonade of you choice (not an over sweetened one) and add rosewater to taste, stir and enjoy.   I’m not a big lemonade drinker….but rosewater makes a huge difference.


(note:  you can find rosewater in the middle eastern section of most grocery stores these days)




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5 things I love about Door County

Door County is the peninsula in Northeastern Wisconsin.  The first time I visited Door County was with my parents as a fairly new teenager.   We went with another family and had a great time.  We only stayed a few days.

A few years ago I was trying to figure out where I could find a decent vacation spot that isn’t crowded or over commercialized and has reasonable prices as well.

So I found the place:  Door County, specifically Gills Rock….as north as we can go in Door County.  We went and it was better than I remembered.

Why?  Here are 5 reasons why

1.    The sunsets

Without question the best sunsets around here.  I am somewhat obsessed with sunsets because when I was a child in Budapest, my dad had a great job that included the perk of Summers at Lake Balaton in the company’s resort.  Beautiful sunsets were part of those summers.  Since then, I never really got to enjoy it.  Milwaukee/Shorewood is on the West side of Lake Michigan….so no sunsets.  I guess I’m just not  a sunrise person.  Sunsets are moodier and are more introspective for me.  Of course I’m not a morning person anyways.  The  sunsets are the best.  Each town has its feel – each town has  a different view and sound. 

2.    The sense of another era

Walking to the Gallery/CoffeeShop

I feel like I’m in an older America during good times

Absence of franchises beyond  Sturgeon bay.  No McDonald’s, No Applebee’s and this leads to the next reason.

3.    Great food

 

Where else can you find goats on a roof?  Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant (Sister Bay) is an old fashioned Swedish restaurant (as the name suggests).  Iced tea tastes so much better out of pewter mugs and so does lingonberry sauce.  Swedish meatball breakfast special is a favorite.  And this year my son ate there multiple times.  We had an excellent waitress (they all dress in Dirndl dresses) who suggested that he could have a hamburger prepared on a different area of the kitchen.  Although they use peanut oil, he ate there safely two different times and LOVED it.  Another restaurant, Shipwrecked (Egg Harbor) also was able to meet our needs.  Pulled pork with tropical coleslaw (coconut milk); I don’t even like coleslaw and this was delicious.  For us, there was delicious Cherry Wheat ale. Al Capone used to hide here.

When it’s warm, you can sit outside and enjoy.  Gills Rock has The Shoreline, which has amazing sunsets also.

Charlie’s Smokehouse has the best-smoked whitefish I ever had (and Jordan can have it too).  A walk from our cottage, it’s an event to walk down, buy some fish and go back and eat in the beautiful surrounding.

When we don’t eat out, we make dinner.  Now one could complain that why cook when on vacation.  When you have a child with food allergies, it’s bound to happen.  And grilling with the lake as your view (we stayed in a great cottage) is not something to complain about.  Making  omelets as you’re watching the lake through the windows…..not that hard.

4.    Boating

I don’t own a boat, but when we are there I rent a speed boat several times.  Not the cheapest activity but still cheaper than buying a boat.  We have fun, speed and beauty. This boat is from Sister Bay Marina.

5.    As close as I get to relaxing

I don’t like to be on a schedule when on vacation.  And that’s exactly what I get when in Gills Rock…no schedules.  Other than making it on time to places before they close is all that’s expected.  Everything is an event and everything is laid back.  Consequently people are nice and not crabby.

Typically, we start the morning at Gallery Ten in Gills Rock; a mere walk from the cottage.  So it’s a great walk, coffee, and wifi.  The gallery has beautiful things and the building is even unique.  The mugs are unique pottery ones …which is another favorite….I love the pottery that is inspired by nature…..not overly processed or finished.

Each town has its own flavor: Egg Harbor and Fish Creek are a bit busier (not busy-it’s all relative), Ephraim and Sister Bay become more laid back (we spend a lot of time in Sister Bay).  Gills Rock is the most laid back and least busy. Nature and sunsets at their purest.

Maybe I need to return this fall, until then I will just be nostalgic. But I also need to add “5 more reasons why I love Door County.”  I was going through some photos for this blog entry and I realized that 5 reasons are not enough. The whole trip starts with a stop at the winery, to be included in next 5.

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All salmon is not created equal....not for taste or health benefit

Delicious salmon

I know a lot of people who state how they eat healthy now and include salmon in their diet.

Salmon is healthier than many meat protein due to the ‘good fat’ in salmon and Omega 3s. Most people already know this. 

But farmed salmon is not as healthy (rich in Omega 3s) as wild salmon.  Without going into too much detail, the diet and lifestyle of the wild salmon causes it to have more Omega 3s.

But there is yet another reason to eat wild salmon, it tastes SO MUCH better.  

I love smoked salmon and salmon in sushi.  But baked/broiled salmon is not one of my favorites.  Good, I know I should eat it, but I like some other fish more.  Until yesterday this was true.

Last night I made the easiest salmon dish and it tasted phenomenal.  Why?  Because it was wild sockeye salmon.  I enjoyed every bite and literally savored the flavor.

I was at Whole Foods and was looking at some of the 365 brand fish.  I have to be very careful with what fish I buy because my son is allergic to shellfish.  So cross contamination is a concern.  I don’t buy fish from the fish section of a store. 

This package had no warnings and I thought, “Well I should make it, it’s good for you.” 

I made it last night, not expecting the best flavor.  I’m going back to buy more.

The recipe was simple (on the back of the package).

Preheat oven to 275

Season with salt, pepper (I added a little paprika…Hungarian thing)

Oil a shallow baking pan

Place salmon with skin side down

Bake for about 12-14 minutes (until cooked through)

Pour ginger/lemon/soy butter (or butter) sauce over it (see below)

Raise rack

Broil for about 2 minutes

Serve

Sauce:

Melt about 3 tbs soy butter (I don’t consume dairy , my son is allergic to it  but if you insist on using butter it’s fine….but what I Iike about soy butter is that it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the salmon-when I did use butter I used Plugra which is a European style butter-had a very clean butter flavor)

Add about 1-2 tbsp. fresh minced ginger

About 3 tbs fresh lemon juice (they ask for 2, I think it needed 3-4)

Very healthy, quick and so tasty.  What more can one ask for?  Well yes, it’s not the cheapest food……but it was around the price of a family of three eating ‘value’ meals at McDonald’s.  Nobody was bloated; I served it turmeric basmati rice.   It was also a lot cheaper than eating farmed salmon at a restaurant (which isn’t as healthy).




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