MTAL #6

This was my very first Asher-friendly meal and my very first attempt at making up a recipe (sort of). We call them Asher meatballs.

Asher Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup rice
1/4 cup onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 Tbsp rice milk
salt and pepper
olive oil
store bought or homemade tomato sauce (Prego fresh mushrooms is Asher friendly)

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the oil. Roll into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides in the hot oil (I usually need 2 batches to get them all browned).
   
2. Transfer the meatballs to a slow cooker. Cover in tomato sauce and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
3. Just before serving, stir in another 1-2 cups of tomato sauce. Serve over hot rice (or noodles for the non-allergic crowd).

Serves 6-8.

This is the first meal I made that Asher truly loved. We all really like it too. It might sound weird to serve tomato sauce over rice but it's actually really good and much easier than cutting up noodles for little ones. Enjoy!

MTAL #5

Swedish Meatballs
from The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook

Meatballs
1/2 cup oat or corn flakes, ground to a meal in a food processor (I just used the Glutino bread crumbs instead)
1/2 cup rice or oat milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 cup minced onion
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 lb ground beef
3 tsp Ener-G Egg replacer mixed with 2 Tbsp rice milk

Sauce
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp oat flour
2 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
1/4 cup rice milk

1. Combine ground corn flakes, rice milk, salt, pepper, and allspice and let swell about 10 minutes. Saute minced onion in canola oil until soft. Add ground beef, egg replacer, and sauteed onion to corn flake mixture and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.
2. When ready to cook, preheat over to 400 degrees. Form small meatballs, 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter (I used my cookie scoop). Place meatballs on a lightly greased baking sheet and cook about 20 minutes until brown. Meanwhile, to make sauce, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, stirring about 2 minutes. You want the flour to sizzle and brown up a bit so that the sauce will become brown. Add the beef broth, mix thoroughly and then add tomato paste and seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes to thicken, stirring frequently. Add rice milk. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Serve meatballs with sauce on the side or place meatballs in sauce and warm thoroughly.

Serves 4.These were surprisingly good. They look a little funky, with the orange-red sauce but taste a lot like the regular swedish meatballs I've had. Asher liked them and everyone else did too.

Whoopie Pies

Taking a break from the Asher-friendly fare, here are a couple of recipes for whoopie pies. For those unfamiliar with the whoopie pie concept, they are Southern sandwich cookies. They are usually huge and always delicious. Enjoy!

Classic Whoopie Pies
from Whoopie Pies (via Bakerella)

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
4 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl, beat butter, shortening and sugar with a mixer on low until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes.
4. Add egg and vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes.
5. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk and beat on low until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour and milk and beat until combined.
6. Using a tablespoon, drop batter on baking sheet two inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes each or until pies spring back when pressed gently.
7. Remove from oven and cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
   

Salty Peanut Butter Filling

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (or crunchy)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Beat peanut butter and butter on low until creamy using a mixer.
2. Add sugar and salt and beat on low to incorporate. Increase speed to medium and beat for 4 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
3. Spread filling on flat side of one cooled cake. Top with a second cake and press gently.

Makes 24 two-inch pies (if using 1 Tbsp of batter) or 15 four-inch pies (if using 2 Tbsp of batter).

The prepped batter. It smells delightfully chocolatey.
Cooling cookies.
The finished product: all reviews were good. Honestly, I didn't get to try them since I'm currently on the Asher diet but Tyler loved them. All others who tried them were positive as well. I was just happy to discover that I'm just as happy making cookies as I am eating them. I always thought that I was a stress-eater. In this case, I got all the enjoyment of making the cookies and none of the guilt of eating them. Perfect!

Moving on...a second whoopie pie recipe.

Lemon Whoopie Pies
from the Big Fat Cookie book (via Joy the Baker)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 large egg
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together on the medium speed of an electric mixer for about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during the mixing. Add the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, mixing until blended, about 1 minute. The batter may look curdled. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture just to incorporate it. Mix in the buttermilk (put 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill up to 1/2 cup level with regular milk; let set for 5 minutes and use as buttermilk). Mix in remaining flour mixture just until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth again.
3. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops feel firm, about 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1. In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice on low speed until thoroughly blended and smooth, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If the filling is too soft to hold its shape, chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2. Turn half the cookies bottom side up. Leaving 1/4-inch plain edge, use a thin metal spatula to spread each one with about 1/4 cup of filling. Gently press the flat bottoms of the remaining cookies onto the fillings.
3. Wrap each cooking in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve cold.
   

I don't have any process shots of this one so we'll skip to the final product. I honestly didn't get to try these either. Tyler's not a huge lemon fan so he didn't eat them (he stuck with the chocolate and peanut butter ones). They smelled incredible and looked so cute. I'll make them again sometime (maybe when I can actually try them).

MTAL #4

This was one of the first recipes I discovered in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that I could make for Asher without having to modify (aside from the pasta).

Chicken Cacciatore
from Better Homes and Gardens

2 1/2 to 3 lbs meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/8 tsp black pepper

1. Skin chicken. In a 12-inch skillet cook chicken in hot oil about 15 minutes or until lightly brown, turning to brown evenly. Remove chicken from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet; set chicken aside.
   
2. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to drippings in skillet. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Return chicken to skillet.
   
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, salt, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and pepper. Pour over chicken in skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning once during cooking. If desired, serve over hot cooked pasta (or rice).

Serves 6.

The browned chicken thighs. I used the boneless, skinless kind because it was faster and easier to eat.
The vegetables. I'm not usually a huge mushroom fan but I like them in this recipe.
Chicken and vegetables. I just set the chicken right on top of the vegetables. That way the chicken doesn't over brown on one side or another. You have to remember to stir the vegetables when you flip the chicken though, or you'll end up with a more Cajun than Italian feel to this meal.
Smothered in tomato-iness. Like always, I'm too intimidated by the liquor section to actually by regular white wine. I use the cooking white wine found by the vinegars. It's supposed to be better with a good white wine so if you can, use the real stuff.
The final product: mmm...Italian. This a wonderfully normal meal for the allergen-free sector. The only difference is you serve it over rice instead of linguine or fettuccine. What's great is that you can split the meal and serve it over rice to only those who need to avoid wheat and egg and over pasta to everyone else. Asher loves to eat the chicken first and then the rice and sauce all mixed together after that.

MTAL #3

The third in my series.

Spanish- Style Stuffed Peppers
from Rachael Ray

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
4 large red bell peppers
1 1/3 lb ground chicken
salt and black pepper
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
2 jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a saucepot with a lid over medium heat. Add the rice, stir to coat with the oil andd toast for 2 minutes. Add the stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil. cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook the rice for 16 minutes. The rice will be a bit tough at the center but it will continue to cook when it's baked in the pepper.
3. Cut the top off each bell pepper and reserve as a lid. Trim the bottoms of the peppers so they stand upright, taking care no to make holes in the bottoms of the peppers to prevent leaks. Seed the peppers and set aside.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Add the meat and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, breaking it up into small bits with a back of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the onions, garlic, and roasted peppers. Continue to cook until the onions start to get tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the sherry and deglaze the pan, stirring to get any brown bits off the bottom of the skillet. Add 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, about 3/4 of the can, and reduce the heat to low. Stir until heated through, then add the cooked rice to the skillet. Discard the bay leaf. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.
5. Thin the remaining tomato sauce with 1/2 cup water and pour it into an 8-inch square baking dish. Set the peppers upright in the baking dish. Fill each pepper set the caps in place. Bake the peppers, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve 1 pepper per person.

This was my first time roasting rice. I didn't have long-grained rice around so I just used the minute rice I had and adjusted the cook time. It seemed to work about as well.

The meat and vegetable mixture. The roasted bell peppers could easily be made at home but I went ahead and bought a jar. They are dreamy. Seriously, slap one of those on a sandwich and stick in the oven and you have my happy place.
The meat mixture with sauce. Yummy smelling sauce. At this point, I set aside some meat for Asher because I don't think he would appreciate the pepper.
Peppers fresh out of the oven. Aren't they pretty? This is the first time I've seen the top used and it's so pretty that I'll do it again. (And besides being pretty, the tops are great for dipping in the sauce and eating with your hands.
The final product: moan-worthy. Seriously, this is the first meal in a long time that I couldn't help making all sorts of yummy noises through. I absolutely loved it. Asher liked it too. It would be great with some melted cheese throughout (monterrey jack or the like) but not as Asher-friendly. Please try these...please. You won't regret it.

Food Experiment

What do you do when you have burgers while not eating wheat, egg, milk, etc? You start experimenting. I could have gone the civilized route and just eaten the burger with a fork. I could have gone the healthy way and used lettuce leaves. I could have done a lot of different things but I decided on hashbrowns (mostly because I have an abundance of potatoes). My hashbrown burger.

While incredibly messy, it was actually really good. Someone could build on this concept and make a truly amazing (and unique) burger.

MTAL #2

Chicken tenders, chicken fingers, chicken strips...whatever you call them, they're good. You can't get more kid-friendly either. They certainly were a staple of my diet when I was kid, especially when we went out to eat. They are normally made with flour, egg, and milk which doesn't make them very Asher-friendly. That means it's time to try an allergen-free version and let Asher be a kid.

Chicken Tenders
from Cybele Pascal
1 lb chicken tenders
1 1/2 cups rice milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp rice milk
6 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
salt and pepper
3 cups canola oil

1. Combine tenders with 1 1/2 cups rice milkd and lemon juice and refrigerate for 2 hours.


2. Put cornstarch in a wide dish. Put 3 Tbsp rice milk in another wide dish. Add olive oil, 1 Tbsp at a time, whisking well. Put breadcrumbs in a third dish and mix in salt and pepper.


3. Roll each tender in cornstarch, then rice milk and finally bread crumbs. Set aside.


4. Heat oil until rippling over medium-high heat.


5. Cook tenders until deeply golden, about 3 minutes a side and 6-7 minutes total.

Here is my assembly line of chicken tenders. Ms. Pascal recommends using one hand for the dry ingredient dipping and the other for the wet. It seems to help make this process less of a mess that it could be. Coated tenders ready for the frying oil.

Frying the tenders (in my new saucepan; isn't it pretty?).

I served this with a oven fries (cut up russet potatoes toss with olive oil and seasoned salt and bakes for 40 minutes) and allergen-free ranch dressing. The dressing didn't go quite as I hoped: I put too much garlic and onion in it so it was INTENSE. I might try again another day and post the recipe if it goes better then.

The final product: awesome! They are crunchy and delicious. Asher absolutely loved them which makes me one giddy momma. They were even a hit with Tyler and Addilyn. I will make these often (I even made them as Asher's birthday meal).

A note on the gluten-free bread crumbs: Glutino brand is recommended but if those cannot be found, I think coarse-ground corn meal might make a good substitution.

Meals that Asher Likes

This is the first in my series called Meals That Asher Likes. As you may have guessed, they are meals that are allergen-free that Asher actually likes (because they are unfortunately plenty that I try that he doesn't like). This distinction is mostly for the grandmas but might be interesting for everyone else (especially since some of them are just plain good anyway).

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops
from Rachael Ray

4 boneless pork chops
salt and black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock (check label for dairy)
6 fresh thyme sprigs
1/4 cup maple syrup (use 100% pure maple syrup, as imitation has caramel color in it)
zest and juice of 1 lemon

1. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high to high heat with olive oil. When the oil begins to ripple, add the pork chops and sear for 2 minutes on each side, then turn heat down to medium and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.


2. Transfer chops to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Add chicken stock, thyme, maple syrup, 2 tsp of the lemon zest, and the lemon juice to the skillet. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until lightly thickened, a couple of minutes.


3. Return pork chops to the pan with the glaze and flip around to coat them well. Place chops on dinner plates and drizzle with any remaining glaze from the skillet.

Serves 4.

I don't have any process shots but here's the finished product. It's quite delicious. Maple and pork just go so well together. Honestly, Asher would prefer the pork chop plain but the glaze makes it extra yummy for everyone else too. A few points on this recipe:

1. I always use dried thyme because that's what I have around. I just eyeball it.


2. The glaze takes a lot longer than a couple of minutes to thicken up. It's more like 10-15 minutes to get it to the right consistency.


3. I serve this with mashed potatoes (mashed with chicken stock and green onions instead of milk and butter).

Enjoy!