MoscowFoodies

Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:50:54 -0700

Lest you think I’m exaggerating my cookie addiction, here’s a recipe for my all-time favorite cookie: Chocolate Chip. What makes this one special is that it is totally dairy and lactose-free, and it is awesome. The awesome part is maybe the special bit.

Ingredients note: I prefer Earth Balance “butter” and Enjoy Life mega chunk chips.

Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
(yield 2-3 dozen, depending on cookie size :) )

1 c dairy free butter/margarine
1 c brown sugar, firmly paked
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 c flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 rounded tsp kosher salt
10 oz dairy free chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F

1) Cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract together.

2) Beat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3) Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl, then add to the butter, sugar and egg mixture.

4) Add the chocolate chips.

5) Spoon onto the sprayed cookie sheets and bake 10-12 minutes

Super Mama Lactation Cookies

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:07:00 -0700

There are differing reports on whether eating things like brewers yeast, flax and oats can positively impact your milk supply, what they definitely don’t do is hurt your supply. Me, I have a cookie addiction, so this way I’m sneaking in so many Omega 3’s they’re like Omega 10’s. Popping one is a really easy, on the go afternoon snack, and you won’t catch me without one in my bag for the Sunday morning mid-Church munchies (yes, we’re still having mid-service nursing pit stops, I need to refuel!). If you are having supply problems you can get help from a lactation consultant, and one of the simplest things we overlook is whether we are eating and drinking enough. Even if you’re not having supply issues, this is a great way to sneak in a treat. :)

*Couple ingredient notes:

- Almond or Peanut butter, I’ve tried both and like them either way
- Oats: I use GF whole oats, just don’t use quick oats
- Butter: I use earth balance, because we are dairy-free, but you can use regular butter in the same quantity
- I use Enjoy Life Mega chunk chocolate chips (dairy free)
- You could add nuts if you like that sort of thing

BREWERS YEAST: Over the course of developing this recipe, I learned (the hard way) that if you are allergic to Penicillin (I am) you are also allergic to Brewers Yeast. So don’t eat it. :)

Super Mama Lactation Cookies

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 rounded tsp kosher salt
3/4 c almond peanut butter*
3/4 c butter*, softened
1 c flax
3 T brewer’s yeast
1/3 c water
1/3 c sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
10 oz chocolate chips*
1 3/4 c oats*

Preheat oven to 350 F

1) Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.

2) In a large bowl, beat almond butter, butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, brewer’s yeast, flax and water until creamy.

3) Gently add in eggs.

4) Gradually beat in flour mixture.

5) Add chocolate chips.

6) Gradually add oats.

Place spoonfuls of dough onto greased baking sheets pressing down with the back of the spoon to flatten a bit.

Bake 12 minutes.

On the table tonight: glazed salmon, lentils with carrots and...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:12:54 -0800

On the table tonight: glazed salmon, lentils with carrots and bacon, and a salad of arugula, chickpeas, apples and red bell pepper in a Dijon dressing.

On the table tonight: sockeye salmon on a bed of lentils and veg

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:11:26 -0800

On the table tonight: sockeye salmon on a bed of lentils and veg

On the table tonight: Salmon cakes, tartar sauce & salted...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:43:45 -0800

On the table tonight: Salmon cakes, tartar sauce & salted broccoli

North African Meatballs with Couscous

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 13:34:27 -0800

With a sauce, meatballs and couscous at first glance this recipe looks like a hassle. In reality it really flows in the kitchen with sauce prep first, then meatballs while the sauce simmers and couscous once the meatballs join the sauce - and in little more than half an hour you have a hearty dinner! Many ingredients overlap, and provided you have the staples on hand already it’s a very affordable meal, too. Since it does call for wine it’s a good one to make when you’re planning on sharing the meal or you’re in the mood to polish off the rest of the bottle! It’s also dairy free.

North African Meatballs
(4 servings)

Sauce:
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lemon, zested
1/3 c pitted and chopped kalamata olives
1/2 c red wine
1/4 c chicken stock or broth
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
Pinch ground cinnamon
generous pinch of kosher salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper

Meatballs:
1 egg
2 tbs tomato paste
3 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1” piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch ground cinnamon
3/4 lb ground beef
1/3 c finely ground rolled oats or fine bread crumbs
Pinch of salt and of freshly ground black pepper
few glugs vegetable oil
handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Couscous with Dried Dates:
1 c water
1 c chicken stock
1 tbs olive oil
1/3 c chopped dates
1 c golden couscous
pinch of kosher salt and of freshly ground black pepper

1) In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat and sweat the onions, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about thirty seconds)

2) Add the lemon zest and olives and cook for 1 more minute. Then add the wine and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

3) Stir in the stock, canned tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, salt and pepper and simmer on low while you make the meatballs.

4) In a medium bowl beat the egg and tomato paste until smooth. Add the cilantro, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper and mix until well blended. Add in the ground beef and bread crumbs without over-mixing. Divide into 32 small meatballs.

5) In a large saute pan heat a few glugs of vegetable oil over medium heat and brown the meatballs in batches. Transfer the meatballs to the pan with the sauce and let simmer for while you make the couscous.

6) Bring the water, stock, oil and salt and pepper to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the dates and then the couscous. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and turn off the heat, setting a timer for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Divide the couscous among four plates, top with meatballs & sauce, sprinkle with fresh parsley then serve.

Dairy(free)

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:26:44 -0800

This post is one I’ve been meaning to write for some time now, and finally getting it out of the way will release a recipe log jam. Ready your knives!

On the table: dairy, lactose intolerance, sensitivity and allergy. Oh, and breastfeeding! First I want to clear up common misunderstandings about dairy problems, and as an added bonus help the nursing mamas bumping into dairy problems.

Lactose intolerance: My buddy since junior high, lactose intolerance means digestive symptoms. Rapid, intense, painful intestinal upset. It’s the result of insufficient lactase enzyme. How much or little lactase you have determines your body’s response to lactose. (If you are lactose intolerant I can’t recommend Digestive Advantage enough, it’s based on the principles that enable you to eat yogurt with live cultures http://www.digestiveadvantage.com/lactose_defense_formula.asp )

Dairy Sensitivity: this is what Baby Ellie has. As a precursor to a full blown allergy, you either “outgrow” a sensitivity or you push it into allergy hyperdrive. Because it is related to an allergy you see immune response. This is the critical distinction between intolerances, which cause intestinal upset, and allergies, which can have extremely serious reactions.

Sensitivities and allergies are the body’s immune response to a food’s protein. As an immune response you can see a rash (dairy rash in babies is like fine acne), in digestion (in babies green poop not explained by fore/hind milk imbalance, even blood in the stool), and the extreme and scary systemic anaphylactic shock. Trust me, lactose intolerance is no fun but an allergy it is not. Allergies are serious business, and so when I realized Baby Ellie was dairy sensitive I began the great dairy cleanse.

Cool thing about breast milk #2793: it is dairy free so long as you do not consume dairy. Go ahead and rewrite your brain: dairy=cow’s milk.* So if you discover that your baby may be dairy sensitive, they are not allergic to your breast milk, just the dairy protein that’s in there. The good news is that you can stop eating dairy and all will be well, the bad news is that it can take 2-3 weeks for all that dairy protein to be truly gone from your system. Going off dairy can be daunting, but it’s really not too hard - it’s just that as soon as you hear the word “no” all you can think is “cheese, ice cream, butter!” and the only foods you see are pizza and tres leches cake.

You may have noticed that most of my recipes from the past twelve months are dairy free, though I really hope you didn’t! I make a point to only post truly tasty recipes, and you will never find a “sad substitute” on here. At 12 months old, Baby Ellie is still dairy sensitive, and that means for the foreseeable future this will be a dairy free blog. I will also be making more of an effort to label things as “dairy free”, particularly when they are recipes I’ve made as stand-ins (never sad substitutes!) for typically dairy dishes.

Please don’t let dairy free scare you off - from breastfeeding or from this blog. I’m committed to only sharing truly good food with you, regardless of dietary limitations.

*Random fact #17**: eggs are not dairy. Some other things also sold in the “dairy” section of the grocery store are also not dairy.

**Random fact #18: when people get this wrong, it bothers me. Factually.

Chicken Stock

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:07:55 -0800

Chicken Stock:

Confession: I’ve only begun making my own chicken stock in the last year. This is the recipe that I use as my starting point. I always end up with a larger, closer to 5 lb chicken, which means more water and a longer cook time. Truthfully, with Baby Ellie on the scene I’m not very good with on-the-dot cook times. One hour, one hour twenty minutes…in the end the chicken is cooked (and not dry!) and the stock is made. Delicious? Definitely.

Chicken, mushrooms and rice with caramelized onions

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:20:36 -0800

Title is a bit of a mouthful but there it is: Chicken, mushrooms and rice with caramelized onions. If you want, put some mascarpone or sour cream on top.

Again, I used chicken from the last batch of stock - I should probably post *that* recipe!
Chicken, mushrooms and rice with caramelized onions
(Yield: 4)
1/2 oz dried shiitake or porcini
mushrooms, chopped
2 c boiling water
olive oil
5 yellow onions, 1 diced 4 sliced into half moons
5 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 c cooked chicken
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 c Arborio rice
1/2 c dry white wine
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 c chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
1) put dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour over 2 c boiling water. Set aside to steep.
2) Heat 2 tbs of the olive oil at medium heat in a Dutch oven or other ovenproof pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden.
3) add all the sliced cremini mushrooms and let them cook for 5 minutes without stirring. Flip the mushrooms and cook for another five minutes.*
4) drain the dried mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Add the mushrooms, chicken and rosemary sprig to the pan and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring once or twice, until the rice begins to turn translucent - about 5 minutes.
5) Turn the heat to medium high and add the white wine, vinegar, broth, reserved mushroom steeping liquid, salt and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pan as you add the liquid.
6) Bring to a boil, then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and put it in the oven to bake for 40 minutes.
7) Heat a few generous glugs of olive oil in a cast iron skillet or sauté pan. Add the sliced onions and sprinkle with salt - three hearty pinches. Cook over medium low heat, stirring very infrequently, until the onions are caramelized (sweet and that lovely shade of mahogany).
8) while the onions are finishing, the time will ding and you can pop the pot out of the oven to rest, lid off, for 5-10 minutes. Serve topped with the caramelized onions!
* if you have trouble leaving things alone for 5 minutes without fussing, use this time to slice the remaining onions.

Bombay Chicken

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:20:22 -0800

I’ve never had “real” Bombay Chicken. “Real” as the stuff I made last night was no figment. In fact it was very tasty, so “real” Bombay Chicken, should we ever meet, had better bring its A game!

I had a freshly cooked chicken from the stock I was making, so that’s what I used. If you don’t, just chop some up and cook til browned, then remove from pan before you add the onions.

Bombay Chicken
(Yield: 4 servings)

3 tbs vegetable oil
1.5 lb of chicken, shredded
3/4 c red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes and liquid
3/4 c chicken broth
1/3 c white wine or more chicken broth
1” piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 can coconut milk
2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot
4 servings rice or quinoa

1) heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook til translucent.

2) add the garlic and cook, stirring, til fragrant.

3) add chicken, broth, salt, ginger, chili, cayenne, curry, tomatoes, and wine. Stir to combine. When liquid begins to simmer, reduce heat continue to simmer for 15 minutes.

4) meanwhile, prep 4 servings of rice or quinoa.

5) whisk coconut milk and cornstarch. Add to pan and return to simmer. Continue cooking a few more minutes til sauce thickens.

Serve over rice or quinoa.

Just made this tapenade, which is one of my favorites things...

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:04:46 -0800

Just made this tapenade, which is one of my favorites things ever - I love a good olive! Use as a spread or on a sandwich (with some delicious salami, perhaps?).

Tapenade

1 lb pitted kalamata olives (from an olive bar)
1 large garlic clove
3 tbs capers
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1) pulse garlic in food processor, scraping down the sides as needed.

2) add olives, capers and lemon juice. Process to a paste, drizzling in olive oil.

Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:05:16 -0700

Another day, another delicious smoothie recipe. I used spinach, swap in kale or another tasty green.

Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie
(Yield: 1 smoothie)

2 c greens
1 c coconut water
2/3 c frozen blueberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 tbs cacao powder

1) blend the greens and coconut water thoroughly.

2) add remaining ingredients and blend.

Chocolate Berry Smoothie

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:19:00 -0700

Since the Hyperemesis pregnancy I’ve been big into meat, protein, meat and more protein. My body needs more than that to help replace all those long lost nutritional stores, so I’m getting back into smoothie-ing. So here’s a delicious one that had me feeling awesome:

Chocolate Berry Smoothie
(Yield: 1 serving)

2 c spinach (or other leafy green)
1 c almond milk
1/3 c frozen strawberries
1/3 c frozen blackberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 tbs cacoa powder

1) Blend the greens and almond milk.

2) Add remaining ingredients and blend.

Victory Soup

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:20:02 -0700

Victory Soup:

My magical soup will be featured at Bucer’s today, so go try it! Or, if you’ve had it before, go see how it stacks up under another cook’s preparation. ;)

I love making a whole new dinner out of leftovers! Last night I...

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:53:51 -0700

I love making a whole new dinner out of leftovers! Last night I used a chicken breast from chicken à l’orange, some couscous from my North African meatball recipe, lettuce leaves and pantry staples to whip up…

Chicken Salad and Couscous on a bed of Greens!

Assuming you don’t have all that ready, here you are:

(serves 2)

6- 8 red leaf lettuce leaves
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
2tbs - 1/4 c mayo
Rounded 1/4 c sliced almonds
8 dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 c couscous
1 c chicken stock
Pinch cinnamon
Handful parsley, chopped
2 green onions, sliced thin
2 tbs olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1) set chicken stock over medium high heat. Once boiling add 4 chopped dates, the cinnamon and the couscous. Stir once, remove from heat, then cover and let stand 5 minutes.

2) in a small pan heat the olive oil. Add the almonds and remaining chopped dates. Cook, stirring for a couple minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

3) combine the chicken, mayo, green onions and almond mixture then season to taste with salt and pepper.

4) divide the lettuce leaves between two plates. Top with couscous, then the chicken salad. Eat!

Orange Cake (no dairy!)

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:08:13 -0700

Made this last night and I’m in love. You can grease the pan with butter if dairy isn’t a problem for you, or if that limited amount of dairy isn’t a problem for you. Otherwise, grease with shortening. You’ll need 2 oranges for the juice, zest and glaze.

Orange Cake

yield 8 servings

ingredients

Butter or shortening, for greasing the pan

turbinado sugar, for dusting the pan

1 1/4 c AP flour

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs

1/3 c olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbs fresh orange juice

1 tbs orange zest

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Glaze:

1/4 c fresh orange juice

2 c powdered sugar

1 to 2 tbs water

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease & sugar (with the turbinado sugar) a 9” round cake pan.

2. Combine the sugar and eggs in a medium bowl until blended and light.

3. Add the vanilla and drizzle in the olive oil. Mix until light and smooth.

4. Add the orange juice and zest and mix well.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture in two parts to the wet ingredients and mix gently to just incorporate.

5. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake, 25 minutes.

6. While the cake cools combine the 1/4 c fresh orange juice and the powdered sugar. Add water as necessary to thin the glaze. Drizzle over cooled cake and serve.

Pizza Dough (and Salmon)

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:00:48 -0700

We love pizza, and so, pizza dough! This dough recipe is recently tested and approved.

Dinner for 4: Preheat the oven to 500F, stretch out the dough to rounds, bake (preferably on a stone) for 5-8 minutes. Top with some crème fraîche, a sprinkle of chives and some smoked salmon. Delicious!

Pizza Dough
(makes 4 8” rounds)

3/4 c cool water
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs honey
1 tsp salt
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water
3 c AP flour
knob of butter

In a small bowl combine cool water with the olive oil, honey and salt. In another small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes.
Pulse the flour five times in a food processor. Turn to on and slowly add the honey and water mixture. Add in the water and yeast and continue to process until the dough forms a ball.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until smooth. Transfer to a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for half an hour.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Transfer the balls back tot he butter bowl, cover with a damp towel and refrigerate until chilled (or make in the morning and leave til dinner time!). Bring up to room temperature before baking.

Spanish Chicken and Rice

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:49:38 -0700

There’s a lot of allergies going around these days, and this recipe avoids them all - it’s dairy, gluten, soy, nut and cucumber free! Also, it tastes good - kid tested.

Spanish Chicken and Rice
(serves 6)

3 oz pancetta, chopped
4 chicken breasts, cut into 1” chunks
2 c onions, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c raisins
1 c pimento stuffed olives, sliced (get the jumbo ones)
1 15 oz can tomao sauce
1 28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 bag frozen peas
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
rice

1) Heat a few glugs of olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for a few minutes.

2) Add the onions, stir and cook for 3-5 minutes, til soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

3) Add the chicken, cook.

4) Add the tomato sauce, peeled tomatoes, raisons, olives, salt and brown sugar.

5) Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and continue to cook low and slow for half an hour.

6) Add peas, serve over rice.

Seattle Food Diary Day 3

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:15:11 -0700

Mmm, oatmeal for breakfast!

Sitka & Spruce - Melrose Market*
Had the pork terrine and the prosciutto with asparagus and poached egg.
Small plates intended to share, two plates make for a light lunch for two or a good snack. Small, hip, pricey, good.

Piroshky Piroshky - Pike’s Place Market
One of those tourist places, there’s always a line but it moves quickly.
Beef and cheddar piroshky and an onion, mushroom & potato piroshky. Good, but not super amazing.

Lil Woody’s - Melrose Market
Burgers, root beer [floats], hit the spot.

*Melrose Market=not for babies. There isn’t a changing table in the primary washroom (or anywhere else), the bathroom at Terra Plata barely accommodates average sized humans, and in general everything is very close quarters. Baby Ellie was cool about it.

Seattle Food Diary Day Two

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:34:16 -0700

I like my oatmeal for breakfast, so one meal of the day was a bit of a culinary ho-hum. That said, Grand Hyatt makes a mean bowl of steel cut oatmeal - even better via in room dining.

Lola, 4th and Virginia
This was a fallback - we eat here often. However, we deviated from the usual order of shawarma: salmon kebabs and a lamb burger. Thumbs up.

Terra Plata, Pike and Melrose
Technically in “Capitol Hill”, Terra Plata is a very short walk from downtown. Adam ate a tasty water buffalo burger, i went with the roast pig (and chorizo and clams). Hope you understand what I mean when I say they make *real* food. Churros and a grapefruit and vanilla bean sorbet for dessert.