Spring Veggie Soup

I know, I've been away from here for far too long. I haven't forgotten about this space, or the people who stop by here, I've been thinking of it all very often. But I've been unable to make myself write anything recently, and I blame this on benadryl. I've been on benadryl every day for more than a month, but I'm delighted to say that I'm back and feeling much more like myself again. I owe this recovery to my holistic allergist. I know I said before that I was sceptical about the BIE allergy treatments I've been having...but I think I'm proof that they work!

My allergist has been clearing me for a lot of different foods, but most importantly, she has been clearing me for different emotions. She has a theory that many allergies are caused by emotional issues; your body creates allergies as a response to things it cannot properly deal with. (I know, it sounds crazy...but it actually works!) She helps my emotional issues by clearing them with BIE, and using something called Neuro Emotional Technique (NET). For me, the big emotions are stress and anxiety, and I can tell that it's working!

She has also begun clearing me for bread crumbs and the smell of wheat baking, since I have allergic reactions to airborne wheat. Since this clearing I have smelled the bread baking for Subway sandwiches while standing in a store adjacent to it, without a reaction. I started sneezing and thought that I was going to have a reaction, but it stopped. It stopped! A-mazing.

I will post more about BIE another time, but for now I have a recipe I have been excited to share. I created this soup when we had a fridge full of veggies and needed something for dinner. It was perfect the first time, and I have been able to re-create it a few times since. I call this my Spring Veggie Soup because it takes advantage of delicate asparagus, and deliciously sweet peas. It is too early in the year for those to be harvested here yet, but they are readily available in grocery stores. I tend to always have frozen peas in the house, I agree with Jamie Oliver and think that they are the best frozen veggie, mostly because they do not lose much of their integrity when frozen.

Spring Veggie Soup

2 onions
1 fennel bulb
2 cups/500 mls of chopped celery, about 4-6 sticks, depending on size. You can include the leaves too, if you wish.
1 tsp dried thyme leaves, not ground
1 tsp dried lavender, not ground
about 12 cups/ 3 litres of chicken or veggie stock
2 cups/500 mls of chopped asparagus, about one bunch
1 cup/250 mls of peas, fresh or frozen
sea salt and pepper, to taste
juice of one lemon
a few pinches of lemon zest


Slice onion and fennel thinly. In a large pot add the onions and fennel, some oil, and a teaspoon or two of sea salt. Cook on medium heat until caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Add celery, thyme, lavender, and stock.  Simmer until celery is nearly tender. Add asparagus, and simmer until nearly tender, about a minute or two. Add peas and bring them to temperature. Season to taste with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and zest. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes:

- This makes a big pot of soup, if you want a smaller batch simply reduce the quantity of the veggies by half.

- The asparagus and peas will be vibrant green if you eat this soup right away. While they sit in the soup they will lose that colour, so if that is important to you try serving this right away. While you do lose colour in those veggies as time goes by, you gain flavour so do not be discouraged.

- If you only have ground spices then make sure to reduce the amount listed here, and season to taste.

Alterations:

- If you are allergic to onions and/or fennel you may make this soup without them, but make sure you have a flavourful stock to compensate.

- If you are allergic to any of the green vegetables, or the herbs listed simply omit them or replace them with your favourite.

- If you are allergic to lemons you may simply omit the zest from the soup. You will want a bit of acidity in the soup, so try replacing with apple cider vinegar, but go slowly and keep tasting to ensure you do not overdo it.

I have linked this recipe with Allergy Friendly Friday (Saturday this week). Check out the other amazing recipes there!

*Please Note* These recipes are part of my personal allergy diet. Please remember that everyone's allergies are different.  If you are unsure about any ingredients listed in these recipes please check with your doctor before introducing.

Herbed Goat Cheese Ball

Herbed Goat Cheese Ball

Over the Christmas holidays I got together with some of my girlfriends from high school. I brought a spread of finger foods food for everyone. I made some Rosemary Flatbread and served it with caramelized onions, garlic, and ginger, and roasted sweet potato - this was inspired by my Flatbread with Roasted Squash and Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger. We also had some smoked salmon (store-bought, I admit), a green olive tapenade (recipe to follow soon), and the favourite of the night - Herbed Goat Cheese Ball. It was a serve-yourself affair, all of the dishes laid out before us. This way everyone was free to take a bit of this, and a bit of that to make their own combination of flavours. A great combination is caramelized onions, garlic, and ginger alongside the Herbed Goat Cheese Ball on some Rosemary Flatbread. SO delicious!

Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger

I realize that my blog usually does not include recipes with casein, so I never use dairy, but I have just been able to re-introduce goat cheese and yogurt with some success. It is possible that goat milk is giving me migraines, but I am going to see if my holistic allergist can help with that. I have heard that some people with dairy sensitivity, or digestive problems, can tolerate some goat milk products, while they cannot tolerate cow's milk. I'm going to look into this further. As always, be sure to check with your doctor before introducing anything new into your diet. If you are casein or dairy-free, I'm sure this recipe would work well with any non-dairy cream cheese.

This recipe is dead simple, so I feel a little silly for posting it. BUT, my friends insisted that I include it on my blog, so that they could make it to impress company. I thought this was quite a compliment. I hope that you and your guests enjoy it too!

The Perfect Lunch: Apple Slices and Rice Crackers Topped with: Herbed Goat Cheese Ball, Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger

Herbed Goat Cheese Ball

This cheese ball takes only a minute to make. If you have time, try to make it the day before you wish to serve it, as this allows time for the flavours to meld nicely together. If you cannot make it in advance, it is also delicious served right away.

About 1/2 cup soft, unripened goat cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
Pinch of pepper

In a small or medium bowl mash goat cheese with a fork until it is a bit softer and broken up. Add the spices and pepper and mix thoroughly to combine. Once combined, take cheese in your hand and gently form into a ball.

You could serve this cheese ball as mentioned above, as an addition to a cheese plate, or with your favourite bread or crackers and some apple slices for the perfect lunch. Alternatively, instead of making this into a ball, you could crumble the goat cheese and herb mixture over a salad, pizza, or pasta. Yum!

Alterations: (updated, I forgot to include this in the original post)


- As mentioned above, if you are dairy or casein-free you can try making this recipe with dairy-free cream cheese. I haven't tried this, but I'm sure it would be equally as delicious.

- If you are allergic to any of the herbs in this recipe simply omit them, or create your own spice blend.  

I have linked this post to Allergy Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Health 2day Wednesdays. Check out the other great recipes there!

*Please Note* These recipes are part of my personal allergy diet. Please remember that everyone's allergies are different.  If you are unsure about any ingredients listed in these recipes please check with your doctor before introducing.

Flatbread with Roasted Squash, Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger

This is a recipe I hope will be helpful for my readers from the US who are celebrating Thanksgiving. I missed posting something special for Canadian Thanksgiving, so hopefully this makes up for that :) My husband and I just came up with this recipe last night - I realize it's a little late, so I apologize for not being able to post sooner. This recipe is so quick and simple to make, and I'm sure you already have most, if not all, of the ingredients on hand. This is also a great recipe to serve the day after your big Thanksgiving feast because you can use up any leftover squash.

Now, from my photos this recipe does not look glamorous. I could have made it look a bit better but I was in a benadryl fog, so this was the result. Do not be fooled by the different steps I have outlined below, this bread is so simple to make (and it is so, SO delicious). We ate this last night with a simple vegetarian curried soup and it was a perfect meal. This bread would be great as an appetizer, an entree (like pizza) served with a nice salad on the side, or an accompaniment to any soup. Try it with my Onion Soup or Golden Hubbard Squash Soup.

This recipe is a variation of my Rosemary Flatbread with Caramelized Onions.

 Flatbread with Roasted Squash, Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger

Please note - I would prepare the steps of this recipe in the order listed, so that you save a  bit of time.

Roasted Squash:

Use leftover squash, (you only need about one cup) or follow these directions for roasted squash

One small squash - I used butternut because that is what I had on hand, but feel free to use whatever is available.
3-4 tbsps olive oil, or oil of your choice
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to  400˚F/204˚C. Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds (save for roasting - they are delicious!). Massage some oil, salt, and pepper into the flesh of the squash and place cut-side down on a baking sheet covered in parchment. Place on the bottom rack of your oven and roast until tender. It will take approximately 20-45 minutes, depending on the type and size of your squash. Serve on flatbread.

- This method will give you some nice caramelization on the squash. If you do not want this, add a bit of water to your baking sheet so that the squash steams instead.

If you want a fancier-looking flatbread:

Preheat oven to  400˚F/204˚C. Cut your squash into smallish cubes. Toss with oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper. Roast on the bottom rack for about 20-30 minutes, turning frequently to brown as many sides as possible. Serve on flatbread.

Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger:

4-5 medium-sized onions
4-5 cloves of garlic
About 2 thumbs (works out to about 3-4 tbsps) of fresh ginger root
About 4 tbsps of olive oil, or oil of your choice

Try to slice onions no more than 5mm/0.19in thick - the thinner they are sliced, the quicker they caramelize. Place onions and oil in wide-bottomed pot or pan. On medium heat, bring your onions to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the onions cook and begin to brown you will have to stir them more often so make sure to keep an eye on them. If you notice them starting to burn then turn down your heat. De-glaze your pan every once-in-a-while with some water, making sure to scrape off the caramelization from the bottom of your pan. To tell when your onions are done, look for a deep caramel colour, like the photo above.

Mince garlic and ginger and add to caramelized onions. Cook on medium-low heat until the garlic and ginger are tender (about 5-10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and serve on the flatbread.  

Note: If you happen to be making my Onion Soup, reserve about 1/3 cup of your caramelized onions for the flatbread.

Flatbread:

2 cups/500 mls brown rice flour
1 tsp salt
Pinch of ground pepper
1 cup/250 mls water
1/4 cup/60 mls olive oil or oil of your choice

Preheat oven to 400˚F/204˚C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with a generous amount of oil. In a medium-sized bowl mix brown rice flour, salt, and pepper. Mix oil and water in a small bowl and add to dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or your fingers, stir until combined. The mixture will be like a wet dough or very thick batter. Using your hands or a spoon, drop the dough onto the baking sheet. With oiled fingers pat dough to about 1 cm/0.39 inches thick. Bake on the bottom rack of your oven for 15-20 mins, or until the bottom is golden brown and bread is firm to the touch. Top with Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Ginger.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish or appetizer. If you are serving this as an entree you may want to double the recipe.

Notes:

- If you find your bread needs a little longer to cook, make sure to watch it carefully because it will burn very quickly.

Alterations:

- If you are grain-free but can eat legumes: I have made this bread with chickpea flour with decent success but the bread turns out a bit more dry. You may have to adjust the amount of liquid or oil to ensure your bread is moist enough. I have recently become allergic to chickpeas, or else I would figure out the measurements for you!

- If you are allergic to onion, garlic, or ginger simply omit them, or create your own spice blend.

- If you are allergic to squash you may want to use sweet potato. It will give you different results but I'm sure it will be equally as delicious.

- You can use this bread for a pizza crust but I suggest that you pre-bake the crust almost until cooked. If not, you may end up with a soggy crust.

I linked this post to Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Health 2 Day Wednesdays, Allergy Friendly Friday, Freaky Friday, Living Well Blog Hop. Check out the other great recipes linked there!

*Please Note* These recipes are part of my personal allergy diet. Please remember that everyone's allergies are different.  If you are unsure about any ingredients listed in these recipes please check with your doctor before introducing.

Rosemary Flatbread with Caramelized Onions

Rosemary Flatbread with Caramelized Onions

It was about a year and a half ago when I first went gluten and wheat free. It was part of a Brown Rice Cleanse, a kind of elimination diet. The original plan was for me to cleanse for two or three weeks, and then begin to re-introduce foods. The hope was to find out what had caused my chronic migraines. To date, I have successfully re-introduced just a handful of items, and found many along the way that I am allergic to, a lot of which cause anaphylaxis.

Surprisingly, one thing that I didn't miss at the beginning of my elimination diet was bread. Now this has changed, let me tell you. I catch myself daydreaming about crusty baguettes or toast with butter and jam.

Mmm...

Because of my elimination diet, I'm also not eating yeast or eggs, so this makes baking very difficult. I still can't make a successful loaf of bread, but I have created a delicious flat-bread that can be topped, or dipped, any number of ways.  I suggest topping it with caramelized onions or serve it with my Baked Artichoke Dip or Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Dip.

Rosemary Flatbread

2 cups/500 mls brown rice flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps dried rosemary leaves
Pinch of ground pepper
1 cup/250 mls water
1/4 cup/60 mls olive oil or oil of your choice

Preheat oven to 400˚F/204˚C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with a generous amount of oil. In a medium-sized bowl mix brown rice flour, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix oil and water in a small bowl and add to dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or your fingers, stir until combined. The mixture will be like a wet dough or very thick batter. Using your hands or a spoon, drop the dough onto the baking sheet. With oiled fingers pat dough about 1 cm/0.39 inches thick. Bake on the bottom rack of your oven for 15-20 mins, or until the bottom is golden brown and bread is firm to the touch. Serve topped with caramelized onions (recipe below), your choice of toppings, or try it with my Baked Artichoke Dip or Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Dip.

Note: If you happen to be making my Onion Soup, reserve about 1/3 cup of your caramelized onions for the flatbread. Or use the recipe below:

Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onions

4-5 medium onions
3-4 tbsps of olive oil, or oil of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

Try to slice onions no more than 5mm/0.19in thick - the thinner they are sliced, the quicker they caramelize. Place onions and oil in a large, wide-bottomed pot. On medium heat, bring your onions to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the onions cook and begin to brown you will have to stir them more often so make sure to keep an eye on them. If you notice them starting to burn then turn down your heat. De-glaze your pan every once-in-a-while with some water, making sure to scrape off the caramelization from the bottom of your pan. To tell when your onions are done, look for a deep caramel colour, like the photo above. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the flatbread.

Notes:

- If you find your bread needs a little longer to cook, make sure to watch it carefully because it will burn very quickly.

Alterations:

- If you are grain-free but can eat legumes: I have made this bread with chickpea flour with decent success but the bread turns out a bit more dry. You may have to adjust the amount of liquid or oil to ensure your bread is moist enough. I have recently become allergic to chickpeas, or else I would figure out the measurements for you!

- You can use this bread for a pizza crust but I suggest that you pre-bake the crust almost until cooked. If not, you may end up with a soggy crust.

*Please Note* These recipes are part of my personal allergy diet. Please remember that everyone's allergies are different.  If you are unsure about any ingredients listed in these recipes please check with your doctor before introducing.

Baked Artichoke Dip

Baked Artichoke Dip with Rosemary Flatbread

I'm back from reaction-migraine land. I think... 

I've had a few surprise reactions lately and now have to add more foods to my list of danger foods - cauliflower and kale. I'm sad to see these foods go, but (fingers crossed) it is possible that I may be able to eat them again if all goes well with my BIE allergy treatment. I eat cauliflower and kale ALL the time - I suppose this could be one of the reasons that I developed allergies to them. I sometimes forget about eating a food in moderation because my diet often seems so limited, so I take what I can get. Losing these foods has made things a bit more difficult. I find that sometimes I finally learn how to cope with this allergy and then something like this turns my world upside down again. I'm getting better at bouncing back though - I'm learning about my own resilience. It's strange how food has such a hold on us, and even stranger how emotional it all can be. My plan now is to write down my list of safe foods and I hope that when I see that list I will feel a bit better about my food options. 

On a brighter note, this past weekend was a party for my nephew's second birthday. My sister asked me to make my Baked Artichoke Dip, because it's one of his favourites. I didn't get a photo this weekend, but the one below of the two of us is from the summer...you get the idea!

My nephew enjoying Baked Artichoke Dip and Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Dip

This dip is so quick and simple to prepare. It takes only a minute to throw together and then a little while to cook in the oven. Compared to conventional artichoke dip this dip has no dairy or eggs, but it is still full of flavour. I promise your guests will not even miss the dairy or eggs.


Baked Artichoke Dip

1 can of artichoke hearts or 4-5 artichoke hearts
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup/62.5 mls olive oil or oil of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400˚F/204˚C. In a food processor or blender place artichoke hearts, garlic and olive oil. Blend until smooth, adding more oil if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in an oven-safe bowl and bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges start to bubble and brown slightly.

Serve hot, cold, or room temperature. This dip pairs perfectly with my Rosemary Flatbread, which cooks in about the same amount of time, at the same temperature. You could also serve it with crackers or veggies. This dip will keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for about a week.

 Notes:

-You can easily double this recipe but you may need to bake it for a few additional minutes. 

- If you are allergic to artichokes but can tolerate zucchini, try my Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Dip.

I linked this post to Cybele Pascal's Allergy Friendly Friday here and Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery's Lunchbox Love here. Check out the other great recipes!

*Please Note* These recipes are part of my personal allergy diet. Please remember that everyone's allergies are different.  If you are unsure about any ingredients listed in these recipes please check with your doctor before introducing.

Onion Soup

This post comes to you from the land of migraine fog. Sorry in advance if there are any sections that make absolutely no sense what-so-ever. I have a migraine because about 48 hours ago I tried a buttercup squash for the first time and ended up having an allergic reaction. I thought this strange since I have regularly been eating Golden Hubbard, Butternut and Pumpkin. My generally unpredictable health has a new sliver of predictability. If I have an allergic reaction, I have a migraine 48 hours later. If it was a bad reaction, I will also have a migraine 72 hours later. If I can find one little piece of this allergy puzzle to appreciate it is that my migraines are like clockwork. I suppose that's helpful in a sense, but excuse me if I don't jump for joy!

You may ask "why are you posting when you have a migraine?". Because I'm stubborn and sick of my health dictating things. Not this time, migraine. This time I win.  

Migraine, make way for my Onion Soup! 

I try to make my meals as affordable as I can, especially because many allergy-friendly foods are quite expensive (like specialty flours and pastas). Because of this I am trying to save where I can and one of my idea is to have at least one soup night a week. We have declared onions a food-group in our house. We cook with them every day. I suppose that's an uplifting part of my allergies - I can still eat onions! Let's hope that doesn't change! The caramelization of onions for this soup is a bit time consuming but I promise you, it is well worth it. While cooking, the onions will scent your house like you have never imagined. It will make your stomach growl with hunger.

Onion Soup

 
Serve this soup as a starter, or as a main meal with flat bread, crackers or try my Sweet Potato Fritters.

5-6lbs / 2.3-2.7kgs of onions
4 tbsps olive oil
6-8 cups / 1500-2000 mls of stock (chicken, beef or veggie)
Salt and pepper to taste

Try to slice onions no more than 5mm/0.19in thick - the thinner they are sliced, the quicker they caramelize. Place onions and oil in a large, wide-bottomed pot. On medium heat, bring your onions to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the onions cook and begin to brown you will have to stir them more often so make sure to keep an eye on them. If you notice them starting to burn then turn down your heat. De-glaze your pan every once-in-a-while and make sure to scrape off the caramelization from the bottom of your pan. It will take about an hour to an hour and twenty minutes for your onions to caramelize. You want to look for a deep caramel colour. Once caramelized add your stock, salt, and pepper. Heat and serve!


I added this post to Cybele Pascal's Allergy-Friendly Friday here. Check out the other amazing recipes!

Notes:

- If you are in a hurry but still want onion soup then try separating your onions amongst multiple pots/pans. They will cook faster this way. - I often sneak a few spoonfuls of caramelized onions to put on my husband's sandwiches. They are also delicious on a burger!

- You can always caramelize the onions in advance and store them in the fridge to use later. Or make a double-batch so that you have extra for a rainy day. I'm going to try canning some so that I will have them on hand.

Additions:

- If you have bread that you can eat, toast some and add it to the top of your soup.

- If you can have cheese (dairy or non-dairy) add this too!

Golden Hubbard Squash Soup

Golden Hubbard Squash Soup

This past week was Latex Allergy Awareness week. I guess it shows how new to this allergy I am, because I had no idea! Next year I will try to post something special. 

Seems like I have to get my act together because I have also missed out on posting something for Canadian Thanksgiving, which was this weekend. Perhaps you could make stock from your turkey and use it for this soup?
 
It was pretty cold here about a week ago, but this weekend has been incredibly warm. Last week we harvested sunflowers and squash from the garden. A few of the squash have a touch of frost so we'll have to eat them up sooner rather than later - I'm sure that won't be difficult!

We have been eating our squash for about a month already and have nearly finished all of the Golden Hubbard squash that I planted. This is the first year that I've grown this variety and I look forward to growing it next year too! If you are lucky enough to have access to Golden Hubbard squash, jump on it. They can grow quite huge - I think our largest was nearing 18 lbs - but do not be intimidated by their size! They are so delicious. A word to the wise, you will need a strong, very sharp knife, and perhaps a hand at cutting into them.

Once they are cooked, their flesh is soft and delicate with a nice starchy feel to it. I am allergic to potatoes and I was so pleased to discover that the texture of Golden Hubbard squash is similar to potato, especially when mashed or when it is cooked into a soup.

I have been looking for this soup for the majority of my life. When I was about 4 or 5 years old my family and I went for vacation to Union Island, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The hotel where we stayed made this amazing pumpkin soup. I can still imagine the taste and have been trying to re-create it for YEARS. This soup is the closest I have ever come. It has a buttery flavour and texture from the squash, with a hit of heat from the ginger. It will warm you up on the dampest of fall days. I hope you love it as much as we do!

I shared this recipe on cybelpascal.com for Allergy Friendly Friday. Check out the other recipes that were posted there!

Golden Hubbard Squash Soup with Sweet Potato Fritters

Golden Hubbard Squash Soup

One medium onion
4 tbsps olive oil, or oil of your choice

2-4 thumbs/1.5-4 tbsps of ginger root, or to taste.

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsps ground turmeric
About 10 cups of stock - chicken or veggie
5-8 cups of roasted squash
Juice of one lemon
3/4 cup rice, coconut or other milk of your choice
1-3 tbsps honey, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

To Roast the Squash: 

Preheat oven to 425. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds (save for roasting - they are delicious!) and place cut-side down on a baking sheet covered in parchment. Roast until tender, approx 30-40 mins for small squash and 60-70 mins for large.  

For the Soup:

Dice the onion and in a large pot, saute in oil until translucent, about 10 mins. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Mince or puree ginger root and add to onions, along with the ground spices. Stir for a few minutes so that spices cook a bit - watch carefully so that your spices do not burn. Add your stock and make sure to rub the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck-on spices. Slightly mash your roasted squash and add to the pot. Simmer for a few minutes. If you find you have some large pieces of squash in the soup simply squish them against the side of pot. Add the lemon, milk, honey and salt and pepper to taste.

   

Notes:

- A medium to large Golden Hubbard should be sufficient for this soup, or you may want to use two small squash.

- This makes enough soup to serve about 6-8 people. Feel free to reduce the recipe, if you wish. I always make large amounts of soup and save the leftovers for the next few days or freeze for an easy meal. I find that this soup will keep in the fridge for about a week. A bonus to leftover soup is that it always tastes better than when it was freshly made!

Alterations:

- I prefer this soup to have small pieces of squash but if you wish you can puree the soup if you want a smoother texture.

- If you can tolerate it I suggest using coconut milk, I find that it gives the soup a creamier texture than rice milk.

- If you are allergic to onion or any of the spices simply omit them, or create your own spice blend.

- If you are allergic to squash you may want to try making this soup out of sweet potato. It will give you different results but I'm sure it will be equally as delicious.

- If you cannot find Golden Hubbard squash I would suggest using another Hubbard squash variety like Red or Green Hubbard or pie pumpkins (fresh or canned). I have read that some canned pumpkin is actually Golden Hubbard, so it should have a similar taste and texture.

- If you are allergic to lemon, omit it, but you may want to add just a touch of white wine or vinegar to give it a bit of acidity.

- If you are allergic to honey, omit it, but try to add a bit of sweetener to help balance out the flavours.

Sweet Potato Fritters

Sweet Potato Fritters with Golden Hubbard Squash Soup (Recipe coming soon!)

Because I cook everything myself I try to find ways to cut down on  kitchen time. I like to keep the preparation quick, and keep the ingredient list short. (This also helps to fit our food budget.) These Sweet Potato Fritters have seven ingredients in total - I know that sounds like a lot but that includes water, salt and pepper, and oil for frying. They take just minutes to put together and just a few more to cook. And they are delicious! They get my mind off the survival of food, and remind me of times past spent with great friends and delicious pub food.

These Sweet Potato Fritters were inspired by Ann Vanderhoof's recipe for Plantain Spiders in her book An Embarrassment of Mangoes. (Here is a website for her new book The Spice Necklace). I made Plantain Spiders once, and they are amazingly delicious. Since developing a banana allergy I cannot eat plantain anymore. I find that these Sweet Potato Fritters are a good substitute. We have eaten them as an appetizer, a snack, and also as a veggie side for dinner. They pair perfectly with a bowl of soup. I have to say that my father-in-law is a sweet potato hater and even he likes them. I hope you enjoy them too!

Sweet Potato Fritters

One small sweet potato (preferably organic*)
About 1-2 thumbs of ginger (1-3 tbsps) or to taste
3/4 cup of brown rice flour
3/4 cup water
Pepper
High-heat oil for frying (I use safflower oil)
Fine or medium-grind sea salt

With a large-holed grater, grate the sweet potato into a medium-sized bowl. Grate the ginger with a fine grater, or finely mince or puree, then add to sweet potato. Add rice flour and water to the bowl and mix - I find that my fingers work best in order to get the batter evenly distributed amongst the potato. Add pepper and mix in, do not add salt at this point. Add a few tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan and heat to medium/medium-high but do not allow your oil to smoke. Carefully place batter by tablespoon into pan, quickly spread out the batter (I do this with the back of the spoon) so that it lays flat - this will help it crisp up nicely. Shallow-fry fritters in batches, but be careful to not crowd your pan or they will not fry as evenly or be as crispy. Fry until crispy and golden brown - you will know when to flip them when the outside edges start to brown. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt before they cool. Makes about 25 fritters.

* I suggest that you try to find organic sweet potatoes. I try to buy organic when I can, but I am on a tight budget so I have to pick and choose which foods I purchase organic. I have found that some foods are incredibly improved upon if they have been grown organically and sweet potato is one of them. We even eat the skin of organic sweet potatoes, it will give you some extra fibre too!

I linked this post on Allergy Free Vintage Cooking here for Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love. Check out the other recipes listed!

Troubleshooting:

- I would suggest trying one of your fritters at the beginning of cooking and adjusting your ginger amount, if necessary.

- If your fritters stick to your pan, you may not be using enough oil.


Alterations:

- If you are allergic to sweet potato try using regular potatoes or parsnips.

- If you are allergic to ginger, simply omit it from the recipe. They will still be delicious!

- If you are allergic to rice, try experimenting with a different flour. You may have to adjust the water amount accordingly.  I have also made the batter with chickpea flour.

*Updated Note: Do not use wheat flour for the batter - my sister tried these with regular white wheat flour and they did not work.

Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Dip

I've received so much great feed back so far, thanks to everyone who's visited my blog! I originally intended to post a couple of days ago but have had a rough week. Seems like I would have an easier time if I just followed my own rules. 

In my first post Chocolate Chip Pancakes I mentioned my unwritten rule "I only eat delicious food". This one is a little frivolous, but most are very serious, life-saving rules. I have lots of them now, my list keeps growing. On this list, I now have to add "don't touch anyone if they've eaten wheat". For this to make sense, you have to understand how insanely hyper-sensitive I am to wheat. There is no wheat in the house, but the other day my husband was out and ate a hamburger with a bun. When he got home I gave him a hug and my nose touched his face. I immediately started sneezing and long story short, I had to go to the hospital. Instead of getting frustrated (which is my initial reaction) I'm trying to look at that one as a learning experience and hope that it doesn't happen a second time.

I made these rules in order to protect myself - and still I break them all the time. I broke one just the other day. This rule is "don't use/eat anything before reading the ingredients". The other day I used some old hair mousse that I had. I was sure I had used it since all of these allergies began, so I slathered it all over my hair. Then I thought, "Hmm...better double-check, even though I'm already sure it's OK". And good thing I checked because it had WHEAT in it! Needless to say, I immediately washed the heck out of my hair to get rid of it all. I had a reaction afterward, but I was able to handle it at home with Benadryl. OK....also a learning experience. I get it!

Another rule that I try to follow as best I can is that "I only eat food I have made for myself". I have had countless reactions from food prepared by friends, from restaurants, and pre-packaged foods so that is the reason for this rule.  When it comes to pre-packaged products, unless something specifies that it is free of all gluten or wheat, I will not eat it. If I have a concern about my other allergens, especially banana, I call the company and find out what is processed in the plant. This makes my options for food very limited. I do not even buy things like jam or juice because they may have cross-contamination with other fruits I'm allergic to - the same goes for sauces, soups and dips. Essentially I make all my own food, from scratch. There are few shortcuts - one that I get excited about is using beans from a can....sad, I know.

Following this rule means that I spend a ton of time in the kitchen on a regular basis. But, the silver lining is that this is beneficial for my blog! So, for all of you lovely allergyers out there who tirelessly make all of your own food, here's another recipe. This is my Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Dip. The preparation is quick and easy and it is so delicious and versatile - I also use it as a sauce for pasta, or a condiment. I'm sure you could even add a touch to homemade soups, or even as a pizza sauce. The zucchini in my garden are a little slow this year, but I expect an abundance in no time and when they arrive I will be trying to bottle some of this sauce for later days. If you have latex-food allergy please make sure that you are OK with squash and zucchini before making this recipe. I have seen them listed on some latex lists. If you are unsure, speak to your doctor before introducing a new food. If you are allergic to zucchini I think it would be delicious using roasted asparagus, fennel, cauliflower, or try experimenting with your favourite vegetable. Please let me know how it goes, I'm very interested in hearing about your experiences with my recipes and your comments will be very useful for others too! And remember, try to follow your own rules, they will help protect you.

Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Dip

Serve this dip hot or cold, with crackers or veggies, or try using it in place of other sauces or spreads.

2 medium zucchini
1 bulb of garlic
About 3 tbsps of olive oil (or oil of your choice) plus more for roasting.
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C. Line a baking sheet with parchment and drizzle oil over the surface. Slice zucchini length-wise and place cut-side down on a baking sheet. Drizzle more oil on top of the zucchini. Cut the top off entire bulb of garlic and place on the baking sheet and drizzle top with oil. Roast on the top rack of your oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender. Remove zucchini and reserve in another container, continue roasting the garlic until the cloves are soft and can be squished out of their skin easily, about another 10 minutes.

Cool zucchini and garlic so that you can handle them safely. Put the zucchini, 4 cloves of the roasted garlic, and the oil into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth, adding a bit more oil if necessary. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Makes approximately 1 and 1/2 cup or 375 mls of sauce.

Troubleshooting:

- If you find that your zucchini is not pureeing easily, it may not be cooked enough or you may need a little extra oil to help it along.

Alterations:

- If you are allergic to zucchini substitute it for roasted asparagus, fennel, cauliflower, or try experimenting with your favourite vegetable.

- If you are allergic to garlic simply omit it from the recipe.

- The recipe calls for only 4 cloves of garlic. With this amount, there is a subtle flavour of garlic, without overpowering the taste of the zucchini. Feel free to add more if you are a real garlic lover. I suggest to roast the whole bulb of garlic, simply because it is easier to do it that way. I also find that any leftover roasted garlic can liven up many dishes like soups, or even be used as a spread on a cracker.