Mama Cooks: No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Gluten-free and vegan No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Growing up, we called these cookies "Grandma Cookies" because my Great Grandmother (Hazel) often made them and she always made them perfectly.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar (organic cane sugar)
4 tbsp cocoa (I found a great organic, fair trade cocoa locally)
1 stick butter (I used vegan earth balance)
 1/2 cup milk (coconut, in this case)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups oats (certified gluten-free)
waxed paper

Lay out three long sheets of the waxed paper (or baking parchment paper, as I used) on the counter or table first.  Timing is important here and once you begin this recipe, there is no stopping.  Don't worry, it's not as ominous as it sounds; this is a rather quick one!  In a sauce pan, add the sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Stir  a few times and keep an eye on the pan (watch it until it bubbles).  Set a timer for one minute as soon as the boiling begins.  Stir a bit as needed.  As soon as the timer goes off, add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well and spoon onto the waxed paper (about a tablespoon size).  Allow cookies to cool and harden. 

Mama Cooks: Delicious, allergen-free, pad thai!

Recipe: (all ingredients organic, if this doesn't matter to you, just use whatever you usually buy!)
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots (I double this, and I used organic purple carrots)
12 ounces extra-firm silken tofu, cubed
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup wheat-free tamari sauce
2 tbsp agave nectar (this is key!)
1 tsp red curry pasxte
2 tbsp organic peanut butter
1 cup washed and drained bean sprouts (I omit)
6 ounces uncooked rice noodles (rice sticks), prepared according to package
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice

From Susan O'Brien's "The Gluten-Free Vegan"

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high and add the onions and carrots (I added one chopped zucchini-- you can add just about any vegetable to this pad thai dish).  Saute until the onions become soft, about four to five minutes.  Add the tofu, continue to cook about five minutes.  Add the vinegar, tamari sauce, agave nectar, red curry paste, peanut butter, and sprouts (if using).  Toss to coat, and heat through.  Pour the tofu mixture over the noodles and garnish with green onions and lime juice.  Enjoy!

Mama Cooks: Easy Friday Dinner

Chris requested delicata squash, which is fabulous because it is both delicious and simple to prepare.  Wash, slice, remove seeds and strings and pop into the oven (425 degrees) for about twenty-five minutes.  I added organic tofu to Trader Joe's Biryani Rice and added a little broccoli.  Voila!  I love squash season!

Mama Cooks: Gluten-free, vegan pasta primavera

Yesterday, I realized that I was out of both coconut milk and red chili paste (there is a sentence I never imagined I would write) but I had already diced peppers and zucchini and rinsed my tofu.  Since a curry was out and a plain old stir-fry didn't sound appealing, I decided to get a bit creative.  Henry helped "explore our options," picking boxes and bags out of the cabinet and tossing them onto the floor.  He found some flat rice noodles-- the kind typically used in pad thai or stir-fry noodle dishes.  Perfect!  Since his next big "find" was a huge, open bag of beans, I put him in his high chair and offered some snacks.  He wasn't thrilled with this idea and was sure to let me (and maybe our neighbors) know about it.  Still, I needed to cook dinner.  So, I hurried to make something up that would be tasty!

Here is what I came up with:

Gluten-free Vegan Pasta Primavera

three zucchinis, diced
three green chili peppers, chopped
five small green tomatoes, diced
one clove garlic, minced
one block extra firm tofu, sliced into cubes or rectangles
mixed veggies from freezer, one cup
coconut oil, roughly half cup
pesto,three tablespoons
garlic powder, some healthy shakes (I didn't measure this)
basil (fresh would be best, but I didn't have any on hand), 2 tsp
salt and pepper, a few healthy shakes as I stirred
olive oil, 2 tsp
one cup rice noodles, cooked

I wasn't sure how the coconut oil would work out as a buttery replacement, but I was very pleased!

Order isn't too important here, as long as the noodles make it in toward the end, so that you can just toss all of the ingredients together and serve!  Enjoy!

Mama Cooks: Pretty as Potpourri

This week, my CSA box contained an assortment of summer squashes.  I learned that the vast majority of them were of the "patty pan" variety.  To be honest, they look like the beautiful gourds I use to fill decorative bowls in the autumn, not unlike potpourri.  As it turns out, many of these "gourds" are perfectly edible, flesh and all.  Over the past year, I have expanded my squash repertoire well beyond the acorn and butternut varieties.  Still, I hadn't had patty pan squash until tonight and I was nervous to prepare them. 

Will they be hard to cut?  I wondered.  One tentative slice and I was relieved!  They're very similar to zucchini.  They were easy as can be to chop into 1/4 inch slices.  Because I cook dairy-free, I just used olive oil, sea salt, and pepper but I imagine pasture butter would add nice flavor too.  I sauteed the squash until soft-- but not mushy-- and slightly tan at the edges. 

I served them with assorted salted potatoes and grilled chicken breast (field roast sausage for my vegetarian husband).

Enjoy!

Evelyn Bakes

Evelyn and I took advantage of some Mother-daughter time while Henry napped this afternoon.  We decided to bake something.  "We have all the 'gredients!" Evelyn shouted happily, as I opened our baking cupboard to see what we could make.  We did have ingredients for a number of "made from scratch" recipes, but I knew our time was limited.  Evelyn agreed to make cookies and frosting.  She loves helping to pour in the dry and wet ingredients and switch the kitchenaid mixer.  The sugar cookie mix and vanilla frosting mix we used are from Cherrybrook Kitchen.  Hooray for gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free cookies that taste pretty great! 

Mama Cooks: A Variation on a Theme

 

 

 

 

Fresh ingredients

At least once or twice each week, I make a coconut curry.  It is one of the best dinner solutions for our family's needs (gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegetarian).  Also, it fulfills my major preference for only using one (maybe two if you include the rice) pot! 

This recipe serves as the starting point and I tweak it depending on our CSA farm box or our preferences.  One thing is for sure, the curry definitely involves kale or swiss chard!  This time around, I used zucchini, swiss chard, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, onion, tofu, coconut milk, and red chili paste (with some other spices).

Evelyn's version:  Uncooked tofu strips, fresh snap peas, plain rice

Voila!

Mama Cooks: So much kale!

I really like our CSA.  We are eating seasonally and enjoying a good variety of flavorful organics.  Nevertheless, the amount of kale in our house seems overwhelming at times.  There is only so much kale a person can consume. 

I've had luck adding it to curried dishes and to stir fries.  I've also baked it into "kale chips" but none of us actually like these chips very much.  Tonight I needed to use up a bunch of kale and I decided to cook it with wheat-free tamari sauce and a little olive oil.  I didn't let the leaves wilt completely, in order to maintain some of the bitter taste of the raw leaves.  I think it turned out fairly well.  

Mama Cooks (in pictures): "Special" Quesadillas, Curry, and Ambience!

Gluten-free, dairy -free quesadilla

Swiss chard, et al before I added curry paste and coconut milk.

The tulips are too excitable, it is winter here. (from Sylvia Plath's "Tulips")



Mama Cooks: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I used this recipe at the gluten-free goddess blog as a starting point.  Her cookies look more photogenic than mine, but rest assured that mine were still very tasty!  I try not overload Evelyn with sugar, so I substituted one cup of agave nectar for the one-and-a-half cups of brown sugar. 

Oats (mine were certified gluten-free) are a galactagogue, so I was able to justify my indulgence in a few more cookies than I might otherwise consume.  They only take about twelve minutes in the oven and it is entirely possible to make these cookies with the "help" of a toddler and with a baby in one arm. 

Mama cooks: Brownies from scratch

Yum!

Evelyn and I recently made these brownies.  I was especially eager to try this recipe because brownies (especially the gluten-free variety) normally contain quite a few eggs.  One recipe I found called for six of them!  As I love brownies, but do not love feeling ill after eating them, I turned to my new favorite cookbook.

Gluten-free vegan brownies (also soy-free) from Susan O'Brien's cookbook.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
1 cup applesauce

1 banana, peeled and mashed

1 1/8 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Substitute

2 tablespoons warm water

1 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup rice flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour (I substituted sorghum flour because that's what I had on hand) 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I omitted the walnuts because we didn't have any)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease an eight inch square pan (I used a dairy-free spread).  In large mixing bowl, add the oil and sugar, add the applesauce, mashed banana.  Whisk 2 TBSP warm water with 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G (really dissolve the powder!) and add to mix.  Add the cocoa powder and mix to blend.  In separate bowl sift together the flours, baking soda, xanthan gum, and the salt.  Combine the dry and wet ingredients and blend them well. Do not over beat.  Mix in by hand vegan chocolate chips and walnuts.  Spread evenly in greased pan.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes-- the brownies should be gooey and moist, so a toothpick may not come up perfectly clean.  Let cool for five minutes.  Enjoy!

Food allergies: the next chapter

After seventeen months on a gluten-free diet (and limited eggs and yeast), I met with my doctor for the results of an IgG/ IgA antibody retest.  These antibodies are thought to be associted with Delayed-Onset Hypersenstivity Reactions (not anaphylactic reactions like throat swelling or difficulty breathing).  Recently, I've noticed that some of my old symptoms have been returning and I was discouraged, so I sought answers. 

There was not-so-great news:  new foods to eliminate.  I need to exclude whey (which, to seriously exclude includes basically all dairy and almost any packaged food) and corn (it's everywhere!) from my diet for six weeks.  I also need to be more dilligent about excluding egg whites and yolks in all forms-- even in baked goods. 

After six weeks, beginning with the food causing the lowest reaction, corn, I can try a small amount of each food one at a time to pose a "challenge."  If the symptoms return after a particular food, I need to eliminate it for a much longer period of time.  In the meantime, I continue taking probiotics and eating a whole-food diet to allow my body to heal.  Currently, I am eliminating dairy (because of the whey), corn, eggs, asparagus, oyster, and gluten.  Bananas, cranberries, and pineapples are borderline foods I will probably avoid but I don't need to completely eliminate them for now.

There was a silver lining, however.  This re-test showed that my reaction to gluten in all forms was either non-existant or very low!  I am so surprised; after the first six months without gluten, I tried a small amount and became very sick.  The new results give reason to hope that I can successfully introduce some gluten in the future.  I still need to wait until my body has healed and is symptom-free before adding gluten (hopefully after eliminating the newly reactive foods for about six weeks). 

Whether or not gluten is back on the menu, I can say that I will continue to eat foods as close to their original source as possible.  Crackers, breads, and pastas are simply not going to provide good nutritional foundations.  Still, I am hopeful that there will be a day when I can order a meal right off the menu at any restaurant or prepare a dish exactly the way I remember it from childhood on rare occassions.