Sunday, December 7, 2014

Allergen-Free Slow Cooker Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

Posting my recipes on my blog has become really handy. Last week, my husband was able to cook one of my recipes by looking it up on my blog while I was at work. I do intend to print these out, but it's one of those things I haven't gotten around to.

I am planning to print several recipes for my family and friends before I go into labor with this baby. I doubt I will be able to cook for a while after he's born, and I would like to be fed. For a person with a normal diet, this probably wouldn't be a big deal, but for a person like me with several food intolerances, it's going to help to be able to give exact instructions.

My last big success in the kitchen has been this winner, Turkey and Quinoa meatloaf. (You can find the original recipe on Allrecipes.com by clicking here.)  Both my husband and I really like this meatloaf. There are never any leftovers when I cook it. Normally I would make meatloaf with ground beef and oatmeal, but I think this recipe is superior in taste to even that!

Of course I adapted the recipe. First of all, I needed it to be non-allergenic. Secondly, I wanted to cook it in the slow cooker because I don't have a working oven. What follows is my adaptation.

Allergen-Free Slow Cooker Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf
(gluten-free, soy-free, corn-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free)
adapted from original recipe by Drew on Allrecipes.com
This makes about 5 servings, so if you have more than two people in your family, you should probably double the recipe.

Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground turkey (I buy the frozen meat from ALDI and thaw it.)
  • 1/4 c. quinoa
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 1 tsp. oil (I use canola.)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic, chopped (I use 1 tbs. of pre-chopped, canned garlic.)
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste, 1 tbsp. ketchup, or 1/4 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz. can) (I have used both the ketchup and the diced tomatoes successfully. I never have tomato paste on hand.)
  • 1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce
  • 1 tsp. smoke flavoring (the original recipe calls for 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, but I substitute smoke flavoring because it has no allergens.)
  • 1 tbsp. ground flax seed (can use 1 egg if you aren't allergic)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • (optional) 2 tbsp. brown sugar (I misread the recipe and put this in the meatloaf instead of the sauce once. I thought it was better that way. It made the meatloaf sweeter.)
  • Ingredients for the sauce topping are listed on the original recipe. I have never made the sauce because I cook this in the slow cooker. I tend to eat the meatloaf plain or use ketchup. Since I can't vouch for the sauce, I'm not going to post it here.
Directions
  • Cook the quinoa in the water on the stovetop. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool.
  • Using the oil, saute the chopped onion until it is translucent. Add the garlic during the last minute of cooking. This should take about 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
  • In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, onions, garlic, turkey, and remaining ingredients.
  • Place the mixture on a piece of aluminum foil, and shape it into a loaf. Wrap the aluminum foil around the loaf. Poke several small holes in the bottom of the foil for drainage.
  • Place a heatproof bowl or bowls into the bottom of your slow cooker. Put the wrapped loaf on top of the bowls. This will allow your meatloaf to bake while the juices can drain out.
  • Bake on high for 3-4 hours. I've never cooked it on low, but it could probably be done in 6-7 hours. Check with a meat thermometer for a temperature of 165 degrees F for doneness.
 Another time-saving tip for this meal is to cook your veggies in the slow cooker with your meatloaf. I have room in my slow cooker to wrap up some veggies in foil and stick them in there with the meatloaf. I've used both green beans and frozen California mix veggies. Just place on foil, add salt, pepper, and any other spice you want (I use Italian), spray with a squirt of (allergen-free) cooking spray, and wrap it up. Make sure you poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage.

Yum! I wish I had some right now!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Allergen-Free Chicken and Dumplings

I have been cooking a lot lately, due to my allergies and intolerances. I have to cook from scratch because it's difficult to find pre-made products that don't include one of my trigger foods. I also spend a lot of time searching for allergen-free recipes online. It's easy to find gluten-free recipes; not so easy to find recipes that are also egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and corn-free. Good thing I'm skilled in recipe adaptation.

I was craving chicken and dumplings this week, and though I searched several web sites, I could not find a recipe that worked for me. Not to be defeated, I frankensteined one together from several different recipes. Amazingly, it turned out to be super delicious! My husband, who has no allergies, thought they were great as well. So, in case someone else like me is frantically searching online for an allergen-free chicken and dumpling recipe, I thought I'd post mine.

This is what they call "southern-style" chicken and dumplings, where the dumplings are more like noodles than biscuits. I didn't know it was southern-style, to be honest, I thought it was the only way to make them until I started looking up recipes. These dumplings will be fairly soft and doughy. I like them that way, but if you don't, you may want to try something different. I wish I had a photo, but we already ate these dumplings up!

Allergen-free Chicken and Dumplings
(gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, nut-free)

Ingredients:
2 chicken leg quarters or equivalent bone-in chicken
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
1/4 c. chopped onions
1 tsp. salt or salt to taste
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. ground pepper or pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. gluten-free Bisquick*
1/3 c. coconut oil
about 1 c. water

Instructions:
1. Boil chicken in enough water to cover. Add salt to broth while cooking. This should take about 30 minutes. Chicken is done when it's fork tender and no longer pink inside. Remove chicken and allow to cool.

2. Add mushrooms, onions, pepper, parsley, and thyme to broth. Keep boiling on low heat. Cover pot. You probably want the vegetables to cook for 20 minutes or so. I simmered mine while I de-boned the chicken and made the dumplings, and that worked well.

3. De-bone chicken and add chicken back into pot.

4. To make dumplings, cut coconut oil into Bisquick until small crumbs form and/or you can pinch the mixture together and it sticks. (Use a pastry blender or a fork for this. You could probably also mix it in a food processor, but I don't bother.)

5. Add in water, about 1/4 c. at a time, mixing until the dough sticks together. You want it to be somewhere between crumbly and wet. If you get it too wet, you can always add in more Bisquick. It's going to be more crumbly than a wheat flour dough, however, and that's OK.

6. Knead 4-5 times and roll out between two sheets of wax paper until it is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. You can flour the paper with either Bisquick or another gluten-free flour. Remove top sheet of wax paper and cut dough into 1"x3" strips. I salted my strips at this point. I don't know if that's necessary, but I like salty dumplings.

7. Quickly add the strips to the boiling stew. (A good number of mine broke in two as I was peeling them off the paper, but that didn't hurt anything.) Keep the lid on the pot for 20 minutes while the dumplings cook.

8. Enjoy your delicious, allergen-free chicken and dumplings!

*Always check the ingredients of any baking mixes. I can personally tolerate gluten-free Bisquick, but others may not. If you are unable to use Bisquick, you might try another baking mix. If you use a gluten-free flour instead, make sure to add xanthan gum and baking powder to it.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Prayer

Over the years, I have really struggled with prayer. I have trouble understanding why I need to pray. I have trouble making time to pray. I have trouble knowing what to say when I pray. I have trouble staying focused while praying. You see what I mean.

More times than I can count, I have asked the Lord to teach me to pray better. I want to be a prayer warrior, but I don't know how to become one. If only the Lord would flip a switch, or send me the right book with all the answers, I could get past this roadblock. It hasn't happened yet.

A couple of weeks ago, the Lord flipped a different switch, and I realized something important about prayer. It happened while I was repenting for my poor prayer life and asking again for help. I thought, if only I could learn how to pray, this part of my life would be easier! Then I thought, maybe it's never going to be easy. Maybe it's OK that I struggle through this every day. Maybe that's the way it is supposed to be. Maybe this is part of the battle.

You might think this would depress me, but it didn't. Instead, this gave me hope. For so long I believed that I was a terrible Christian because I did not pray well. Now I feel like I am fighting through the barriers every day, having a difficult time, but doing it anyway. It used to feel like a defeat, but now it feels like a victory.

I doubt that prayer is the only Christian discipline that this applies to. If you struggle with Bible reading, or attending church, or being kind to your neighbor, if you have to fight your way through, don't be discouraged. When you push forward, regardless of the opposition, you ARE winning.

Soldier on.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Allergen-Free Waffles

I made these waffles Saturday. Also, I didn't want to get out of bed. When my dear, sweet husband said, "I'm hungry for waffles," I said, "Will you cook them, please?" But my recipe was totally stored in my cranium. So I hauled myself out of the warm fuzzies, and got going. But not without making a mental note to write this recipe down for a future time when my husband would do me a big favor.

I apologize that I don't have an awesome photo of waffles dripping with toppings for you. However, I never thought of taking a photo before eating them up.

Allergen-Free Waffles
Loosely based on a recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook
Gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and egg-free

Dry Ingredients:
  • 1 ¼ c. gluten-free flour mix*
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder**
  • 1 tsp. xanthan gum
  • dash cinnamon
  • dash salt
  • dash sugar

Wet Ingredients:
  • 1 1/8 c. water
  • 3/8 c. canola oil***
  • 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed soaked in ½ c. warm water
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:
  1. Soak two tablespoons of ground flaxseed in ½ c. warm water. Mix with small whisk or spoon. Let sit while you combine dry ingredients.
  2. Combine all dry ingredients and stir until mixed.
  3. Combine all wet ingredients and stir until mixed.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir well. Let sit for 3-4 minutes.
  5. Stir again, then add to waffle iron using a small measuring cup or large spoon.

*My gluten-free flour mix is two parts sorghum flour, one part brown rice flour, and one part tapioca starch.
**To avoid corn starch, use Hain baking powder, which is made with potato starch. Alternatively, you could use baking soda and cream of tarter. That's even yummier!
***The reason these measurements are weird is because my recipe used to be 1 ¼ c. milk and ¼ c. oil. When I cut dairy, I decided to up the oil a bit to replace the fat that's in the milk.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

How I Became Crunchy Without Trying

crunch·y  [ krĂșnchee ]
1. crisp and crushable: crisp and making a crunching sound when eaten or walked upon 
(Bing Dictionary)

Well, that's not it!

2. Sometimes, crunchy granola. Informal. health-conscious and environmentally aware
(Dictionary.com)

There it is!

Last week, I asked my sister if we were crunchy. (That's crunchy 2., and not crunchy 1.) She said, yeah, sorta, but you're crunchier than I am. 

I am?

Yeah, but mainly because you have to be with all your food problems.

And she's right. Me, the kid who grew up on hot dogs and Velveeta cheese. I'm sorta crunchy now. I'm "health-conscious and environmentally aware." How did this happen to me?

We'll start with the food problems. Before it was cool, about eight years ago, I developed a gluten intolerance. Since then I have been a strict label-reader. I know what I'm eating, because if not, I get sick. Over the past few years, I have also developed either allergies or intolerances to corn, soy, and dairy. (Yes, I know, that totally stinks.) Therefore, I spend a lot of time at the health food store, trying to find food that doesn't have corn starch or soy lecithin or sodium caseinate added to it. And I cannot eat fast food. At all. So, through no desire of my own, I have become a healthy eater.

And then there's the "environmentally aware" part. I'm no tree-hugger, but I spent three years teaching environmental science in public schools, and I learned a lot about being a responsible Earth-dweller. In addition to that, I'm really cheap. I'm not sure if major corporations and their advertising firms realize this, but a big part of being "green" is NOT BUYING STUFF. And that is right up my alley. I don't have to have new things. I like buying used. I like buying quality goods that last forever. And I like fixing things that are broken so they can be used again. And when they are past repair, I like recycling or repurposing. I'm just weird that way.

If you look up "crunchy" online, you might find that it has a correlation with left-leaning political persuasions. I just want to make it clear that I am not that kind of crunchy. As long as the left is pro-abortion, pro-homosexual rights, pro-social programs, and pro-government control, I'm gonna be on the right, thank you. I would expound on that, but that's another topic for another day.

So there you are. Never thought I'd be crunchy, but maybe I am.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Catharsis

Catharsis  
noun [kuh-thahr-sis], plural catharses [kuh-thahr-seez]
1.the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music. (Dictionary.com)

Writing has always been my main form of catharsis. Not only does it relieve me from the weight of my emotions, but it also pulls the strings of my thoughts into a logical pattern. 

The rest of this post is my catharsis.

Since I've been married, I have not worked full-time. It was a decision that Chris and I made together, considering a lot of different factors, and it has worked very well for us. Knowing that we made the right decision is not hard. The hard part is evaluating and coming to terms with my emotions and expectations about working inside and outside the home.

On the front end, I don't blame anyone else for my own feelings. They are mine, and though our culture has probably shaped them, they are still mine alone. Please don't get offended and think that I am angry at you or anyone else, because I'm not. I'm only myself, trying to figure out my own life.

Since I have stopped working full-time (I substitute teach three days a week during the school year), I have struggled with my value as a person. It seems that for the years that I was working, I derived my value from my paycheck. If my employer thought I was valuable, then surely I was valuable! But now I get no paycheck for what I do. I cook and clean and run errands and try to make a comfortable home, but no one cuts me a check at the end of the month. And somehow that makes me feel like maybe I'm not valuable anymore.

Another wall that I have hit is that I have lost my self-identity. As a working person, my identity was found in my job. To the question "Who are you?" I might answer, "I am a teacher." Now that I am no longer a teacher, I find that question harder to answer. I should be able to say, "I am a wife," but I think of all the wives who have more hats than I do, and I think that only being a wife is not enough for my whole self-identity.

Then, of course, there is the problem of the running commentary in my mind of what other people are thinking about me. I know that it's mostly the product of my own imagination, though I do get the occasional "What do you do all day?" and "I hope you can find something soon." My running commentary tells me that other people think I am lazy or self-centered, and I am shamed.

What is the solution? I suppose I'm still figuring that out. Here's what I've got so far.

1. I've got to stop valuing myself based on externals like a salary, tasks crossed of a to-do list, and general non-focused busyness. My value is in who I am as a person and a child of God, not in what I have or have not done. I am responsible to use my life in service to God and my family, but that is not what gives me my value.

2. I've got to find creative ways to express myself as a wife, so that being a wife will be an acceptable identity for me. If I only focus on the monotonous part of my role, like laundry (ugh!), then being a wife will seem small in my eyes. But if I can get a bigger focus, if I can use my time to make a beautiful, welcoming, loving home, then being a wife will become a challenge to pour myself into.

3. I've got to stop allowing myself to "talk" for other people. I can't read another person's mind. Why should I imagine that they think I am lazy? Maybe they wish they were in my shoes instead. And for those people who ask what I do all day, I've got to remember that I don't have to justify myself to anyone but God and my husband. If I paint my toenails all day, it's none of their business!

Writing this has clarified my thoughts and helped me put my emotions where they belong. Thanks for coming along with me for the journey. Are there ways that you have combated feelings of worthlessness or lack of identity? I welcome your feedback.

For further reading, you might check out Matt Walsh's blog post, "You're a stay-at-home mom? What do you DO all day?

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Life Is Weird

Life is weird.

Life is weird because as soon as I think I know what I'm doing, then my circumstances change and I get lost again.

Life is weird because what I thought would hinder me on my journey actually serves to spur me on.

Life is weird because in the midst of some pretty awful stuff I also experience very amazing stuff.

Life is weird because my preconceptions are constantly on trial.

Life is weird because even though I know God is good, I still wonder if I'm good enough for Him to be good to.

Life is weird because the closer I get to a goal, the more I question its validity.

Life is so weird, that I give up, I quit. I'm no longer going to try to hold it all together. The seams keep rending, and the patches peel.

That's right, did you hear that, Life? No more.

Life is weird because it doesn't listen to me.