New Mexico Style Vegetarian Thanksgiving

My family hosted a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal for our neighbors.  While we are not vegetarians, our neighbors are and we wanted to share in the spirit of Thanksgiving while sparing the turkey. Lucky for me, my husband introduced me to acorn squash and red chile.  This meal was inspired by his New Mexico roots and his love of this unique squash.  

 

To make this meal you will need the following:

• 3 acorn squash
• 1 can of cooked beans
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 cups of cornbread croutons (recipe in post)
• shredded cheddar cheese
• New Mexico style red chile gravy (recipe in post) or use Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce.

Prepare the acorn squash by washing the outside of the squash.  Slice the squash in half from the top to the bottom.  Clean the seeds out with a spoon.  If you have ever cleaned out a pumpkin, the inside of this squash will look very familiar.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place squash in a casserole dish with the hollows of the squash facing up.  Sprinkle each hallow with salt and pepper and about 1-2 TBSP of water.  Cover with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife can easily slide into the flesh.

Saute the onion, then add the beans to heat.  Add the cooked rice.  Fill each cooked squash with a layer of beans and rice, 2 TBSP red chili sauce, 1 TBSP cheddar cheese, 4-5 cornbread croutons, and another layer of cheddar cheese.  Bake the squash for another 10-15 minutes and serve.  Skip the croutons and cheese if needed.

To round out this vegetarian Thanksgiving meal, I served kale salad, corn bread, and pumpkin pie and pumpkin butter with fresh whipped cream.  Below are the recipes and techniques for the rest of the meal.

 

 

 

 

Corn Bread Croutons

1 box of Krusteaz Honey Cornbread mix

Follow the instructions on the box and substitute the egg for a flax egg (see post for flax egg)

Slice 1/3 of the bread into to crouton sized pieces.  Toast pieces in toaster oven until it has a crunchy exterior.  That is the stage right before it turns black and burned.  Experience counts!

Serve the rest of the cornbread with your meal.

 

New Mexico Red Chile Gravy (click for recipe)

 

This is a great recipe, but if you are looking for something a bit more simple, try Frontera Red Chile Enchilada sauce that comes in a pouch.

 

Kale Salad (click for recipe)

 

 

Pumpkin Butter with Cookie Crust

 

Pumpkin pie is loaded with eggs, dairy, and wheat.  This option is vegan and wheat-free.  I serve this version of pumpkin pie in small ramekins. 

 

2, 15 oz cans of unsweetened pumpkin puree

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup apple cider

3/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 teas cinnamon

1 1/2 teas ginger

 

Preheat oven to 350 deg.  Place all ingredients a large casserole dish and stir to blend.  Place casserole dish into the oven.  Stir every 15 minutes until the pumpkin butter has thickened.  This takes about 1 1/2 hours.  Let the pumpkin butter cool and place in an airtight container.  It will keep in the refrigerator.

 

Cookie Crust

 

Newman O's are wheat and dairy free and look just like an Oreo.

 

2-3 cookies per ramekin

 

Mash the cookies until the cream and cookie are well blended.   The cream filling will hold the mixture together.  Mold the cookie crumbs into the bottom and sides of the ramekin.  Fill with pumpkin butter and serve.

10 Reasons to be Thankful for Food Allergies this Season

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have made my list of the 10 reasons that our family can be thankful for having food allergies.  I stress can because we are not perfect and we do not always appreciate the small gifts in life as much as we should.  Living with food allergies is not widely considered a gift, but I have learned that gifts come in unexpected packages.
 

1.  Family:  In the years of dealing with food allergies, my family has been my biggest supporter, my biggest critic, and my biggest point of frustration.  The gift of support is how my family can share in meals, sleepovers, and day trips.  Their support also provides unconditional love, humor, and hugs when needed.  The gift of the critic helps to keep in check my role as 'control freak' and provides a barometer for my level of freakiness.  Dealing with food allergies requires a certain amount of taking control, doubting others, asking questions, and double checking everything-every time.  This sort of behavior generally drives family members crazy.  Being frustrated at my family has not served as a huge gift, but it has taught me some patience in acknowledging my dad's love of anything with peanuts. 

2.  Friends:  A friend who makes an effort to accommodate your needs and has some level of empathy and understanding is a GREAT FRIEND!  Keep them around.  When we moved across the country, we moved away from a group of friends who really knew us and our needs.  My friends would call ahead about dinner menus, wouldn't serve peanut butter, made their own kids' birthday cake out of sliced watermelon rather than using Betty Crocker, would let me know about food allergy cooking ideas, gave me cupcake holders, and would offer their kitchen and home for us to be able to travel.  Thank you! 

3.  Friends with Food Allergies:  It's so nice to know that other families deal with food allergies and that you are not alone.  Meeting a family who also copes with food allergies broadens your knowledge base and your comfort zone. 

4.  Fruit, Vegetables and Legumes:  My kids are not afraid of broccoli, beg for salad, peel and eat a grapefruit, and sing 'Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit" and eat them, too!

5.  Lick the Beaters:  When you do not bake with eggs, you can lick the beaters, the bowl, your hands, your face, etc.

6.  No Begging:  My kids are not beggars at the grocery store for candy bars, they do not assume that every night out on the town ends with a visit to the local ice cream parlor, and time with friends is more centered around play and not food.

7.  Begging for Junk Food:  OK, I just said they were not beggars, but they sure get excited about junk food.  They usually can have less than 10% of the candy in their trick or treat bags, so they get excited about Dum-Dums, Smarties, or Skittles that land in their bag.  The grandparents happily eat the leftover peanut butter candy.

8.  Alternative Food Companies: I am so thankful to be able to buy foods for my family in a grocery store!  There are people and companies who make food geared towards people with food allergies.  They label and list their ingredients clearly.  They make 'cheese' without casein and it even melts!  They make food that tastes good.  Here are some of my favorites:  Enjoy Life makes real chocolate chips.  This is great because carob chips are gross!  Tinkyada rice pasta doesn't fall apart and comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes.  Daiya Cheese and Galaxy Foods makes cheese without nuts, soy and milk/casein.

9. Schools and Teachers:  I am grateful that our experiences at school have been positive.  School administrations and teachers have been willing to learn, change, and accommodate their classrooms to help make school a safe learning environment.

10.  Create, Adapt, Change:  Some of the biggest disruptions in our 'food chain' have opened the door to some of our biggest and best changes in our 'food chain'.  Food ingredients change, bakeries stop making your favorite bread, and stores stop carrying foods you depend upon, but you need to keep searching, adapting, and creating with an open mind.  The gifts will eventually be known to you.

The real gift is present in the knowledge gained, in the creativity that has grown out of the need to adapt, and in the relationships which have demonstrated the true meaning of friendship and love.

P.S.  I am also thankful for the 2 official followers of this blog, my friend Erin and my husband!

I am still hungry! What else is in my lunch box?

My last post focused on the main course of the Allergy and Gluten Free friendly lunch box.  Now, we need to know about what else there is to eat.

 

Veggies:  A side benefit of being allergic to so many foods is that you become a vegetable eater by default.  My son's lunch box will have an assortment of carrot chips or carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli, cauliflower, black olives, and cucumber sticks with a side of hummus.  A great trick is to pack frozen peas or green beans in their lunch.  They will be thawed and ready to eat by lunchtime.  Canned vegetables also come in small containers with an easy open lid.

Fruits:  Again, consuming more fruit is a side benefit of having so many allergies.  Clementines, sliced apples, or berries fresh or frozen (same trick as the peas).  Applesauce also comes in handy squeeze containers! 

 

Crunchy:  Most of the 'easy' crunchy kid foods contain a gazillion allergens and are just junk food.  Allergy and GF friendly options are available, but remember they are still junk food. 

But...

Lay's Classic and Fritos make excellent ways to get the hummus and beans into their diet!  Also try packaging their favorite snacks into small baggies.  Glutino Gluten-Free pretzels, Van's GF crackers, and Snap Pea Crisps.

 

 

 

 

Sweet Tooth:  Newman O's have a wheat and dairy free option, but it's not gluten free.  Enjoy Life snacks also has a new line of yummy flavors.  Try the s'mores bar!

 

Thirsty?:  Pack their favorite milk in a leak proof cup.  I personally like Contigo.  I will pack rice milk with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup or Nestlé's syrup because it adds needed calories to his diet.

The Allergy Friendly and Gluten Free Lunch Box for Kids

The Allergy Friendly and Gluten Free Lunch Box for Kids

I have been packing allergy friendly lunches for my son for nearly 7 years.  I have known about his allergies since he was 4 months old, so I have been packing him lunches for awhile.  The journey has had its moments of frustration, desperation, and aggravation.  But it has also had its joys in what I call victories.  The victory of finding something for him to eat!

The lunch box of a child with food allergies or GF needs can be filled with all kinds of cardboard tasting foods and limited choices.  The challenge is to fill it with nutritious, yummy, kid friendly foods that will meet their nutrition and caloric needs.



The gluten-free, allergy friendly lunch box (before photo)

1.   The Sandwich:  A sandwich is a classic and its easy.  My son's sandwich has not changed much in 4 years. 

• The bread: My favorite bread is from the GF and allergy friendly bakery in Colorado Springs, CO called Outside the Bread Box.  I also use Energy-Life Tapioca Bread. 
• The meat: Hormel Natural Choice is GF and comes pre-packaged to reduce cross contamination from the deli.
• The cheese: Go Veggie! Rice Vegan slices. 
• Extras:  Hummus, mustard, lettuce, etc.

2.   The Wrap:  Like a sandwich, but a little more hip and stylish.

• The wrap bread: French Meadow Bakery GF Tortillas, Food for Life brown rice tortilla, or a corn tortilla.
• The filling: My son's current wrap only includes hummus, meat (deli, grilled chicken, bacon), and a slice of his cheese.  I hope to someday introduce: lettuce, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, avocado, etc.  Have I mentioned that he is a picky eater?

3.   The Baked Potato:  New on the menu this year and it's a big hit!

• The Potato: Bake extra potatoes the next time you turn on your oven and keep them in the refrigerator for the week.  Reheat the potato in the morning and place in the thermos with your choice of 'goodies'. 
• The goodies:  Diced lunch meat, shredded cheese, allergy friendly 'butter' spread or olive oil, sliced olives, crumbled bacon.

4.   The Mac and Cheese:  I will make a batch of this yummy GF/allergy friendly dish and reheat as needed and serve with roll ups.  Check out my recipe under the Main Dishes tab.



Creativity will turn that cardboard tasting lunch into something special!
(after photo)

5.  The Roll Ups:  Not a high fructose corn syrup fake fruit roll up, but a lunch meat roll up with a piece of cheese, secured by a toothpick. 



6.  The Rice and Beans:  Try combining whole beans, rice and allergy friendly cheese with tortilla chips on the side.  Heat up the beans and rice and place in a thermos.

 

7. The Frito Pie:  Vegetarian refried beans with allergy friendly cheese heated together served with Fritos.  Add salsa for the adventurous eater.

 

8. Pizza Muffins:  Make these muffins using the GF flour mix, your favorite pizza toppings, and a recipe for corn bread muffins.  Freeze and reheat as needed. *Thank you to my friend, Bree, for this great idea!