NEW RECIPE

ENGLISH BEEF STEW

The following recipe is a loose adaptation of my mother's English Brown Stew. It's a great winter meal. I made it a couple of nights ago, and my two-year-old said, "Vewy good, mommy!" My recipe is free of all top 8 Food Allergens. I have given proportions for 12 servings, because I like to make enough so that I can freeze half for dinner at a later date.

2 1/2 lbs organic beef, cut into 1-inch cubes (Grateful Harvest sells organic grass-fed beef stew cubes)
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced onion
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
big dash allspice
1 tablespoon honey
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup organic ketchup (Trader Joe's or Annie's are both good brands)
5 cups boiling water
1 6.5 oz container D'Artagnan Demi Glace (available in the meat section at most supermarkets -- if you can't find it, omit the Demi Glace and substitute 5 cups low-salt beef broth for the boiling water, but the Demi Glace really is wonderful, so try to find it first)
2 cups pearl onions * (see below for preparation tips)
4 or 5 large carrots, sliced
4 or 5 stalks celery, chopped
2 heaping cups halved baby white potatoes, or regular potatoes, cubed

* To de-skin the pearl onions, cut off their tops and bottoms. Drop them in boiling water and cook about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. The onions will pop out of their skins easily.

Dredge beef in oat flour, shaking off extra. Heat olive oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Once it's all been browned, add all back to pan. Add garlic, onion, spices, honey, lemon juice, ketchup. Stir well. Add boiling water, and Demi-Glace. Mix. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer, stirring every so often for 1 1/2 hours. Add pearl onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Cover, and cook another hour. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary. Serve with a light green salad. Makes 12 servings. Note, it's even better the next day!

VINEGAR CHICKEN RECIPE

One of the great things about writing this cookbook is how many new people I've met through the process. The Food Allergy community is full of supportive and generous people. One of these great people I've met is Lauren Moynihan. Lauren is allergic to milk, soy, eggs, peanuts, salmon (but most other fish is ok), hot peppers, and corn. She's been sending me some of her favorite allergen free recipes. Two nights ago, I tried making her grandmother's recipe for Vinegar Chicken and it was really delicious. I made it with one 4 lb chicken cut into quarters. I used about 3 Tbsp Olive Oil. I used 4 large cloves garlic, and 1 heaping tsp. oregano. I used about 1 1/2 cups of vinegar total (3/4 cup balsamic, 3/4 cup cider vinegar), and about 3/4 cup water. I also threw in about 1/4 cup assorted olives (which I added in the last 15 minutes). I didn't have any mushrooms, or I would have used them, as I'm sure they are a great addition. Also, I cooked it about 45 minutes instead of the 30, turning the chicken once and basting frequently with the liquid. Anyway, THANKS Lauren! And thanks Lauren's grandmother! This one is a keeper!!!!

The following is excerpted from an email from Lauren Moynihan:

"this is my grandma's vinegar chicken recipe... it's my all time favorite food. most of the measurments, you do by how you like things, like if you like vinegar add more vinegar. also her measurments aren't by cups or anything... she goes by glasses.

clean chicken and dry it in a paper towel. we use thighs but i have heard that any kind of chicken tastes good with it cover the bottom of a wide pan with olive oil
brown the chicken on both sides in a single layer taking out the finished peices before adding more. after your done browning it, add all the chicken back in
chop up 4 or 5 cloves of garlic and throw it in the pan use about a teaspoon of oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary, or whatever other herbs you want to use
fill a juice glass with half apple cidar vinegar and half balsamic vinegar and add it to the pan add salt and pepper and mix it with a wooden spoon to cover all the chicken with the vinegar mixture add about a half a glass of water lower heat and cover cook for about a half hour add sliced mushrooms and olives at the end and cook for about 5 more minutes

if you have leftovers and put it in the refrigerater, the sauce becomes almost like a gel but if you heat it up again it turns back into sauce.
i hope you like it :)

In response to an earlier question about chocolate allergies, MaryKay Hill from The Vermont Food Allergy Organization sent me the following article by Judy Tidwell. I found the article of interest and thought others might as well.

A True Chocolate or Cocoa Allergy Is Rare
A true chocolate or cocoa allergy is rare even though many people claim to be allergic to it.

A study revealed that only one out of every 500 people who thought they were allergic to chocolate actually tested positive. Because people complain of headaches and migraines after eating chocolate, they assume it is an allergic reaction. These reactions may be due to a food intolerance or sensitivity not an actual food allergy.

It is also possible that adverse reactions could be caused by ingredients added to chocolate during processing, such as corn syrup, milk, soy beans, lecithin, gluten, and nuts.

Chemical Makeup
There are approximately 380 known chemicals in chocolate. The pleasurable and unpleasurable effects of consuming chocolate can be attributed to several known chemicals:

* Caffeine
* Theobromine
* Phenyethylamine

Possible Reactions
Scientists have discovered over the last few decades that chocolate may cause headaches, obesity, heartburn, rectal itching, coronary problems, and emotional problems such as feelings of anger, irritability, confusion, and depression.

Caffeine, a stimulate, can cause anxiety, sleep problems, heartburn, restlessness, and difficulty with concentration.
Headaches and fatigue are usual signs of withdrawal from caffeine. Although there is much less caffeine in chocolate than in a cup of coffee, small amounts can add up.

Theobromine occurs naturally in cacao beans and stimulates the nervous system and heart rate. It may affect emotional moods as a natural antidepressant. It is also a mild diuretic.

Phenyethylamine affects mood swings by causing an initial emotional high then a short time later an emotional low. It causes blood pressure and blood-sugar levels to rise, resulting in a feeling of alertness and contentment.

Health Benefits
In moderation, eating chocolate can have health benefits. It may reduce the chance of heart disease and increase longevity.

New Recipe!

English Cranberry Pudding

Vegan, Dairy free, Soy free, Egg free, Wheat free, Peanut free, Tree Nut free, Fish free, and Shellfish free RECIPE

One of my favorite food magazines is Saveur. Not only do they have exotic recipes, but the photography is spectacular. I reccommend it to any foodie, and all hungry readers. This month's issue lists their top 100 favorites, and #24 was Cranberry Pudding. I was delighted to find this recipe, because it was easily adaptable to a hypoallergenic version.

The recipe called for two 2 1/2 cup glazed ceramic pudding basins, available from Sur La Table (800 243-0852, or www.surlatable.com). However, i didn't have these on hand, and I'm sure most of you out there don't either. So I made due with two heavy ceramic bean pots that held 2 cups of liquid each. I'm sure you can use little casseroles, or custard cups, or even a solid heavy ceramic bowl. Whatever you use, make sure it can withstand high heat since you'll be boiling it.

This recipes is an old-fashioned English steamed pudding. The Saveur version recommended serving it with whipped cream. I have substituted hard sauce, a sweet sauce often served with steamed puddings, apple pie, mince meat pie, etc.


CRANBERRY PUDDING

5 Tbsp. vegetable shortening (I use spectrum naturals organic shortening which is soy and dairy free)
1 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or cherries, or chopped pitted prunes)
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs* (I used gluten free, wheat free brown rice bread, but use whatever you prefer, spelt, etc.)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. oat flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. barley flour
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup water

*to make bread crumbs, dice bread up very small and put on a cookie sheet in the oven or toaster oven at 375 degrees till lightly golden and no longer soft, shaking the tray occasionally. Let cool before using.

Combine 4 Tbsp. vegetable shortening with cranberries, bread crumbs, flour, orange zest, and baking powder in large bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add orange juice and water and stir until mixtue becomes a thick batter, about 1 minute.

Grease two ceramic pudding basins (about 3" deep and 5" wide) or mini casseroles, or bowls, or bean pots, or whatever ceramic basins you will be using, with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of vegetable shortening. Lightly pack 1/2 the batter into each of the basins. Cover each basin with 2 layers of waxed paper, then 2 layers of foil, and secure tightly with kitchen twine. You want to make sure the waxed paper and foil are on really tightly, because you don't want the water getting into the basin, or you'll wind up with watery mush. You will need a large wide pot. Put a steamer basket or circular rack in the bottom. I didn't have one pot large enough so i used two, one for each basin. Put the basin on the rack or steamer basket, and fill the pot with water until it reaches 2" up the sides of the basins. Cover pots, bring water to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer 3 1/2 hours, replenishing water as necessary (with boiling water). Remove basins from pot and let cool about 10 minutes. Remove wax paper and foil, run a knife gently around the edges of pudding to loosen and turn out onto a small plate. Serve warm with Hard Sauce (recipe follows). Serves 4.

HARD SAUCE

1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup beet sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. rum, or brandy

Mix vegetable shortening with sugar till creamy. Add vanilla extract. Beat in thoroughly. Add rum, 1/2 tsp. at a time, till really creamy. Chill in fridge about 1/2 an hour before eating with pudding. Yum!