So I have new news. I am going to be writing a monthly article for a Oklahoma Autism Newletter. I am super excited about it. It’s basically going to be on GFCF living, recipes, & nutrition. I just submitted my first article.  I also am going to be restructuring my blog as well. I will be seperating all my GFCF stuff from family stuff and adding more content as well as my articles there as well. So look for that change over the next few months. Eeee!! :0)

So I have been asked about Ghee alot. It’s a great alternative for alot of people avoiding casein and that even have dairy allergies. What is ghee you ask? It cooked and clarified butter that is then strained well to remove all of the milk protiens. What does it tast like? Well it’s basically lobster butter… It’s got a great concentrated buttery flavor. A little ghee goes farther tastewise than butter does. It yummy. The only real limitation I see to it is baking. Ghee is a semi-solid. Depending on the time of year, temp, humidity etc…  it can be liquid or solid.  Either way it melts super easy. So it’s not great for baking. When I am baking with ghee I will use about 1/3 to half of the butter required in the form of ghee and the other half to 2/3 in shortening. That way you get the butter flavor but the combo makes it more butter like in recipes….

You can buy ghee in a health food store or sometimes on the ethnic isle of a major grocery store and certainly online but you are going to pay a insane amount for it. I make mine at home. It took me a while to perfect, and to be honest I had help. In India people eat ghee like well we Americans eat butter. So who better to teach me than a woman from India. My husband’s coworkers had us over and his wife Kamlah (sp?) taught me all she knows about ghee, and she knows alot. So now I impart my learned wisdom with you….

Oh and one more thing — If you are just starting out on the GFCF (SF) diet wait a good solid 2-3 months before incorporating ghee to be sure that you are clear of all dairy so you can be sure that it causes no issues for you or your child….

Here goes…. FIRST OFF — RULES –

NEVER stir your ghee!!

LISTEN to your ghee

GHEE TAKES TIME. DON’T RUSH IT!!!! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE TIME BEFORE YOU START!!!!

This post is all about Daiya! Pronounced “DAY- YA”. It means “loving kindness and compassion”. It’s a gluten free/dairy free/soy free cheese alternative that actually melts and STRETCHES even after it cools!! It makes these claims but I have tried and seen that it does work. It’s awesome!!!

So it melts and stretches like cheese, but does it taste like cheese? Well no not exactly — BUT if you’ve been dairy free and tasted the other alternatives — this is heaven in a cheese package. It’s not identical to cheese. If I made two gluten free pizzas only difference between the two being real cheese and daiya you would know the difference. However, if you can’t eat dairy it’s a pretty yummy substitute that has similar taste notes as cheese, enough that I would use it, and that my kids LOOOOVE it.

So basically it’s not cheese but it’s the next best thing if your dairy free. It will make going dairy free a little less painful. Now if they could only come up with a cream cheese that doesn’t look, smell, and have the texture of wall putty we’ d all be set… :0)

Below are pictures of pizza’s I made with the Daiya cheese. My boys have also had it on baked potatoes and exclaimed they were the best potatoes ever made… Convinced yet? Where do you buy it? Online at Cosmos Vegan Shoppe or at “The Health Food Center” at I-240 & Penn.

A friend told me about a pizza dough knock off and how she had subbed out regular flour for gluten free flour ingredients (Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix). We tried it out and it was good. It didn’t have the elasticity I like but the flavor was pretty good. So I tweaked it a little more. Next time I will use my own flour blend. I have a feeling that will make allllll the difference. Here’s a basic run down of what I did this time though.

GFCF Pizza Dough (makes 2 large pizza crusts)

• 1 tsp Fast-Acting Yeast
• 1 1/2 cup Warm water
• 4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix
• 1/4 cup Corn Starch
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Xantham Gum
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Additional 1/4 cup Water

1. Pour the warm water over the yeast and let it set up
2. In the mixer with the paddle attachment, mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, xantham gum
3. While running the mixer drizzle in the EVOO
4. Add the warm water/yeast mixture
5. If needed add an additional 1/4 cup water a little at a time until you have a nice large sticky dough mass.

Let the dough sit for a few hours at room temp covered tightly or cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 days.

When your ready for it, preheat your oven to 375.

Divide the dough, oil your pizza pan and spread your dough out. If it sticks to your hands, oil or wet your hands.

Top with pizza sauce and your fav toppings and bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are all hot.

++++ This is a really yummy crust. Next time I will use my own mix of sourghum, cornstart, & sweet white rice flour. Maybe mix in a little garlic powder as well. I will update you when I try that. Until then this is a super simple recipe that yeilds great results with easy to find ingredients. The kids loved and I would eat it too, I might miss “real” pizza crust but not that much. :0) ++++

I have had a few people talk to me about black bean brownies lately and I was finally intrigued enough to try them. I used THIS RECIPE. They turned out pretty good. I used organic canned black beans, ghirardelli cocoa powder & chocolate chips. Next time I will take a friend’s tip and bake them thinner or longer than suggested as they are pretty moist. I may play around with adding a banana for texture also… Overall though 2 of my 3 boys loved them so they were a hit as is.

Is is official!! Whole Foods themselves announced their plans to partner with Chesapeake and open a store in late 2011 here in Oklahoma City!!! I am officially SO SO HAPPY!! Here’s the link

WHOLE FOODS MARKET® ANNOUNCES PLANS TO BUILD STORE IN OKLAHOMA CITY NEAR CLASSEN CURVE DEVELOPMENT AND CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CAMPUS

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (May 12, 2010) – Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ:WFMI), the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket, is coming to northwest Oklahoma City. The site was announced jointly today by officials from Whole Foods Market and Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK)

“After many months of speculation, we are pleased and excited to officially confirm the much anticipated plan to build a Whole Foods Market store in northwest Oklahoma City,” said Aubrey K. McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake. “Whole Foods Market is a leader in the expanding natural and organic foods business.  The Whole Foods Market brand has been built on consistently selling the highest quality natural and organic food products and maintaining high standards of quality,  customer service and community involvement. The fact that we have attracted one of the most coveted retailers in the country to our community validates the revitalization we have experienced in Oklahoma City the past ten years.”

Whole Foods Market recently signed a lease enabling Chesapeake to move forward with the construction of a 35,000 square-foot store along North Western Avenue between North Classen and N.W. 63^rd Street to anchor the next phase of Chesapeake’s development activities around its 50-acre Oklahoma City headquarters.

“The addition of a Whole Foods Market to the Classen, Western, Grand and N.W. 63^rd Street district contiguous to our corporate headquarters campus signifies a major step forward in our vision to create the most vibrant and dynamic urban environment for our employees and neighbors to live, work and play in Oklahoma. Without question, Whole Foods Market is the perfect complement to the upscale local retailers and restaurateurs in Classen Curve, south of the site where the new Whole Foods Market will be built,” said McClendon. “We are taking the retail, entertainment and business environment to a new level in Oklahoma City while simultaneously furthering a mission of sustainability and healthy living with the addition of a Whole Foods Market.”

Scheduled to open by year-end 2011, the new Oklahoma City Whole Foods Market will be the largest natural and organic supermarket in the state. In keeping with Whole Foods Market’s recently announced national initiative to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2010, the supermarket in Oklahoma City will be built to strict green building standards. The Oklahoma City store will incorporate an energy efficient design, alternative refrigerants and advanced eco-friendly systems.

“Whole Foods Market has watched Oklahoma City’s transformation these past ten years with great interest. The area around Chesapeake’s distinctive and beautiful campus, combined with Aubrey’s vision to create an eco-friendly, aesthetically beautiful and people-pleasing environment at Classen Curve, caught our attention,” said Walter Robb, chief operating officer and co-president of Whole Foods Market. “We look forward to bringing our innovative, dynamic food shopping experience to Oklahoma City.  As people who have followed our growth know, we do not take a cookie-cutter approach to our stores, but instead will design and build this store with products and ingredients sought out by the Oklahoma City community. We appreciate the genuine warmth we have experienced in Oklahoma City and look forward to serving the community.”

Tom Blanton of Blanton Property Company in Oklahoma City represented Chesapeake in the transaction.

I have told some of you recently about the Quinoa Breakfast Brownie recipe I have used with great sucess. I love them my boys love them, and boy are they filling and yummy. You can make a bunch and freeze them too if you like. They taste just as yummy thawed. I got the recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess website. Karina’s recipes are amazing, and I’ve had yet to have even one not turn out. Don’t have a ingredient – read the comments – people will often post things you can sub out if you have allergy or are out of certain ingredients. I will post the recipe below but here’s the link to it directly : BREAKFAST BROWNIES

Note : If you use eggs you can use them instead of the egg replacer if you want. Also I use gluten free oats in place of the quinoa flakes. I still use the quinoa flour though. Sometimes I add cranberries and ghirdelli chocolate chips sparingly in these. YUM!

QUINOA BREAKFAST BROWNIES

Quinoa flakes give these breakfast treats a texture that is a cross between a blondie bar and a breakfast bar. We add mini dark chocolate chips to ours because we like the flavor combo of quinoa and chocolate. And if you like nuts, you could also add chopped pecans or walnuts.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 11×13-inch baking pan with lightly greased parchment.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients:
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup Organic Quinoa Flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 2/3 cups organic light brown sugar

In a large measuring cup blend:
2/3 cup light olive oil
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon Authentic Foods Vanilla Powder

Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a sturdy wooden spoon until you get a sticky batter.

Make your egg replacement:
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer
4 tablespoons warm water

Whip the egg replacer ingredients till foamy and frothy. [If you are adding eggs instead, beat two large free-range organic eggs; and omit the egg replacement formula.]

Add the egg replacer to the batter and combine well. The dough should be thick and rather sticky.

Add:
2 to 4 tablespoons of warm water, as needed to achieve a dough that sticks together when you pinch it- much like cookie dough.

Now add:
1/2 cup golden raisins or chopped dried fruit
2/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped nuts

Stir to combine. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan, and using wet hands, smooth the surface evenly. Place the pan into the center of a pre-heated oven and bake until golden and set – about 22 to 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center if firm. Insert s thin knife to check if you are unsure to make certain the center has baked thoroughly. Cool on a wire rack. Using a thin sharp knife, cut into squares; wrap them in foil; bag in a freezer storage bag. Freeze. Makes 15 to 18 brownies.

So Chase saw the movie “How to Train Your Dragon” and wanted that to be the theme for his birthday party. I assumed he would want a Night Fury (Toothless) cake and even though I could find no pictures of cakes made like it online I figured the body shape was pretty simple, the head was simple, I was okay. Then I made the mistake of asking Chase to confirm which dragon he wanted his cake to look like… well mistake meaning more work for me… he informed me he wanted a “BLUE TWO HEADED TWO TAILED ZIPPLEBACK DRAGON”. So since I asked I figured I had to deliver…

The final cake size was just under 5 feet long and 4 feet at the widest point.

Here’s some photos of what I did.  The only thing I didn’t get photos of was me making the wings. The wings were made about a week in advance with dyed gum paste and were draped over a flexible cutting board laid on top of a smaller tupperware container to get the board to curve and the wing to dry in that shape.

I really would like to poll parents and see who really wants their kids to be served food outside of lunch in the school… Edmond schools or the ones we’ve been to have been sooooo soo centered around food. It’s crazy. There isn’t a “special day” that doesn’t involve it.

Beyond the fact that it takes time away from academics to have snack time, some of the snacks being brought in are homemade items. No one really knows the shape or cleanliness of ones home… Has modern television taught us nothing… LOL!! Seriously how many people can we see on TLC that look put together but live in a hovel…?? What guarantee do I have that the cookies brought for Sue Ellen’s birthday were cooked in a clean SANITARY kitchen where animals aren’t on counters and Sue Ellen’s mom cleans the cabinets after dicing up raw chicken before she makes the cupcakes…

That aside… even the store bought stuff that’s brought in is crap… I am not saying I don’t bring things for my kids birthdays. I do. I feel like they miss out if everyone else does and they don’t so I give into the pressures of sending them a birthday treat too. I WISH I DIDN’T FEEL COMPELLED TO. I just feel like my kids are singled out enough because of their food limitations I get tired of saying no… I guess I should be stronger and set an example. Practice what I preach.

Anyway aside from the interruption in academics, Sue Ellen’s Mom being a hoarder that serves salmonella laced cupcakes, the other stuff being crap… What about FOOD ALLERGIES??? What about the fact that we are teaching our children that are struggling with obesity even at a young age that every celebration should center around food…

I don’t know maybe there are stats saying if kids have a snack they focus better or whatever… but if that’s the rational let the school serve up fruit or carrot sticks from a sanitary monitored kitchen… and heck skip the side of ranch.

I could probably count up how many times I had to send snacks this year for my kids because they don’t eat wheat and milk… and let me tell you the number of times they have snacks would astonish you. ITS CRAZY. My number would probably be lower than the real one too… Heck Aiden just came in the door and told me they were serving up snow cones and thing today at school because he read his 5 books and became a part of the “authors club”… — EVERY KID IS A PART OF THE CLUB….

Anyway that’s my rant…

So yummy I forgot to take a pic before eating some…

So with the boys food issues we don’t eat many places out of the house. One of their favorite places to eat though is Pei Wei. They really are very adventurous eaters for kids, and I love that. I find that I get us stuck in a routine of what we eat just for convenience. It’s easier to shop for the same meals every two weeks instead of coming up with new and compiling a new list. Those same 7 meals x 2 I can shop for with my no list and screaming children and miss very few things which means fewer trips, which again saves money. LOL

Anyway I was in the mood to cook something different. I love to cook new things, hate cooking the same thing over and over… it’s the creative process I like more than the cooking I think. So a few weeks ago I was getting my hair did and read a recipe in a health magazine for a peanut sauce to serve over Chicken & Rice. It sounded yummy.

I googled for a similar recipe and found THIS RECIPE

I made some changes to it. I used GFCF soy sauce obviously. Most every soy sauce has gluten in it, but the gluten free varieties taste just the same. I used normal minute rice, normal vinegar, and cracked red pepper vs. cayenne just because that’s what I had on hand. I also tripled the sauce because everyone said it wasn’t enough. I think next time I would still triple it but I’d also add a 1/4c. of water as well to thin the sauce a little more. I also added broccoli. Oh and a smidge of honey as well.

Since Chase is peanut free as well as a gluten and casein free. I made his sauce separate and used Sunbutter instead of peanut butter. I turned out just as good, and his sauce was thinner just because the nature of sunbutter.

Anyway it was a fast and tasty recipe, one we will eat again.