Curried Sweet Potato Mash with Peas

So I've finally done it. I changed my dad's Curried Potatoes and Peas recipe by adding mashed sweet potatoes in place of Red Potatoes and/or Purple Potatoes.

The contrast with the sweet and spicy is fantastic and puts your taste buds into overload.

Here is the recipe:

5 small sweet potatoes, peel and cut into cubes
1 package of frozen peas
4 tablespoons of curry powder
2 tablespoons of Earth Balance soy free non-dairy spread
1/4 cup of Unsweetened Mimic Creme
Salt & Pepper to taste

Boil the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes so they become nice and soft, but do not over cook!
In a frying pan or wok, heat earth balance spread until it starts to bubble
Add curry powder and saute for 1 minute
add mimic Creme and stir to combine
add sweet potatoes and mix and cook....watch the sweet potatoes practically mash themselves as you stir.
Cook until sauce is hot and starts to thicken slightly and make sure to coat the potatoes fully with the sauce.
Add peas and cook until everything is heated.
Add salt and pepper and serve with your protein of choice. In my case it was the Quorn Chik'n tenders sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, thyme and basil.

MMmmmmmmmmmmm
Here are some pics!

Spelt Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast Buns

I decided to try a new but simple recipe for breakfast this morning, Cinnamon/Vanilla French Toast.
I pulled out my berlin natural bakery spelt burger buns because I'm not a big veggie burger eater and want to use these up since barbecue season is over.

I then concoct the following mixture:
2 large eggs (Egg substitute is fine like flaxseed gel for those allergic to eggs)
1/2 cup of vanilla almond milk
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (no alcohol content)
pinch of salt
Spelt Burger Buns
Maple Syrup and/or Cinnamon Sugar as a topping (I used Agave Maple Syrup and a sprinkle of Cinnamon Sugar)
Throw in some fresh fruit too for an added healthy treat!
This french toast was to die for....really........ granted I'm the only taste tester, but try them for yourself and let me know what you think!

Soyatoo but NO SOY?

Upon doing my monthly Whole Foods supermarket run and searching for Daiya Non-Dairy Cheese I came across this great allergy free product called "Rice Whip" made by the company "SoyaToo" that seems to specialize in soy based products.

It seems to me that a growing number of people are sensitive or allergic to soy that even the soy companies are coming up with soy alternatives! :-)

This of course makes me happy since soy gives me a hellish tummy ache.

I tried this Rice Whip on top of some Rice based ice cream and spelt angel food cake, ready for a treat after dinner.
What can I say? It tastes just like how I thought Rice Whip would taste. It's OK....it'll do........I'm sure the soy whip is better but I won't dare find out..........   :-)
Perhaps if they made the whip out of Tapioca? Maybe I should try to make it myself and post it here.

Anyway I will give the company credit as it isn't half bad and as a substitute certainly doable/acceptable and nice in a cup of coffee with amaretto flavor. This Halloween I'm sure it will go great on top of a slice of homemade spelt pumpkin pie.

Here is the website to check out their products:

Vegan Essentials
http://www.soyatoo.de/en/?home

Allergy Free Spelt Pizza

About a week ago I made a delicious Spelt Veggie Pizza with Daiya Cheese.
I received my crust from Berlin Bakery
http://www.berlinnaturalbakery.com/
& the Daiya Mozarella from Whole Foods
http://www.daiyafoods.com/products/madewith.html

Since my husband Adam has been such a good sport eating non-dairy cheese and spelt pizza's with me, I decided to make him his own wheat pizza with real Mozarella. :-)
Here is the result:

I added my own homemade sauce (I'll include that recipe in another blog post), I rubbed olive oil on the wheat dough and chopped up broccoli, orange peppers, yellow peppers, fresh basil(from our basil plant) and spinach topped off with chopped garlic for that extra yummy kick!

Now back to my nice allergy free pizza: You know the reason you are actually reading this blog? :-)
I rubbed extra virgin olive oil and garlic on my delicious spelt crust from berlin.
I then sprinkled the chopped broccoli, yellow and orange peppers, fresh basil and fresh baby spinach.

This was followed by a half a bag of Daiya Mozarella and my special pasta/pizza sauce. Honestly I feel that the sauce makes the pizza but the way this spelt crust comes out will put any wheat pizza to shame.
Now my husband never eats the actual wheat crust from his pizza but anytime I have made him one of my special spelt pizza's he always eats the crust.
Food for thought huh?
Here are the rest of the pictures from my pizza feast!

There is just something about putting the sauce on top of the "cheese" that makes eating this pizza and any pizza really fun and exciting!

Back in my "Wheat" eating days, I would never actually order veggie pizza's because of the overwhelming taste of the green and red peppers amongst other things, it just didn't taste like the pizza from my childhood.
Using yellow and orange peppers which have a nice sweet taste to them (they don't over power the pizza goodness) make this particular pizza yummy. None of the ingredients are overpowering  and you can really identify each ingredient used (except perhaps some items from my pizza sauce).
I feel that rubbing the dough (fresh or store bought) with extra virgin olive oil and fresh crushed garlic put that extra "love" that goes into the dishes of famous cooks/chefs or just reminiscing about Grandma's food or Mom's food.
With my husband being part Italian, it's really important for me to make a good pizza and he is perfectly happy with eating all my allergy free meals. If anything it has made me a better cook.

Spinach Risotto

It's been a few days since I've written on here because I've been busy enjoying life. :-) Going out to restaurants, hiking, holding a casting session the works. Now it's time to play, catch-up on these recipes and share some pics with you.

I ended up making this delicious allergy free Spinach Risotto (using frozen spinach, fresh is even better).

Ingredients
3 cups of  "Imagine Organic-No Chicken Broth"

1 Cup of Water
1 Cup of finely chopped white onion
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Cup of Arborio Rice
1/3 Cup of dry white wine
1/2 Cup of Vegan Parmesan Cheese (Here is the recipe):

Vegan “Parmesan” Cheese Substitute

3/4 c. blanched almonds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/3 c. nutritional yeast
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1/4 t. garlic powder

Blend all ingredients in a blender until there are no more noticeable nut pieces.

Or Daiya Mozarella Cheese (You can find this at WholeFoods or VeganStore.com

Preparation:
In a saucepan bring broth and water to a simmer and keep at a simmer through preparation and cooking.
- In a larger saucepan cook onion in oil over low heat, stirring until softened.
-Stir in rice, stirring until it's all coated with oil
-Add a 3/4 cup of simmering broth and the dry white wine and cook on high heat consistently stirring until all broth is absorbed then keep adding the broth 3/4 cup at a time, following the above instructions. Do this for about 18 minutes or so until rice is tender and creamy looking but still Al dente (no one likes mushy risotto anyhow). Stir in Spinach and vegan parmesan cheese (if you can deal with nuts) or the Daiya Mozarella.
Add freshly grounded salt and pepper to taste.

Adam's Risotto meal with Beans and cherry tomato tops.

My Risotto meal with a side of beans, quorn chik'n strips and cherry tomato bottoms.

The difference between Gluten Intolerance and Wheat Intolerance

Hi all,

I just need to clear this up once and for all. The staggering difference between having a Gluten allergy/intolerance or having a Wheat allergy/intolerance. Rest assured that they are NOT the same thing!
I for one have a Wheat intolerance but my friends, family and colleagues ALWAYS mistake this with having a Gluten intolerance or allergy.

Let me give you the run down on the differences:
While wheat is a grain, gluten is the sticky protein that binds the dough. Gluten is found in wheat and other grains such as barley, rye, malt, and oats. In breads and baked goods, they come together as a package. This being the case, it is possible to have an allergy or intolerance to one and not the other.


If you are allergic to gluten, then you will need to stay away from wheat products since they contain gluten. However, if you are allergic only to wheat, you can still enjoy other grains that have gluten in them.


Wheat intolerance: 
Wheat Intolerance is when you have difficulty digesting wheat. With this being said you are still able to enjoy foods that have gluten in them (ie: spelt bread, kamut bread). You'll have symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea and other fun things.


Gluten intolerance:
This means that you are sensitive to the gluten, a protein found commonly in wheat, barley, rye and oats. A person with gluten intolerance could develop a inflammatory condition called Celiac disease.

What the heck is Gluten?
Gluten is composed of the proteins glutenin and gliadin. They exist in the grass-like grains wheat, barley, rye and spelt.

Signs that you may have an intolerance or allergy to wheat or gluten respectively:
Signs of an intolerance include digestive disturbances such as vomiting, diarrhea, gas, constipation and bloating.  More severe will be allergic reactions such as eczema, headaches, fatigue, chest pains or anaphylaxis. Allergy symptoms will usually come on very quickly after ingestion of even a small amount of wheat or gluten. The symptoms of intolerance may not show up at all, or be delayed(like my intolerance's).
Some people with intolerance's can have small amounts of wheat or gluten with no problem, only having issues when they eat large amounts of the aforementioned ingredients. Gluten intolerance or allergy has also been tied to autism and other behavioral disorders.

With this all being said I hope you all now know the differences. Also allergies/intolerance's can happen at any age, whether you were free of allergies in the past doesn't mean you cannot have these issues in the future. I use to have mild eczema growing up, it would be worse for me in the summer months but now that I have cut out the wheat, the symptoms no longer exist. :-)

Ahhhhhh FREEDOM!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Csi9PEncI

Oh and one last note:
Wheat is listed in the top 8 food allergens along with peanuts, tree nuts, milk, fish, shellfish, eggs and soy.

The lovely uses of "Spelt"

OK, so I didn't make my risotto or rice last night instead we opted for leftover's.
However yesterday I had a special delivery from my favorite bakery in Ohio. Berlin Natural Bakery.
http://www.berlinnaturalbakery.com/
They make all my yummy Spelt products since I can no longer eat traditional wheat, spelt is a superior alternative. I mean it tastes way better than the processed stuff and is easy on my digestive system (ie: NO BLOATING!).
I decided to experiment with a lot of baking this year so I purchased a 5lb bag of white spelt.
Ta Da!

Now I can make my own spelt tortillas, cakes, cookies, bread...you name it. It has a smaller gluten content then traditional over processed wheat. (Remember I'm not Gluten intolerant, just Wheat Intolerant). I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is celiac. Spelt is a cousin of wheat.
This excerpt is straight from the Berlin Bakery website:

	info@berlinnaturalbakery.com • Berlin, Ohio • 330-893-2734 | Copyright © 2007 Berlin Natural Bakery. All rights reserved. Here's to YOU SPELT! You beautiful grain. Now I can have all the Bahama rice veggie burger's on spelt buns that I want at a barbecue thanks to you. Oh yeah and pizza, the food of the gods. :-) This morning I had scrambled eggs with green tomatoes and white onion. I sprinkled some doctor cow cashew cheese on top and have two pieces of sourdough spelt bread with earth balance and raspberry jam.  Now it's time to exercise!

Today spelt is recognized throughout the United States as an alternative grain. One that is far superior nutritionally to other common wheat(s). It is no longer sought after only by those with wheat sensitivities.

We call spelt the feel good grain. We hear those words time and time again from our customers. We just plain feel good when we eat your products. More then likely that's due to the fact that we don't use ingredients that are altered by anything other then Mother Nature itself. Our products are all natural with no additives or preservatives. The delicate temperament of this ancient grain requires highly skilled bakers to produce a quality loaf of bread. We bake only small batch breads (100 loaves per batch). Small batch baking yields the highest quality and consistency and if it's great taste you are after, you'll find abundance in every bite.

• Approximately 30% higher in Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
• Approximately 25% higher in B6
• Approximately 45% higher in Vitamin E
• Higher in unsaturated fatty acids (mainly Linol acid and Linoleen acid) which are important for regeneration of nerve cells.
• It is warming and supports good blood circulation
• It is higher in water solubility, making it easier to digest and aiding in the nutrients being more easily absorbed by the body.
• Approximately 10-25% higher in protein, promoting fitness strength, muscle expansion and endurance. Many endurance athletes find spelt to be invaluable during training.
• It has a higher percentage of Amino Acids
• It has a higher level of L-Tryptophan which in turn promotes and aids in the production of serotonin.