Life, Gluten Free

I've been published!

Arico Natural Foods contacted me and asked me to write an article for their monthly newsletter. I was so pleased to be given this honor. I love to write, and this is the first time it has been published. Check it out here:

September 2008 Issue
Be sure to browse the rest of the newsletter as well. They talk about upcoming events that Arico Foods will be participating in, such as the Walk Now for Autism in Westfield, MA and the Celiac Health Fair in Chesapeake, VA.

-heather

Indian Rice Pilaf

To prepare:

Chop 3 small organic yellow onions

Dice 2 organic carrots and 2 organic celery stems

Chop several basil leaves

Saute carrots, celery and onions in oil of choice. Add basil towards the end.

Rinse and drain 1 cup of organic rice

Soak rice for 15 minutes prior to cooking

I soak my rice for 15 minutes because it cuts down on cooking time, which saves on energy consumption. 

Add cooked rice to the pan with the sauteed vegetables. 

Stir well and add salt to taste. 

Add 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala

Stir well and serve.

Enjoy!

-heather

Fried Plantains with Coconut Rice Pudding

Plantains are high in Vitamin A and Potassium, but are lower in sugar than yellow bananas.

Plantains are firm and starchy, more like a potato and less like a banana.

I bought 3 organic plantains and fried them in a cast iron pan with coconut oil. I set the stove to about medium heat and let the plantains cook fully on both sides.

Coconut Rice Pudding:

1 can of organic coconut milk
5 drops of liquid stevia
2 tsp of agave syrup (or to taste)
1 tsp of orange powder (crushed orange peel)
Sprinkle of chai spice*

Heat in a saucepan on stove. Add already cooked rice (I had some leftover).

*We make our own chai spice with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.

Serve with the plantains. I saved some of the coconut sauce in a separate pan before adding the rice. I drizzled it on the finished dish.

I made some raw cucumber pickles that were so good, we ate them all before I could snap a photo. I am hoping to get some more pickling cucumbers at the farmer's market this week. So stay tuned for that recipe.

Like giveaways? Who doesn't! I am planning some more giveaways on my blog, but for now hop on over to Go Natural Baby to enter to win a t-shirt and pant by Zah Organics.

-heather

Miso Dressing [Soy Free] with Veggie Sticks

Congratulations to Laura for winning the $25 Earth Mama Angel Baby Gift Certificate

When I had to cut soy out of my diet, I was sad mostly because I would miss having miso dressing. It was a staple. But then, one day, my mom excitedly brought me a jar of organic chickpea miso - sans soy.

The crispy, sugar-coated good news? It makes fantastic miso dressing.

We buy South River Chickpea Miso. It can be found at Whole Foods.

Miso Dressing Recipe:

1 cup of grapeseed oil
1/8 cup of raw apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup of onion
3-4 tablespoons of chickpea miso
1/2 cup of water

Blend in blender until thick. Add additional water for desired consistency and strength.

Dressing uses: a dip, a sandwich spread, a salad dressing

This dip was very popular at a friend's birthday party recently. The recipe is posted upon request of one of the guests. I hope you enjoy it!

-heather

Teff Porridge

If you haven't already, be sure to enter the giveaway for a $25 Gift Certificate to Earth Mama Angel Baby 

So it was a nice rainy day in Colorado. We had the windows open and it was chilly. I fixed myself a cup of Roobios hot tea and set in to make some Teff porridge. It was the perfect day for it.

Teff porridge:

2 cups water

1/4 cup organic raisins (optional, I like to do this because it sweetens the teff)

Bring to boil.

Add 1/4 cup of Whole-Grain Teff

Cover and turn down to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the teff has absorbed the water. Stir occasionally.

I like to add extra water at the end, because the teff cereal becomes very thick. I like it thinner, more like a porridge.

You can add sweetener of your choice, or simply let the raisins be the sweetener. Sometimes I add molasses for some extra iron and calcium.

When I was little, my mom used to make a hot cereal that we called "Bear Mush" after the story the Three Little Bears. It was cream of wheat, with a dollop of butter and a generous helping of brown sugar. Not too healthy, but it was good back then. 

Now, I enjoy gluten-free teff porridge and it really is good. Try it!

Enjoy.

-heather

$25 Gift Certificate to Earth Mama Angel Baby

Earth Mama Angel Baby's entire product line is 100% toxin-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and free from all artificial preservatives, fragrances and dyes. Want to know more?

The lovely mamas at Earth Mama Angel Baby have offered a $25 gift certificate to one of my readers. Thank you!

These are products that you can feel good about using and giving as gifts. The name, Earth Mama Angel Baby, isn't only fetching, but their products are too. Indulge yourself in their organic, sweet smelling products and thank yourself for choosing products that are better for you and better for the environment.

I was blessed to know of this company during my pregnancy. I luxuriously pampered myself with their Stretch Oil. I was also gifted some of their products - like the Natural Nipple Butter - and I was pleased with all of them.

Most of their products are gluten-free too. They do have a few products that contain oatmeal or oat straw. But they have a large selection of products, so hop on over and see what you think.

How to enter:
1) Leave a comment on what your biggest challenge is in finding "green" products. Also visit the web site and name one of your favorite products.

2) Be sure to leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.

1 Extra Entry:

1) Subscribe to my blog feed or Blog about my giveaway for an extra entry. Be sure to let me know that you did.

This giveaway will be open until Monday, August 18th at 5pm MST.

Savoring the moments that sparkle

My daughter has allergies to food and environmental factors, some of which can be life threatening. Others are delayed reactions that present themselves in form of an itchy rash that keeps her up at night itching.

The challenges that we have been through and are going through really make me appreciate life and the gift of my beautiful daughter. It makes me savor the moments that really take my breath away. Right now, as I am writing this post, my daughter came up to me and kissed me on the cheek. What a blessing she is.

This morning, after a long night of tug-a-war itching, she woke up grumpy. I wasn't surprised, who would be happy if they had their sleep interrupted by itching? She wanted to sleep. I smiled at her, and as I saw the lines around her mouth slowly curling into a smile, she reached over and patted my chest, "Mom-mom" she said.

My daughter sleeps with us. She really appreciates it, I know, and moments like these make me realize it. She may not be able to say "hey, mom, thanks for taking care of me" but she does express it.

And I think she knows that I am thankful for her. Every minute of everyday.

I am a stay-at-home mom, and love it, but it does come with challenges. I have heard many a stay-at-home moms complain that people think they "do nothing all day" and that it is "easy" because they get to stay at home. Those people must not realize that the job of a stay-at-home mom is 24/7, you don't leave the desk or get a lunch break. So, if you know a stay-at-home mom, then say something nice to her next time you see her. Or if you are one, then kudos to you and if you aren't one, then kudos to you too.  We are all good mothers after all, whether we work inside or outside the home. No one is better. We are all just doing what we think is best.

-heather

Samosas and potato pockets

With the best intentions and our hearts set, we set out to make pierogies and ended up making samosas and potato pockets. Which, turned out to be a satisfying change of plans.

Pierogies are typically dumpling-like pockets field with veggies and the like. We boiled a couple, but did not like the texture of the dough afterwards.

So, we transferred our efforts to the oven and discovered that we can have samosas again.

For the dough, we used two packets of Chebe All-purpose Bread Mix and followed the directions on the back.

For the filling, we boiled and mashed potatoes. While the potatoes were boiling, we sauteed onions to add to the mashed potatoes.

To make the samosas, we mixed garam masala with the potato and onions. Ah! so good. I love indian food and samosas are back on my list now.

For the mushroom lovers out there, we also made mushroom potato pockets by adding porcini mushrooms.

And don't forget the left over dough, which we rolled into breadsticks. No sauce is needed but you could dip and eat if you have a sauce that you enjoy using. Any sauce ideas? We enjoyed our creations with no sauce.

-heather

Carrot Mango Juice

1 organic mango
2 small organic carrots
1 stick of organic celery
7 ice cubes

Add water to get blending started then adjust to desired consistency

Add lime for zing! This is a nice refreshing drink for the summer time. It was hot today, but deceivingly overcast. It looked like a nice day outside, but it was a hot one. Thankfully, the hot temperatures don't last long here.

-heather