Recipes that didn't make the cut......

Frustration is spending so much time trying out a new recipe to find that you either hate it or it's just so bland and boring and not worth ever making again.  It can look so good, smell so good, and taste so very mediocre.  Here are my latest recipes that did not make the cut.............

You just might see them again if I can improve on them.  Back to the drawing board (or the cutting board!)

Allergy Free Taquitos

This is not a recipe, a real recipe any way.  It's more of a "how to" tutorial I guess.   

So, here's how to make some allergy free taquitos.  

My kids absolutely love them!  And yes, I love them too.

I don't know why it never occurred to me to make taquitos.  Of course, we can't buy the frozen ones (not that we'd want all the additives in those).  But why didn't I think to make them??

One day my hubby asked me to make taquitos.  He really wanted Mexican food.  So, I sent him to the store for some corn tortillas and I got out the ingredients.  When he got back, we started our experiment.  Making taquitos is a join effort in our house.  I roll 'em up and he fries 'em.  We are a pretty good team and we can get through an entire pack of corn tortillas in no time!

I've made both the beef and chicken varieties.  The kids love the beef version the best.

For the beef version, I brown 1 pound of ground beef (or bison).  Drain the meat, put it back in the skillet with a little water, and add taco seasoning.
I take 1 or 2 cans of pinto beans, wash and drain them, and put them in the food processor.
I add garlic, onion, and cumin to the beans.
Then I stir the beans into the meat.  I add a little beef broth so that the mixture is spreadable but still thick enough to stay inside the taquito without running out (that's a mess I'd rather not mop from the floor).

In a large skillet, I heat olive oil on medium high heat.
I microwave a few tortillas at a time with a damp paper towel on top.  This is a very important step-if you skip this one your tortillas will crack when you try to roll them.  You need them moist and pliable to roll up those taquitos.
I quickly spread a spoonful of the meat mixture in the middle of the tortilla, roll it up, and stick a toothpick all the way through.  The important word here is quickly-those tortillas are hot and they like to unroll right back.  Go fast!
Then I drop them quickly into the oil, seam side down.  I cook on both sides until each side is slightly browned.
Take them out of the oil and spread them out on a wire rack.  Then I salt mine and let them cool.  Actually, I try to let them cool.  But we often eat them as fast as we can make them.

For our chicken version, I shred cooked chicken and place it into a skillet with the pureed beans.  Then I add chicken broth and taco seasoning.

I make big batches of taquitos and freeze the leftovers on cookie sheets.  Then I put them in large ziplocs for another day.  You can reheat them on a cookie sheet at 350 until they are crispy again.

These are one of my favorite "junk food" meals, right after onion rings.  They are my go-to lunch when I've forgotten to make something for the kids (oops!).  I just pull them out of the freezer!

*If you can't have corn tortillas, you could use another tortilla or make rice flour tortillas. 

Why are my cookies green?

Here's a public service announcement from you, courtesy of one of my allergy mama friends:

When baking with sunbutter and baking soda, your baked goods can turn green!

Yes, they can!  It's a chemical reaction between the sunflower seeds and the baking soda.  You can go ahead and enjoy your baked goods if you can get past the crazy color.  But they would be perfect for St. Patrick's Day, right??

Allergy Free Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies

I told my hubby I was going to make oatmeal cookies.  He was not very excited.  But I made them anyway.  I grabbed one from the oven and handed it to him.  He took a bite and stood there for a few minutes.  All he said was, "Wow!" We have a winner!  .....And there's someone in my house who will no longer complain about oatmeal cookies.  He only ate about 10 of them today alone. 

These are yummy cookies that remind me of Christmas.  The blend of cinnamon and nutmeg with the maple frosting is perfection!  They are more on the crunchy side so I think the glaze is totally necessary.  Also, they are even better on the second day-they are a little softer.

Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup Earth Balance, melted

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tsp egg replacer whisked with 4 T original hemp milk

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 T baking powder

2 cups quick oats

2 cups flour blend

1 tsp xanthan gum

Combine sugars and melted butter in large bowl.  Mix well.
Add in egg replacer and stir well.

Fold in remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until just blended.

Chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

Drop by spoonfuls on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes.
Cool on sheets for a few minutes before removing to wire rack. 

Maple Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8-1/4 cup vanilla hemp milk

Whisk together, starting with 1/8 cup vanilla hemp milk.  Add more milk only if needed.  Drizzle over cookies. 

Let glaze set up and harden before storing cookies.  It will take several hours.

Linked up with Real Food, Allergy Free!

Bread Flour Blend

I've been using the bread flour blend from Cybele Pascal's baking book The Allergen free Baker's Handbook.  It's a great baking book and helped me venture into the overwhelming world of allergy free baking.

Bread Flour

1 1/2 cups millet flour

1 1/2 cups sorghum flour

2 cups tapioca starch

1 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

I use this for pizza crusts, breads, and rolls.  It's a little something different from the plain rice flour blends and gives the breads a little more texture.

If you can't have potato starch you could probably substitute arrowroot flour or even just use all tapioca flour.

Allergy Free Onion Rings

Ok, so this is not a recipe, but more of a product review.  So, I have a new endorsement.........

Have you tried this stuff - Hol-Grain Onion Ring Batter Mix?  If not, you should go buy some right now!  

I LOVE onion rings and I miss them!  There are no gluten free onion rings around here.  So, my sweet hubby said he would make me some.  They were awesome!  All four of the big kids loved them! 

Combine the batter mix with water and fry your rings!

They were so light and crispy and perfectly yummy.  The kids made Daddy promise to make them again.  Back to the store I go for more batter mix!!

Allergy Friendly Spurs Basketball Game

So, the hubby got tickets to a Spurs game-box seats.  Awesome, right!?  Well, they serve lots of food in those boxes, not to mention all the yucky concession food floating around the seats.  I so wanted him to be able to take the big kids but was worried he would have to leave Bee behind.

I got on the phone and got in touch with the catering company who handles all the Spurs games.  I spoke with the manager who was amazingly nice and amazingly knowledgeable.  I was shocked!  He said they did gluten free events and were aware of food allergies.  He wrote down our list and wasn't the least bit phased by it.  He immediately called the chef and they met together to come up with some food for our kids.  I told them to keep it simple for the little people and they decided on some grilled chicken and rice with some steamed veggies.  He called me back later that day to confirm the menu and see if I had any extra questions.  It sounded perfect!  And did I mention that I only gave them a days notice?  They pulled it together in 1 day so that Bee could attend the game and have a snack.  Impressive!

When my hubby arrived with the kids, they were shown the separate area where their food was.  It was kept separate from any other food in the box.  There was also a sign that specified that it was allergy-free.  They reserved it just for us!

The kids loved the chicken and rice and snacked on it all through the first half.

They had great seats!

And the kids loved watching the game!

It was a perfect evening and the kids had a wonderful time at their first NBA basketball game.  They were so accommodating and understanding of the allergies.  I just might have to be a Spurs fan now............