Potsticker Lunchbox

Today's lunch has the leftovers from my very first attempt at making yummy, yummy potstickers. (I'll post the recipe later.) My lovely little dumplings are accompanied by grapes and pretzel sticks mixed with carrots cut into matchsticks. It's yet another tactic in my continuing campaign to convince The Kid that carrots are not a garnish. I made sure they were completely dry, so that the pretzels wouldn't get mushy. On the side is a bottle with the usual juice/water mixture and an orca sticker.

Later today when I have time to figure out how to get a photo up, I'll be entering this lunch over at the first Bento of the Month Contest at the Bento Forum at Lunch in a Box. (If you've run out of lunch ideas, Biggie's blog is the place to go.) The theme of the contest is speed, and these leftovers were perfect for putting together a quick meal. I didn't time myself, but the only thing that required any labor was cutting the carrots into matchsticks.

The most frequently asked question I get here is where did I find The Kid's lunchbox? So for those of you who may be wondering, it came from the dollar section at Target several years ago. If I ever see any again, I'll be sure to put up a post!

Confessions of a Food Allergy Mom #6

Managing life threatening food allergies is far easier for me than developing basic parenting skills.

Inauguration Day Cookies

This recipe is an adaptation of the "Simple Sugar Cookies" in the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, one of the few presents I requested from my husband this year. I was mostly interested in the breads and other yeasted baked goods, but was happy to discover a cookie recipe without eggs. I've changed it both to accommodate dairy allergies and to make it softer and chewier, the way a good sugar cookie ought to be. The best part is that I finally have the classic sugar cookie I have always loved and can finally share with my son.

Wet Ingredients:
1/4 C plain soymilk + 3/4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 C dairy free margarine, softened (Earth Balance, as usual)
2/3 C granulated sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Additional:
more sugar
sprinkles!

Mix soymilk and lemon juice in a nonreactive container, i.e. Pyrex measuring cup, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two standard cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream margarine and sugar together in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add soymilk mixture and vanilla, then beat until combined. (Don't worry if it develops a cottage cheese texture.) Continue to beat while gradually adding the flour mixture until completely combined.

Drop two tablespoonfuls of dough for each cookie two inches apart on the cookie sheets. The King Arthur recipe recommended dipping a glass in sugar and using it to press down on the cookies. Unfortunately, the sugar didn't adhere to the glass bottom and wasn't transferred. So I simply sprinkled each cookie with granulated sugar, then used my fingers to flatten the tops, so that The Kid could enthusiastically apply red, white, and blue sprinkles. (I didn't want the cookies to be too thin and crispy, so I didn't press them down very far.) Next time I'll just shape the dough into balls, then roll in sugar and press down with a glass.

Bake the cookies for 14 to 16 minutes. After removing from oven, carefully slide a wire rack underneath the parchment paper, and allow the cookies to cool on the rack. Makes 1 1/2 dozen soft and chewy cookies.

These cookies are being sent to Rachel at Vampituity for January's Childhood Delights themed Sugar High Friday. I am taking a little liberty (teehee) with the subject, since she called for recreations and stories of food bloggers own childhood favorites. Instead, I am creating a new tradition from an old favorite with my son, who seizes any and all opportunities to celebrate in the kitchen. With sprinkles.

Walk a Mile with Me

Right now, parents are scanning ingredient labels on familiar foods, squinting at the astoundingly long list in miniscule script, trying to determine if a dangerous peanut product is contained within.

And their children aren't even allergic to peanuts.

Saturday, the FDA issued a warning that the recent salmonella outbreak had been traced to Peanut Corporation, a supplier of peanut paste and peanut butter to institutions and manufacturers. The federal agency recommends that consumers "avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods that contain peanut butter" until the whole mess is sorted out.

That's a scary and overwhelming prescription. It's also an opportunity for those of us in the allergy community to reach out and both share our expertise and create more understanding of the daily obstacles we face in trying to keep our children safe. So to those of you who have never dealt with food allergies and are on peanut watch for the first time, let me give you an introduction:

• First, this really is manageable.
• Fortunately, the ingredient in question is one of the "big eight," the foods most likely to cause an allergic reaction, and which are required to be highlighted on the label. Consider for a moment those of us who deal with food allergies not on that list, which are often obscured with words like "spices" and "flavors." If the salmonella had been sourced to a tomato processor, it could easily be hiding in tomato paste listed as "natural flavors."
• You must read every label every time. It's both that hard and that simple. If you see peanuts listed, put that product aside until the FDA determines what's safe and what isn't. When in doubt, don't eat it.
• This is the point when you get to tell your child that s/he may not have the cookie or snack they want. If you have the time to do so, it's much easier if you involve your child in the label reading, even if you still need to read it for them. (I skip the chemicals.) It's sort of a reverse treasure hunt.
• Another constant source of worry for parents of children with food allergies, is their safety when we are not present to supervise. Will their daycare or school be responsible for reading labels? How do we teach our children never to accept food from someone else that we haven't approved? You may wish to have a talk with your child and your child's school.

It's just a glimpse into our world, but maybe this can help you navigate through the salmonella scare. Hopefully, my son will outgrow his food allergies, or even better, researchers may find a cure, and this lifestyle can become a thing of the past. Until then, I'll keep squinting at labels.

Delurking Day

I tend to be a little behind the curve, but it's finally come to my attention that today is/was Delurking Day. (In case you're wondering, lurking is visiting a site regularly without leaving any comments. So delurking means to say something already!)

The Allergic Kid isn't exactly a high traffic site. Feedburner tells me I have about 90 subscribers. Since I get about 150 hits on days that I post and 50 to 75 hits from search engines on days that I don't, that seems about right. (Other tidbits from my stats: Australians always seem to be looking for vegan key lime pie and federal employees really need a good tilapia recipe. NASA and DoJ, I'm talking to you!)

What does this mean? First, thank you for visiting my little blog. Having almost a hundred people show up for my crazy recipes and rants about ingredient labels just blows me away. It really does. Second, it's time to break out of your shell and introduce yourself!

So 'Oy to Canberra and 'Eh to Vancouver! Tel-Aviv, Shalom! Winter Park, hi, neighbor! Blue Cross/Blue Shield, this is a health related site, right? Baden-Wuerrtemberg, 'lass sich mal endlich vorstellen! I suspect that most of the hits I get from Jordan and Iraq are U.S. Servicemembers, so stay safe, guys, ok?

Don't be shy, come on out and play!

Thanks to Aimee of Greeblemonkey for creating the awesome and potentially offensive Delurking Logo. It fits right in, doesn't it?

Five Pound Pasta

This is a dish that I've been on the verge of posting since I began to blog, but always hesitated, since it isn't a recipe as much as a set of guidelines for making homemade sauce to eat over pasta. Then a few days ago, I ran across a blog event, "Recipes for First Time Cooks." being hosted by Ramki of One Page Cookbooks. After seeing his refreshing approach to deconstructing and demystifying recipes, I realized that my "five pound" formula for pasta was perfect for this event, and was determined to finally share it.

To make make this dish, you will need:

• one pound of pasta (macaroni, shells, bowties, rotini, etc.)
  
• one pound of protein (ground turkey, ground sausage, can of cannellini beans, etc.)
  
• three pounds of vegetables (onions, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, broccoli, bell peppers, etc.)
  
• one large can of tomato puree (29 oz)
  
• a couple tablespoons of olive oil and seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, etc.)

Fill a large pot with water, and place it over high heat, so it can begin to heat up while making the sauce, then make pasta according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped vegetables and cook until desired degree of doneness. Add seasonings. If in doubt, my standby is 1 or 2 tablespoons of mixed Italian herbs and a sprinkling of garlic powder. (For the sauce in the photograph, I cooked a sweet onion until soft, then added about 2 pounds of yellow squash and a pound of zucchini.)

If you are using ground meat as your protein, add it to the skillet now and cook until all pink is gone. Pour in tomato paste, stir until completely mixed, and heat until sauce just begins to bubble. (My tip for using canned tomato sauce: mix in a little additional garlic powder immediately after pouring tomato puree into pan to remove tinny taste.) If you are using beans as your protein, rinse them, then stir into sauce and cook until heated through.

The sauce and the pasta may not be finished at exactly the same time, but as soon they are both done, mix the pasta into the sauce. (It's not as visually appealing as serving the sauce over the pasta, but it keeps the noodles from drying out or sticking together, and it insures that you won't end up with an uneven amount of sauce or pasta left over.) Adjust seasonings and serve.

This makes an absolutely huge quantity of food. My husband and I will pack leftovers up for work (no white blouses for me on those days!) Sometimes we'll save some for a night when the adults are eating something that's not Kid friendly, and he'll be happy to snarf up some more pasta instead. This pasta dish is easy, infinitely flexible to what's available in my pantry, and reheats beautifully. Many thanks to Ramki for an opportunity to finally share it!

Turkey Roll Up Lunchbox

This lunch was fast and easy: a fajita sized flour tortilla spread with plain Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese covered with a layer each of sliced turkey and lettuce (which will all be pulled off again, but I keep trying,) then rolled up and cut into six pieces. I wish The Kid would show interest in lunchbox fillers other than grapes and pretzels, but I should probably just be grateful he's eating something healthy! They are accompanied by a bottle of mixed apple juice and water, plus a tiger sticker.

I'm submitting this lunch to Margo at Coffee and Vanilla for her monthly Wholesome Lunchbox event. Be sure to check out all the creative lunch ideas and fantastic bento art.

Living With Food Allergies Blog Carnival #34

Welcome to the first food allergy blog carnival of 2009! It looks like most of us are still in light holiday blogging mode, so thank you to all of you who found time to write and share some thoughtful and informative posts.

Amy Dumas of Eating Well ~ Being Well says hello to the world in her very first blog post "I'm Neither Canine nor Bovine, I'm a Food-Sensitive HUMINE! er... Human!" So go on over and say hi to the newest food sensitive blogger on the block.

Amy Leger, The Savvy Celiac, starts planning a gluten-free birthday bash for her soon to be 10 year old daughter in "One Birthday Party - Hold the Gluten." Then she discovers that her medically necessary gluten-free diet is the next big thing, but puts trendspotting in perspective in "Gluten-Free: a Hot Trend for '09?" (Hmmm, maybe the restaurant staff that thought her daughter should bring a gf cupcake to her own birthday party needs to take a peek at that trend list!)

Victoria Groce, former Jeopardy champion and current food allergy maven at About.com, shares some high tech help in "Six iPhone Apps That Can Help You Manage Food Allergies." Victoria finds some unexpected ways to use your cell phone for more than calling 800 numbers from grocery store aisles.

Jennifer B. of Food Allergy Buzz emails customer service (and calls and emails again) so you don't have to in "Allergen Labeling at George Weston Bakeries." The good news? The change in the allergen labeling on her favorite English muffins accurately reflects a change in manufacturing practices. The bad news? Go read Jennifer B.'s post for the list of baked goods which are affected.

Best wishes to all of you at the start of a new year, and many thanks to Rational Jenn for allowing me to host.