Question: Autism spectrum and food allergies?

Readers, I have a question for you!  A chef, restauranteur and host on the KCRW show "Good Food" in LA, Evan Kleiman, has posed this question.

We are working on a story about the relationship between autism and food allergies...do you know someone who struggles with food allergies due to Autism or Asperger's?

I already know that some people with Autism spectrum respond well to a gluten-free and casein-free (dairy-free) diet to help manage symptoms.  BUT she's also asking if anyone with Autism has developed food allergies after diagnoses?

My guess is no, that Autism does not subsequently generate food allergies, that they're two very different systems in the body. But I wanted to pose the question to you, a bigger audience than me!

Please either comment below, or shoot me an email with your thoughts at foodallergyqueen@gmail.com, and I'll share them with her.

Thanks!

The FAQ

Recipe: Indian cabbage with mung beans (yummier than it sounds)

Happy New Year everyone!  I am just getting back up to 100% after getting sick from an environmental allergy storm over New Year's eve.  Sometimes high levels of gunky stuff in the air (pollen, grass, pollutants, mold) overpowers my sinuses and if I'm not careful I can get pneumonia.  (After a few days indoors hanging out with my new BFF the neti pot, I'm much better.)  As I'm trying to build up my stamina again, I felt like having something comforting and healthy, but new to my repertoire.  Enter this Indian cabbage recipe.  A lot of news in the food world lately has been about trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals into our diet for both health and environmental reasons, and I agree -- Meatless Mondays, Bittman's "less meatarian", or full vegan options are all great steps.  Whatever works for you works!  But rather than re-engineer foods to be meatless, I prefer to find recipes that are designed to be veggie to begin with.  That way, to my thinking at least, it doesn't feel like it's missing anything!  There are many vegetarians in the Indian culture, it makes sense that they've adjusted their cuisine so it's just right.  :)

Luckily for me I have a copy of Neelam Batra's The Indian Vegetarian cookbook, which I purchased after I was fortunate enough to take one of her cooking classes.  She has simplified traditional Indian food for American cooks, and everything I've made out of it has been terrific.  Most of the time, her recipes turn out way tastier than I imagined (and you have to imagine -- no pictures!).  This recipe was not only one-pot easy and delicious, with balanced flavors, low fat and high fiber, it used things I already had in my fridge and pantry.  Bonus!

BTW, I'm not advocating that everyone needs to become a full vegetarian unless you choose to.  Adding in more vegetarian recipes is a good idea, AND I believe in listening to your body and crafting your diet for your individual needs.  A few hours after eating this, I had a burger.  :)

Here it is, with my subs noted.

Cabbage with Yellow Mung Beans (Bund gobi aur peeli mung dal)
from Neelam Batra's The Indian Vegetarian

Makes 8 servings

3 Tbs vegetable oil (I used grapeseed for its mild flavor)
2 Tbs peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp finely chopped garlic (I used shallots)
1 cup finely chopped scallion greens (I used the whole scallions)
5 jalapeno peppers, skin punctured to prevent bursting (I skipped this because in this state they would have killed me)
1 cup of cleaned, loosely packed finely chopped cilantro, including soft stems
1 Tbs ground coriander (which is cilantro btw, did you know?)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 cup finely chopped fresh tomato (I used a red pepper since I'm allergic to tomatoes)
1 medium-sized head of green cabbage (about 1.5 lbs.), finely shredded
1/2 cup dried yellow mung beans (I used white lentils), picked over and washed
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 Tbs chopped cilantro for garnish

Note: this may need add'l water or broth, so have it handy

1. Heat the oil in a large wok or saucepan over moderately high heat and cook ginger and garlic, stirring until golden, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add scallion greens, jalapeno peppers and cilantro for 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in spices: coriander, cumin, turmeric and salt and let them heat through to bring out the flavor.
4. Add tomato (peppers for me), cabbage and mung beans.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until cabbage wilts, 3-4 minutes.
5. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the dal is tender about 25-30 minutes.  Note: since I took out the tomato, there was not enough liquid for the lentils to cook, so I added a combination of water and broth over the cooking time so that it didn't dry out and burn!
6. Transfer to a serving dish, season with salt and black pepper to taste, garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy.

Recipe: Pecan pie (gluten, dairy and soy-free)

I finally made the pecan pie I didn't make at Thanksgiving (one month and several inches to my waistline ago).  It was satisfying and delicious, I'll work on an egg-free version for next time.  If anyone tries it with Ener-G egg replacer, let me know if it works by posting on my Facebook page.  The eggs are used for a custardy-type filling, so don't know if the powder will do the same.

Kentucky Pecan pie
From Rita Shiang

1 8" gluten-free pie crust, unbaked (I used the Bob's recipe here)

3/4 c. white corn syrup
3/4 c. dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 c. melted butter (or substitute of your choice, I used Earth Balance margarine)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract (gluten-free!)
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 c. roughly chopped pecans.  (Set aside add'l pecan halves for decoration if you like.)

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together the syrup, sugar, butter, salt and vanilla. Add in beaten eggs.
Add in chopped pecans -- at this point you can either mix pecans in the batter, or pour the batter into the shell and sprinkle pecans on top.  I like mixing them in.
Decorate with pecan halves if you like, but this is strictly optional.  (BTW, if the pecan halves sit on top of the pie they're likely to burn like mine did, so cut out a loose circle of foil to protect them but let the crust brown!)

Bake for 45 minutes or until pie is set.  Serve warm or cold.

Happy Holidays!

Happy #foodallergy safe Holidays everyone! I hope you enjoy the blessings of the season. <3

As for me, I'm enjoying these Butternut squash latkes from Elanas Pantry!   http://bit.ly/s6yb9H

Best Wishes to you and yours, the FAQ

Work in progress...lentil soup

This came out nicely today, so wanted to share the picture of my work in progress.  It's a variation of the lentil soup with saffron yogurt recipe from 101 Cookbooks http://bit.ly/vJEicg


I'll post my version once I'm done tweaking it to my liking.  

More gift ideas! Food Allergy Canvas Tote Bags

More gift ideas! Food Allergy Canvas Tote Bags. I shared this on Facebook the other day as well.  Shop for them on this link!   http://bit.ly/uy5YsX

These are some of the great tote bags out there that help food allergy awareness!  My favorite one is "If not for gluten, I'd be normal."  Well, maybe.  

Recipe: Artichoke Spinach Dip

Uh oh, I'm in trouble.  I LOVE dips -- as a kid when my parents took us to grownup parties, I'd look for the inevitable chips with sour cream onion dip, then strategically park myself in front of the bowl and not budge the entire time.  Shoveling of dip ensued.

Tonight,  I was breezing through one of my older low-carb cookbooks, and found this quick and easy recipe.  Warning: it's low-carb, but NOT low-calorie!  You pick your poison, right?  This can be gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free depending on which ingredients you choose. (Click on the photo to see it full-sized._

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Adapted from 500 Low-Carb recipes cookbook
8 servings

1 can 13 1/2 oz. artichoke hearts
1 package frozen chopped spinach (10 oz., thawed)
2 cups mayonnaise (whichever kind suits you...I use canola oil based mayo fm Whole Foods since I can't have the soy oil in most mayos)
2 cups Daiya mozzarella shreds (or real cheese if you can have it)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used onion instead)
paprika for dusting (I used smoked paprika)

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Drain and chop artichoke hearts into a rough dice.

3. Squeeze out as much water as you can from the spinach, using your hands.

4. Combine all ingredients except for paprika, spread into a shallow baking dish.

5. Sprinkle with paprika.

6. Bake at 325F for 50 to 60 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Let cool a bit, then serve with tortilla chips, #gf crackers or raw vegetables.  Beware.  I shoveled quite a healthy portion of this as soon as it cooled!

#Gf Holiday French toast with @So_Delicious Eggnog

Before discovering my multiple food allergies, I always eagerly looked forward to my annual Christmas breakfast of Holiday French toast made with eggnog and Italian pannetone bread (which is only available during the holidays).  I haven't had any since 2006 and miss miss miss it!

But since I've been hearing great reviews about the @So_Delicious coconut eggnog, I am going to try it this year.  And use Glutino's #gf raisin bread to simulate the pannetone.  So Delicious already has a recipe on their site, so I'm gonna try this one first before tinkering.  I couldn't link directly to the recipe, so copied it here.

If anyone has already tried it, please share your comments here or on my Facebook page!  

Holiday Nog French Toast Recipe from So Delicious Dairy Free

By Gail Davis

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
2 cups So Delicious® Coconut Milk Nog
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
8 slices hearty whole-grain, sourdough, or gluten-free bread
coconut oil
cinnamon sugar (combine ground cinnamon and evaporated cane crystals—optional)

Preparation:

Blend bananas, coconut nog, cinnamon, and vanilla in a blender and pour into a pie plate or wide bowl. Heat a griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of coconut oil.
Gently dip the bread slices, one at a time into the plate or bowl, letting slices soak up mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. Transfer
bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired, and serve hot
with (or without syrup) and fresh berries. Serves 4.

Gift suggestions for #foodallergy peeps!

Here are a few items that I think would make great holiday gifts for the #foodallergy peeps in your life.

Lauren's Hope medical bracelets.  These are NOT those nasty military-type bracelets.  List your critical food allergies on the replaceable medical tag, and swap between beautiful sterling, crystal and gold versions for women, leather for the men, and fun beads and leather for kids.  I get compliments on mine all the time (I have the one pictured), and when people compliment me, I flip over my wrist and show them it's a medical bracelet.  They are shocked at how nice they are. I've convinced quite a few ladies that you don't have to sacrifice style for safety.  If your kids whine about how ugly it is to wear a bracelet for their food allergy, you can fix that with these!  Find them on Twitter @LaurenshopeID

Glasslock food storage containers.  This is not sexy, but they're some of the most practical pieces I have in my kitchen.  Not only can I see what's in there (and the state of freshness of the item in question), if there are multiple food allergies in your house you can avoid cross contamination by using non-toxic markers directly on the glass (I like Expo-click dry markers because they're big and hard to lose!).

A subscription to Allergic Living or Living Without  magazines.  'Nuff said.  @AllergicLiving, @Living_without

A cosmetic-sized bag for all of the allergy stuff.  Epipen, antihistamines, emergency plans, Dr. contacts, etc.  I like to put mine in something REALLY bright and obnoxious so it's easy to find in my purse or briefcase.  I have a few from Tepper Jackson, but you get the idea.

Stainless steel bento boxes for transporting your safe food to parties or other people's homes.  You'll want something sturdy, and easy to clean to avoid the chemicals in plastics.  I think you can also use dry erase markers on stainless.

For kids, perhaps one of these cute little skull and crossbones tees that helps the adults around them understand they have food allergies.  They are customizable (I want one!) for specific food allergies as well.  Kids can easily get overlooked by busy or impatient adults and these can only add another layer of communication, right?  Plus, they're a tiny bit "goth",  kids will love them.  Not on Twitter, but Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/36548582389/

Allergic Girl, the book.  My friend Sloane is a psychotherapist who grew up with food allergies to nuts and fish.  She has wonderful strategies to emotionally empower yourself or your children on managing food allergies, without living in fear.  And brilliant observations about dealing with anyone (including family) who are resistant to offering you support.

I would love to hear from you.  What food allergy related gift do you love to give, or would you like to receive?  

Happy holiday shopping, the FAQ

Review: Earth Balance coconut spread

I'm ALWAYS excited to go to @WholeFoods markets -- they really put in the effort to offer a range of products that work for those of us with #foodallergy.  It's just like a treasure hunt -- every time I go to replace my staples (like Glutino #gf breads) I know I'll find something new and exciting. This time, I was making a trek to replace my @Earth_Balance Soy-free margarine in the red container (TJs doesn't carry soy-free) and ran across an intriguing little blue tub of Earth Balance organic coconut spread.   I'm sure for legal reasons they can't call it margarine, but for all practical purposes, it's yet another tasty butter replacement for us.  This is dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, organic, non-GMO and vegan.  Yay. It's like magic!

Ingredients: Tropical oil blend of extra virgin coconut, palm, and canola oils.  Water, salt, natural flavor (I assume it's a manufactured one), sunflower lecithin and lactic acid.  All organic.


I found this before Thanksgiving so have been doing side by side taste comparisons to the soy-free margarine for the past few weeks.  The coconut spread is lighter tasting, with not as much of a "buttery" flavor, and a bit less rich than the margarine.  It also retains a light coconut flavor, so I found it worked better in sweet combinations rather than savory.  When I fried an egg in it, it made my egg taste vaguely Hawaiian.  So I would stick to using it for sweets.  The consistency was great, the mouthfeel was very smooth like real butter, with just a tinge of the sweetness from real sweet butter. Bottom line, I like it VERY much as yet another butter substitute alternative.  But since it's got a bit of a coconut-y taste, and is a bit more expensive than their margarine, I think I'll save this for sweet baking items.  And continue to use their margarine for savory cooking and on breads and muffins.

Regardless, thank you so much Earth_Balance for continuing to make great products!  It's such a great time for foodallergy peeps, there are so many more choices available now.

...The aftermath

A post-Thanksgiving check-in of things I have learned:

- I planned lots of options for leftovers since I am still eating turkey (I bought a 16-lb bird and already planned to freeze a good portion of it ).With it, I've made Vietnamese style sandwiches on gf bread, turkey omelette, and turkey noodle soup. Good to have these ready.

- Need to plan to pig out on desserts. I ate 3/4 of a pumpkin pie by myself, although spread out over a few days.  Thank goodness I didn't make two!  My mom is diabetic and only took a few bites, which she ate with her hands -- it was so yummy she couldn't/wouldn't wait for a plate and fork.

- Look for the turkey baster BEFORE you turn the oven on.  Needless to say, I only found half of it.  Not helpful.

- I discovered that when the connector on the wire for the roasting thermometer is loose, the temperature can be inaccurate. Argh.

- Earth Balance margarine (soy free in my case) massaged into the bird prior to roasting adds beautiful color and texture to the skin.  Almost as good as butter!

- I opened a bottle of Fre alcohol-free wine...a merlot.  My mom loved it...esp since she's given up alcohol for her health.  Now she can get it back!

- The #GF soft rolls recipe http://bit.ly/rQNEUR.  are best eaten within a day.  Will let you know how they freeze.

All in all, a lovely cooking holiday.  Hope yours was delicious, safe and fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy safe Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope that everyone gets #foodallergy support fm loved ones on a foodcentric holiday. And please don't forget your Epi today, just in case!

Here's the gf pie crust recipe I used this yearL  http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=1126 

and here's the classic Libby's pie recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/libbys-famous-pumpkin-pie/detail.aspx I switched out the evaporated milk and replaced it with So Delicious Coconut milk plain yogurt.

Peace and blessings, the FAQ

'via Blog this'

The FAQ Thanksgiving menu 2011

Okay, after much thinking, here's what I'm going with this year.  On one hand, I look forward to having my favorites, on the other hand, I'm always looking to improve what can be better!  I may venture out to try a new #gf pie crust.  Dare I?

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!  The FAQ

1. Turkey
I purchase free-range and organic Mary's turkey from Whole Foods.  This year, about $2.50/lb. I've been making this turkey for a few years now, and am always pleased with the moistness and extra flavor of the turkey.  The gravy is hearty and is perfect with the gf cornbread stuffing I prefer.

The key thing I alter is that I dry brine the turkey this two days before Thanksgiving, and bring it up to room temperature before roasting.

Here's the recipe for Turkey with Sage and Sherried Cider Giblet Gravy from Epicurious

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Turkey-with-Sage-and-Sherried-Cider-Giblet-Gravy-13419

My FAQ Subs:
Eliminate lemon
Gluten-free Glutino bread for whole wheat
Earth Balance soyfree margarine for butter
Cornstarch for flour in gravy

2. #GF cornbread and sausage stuffing from Roben Ryberg/James Beard
Make the cornbread a day ahead and save yourself a headache!

http://www.foodallergyqueen.com/2008/11/faq-cornbread-stuffing-recipe.html

3. Cranberry and cherry compote from Gourmet magazine
http://www.foodallergyqueen.com/2006/11/faq-thanksgiving.html

4. Green vegetable to be determined!  May add a #gf dinner roll recipe depending on how ambitious I feel on Wednesday.

5. #GF and dairy-free pumpkin pie.
Pie filling from the Libby's recipe on the can, see link below.  FAQ sub: So Delicious plain or vanilla yogurt for the evaporated milk

Flaky Pastry adapted from Rebecca Reilly
Double Crust (use for two pies or cut recipe in half)

Equipment you'll need: 9" heavy aluminum pie pan (don't use glass or it won't brown!)
rolling pin
pastry cutter (or two forks)
waxed paper

Ingredients: 
1-1/2 cups gluten-free mix (I used Bob's Red Mill Multipurpose GF flour since it has no rice)
If you can have rice, you can also use 1-1/2 cups of Rebecca's gf mixture: 2 c. brown rice flour+ 2/3 c. potato starch, + 1/3 c. tapioca starch and save the rest.
3 Tablespoons sweet rice flour (I used sorghum flour instead)
2 tsp. sugar (omit if using for savory filling)
1/4 tsp. salt
9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (I used Spectrum organic vegetable shortening instead)
1 jumbo egg
1-1/2 Tablespoon cider vinegar or lemon juice

Mix together the gf mix, sweet rice flour (or sorghum flour), sugar and salt.  Cut the butter into chunks, and use a pastry cutter (or two forks) to work the butter into the dry ingredients to form a coarse meal.  Once thoroughly mixed, make a well in the dry ingredients and break the egg into the well.  Add the vinegar or lemon juice.  Use a fork to stir from the center, working the flour into the egg to form a soft dough.  Shape into a flat cake, cover and refrigerate if it's too soft to roll out.  You'll want the dough to hold a shape, but not be so stiff that it cracks.  You'll want the texture to be like Play-doh.

Cut two large pieces of waxed paper, about 3"-4" wider than your pie plate.  On one piece of paper, sprinkle a little of the gf mix (or cornstarch) onto the paper to keep the dough from sticking to the paper.  Take out your dough, and flatten it a bit with your hand to make it sorta round.  Sprinkle the top with a little more mix or cornstarch, then put the second piece of waxed paper on top.   The you can use your rolling pin to roll out the dough.  Start from the center and roll outwards.  Because of the waxed paper, you can flip it over and adjust as you go along if it becomes uneven.  (When it gets really unruly, I also pin one corner of the paper with my hip against the counter to keep it from moving.  Hey, whatever works, right?)  Roll the crust to be about 2" wider than your pie pan (measure using the pan itself!). 

When it's the size you want, peel off one side of the paper, put the pan upside down on top and flip it over into the pan, and adjust.  Then peel off the other paper, tada!  Then cut another two pieces of waxed paper and roll out another circle for the top crust, Cover the rolled out dough and put them both in the fridge while you make the filling.

Libby's pie filling recipe

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/libbys-famous-pumpkin-pie/detail.aspx

Recipe: Pulled pork and pancake sliders

I feel silly calling this a recipe, it's more of an ingredient convergence of what was in my fridge.  :)  This was quick and tasty, although for some reason the pancake batter seemed to get all over the kitchen.  Pancakes+Earth Balance soy-free margarine, and pre-cooked pulled pork from Costco.  Voila.


1. Heat some of the pork in a bit of oil and water, pulling apart to let it soften.


2. Make the pancakes. Here's the Gluten-free dairy-free pancakes recipe (made from finely ground blanched almond flour) from Elana Amsterdam's The Gluten-free Almond Flour cookbook.  @elanaspantry


3. Assemble and enjoy!


4. If you're feeling ambitious, you could whip a bbq sauce too.  I was too lazy today.


This is the ore-cooked smoked pulled pork (gluten-free) I got from from Costco: about $10 for 2lbs. It's just pork, salt, water and a few spices, smoked.

Happy Halloween!

Food pyramid for zombies from@Huffpo. Have a #foodallergy safe Halloween everyone!

FAAN Walk for Food Allergy, Los Angeles this Sunday!

The FAQ is getting her butt moving for the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy this Sunday in LA.  Send good wishes, or donate if you like! http://bit.ly/oFBnev

Or participate in a walk in your city to help fundraise for research and to educate about food allergies and food allergy safety.  Find out how, here.  http://www.foodallergy.org/page/faan-walk-for-food-allergy1

I'll take pictures, I promise!

Wish me luck!

The FAQ

FAQ Beef Stroganoff Recipe

FAQ Beef Stroganoff Recipe: Adapted from Simply Recipes:

I have to be honest.  A Hamburger Helper commercial made me crave this, so I adapted a recipe I found on Foodily.com.  :)



6 Tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance margarine, soy free version)
1 lb. top sirloin or tenderloin, cut thin into 1" by 2-1/2" strips (I used ground beef for a fast version!)
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/5 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp dry tarragon
1 cup of sour cream (I used So Delicious coconut yogurt, plain) at room temperature
1 lb. gluten free pasta (I used Ancient Grains Quinoa and Corn shells)

Cook pasta according to instructions.  While boiling, make the stroganoff.

METHOD

 

1 Melt 3 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Increase the heat to high/med-high and add the strips of beef. You want to cook the beef quickly, browning on each side, so the temp needs to be high enough to brown the beef, but not so high as to burn the butter. You may need to work in batches. While cooking the beef, sprinkle with some salt and pepper. When both sides are browned, remove the beef to a bowl and set aside.

2 In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook the shallots for a minute or two, allowing them to soak up any meat drippings. Remove the shallots to the same bowl as the meat and set aside.

 

3 In the same pan, melt another 3 Tbsp of butter. Increase heat to medium high and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. While cooking, sprinkle the nutmeg and the tarragon on the mushrooms.

4 Reduce the heat to low and add the sour cream to the mushrooms. You may want to add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the sauce (or not). Mix in the sour cream thoroughly. Do not let it come to a simmer or boil or the sour cream will curdle. Stir in the beef and shallots. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately over egg noodles, fettucine, potatoes, or rice. (Potatoes, rice, and gluten-free pasta are gluten-free options.)

Yield: Serves 4.

Recipe: something new -- lamb burgers!

Yes!  I said LAMB burgers, not hamburgers, which if you think about it are not really made from ham.  Hamburgers by most counts originated in Germany from...Hamburg.  But I digress!  Many months after I moved away from the neighborhood, I finally had the chance to return to the Santa Monica Farmer's market, which used to be a weekly staple for me.  One of the things I always appreciate when going there is that not only do local farmers bring their best fruits and veggies, but local meat producers show up also.  So you can get locally-raised, grassfed beef, or fruit-fed lamb, or organic pork without all the byproducts, fillers and hormones of commercially-raised meat.  They're better for you, and reduces the carbon footprint -- and you get a tasty, healthier end result! It's the whole point of the locavore movement.

Sadly, the realities of economics makes these products expensive since they're literally done on a small scale.  It currently prohibits them from becoming a bigger movement, but I encourage everyone try to support these small ranchers whenever you can, and when your budget allows -- by doing so, you will help support the producers, and make it more accessible to all down the line.  This time, I bought one pound of organic ground lamb on Saturday for $14.  While much pricier than ground beef, it made four burgers, and still cost less than it would have in a health food-type restaurant.  Also, I could control the ingredients for my particular food allergies, and got a delicious alternative to beef, pork and turkey, which are my usual mammalian/avian proteins.  The salsa was mellow and complemented the lamb nicely, I had to sub mango for the oranges, and upped the vinegar a bit to compensate for the lack of citrus.  This would make a nice alternatives to regular burgers if you had company too -- seems fancy!  And the flavors are a bit more sophisticated that just using ketchup and mustard.

Anyhow, if you get the chance to make these lamb burgers, please do!  These spices will probably work with beef, but they really are designed to complement the slightly more aggressive taste of lamb.  It might work with buffalo too.  Which is also offered at the market.  Here's the recipe.  Enjoy!

Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Burgers with Beet, Red Onion and Orange Salsa

He may be executive chef at London's luxe Conservatory at The Lanesborough, but Paul Gayler knows a thing or two about American cuisine, too. In The Gourmet Burger, he rethinks the barbecue classic using premium and international ingredients. Here, he adds mildly spicy North African flavors.

Yield: Makes 4

Salsa
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 beets, boiled, peeled, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1 large orange, peel and pith cut away, flesh cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped pitted green Greek olives

Burgers
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño chile, seeded, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 3/4 pounds ground lamb

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
4 large cracked-wheat hamburger buns, split horizontally
1 1/3 cups thinly sliced Bibb lettuce
Mayonnaise

For salsa:

Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Mix in next 4 ingredients. Season salsa to taste with salt and pepper.

Do ahead: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

For burgers:

Stir shallot, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, salt, black pepper, paprika, and cumin in large bowl to blend. Add lamb and mix gently to combine. Shape mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Arrange on small baking sheet.

Do ahead: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill buns, cut side down, until golden, about 2 minutes; transfer to work surface. Place lettuce and large spoonful of salsa on each bun bottom. Grill burgers until slightly charred and cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Place 1 burger on each bun. Top each with mayonnaise and bun top. Serve with remaining salsa.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Moroccan-Spiced-Lamb-Burgers-with-Beet-Red-Onion-and-Orange-Salsa-235346#ixzz1WMf2p9K5

Recipe: #GF Fig Newtons from Elana's Pantry

Coming up for air from mucho cooking experiments this weekend!  As promised, I made the #gf Fig Newtons from elanaspantry.com which uses finely ground blanched almond flour to replace wheat flour.  (I also made a quickie dairy-free New England style clam chowder and veggie burgers from black beans and quinoa, but more on those later. ) Whew!  I feel so accomplished!

As noted earlier to my Facebook peeps, Elana's recipes specialize in using ground almond flour as her mainstay #gf flour, not a blend of flours like others do.  So I was curious to try her recipes -- I bought the new cupcake book, but was inspired to try this Newton recipe first.  Also, I discovered that the almond meal I was previously using from Trader Joe's ("natural" with skin) was not recommended by Elana, and she could not guarantee performance.  Whoa.  Ok then, so I bought some almond flour from Honeyville, one of her recommended vendors.

Note to new cooks: when trying a recipe for the first time, ALWAYS follow the original authors instructions and ingredient recommendations as much as humanly possible.  Unless you have experience with the performance range of specific products, you shouldn't do too much substituting or the recipe may ultimately not work.  And then you won't be able to correct it the next time!  I can't tell you how many people ask for recipes of things I've made, then make tons of changes and come back to ME to complain that it "didn't taste right".  This is especially true when it comes to baking, which is a pretty exacting science.  Egg size, brands of flour and butter can vary widely.  Even the water you use from different parts of the country can make a difference (if you've read Rose Beranbaum's Cake Bible, you know of what I speak).

So onto the Newtons (except for Gingrich, who is done, ha ha) without further ado.

Here's the original link to Elana's Fig Newton recipe

Gluten Free and Vegan Fig Newtons from Elana's Pantry
Filling:
1 cup dried figs
½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Dough:
2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ cup agave nectar
¼ cup yacon syrup
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Place figs in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds until they are well chopped
2. Add lemon juice and vanilla; process until a smooth paste results
3. In a large bowl, combine almond flour and salt
4. In a smaller bowl, combine agave, yacon, grapeseed oil and vanilla
5. Mix wet ingredients into dry, then refrigerate dough for 1 hour
6. Divide chilled dough into 4 parts
7. Between 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll out 1 part of the dough into a 10 x 4 inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick
8. Spread ¼ of the filling evenly down the right side (lengthwise) of the rectangle
9. Fold the dough in half down the long side --resulting in a 10 x 2 inch bar
10. "Mend" the seam so the bar is symmetrical
11. Repeat with 3 remaining parts of dough and filling
12. Transfer each bar to a parchment lined baking sheet; bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes
13. Allow to cool slightly; cut bar every 2 inches to form the fig newtons
14. Serve

***
My notes



1. The taste.  Overall, pretty great!  I had to break the rule I just posted, but out of necessity.  Because I'm allergic to citrus, I used a mild champagne vinegar, which made it a bit too tart.  Also these are a tad heavy on the vanilla for my taste.

2. The texture.  Nice and soft, but a bit wet and crumbly to hold.  I think I'll add an egg or unsweetened applesauce next time since there's no binder in this recipe, and something to provide a bit of a stiffer feel than using 100% nut flour.  Also reduce the liquids just a hair.

3. The yacon syrup tasted like a lighter fruitier version of a molasses, am wondering if maple syrup would do as a sub, and if using cane sugar instead of agave would help firm this a bit as it does for other cookies.  Hm.

4. Rolling and preparation was fairly easy, but I needed a few tries to make the edges come out neatly. Parchment paper is key.

5. The baking time needed about 5 more minutes than the recipe suggested, my oven runs a bit hot and these were sticky even after the max time recommended.
6. These cut better when totally cool, vs. partially.

I'd say it was a success!  I'd like the texture to be a bit more cookie-like, but will take a crack next time.   Give these a try and let me know what you think!


I froze half, so I'll also experiment on how they hold up after time in the freezer!  Next: something from Elana's new cupcake cookbook.