by request, a few recipes
Based on questions from moms, and on my love for the new little ones and their mothers, I am trying to compile the information I found most useful for my children...
Food:
Our family has a litany of food allergies, so before attending other children's birthday parties etc. I make a cake with my children which does not have egg, nuts, milk/dairy, wheat, soy or refined sugar. I have found some lovely cookbooks, where the cakes actually taste like cakes "Simple Treats" is my favorite. They have a bakery and the cookbook is a result...
http://www.simpletreats.com/
Undoubtedly, when I come with such a cake there are other children who have allergies who benefit as well, so it becomes my little service project. And, I have yet to have my youngest get upset by the fact he can not have something.
Double Fudge Brownies
2/3 cup rolled oats(ground into course flour in food processor)
1/2 cup plus 2 T Sweet Potato Puree (organic canned--I have also used pumpkin and added a little more sucanat)
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canola, safflower, or sunflower oil
1-2 T vanilla
3/4 cup sucanat, date sugar or maple sugar
1/2 cup carob chips(or chocolate)
2/3 cup barley flour
1/2 cup carob powder(or cocoa)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
you may also add 1/2 cup pecans or other nut to this recipe, but we choose not to due to the allergies.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a 9-13 pan. In a small bowl, mix sweet potato puree, syrup, oil and vanilla.
In a larger bowl mix the ground oats, sucanat, carob chips, and half of the nuts if using. Add flour, carob powder, baking powder and salt into oat mixture. Pour the wet into the dry and mix together.
Pour batter into the pan. Sprinkle with pecans if using. Bake 30-35 minutes until knife comes out "clean". Cool before cutting.
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I avoid all milk and meat products which are not organic, and humanely treated(without hormones--without being fanatical).
My children love spinach, broccoli, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. The one problem with vegetables that I have found is that they do not like the texture of green leafy vegetables, so I have a Persian recipe that I make that the kids adore. Kookoo sabsi (my oldest likes ghormeh sabzi as well--a stew that is served alongside rice)
Kuku sabzi is most of the time made with egg. I have found a way to make it without eggs.
Ingredients:
1 Bunch of each: spinach, Italian parsley, dill, coriander(usually use 2 of coriander, and 4-5 green onions(to taste)( you may also use mint)
2-3 T of Tumeric
2 T Thyme(I think--I get the spice from my persian mother-in-law and I think it is thyme)(optional)
high heat oil(safflower)
salt
1 cup of rice(I usually use basmati) standing in water overnight
handful of red currents(for color and taste--optional)
1-2 T baking powder
Wash all green herbs 2-3 times in a bath of water to get out all dirt/pesticides. Pat dry, and place in food processor. I usually do several batches and mix it all together with salt tumeric, sometimes cumin, my mystery spice from Iran and the red currants. Then I take my rice that has been sitting all night and blend it in a blender with a bit of water, enough to not damage the machine, then dump that into the herb mixture. Mix it all up, and fry or bake. Baking is healthier, but frying tends to make the patties disappear faster.
if you can eat eggs, try it with them! (Of course I would recommend eggs from free range chickens...)
http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/substantial_iranian_omelet.html
(By the way, the above website is great for persian recipes)
My children also love sushi--california maki style. They love the roasted and salted seaweed and will eat it plain.
We use Seasoned and roasted Laver or seaweed cook the sushi rice in the rice cooker, fry carrots and spinach separately in sesame oil and wheat free tamari soy sauce. Cut up tomato and cucumber(avocado for the adults) and make the sushi. check out how to make it. It is sooo easy! Sometimes we eat it like an asian version of a burrito. It is a great picnic food and won't spoil without meat.
ok back to persian food...
I always make a main dish with something the children like(often meat) with vegetable and rice, and if they want more of the meat(which there is little of) they have to eat the vegetable and rice...
Celery stew--Khoresh karafs
1 med to large sized onion
1 lb beef or lamb cut in small pieces
2 T tumeric
water
2 bunches of celery, cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup of dried mint
1/3-1/2 cup dried parsley
1-2 T of tarragon, dried
(you may also wash chop and prepare fresh herbs two bunches of parsely to 1 of mint--but the above is the version for a busy mom)
2-3 dried limes(can be found in middle eastern stores) or you can use lemon juice to taste(but the limes are sooo good!)
Fry onions until translucent(if you have time) put meat in and tumeric and salt. Fry meat until browned add water so that the water fills up the pan at least an inch. Add celery, herbs and dried limes(I crush mine with a nut cracker). Cook for a couple hours, and stir and add water when needed. Taste for salt at the end.
Serve over (basmati) rice.
---------------
Fesenjoon(long cooking time) Not a recipe my son can eat, but is easy so I am sharing
1 med to large onion
1 lb. chicken(preferably legs because the chicken will fall off bones and disintegrate so the bones are easier to locate)
1 bottle of pomegranate molasses 10 oz
5 cups whole walnuts
maple syrup/salt to taste
Place walnuts in blender, cover with water and blend until a puree. Feel free to add water. Put into a pot and add water so when the mixture bubbles it doesn't spatter onto the cook. Cook until it turns color. Put in an onion (whole) which has been punctured a couple times with a knife and the chicken and molasses. Add water periodically and cook for 5 hours, or put in crock pot for 12 on high. At the end, taste for maple syrup and salt.
Serve with (Basmati )rice
-----------------
Pizza, always with spinach.
I often will make my own, but when I am busy I will buy the frozen kind put a 1/2 inch layer of frozen chopped spinach, sprinkle a little salt, add cheese on top and pop it in the oven.
-----------------
Hope this was helpful!
Food:
Our family has a litany of food allergies, so before attending other children's birthday parties etc. I make a cake with my children which does not have egg, nuts, milk/dairy, wheat, soy or refined sugar. I have found some lovely cookbooks, where the cakes actually taste like cakes "Simple Treats" is my favorite. They have a bakery and the cookbook is a result...
http://www.simpletreats.com/
Undoubtedly, when I come with such a cake there are other children who have allergies who benefit as well, so it becomes my little service project. And, I have yet to have my youngest get upset by the fact he can not have something.
Double Fudge Brownies
2/3 cup rolled oats(ground into course flour in food processor)
1/2 cup plus 2 T Sweet Potato Puree (organic canned--I have also used pumpkin and added a little more sucanat)
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canola, safflower, or sunflower oil
1-2 T vanilla
3/4 cup sucanat, date sugar or maple sugar
1/2 cup carob chips(or chocolate)
2/3 cup barley flour
1/2 cup carob powder(or cocoa)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
you may also add 1/2 cup pecans or other nut to this recipe, but we choose not to due to the allergies.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a 9-13 pan. In a small bowl, mix sweet potato puree, syrup, oil and vanilla.
In a larger bowl mix the ground oats, sucanat, carob chips, and half of the nuts if using. Add flour, carob powder, baking powder and salt into oat mixture. Pour the wet into the dry and mix together.
Pour batter into the pan. Sprinkle with pecans if using. Bake 30-35 minutes until knife comes out "clean". Cool before cutting.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
I avoid all milk and meat products which are not organic, and humanely treated(without hormones--without being fanatical).
My children love spinach, broccoli, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. The one problem with vegetables that I have found is that they do not like the texture of green leafy vegetables, so I have a Persian recipe that I make that the kids adore. Kookoo sabsi (my oldest likes ghormeh sabzi as well--a stew that is served alongside rice)
Kuku sabzi is most of the time made with egg. I have found a way to make it without eggs.
Ingredients:
1 Bunch of each: spinach, Italian parsley, dill, coriander(usually use 2 of coriander, and 4-5 green onions(to taste)( you may also use mint)
2-3 T of Tumeric
2 T Thyme(I think--I get the spice from my persian mother-in-law and I think it is thyme)(optional)
high heat oil(safflower)
salt
1 cup of rice(I usually use basmati) standing in water overnight
handful of red currents(for color and taste--optional)
1-2 T baking powder
Wash all green herbs 2-3 times in a bath of water to get out all dirt/pesticides. Pat dry, and place in food processor. I usually do several batches and mix it all together with salt tumeric, sometimes cumin, my mystery spice from Iran and the red currants. Then I take my rice that has been sitting all night and blend it in a blender with a bit of water, enough to not damage the machine, then dump that into the herb mixture. Mix it all up, and fry or bake. Baking is healthier, but frying tends to make the patties disappear faster.
if you can eat eggs, try it with them! (Of course I would recommend eggs from free range chickens...)
http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/substantial_iranian_omelet.html
(By the way, the above website is great for persian recipes)
My children also love sushi--california maki style. They love the roasted and salted seaweed and will eat it plain.
We use Seasoned and roasted Laver or seaweed cook the sushi rice in the rice cooker, fry carrots and spinach separately in sesame oil and wheat free tamari soy sauce. Cut up tomato and cucumber(avocado for the adults) and make the sushi. check out how to make it. It is sooo easy! Sometimes we eat it like an asian version of a burrito. It is a great picnic food and won't spoil without meat.
ok back to persian food...
I always make a main dish with something the children like(often meat) with vegetable and rice, and if they want more of the meat(which there is little of) they have to eat the vegetable and rice...
Celery stew--Khoresh karafs
1 med to large sized onion
1 lb beef or lamb cut in small pieces
2 T tumeric
water
2 bunches of celery, cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup of dried mint
1/3-1/2 cup dried parsley
1-2 T of tarragon, dried
(you may also wash chop and prepare fresh herbs two bunches of parsely to 1 of mint--but the above is the version for a busy mom)
2-3 dried limes(can be found in middle eastern stores) or you can use lemon juice to taste(but the limes are sooo good!)
Fry onions until translucent(if you have time) put meat in and tumeric and salt. Fry meat until browned add water so that the water fills up the pan at least an inch. Add celery, herbs and dried limes(I crush mine with a nut cracker). Cook for a couple hours, and stir and add water when needed. Taste for salt at the end.
Serve over (basmati) rice.
---------------
Fesenjoon(long cooking time) Not a recipe my son can eat, but is easy so I am sharing
1 med to large onion
1 lb. chicken(preferably legs because the chicken will fall off bones and disintegrate so the bones are easier to locate)
1 bottle of pomegranate molasses 10 oz
5 cups whole walnuts
maple syrup/salt to taste
Place walnuts in blender, cover with water and blend until a puree. Feel free to add water. Put into a pot and add water so when the mixture bubbles it doesn't spatter onto the cook. Cook until it turns color. Put in an onion (whole) which has been punctured a couple times with a knife and the chicken and molasses. Add water periodically and cook for 5 hours, or put in crock pot for 12 on high. At the end, taste for maple syrup and salt.
Serve with (Basmati )rice
-----------------
Pizza, always with spinach.
I often will make my own, but when I am busy I will buy the frozen kind put a 1/2 inch layer of frozen chopped spinach, sprinkle a little salt, add cheese on top and pop it in the oven.
-----------------
Hope this was helpful!
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