Interesting articles I've read over the summer

Cat and Kitten, 2008  Photo by A. Stahl

I wanted to share a few interesting news articles that I've been reading over the summer. You see, I never really stop reading. I have friends who ask questions about "gluten free" or celiac disease, or whether or not a certain cross-reactive food is passed on in animal milk and that sort of thing... and I get the bug to go researching.

The only problem with this bug, is that I haven't been trained as a dietician or nutritionist, so I can only access whatever medical paperwork is publicly available or readily found via search engines. So, while these things are interesting, it's best to discuss these papers with knowledgeable gastroenterologist, dieticians and nutritionists who are well versed in Celiac Disease.

I read an eleven page document from The New York Times on "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food" by Michael Moss. My take-away from the article was that we need to be very proactive and aware of the psychology of marketing and that if we are to partake of junk food, that we keep it to a very limited amount. Not because it is too sugary or too salty - but because it is so addictive and it can affect us for a long time to come.

The more interesting articles I was reading happened to do with the evolving spectrum of celiac disease. I've long believed that "gluten sensitivity" or "intolerance" happens to be part of celiac disease, even if it is as of yet, not recognized as such. Voilá, attitudes are changing in the medical community.

"Gluten Sensitivity (GS) is a state of heightened immunological responsiveness to ingested gluten in genetically susceptible people. It represents a spectrum of diverse manifestations, of which, the gluten sensitive enteropathy known as [Celiac Disease] is one of many."
Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: The Evolving Spectrum

"It is now becoming apparent that reactions to gluten are not limited to [Celiac Disease], rather we now appreciate the existence of a spectrum of gluten-related disorders. The high frequency and wide range of adverse reactions to gluten raise the question as to why this dietary progein is toxic for so many individuals in the world."
Spectrum of gluten-related disorders: consensus on new nomenclature and classification

"Sub-clinical, or hidden, gluten intolerance is a health problem at epidemic proportions in certain populations in the United States and remains largely unrecognized by conventional medicine."
Dr. Daniel Kalish

Some acquaintances of mine were discussing some myths that were driving them crazy about Celiac Disease and I mentioned that wheat grass being gluten free was one of my major concerns, after seeing it featured in "Bedtime Stories" and another film ("Working Mom"?) as a safe option for Celiacs who wish to keep a healthy diet.

The problem is not that wheat grass is gluten free, but that the processing involved often causes the actual product to not be gluten free, and really that Celiacs need not be eating any of the grains (sprouted or not) provided from gluten containing grains because it is just too risky for accidents to happen. It took a lot of looking on my end to find an article that discussed these issues with wheat grass, and I found it at About.com's Celiac section.

"...while wheat grass and barley grass in their pure forms are considered gluten-free, it matters how they're harvested and how products containing them are produced.
...if a farmer allows some of the grasses to begin producing seeds prior to harvest, then that particular crop will contain gluten.
...if a manufacturer of supplements produces gluten-containing products alongside or on the same equipment as it's using for gluten-free labeled products, then those products can be cross-contaminated unless special precautions are taken, and they may contain gluten."
Are wheat grass and barley grass gluten-free?

What the article doesn't discuss is that there is a propensity of people with celiac disease to also be allergic to wheat, barley, rye or oats. If one doesn't know that they are additionally allergic, as well as intolerant -- this can cause some massive issues that are just not worth it.  If you do wish to go there, it is best to be sure you only acquire gluten free certified wheat or barley grass, and that you are certain you are not additionally allergic like I am.   It is very unpleasant if you are, and react as I have been.

Another article that I found was related to gluten traces in gluten free foods. This study was referenced in a recent DZG magazine and I went to find the actual article to read on my own. Basically, the DZG translated the article for a German audience, so I had the benefit of the study in both languages. Double plus! The study is entitled "Might gluten traces in wheat substitutes pose a risk in patients with celiac disease? A population-based probabilistic approach to risk estimation." and was put out by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  The "short" of the article is that there has not been enough study and that some Celiacs are more sensitive than others and will react to trace amounts while others do not. We need to adopt the 20mg/kg gluten threshold for the United States.


I have been hearing some things out there in cyber space about fermentation of grains making it gluten free or suitable for individuals with celiac disease. This is patently untrue, and mostly has been skewed from a few, very small sample-size studies.

Here are the basics:

"Because enzymatic breakdown of gluten proteins often leads to small, difficult to degrade, toxic peptides, the partial breakdown of wheat, rye, or barley proteins during seed germination or in the malting process probably will not usually eliminate toxicity even when there is no trace of the large original proteins remaining. Thus, malt extracts and other hydrolysates of wheat, rye, or barley proteins (including beers) might retain some toxicity. Nevertheless, when such extracts are used in a product in very small proportions, as a flavoring, for example, the amount of toxic peptides present in the final product might be so small as to be negligible. Again, however, good scientific studies are lacking."
http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/.../topics/Celiac.vs.grains.html

"The sourdough fermentation may enhance the recovery from intestinal inflammation of coeliac patients at the early stage of the gluten-free diet.
PURPOSE:
This study aimed at investigating the effect of corn, rice and amaranth gluten-free (GF) sourdoughs on the release of nitric oxide (NO) and synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines by duodenal mucosa biopsies of eight coeliac disease (CD) patients."
http://cassies-candida-carbs.blogspot.de/2012/03/study-on-fermentation-of-grains.html

There was a study done in Italy with 13 patients:

"The Italian study was designed to assess how 13 Celiacs responded to eating baked goods made with wheat flour treated with lactobacilli and fungal protease. The study, Safety for Patients with Celiac Disease of Baked Goods Made of Wheat Flour Hydrolyzed During Food Processing was published in the January 2011 issue of the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology."
"...methods used to assess gluten damage in the participants -- blood tests for anti–tissue transglutaminase antibodies and small bowel biopsy have potential for false negative results. "
Is fermented sourdough wheat bread safe for Celiacs?

"These results showed that a bread biotechnology that uses selected lactobacilli, nontoxic flours, and a long fermentation time is a novel tool for decreasing the level of gluten intolerance in humans."
Sourdough Bread Made from Wheat and Nontoxic Flours and Started with Selected Lactobacilli Is Tolerated in Celiac Sprue Patients

The only issue with the studies is that it is such a small sample size, it was not done with a double-blind and they did not test individuals with the rather broad spectrum of celiac disease. There is no long term study, and you could not sign me up for this test with the reactions I have. Heck, I'm reacting to gluten grains in the fields now!


The other interesting bit of research I went into was the myth of there being traces of gluten in dairy products from animals. Based on testing, no significant amounts of gluten peptides have been detected in cow’s milk.

However, Lactose Intolerance Can Be A Symptom Of Gluten Intolerance. That actually was one of the many symptoms I had as a teenager before we figured out that my entire health issues could be pinned on Celiac Disease.

Here's the research I was able to find:

• Gluten Peptides in Human Breast Milk: Implications for Cow’s Milk???
• When Dairy Intolerance Joins Celiac Disease 
• What About Dairy Sensitivity? 
• How is lactose intolerance related to celiac disease?
• Mucosal reactivity to cow's milk protein in coeliac disease.
• Capsule Endoscopy Detection of Ileal Mucosa Alterations due to Cow Milk Malabsorption in a Celiac Patient
• Mucosal reactivity to cow's milk protein in coeliac disease
• https://tinyurl.com/of79nce   
• Intolerance of celiac disease patients to bovine milk is not due to the presence of T-cell stimulatory epitopes of gluten.

Here's hoping that you had a wonderful Summer and are easing gracefully back into school.

Jennifer

Birthday Cakes, Breakfast bento and pasta, oh my! - First Week of June

Why yes, I am a Whovian!

This week has been a whirlwind to say the very least! My oldest son turned five on Saturday. Now, normally I'd be on top of things, but, I went to the doctor last week and was put on bed rest due to a sinus infection and upper respiratory infection.  So, I planned, but getting things implemented was another story.

Refurbished tins from canned food, inspired by this pin

My son expressed that he wished to have a Disney "Cars"-related birthday. So I went hunting up logos I could print and then tape to some tins I was saving from canned goods.  I made up some gift bags for us to be able to pack away some of the doughnuts and a slice of cake for all the children; and I'd purchased and wrapped a coloring book each for all of the children who were present and had put their names down on them.

Handmade Stoplight Goody Bags

I'd run around and found my doughnut recipe, and got those made up. (Husband failed to get a photo of this, they were delicious nonetheless!) We made organic fruit salad (we'd printed a logo that said "Organic Fuel" that we found here), which was gone by the time the party was over. Wow!

Traffic signs that we incorporated into our decorations

The day rolled on by, and none of the baking except for the doughnuts had been done. The doughnuts were slightly burnt, but I knew we could save them if we could get some chocolate glaze going. I've been keeping packets of chocolate glaze laid by for such an occasion since I do not like chocolate glaze on the boxed cupcakes.

Traffic Cones we used for the party

We had put the youngest to bed so he could nap, and the eldest was running from room to room and kept asking when our guests would arrive.  I realized the doughnuts weren't done and I was starting to freak out, while my husband just puttered around the house looking busy.

We had just enough glaze to ice half of the doughnuts, which meant that I had to make a clear glaze. I thought we had powdered sugar upstairs. I thought wrong! Nope, in the basement and our guests had arrived.

One of our younger guests is allergic to many foods, and I was very concerned about him being able to have something other than the fruit salad at the birthday party; so we decided to make the birthday cake as allergen free as possible.

We'd gotten the party banner up, we'd set out the plates, cups, silver and were just finishing up the cake. The doughnuts were nearing completion and I had a panic attack about the fruit salad after my in laws had arrived and my next set of guests came in the door.

Thank G-d, we got it all done. I apologize for the quality of this photo, as my husband took it rather quickly while children were begging to eat and my oldest really wanted to blow his candles out.

This cake recipe is gluten, egg, dairy, soy and nut free.

The recipe for this cake is originally in German. Below is the translation and the changes I made to it.

Schnelle Schokomuffins ohne Milch und ohne Ei
Author: wuschel-

125g Flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4th teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon guar gum**
65g Sugar
1 packet of Vanillezucker (you can substitute for 1 teaspoon Vanilla)
3 tablespoons of Cocoa***
50ml Oil
100ml Water
1 tablespoon Vinegar

Mix all dry ingredients and then slowly add the wet ingredients while mixing, just until it comes together. Fill in muffin forms and  bake at 180°C for around 20 minutes.
*Use Gluten Free Flour of your choice, this could work with almond flour.
**Guar Gum is my addition.
***If you do not wish the cake to be chocolate, do not add cocoa. Simply add flour in the same amount.

Since we were making this for a sheet cake, we had decided to place baking paper on two cookie sheets and just be really careful about pouring and setting it in the oven. We cooled these on a couple cookie racks and it was ready to go rather quickly.


The icing on the cake is based on Wilton's Buttercream icing, but since I didn't have a lot of time, I modified the recipe slightly and used more rice milk so that it would spread thinner as it had to cover two very thin 9"x13" layers. At this point, I've made Buttercream so much that I don't even use the recipe any longer. We substituted the German Alsan Bio non-dairy butter (Similar to "Earth Balance" in the USA) and I thinned the icing by tripling the milk amount with rice milk.


By Monday, I was STILL beat from Saturday. I overslept, so the children and I stayed home.
Tuesday, I was able to pack bento for the children's breakfast and also for their lunch. I used Tchibo's new lovely snack towers for the children's breakfast.

Roses made with Roast Turkey and Boiled Eggs, a Banana, and Grapes

Rice, Steamed Carrots and Turkey Breast

 The children's lunch was turkey breast (not breaded), steamed carrots, rice and yogurt. I know, not imaginative, and not GAPS-y. I can't change that as our options are limited with the kindergarten. Amazingly though, the children ate 80% of what is in this glass clip box! I'm impressed.

Father in law's birthday card and presents

In addition to kindergarten, Tuesday was my father in law's birthday. So, I was in a bit of a rush to finish his present, which included a handmade card and apple cobbler.  I was in such a rush to complete everything and make it on time to our dinner reservation (as well as sneaking the cobbler into their apartment) that I completely missed getting a photo of it! Noo!!

I figure it will even out in the end considering I plan on making one for us later in the month. ;)



Wednesday, I was able to get out Maultaschen and some snacks for the kids to eat for breakfast.

Maultaschen, made with Trudel Marquardt's Recipe

Below is the translated recipe for Trudel's Maultaschen. Note that this is also neither PALEO or GAPS.

Maultaschen by Trudel Marquardt

Noodle Dough:
300g gluten free flour (My husband uses Schär as recommended by Trudel)
3 Eggs                                                                  
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Psyllium Husk
3-4 Tablespoons Water (depending on the size of the eggs)
1 Tablespoons of Sunflower oil

Mix all ingredients until they make a strong dough (do not overmix!) and roll it together and place into plastic wrap in your fridge for around 30 minutes.

After your dough has sat in the fridge for a while, you will want to roll it out on a well floured surface. Cut out your Maultaschen and add about 1TBS-2TBS of the filling of your choice in the middle while carefully pinching together all sides.

You really can fill this with anything that you want to, this time we chose to put in some ground beef with a little herbs. Her recipe gives more instruction on that.

Once your Maultaschen have been filled, you will cook these in salt water for around eight minutes.

We filled ours with hamburger meat and some seasonings, and used a vegetable broth for the soup. You really can use any soup, so have fun playing with this recipe!

Thursday however, we are celebrating my son's birthday at kindergarten, which necessitated chocolate cake and icing.

Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake

Normally, I would use this Annalise Roberts' White Cake recipe from the cookbook "Gluten-Free Baking Classics" for birthday cake and modify as I need to.

However, I was very pressed for time, so I used the new "Frei Von" brand of Chocolate Muffins from REWE. I usually modify their box mix with a couple tablespoons of molasses and walnuts, but I decided the nuts were just too much for the kindergarten party.  I buttered (with Alsan-Bio) two 9" round cake tins and floured them with cocoa. 25 minutes in the oven and both layers were done.  A few hours and some Buttercream later, Birthday cake!

If you make the Annalise Roberts recipe, to make it into chocolate, remove about 3/4 the flour and replace with cocoa. Add in 2TBS of molasses and you have got yourself a chocolate cake to die for.

 Here's how the table looked at Kindergarten with the Lightning McQueen birthday Candle:

JD's birthday, 2013

Since TB has pink eye, he wasn't able to be at the birthday party, and received a slice of cake to enjoy at home:

Birthday Cake

I'm terribly sorry at the lateness of this post, but I figure you are probably wondering what is going on in our kitchen these days.

Tuesday and Wednesday's Bentos

 I'm terribly sorry for the delay in getting these up, but I've been battling an infection and only just got back from the doctor yesterday. I'm supposed to take things slowly, drink lots of fluid and rest. Good thing we're having a 4 day weekend, right?

Without further ado, here are the meals we had on Tuesday morning and Wednesday, with the addition of our Wednesday dinner. :)

I was feeling rather unimaginative on Tuesday. Basically I questioned what I could put together quickly because I had overslept. Voilá, Breakfast.

I apologize for the quality of the photos in this post. I really could have done a lot better than this.

Breakfast Bento, Left to right: Applesauce, Yogurt, Gherkins

Then I had lunch to contend with. No time to make it, so I just threw together what I could while I ran around thinking I had no time. I had forgotten that I had moved the clock ahead almost fifteen minutes in the kitchen so I could keep us on time all the time. Whoops.

Cut up Bratwurst with organic ketchup

Ketchup, Yogurt Dressing, Salad with sprouts and potatoes

Packed Breakfast and Lunch

 Not bad for a quickly packed lunch, eh?  This is how it all turned out packed. The thicker looking bag has everything wrapped in a towel. Since they are thermal bags, this kept the meal warm until lunch time.

 

Wednesday's Breakfast: Chocolate Cupcakes for a party, cheese, applesauce
Gherkins, Boiled Egg. Lunch: Rice and Carrots, Southern Sausage and Monte

Wednesday was a bit more difficult. The children were having a going away party for a classmate whose mother is soon to give birth. She'll be SAHM'ing both her little one and the new baby for the next year.  Benefits are better here, and life would be much easier doing that so quickly after birth.

So, we have some cupcakes packed along. This is unusual since the kindergarten likes to keep things low sugar.

Packed Lunch and Breakfast

This is how it all ended up packed. Breakfast in the blue box, Lunch in the larger purse. It's just easier to hand one off to the children to carry, rather than having to carry both down the steps and into the car, as well as out of the car and to the classroom. I wasn't sure if I trusted them entirely carrying the lunch bag though. My youngest has a habit of wanting to drag it rather than carry. We're working on that. 







Now for the recipe portion of today's post. I wasn't feeling good and I was really having a hankerin' for a meal I haven't had since I have gone gluten free. I asked my mom to send along the recipe, and my husband was nice enough to make it all up from scratch for me. He didn't think we would end up eating everything all at once, or within two days. Um, it is that good. It's gone as of 4pm today.

Chicken Pockets

Since I live in Germany and do not have US Base access, I don't have the ability to get a gluten free packet of American Ranch Dressing. So, I had to make my ranch dressing before we moved forward. This means we had to get two spices that were not already included in our spice rack. I'm not entirely sure where all of these recipes are from other than my mom. If these look familiar to you or you know where they came from, please do let me know and I'll be more than happy to give credit where credit is due.

Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix
This versatile mix can be used to make a dressing for salads, a dip for fresh veggies, or topping for baked potatoes.
1 1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley           
1/2 Tbsp. dried chives
1/4 Tbsp. dried tarragon           
1/2 Tbsp. lemon pepper
1 Tbsp. Salt                   
1/4 Tbsp. oregano
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container.
Attach this to the Jar:  Ranch Dressing Makes 1 cup
1/2 cup mayonnaise           
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. Ranch Pressing & Dip Mix
In a large bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk and dressing & dip mix. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

 So, we had the dry mix made up and put in a small Lock & Lock container ready and waiting. My husband went ahead and made a whole chicken breast up on the stove, and began to mix the following recipe for yeast rolls. Instead of cooking these as directed, you'll do something else with them.

Mock Angel Biscuit Rolls
1 packet yeast               
1/8 cup warm water
3/4 cups lukewarm milk (scald then cool)               
1/8 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt                   
1 egg
3 Tbs shortening               
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free flour mix (up to 1 cup reserved if needed - we needed it)
1 1/2 tsps guar gum               

Combine 1 cup flour with guar gum, set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar . In a 2 1/2-quart bowl add milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 1 1/2 cup of flour with guar gum mixed. Beat on low speed scraping bowl constantly (30 seconds). Beat on medium speed scraping bowl occasionally (2 minutes). Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Turn dough onto well (use out of the reserved flour) floured surface.  Roll around lightly to coat with flour. Gently roll dough 1/2 inch thick with floured rolling pin. Cut with a floured biscuit  cutter. Cover and let rise until doubled (40-50 minutes).  Bake in a preheated oven 450 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.  

*You can roll into balls and make divided rolls in a muffin tin. Brush tops with melted butter before baking.

**Roll out into a circle and cut into wedge pieces.  Roll up like crescent rolls and bake after rising time.  Make sure to have a well floured surface to roll these out on or they will stick and be messy.  You might want to brush them with melted butter before rolling and after rising.

***For sweet crescents, brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with cinnimon and sugar before rolling into shape.  Brush tops with melted butter.

So, instead of making these into biscuits/rolls,  you'll roll these out into about 10-12 rectangles. These will be your base for the pockets.

In your food mixer, you will want to mix the following:

2 cups cooked boneless chicken
1TBS chopped chives
salt to taste
1 Cup crushed seasoned bread crumbs (I would just put a little of the Ranch with that too)
3 oz cream cheese
2T milk
1/2 c melted butter

 Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Carefully spoon out this mixture onto the rectangles and fold shut. Brush the outsides with butter and roll both sides into bread crumbs prior to placing onto a pan with a baking sheet. Bake these for 20 minutes.

This should be your end result:

Chicken Pockets

Happy baking!

Exciting new things!

 This past Saturday, I received something new in the mail! (Sorry for the poor lighting) I had heard last week that Coeliac UK had a gluten free magazine, so I went ahead and ordered myself a copy to see what I thought about getting a subscription.

This is my copy.  It was a very good read. It had around 62 pages and lots of information inside, including new gluten free products, an upcoming vendor fair in June, the latest from their conference in May, and the latest diagnostic information as well as recipes.

Oh my goodness, recipes!! There are recipes in there for breads and meals. Scones! I've been hunting a recipe for gluten free scones for ages, and hadn't found anything close to the real deal, and there is a recipe for scones in the Summer 2013 issue! Stay tuned, I will definitely be trying that one out!

 Also, I went to our local ToomMarkt here in Germany, and found that Schneekoppe has a new set of products out. There area actually three new pastas available that are easily made at the office, in a hotel kitchenette or your dorm or home.

I thought, hey, that is neat! let's see if it is gluten free wheat starch free, and if it is, I'll go ahead and try it!  I'm not being paid for my review, and considering I keep coming into contact with people with Celiac who are traveling through, this may be worth reviewing and sharing the information on my blog, right?

The pasta packets are all gluten and lactose free, but they are not corn free. (I've not found any gluten free items here that are pre-packaged without corn just yet.)

You can click on the images and it'll enlarge, or you're welcome to check out the items on the website as well. If you live here in Germany, feel free to either order online or ask your local REWE Gruppe store if they will carry it for you.

I tried the Tomate-Basilikum on Saturday, and it really tastes a lot like Spaghetti-Os. I was actually surprised I remembered the taste of it, considering that I hadn't had any in almost a decade!

Each of these pasta packets makes up 2 servings. I thought it was going to be one of those laughable "oh two servings, right? ha!" - no. It makes up two whole bowls of pasta.  You will want to either make half of a package or have another person to share with you.

My husband said it "tastes ok" - but I don't know if that is good or bad. He's notoriously very quiet about things unless he absolutely hates it. I pressed a bit more and  he says, "It isn't nasty, it could be bought again."  I guess this means we could stock something like this in our pantry?

The Zuchinni-Käse is also lactose free, so this is safe for GFCF individuals visiting or living in Germany. Oh my goodness, it is so delicious. It tastes about like a cheese soup, the noodles are absolutely lovely and I ate a whole bowl myself. We got the kids to try it, they're not so great on soups, but they both said it was very good.


It really wasn't as thick as the photo on the packet. The tomato one was DEFINITELY as thick as the images on the package. It was absolutely delicious and I would love having this one again.


I may order the Pilz-Creme to try at a future date. 

 These ran around 3€ at our local store, but it looks like they're on sale through Schneekoppe at the moment for under 3€ a package.

These are definitely worth keeping on hand for a day when you just haven't time to spend in the kitchen!

Here is hoping you have a wonderful week ahead!

Blintzes!

One of my favorite foods that I love to eat around Shavuot are Blintzes. My husband knows this recipe by another name, Palačinke. You may know it by another name, depending on your cultural background.

Note: This is not a GAPS or PALEO, but GLUTEN FREE recipe. Many Jewish holidays do not lend well to the GAPS Diet, and as our journey has started out, we're trying to work around these issues. Until we've worked them all out, I will continue sharing safe, gluten free recipes.

  The version that I enjoy involves four steps. First, you make the crepes. Secondly you make the filling and wrap it firmly inside the crepes. The third step involves baking.  The Fourth step - patience and a cold refrigerator.

The recipe really isn't complicated. We use the Schär Mix C for our flour mix, but I believe if you follow the directions, most any gluten free flour mix will lend to this. I would advise however, if you get this recipe in mind, remember that it will take several hours until pay-off, so you might want to make this in the evening if you plan on having it for breakfast, unless you plan on doing the pan-fry version. Those are pretty much immediate pay off.

The key here though, is to make your crepes and blintzes on the same day, or they'll make a huge fall-apart mess like mine did tonight. Normally, crepes are more forgiving than mine were. But, I let mine go a day and a half between making my blintzes. (whoops!)

See? They fell all apart.
That's ok though, my kids really will not care come morning,
and we'll have a BEAUTIFUL breakfast for Shabbat. :)

Anyhow,  there's probably about a thousand different ways (or more!) to make blintzes.

For the crepes, you will need:

100g Flour

2 Eggs

250ml Milk (If dairy free, simply use your milk of choice. We've done it both ways!)

1 TBS Vanilla sugar or vanilla flavoring

2 TBS melted butter (or non-dairy butter substitute)

a pinch of salt

You mix this together and go ahead and heat your pan. When it is sufficiently warm, go ahead and pour a bit of the batter into your pan. This will NOT be a thick batter. These will be extra thin and only take about two minutes to cook in the pan. It takes a little trial and error with the first couple, but you'll get it!

When you're done, just keep piling the crepes onto a plate. You'll need these later.

I've used three different fillings for this recipe.

For dairy free, I've used the following formula: 250g soft tofu, pureed; 1 egg 3 Tbs. sugar. 

For dairy filling #1, I used the following: 250g of Quark with 1 beaten egg white, sugar (to taste), cinnamon and vanilla flavoring dusted in to taste.

For dairy filling #2, I used the following: 250g Cottage Cheese with 4 Tbs Sugar, cinnamon and vanilla to taste.

Really, with this recipe, it's whatever YOU like. Many people add fruit as well, and some people do not use sweet fillings at all.

One way I found best to measure out the cheese filling, is to use a metal ice cream scoop. I got a smaller size (1TBS) measurement so I just use 2-3 of these and then roll each crepe before frying or baking. (This is the scoop I use: WMF 1881876040 Eisportionierer 4,5 cm)

This is Dairy Filling #1 mixed with one egg.
I decided to try something new.

You'll wrap these similarly to spring rolls, and from here - either fry them in a pan, or bake in the oven. I prefer mine baked in the oven.

This is about 3 tablespoons of filling.
You can fill six blintzes with this recipe.

You can wrap this way and roll, or wrap the bottom
and then roll the sides together before rolling further.

When you have finished rolling your blintz, it will look like this.
This is the shape it will keep once baked in the oven.

If you choose the pan fry option, this blog has great directions on how to keep it from coming apart. 

If you decide on the oven baking route, you'll want to go ahead and preheat your oven to 350°F., before you make all of the wraps and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass dish or baking pan for your blintzes. 

Buttered glass dish.
An easy way to do this is to save your butter wraps.
You would be amazed how much butter remains on those.

Once you've managed to squeeze in as many blintzes as you can into the baking dish/pan, you'll want to use some melted butter (or butter substitute) to cover the tops of the blintzes. Bake these for around 15 minutes in your oven.  Once the dish/pan has cooled enough that you can touch it, you'll want to put the blintzes into your refrigerator until they are quite cool.

When you are ready to eat them, dust lightly with confectioner's sugar, or you can make a sauce to pour over the blintzes. (Example sauce here)

Happy Baking! Remember this recipe next year at Shavuot.

Manic Monday

Image found via Pinterest

Here we are the week before Passover, and I'm having a Manic Monday. I had a look around my kitchen and apparently, being sick takes a whole new meaning to "let's not clean the kitchen this weekend". Ya'll, I don't know how to tell you this, but I generally will keep a kitchen floor you can eat off of. Honey, I don't think anyone's pet would eat off our floor at the moment. That's a scary thought.

I'm in the midst of finding the last of our leavened items in the house, and we have a bunch of dusting, deep cleaning, vacuuming and mopping to do. Thank G-d for steam mops!

We've used most everything up that we need to, I'm just ready for the rest of it to be over, as we're in the end stages of rearranging our house. Once I'm done in the kitchen and our new guest room / resting room, we will get started in our dining/living room, and then the bedrooms. We know for sure that there is no food in the kids' room, so we're down to the rooms that generally do have food in them, or did at one time.

I've been thinking about what I can blog about during passover, but truth be told - we will not be keeping a completely GAPS-y Passover. One of the commandments is that we eat unleavened bread during the week, so we will be having unleavened bread.  We will also be having angel food cake. So, here's me sticking out my tongue at that.

We did have a very interesting thing to pop up in reference to the Easter celebrations at kindergarten. The kids will need to have a bread bunny (something like this, this or this) brought for them that morning.  YIKES! It's during Passover. No yeast!! Not to mention I'm trying to keep their meals as GAPS as possible. How will I pull this off?

I know! The sweet potato rolls that I made before, I'll just modify them slightly to look like this. My mom had sent me the link on Pinterest. Problem solved. Bunny rolls that are not only unleavened, but GAPS friendly! What a load off my back.

Insanity of insanities, I've been sicker this last week than I had been before. The kids had fever, one had conjunctivitis, and the other had chest congestion. So, I've been on around the clock duty, which means I've had to knock back on any fancy baking or cooking - and I've gone back to the basics of GAPS: Bone and Meat Broth. Lots of it.

We've had lamb/beef bone broth, and we've had chicken bone broth. This is where I do break from approved GAPS foods, I have no issues with using rice. We typically will use Basmati or Jasmine, and I cook it in bone broth in our rice cooker, and will usually steam vegetables in the veggie basket at the same time, unless we're making a steamed fish dish. I also have no issues with potatoes, as we tend to use them in a similar fashion. If they aren't made with broth, we make a broth gravy or will bake them, fluff, stuff and top with other healthy items. I also am looking at introducing millet, amaranth and quinoa. Bad non-GAPS-y me.  However, these are gluten free seeds that are high in nutrition that is very difficult for me to get otherwise.

Why I depart from GAPS on this - well, I do not think that any one grain, root or other food item should be the sole focus of a meal. Variety is key.  And when there are issues of malabsorption, you don't get to be so picky when you do not react to those organic grains. I will not be using them as main features in our meals, but as something to highlight on special holidays and perhaps Shabbat.

Which is why I was so excited this weekend to see this news item:

Quinoa and Orthodox Judaism's relevancy problem

The question of long-term vitality of Judaism may ultimately come down to the question of relevance and whether Orthodox Jews are seen more as keepers of the faith or gatekeepers of the faith.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/the-fifth-question/quinoa-and-orthodox-judaism-s-relevancy-problem.premium-1.509725

If you don't have a free account with Haaretz and are interested in news from Israel, you can register for 10 free news stories a month. That is just about the right amount for me, to be honest, as I scan many of their issues via Google News, and know exactly what I want to read.

So yay! It's not just Sephardim who are eating Quinoa this year after this ruling. I'm interested to see if this will also count in Millet and Amaranth or not in the coming years. This is a relevant and interesting subject to me as someone keeping gluten free, as keeping an Ashkenazi non-gebrokts and strict anti-kitinyot Passover is too strict for our dietary needs. But, we can easily keep up with a Sephardi Passover, and get everything we need that way. I've done it both ways, and there was just much more freedom with the Sephardi Passover for us, and it has been a much more enjoyable experience all around. You can read about those differences here and here and here.

Honestly, I think this is the first Passover season that I have not experienced panic-y feelings about. I'm not worried about my kombucha, milk kefir or the fact I have resting grains of tibicos in my fridge. We've scrubbed the fridge down and kashered it already, and we've done the same with our oven. All that is left, is our microwave oven and our toaster, once we get the other items cleaned up and out.

Image found here on Pinterest.

I found myself an interesting unleavened bread idea that I will be testing out today.  It was shared on Google Plus (I can't remember who shared it originally) and was listed as a possible item to try for Saint Patrick's Day. I figured save it for Passover, so we'll be making it up to test tonight. I'm praying it works. You know how it is sometimes with gluten-free recipes!

While I have not been feeling particularly chatty this past week, I did see some interesting things come across the blogs I follow for discounted and free kindle books, and it looks like a couple came in that would be interesting for those following a GAPS-y or Paleo/Primal lifestyle. They are not all free, but they are at a pretty good price to learn more about things without breaking your bank. Trust me, I know all about that last $3 being "too much", so if you can't afford it on your version of Amazon, just put it on your wish list and get it when you can. Choose your hard, and don't push yourself where you do not have to. OK?

If you click the images, you will be taken to the Amazon page for these kindle books. Please do note, I have NOT been paid for the reviews of these books, I simply found them interesting and I only get a very small kickback on people purchasing these books. If they are free, I don't get anything.  The reason I am sharing these books is because I found them helpful and they are not break-your-bank expensive.

"This brief guide will give you everything you'll need to know to begin incorporating this healthy and natural elixir into your life.

Discover the origins of the fermented Kombucha tea.
Find out the many health benefits you can enjoy.
Find out the best places to buy Kombucha
Classic Recipes to make at home
Other fermented foods and much more."

"Making kefir in your home kitchen is easy and inexpensive.  In How to Make Kefir - A Beginners Guide you will learn:

• How to make a delicious, healthful beverage bursting with probiotic power
• How to make dairy, water, coconut and nut milk kefir
• How to store your kefir
• How to care for your kefir "grains"
• How to troubleshoot kefir gone wrong"

"You are about to embark on a culinary journey with quinoa (keen-wa), the new miracle seed that will add a boost to any healthy diet, or change those diets that aren’t so healthy. This report not only teaches you how to cook quinoa, it also provides thirty of the best recipes one can find to showcase this delicious seed. "

"In this concise and detailed manual to the Paleo diet, you will learn exactly what you need to eat while utilizing the Paleo diet, what type of activity you should engage in, and exactly what to expect while on the diet. "

"30 Days Of Amazing Paleolithic Lunches hands you paleo recipes that are super easy to prepare yet very delicious.  It shows you that preparing healthy meals does not have to be boring and time consuming."

"This guide teaches you how easy it is to add nutritious whole foods to your lifestyle through a simple juice.

Juicing Recipes for Beginners - Delicious Juice Recipes for Losing Weight Feeling Great and Improving Your Health is the latest from the Best Selling author of Raw Food Diet for Beginners, Susan Ellerbeck."

"99 Delicious Paleo Recipes offers great recipes for those who are on the Paleo diet or just wants a healthy way to eat. The Paleo diet is the diet of our ancestors. The Paleo diet is a simple and healthy way to lose weight by eating foods we have been designed to eat. Who thought that eating like the cavemen would taste so great!"

"If you want to avoid gluten, this book will help you to cook the best meals for your grain free diet. Our grain free gourmet cookbook will give you dozens of the best grain free recipes for your grain free cooking. You can find delicious lunch and dinner recipes, recipes that will help you to fill up on healthy food that just so happens to be grain free!"
<-- This one does not seem to be Paleo or GAPS, so you'll need to modify some of the recipes.






I hope and pray that these are helpful to someone, even if they are no longer free by the time you see this post.

Another interesting thing I've been up to this weekend was watching a documentary called "Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives". If you have not seen it already, please do watch it!! It has a lot of helpful information. The only inaccuracy I found in it was the chef that mentions that x years ago there was no Celiac Disease aka wheat allergy. A) Celiac is not Wheat allergy and B) It has been around for over 2,000 years. . . so take that end with a grain of salt. Otherwise, this documentary was one of the best I've seen on the issue in a long while.

What all have you guys been up to out there in GAPS-y land?