Pesto Turkey Sandwiches dairy and egg free How to be like others

The other morning, I called out to Son, "Hey, Im packing you some soon tofu stew (??? ??) for your school lunch in your thermos."

Son ran over and hesitated for a moment as I madly put things into boxes.  "Mom.  What do I tell people it is?"

"What do you mean tell people?  Tell them its spicy tofu soup."  With that I assumed the conversation was over.

When he brought home the lunch, all of the soup was gone, and I casually asked, "Did you tell people what you ate?"

"Yes.  They asked.  I told them," he replied.  "But mom, do you think you can pack me some bread with something in it - you know, like a sandwich?  All my friends eat sandwiches."

Suddenly our conversation earlier made sense.  Son realizes he is different.  He notices and others notice that his food is not like the food of his classmates.  We hadnt run into this problem last year because lunch was not a part of his day, but since eating lunch at school, the differences between his food and his mates foods was noticeable.  He already feels set apart from his classmates as he isnt allowed to participate in many of the cooking activities (Friday challah baking for one).

However, packing sandwiches pose a few logistical problems for me.  Son is allergic to dairy and egg which is a staple in most breads.  He loves paninis, which I make with french bread, but french bread doesnt taste good cold on its own to him (must be in a hot panini) and I cannot pack him a hot sandwich.  The school he goes to is also kosher, so ham, bacon or salami, which are things that he enjoys, are not available to him.  I began considering a few options and none of them seemed to be feasible. I began to think that he was going to have to be different and just get used to it.

However, as I strolled through Costco the other day, I happened upon these torta rolls.

Curious I picked them up and squeezed them.  Hmmm.  They were soft.  They looked pretty tasty.  They looked like I could make a good sandwich with them.  I saw this organic (EXPENSIVE) turkey sandwich meat, which tasted good (love sample Friday at Costco) and thought, ah...why not.

I dont know about you, but a sandwich that has just has a slice of turkey in it doesnt sound good.  It actually sounds bad.  But I remembered my new discovery which is pesto with no nuts and cheese and it came to me - a bit of pesto with the turkey on bread would be tasty.

I did a run through this weekend, and VOILA!  Son likes it!  Son can feel like hes like the others.   Im sure there will be a point (very soon I hope) where he wants his Korean food in his thermos and he doesnt mind bringing the stinky food to his kosher classroom, but for now, as long as he tries and eats this sandwich and tries to enjoy it, Ill be happy.

As a side note, I did make an egg and cheese filled one as well, which ended up being a huge hit with Daughter #1.  Daughter #2 strangely preferred the version given to her brother.

Pesto Turkey Sandwiches (dairy and egg free)
Makes as many as you can until the pesto, turkey, or bread runs out

Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

turkey deli meat (your choice - I used organic)
torta rolls (or if you can find bread of your choice)

Method
In a food processor or blender, blend together basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  As a note, this pesto can be stored in a glass gar, with a nice layer of olive oil drizzled on top to help preserve the green.  Good for about 1 week.

Slice torta roll in half.  Smear a nice healthy tablespoon of pesto on one side of the bread.  Add turkey.  (and egg and cheese if desired and not allergy prohibited.)  Repeat sandwich making as necessary.

Serve.

Printable recipe

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Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Gluten free dairy free egg free nut free sugar free A solo act

I have a couple of roles at my church.  Every single week I teach Sunday School to 3 through 5 year olds. Every week I play some instrumental music at the end of service. Every other week or so, I lead the praise. Every couple of months or so I have to do an opening prayer. Every 10 weeks or so, Husband and I are in charge of snack/light luncheon for our congregation.

These are roles that come with my desire to serve God but every once in a while, something very unexpected happens. I got a glimpse at the calendar last month, and I realized that I would be doing snack and praise on the same week so I switched it out so that I wouldnt have that pressure. Only then another series of events came into play. Last Sunday, I realized that I was leading praise, I was leading the opening prayer, and I would be doing the scripture reading before the message. On early Sunday morning, I got a text from my fellow praise musician who regretfully informed me that her daughters were both sick so she wouldnt be able to make it.

I would have to lead praise alone. Gulp. Gulp. Double Gulp. I straightened my spine, straightened my hair, gathered the kids and rushed to church in order to practice a few bars of music as I would have to play and sing on my own. Less than 5 minutes into warmup, my Pastor came up to me and gently asked, "Do you think you could do the announcements today as our two regular people are out?" I quickly thought about it and realized with a rapidly sinking feeling in my stomach that I would be up in front of the congregation ALONE for the first part of the service.

Praise alone. Announcements alone. Opening prayer alone. Responsive scripture reading alone, with the help of the congregation. I looked up at my Pastor and said, "You know that Im already doing the prayer and stuff too." He smiled and simply raised his eyebrows as a way to ask for my response.

"Yes.  I will."  Inside I cringed as I am a person who doesnt enjoy being in front of an audience speaking.  In other words, I do not enjoy public speaking and any situation where I am alone and everyone is looking at me.  But I knew it was probably the right thing for me to do it and I straightened up preparing for the next 20 minutes of service.

Once the service started, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a Joanne Choi solo act, a personal area of extreme discomfort. I sang and played while closing my eyes so I wouldnt have to see any reactions, gave announcements while looking down the entire time, gave the opening prayer with my eyes closed, and finished off with the scripture reading. At the end, I felt like saying, "And now, the person youve really been waiting for..."

After that kind of stress packed 25 minutes, I needed something to calm my nerves. Something like chocolate. Creamy. Sweet and luscious. Unfortunately for me, I had to go and teach Sunday School with 25 sweet kids, but they werent made out of chocolate, nor would it be appropriate for me to consume them with a lion-like ferocity. I simply destressed with them by joking around.

This pudding is the perfect chocolate stress reliever after a stress packed day. I dont even need to feel guilty eating it. It is free of nuts, dairy, gluten, sugar (yes!) BUT still tastes amazing.  In a series of test pudding runs, (as a I tested this concept out multiple times) I fed it to a group of students. As one of them consumed it, Daughters informed him that there was "no sugar, no milk, no egg, no anything" and he got super confused as to what it could be made of.  As I revealed the ingredients of chia, dates, coconut milk - he yelled, "THIS IS THE TROJAN HORSE OF PUDDINGS!  YOU THINK ITS ALL THE YUMMY STUFF BUT ITS HEALTHY!!!" For the record, he ate his entire serving. Snort. Trojan horse indeed.  

I even let Children eat it for breakfast if they like, dipping their berries into it. They LOVE.

You do need a Vitamix, or some other powerful blender and a little bit of time soaking and chilling, but the work involved is WAY simpler than a traditional chocolate pudding, as there is no stovetop cooking involved.   The results much are healthier and less guilt-ridden. 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

¼ cup chia seed

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (Coconut Dream coconut milk in the cartoon or Trader Joes also has a version.)

5 to 6 medjool dates, seeds removed

2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (depends on the intensity of your particular cocoa powder - I use a Valrhona chocolate powder which is quite intense so 2 ½ tablespoons is enough)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional, but I think it brings out the chocolate flavor)

pinch of sea salt

Special equipment - Vitamix blender or another high-powered blender like Blendtec

Method

Put chia seed in bottom of blender and add ½ cup of coconut milk.  Allow chia seed to soak up coconut milk and become gelatinous, at least 45 minutes, but you could also leave soaking longer.

After chia seed has soaked in coconut milk, add to the blender the remaining ½ cup coconut milk, dates, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, espresso powder and sea salt.  Blend, gradually increasing speed until the mixture is smooth and the chia and dates have been processed, about 3 minutes of blending total.

Spoon mixture out into desired number of serving dishes and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes.

Serve with fresh strawberries or on its own and enjoy!

Printable recipe

Guilt-free dessert.  Where is my spoon?

Coconut milk - not a great price, but so you can see the kind Im talking about.

Organic Chia Seeds I use - available at Costco as well


Cocoa Powder Indulgence - makes this pudding that much better

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Turkey Arugula Meatballs gluten dairy egg free The end of an era

Since 2004, with the birth of Daughter #1, I have been non-stop with diapers.  For the past nearly-nine years, I have had in some way shape or form diapers on one, or two, and at one point, three children.

However, and Im a bit scared Im about to jinx it, I think that my diaper time is over.  I think Son is finally out of his nighttime diaper.  For the past 10 days, hes been waking up to a dry diaper, so last night he said he wanted to try not wearing one and this morning he woke up dry.  He asked to try again, stating, "Its much more comfortable not sleeping with it on," and its faster getting to bed so I allowed him to try again.

Hopefully I wont be writing another post to the contrary of what Ive said here, but I do feel it is an end to the era.  Although the diapers only took up one moment of my evening and a quick check in the morning, it is a signal of something far crazier - a time where I will no longer be buying diapers and dealing with "baby" stuff.  The last one, my last baby is no longer that, but now grown up.

Today I picked up Son, held him in my arms the way I used to when he was a baby, only now he overflowed out of my arms, legs dangling, with barely his torso making it into the lock of my arms, and he asked, "What are you doing Mom?"

"Im holding you one last time like the baby I remember you as."

"But Im not a baby anymore.  I dont even wear diapers now," he announced proudly.

I practically burst into tears at how quickly time has flown.  But I know that its all good and environmentally wonderful that hes no longer using the diapers, (not to mention a $20 savings each month that I may put towards something completely frivolous like chocolate!) but still - I wish, I just wish they could stay babies for a little bit longer.

Who knows, maybe hell regress and Ill be ranting about how he cant get OUT of his diapers, but for now, Ill mourn a little at the loss of my baby.

In honor of Sons accomplishments, I decided to make something that he loves - pasta.  Ive made meatballs for him before, without egg and milk  but wanted to experiment with more gluten free and dairy free options for my friends who are still struggling with their gluten intolerance.  These meatballs are herbaceous, delicious, light and tender (because of all the herbs and arugula) and are flavorful just in tomato sauce on their own.  Ive also roasted cauliflower and served it with roasted cauliflower for a completely gluten and grain free option.

Turkey Arugula Meatballs (gluten, dairy, egg free)
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
2 cups arugula leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 lb ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

1 jar or a quart of your favorite tomato sauce.

Method
In a food processor chop onion, arugula, basil until finely chopped.  Combine onion arugula basil mixture with garlic, turkey, salt and pepper.  Mix with hands.  Roll turkey into 24 to 30 ping pong sized meatballs.  (Meatballs will be less firm than other meatballs as there is no egg or wheat to help pull things together.  However, be gentle when cooking and it’ll be fine.)

Heat tomato sauce in a large pot.  Reduce heat to low.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, heat olive oil.  Cook meatballs in skillet in batches, leaving enough room to turn meatballs to brown the sides.  10 minutes per batch of meatballs.  Add meatballs to simmering sauce and partially cover pot.  Continue cooking meatballs in tomato sauce for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with your choice of pasta or for a totally new option, roasted cauliflower.

Printable recipe

seeking and finding some solace in this plate of food

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Zucchini Egg Bake Hello 2014 Im starting new

Im suffering from post holiday eating disorder.  At the beginning of November, I resolved to eat better, to eat cleaner, and to think more consciously about the food that I was consuming and how it was nourishing my body.  I was not dieting per se, but rather trying to change my concept of what good food was and to think about food more as fuel and not simply I-need-to-put-anything-in-my-mouth-right-now type of thing.  I gave up refined sugar and all flours and began trying to improve my health.

I did really well for 6 weeks and started feeling better than I had in a long while.  I had improved energy, improved focus and I was even sleeping better. (Im a horrible sleeper, ever since I became a mother.) Because I was eating better and thinking about food differently, the plethora of treats around me during the holidays barely tempted.  I could make things and not consume them, and even receive a ton of food gifts from my students and not eat them.  All that came to a screaming halt on December 26th, when I started on this crazy downward spiral of craziness and nonsense and ate whatever was put in front of me.  Of course it isnt helpful to be at Christmas party and celebration after celebration where the food isnt controlled and cooked by me, but in all honestly, it has been about 10 days of really really bad eating.

But Im back at home, back in my own kitchen, back in control and Im about to whip myself back into shape and get things under control.  This egg bake is one of the things that I really enjoyed eating during my time of eating better and its so easy to make it should be something I make ALL the time.  The ingredients are simple and the technique is as well.  Saute some veggies, mix it into some cottage cheese and eggs and bake.  Voila - sort of a crustless quiche or an easy frittata or a baked omelet.  Maybe a combination of the three.  But regardless I make a nice large casserole of it and and have a ready breakfast for me on any given day.

Zucchini Egg Bake
Makes 9X13 casserole

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups shredded zucchini
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup cottage cheese
10 large eggs
¾ cup parmesan cheese, shredded, grated, or shaved
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 375.  Lighly spray 9x13 casserole dish.

In a heavy skillet over high heat, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and add zucchini and onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 6 minutes, or until zucchini and onions are wilted and cooked through.  Set aside.

In a large bowl beat together cottage cheese and eggs.  Add cooked zucchini onion mixture.  Season with pepper if desired.  Mix and then pour into casserole dish.  Sprinkle entire top of casserole with parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and the center of casserole is set.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

Printable recipe

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