Book of Yum

In the world of allergens, potato is an unexpectedly common trigger for some people. In the course cutting out foods that seemed to bother Baby Yum, I found it necessary to cut out potato from my diet. I just about went crazy! Where were my hash browns, my french fries, my baked potatoes, my starchy gnocchi, my knishes? Oh my darling knishes, how I missed you! Not being able to bake some starchy goodness up in the oven or have my favorite In-N-Out gluten-free french fries made me one sad (and hungry) breastfeeding mama. But, when the diet gets restricted, it encourages you to start thinking outside of the box. First I tried sweet potato fries. Those are good. But, I wasn’t quite sure they agreed with Baby Yum either. So, back to the drawing board. It took me a while but eventually I thought- wait! These starchy and sweet carrots I’ve been stir frying and munching on all hours of the day might actually make a pretty tasty roasted french fry if I prepared it correctly. So, out came the olive oil, the seasonings, my favorite baking sheet- and I sliced up those carrots just like a sweet potato or potato. And you know what? Roasted and drizzled with oil, they taste just like an extra sweet and addictive sweet potato fry, without actually being one! Whether you’re on a gluten-free, allergen-free diet or not, anyone can enjoy this unexpectedly delightful side dish, and it goes with just about anything. In the recipe below I suggest you start with at least 5 carrots. I’ve never had a batch last through the night, and I’ve made some pretty big batches. My Mom, My DH, and even Baby Yum loves this recipe (her version is oil and salt-free). So, enjoy! And if this sauce doesn’t appeal to you, try it with some yummy homemade ketchup. Trust me- it is worth the effort!

Roasted Carrot French Fry Recipe Side Dish  Vegetables  American

Ingredients Fries: At least 5 Organic Carrots olive oil Bouquet Garni Seasoning Salt Pepper Spicy Sauce: 1/3 cup ketchup 1/2 tsp srirachi 1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar or simple syrup 2 tbsp. applesauce 3 tbsp. minced fresh parsley Directions Preheat oven to 400F. Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (or not, but they may stick). Peel carrots and cut off nubby ends. Slice each carrot into thirds (or in half); you want to cut them into your desired fry length. Then slice each third in half horizontally. Depending on your carrot thickness, you can either cut those halves in half or into thirds to make skinny fries. You want them to be no fatter than a typical cheap pencil. Place carrots on your cookie sheet on top of the (optional) parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and then stir the fries with your fingers to distribute the oil evenly on them. Sprinkle one side with Bouquet Garni, salt, and pepper; then turn and season the other side. Place in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Take them out and check the bottom side. If it is nicely browned, flip the fries and put them back in the oven for another 15 minutes. If the fries are not sufficiently browned, put them back in and wait another 10-15 minutes before flipping and then putting them back in the oven. I like my fries brown and crispy, so I run the risk of letting them burn. To prevent this, check more frequently. While waiting, make sauce by whisking together spicy sauce ingredients in a small bowl. When both sides are brown and crispy, remove from oven and serve with sauce. Enjoy!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  My original creation. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1514 Added:  August 30, 2010 Last Modified:  August 30, 2010

Ever since I embarked on a special allergen-free diet for Baby Yum, I have been experimenting with some of the more exotic gluten-free “grains” or pseudo grains. Some of these have been a trial (amaranth, anyone?) and others have been a true pleasure to work with (quinoa, sorghum, millet). Quinoa is a grain that I long thought bothered my tummy, but it turns out other grains may have actually been the culprit. I’ve been enjoying tons of this cute little seed ever since I started my crazy-grain rotation diet, and am regularly amazed at its versatility. It makes a mean, if somewhat delicate, allergen-free muffin. But in its whole seed form, quinoa can also stand in for rice with amazing success. I’ve used it to make sushi, chirashi, fried rice, and lately, I’ve even been experimenting with it in Indian dishes. The last two weeks I’ve been obsessed with Indian recipes. My taste buds rebelled against plain-Jane allergen fare and begged for spices, spices, and more spices. And of course, Indian recipes are very good at presenting a rich array of flavors for the palate through the generous use of spices. I’ve been using coriander by the tablespoon, and cumin like it is going out of style. Good thing my local Costco caters to the Indian community here and sells it in quantity! Of course I could also buy spices from Indian markets, but I do have some concerns that the ground spices may be cross contaminated by flour milling and packaging. I’ve made scrumptious toor dal made by the Indian culinary goddess Manjula and an assortment of recipes from my favorite Indian cookbooks. Pictured above is a modified version of “Supreme Okra” from The Best of Lord Krishna’s Cuisine recipes. The original had enough salt to qualify as a cow-lick, but with some modification made plain old okra plate-lickingly delicious. For now, though, I’d like to share the recipe for the accompanying Masala Quinoa, a dish that was inspired by a recipe for rice but modified for pre-cooked quinoa with amazing results. I can safely say this is hands-down the tastiest quinoa I’ve ever had. I liked it so much that I made this recipe twice in one week; the second time I made it, it was for a long plane ride and it traveled beautifully. This is only the beginning. I’ve been experimenting with quinoa as a stand-in for rice in many Chinese and Japanese dishes, but now I see how well it works in Indian rice dishes, I have a feeling I’ll be trying quite a few more recipes in the future. I hope you enjoy this one!

Indian Masala Quinoa Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Indian

Ingredients 2 or 2 1/2 cup cooked quinoa 3 tbsp mustard or canola oil 1 tsp black mustard seed 3 bay leaves 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 large onion, sliced thinly 1/2 piece ginger (peeled, julienned) 2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced 1/4 tsp turmeric 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro Directions Heat oil in a large skillet (nonstick ok) with a lid on medium or medium high. Add your mustard seed and bay leaf to the oil and let it sizzle. Add your cumin seeds and wait a few seconds before adding the onion. Saute onions until they start to soften and turn brown. Add ginger, tomatoes, and turmeric. Let soften and then add your quinoa, stirring it in gently and sprinkling with salt. Reduce heat and cover, cooking for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir once, sprinkle with cilantro, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff and serve. Notes *To prepare quinoa, rinse 1 1/2 cups quinoa and cook in rice cooker with 3 cups water, or bring same amounts to boil in pot, turn to low and simmer for 15 minutes. fluff and let sit, covered until you use. You can also freeze quinoa, defrost in microwave and use in recipes* The most delicious quinoa I’ve ever had.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Inspired by rice recipe from Bombay Cafe cookbook Recipe ID:  1511 Added:  August 6, 2010 Last Modified:  August 10, 2010