Hidden sources of Milk/Dairy & things that will make you go UGH

I started the first kick at a GFCF diet with 2 things. A book and my kid's doc saying "You gotta do what you feel is right!" Dr. Geiger was a great doctor. He knew my struggle, never questioned me and knew I was doing the best I could. He was a treat. I really miss him.
The book was Unraveling the Mysteries of Autism. I read it (was totally overwhelmed but powered on), referenced it and when we went back to regular food 2 years later I passed it on to a young mom with one ASD child. She then passed it on as well. The book was well used.

Now, I read the book. I know food (as I am a certified food inspector) and I know what to look for, what labels mean, what "hidden" sources of contaminates are.
I am going to share some basic knowledge with you. Do not feel overwhelmed as there is always a solution to everything!

1) If the ingredients say "Spices" it probably has trace amounts of what you are trying to avoid, whether it is milk or gluten... Find GFCF spices. They are available at your local organic or alternate grocer.

2) Lactic acid, Lactylate, Sourdough. All 3 are milk UNLESS it is listed that the lactic acid is derived from Beets(and the label will usually say so). There is one bread we can buy locally that is dairy free. It is Golden Vienna. The rest, every other bread, has milk products in them.Most crackers (even soda biscuits) have milk in them!

3) The people that work at the store do not know what is in it. Seriously, they have no idea. They try but, they don't know. They are not experts, they are paid to stock shelves. When in doubt, do not buy and come home to google! (I love google.... but you knew that right?)

4) Yogurt, pudding, margarine, butter, ice cream, cream/creme, have dairy in them. Becel Vegan Margarine is safe. Earth balance products are vegan. But, read the labels! Some gelatos I have found are 100% dairy free but not all brands are. You need to be aware.

5) Family and friends will try but, they will fail by giving your child something they shouldn't have. I bring my own food to even my mom's house. I have stocked her freezer with GFCF burgers, wieners, rice milk and daiya cheese. She tries (she really does) but, we both feel safer with me doing what I do. It works better then we don't have any issues. Always plan ahead.

6) What are you using for bath and beauty products? Are they GFCF? Probably not. You need to watch for these things. Some soaps, shampoos & bath bombs have skim milk powder in them. Many have wheat protein (check hair dye ingredients too). Hidden sources can kill anything you are trying to accomplish.

7) Just because it says "Not tested on animals" does not mean it is animal free.

8) The deli. I love the deli. I love deli meats, pepperoni, kielbassa! I do. Yum! BUT cheese is cut on those blades as well AND! Milk ingredients (Like Lactylate) are a preservative and used in the curing process. Deli meats are dangerous to a milk allergy. And a gluten allergy as well. We now only buy from the alternate grocers deli or make our own meat mixes at home (I will post these recipes soon)

9) Vitamins. YUP! Not all are free of contaminates. Check labels and when in doubt come home and google!

10) Alcohol. Now, I hope your kids are drinking yet! But, there are lots of alcohols that are derived from wheat and yes, if its creamy (Tequila Rose, Irish Creme, Doodley's) it is MILK. Most alcohol is not gluten free.

11) What you eat can easily be passed on to someone else. Have you eaten cheese and then kissed our kiddos good night? Come into contact with milk them hugged someone? That is cross contamination.

12) Just because it is dairy free does not mean it is gluten free or vice versa! ALWAYS read the labels. And double check! Companies change their ingredients all the time so just because 6 months ago it was CF does not mean it is now!

Ok that's all I can think of for now. I now just feel like I am rambling! (I do that) So, I hope this helps someone and if you have questions PLEASE post 'em! :)

Happy Shopping!

Ohhhh I am a slacker but,

This should make up for it! Life got busy and let's face it... I can be soooo lazy (But at least I am honest!) So here is the Faked & Baked Scalloped Potato recipe I promised some of you over a month ago!

Faked & Baked Scalloped potatoes!

You need:

6 or 7 decent sized potatoes sliced (I use my food processor for this)
1 cup rice milk (Original flavor)
3 heaping tbsp of Potato flour (I am sure any GFCF flour would do! I just had potato)
2 tbsp of melted VEGAN GFCF Margarine
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of Daiya Mozzerella Cheese (GFCF product)
1/2 cup of Daiya Cheddar Cheese

Ok so you slice the potatoes. Place 'em in a greased 9x13 pan.
Mix the milk, flour and margarine..... shake/stir well and pour over the potatoes! Shake a lil salt and pepper on top (We love pepper so I am liberal with it) and then sprinkle the cheeses on top.
Cover with Foil and bake @ 350F until tender.... about an hour.

We had this will pulled pork and we have had it with Ham steaks... delicious and my guests were impressed that the recipe is GFCF!
Totally faked! Just the way we like it! lol

More to come shortly! I got lots more to share!
Happy Faking!

Macaroni. Faked.

I am a comfort food junkie. I love thick sauces, classic recipes that Grandma used to make. Well, Macaroni was a family staple. I can not ever remember a week of my life without this recipe. My son's friends come over and ask for the "pasta with the tomatoes thing" because it is "really good!". My Gran used to make it with tons of onions. My Mom makes it with a few onions and cheese. We fake it in my house but, my Mom likes my recipe as much as she likes her own but myne is low fat and oh. so. simple. :)

Macaroni (vegan recipe to follow)

1 package GFCF Pasta (Tinkyada is the best one we have found)
1 pound of lean ground beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste (honestly I do not use salt)
Pinch or two of Garlic Powder
1 can (19oz) of Diced Tomatoes
2 tbsp of dried Basil
Seasoning (to taste)

Cook pasta as per package directions, set aside.
Take 1 pound of ground meat. (I use extra lean ground beef.) and brown to perfection. Drain and give the meat a quick lil rinse in the strainer. (trust me) Put it back in the pan (I rinse the pan too)
Now add minced garlic. Fry that up! And as you are frying add some pepper and I throw in a pinch or two of garlic powder (not salt, powder). Smells good eh? Ya, it does.
Open a can of diced tomatoes (I use Unico Diced tomatoes... all the time) and add to the beef mix. At this point I toss in a tablespoon or two of dried basil and a dash of lemon pepper seasoning (just a dash). Now heat thoroughly and add cooked and drained pasta.
Mix well, remove from heat and serve!

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate, you can freeze it in sinlge serving sizes for lunches and quick eats for the kiddos, or you can adjust the amounts easily for more or less people!

Now time to go VEGAN!

Cook pasta as per package directions, drain, set aside.
Fry minced garlic in a pan, add sliced mushrooms and zucchini (I shred the zucchini and then fry it... it is awesome!), cook thoroughly and then add diced tomatoes, seasoning and stir! Add cooked and drained pasta and stir together and serve!

If you wish, you can add veggie ground round a few minutes before adding the pasta! It is delicious and has a beef like texture.


Some suggestions...

You can also add veggies to the meat mix in the first recipe. I just don't always have them on hand. Both recipes are a hit in my house and company always loves it.

*IF* you are a cheese eater, dice up some cheddar or mozzarella or provolone and add it just before serving. That's how my Mom makes it!

Enjoy!

Baked, Caked & Faked it! A lesson in Potato Flour Sponge Cake!

When baking, follow directions.  When cooking, go by your own taste.  ~Laiko Bahrs

10:30pm.

This is probably why I am an awful baker! I melt and pour quite nicely though! My friend Ann is GFCFSF, she has limited dessert options and says she eats a lot of homemade rice cereal treats. My goal is to bake a GFCFSF (Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free) cake that tastes good. I think rice cereal treats are great but, I want to have more options. I think Ann should have some too. So, off to No Frills I went to purchase my GFCF Margarine, Rice Milk (as my almond milk was not ready yet... had to sub!) and I found Potato Flour (next to the muffin mixes, above the regular flour) this afternoon! The recipe is from the Joy of Cooking. 

It calls for sifting the potato flour 3 times. It seems fairly basic so I will be pausing here, making the cake and returning with pics as I make it. Wish me luck.

Midnight.

Alrighty, So I sifted the potato flour 3 times... separated the eggs, whipped, stirred, folded, and poured into a greased 9" foil pan and baked it for 20 minutes at 325F then increased the temp to 350F for 15 minutes. It baked up beautifully! We sliced a few pieces and ate it with nothing on it. Spongy (but it IS a sponge cake) and full of flavour! Tastes beautiful! 

The recipe is on Page 670 in the Joy of Cooking and it is delicious! Could easily be iced as a birthday cake or diced into a trifle! I think next time I make this (yes, I said next time... I am not a baker so this is huge!) I will try fruit or carob in the blend and see what happens.

I will post pictures once I find my card reader as it has disappeared. (Ahhh children with hands and legs... hmm school is back when?) 

Happy Baking All!

*edit* 
Ahhh finally... PICS! 

Fresh out of the oven... nicely separated from the edges and rose better than I thought it would!

First slice... Yum! It is spongy but delicious.

Give it a try if you have a copy of the Joy Of Cooking!