Tag Archives: soy-free

Homemade Alphabet Soup

April 2, 2014

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This recipe is in heavy rotation in this house. It might take awhile to chop everything up in small pieces, but I always seem to have the ingredients around. In fact I always make sure I have a large can of crushed tomatoes in the cabinet, and alphabet pasta just incase. I always start with a carrot, a stalk of celery, and onion, then work with what veggies I have in the fridge. Did I use half of a turnip? I’ll chop it up. Broccoli stalks? I’ll chop it up.

The recipe started from How It All Vegan from their “kids” section. I made alterations to the recipe, and tweaked it so many times that I can’t even remember fully what the whole recipe was. I have the entire recipe memorized, which made writing down the recipe a little daunting. I always just add as much stock as I need, usually dependent on how much veggies I chop.

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Posted by Jennifer in Recipe Tags: alphabets, kids, lentils, pasta, red lentils, soup, soy-free, vegan

Blog Recipe Round Up: Everything Free Edition

March 14, 2014

My goal is to be more adventurous with trying out blog recipes. I know too many people who inundate their Pinterest pages with food recipes, but never actually try any of them. More disturbing is how many beautiful food photos result in blah recipes. I wish that Pinterest would include a “rate that recipe” button, but until that day, I can write reviews.

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First round of reviews goes to the Everything-Free category. Sort of. As mentioned in a previous post, my husband and I have been on an elimination diet that forced us to cut a LOT of foods from our diet. The first two weeks we eliminated gluten, soy, dairy, and peanut from our meals. It’s been a bit of a struggle, especially since I didn’t know which recipes to substitute in to our new diets. But thanks to the invention of tags, I’ve been able to peruse various blogs for help. Of course not everything was a winner.

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Posted by Jennifer in Reviews Tags: a house in the hills, gluten-free, oh she glows, recipe roundup, reviews, savvy vegetarian, soy-free, vegan

Allergy Bummers

March 4, 2014

I can’t help but laugh a little. I made a pretty big vow to whip myself into blogging shape. I made a few recipes but waited to post so I could spread out my work. What happened? My husband’s new diet.

See, my husband, Jon, has always had a sensitive stomach. We constantly went back and forth about what ailed his stomach. We blamed the usual suspects like cabbage, beans, etc. So I left these foods out of his lunch. But the stomach did not subside. It reached a crescendo during Super Bowl week when my husband described the pain as unbearable. So we are in a current food overhaul. I’ve heard of some diets where people cut out common food intolerances to try and pinpoint the culprit.

Okay so let me back up- what the fudge am I talking about? Most of us are aware of Food allergies (IgE). Doctors test for these allergies by pricking a needle on your skin and waiting for signs of irritation. This is an immediate response to the allergy trigger, and most people have a general sense of their allergies. That seasonal allergy? IgE. That girl who carries around an EpiPen just in case of “nut-dust”? IgE. These allergies are easy to identify.

But food sensitivities (IgG), are more difficult to identify. Food “sensitivities” can be called allergies or intolerance. Testing for these allergies is usually done with a blood sample. Information about this is relatively new, and sadly, that means that most insurance companies don’t currently cover this testing. Basically it is a delayed reaction to the “bad foods.”

Symptoms can be a little vague. They range from digestion issues (IBS, bloating, blood in stool, constipation) to skin irritations (acne, eczema, hives) or even general aches (fatigue, headaches, puffy eyes). Many symptoms can be passed off as side effects of other ailments, so knowing that you may actually have any food sensitivities isn’t simple.

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Posted by Jennifer in Health Tags: allergies, dairy-free, gluten-free, health, soy-free

Sub-Lime Mate Tonic

January 31, 2014

One of my daily morning rituals is having a cup of apple cider tonic. The habit started when my husband wanted to use apple cider vinegar to help clear out his sinuses. There are lots of claims of what apple cider vinegar can do for you, some make sense, while others are a little outlandish.

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Vegans should try having a glass of apple cider vinegar tonic every morning since it helps increase the absorption of calcium. Apple cider vinegar is high in acetic acid, which can increase the body’s ability to absorb vital minerals. Some other most substantial health claims of apple cider vinegar are improved digestion, increased reception to insulin, weight control, and help cleaning sinuses.

I stick to Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar since they keep the mother. This means that the bacteria that helped turn apple juice into vinegar are still in there. Think of it like that poop-gurt that Jamie Lee Curtis keeps trying to sell you. Although the bacteria cultures are different, the effect is similar.

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I usually make a simple drink using just water, vinegar, and a sweetener (honey, agave, or stevia) But it came become boring. A simple remedy is just to use iced tea instead. But I woke up one morning and decided to try a little more. I brewed a big pitcher of iced yerba mate, and squeezed some limes in there. The result was amazing.

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Posted by Jennifer in Recipe Tags: apple cider vinegar, cocktail, cocktails, gluten-free, kraken, lime, Raw, rum, soy-free, tonic, vegan, yerba mate

Kali’s Death Sauce

September 1, 2013

Wanna impress your friend? Make your own hot sauce. Yup, that will win you to the bad-ass chef status. But you don’t have to tell them that this hot sauce was absurdly easy to make. All you have to do is chop some jalapenos like a five year old, cram in a jar with brine, wait a few days, blend.

This sauce I made after reading a recipe for an Indian pickle recipe. It was pretty interesting, and different from most pickles I’ve read. They incorporated oil into a brine, and added sour limes at the end. This sounded pretty yummy for a hot sauce. So for this recipe you will be making lacto-acid-fermented jalapeños. It is seriously as simple as adding salt, water and peppers to a jar.

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Posted by Jennifer in Recipe Tags: bell pepper, gluten-free, jalapeno, lime, Raw, soy-free, vegan

Mexican Avocado Fudgsicles

August 9, 2013

I love ice cream. I love fruit pops. I love sorbet, ice cream sandwiches, basically anything that is cold, sweet and creamy. Of coarse that creates issue when you are trying not to eat dairy. Soy, rice, and coconut milk based ice creams pack a lot of sugar and raids your wallet.

Although I own an ice cream maker, I found that making ice cream pops is a quick solution to an ice cream craving. I’ve been trying to also make some raw alternatives, with some awesome results. This week I made some Mexican Avocado Fudgsicles.

The trouble with frozen desserts is that as thing become colder, the flavor isn’t as strong. Which is why so much sugar is added to ice cream, and fruit pops. To sweeten, I used a mix of various sugars; some dried dates, agave syrup, and stevia; in hopes of balancing out flavors. The chipotle powder gives a nice kick, and matches well with the avocados.

I made the mix very thick, to give the pops an ice cream like consistency. This way you can bite into the pop and have it melt in your mouth. If you are too frustrated with your blender, feel free to water down your pops. Just be aware you will dull down the flavors, and taste to before pouring.

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Posted by Jennifer in Recipe Tags: avocado, cacao, dessert, gluten-free, Raw, soy-free, vegan