Egg allergies anyone?

So we found out a while ago that our son is allergic to eggs and at the moment that means anything that has eggs in it whether baked or not. As soon as I found out I ran over to the health food store and bought myself a very expensive box of Ener-G egg substitute. I have tried using this in baked goods but things just never seemed to come out right. Especially my cakes...which turned out to be crumbles because they just wouldn't stay together. So just a week ago my sister-in-law (thanks Teresa!) gave me a much better way to substitute for eggs in a recipe. She used plain gelatin which is much cheaper and worked so much better! I know most of you who read this do not have an egg allergy in your family but I thought hey this makes the recipe have less fat, cholesterol and who knows what else and still tastes like there's an egg in it. I made a batch of cookies for my son and they turned out great! So here it is:

This recipe equals 1 egg

1 tsp plain gelatin

3 Tbsp cold water

2 Tbsp & 1 tsp boiling water

Stir together, however, do not mix it up until you are ready to add it to your other ingredients.

Magic's Green and White Chicken Soup

Here is another recipe from Allrecipes.com that uses both cilantro and spinach. It turned out pretty good but needed some extra salt and pepper. I guess the recipe says use it "to taste" and I guess my taste needs a lot for this recipe. It smelled so good but then you took a taste of it and the flavor just wasn't there till you added a little more salt. Anyway, still good and I do recommend it. The only thing is I didn't make the noodles by hand since we have an egg allergy so I just substitued packaged noodles. I also didn't use kale, I just used more spinach. I give the recipe a 4.5! Sorry no picture this time...

INGREDIENTS

1 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (I used about 4 chicken breasts)
2 medium heads garlic, chopped
(if you're not making homemade noodles skip the next 5 ingredients)
3 tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch kale, torn into small pieces (or just use more spinach instead)
1 bunch fresh spinach, stems removed, torn into small pieces
2 bunches green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken and garlic in a large pot and with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until meat is very tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot and let rest until cool enough to handle. Remove skin and bone and tear or chop meat into bite-size pieces.

(If you're not making homemade noodles skip this next step)

In a large bowl, beat together butter, flour and salt to form a mealy mixture. Beat in eggs and egg yolks to form a stiff dough. Divide dough into thirds and roll each third out onto a floured surface to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thickness. Let rolled pieces of dough rest on racks for 20 minutes.

While dough is resting, stir chicken meat, cilantro, parsley, kale, spinach and green onions into broth. Season with Italian seasoning, curry powder and balsamic vinegar. Simmer over low heat, adding more water if necessary. Slice the noodle dough into 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) widths. Bring the soup to a light boil and drop noodles into the soup a few at a time. Cook until noodles are tender, 5 minutes. (If using prepackaged noodles cook them on the stove until almost done, drain, then add them to the soup to cook the extra 5 minutes). Season soup with salt and pepper and serve.

Black Bean Spinach Pizza

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com because I was looking for a recipe that specifically had both spinach and cilantro in it. My in laws gave us a bunch of both from their garden and I didn't want it to go to waste! It was supposed to be a vegetarian pizza but I added chicken to it as well. It turned out so good! Tim said it was his favorite pizza I've ever made. So I definitely had to share! I of course give it a 5!

INGREDIENTS

1 (10 ounce) package prebaked Italian bread shell crust (I used Pillsbury's pizza dough)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed
1/3 cup chopped onion (I used green onion)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup salsa (I used salsa verde)
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used fresh spinach)
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 chicken breast cut up

DIRECTIONS

Place the crust on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan (I prebaked the pizza dough I used). Combine the beans, onion, chili powder, cumin and garlic; spread over crust. Layer with salsa, spinach and cilantro. Sprinkle with hot pepper sauce and cheeses. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (I baked it at 400 degrees for 8 minutes according to the dough package).

The Ultimate Test

Using the Orange Puree I tested the secrets of the sneaky chef to see if it was possible to hide vegetables in Macaroni and Cheese. I of course tested this out on my 2 1/2 year old. I also added some diced ham because it was for Sunday night dinner.....don't judge me......I am pleased to say that it worked pretty well all except for that one chunk of carrot that must not have been chopped well enough but I quickly scooped it out and no one knew. The only thing I would say if you're going to just do straight up macaroni and cheese is to add a little salt. The blandness of the puree transfers to the macaroni a little. You could also add some extra shredded cheese and be fine as well. I give this recipe a 5 just for the pure sneakiness of it!

So it's not much of a recipe:

1 box of Macaroni and Cheese (follow directions on package)
1/4 cup Orange Puree
salt to taste

optional: cooked, diced meat of your choice; shredded cheese

Pesto Lasagna Rolls

This is a Taste of Home recipe I used in conjunction with the White Puree recipe. It turned out great and no one could tell there was zucchini and cauliflower in it. The recipe actually did call for some zucchini in it which is why I thought this puree would work well mixed in with the cheese mixture. So instead of the zucchini I added 1 cup of White Puree. Instead of the first 4 ingredients I just used already made pesto sauce. One other thing I added was some chicken to the cheese mixture...just to give us some meat :) Oh and I give this recipe 4.5 stars (I needed more pesto sauce).

Ingredients

2 cups Fresh basil leaves
2 cloves Garlic
1 cup(3oz) shredded Parmesan Cheese, divided
3/4 cup Olive oil
15 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Egg, beaten
1 cup Diced zucchini
16 Lasagna noodles, cooked drained and cooled

Preparation

Prepare pesto sauce in covered blender or food processor by processing basil with garlic until chopped. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; process until well mixed. With machine running, slowly add oil and coninue processing until smooth. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine ricotta and mozzarella cheese, remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and egg; blend well. Fold in zucchini (or fold in White Puree).

Spread 2 heaping Tablespoons cheese mixture on each lasagna noodle.
Roll up each noodle length wise and stand vertically in greased 11x7-inch baking
dish. Pour pesto sauce over lasagna rolls; cover and bake in preheated 350* F.
oven 40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

.

Can you be a sneaky chef?

Yes you can! So I checked out from the library, The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious. Both cook books talk about hiding fruits and vegetables in puree form in almost any recipe you can think of even desserts! So I had to try it out since we've been lacking in the fruit/vegetable department as of late. Both books are doing the same thing but they are going about it just a little differently than the other. In Deceptively Delicious you basically take a single vegetable or fruit and puree it in a blender/food processor until it's smooth and then either use it right away in a recipe or store it in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for 3 months. You can use any vegetable but you only use one vegetable in each puree (if that makes sense).

In The Sneaky Chef you have 6 different purees that are categorized by their color, a couple of juice recipes, a better breading recipe and a healthier flour blend to use in any baked good you make. With these color organized purees you put in at least 2 different vegetables/fruits in it together. For me, this way was easier so I only had a few different purees in my freezer but those purees could be used in a number of different recipes depending on the color of the food in the recipe I was making.

But both books have great recipes and ideas for making any recipe you already have or any boxed item (ie: macaroni and cheese) be better for you just by adding a puree you made ahead of time and are storing in your freezer.

I decided to make 4 of the purees just to start out and see if it was something I could do easily and something that wouldn't be too much of a hassle. It took me about 2 1/2 hours for the 4 purees and I made double batches of each and that's start to freezer time. That wasn't too bad but we'll see how long these purees last me and how often I'll actually have to set aside that 2 1/2 hours to make more.

After reading through the books I got a pretty good idea of how to tell what puree I would add to whatever recipe I was using. Meaning, I didn't have to just use the recipes in their books. Which makes this entire process a lot more appealing so that I'm not just confined to one set of recipes for it.

Ok I know this is long and according to Tim it's legal to post these recipes so I'm going to give you the 4 puree recipes I made and see for yourself if it's something you want/need in your food. The 4 I chose were used in the majority of the recipes in the book.

Purple Puree

- 3 cups raw baby spinach leaves (1 cup frozen chopped spinach, or frozen chopped collard
greens)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no syrup or sugar added)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoons water

> If using raw spinach, thoroughly wash it, even if the package says "prewashed." Bring spinach or collards and water to boil in a medium pot. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. If using frozen blueberries, quickly rinse them under cold water to thaw a little, and then drain.

> Fill the bowl of your food processor with the blueberries and cooked spinach, (or collards) along with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water, and puree on high until as smooth as possible. Stop occasionally to push top contents to bottom. If necessary, use a second tablespoon of water to make a fairly smooth puree.

> This amount of spinach and blueberries makes only about 1 cup of puree. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of the puree. It will store in the refrigerator up to 2 days, or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.

Orange Puree

This makes about 2 cups of puree. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of puree. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze one-quarter cup portions in sealed baggies or small plastic containers.

- 1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and rough chopped;
- 3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks;
- 2-3 tablespoons water

> In a medium pot, cover carrots and potatoes with cold water and boil for about 20 minutes until yams, and especially the carrots, are very tender. If the carrots aren't thoroughly cooked, they'll leave telltale little nuggets of vegetables, which will reveal their presence (a gigantic NO-NO for the sneaky chef).

> Drain the potatoes and carrots and put them in the bowl of food processor with two tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth; no pieces of carrots or potatoes should remain. Stop occasionally to push the contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the third tablespoon of water to make a smooth puree, but the less water the better.

White Puree

Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double recipe if you want to store even more, which can be done in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or the small plastic containers.

- 2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary

> Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly-covered pot, for about 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl , cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender.

> While waiting for the cauliflower to finish steaming, start to pulse the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water at this point). Drain the cooked cauliflower. Working in batches if necessary, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the bowl of the food processor with one tablespoon of water. Puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the second tablespoon of water to make a smooth (but not wet) puree.

White Bean Puree

1 15-ounce can white beans (great northern, navy, butter or cannellini)
- (If you are starting with dry beans, soak 1 cup for an hour, then cook according to instructions.) - 1 to 2 tablespoons water

> Rinse and drain the beans and put in the bowl of your food processor. Pulsing in on/off turns, puree the drained beans with just 1 tablespoon of water in processor until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. The goal is a smooth, but not wet, puree. (You are aiming for the consistency of peanut butter.) If necessary, thin with a little more water by one teaspoonful at a time until there are no flecks of whole beans visible.

> Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers. Makes about 1 cup of puree. Double this recipe if you want to store another cup of puree.

Pineapple Ham Bake

Another good recipe from the Taste of Home cookbooks! I made up some rice and green beans to go along with this and it was great! I give this recipe a 5!

SERVINGS: 8
CATEGORY: Main Dish
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 10 min. Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients:

2 cans (8 ounces each) unsweetened crushed pineapple
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons ground mustard (I used regular yellow mustard and eliminated the vinegar)
1 pound fully cooked ham, cut into 1/4-ince pieces

Directions:

Combine the first four ingredients in an ungreased 2-qt. baking dish; mix well. Stir in ham. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 servings.

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Ok so after a long hiatus I'm back! I have plenty of recipes to share but don't have time to blog them all so I thought I'd start with this one that I made just the other day. It comes from the Everyday Food magazine which I just started subscribing to. A lot of the recipes in there are a lot more time intensive than I would like but this one was quick and easy and really light tasting. I served it with rice and steamed vegetables. I loved it! I give it a 5!

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks (I just used a regular avocado)

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.