Goat Chop Vindaloo with Rosted Vegetables and Rice

Vindaloo is a pungent North Indian Stew. I met Teresa Mainello from Keeterbarn Corner Farm (http://keeterbarncorner.webs.com/)last Saturday at the Elizabeth City farmers market. I bought some fatty goat chops from her to make this delicious curry.

Ingredients:
4 fatty goat chops
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced
1 clove minced garlic (optional)
1 teaspoon minced ginger
12 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
prepared rice

Directions: Cook all of the ingredients except rice in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice.

Update: I can't eat this anymore because it's high in sulfur.

Christina's Doughnuts

Over the years, I’ve gotten very good at adapting recipes for people who have special food concerns. Among my accomplishments are a preservative-free pineapple up-side-down cake and dairy-and-soy-free ice cream, but I am most proud of making doughnuts for my friend Christina who has many food allergies, including soy, dairy, and egg. While my friend—who doesn’t cook at all—watched with amusement, I combined flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in my largest mixing bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, I mixed olive oil, apple sauce and apple juice. While the vegetable oil was getting hot in an iron skillet on the stove, I kneaded the batter until it was firm and then rolled it out on my large wood cutting board dusted with flour. After that, I cut the batter into doughnut shapes by using a fancy glass for the round and a bottle cap for the hole. Christina leaned forward with interest as the dough started to sizzle when I placed it into the hot oil and looked on with delight as I turning each one to achieve a golden brown on each side. Finally, I lifted the doughnuts from the oil, dried them on paper towels, and dusted them with powdered sugar. Tentatively, she selected a doughnut and took a cautious bite. I was very gratified when I saw the look of joy on my friend’s face when she savored a doughnut for the first time.

Allergy Friendly Meatloaf

I like the edges on a meat loaf, so I make mine into a ring so it has edges in every slice. This meatloaf has no preservatives, is low sulfur and is wheat, egg, dairy, and nut free.

Ingredients:

For Meat Loaf:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 small carrot, diced fine (I use a food processor)
• 1 tablespoon honey

For Topping:

• 1/4 cup cooked and purred tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon honey
• juice from half of lime.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the meat loaf ingredients in a bowl. Transfer to an oven safe dish and shape into a ring. Create an indented trough on top for the sauce.
2. Combine the topping ingredients. Spoon the sauce into the trough. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done.

Starbuck's Style Madeleines in Silicone Pan

I tried several online recipes before adapting my own. I changed two major aspects of the traditional madeleine recipe. First, combining the butter, sugar, and egg before adding the flour keeps you from over-mixing and getting a rubbery texture. Also, increasing the cooking temperature increases the leavening and produces the right texture. Where I think that I haven't gotten it just right yet is using the silicone pan. Everyone recommended silicone, but it doesn't produce the crisp edges I am hoping for. I'd like to get the metal pan and play with this some more.

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons of room temperature salted butter or Fleichmann's Margarine

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs and one egg white

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or other flavoring (optional)

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest (optional)

1 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat sugar and butter (or margarine) together until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add one egg and beat until combined. Then add the remaining egg, vanilla, and lemon zest and combine thoroughly. Fold in flour until just combined. Place silicone pan on a metal cookie sheet to prevent flexing. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each mold. Bake until golden brown and set, about 10 minutes. Yields 2 dozen.

Sulphites in Foods

I got this list of food from the Canadian Food and Drug government organization http://inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml. It's the best list I've found so far.
Food and products that often contain sulphites

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer and cider
Bottled lemon and lime juices and concentrates
Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables
Cereal, cornmeal, cornstarch, crackers and muesli
Condiments, for example, coleslaw, horseradish, ketchup, mustard, pickles, relish and sauerkraut
Dehydrated, mashed, peeled and pre-cut potatoes, and frozen french fries
Dried fruits and vegetables, such as apricots, coconut and raisins, sweet potato
Dried herbs, spices and teas
Fresh grapes
Fruit fillings and syrups, gelatin, jams, jellies, preserves, marmalade, molasses and pectin
Fruit and vegetable juices
Glazed and glacéed fruits, for example, maraschino cherries
Starches, (for example, corn starch, potato starch)
Sugar syrups, for example, glucose, glucose solids, syrup dextrose, corn syrup, table syrup
Tomato pastes, pulps and purees
Vinegar and wine vinegar
Wine
Baked goods, especially with dried fruits
Deli meats, hot dogs and sausages
Dressings, gravies, guacamole, sauces, soups and soup mixes
Fish, crustaceans and shellfish
Granola bars, especially with dried fruit
Noodle and rice mixes
Snack foods, for example, raisins, fruit salad
Soy products

Potato Salad

Ingredients: 

2 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon salt (for boiling water), plus more if desired

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup prepared mustard

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 red onion, diced fine

1 teaspoon whole mustard seed (optional)

1 pinch dill (optional)

Directions:

Boil potatoes on medium high heat in enough salted water to cover them.  When potatoes are soft enough to be mashed with a fork against the side of the pot, remove from heat and drain.  Mix in vinegar, mustard, and black pepper.  Chill.  When potatoes are cool, mix in onion, mustard seed, and dill.  Add salt to taste.

Update: I can't eat this anymore because it is high in sulfur. Now I make a version with Greek yogurt instead.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Dal with Chai Rice Pudding

This Indian lentil stew and rice desert are flavored by Chai, a spiced black tea ubiquitously enjoyed throughout India. Chai typically contains black tea, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, all spice, and sometimes nutmeg. Many brands don’t give a complete list of ingredients, but use phrases like “spices” or “nature flavors.” I avoid those. You can use store bought chai tea bags, or you can create your own chai tea bags, a great option if you are allergic to a common ingredient in Chai.  To make your own, carefully cut or pull open a black tea bag.  Add a pinch of each of the ground spiced that you want to use to the tea bag.  Use the string to tie the tea bag closed again. You can also create this blend in a tea infuser.  Here you use chai and your slow cooker to create an exotic meal without buying lots of expensive ingredients, making a huge mess in your kitchen, or doing a lot of work. This dal recipe creates a sweet, mild curry. For a more intense experience, add salt and a chili sauce to the lentils to suit your tastes.

Ingredients for Dal:

1 red onion, diced fine

1 red bell pepper, diced fine

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 medium sweet potatoes, diced into ½ to 1 inch cubes

1 ½ cups yellow lentils, picked over

1 chai tea bag

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

4 cups cooked basmati rice

Vegetable or chicken broth (optional)

Ingredients for Rice Pudding:

½ cup basmati rice

2 cups water

¼ cup sugar

1 chai tea bag

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions:

Sauté onion and bell pepper in oil until tender and beginning to brown. Transfer to a slow cooker. Cut open the chai tea bag and empty contents into the slow cooker. Discard tea bag. Put the remaining ingredients except rice in the slow cooker.  Add enough water (or broth is using) to cover ingredients by at least 1 inch.  Cook on low 8 to 12 hours. Meanwhile, in another slow cooker combine ingredients for rice pudding except vanilla (leave the chai tea in the bag this time). Cook ingredients on high for 4 to 8 hours. Serve Dal over cooked basmati rice and serve rice pudding garnished with pumpkin seeds for desert. For a classic finish, brew hot sweetened chai tea and serve it with your favorite milk or milk substitute. 
Update: I can't eat this anymore because it's high in sulfur.