Garlic Infused Olive Oil

I talk a lot about Garlic Infused Olive Oil, but I’ve never really talked about how to do this.  A reader asked me, so I thought I’d tell you 3 ways I get Garlic Infused Olive Oil.

Of course,  you can buy Olive Oil already infused with different flavors, such as garlic, but it can be pretty pricy.  I do usually keep a purchased bottle on hand in case I run out of my own, or simply don’t feel like making it.  I normally use Annie’s Naturals Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I’ve been lucky and have found this on sale a few times.

In a Pan.

You can easily infuse small amounts of olive oil with garlic by simply adding some olive oil and garlic cloves to a pan, heat…but do not let the oil or garlic scorch.  (The temperature you use will depend on the amount you are doing and how hot your stove gets….just be careful not to burn it.)   I like to keep moving the garlic around in the oil for a few minutes…the longer you cook it the more infused the olive oil will be.   This method is good if you just need a little bit for a recipe you are making.  Personally, I’ve never gotten a really rich garlic flavor like this…I think I try to rush it way too much.

In a Slow Cooker

My favorite way to infuse olive oil with garlic is with a slow cooker.   I have a mini-slow cooker so I use it.  If you don’t have a small slow cooker, simply put a Pyrex dish in your cooker the size you need, and it will work.   Even in my small cooker, if I only have one small head of garlic I will use a small Pyrex dish in it.

Today I made some using 3 heads of garlic, in my small slow cooker.

First I cut the top of the heads off, exposing the cloves.

Head of garlic with top cut off to expose cloves

Then I simply put them in the cooker and cover them completely with olive oil.   Use plenty of oil.  I buy a big container of Olive Oil when it’s on sale to save even more money.   If you are using a smaller dish in your slow cooker, you will want to cover it with foil.  This will keep the steam and flavors close to the oil.

Garlic in cooker covered well with Olive Oil

I cooked the oil I made today on low for 3-4 hours.  It kept boiling, so I finally turned it off and just let it sit until it cooled down.  (I think I may use the Pyrex dish again next time anyway, I don’t recall it boiling so much in the dish.)   The garlic heads looked delicious.

What the garlic looked like after cooking in oil.

If you have anyone in your family who can eat garlic and likes roasted garlic, you can use some of the cloves.  Remember though that they are soaked in oil.  However, just squeeze them onto bread and you have instant garlic bread.  Remember though, if you have fructose malabsorption, Do Not Eat the Garlic.   After the garlic oil has cooled, strain the oil into a glass jar.  Be sure to label the jar with the date you made it.

Garlic Infused Olive Oil
(this jar was put in the refrigerator before I got a photo, so it looks a bit cloudy. It’s not really.)

This oil will keep well in the refrigerator for over a week.   If you are using it to cook with you can use it longer….2 weeks is good.   If you are using it on salads and such I would use it in a week.   Once you put this oil in the refrigerator it will congeal.  So if you need to pour it out you will need to wait for it to warm up a bit, this does not take long.   If you I’m using it on meats, or vegetables before cooking, I often just brush the congealed oil on.

I hope this helps you make some wonderfully Garlic Infused Olive Oil.   I’ve found the oil I make in the slow cooker has the most intense flavor.

WARNING….garlic in oil can cause botulism if not prepared correctly.

From my understanding, roasting the garlic in oil as I do takes away the threat as long as it is refrigerated and used in a timely manner.

The biggest danger comes when people just drop raw garlic in olive oil and wait for it to get strong enough.  The water in the garlic is then sealed in and can grow botulism.  To avoid this, you can preserve the garlic first in vinegar or a brine.  But I think that would take away the flavor, and I still wouldn’t risk it.

Digest Spectrum – A product that has helped me.

Digest Spectrum by Enzymedica

I saw on a few Fructose Malabsorption boards that some people were having good results with this product.  I decided to give it a try.   (Please note, I was not given this product to try, I bought it myself.  I received NO compensation for this review.  All opinions are mine.)

Admittedly, I didn’t have the highest hopes that this would help me be able to eat more foods with fructose.  However, I was having a lot of trouble.  I would eat only from the Allowed Foods List, and was still having gastrointestinal distress.   I was having a hard time balancing the amounts that were alright for me.  (If I ate a 1/2 cup of an allowed vegetable at one meal, could I have an allowed fruit as a snack a couple of hours later?…sometimes yes, sometimes no.)  So eating was causing a lot of trouble.  Not to mention trying to eat out!  So I decided to give Digest Spectrum a try.

I knew every time I ate spaghetti I had issues.  (even though I only used allowed ingredients, and always add dextrose to help with the digestion.)  So the first test was taking a capsule before spaghetti.  To my amazement my stomach didn’t blow, I had no pain, and the next day things moved normally.  But I didn’t trust this first test.  I thought perhaps we put more dextrose in it this time.  So….next text.

I had a meal with 3 servings of allowed vegetables.  I took a Digest Spectrum right before I started, and to my amazement, again No bloating, No pain…and normal bowel movements for the next few days.  This gave me more hope that the enzymes were working.

I continued to use the product whenever I thought I might be eating foods with too much fructose.  But I NEVER intentionally ate anything on the Prohibited list…..but I really wanted some legumes.  I really missed beans!

I decided to make some hummus.  I didn’t use garlic, I used infused garlic olive oil, tahini, and lemon juice.  I took two Digest Spectrum (I thought I might really be pushing it this time).  I ate about 1/8 cup of hummus with vegetables.   NO symptoms.    Next test….I had pinto beans, a lot of pinto beans.  My meal consisted of a Pinto Bean mixture (much like refried beans, with corn tortillas, lettuce and cheese.  (remember, I’m not lactose intolerance, but many can eat hard cheeses even if you are.)  I ate 3 of these tortillas.  With a side of Black Beans!   Once again….NO symptoms.

I’m so excited I can eat beans again.  I don’t eat them every day, I always leave at least a couple of days between, but I missed beans more than any thing else.   (other than onions!)

There are certain foods I will not eat, even with this help.  Onions, Apples….ect.   I really try to stay away from the prohibited list that has foods really high in fructose and frutans.  (I know beans are on the no – no list, but all the books said that everyone has trouble digesting beans.  Well that’s why they have Been-o right?  And I’ve been eating them for years without adverse affects, other than a little excess gas, but I often have that anyway.  I felt beans were a calculated risk that I was willing to try.)

Then came a day we decided to eat out.  Mexican.  I took 2 Digest Spectrum, just in case.  I’m so glad I did!  I normally get cheese or bean enchiladas.  However, I’m trying to lose some weight, so I decided to order chicken enchiladas.   Still gluten free, and healthier….right???   I took 2 bites, and realized I tasted onion!!!   Oh NO!  Onion!!  I didn’t even think about that, I asked about the sauce to make sure it had no onions, or flour, but didn’t think about the chicken filling.  (I’ve never ordered it before, I thought it would just be shreaded chicken).   I just knew I was going to be in a lot of pain.  I decided to take aanother capsule right then, hoping it might help.   Normally, if I get just a tad of onion, onion flavoring, onion powder, anything….I bloat almost immediately to the point that it looks like I’m pregnant…very pregnant.  And it hurts, oh does it hurt.   Then for 3 days I’m in the bathroom, many, many times.

I waited….No pain.  No bloating.  I was shocked.  I’m sure if I’d had more I would have gotten ill, but I didn’t get sick!!  The only thing I can attribute this to, is the Digest Specturm.

Now I eat out with more confidence.  I’m still very careful (more careful after the onion incident) but I always take a capsule, just in case someone in the kitchen goofs, or I eat too many veggetables (I have a hard time not eating more vegetables.)

How does Digest Spectrum work?

Ensymedica states on their website that

“Our body uses enzymes to enhance digestion and turn the food we eat into energy. Produced throughout the digestive tract and available from raw foods and supplements, these enzymes include: amylase for carbohydrates, lipase for fats, protease for proteins, and cellulase for fiber. Like tiny shears, enzymes help break down the foods we eat leaving particles small enough to provide nutrition to the cells after they enter the bloodstream. In addition to aiding digestion, some enzymes provide additional support to the body by eliminating harmful toxins and by-products.”

They do say this is to be used in combination with special diets.

“Reducing or eliminating the foods which trigger digestive problems is a key part of managing food sensitivities.  While special diets are helpful to those with impaired digestion, dietary modification used in combination with enzyme supplementation provides peace of mind and complete spectrum digestive support.”

 

Do I take Digest Spectrum every time I eat?  NO.  Do I really go against the low FODMAPS diet and rely on this product?  NO.  (except for beans….but I’m thinking I can tolerate them more than others.)

So when do I take Digest Spectrum?   I always take it when I eat out….just in case.  It’s too easy for food to get cross contamination in the kitchen and I’d never know it just by looking!

I always take it when I eat tomato products.  (This is an allowed food, but I have trouble with it, however, I love it.  Since I don’t have a huge problem with it, I decided to start taking Digest Spectrum before eating it, and now I don’t have any trouble at all.)   I always take it if I’m having a meal with more than 1 cup of veggetables….any kind. (I was having a hard time wiht this before.)   I always take it before a get together…and place I’ll be eating food that I (or my husband) didn’t prepare.   I also take it just when I’m feeling a bit nervous.  I feel I don’t digest foods as well if I’m stressed out.

I know this probably won’t work as well for everyone.  I’ve read one person’s account and she uses it a lot so she can eat much more of the foods that she wants.  I think most people use it like I do….as a precaution under certain circumstances.

If you try it, please let me know how it works for you….and under what circumstances you used it.

 

Chicken Stock – easy and Fructose Friendly

I always make my own Chicken Stock.  Not only do I prefer it, but in a pinch recently I looked for some and couldn’t find any that did not have onion in the ingredients.

***please not***  when you are looking at labels, often when it says spices that includes onion and/or garlic.  Plus most are full of sodium!  I suggest calling or emailing any company that just list spices in their ingredients before eating.  I recently wrote to Bell & Evans – they make the best GF breaded chicken strips.  I like to have something like this in the freezer for emergencies, for those times when it gets late and I’m exhausted and there’s no time to cook, or I’m not feeling well and hubby has to come up with food ideas and he’s exhausted….well you get the idea.  I was so disappointed when they wrote back and told me ALL of their products have onion.  If you need emergency type things.  Ian’s GF chicken patties and nuggets do not have onion or garlic (at the time of this writing.)   I also keep Annie’s Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese on hand for those days.  I do not eat this kind of thing as a rule.  Too much sodium!  and just empty calories…not enough nutrition for the calories taken in.  But in a pinch, it works.  (also note, I can eat lactose, I do not know if Annie’s Deluxe Mac and Cheese is NOT Lactose Free.)

Back to the Chicken Stock.  I have posted a previous recipe, but it’s more detailed and has onions.  This is very easy.

Easy Chicken Stock

• Save chicken parts from chicken you have been using in freezer.  This means, I buy Split Breast and cut it off the bone.  I leave some meat on the bones, and the skin, I put this in a freezer bag and save.  If I cup up a whole chicken, I throw the liver, gizzard and such in the bag, we normally don’t eat the wings so they go in the bag.  I keep adding to the bag until I have enough for stock.
• Save limp vegetables, or vegetable pieces in the freezer.  If I have some veggies get a bit too wilted for us to eat, I throw them in a freezer bag and save for stock.  I also save the tops of carrots, broccoli stalks…ect.  they go in the veggie bag until I have enough for stock.   I do not add any onion or garlic, or any vegetables I can’t eat.
• On the day I make stock I use my 6 quart crock pot.
• Add contents of the Chicken and Vegetable bags.  They can still be frozen.
• Add water to cover completely.
• Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar (this pulls the calcium from the bones and makes your stock more nutritious)
• Add any seasoning you want.  (I usually add a couple of Bay Leaves, but that’s about it.)
• Cook on low for hours and hours.  The longer you cook it, the richer your stock will be.  (Sometimes I let it cook over night, sometimes all day long.  Normally at least 10 hours)
• Strain stock in a large bowl or two.
• Let cool, put in the refrigerator to cool completely and have the fat congeal on top.  Spoon off fat..

Chicken Stock Frozen in Muffin Tins

I freeze my stock in muffin tins, each holds 3 1/2 ounces, so I leave some room at the top and know each one is about 3 oz.  If you want to be exact you can use a measuring cup to dip the stock in the tins.  Once frozen I pop them out and put them in a freezer bag, ready to use.  I often pop out a few cubes, warm them on the stove and have a cup of broth to soothe my stomach.  Or add some cellophane noodles, left over chicken and veggies…a great lunch.  Quick easy, and healthier than the other emergency meals.

Isn’t that easy??

The Best Chicken Soup I’ve Ever Eaten!

As I mentioned in my last post we had visitors for a while and one of them cooked for us a few times.  Chris made the most delicious Chicken Noodle Soup I’ve ever eaten!  And that’s saying  a lot!

Again, he’s like me….no measurements.   But I think you can probably figure it out just by looking….does it look like it should have more celery?  add more….it will still be great!

When I make this soup again, I’ll try to get better measurements for you.  But if you cook like I often do, give it a try!  This really is some great soup!

image from smartexchange.com

Chris’s Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 Bone-In Chicken Breasts  (Split Breasts)
• 4 Bone-In chicken Thighs
• carrots – a good amount, this soup did not skimp on the carrots and celery.
• celery – same as above.  Use a good amount.  Celery is normally very well tolerated, and gives a nice texture.
• green onions or chives (he used the green parts of the green onions)
• GF Noodles  (he used Tinkyada spirals)
• Pot Herbs  (chives, chervil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and bay leaves)
• Sage
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Garlic Oil
• Peas  (these were baby frozen peas)

Boil Chicken until done, remove chicken from stock.  Reserve stock.  Set aside meat to cool, then pick bones from meat and shred to bite size pieces.

Chop Vegetables.  Saute in post over medium heat with garlic oil.  When Vegetables are a little soft add seasoning cook another minute or two.

Add Stock and chicken pieces.   Bring to a boil.  Add Peas, return to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer.  Season to taste.

Cook noodles separately, add to soup when ready to serve.

 

Everyone in the house loved this soup.  He made a huge pot, and it didn’t last long!  When I cook this next time, I plan on making a big batch and freezing the soup part without the noodles, then when we want Chicken Noodle Soup we can just heat up the base, and add cooked noodles.  Do not freeze with the noodles, the noodles will turn to mush and you will not have a very good soup.

I also think this would be great with dumplings instead of noodles.

I promise to add a photo, as soon as we make up a pot!

***All the ingredients listed are on the latest sage Low FODMAPS list I have.  I think peas may be on the moderate list.  I have no problem with little green peas, but be sure to always check your personal tolerance levels.

Meatballs – with no onion or garlic

My husband loves spaghetti and meatballs, unfortunately I’ve always hated making meatballs.  They’ve always been time-consuming, and messy.  You have to mix them up then form the balls, then bake them, and finally you can add them to your sauce.  How long did that take, and how many dishes did we dirty?  I’d make them occasionally because he loves them so, but not very often.  After finding a slow cooker recipe and changing it to fit a low FODMAPS diet, I may be making meatballs much more often!

Once again, I found the original recipe on Stephanie O’Dea’s site, A Year of Slow Cooking.  Her recipe is called Not Your Mother’s Meatballs, it sounded easy and with just a few minor adjustments I made gluten-free, fructose friendly meatballs!

Slow Cooker Meatballs with Spaghetti Sauce

Meatballs 

Here’s the original recipe Not Your Mother’s Meatballs in blue, my adjustments are noted:

1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley    I used Italian Seasoning, 

1.5 pounds lean ground beef  

4 slices smoked bacon, diced (raw; don’t cook it)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Panko-style breadcrumbs (I used Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Bread Crumbs)

2 eggs  (I only used one large egg)

2 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt  (I don’t salt anything while cooking, if salt is needed we add it at the table)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 good tablespoon garlic infused olive oil

(you could add some asafoetida powder if you wanted, but I didn’t this time)

additional ingredients:

1 cup flour (I used rice flour)  I used potato flour, just what I had on hand)

2 cups chicken broth (can use beef)

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 can Tomato Puree  (it’s the large can, I think it’s 22oz)or 

2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning

(as is this was very tasty, but I think next time I’ll add a little asafoetida powder or spring onion to the sauce, I missed the onion flavor, but everyone else said they loved it just the way it was!)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. (I used a 4.5 qt slow cooker, this cooker is oval so it held more meatballs in a single layer) Spray the inside of your cooker with cooking spray, or rub it down with a bit of olive oil (don’t go crazy, just a little glisten)  *we simply forgot to oil the cooker, but had no sticking*  and set aside.

In a good-sized mixing bowl, combine the chopped parsley Italian Seasoning, ground beef, and diced bacon. Add in Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, and the dried spices black pepper. Combine well— I’d use your hands (remove rings, wash appropriately, and all that good stuff that if I had a legal team they’d tell me to include).

After the meat is mixed, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Pour 1 cup of flour (I used rice potato flour) into a shallow dish (pie pan works great).

Roll meat into golfball-sized balls and then lightly dust each meat ball with flour before placing  onto the lined cookie sheet. When all the meat is gone, put the whole cookie sheet into the freezer for 1 hour, or until completely frozen. It’s okay to freeze overnight, if you’d like to break this into two days (put in sealed dish/Tupperware if freezing for longer).  

Once your meatballs are frozen, place them one-by-one (this means don’t dump!) into your lightly greased slow cooker. It’s okay to stack them. In a  small mixing bowl, whisk together the broth and tomato paste to create a gravy. Pour this evenly over the meatballs. Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the meatballs have browned and are fully cooked. I cooked the meatballs pictured above on low for 5 hours, then let them sit on warm for another 3 1/2 hours before dinner was served.  I made the meatballs at night, and put them in a container and froze over night.  In the morning my husband simply added them to the cooker, and added the tomato puree, and Italian Seasoning.  Cooked on High for 4 hours, they smelled so good and looked done, so I tested and they were cooked through.  We weren’t going to be having dinner for a couple of hours and the cooker we used doesn’t have a warm setting, so I turned it off and about 15 mins before serving I turned it on High again.  Note: we did carefully stir these a few times because it was getting too done around the sides.  I suggest not to stir them for the first hour or so to make sure they stay intact.

Serve alongside pasta or rice, or all on their own. These are filling!

We served them with Tinkyada’s Spinach Spaghetti Pasta, and extra Parmesan cheese.

The verdict at my house?  Please make these again!!   Meatballs often fall apart in the slow cooker, the freezing is the key to this recipe!

The only things I might change, not add as much bacon and dice it up smaller than I did this time (possibly leave it out all together).  Add some asafoetida powder or the green parts of spring onions to the sauce.

 

Sticky Pork Chops

Sticky Pork Chops, brown and wild rice with carrots, and roasted green beans.

I found the original recipe for this on Food.com. I found a great cookbook there, created by a member, that is filled with recipes that do not use onion or garlic.  This is from that cookbook, there were some small adaptations to make it Fructose Friendly, but it was a pretty easy recipe.

The original recipe can be found at http://chinese.food.com/recipe/sticky-pork-chops-54715

Here’s the original recipe with my changes:

By KitchenManiac on February 24, 2003

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 15 mins
• Servings: 2

About This Recipe

“A mouth watering yummy pork chop Asian style. Double the recipe, you’ll want more. “

Ingredients

• 4 pork cutlets, of chops trimmed  (I used 2 boneless pork chops)
• 1/3 cup Chinese wine or 1/3 cup sherry wine  (I used Aji-Mirin Sauce)
• 1 tablespoon soya sauce  (I used GF low sodium Tamari)
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce or 2 tablespoons chili flakes  (I used about 1 tablespoon of chili flakes.)
• 2 tablespoons honey  (I used Maple Syrup)

Directions

1. Heat frying pan over medium heat.
2. Cook meat for 2 minutes each side, or until meat is well browned.  (suggest you cook until done throughout, and just warm through when you add back to pan)
3. Remove meat, set aside – Keep warm -
4. Add cooking wine, soy sauce, ginger, chili sauce/flakes and honey to the same pan without washing the pan.
5. Cook for 3 minutes.
6. Return the meat to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute.
7. Simmer until the sauce thickens, and pork is cooked through.
8. Serve with rice and greens.

To make this super fast and easy, I served this with Steam Fresh Brown Rice with broccoli and carrots  (I picked most of the broccoli out of mine since I’ve been having tummy issues lately), and roasted green beans (simply broil or bake fresh green beans that have been sprayed with a little olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt).

We both agreed, we will make this meal again!

Italian Sausage without onion or garlic – and a meal to go with it.

We bought some plain ground pork so I could make some sausage I could eat.  I simply cannot find any that doesn’t have onion or garlic.

I looked up a few recipes, but decided to just wing it.  I’ve made Sage Sausage before, but this is the first time I’ve made Italian Sausage.

Italian Sausage with NO onion or garlic

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup Italian Seasoning.  (I put in about 3 tablespoons but decided it needed more, so added even more…I think this is a good guesstimate on how much you should use.)
• 2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil  (yes I know I said, no garlic, and you can leave this out, but if you infuse the olive oil with garlic but DO NOT EAT THE GARLIC, it is low in FODMAPS)
• 1-2 tablespoons black pepper (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons paprika

I mixed everything together in my Kitchen Aid mixer. So much easier than mixing by hand.

Just cook and eat.  I normally add Italian Sausage it to recipes.

Of course, this sausage does not have a casing, you can buy casing if you’d like and stuff them yourself.  I think it’s too much trouble, and kind of gross.  Plus, I normally remove the casing to use this type of sausage.

The night after I made the sausage I made Sautéed Kale and Potatoes with Italian Sausage.

simply brown crumbled sausage in a pan, remove sausage and drain most of the grease.

Chop and add potatoes.  Cook until tender.

Add the sausage back in.

Chop and Add the Kale, splash with Aji-Mirin Sauce (by Kikoman, this is the only brand I can find that does not have fructose. It has glucose as the first ingredient.  This sauce will not only add a little sweetness to your Kale, which is often a little bitter, it will also make them easier to digest.

Cook until Kale is wilted.   (you can add some herbs or spices if you like.  I think the sausage added enough flavor to this dish.)

If you would like further directions for this recipe, please see a previous recipe Sautéed Kale with Potatoes.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken (not lactose free, but low in other FODMAPS)

Yesterday, I was happy I felt like cooking.  Recovery from my surgery on December 1st, and all the trouble before it, has made it almost impossible for me to enjoy my kitchen.  However, yesterday I decided to take the plunge.

We had boneless skinless chicken breast thawed, so I thought…what can I do with this that is Fructose Friendly.  For some reason I’ve been thinking about Alfredo.  I rarely ever eat anything Alfredo because it’s so fattening, and rich.  I thought I could improve on that, plus, I hadn’t eaten a lot of calories yet that day so…why not give it a shot?   (I’m sorry this doesn’t meet low FODMAPS requirements because it does have lactose, I’m very lucky, I am not lactose intolerant.)

Chicken Alfredo over Brown Rice Noodles.

This recipe took a lot of guess work, a lot of substitutions, and a lot of just trying stuff.   This is one of those times I just threw what I had together, and kept tasting it to get it right, so all measurements are a guess.  (sorry)

Chicken Alfredo

• 1 large chicken breast half, sliced  (I cut it in half then cut slices less than 1/4 inch thick)
• Olive Oil – enough to cover the pan plus a little.
• 3-4 cloves are garlic  (this will be removed)
• 3-4 shallots (this will be removed
• about 3-4 oz cream cheese – cubed (I used low fat)
• 1/3 cup (about a handful) of Pizza Cheese (I would have used all Parmesan, but I didn’t have enough, we had a blend of cheeses including Pamesan, Romano, Mozzarella … so I used that.)
• enough milk to make smooth (I used 2 %)
• Italian Seasoning – I just sprinkled it over the mixture.
• Black Pepper – to taste…I used more of this than I normally do in things, and I really think it made the dish.  The undertones of the pepper made it just right.

 

Add Olive Oil to Pan and begin to heat over medium high heat.  Add Garlic cloves and Shallots, reduce heat to medium.  Heat thoroughly, and  cook for about 5 minutes, letting the flavors infuse in the oil, being careful not to burn (reduce heat more if necessary…I had to.).

While the oil was infusing, I cut up the chicken, occasionally stirring the oil.

Remove the garlic and shallots from the oil, the flavors should be infused in the oil.  (I think my garlic was a bit to old, so I didn’t get as much garlic flavor as I normally do.)

Brown the chicken in the oil.  Cook through.   (normally I cook the chicken and sauce separately and layer the dish, but I was reading a recipe where someone just added the sauce ingredients to the chicken, so I did that this time.  It worked well, but I think it’s easier to do it separately to ensure the cheeses melt evenly.)

Add the Cream Cheese Cubes, the Pizza Cheese, and Milk.  (I just added a little milk to start, then as things melted and I saw how thick it was I added more.

Stir until cheeses melt.  Add Italian Seasoning and Pepper.

 

This was a huge hit.  My husband was thrilled….and now swears I’ll never be able to duplicate the recipe because I didn’t measure anything.  He’s probably right, I won’t be able to do it exactly, but I’m sure I can come pretty darn close…heck, maybe it’ll be even better.  I’d like to have had more of a garlic taste, and I think all Parmesan cheese would be better…have more flavor.

I served this with petite green peas.

(about the lactose content.  I know you can substitute the milk, and parmesean cheese is allowed on low FODMAPS, and I’ve seen a lactose free cream cheese alternative, but I don’t know if it’s any good.)

Cheers!

Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

I’m sorry there is no picture for this.  I haven’t been able to cook in a long time…about 6 months…due to health issues.  I was just so thrilled to be throwing dinner together, I forgot about a photo.

I like PF Chang’s Ginger Chicken and Broccoli, but I can’t eat a lot of Broccoli due to the Fructose Malabsorption

Right now I’m going through the Elimination Diet part in Patsy Castos’ book IBS Free At Last (if you get this book, be sure to go to her website, with the same name, and get the updates.

I decided to try to make something similar to PF Chang’s Ginger Chicken..but without the Broccoli.  Instead I added carrots, and Bok Choy.

Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

• 1 large skinless, boneless Chicken Breast
• a piece of Ginger root about 2-3 inches long
• 1 large head of Bok Choy
• shredded carrots (I bought a bag, and threw in a couple of handfuls, until it looked good with the Bok Choy.
• GF Soy Sauce – I use San-J’s Reduced Sodium Gluten Free Tamari – about 2 Tablespoons…but I didn’t measure it.
• Toasted Sesame Oil – enough to coat the wok (or pan you are using)
• Kikomen Aji-Mirin Sauce – 1-2 tablespoons
• and I dusted everything with a little dextrose (added a bit of sweetness, and helps with the digestion for fructose.)
• White Rice

1. I prepared the Ginger first.  Peal Ginger, then I grated most of it with a micro-grater.  So it was minced well.  A small amount (I was tired of grating) I chopped.
2. Heat the wok that has been covered with Toasted Sesame Oil over medium high heat.
3. While Wok is heating, cut Chicken Breast in half then cut in thin slices.
4. Add Chicken to wok, brown a little, then add Ginger and Tamari.
5. While chicken is cooking, chop Bok Choy (cut the end off, rinse, and cut into bite size pieces.
6. Add the hard parts of the Bok Choy to wok first, cook a little bit, then add the shredded carrots, and finally the leaves of the Bok Choy.
7. Toss with tongs until the leaves are wilted.
8. At this point I removed from heat and let it sit for a bit.  (we were waiting for the rice to finish cooking.)

Serve over rice.  I use White Rice for better digestion, and just a tiny bit of less fructans.

We started the rice and the stir fry at the same time.  We used long grain white rice, it cooks in about 20mins.  Both were finished about the same time, the stir-fry was finished just a little bit before the rice.

The first bite of this I took was VERY gingery.  I think I got one of the chopped pieces in the first bite.  However, the blend of flavors was delicious, and the ginger was present in every bite, but not over-powering.  I was very pleased.

If you have Fruc. Mal., and are on the Elimination Diet, be sure to limit your vegetables to 1/2 cup.  (I ate about 3/4 cup of the stir fry since there was chicken in there too.)

If you aren’t on the Elimination Diet, eat within your tolerance level.

Here’s to a new Year…hopefully I’ll be able to get back in my kitchen and cook more and more.

Flax, Quinoa, and Almond Meal Bread update.

Flax, Quinoa, and Almond Meal Bread

(this recipe originally came from Kira at The Medicine Women’s Roots blog, but I changed it a lot)

Preheat oven to 375F.

• 1 Cup Milled Flax Seed
• 2/3 Cup Blanched Almond Meal (could probably used unblanched)
• 2/3 Cup Quinoa Flour 4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• ¼ Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
• ¼ Cup Olive Oil, Butter, (do not use butter to make this diary free), Grapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil (use unrefined for a sweeter bread, but if you just want a whole grain bread taste, use refined)
• 4 eggs
•  water to texture desired, just enough so that the batter pours in the pan thickly.  For me, it took a little over 1/2 Cup of water for this recipe. The more water you use the longer it will take to cook.

1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Gently beat eggs together before adding to dry mixture.
3. Add oil.  (I used butter this time…and the eggs at room temperature and it did well.  Last time, I used coconut oil that was warm enough to be liquid, and added the eggs to mix together but the eggs were right out of the refrigerator and the coldness of the eggs turned the oil solid, it was difficult to mix the solid oil in the batter.
4.  Add water a little at a time until you have the desired consistency.  (Just liquid enough to pour thickly into the pan.)

I used a pyrex bread shaped pan and lined it with parchment paper (no worries about sticking, and no icky clean up, it worked very well.  However, it is a bit hard to line a bread pan with parchment, so your ends will probably look a little wrinkled.

Cooked at 375 for 40 mins.  This time will vary if you use a different pan, or more or less water.  If you use a metal pan I’d start checking around the 20 – 25 min. mark.

Bread is done when a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

**if you are not used to flax, you may want to reduce this a little…just add more of the other flours to make up the amount difference.  If you can’t have almonds, you could probably substitute coconut flour.  It may make it taste a little different, but I think it should turn out quite tasty.

I posted this originally on a different blog of mine, but decided it merited it’s own page on this blog.

This bread is great to make turkey sandwiches.  (the first thing I did with mine.)

Here’s a link to the original post, with pictures.  http://wendycooks.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/flax-seed-bread/

(this recipe came out higher than the first try)

I also use a similar recipe for banana bread…bot my husband and I loves it!  Here’s the original post  http://wendycooks.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/gluten-free-dairy-free-banana-bread/

Here’s a post of a more fructose friendly version. http://wendycooks.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/banana-bread/