Years ago when I was visiting Chicago, probably like 2 years before I moved there (and years before I changed my diet) I went to a restaurant on Michigan Ave called Bandero. The food was good, not Michelin star or anything but but higher quality than most. Oddly, years later I would work less than a block away at the newspaper there. Years later, when I moved to Chicago, I walked past the restaurant and remembered the delicious sweet braised red cabbage, topped with goat cheese, that I had ...
nightshade free
Apple and Celery Root Puree; Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Nut Free Recipe
Do you like celery root? I LOVE it but oddly, I never ate it until a few years ago. Now we eat it all the time. This is one of my favorite side dish recipes. I started making it a few years ago when my husband decided to go primarily nightshade free (although he still eats tomatoes and peppers occassionally - apparently potatoes effect his joints the most). We were looking for a "mashed potato" substitute that was not only nightshade free, but also gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and nut ...
Parsnip and Celery Root Puree; gluten free, optional dairy free, soy free, nut free, egg free, nightshade free side dish recipe
Whenever we go to a nice restaurant around harvest time it seems like every meat is accompanied by a root vegetable puree. I love the apple and celery root puree I modified from Ina Garten’s recipe here, but it’s a bit too sweet to pair with some dishes so I decided to combine my celery root with another underused in my kitchen vegetable – parsnips! I chose the combination simply because I had them left in my refrigerator prior to leaving for vacation (we actually packed them all up and brought ...
My Favorite Allergen Free Thanksgiving Recipes
Eek! Only 3 more days until Thanksgiving! Yikes! I’ve been down in Florida for a wedding so it didn’t even dawn on me that it was only 3 days away! Just in case you’re still planning, here are my favorite gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free (many are also egg free) recipes for Thanksgiving. Some are remakes of old favorites (like green bean casserole). Some are new favorites, especially great if you have some guests who are nightshade free. Allergen Free Thanksgiving ...
Homemade Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup
So, I'm down in Key West, sitting on the porch of a 95 year old hotel, hair and makeup done for a wedding I'm attending later, listening to the rain, breathing in the ocean air feeling TOTALLY relaxed while the little one is taking a nap with dad in the room. I just got word that it's snowing in Michigan - actually, the pictures look like it's been snowing for a while. This soup is the last thing from my mind right now but I figured I would post it for those of you cozying up by the fire for ...
How to Roast Winter Squash Seeds; Butternut, Acorn, Spaghetti, Delicata
Halloween was last week so we did the usual pumpkin carving and making pumpkin seeds....unfortunately I left the pumpkin seeds in the oven too long (we were getting ready to head to Grandpa's to go trick-or-treating) and they ended up burnt.... I have never been so upset in my life! You see, I have an obsession with pumpkin seeds that will probably never disappear because you really only get them once per year....or do you? Well, how about a substitute? Roast winter squash seeds (or even the ...
GF Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe; Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Nut Free Recipe
This pumpkin spice cake recipe is a hit! It was loved by everyone at my son's 2nd birthday party, even those who aren't gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and nut free so I figured it would be great to make again less than 2 weeks later for my grandpa's 90th birthday that was being attended by both gf and non-gf diners... We had my son's 2nd birthday party a few weekends ago and he had a BLAST (I promise I'll have a post dedicated to it)! As always, I have to make everything from scratch for ...
GF Pumpkin Pancakes; Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Nut Free Recipe
I can't believe it's that time again! Has it really been a year since I meant to post these gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free pumpkin pancakes? I read an article last night that blames the pumpkin spice obsession on Starbucks who created the pumpkin spice latte back in 2003. Well, sorry to say but my family has been obsessed with pumpkin spice everything for much longer than that! Even the newest member of the family loves these, in fact, they're his favorite flavor of pancakes so we ...
Convection Roast Whole Chicken; The BEST Tasting Chicken Ever!
Whew.....We have been busy! My little one's second birthday party was last weekend and we've been going ever since. He was such a little party animal - he partied too hard and then got sick! Nothing too serious, just a cold but I'm afraid to say that now, 3 days later I've developed it. Luckily, I knew this would happen so 2 days ago I convection roasted 2 whole organic chickens and made 3 batches of my homemade bone broth (I make it in the crock pot, directions here) so we've already been ...
Organic Canning; Black Raspberry Preserves
Have you ever had black raspberries? Apparently they are native to North America. They're a wild raspberry and they have a more rich taste, some call it "wine-y". I personally like the tartness of red raspberries but I'm pretty sure my little guy likes these better and I know my husband does. So, what are Black raspberry preserves? Preserves in general are very similar to jam, they are fruit and sugar, cooked to form a thicker spread. Same ingredients, the only difference is that the fruit is ...