Howling out loud! » Cooking http://wolfsongs.com Chronicles of an amateur Book Reviewer, or the voice of reason against the howling mob. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:15:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Alpha cub is allergic to Wheat, Milk, Eggs and Peanuts… http://wolfsongs.com/2010/03/alpha-cub-is-allergic-to-wheat-milk-eggs-and-peanuts/ http://wolfsongs.com/2010/03/alpha-cub-is-allergic-to-wheat-milk-eggs-and-peanuts/#comments Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:58:51 +0000 Alpha Wolf http://wolfsongs.com/?p=632 Ok, now that I got that information out in the open the real reason for this entry. I am trying to find substitutes for certain foods that contain the above allergens so my son can eat cool foods and not scratch himself bloody or worse.

Milk turned out to be easy, as Silk Soy [...]]]> Ok, now that I got that information out in the open the real reason for this entry. I am trying to find substitutes for certain foods that contain the above allergens so my son can eat cool foods and not scratch himself bloody or worse.

Milk turned out to be easy, as Silk Soy milk is readily available in my neck of the woods, and there is even an enhanced version that contains  Omega-3.

Butter is fairly easy also, we use Smart Balance light which contains no milk products but otherwise is a great butter substitute.

Wheat is an ongoing issue, it is in so many things. I have found a good gluten-free pasta substitute, a good gluten-free bread and Betty Crocker even has gluten-free Cake, Brownie and Cookie Mixes.

Eggs seem to be the hardest one to work around. There is no one egg substitute. I keep on looking online to see what people did in certain circumstances. My current experiment is Betty Crocker cookies, and what to use in place of the one egg needed. I was hoping to pick up Ener-G Egg Replacer and see how that works, I was not able to find it locally yet.

There is no eggless mayonnaise. I have to examine and test what Alpha Cub will like and he is not allergic to. I am thinking that a good Guacamole would be an excellent mayo substitute – heck I would love it if N enjoyed Guacamole. It’s healthier than mayo on average and I love it as well. I looked around for a simple recipe so I can learn how to make it.

I am sure that there are other obstacles that I will reach and have to overcome so Alpha Cub can have a wide range of foods that he can enjoy. It used to be a chore, but it’s getting more and more enjoyable as he gets older and his tastes develop.

For my loyal readers, any advice is welcome. New products, old recipes and anything in between so I can prepare fun food for my son. Extra points if it’s cheap, easy and if I like it as well.

]]> http://wolfsongs.com/2010/03/alpha-cub-is-allergic-to-wheat-milk-eggs-and-peanuts/feed/ 9 Trying to make a decent Chili http://wolfsongs.com/2010/01/trying-to-make-a-decent-chili/ http://wolfsongs.com/2010/01/trying-to-make-a-decent-chili/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:53:32 +0000 Alpha Wolf http://wolfsongs.com/?p=508 I decided about a week ago that I was going to start using my slow cooker more often. Specifcally, I decided I was going to try and make a signature chili. I decided that I would start from humble beginnings and use the Chili Recipe on the McCormick Slow Cooker Chili Seasoning Package. It [...]]]> I decided about a week ago that I was going to start using my slow cooker more often. Specifcally, I decided I was going to try and make a signature chili. I decided that I would start from humble beginnings and use the Chili Recipe on the McCormick Slow Cooker Chili Seasoning Package. It was a very basic recipe, with 5 ingredients:

  1. 2 lbs. of Ground Turkey or Beef
  2. 2 Cans of Kidney Beans (16 oz Each) – Drained
  3. 2 cans of Diced Tomatoes (14.5 Oz Each) – Whole
  4. 1 Can of Tomato Sauce (15.5 oz.)
  5. 1 Package of McCormick Slow Cookers Chili Seasoning

I used Turkey Chili because both my son and I prefer the taste of Turkey over Beef.  I also used a single 28 oz. can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes and Cento Tomato sauce.

Well, I started with a basic recipe and ended up with a very basic Chili. M said that it had no flavor, and she was correct. It seems that the recipe was definitely made for Beef with some juices and fat still coating the meat. The Turkey I used was 99% fat free.

I wasn’t too upsed, I was planning on modifying the base recipe anyway. I will just have to modify the recipe a little more that I thought I would have to from the start. I am partial to having a tasty chili.

The Slow Cooker Chili Package has to go, but I have to have a decent replacement. I am thinking I should start with:

  1. 1/4 cup of Chili powder
  2. 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
  3. a couple of pinches of Salt
  4. a couple of pinches of Pepper
  5. 1 tablespoon of Celery Powder

I think my next attempt with cover the replacement of the McCormick’s Slow Cooker Chili Seasoning with the formula above, and include all the other items. This is probably as fast as I want to progress with this Signature Chili because I want to know when I put ingredient x in I get result y. So in the future I will probably only add and/or subtract only one ingredient and see how it works.

I am pretty sure I will have to add additional spices to the chili to make up for the exchange for Turkey for Beef.  Other items I look to add to the recipe in the future are Onions, Garlic and different kinds of beans. This will be an evolving receipe, probably for a long time, and I welcome all suggestions on how to improve my chili.

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