Elimination diet update

As I have mentioned in previous posts, this blog came about as a result of an elimination diet I started when I was breast feeding my baby to figure out if he was allergic to any major food groups or common allergens that were passing through my breast milk. His symptoms included multiple poops, vomiting, being unsettled as well as a positive reducing substances test result, which indicated that he had either primary or secondary lactose intolerance. The GP suggested that I stop breast feeding and start my baby on a lactose free formula, but I wanted to continue breastfeeding so I decided to cut out all dairy products from my diet. I also decided to eliminate all other common allergens like gluten, soy, corn, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, sea food and shell fish. I also eliminated banana, sesame seeds, coconut, mustard, tomatoes and citrus and made a conscious decision to not consume any food with artificial colour, flavour, additives and preservatives like sulphates.

I introduced each allergen one at a time, eating a small quantity over three days and then observing my baby's behaviour for changes over the next three days for any changes. It has now been 11 months, since I commenced my diet and I have introduced all the allergens except bananas to my diet and all allergens except for sea food and bananas to my baby's diet without any adverse effects. I plan to introduce sea food shortly, starting with white fish. I am glad that my baby is not allergic as at a young age it is important for babies to get nutrition form different food groups. As for his initial symptoms and the positive reducing substances (also called reducing sugars) test result, I now think that was due to secondary lactose intolerance, which is common in babies after they get diarrhoea which can be a side effect of immunisations. The mucusy poops, could be a result of eating bananas (I think they were the main culprit, hence am yet to introduce them) or related to teething as my baby got his first two teeth when he was three months old. But this is all conjecture, there is no concrete answer here but I am just glad that he is not allergic. However, having really focussed on what I eat and feed my family, my food habits have changed for good. I take the organic option where ever available, and grow a lot of my own herbs and vegetables, I opt for free range eggs, chicken etc. and also try to avoid GMO substances. I also avoid artificial colours, flavours, additives and preservatives which means I still eliminate a lot of packaged and processed foods, but I would rather eat healthy and miss out on the junk food and I am sure my body is thanking me for it !!! Hence, even though, there is no need to cook allergen free food, I choose to do so on a regular basis and will continue to share my creations and recipes here, to give other mums and allergy sufferers, in fact anyone who wants to eat healthy, ideas to prepare simple and delicious meals at home.

Easy chicken curry

This recipe is my stock standard chicken curry recipe. It is quick and easy to make, has no cream, nuts or dairy and is both healthy and yummy. A favourite for the entire family.

You will need:

500 gm free range chicken thigh fillet (chopped into medium sized cubes)
2 onions
6 cloves of garlic
2 cm piece of ginger
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala or shop bought chicken curry masala
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 tablespoon of kasoorie methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
2 tablespoons of oil
1 bay leaf
2 cm piece of cinnamon bark
2 cloves
1 black cardamon

Method

Peel the onion, garlic and ginger and puree them in a food processor (these days I am cooking my meals toddler friendly, so there are no green chillies here but you can add 1-2 green chillies as they add to flavour and of course some heat as well) . In a wok or heavy based skillet, add the oil and the whole spices and cook for 30-40 seconds before adding the onion mixture. Cook, stirring regularly until the mixture has reduced and browned. Add the tomato paste, followed by the dried fenugreek leaves and all the powdered spices. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the chicken pieces. Ensure all the chicken is coated with the onion tomato mixture and stir often to ensure all the chicken pieces are sealed. Now add some plain water (depending on the consistency you are after and whether you are serving the curry with bread or rice) keeping in mind that the chicken will also release some water during the cooking process. I always add less, and then add more later if needed, much easier than fixing a thin, watery curry (though there are a few tricks to do that as well, I will post them some other time). Bring the curry to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Garnish with boiled eggs or fresh coriander springs. Serve hot with rice or flat bread, and if you have any left over, you are in luck as this curry tastes even better the following day.

Aloo Palak - potatoes in a spinach curry

Anyone familiar with Indian food and Indian restaurants has most likely eaten Palak Paneer - cottage cheese cubes in a spinach curry. Aloo Palak is a lactose free, vegan twist on this popular dish. You make the spinach curry the same way as you would for palak paneer but add boiled potatoes instead of cheese.

You will need the following (serves 4-6)

Large bunch of fresh spinach
6-8 medium sized potatoes
1 large onion
Small piece of ginger (1 cm long)
2 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 teaspoon of garam masala powder
2 tablespoons of olive oil

To make this dish, we need to prepare both the spinach and potatoes separately. I am lucky to have my own vegetable garden and in this instance have used both the spinach and potatoes from my veggie patch. Instead of uprooting the entire spinach plants (as you would find in the shops) I simply cut as many spinach leaves as I need and leave the rest of the plant behind to sprout new leaves. This has a few advantages -  less mud/grit in the leaves thus requiring less washing, I continue to benefit from the plant and having grown the vegetables myself, I know no nasty chemicals or sprays have been used.

To prepare the spinach, I wash the leaves and place them in a large saucepan with a clove of garlic and some salt to boil. I also add sugar (optional) as my mum always does, she believes it helps retain colour and adds to flavour. But I do not think it is necessary, if you do not overcook the spinach it will not discolour and with really fresh spinach, flavour is not a problem. Having said that, I still add a pinch out of habit and respect for my mum. Once the water has come to the boil and the spinach has wilted, turn the heat off and place the cooked spinach leaves and garlic clove in a food processor and blend into a smooth puree and set aside. I reserve the spinach water to thin the curry during the cooking process instead of using water.

To prepare the potatoes, simply peel and cut each potato into eight pieces and boil them in salted water until tender.

While the potatoes are boiling, I get started with the base of the spinach curry by pureeing the onion, ginger and remaining clove of garlic. Then add oil to a wok or heavy based skillet and cook the mixture, stirring regularly until it has browned. Add the tomato paste and cook for a further two minutes before adding the salt and other powdered spices. Add the spinach puree and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the boiled and drained potatoes and mixing well to ensure they are coated with the spinach. I add a couple of tablespoons of the water the spinach has been cooked to get the right consistency (I have kept mine thick as I was serving it with flat bread). Simmer, cover with a lid for five minutes. Serve warm and enjoy with flat bread or rice.

Chicken and vegetable clear soup

Ingredients (to serve 4)

2 chicken thigh fillets cut into strips
2 carrots thinly sliced diagonally
2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
1 inch piece of ginger chopped finely
2 spring onions chopped finely
12 green beans cut into batons
1 cup/ can of corn kernels
1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock

Salt and peper to taste
1 tablespoon of oil

In a large sauce pan heat the oil and add the ginger, garlic and spring onions and cook for 1 minute, add the chicken and stir fry to seal the meat, followed by the carrots, beans and corn kernels (if using fresh). Cook for another minute and then add the stock/ water. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down. If using canned corn kernels add them at this point. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with coriander or spring onion greens and enjoy hot. You can also spice it up with a little chilli oil/ sambal.

Bagani Pulao - rice with broad beans and dill

The other day I saw some fresh broad beans at my green grocer. I have only ever used them to make a persian rice dish with dill called 'Bagani Pulao', and since I have a abundance of dill in my garden right now, I decided to buy some. While I was taking the beans out of the pods, I realised that I had not bought enough. In the past I have only used frozen broad beans so my calculations regarding the yield of fresh broad beans were a bit off :) but I decided to go ahead and make the dish anyway. I just reduced the amount of rice I used and as always it turned out delicious so I decided to share the recipe here, but I have adjusted the quantities to serve four.

You will need:

2 cups of long grain rice rinsed and soaked for 20 minutes (I have used aged basmati rice)
1 pack of frozen broad beans or 1 kilo of fresh broad beans in the pods
8-10 spring onions
Large bunch of dill -  about 1.5 cup chopped
A good pinch of saffron
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil.

I start with preparing the broad beans. If using fresh, you need to take the beans out of the pods and place them in boiling water for two minutes and then refresh them by placing them in a bowl of cold water. This helps soften the outer membrane of the beans, which I also remove to reveal little plumb, green beauties. However, If buying frozen you just need to place the beans in room temperature water (as they are already blanched). This allows the beans to thaw and also allows for easy removal of the outer light green membrane. Set the beans aside for now.

In a large sauce pan, boil about 1.5 litres of water. While I wait for the water to boil, I chop the spring onions and dill and soak the saffron in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Once the water is boiling add the the rinsed and soaked rice. Cook the rice on a high heat and rapid boil until it is nearly done. Remove from heat, and drain the rice in a colander. Rinse well with cold water. This removes the excess starch and also stops the rice from overcooking.

Place the empty saucepan back on the heat and add the olive oil, followed by the finely chopped spring onions. Cook for a minute and then add the broad beans. Cook for a further two minutes and add the dill and saffron infused water (along with the saffron strands), followed by the pre cooked rice. Stir gently to combine. Cover with a tight fitting lit. To absorb the excess steam, I wrap a tea towel around the lid. I also place a diffuser or large frying pan under the saucepan to stop the rice from overcooking and catching at the bottom.  Cook the rice for 20-30 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat, fluff up the rice gently and serve in a large platter to be enjoyed family style in the middle of the table.

I often reserve some fresh dill to garnish the dish in the end. Serve warm and enjoy it with vegetarian or meat curries or lentils.

Starting out

Last summer we moved into our new house, and after nearly five years in our old place this spring/summer season just past was the first time that I did not have any of my home grown vegetables. It was the tomatoes that I missed the most, you really do notice the difference in the taste and flavour and was really eager to get started again.

It took us (or I should say my husband) a couple of months to get the garden beds ready as he was busy doing other things around the house. But once he got around to it, he managed to get it done (creating the beds and filling them with about 5 cubic meters of soil) in three days. We used timber sleepers along the fence line and filled them up with garden soil and cow manure that we ordered from the nursery. We built veggie patches on both the side boundaries and reserved the back boundary for fruit trees.

The veggie patch on the east side is about 500 cm high, and this is where I will be growing all the root vegetables and the other side is about 200 cm high. As this side has the sun for the longest part of the day, this is where I will be growing my tomatoes and other sun loving plants.

Once, the garden beds are established, The fun begins as you can commence with the planting.

I chose a combination of seeds and seedlings. As we were in the middle of Autumn, I planted cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, onions, leeks, shallots, radishes, potatoes, garlic and a plethora of herbs which included coriander, dill, chives, rosemary, thyme, sage and basil.

I was a bit apprehensive about some of the herbs taking off so used seedlings from the nursery and they have held up pretty well.

I have uploaded some pictures and cannot wait to start harvesting. Whoever said gardening was for spring-summer should come and have a look at my garden right now, and they will have to eat their words.

This also shows, that you do not need a massive yard or a lot of experience to grow your own vegetables, it is pretty simple and if I can do it, so can you.

Back after an unplanned break!!!

The last few months seem to have flown by and despite all my good intentions I just have not had a chance to share any recipes or tips. It started with a much deserved family holiday to the west coast of United States (I will write more about it later as it deserves a post of itself :) ). Then we had a month of birthdays, so I was busy planning, organising and cooking for all the events - I have saved all the recipes and will post them over the coming weeks. And then over the past two months, while I was trying childcare for my little man, the entire family has been fighting the flu, various viral fevers, conjunctivitis  and other such nasty bugs.... just makes you realise that health is the most important thing. No wonder it is said that health is wealth. Anyways, the constant sickness, made me realise that Childcare was not for us, at least not for a while, I may try again later but at a young, formative age, it is important for babies to be healthy and thriving, eat well, play, develop and be happy and not constantly be fighting germs and suffer from separation anxiety.  I know, not everyone has the choice, but if you do exercise it.  No one can care for your baby the way you can.  I know, I am digressing, but this subject is really close to my heart.

So with Spring already here and my stone fruit trees already blossoming, I thought I better get my act together and get back into the mix. This blog (I hope) will be the start of many more to come.
Next week, I will plant my spring - summer plants. I have already dug out the last of the winter goodies and have got the garden beds ready for planting. So, stay tuned.

I am really looking forward to a season of abundant home grown, organic, healthy and delicious vegetables and fruits and sharing lots of recipes with all of you out there.