Mushroom Stroganoff

I have never in my life opened a bottle of wine, and I honestly I've only tasted a sip once or twice in the past. I'm not a drinker of alcohol, although I did have my experimentation years and tried plenty then! My husband had purchased a cheap corkscrew, so it was quite the adventure getting that bottle opened!

Anyways, I kept running across recipes calling for white wine in the sauce, and figured I would give it a try. I was a bit put off at first as the alcohol smell was just so intense, but it really cooked down to a fantastic sauce with a hint of sweetness and depth. I'll definitely use again!

1 lb pasta of your choice
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms, I used half button, half baby bella (crimini)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp Maggis sauce (similar to soy sauce, but uses wheat instead, at Asian market)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy-free worshteshire sauce (I found a Caribbean-ish one with no anchovies or soy sauce at HyVee)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 tsp. savory (I would have used thyme but had none...)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup dry white wine
4 Tbsp flour
4 cups rice milk
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the onion and garlic and add to a large sauce pan along with the white wine. Cook on low to medium heat for 5 minutes or so, until the liquid is almost gone and the onions and garlic are softened. Meanwhile, clean and chop the mushrooms into large pieces. Add to the softened onions along with 3/4 cup of water. In the blender, combine all the liquid ingredients and start on low. Add the dry ingredients and blend until smooth. Once the mushrooms have begun to soften and release their liquid, add the sauce to the pan. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Adjust the seasonings as desired. Have pasta cooking in salted water during the above process and add to the sauce pan after being drained.

For those in your home that can eat sour cream, add a dollop onto their serving. It was delicious!

The Great Egg Experience

So I hadn't added a new food in for soooooo long and I had the hardest time trying to decide what would be next. Finally I decided that a pure protein source would be best for my body as I had no pure proteins. So eggs it was...and the first 7-8 days went great! I was so excited, being able to eat eggs was amazing; both for my attitude and for my physical health on such a restricted diet.

Something just began to be off with Noah. He wasn't napping as long, became pretty restless at night and just wasn't right. Then around day/night 9-10 he began waking from a deep sleep at night, in our arms, screaming. Just SCREAMING and inconsolible. It was horrible! We literally had to jump out of bed and bounce him to sleep he was so upset. One night my hubby had him out on the couch while I was getting a break in bed, and he pooped in the middle of the night. Very unusual, he barely did that as a newborn. My hubby came in to get a diaper and wipes, and then was back in the bedroom 5 minutes later, flipped the lamp on and was shoving a poopy diaper in my face! It just looked weird, and our hearts sank. I told him to scrape some into a baggie and we'd take it to the doctors in the morning.

Our doctor called the next morning, and sure enough. Blood, full of it. And Noah had begun to spit up reddish brown streaks of mucous in his spit-up that morning. I mentioned that to the doc and she commented that his stomach was probably bleeding as well as his intestines. I felt so sick to my stomach that something I had eaten had done this....and that we had 10+ days of eggs to get out of Noah's system. It was such a discouraging day....I cried off and on the whole day. Its a feeling like none other to be doing all that you possibly can for your baby and be inadvertantly causing them pain and agony. It was so hard emotionally!

I've been off of the egg for 7 days now and Noah seems better. We had begun to try transitioning my hubby back into the bedroom since he's been on the couch for 6 months, but that has been placed on hold. Noah needs to be "normal" first! We also are putting his solids on hold for now until his tummy heals a bit more. I'm hoping by next weekend, the kiddo is so ready for food!!! He watches us with this completly absorbed concentration while we eat; those eyes never leave our food! It's hilarious! What a little trooper I have. I just adore him so much and can't wait for his little body to heal more. I know it has to get better soon! I'm just so relieved I can eat wheat/bread. That has been the biggest blessing ever, I would have ended this diet weeks ago as it's just too hard with all the other foods I am avoiding to also avoid bread. Thank you LORD for allowing the bread. I fevently prayed for bread and my prayers were answered!

Applesauce Spice Cake

Yummy!!! The first dessert I've made TED/MSPI safe that was delicious! I took this to a friends house for lunch and it was very well received. If they hadn't known I was on a restrictive diet, no one ever would have known the cake was missing eggs, milk, etc. Yeah!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground allspice (I didn't have allspice so used some ginger and nutmeg)
1/2 cup Smart Balance light or other whey free margarine
1/2 cup rice milk + 1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice (buttermilk substitute)
1 1/2 cups applesauce
2 EnerG egg substitutes

Frosting
1/4 cup Smart Balance light or other whey free margarine
3 cups confectioners sugar
1-2 Tbsp. rice milk
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. sugar free caramel flavored syrup

Combine flour, sugar soda, salt, baking powder and spices in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whip up the egg replacer, add to flour mixture. Cream the margarine and "buttermilk" and applesauce, add to flour mixture. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Whip frosting ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Frost cake when cooled.

Apologies on the bad picture....I started to eat a piece then realized I hadn't yet taken a picture!

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Primavera

I am always on the search for different pasta sauces. Pasta is probably one of my favorite meals, but I get tired of marinara. This creation was soooooooooo good and my daughter and hubby loved it as well. I made a huge batch which has actually been great as we've eaten it three times now!

I box of farfalle (bowtie) pasta, such as Barilla
1 large red pepper
1/2 package frozen peas
3 large carrots, peeled
2 large cloves of garlic, unpeeled
2 1/2 cups rice milk
4 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. horseradish (optional)
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Core the red pepper and cut into chunks. Lightly grease a baking sheet and add red pepper and garlic cloves. Toss to coat in the olive oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, start pasta boiling in well salted water. Julienne the carrots into large sticks, and cook in a microwave safe bowl for 1 1/2 minutes, or steam on the stove. Reserve the peas for the final 3 minutes of the pasta being done, then add in to the boiling water and pasta to cook.

In a blender combine the remaining ingredients. Remove the red peppers and add to the blender, then peel the garlic and add as well. Blend on high until smooth. Transfer to a large pot and whisk over medium heat until smooth and thickened. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Drain pasta and peas when done, then combine with the sauce.

Note: You can also buy a frozen pea and carrot mix that would work great here. Consider adding in additional vegetables; mushrooms, corn, snow peas, you name it!

I was taking a picture of the food when my daughter wanted me to take one of her as well. She loved this dish!

Tomato Basil Lentil Soup

This is a delicious, filling amazing soup that is full of flavor and great for you too! My daughter and hubby each had a serving, and then I ate the remainder over the next several days. I actually can't wait to make more!

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1/2 c red lentils (if using brown, just cook longer til soft)
2-3 crushed and diced garlic cloves
3 shallots or 1/2 a large onion
1 can tomatoes
2 Tbsp. fresh or 1 1/2 tbs. dried basil
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Saute onion in olive oil over med. heat 5 min., then add in garlic. Cook til onions are softened, then add in remaining ingredients. Cook until lentils are done (20 for red, 35-40 for brown). Transfer to a blender and puree til smooth. Garnish with fresh chiffonade or dried sprinkles of basil and a dallop of cream cheese or sour cream if desired. Serve with toasted garlic bread. SOOOOOOO good! I enjoyed my soup with some olive oil roasted cauliflower and broccoli. The broccoli got a bit too done, but the cauliflower was delicious!

Creamy Asparagus Mushroom Linguine

Early TED

This was a pre-TED/MSPI favorite that I was really craving. It handled the transition to "safe" very well!

1 lb. wheat or rice linguine noodles
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and blanched til al dente
1 package white mushrooms, halved and cut into thirds
1/2 a large onion, finely diced
2 cups rice milk
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Start the pasta cooking in well salted water. In a large skillet, cook the onions in the oil until almost softened. Add in the mushrooms and cook until both are done. Steam the asparagus until crisp tender on the stove or in the microwave. Transfer all to a bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in the blender and process until smooth. Pour into a pot and whisk on medium heat until thickened. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. Add the cooked vegetables and pasta to the pan and combine. Yummy!