SAUTEED APPLES with PORK ROAST aka SUGAR APPLES

During these glorious fall days that are upon us, nothing is better than crisp fresh apple. That old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" works for everyone, except for those with OAS.  An apple a day, uncooked, would surely send you straight to the couch for the day, and then a trip to the doctor if you have a really severe reaction.

So, we can settle for having them cooked. I love the combination of pork with apple. You can always do applesauce, but if you have a bit of extra time or want something extra special, try sauteed apples with your next pork roast.

1 pork roast, cooked any way you like (I do it with onions, garlic and rosemary)
1 blob of butter
4 empire apples, peeled and sliced
1 - 2 tsp of granulated sugar, depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add apple slices and stir constantly. After about two minutes, add the sugar. Keep stirring. Cook until apples are softened but not mushy. Serve on top of roast pork slices.

This is really good for all, even those who can bite into a delicious sweet apple without issue. Kids will eat this too, just tell them it is sugar apples...works every time.

NOT CORN ON THE COB!

Living through the summer with OAS can be challenging and frustrating. There is an abundance of beautiful fruit and vegetables surrounding me, from luscious red raspberries to crisp green beans to cute cherry tomatoes, and I can't have any of it.  But the worst, by far, for me, is corn on the cob. Frozen corn is fine for me, but I have a mild reaction to it on the cob, and therefore I think I should avoid it. The first time this reaction happened, my first thought was, "Oh no! Not corn on the cob!" It had, of course, been cooked and should have been fine for me to eat. The last time I couldn't have corn on the cob was when I was a teenager with braces on my teeth. The presence of the braces made biting into a cob of corn painful at best, impossible at worst.

But, it seems there is a way to replace it. It isn't as much fun, but at least you don't have to watch everyone else eating yummy, buttery corn on the cob while you stare at a plate of lonely meat. The other thing I like about this is that it is almost like eating a real salad! One thing about this one though, avoid the walnuts if you can't tolerate them. I can manage them roasted, but not everyone can.

NOT CORN ON THE COB SALAD

1 cup frozen corn, cooked to death
1/4 cup roasted walnuts
Sprinkle of Reallime lime juice (I can usually have this, if you think you can't, zap it in the microwave for ten seconds and try it that way)
Crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese to taste
Salt and pepper

Stir all this together in a small bowl, and enjoy as a side with whatever else you are having. It goes with everything!

FROZEN/COOKED/FROZEN FRUIT SMOOTHIES

I am a real morning person. Even if I go to bed late the night before, it is unlikely that I will sleep past 8 am. This may be because of certain circadian rhythms at work within, or light glaring through the windows, or maybe, just maybe, it is because a small girl and a small boy live in my house. :) The point is, I have never minded getting up in the mornings, however, I don't always feel like eating a whole lot right away. I know, in an earlier post I wrote that I lie awake in bed dreaming of my morning oatmeal, which is true some of the time, but that does seem more a winter breakfast than one for July and August.

I used to make smoothies for breakfast all the time. I remember the last one I made before my OAS diagnosis...it was beautiful. Fresh berries and orange juice, what could be nicer than that? Ugh! I coughed for an hour and had a terrible earache. Not to mention the burning down my throat and the stomachache.

So I didn't have a smoothie for about two years. Then while having a discussion with a friend about this (she happens to be a food genius), the following recipe emerged. This recipe is only good if you can tolerate orange juice. For some reason, I can usually only tolerate Tropicana Tangerine/Orange, and some of the V8 Fusion concoctions.

FROZEN/COOKED/FROZEN FRUIT SMOOTHIES

1/2 bag of frozen mixed berries (Costco has big bags, so I am suggesting half of one of these huge bags)
1/2 - 1 cup of water
1 cup of orange juice

Here's what I have done: take the frozen berries and put them in a large pot. Turn the heat on high. Add water. Boil the blazes out of the berries. For me, this meant letting them boil for at least 20 minutes. Let them cool for a bit.  Then take a ladle and place all the boiled berries and associated liquid into an ice cube tray. You will need several trays. Freeze them.

The next morning, you will be all bright-eyed and excited about trying to make a smoothie. Take the ice cube trays out of the freezer and let them sit for a few minutes - the frozen berry cubes are difficult to get out of the trays without waiting a bit. You will still probably need a knife to pry them out of there. When they are ready, take five berry cubes out and place them in the blender. Add one cup of orange juice, hit puree, and find something else to do while the noise drives you crazy. Make sure all the berry cubes are mixed, and voila! You have a beautiful fruit smoothie!

A few words of caution: the boiled berry mixture and the berry cubes stain terribly, so make sure you wear an apron while doing the boiling, and wash your hands after handling the cubes. Wipe up any spills immediately, because they will stain your countertop.

I also tried this using water and adding vanilla whey powder, hoping to get a little protein out of this experiment. It was disgusting. Don't do it.

Enjoy. :)

CNN Report

Now CNN knows about this!

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-04-08/health/oral.allergy.syndrome_1_allergy-shots-pollen-allergies-oral-allergy-syndrome?_s=PM%3AHEALTH

Chicago Eggs with Garden Tomatoes and Basil

I don't know about anyone else, but I sometimes have a hard time in restaurants. Ordering can be impossible at times. I recently took a trip with the family to Chicago, and we were staying in a lovely hotel, the kind where my kids, who are generally pretty well behaved, seemed like barbarians. :) I worried about the menu at the hotel restaurant before I even saw it. I thought it was going to be very fancy, with all sorts of items on it that I either had no desire to eat, or was allergic to. So you can imagine how happy I was to see that it was the opposite: many possible options were available. The first morning, I decided to not experiment and go with pancakes. They were deilcious but I couldn't help but notice what my husband was eating...eggs with grape tomatoes and fresh basil, with mozzerella cheese. I was instantly jealous...I am allergic to the tomatoes and the fresh basil. However, as these two dangerous foods were embedded amongst well-cooked scrambled eggs, I decided to give it a small try, and if I wasn't feeling well afterwards, I would just suck it up and carry on. Well, not only did I not suffer any sort of reaction, they were the best eggs I have ever had. Ever. I ordered this for my breakfast the next three mornings. Now, the serving size I received at the restaurant was huge, it had to have been at least five eggs. I don't recommend doing that, especially if cholesterol is a problem for you. Here is my made-up version of the restaurant meal.

CHICAGO EGGS WITH GARDEN TOMATOES AND BASIL

2 eggs

1/3 cup of milk

8 grape tomatoes, cut in half

Fresh basil cut lengthwise

1/4 cup of shredded mozzerella cheese

Mix up the eggs and milk. Add tomatoes and basil and mix everything together.

Pour egg mixture in a small saucepan...scramble them!

When the scrambling is ALMOST done, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the eggs and mix it all up nicely, allowing the cheese to melt.

This is unbelievably delicious...have a great morning!

Beautiful Bean Casserole

I love a good casserole. Most of them, however, tend to be laden with fat, something I think most people with a health conscious are trying to avoid. This one, however, is so revoltingly healthy that I am amazed that it is so delicious! It is one of my favourite meals. Of course, it might just be because it gives me an excuse to pair it with naan bread! :) The other great thing about it is that it is so easy, only takes a few minutes to throw everything into a saucepan and let it simmer while you do something more fun.

BEAUTIFUL BEAN CASSEROLE

2 cans of mixed beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of stewed tomatoes (or use fresh ones cut up into large pieces)

2 ripe pears, diced (use only one if two makes it too sweet)

2 small chopped onions

1 cup of water

1-2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

Really....all you have to do is put all these ingredients into a large pot, stir them together, and cook on high until the whole thing comes to a boil. Then let it simmer for 20 minutes and you're done.

One small footnote though...although it is wonderful freshly cooked, this is one of those recipes that actually tastes more flavourful the next day, after being in the fridge all night and reheated...great for lunch!

Saturday Morning Blueberry Quinoa

Everyone knows about quinoa, right? Well, just in case, here's a bit of info. Quinoa is considered a superfood. It is high in protein and contains all nine essential amino acids supplements. It is an excellent source of magnesium, iron, copper,phosphorus and manganese. Also contains lysine and and B2. This seed, sometimes confused as a grain, is very good for people suffering from migraines, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart problems. In other words, it's incredibly healthy!

As part of my annual New Year's regime of becoming less sugarfied (and less judgemental), I have realised I need to vary my breakfast routine a little, otherwise by February I will be dipping into my kids' processed cereal. This one is delicious, but it takes some time to make. It may only happen on weekend mornings, because the idea of cooking something for 15 minutes on a Tuesday morning seems optimistic at best. So Saturday it will be! Sunday too.

BLUEBERRY QUINOA

2/3 cup water
3 tbsp quinoa
2 tbsp quick oats
1 tsp vanilla
1 - 1/2 tsp ground flax seeds
2 tbsp fresh or frozen blueberries*
2 little packs of stevia

Combine water and quinoa in a small pot. Cook on high until it boils. Redude heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in oats, blueberries and vanilla, cook for five minutes. Add flax and stir. Top with stevia. Have a great morning.

*The blueberries, of course, need to be addressed. For me, cooking them for five minutes is usually enough. You many also want to zap them in the microwave before adding them. I think this would work with any fruit you would use in oatmeal, such as strawberries, apples and so on.