pine nuts is the only tree nut that k is able to eat (according to the last allergy test) so i decided to make pesto! basic pesto recipe includes garlic and cheese but i decided to go even bare bones with just pine nuts, basil and oil.
my first dish for k with pesto was with pasta. k ate it all up!
cooking tools
first time i introduced chick peas to k, my little picked out the chick peas and offered them to me..since then i’ve given k chick peas mixed up in a dish as well as chick peas chips. both k ate up with no prejudice.
so i decided to make some hummus. to introduce it to k, i added hummus as a sauce on a tofu sandwich. k gobbled it up. yay! Continue reading “recipe: garlic free hummus”
my little one loves tofu – so much that once i offered k one mini tofu sandwich and one mini cheese burger. my little one didn’t want the cheeseburger – so i gave k two mini cheese tofu sandwiches. Continue reading “recipe: mini cheese tofu sandwich”
i was thinking of making cheesecake for Father’s Day since I knew k could eat cream cheese but i didn’t find a recipe i could be sure of yet and i didn’t have time to experiment with any recipes. but i found a great alternative! i had made gluten free vegan chocolate cake but had not come up with a topping yet. so how about cream cheese frosting?
i found a few recipes i was interested in trying but this one was great because it was a no-cook recipe and had lots of flavor option ideas! i used whipped cream cheese so it may have made the consistency softer and i wasn’t able to pipe a swirly top above the cupcake. but it tasted good with the chocolate cake. i’ll be sure to try it again as well as try the other flavors.
cooking tools Continue reading “recipe: cream cheese frosting”
unless you’re using oatmeal to bake, most of the time oatmeal looks like porridge. even if you add something sweet (i.e. fruit and honey) or savory (i.e. crab or veggies), it still looks soupy yet comforting, of course. but that doesn’t mean you can’t dress it up a little!
cooking tools
it’s sugar cookie day again at k’s daycare so why not try another recipe? this is called a chewy butter cookie but it’s very similar to the ingredients of other sugar cookies i’ve tried so i decided to give it a shot. the recipe called for a lot of sugar – both white and brown so i reduced the sugar and only went with brown.
the cookies were the perfect level sweet (yikes – imagine if i put in the original amount!) and not too chewy (which is good for a cookie). i think this will be my go-to sugar cookie recipe from now on!
cooking tools
Continue reading “daycare cooking assignment: gluten free eggless brown sugar cookies”
i love the idea of cooking with my little one. though k’s not yet 2, i look forward to it! it was exciting though a little intimidating to see the kids on Master Chef Jr. – the kids are so young (ages 8 – 13) yet can chop with a sharp knife better than i can (or so it seems)! not that i am thinking of my baby to become a master chef but it is curious to think of how old you start kids cooking? k’s daycare already has cooking class in school, so i guess it can start as early as 1 year old to just mix fresh and/or dry ingredients — it doesn’t just have to be pretend (although that is fun too!) Continue reading “children’s books to read, cook and eat together!”
k enjoyed the roast variations of squash, sweet potato/yams and apple and cinnamon squash and beets so i thought i’d continue the variations of the vegetables and introduce new spices along the way. this time i’m trying rosemary.
cooking tools
Continue reading “recipe: roast sweet potato/yam and beets with rosemary”
k’s cooking class is making chocolate muffins again. honestly i haven’t made any chocolate muffins since then but i did know if i did, i would try a different recipe. so here’s my opportunity of a do-over. i chose this recipe because it doesn’t have sugar as an ingredient, instead it uses fruits: dates and banana. i didn’t have any dates and i think they are a bit too sweet, so i added apples instead. the recipe also used “nutty” ingredients, i.e. almond milk and peanut butter. k is allergic to nuts so i used cow milk and butter. finally i found a baking flour that claims it can be substituted for any baking flour, so i used it instead of wheat flour. Continue reading “daycare cooking project: fruit sweetened eggless chocolate muffins”
the last meal of everyday is oatmeal. it’s a comforting, healthy and k seems to love it. it’s also great because i can make a big batch and make it easy to prep at night. i usually put just a little fruit in it to give it a little variety every day. one day i ran out of fruit so i threw in some lentil. k loved it and kept asking for it. so, it became a new routine: oatmeal and lentil every night. Continue reading “recipe: oatmeal and lentil”
i love congee – not only is it comforting but it’s also refreshing and not heavy. love love love it and am pretty sure k will too. i’ve always had congee plain (soupy white rice) but when i was sick mom would add egg – the ultimate comfort food. Continue reading “recipe: fish congee with a “grainy” twist”
a new food for k to try: cream cheese. k was skeptical about it but liked touching the cream cheese. no allergic reactions for consumed cream cheese which is a good sign. if k can have cream cheese, maybe some cheese cake someday? Continue reading “recipe: cucumber and cream cheese”
when you don’t have time to do a lot of prep work, here’s a fast meal. protein: check, vegetable: check, flavor: check!
ingredients
bread has gotten a bad rep due to the carbs but one way to still enjoy it but not have TOO much is to make an open faced sandwich!
k has been enjoying mushrooms so i topped the bread and cheese with it. she ate it all up, as expected!
ingredients Continue reading “open face sandwich: gluten free cheesy mushroom sandwich”
i’m always trying to find new foods that k hasn’t tried yet. i had told m that i was thinking of miso soup since i grew up with it and decades later, it is like comfort food to me. recently m sent me an article about Marukome miso soup anime ads that made me decide yes, the warmth of miso soup is indeed a feeling i want to share with k. Continue reading “recipe: miso soup meal”
to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, i thought i would try a traditional dish that is easy to make and flavorful: corned beef with cabbage. Trader Joe’s makes it especially easy to make this meal! they sell Uncured Sliced Corned Beef that is minimally processed and Shredded White Cabbage. it is perfect for the little one – with the corned beef already thinly sliced and the cabbage shredded, i needed to do little but boil everything.. Continue reading “recipe: corned beef with cabbage”
to introduce k to beef, i started with ground beef. to make it an easy cooking experience, i bought ground beef patties and made little burgers. since k can have a little fat, i bought the 85% lean, 15% fat patties. then i just put them on the frying pan – no oil needed – and let it cook until well done. remaining oil from the meat i used to cook the veggies. Continue reading “recipe: mini burger with veggies”
this week’s Sunday breakfast, i thought i’d try a muffin. blueberry muffins are popular for breakfast and i found this recipe that looked good and simple to make. as usual, i substituted flax meal instead of eggs to make it vegan. there is a lot of butter and sugar in the recipe. for butter i used a vegan spread and for the sugar, i tried two versions: Continue reading “Sunday morning recipe: gluten free vegan blueberry muffins”
the next country on k’s daycare schedule is China. the teacher asked for my help. years ago i taught elementary grade kids to make dumplings and i thought of simpler steps for k’s class of toddlers to make them but my greatest challenge was k’s wheat allergy. i tried for several weeks to make gluten free dumping wrappers to no avail. they kept falling apart – too fragile for toddler hands.
so m suggested fried rice, as it is something m makes often. since k’s daycare was making it for China study, i figured i’d look into the history of fried rice. according to some research, the recipe was invented by Qing China‘s Yi Bingshou (1754–1815) and the dish was named Yang Zhou fried rice since Yi was once the regional magistrate of Yangzhou and included staple ingredients like: Continue reading “daycare cooking assignment – China Study: eggless Yang Zhou fried rice tower”
bread has gotten a bad rep due to the carbs but one way to still enjoy it but not have TOO much is to make an open faced sandwich! to start
ingredients Continue reading “open face sandwich: gluten free broccoli sandwich”
when i watched a gf make crêpes for brunch a few months ago, she showed me how simple it was. so when i saw a picture of these cinnamon apple crepes online, i decided to give it try it for our Sunday breakfast. the recipe i found required gluten free and gum free pancake mix or flour, which i didn’t have but i tried the recipe anyway.
well, let’s just say i ended up with big, thin pancakes – but they were tasty with the cinnamon apple filling so it’s all good. when i have the right flour, i’ll try it again to see if i come up with thin quality crepes. if not, they were a fun variation to Sunday morning pancakes! Continue reading “recipe: gluten free vegan cinnamon apple crêpes”
after enjoying the happy pancakes with k, i was excited to try other alternatives. i found this biscuit battered fruit rings recipe *see note 2 because it sounded fun! apple wrapped in pancake – how awesome is that? the process looked like it would be fun to watch so i had k join me in the kitchen while i dipped the apple into the pancake batter and then cook – she enjoyed seeing the process and more importantly she had a great time eating them! Continue reading “recipe: happy apple-in-the-middle pancakes”
k’s daycare made sugar cookies for the holidays but i didn’t love the recipe i made so i wanted to try another. while i was grocery shopping the other day, i found a gluten free baking flour from Bob’s Red Mill. that says you can just substitute it for any wheat flour! that should mean that i don’t have to look for gluten free recipes – so i went online and found this eggless sugar cookie recipe *see note 1.
since this recipe didn’t “allow” for using a cookie cutter to shape, so instead of flattening it with a glass i let the cookies bake for 5 to 10 minutes first. then i removed it from the oven and used a cookie cutter to cut the shape and sprinkle sugar and/or cinnamon. i put it back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Continue reading “daycare cooking assignment: heart shaped sugar cookies”
next country k’s daycare is “visiting”/exploring is Australia. apparently one of the famous breakfasts are english muffins with bananas on top. so i have to figure out how to get/make gluten free vegan english muffins. when i went hunting for it in various grocery stores, i couldn’t find any so i took online to find a recipe to make it myself. Continue reading “daycare cooking assignment – Australian study: gluten free vegan english muffins breakfast”
one of the reasons i learned to make garlic free tomato sauce was so i can make one of my favorite dishes for k: PIZZA! it’s no surprise – she LOVED it!
cooking tools
the first few “birthdays” parties we had for k – her 1 month and her 1 year – were in some ways more parties for us than for her. it was mostly m & my friends and the food was mostly adult food. since she was so young, it may not have made much of a difference to her.
now that she’s more aware of her surroundings and in school and partaking in her own friends and atmosphere, participating in friends, classmates and her own birthday parties will be a part of life. Continue reading “celebrating birthdays gluten free and vegan … with cake!”
every morning k has plain organic whole fat yogurt with banana for breakfast – sometimes with additional fruit, i.e. avocado, mango, pineapple, etc. but when i looked at the packaging of yogurt i bought one Sunday morning, i realized i bought flavored yogurt instead of the plain. the problem with flavored yogurt is that in addition to added flavor, there is a LOT of sugar. Continue reading “recipe: happy pancakes”
