Eating gluten free and corn free doesn't have to be boring. It takes some prior planning. But there are some delicious foods that are both gluten and corn free. I can live with Crohn's; I just want to be able to eat well. Check out my new recipes below.

Ful Mudamas

     This was my first attempt at an ethnic food. This is a Syrian breakfast made with chic peas, tahini, yogurt, lemon juice and tomato and fresh garlic. It then has parsley, paprika and olive oil drizzled on top of it. Really good. It tastes like a combination of humous and tabouli. Make sure to check the label for the tahini, that it is made of sesame seeds only. This is for 2 servings:

*1 can cooked chic peas
*1 cup yogurt
*1 medium tomato
*juice of 1 lemon
*1 clove garlic, fresh, raw, minced (omit if you
plan to see people within 24 hours)
*4 tablespoons tahini
*half cup chopped parsley
*paprika to taste
*olive oil to drizzle on top

1-drain beans and rinse
2-pour beans into water and boil while making rest of recipe
3-chop tomato in bite size pieces
4-mince garlic
5-chop parsley
6-in 2 serving bowls, split the yogurt, tahini, garlic and tomato
7-drain beans and add to bowls
8-top with fresh parsley and paprika
9-drizzle olive oil on top

This was sooooo delicious and easy to make. Check out this link for more Syrian recipes:
www.syrianfoodie.blogspot.com

The traditional recipe uses fava beans instead of chic peas. But some people have severe allergies to fava beans. So best to not take a chance. It is the sauce that really makes this recipe, not the beans.

I tried this recipe again today and heated it slightly in the microwave before topping it with the parsley. It made a huge difference in taste-really good.

Amy's rice crust pizza

     This is what I eat when I'm craving pizza. I like to add lots of veggies on top. It's also a bit scant on the cheese; so I always add extra. I can find it at my local grocery store in the health section.

Crawfish Stew

Here is my recipe for crawfish stew. Super easy and fast.

*1 package frozen crawfish (with juice)
*1 package frozen shrimp
*1 head broccoli
*1 medium tomato
*Bragg's spray amino acids
*paprika to taste
*garlic powder to taste
*chili powder to taste
*olive oil

1-immerse frozen fish in warm water to thaw
2-saute broccoli in olive oil to just tender/crisp
3-add chopped tomato and simmer for a few
minutes
4-add both packages of thawed fish (ok if not
completely thawed; it heats quickly)
5-add Bragg's and spices to taste
6-simmer a few more minutes to blend flavors

     This is best served over plain rice. The seasonings can be adjusted according to tastes. I make mine fairly mild for my daughters. This can also be a very spicy dish. There are lots of variations to this recipe. Other vegetables such as peppers and carrots can also be added. You can also experiment with different spices, such as basil, oregano, fresh garlic and hot pepper.

Baked Kale chips

     Here is an extremely easy recipe that has been circulating on the internet lately. It's a great way to eat kale. I made this recipe and ate more kale in one sitting than I have in the previous year. It comes out crunchy, like potato chips.

*bunch kale
*olive oil
*Bragg's spray amino acids (tastes like soy sauce)

1- tear kale into bite size pieces, discarding stems
2-place on parchment lined cookie sheet, spread out evenly
3-drizzle with olive oil
4-spray with Bragg's
5-(optional) sprinkle other seasonings, garlic...
6-bake 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes
Watch carefully for browning.

These are so delicious, my 15 year old daughter loved them. I'm making these for the Superbowl.

Red Lobster

     When following a wheat and corn free diet, it is very difficult to eat out in restaurants and not fear being sick a few hours later. I am excited to start this new feature on eating out.

     My first entry is about Red Lobster. I ordered the salmon. I asked for them to grill it and add no seasonings at all. I always mention that I have food allergies in restaurants, hoping that this will scare them a bit into following my requests. They did add salt and pepper anyhow. I had a side of steamed broccoli and a baked potato with butter. Sour cream is iffy, unless you can read the actual container. I also had a side salad without dressing. It came with croutons, but I just took them off. There were many other good choices on the menu as well; steak, grilled tilapia... and other grilled fish. The lemon was also a nice addition to the salmon.

Personal note

     Yesterday, my Mom just got out of the hospital. She's ok now, but it was a 2 week ordeal. What sent her there in the first place were pains in her stomach and diarrhea. She of course feared the worse. The CT scan showed a good bit of colitis. I asked my Mom what she had been eating lately. She said that she had been having a lot of corn on the cob; delicious and in season. Can't blame her. This may have started it. They also found a kidney stone which may have caused some of the pain. Then they told her that she had a bladder infection and started her on antibiotics. She also had a colonoscopy and endoscopy. After she had been in there a few days with the diarrhea, they started giving her glucerna to get her calorie intake up. This made the symptoms even worse. The hospital then began testing her for c diff, a very nasty bacteria that you can catch in the hospital while on antibiotics. It causes extreme dirarhea and is very hard to stop. First they said she had it, then they said she didn't, then did... Back and forth for a week. Finally they concluded that she never did have it; it was colitis all along.

     Now I'm sure that there may be a genetic link here. My Mom is going to work with her diet and see which foods she has a sensitivity to. This thing does seem to run in families. I'm not sure if I can get my Mom to change her diet too much, but we'll see. She's 74 years old, it's going to be difficult. She's going to start by eliminating corn products and see if that helps. Thank goodness she is home now and recovering from her ordeal.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write:
lynne1408@earthlink.net

Corn free, gluten free bread

     This is a recipe for corn free and gluten free bread. Bread is the one thing that you may miss the most on this diet. There are some gluten free breads in the health food stores, but they don't compare to this one. Even my daughters like this one, and they don't need to eat corn or gluten free. This bread tastes almost like corn bread and is slightly sweet with a course texture.

*3 whole eggs plus 1 egg white
*1 tbs apple cider vinegar (white vinegar is a corn derivative)
*3/4 cup milk or milk substitute
*2 tbs oil (canola)
*2 tbs sugar
*3/4 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp baking powder (featherweight; other baking powders contain cornstarch)
*1 tbs ground flax
*1 and 1/2 cup rice flour
*1/4 cup oat flour
*1/4 cup almond flour
*1 and 1/2 tbs baker yeast
*2 tbs gluten free oats

     DIRECTIONS:

      *in large bowl mix wet ingredients
      *in separate bowl mix dry ingredients and yeast
      *slowly incorporate the dry into the wet ingredients
      *grease 1 bread pan with canola oil
      *pour batter into pan (Note: it will not be doughy)
      *sprinkle top with gluten free oats

This makes one loaf.

No need to have it rise. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

     This won't be a super high bread, but it is really really good and really full of fiber. I ate mine with peanut butter. It was quite satisfying. You can also try other flours in this and see how it comes out. I sometimes use soy flour, but limit it to no more than a 1/4th cup.

   

Mushroom broccoli soup

     This soup is great for using broccoli in your garden. Most commercial soups contain starches to thicken them up. Most starches are corn, wheat or derivatives. Make sure to use the Imagine brand mushroom soup for this base. The color of this soup is a little weird, but the taste is really good. Don't be put off by the looks.

*1 quart Imagine brand mushroom soup
*3 potatoes, peeled and sliced
*1 pint fresh mushrooms
*1 head fresh broccoli
*2 cups milk



---Cut broccoli and steam in microwave
---boil potatoes till soft
---in large pot, empty soup base and cook on low heat
---add steamed broccoli, cooked potatoes and fresh mushrooms
---continue to cook on low for about 20 minutes, stirring once in a while
---put soup and fresh milk in blender, a cup at a time, then add back to pot
---continue to process the soup with the milk until almost all of it is smooth. I like to leave some chunks in the soup and have some whole mushrooms floating on top.

Pepsi Throwback

     I was very happy yesterday when I found Pepsi throwback in the store. It had been out last year for a limited time. It is made with sugar, instead of corn syrup. This is a real treat for me. If you can only make one change in your diet, this may be a good place to start, especially if you drink a lot of soda pop. Enjoy! (:

homemade apple sauce

     As part of the BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce, toast) diet, applesauce seems like an excellent choice for when you're flaring or having diarrhea. But if you have a sensitivity to corn syrup, as I do, the applesauce can make the flare even worse. I make homemade applesauce using my crock pot. This batch was made using July apples, which are slightly tart. It's nice and chunky and tastes really good when served warm. It freezes very well too. I just took a batch out of my freezer and couldn't tell the difference.

-10 medium apples (mixed variety)
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup water
-cinnamon to taste (I like a lot)


     Peel and cut up the apples into the crockpot. Add the sugar and water. Cover the pot and cook on high 3 hours. Open and add cinnamon. Stir and use potato masher for desired consistency. I like mine to be really chunky; but it can be worked with to make a smoother consistency.

spinach egg omelet

     My daughter wanted to enter her own addition to my blog. She made this beautiful spinach omelet. She cooked the egg very slowly and added fresh spinach when the inside was nearly done. Then she continued to cook it until the outsides browned slightly. Sometimes she also adds a little bit of cheese along with the spinach.

gluten free, corn free waffles

     This is what I had for breakfast yesterday. These waffles (gluten free and corn free) were good and my daughters ate them and liked them. My oldest daughter said that she couldn't tell the difference from regular waffles. I like to really dress mine up with peanut butter, banana and pure maple syrup. I always use the maple syrup since the commercial syrups are mostly corn syrup. This is also a nice hearty meal if you have recently lost a lot of weight. The box comes with 6 waffles.

Glutino cookies

     These are just plain yummy. Even my daughters, who don't need to eat this way, love them. I actually found these at Walmart. Our local Walmart now has a gluten free section, though very small. These taste almost like a kitkat bar.

Trigger foods

     After reading a lot of posts, it seems that some people may have certain trigger foods which sets off their Crohn's, while other people have reactions to other foods. I found my trigger foods by keeping a food diary and keeping careful track of everything I ate and drank and the reactions. It became very clear to me that my trigger foods are wheat, gluten and corn.

     I can not assume that avoiding these trigger foods will help all people. I can only hope that it will help some people. I have eliminated these foods from my diet entirely. That is all foods that contain these ingredients and foods that contain derivatives of these foods, such as white vinegar (corn derivative), ketchup (contains corn syrup), mustard (vinegar), soda pop(corn syrup), soy sauce (contains gluten), powdered sugar (made with corn starch), mayo (vinegar), maltodextrin (gluten and corn) and many others. I've had to make a lot of substitutions. I've read hundreds of labels. I've eaten and tracked the results, sometimes not so pleasant. In the end, I've found a way to prevent my flares from coming back. I am selling nothing. I do not represent the products that I talk about. I just reference them, it they have been useful to me and my diet.