I don't usually heat things up in plastic ... not because I'm smart but because it's just not my style. Today I had leftover rosemary chicken and nuked it for about a minute.
Sick. Nausea, indigestion, headache, foggy head ... general surliness.
So I did some poking. The container proudly displays the plastic number 5 on the bottom. Here's what I discovered: (blogspot links are still broken: http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/04/what-do-the-plastic-recycling-numbers-mean/ ) ... polypropylene. Now, it's not clear that corn is definitely used in the manufacture of this... but a quick google search clarified that corn fibers can be used as a reinforcing agent in polypropylene composites as well as a corn resin that can be applied to act as a moisture and oxygen barrier.
In summary, American gluttony and wastefulness strikes again. I have a sense of doom that corn allergy sufferers are on the short list for evolutionary failure. Moral of the story, don't microwave plastic ... which shouldn't be news to any of us, don't eat/drink ANYTHING warm or hot out of a plastic container, better yet, don't eat/drink ANYTHING out of a plastic container no matter its temperature.
I'm tired of this.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Recipe - Chicken with Rosemary and Apples
Crock pot recipe ... NOT QUICK but really easy
Again, corn free if you use safe ingredients. I'm not sensitive to grain fed chicken (yet) so proceed with your standard precautions.
2 cups sliced onions
2 apples peeled cored and sliced (you can leave the peels on if you're lazy. I do and it's great)
2 lbs cut up chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup chicken broth (or apple juice)
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp celery seed
Again, corn free if you use safe ingredients. I'm not sensitive to grain fed chicken (yet) so proceed with your standard precautions.
2 cups sliced onions
2 apples peeled cored and sliced (you can leave the peels on if you're lazy. I do and it's great)
2 lbs cut up chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup chicken broth (or apple juice)
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp celery seed
- place apples and onions in bottom of crockpot
- layer chicken on top and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary
- wisk broth/juice, yogurt and celery seed together
- pour over the top
- cook on low 6 - 8 hours
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Recipe - Chicken Paprikash/Spaetzel
I like recipes and need to store them online. An old friend of mine sent out a Facebook plea for recipes so I thought I would start typing them up.
These should all be corn free provided you use corn free ingredients. I will mention brand names where it matters...
Chicken Paprikash (love you uncle Joe)
24 oz. cut up chicken breasts (you can use thighs but dark meat sucks)
12 oz. sour cream (Daisy)
48 oz. Chicken broth or corn free Apple Juice
1 large coarsely chopped onion
3 - 4 tbs Hungarian Paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ginger
2 bay leaves
1 tbs safe oil
1 tbs garlic
Saute chicken and onion in garlic and oil until browned. Add 1/2 of the broth/juice. Add all spices. Simmer over low-ish heat until cooked (start spaetzel now). Once cooked, use rest of broth/juice with 1tbs of flour to thicken.* Continue to simmer over very low heat until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir in sour cream.
Serve over Spaetzel or don't bother.
Spaetzel
1/2 cup Horizon Vit D milk
1 1/2 cup King Arthur flour
1 egg
Mix ingredients above. Dough will be relatively thin, think a little thicker than cake batter. If it's too thick, add a bit more milk. Bring a large pot of water to a high boil. Pull out a metal tsp measuring spoon (make sure it's metal). Dip the spoon in the hot water and scoop up a spoonful of dough. Since the spoon is hot the dough should slide right off into the water. Repeat this process until all of the dough is in the pot. If it appears that your little spaetzels are sticking together, grab a big wooden spoon and give the pot a stir. This will need to boil for a good 20 minutes.
Drain spaetzel from water and VOILA!
*For those of you who are new cooks, there's a trick to thickening with flour. Get yourself a small rubbermaid or other plastic container with an air tight lid. Toss a tbs of flour in the bottom of the container and about 2 tbs of some fluid (water, juice, broth, etc.). Pop the lid on and shake like mad until the flour no longer clumps to the bottom of the bowl. If you pour this concoction SLOWLY into your pan while continually stirring .. you are likely to add thickener without accidentally creating lumps.
A word of warning, my brother seems to think that flour doesn't need to cook. Technically that's true, but then it tastes like a mouthful of flour, which is awful. My rule of thumb is that flour needs to be at a simmering temperature for at least 10 minutes before you can consider it edible.
These should all be corn free provided you use corn free ingredients. I will mention brand names where it matters...
Chicken Paprikash (love you uncle Joe)
24 oz. cut up chicken breasts (you can use thighs but dark meat sucks)
12 oz. sour cream (Daisy)
48 oz. Chicken broth or corn free Apple Juice
1 large coarsely chopped onion
3 - 4 tbs Hungarian Paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ginger
2 bay leaves
1 tbs safe oil
1 tbs garlic
Saute chicken and onion in garlic and oil until browned. Add 1/2 of the broth/juice. Add all spices. Simmer over low-ish heat until cooked (start spaetzel now). Once cooked, use rest of broth/juice with 1tbs of flour to thicken.* Continue to simmer over very low heat until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir in sour cream.
Serve over Spaetzel or don't bother.
Spaetzel
1/2 cup Horizon Vit D milk
1 1/2 cup King Arthur flour
1 egg
Mix ingredients above. Dough will be relatively thin, think a little thicker than cake batter. If it's too thick, add a bit more milk. Bring a large pot of water to a high boil. Pull out a metal tsp measuring spoon (make sure it's metal). Dip the spoon in the hot water and scoop up a spoonful of dough. Since the spoon is hot the dough should slide right off into the water. Repeat this process until all of the dough is in the pot. If it appears that your little spaetzels are sticking together, grab a big wooden spoon and give the pot a stir. This will need to boil for a good 20 minutes.
Drain spaetzel from water and VOILA!
*For those of you who are new cooks, there's a trick to thickening with flour. Get yourself a small rubbermaid or other plastic container with an air tight lid. Toss a tbs of flour in the bottom of the container and about 2 tbs of some fluid (water, juice, broth, etc.). Pop the lid on and shake like mad until the flour no longer clumps to the bottom of the bowl. If you pour this concoction SLOWLY into your pan while continually stirring .. you are likely to add thickener without accidentally creating lumps.
A word of warning, my brother seems to think that flour doesn't need to cook. Technically that's true, but then it tastes like a mouthful of flour, which is awful. My rule of thumb is that flour needs to be at a simmering temperature for at least 10 minutes before you can consider it edible.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Cherry Habanero Jam
Delish, corn free and eeeeezzzzzzz!
1 lb frozen private selections (fancy kroger brand) pitted cherries
1 lemon
2 habanero peppers
1. thaw cherries for 30 - 45 mins on the counter in a bowl
2. cut lemon in half, place half in ziploc baggie and toss in the fridge
3. cut remaining half of lemon up in small-ish chunks
4. toss 1/2 lemon, thawed cherries and habanero (pull off the stem please) into a food processor
5. dump processed pulp into a pan with 1 cup sugar
6. bring to a simmer and simmer until all sugar is melted
voila!
I canned mine, and I'm not sure I did it right, so won't bother putting the canning directions here. Warning ... it's hot!
1 lb frozen private selections (fancy kroger brand) pitted cherries
1 lemon
2 habanero peppers
1. thaw cherries for 30 - 45 mins on the counter in a bowl
2. cut lemon in half, place half in ziploc baggie and toss in the fridge
3. cut remaining half of lemon up in small-ish chunks
4. toss 1/2 lemon, thawed cherries and habanero (pull off the stem please) into a food processor
5. dump processed pulp into a pan with 1 cup sugar
6. bring to a simmer and simmer until all sugar is melted
voila!
I canned mine, and I'm not sure I did it right, so won't bother putting the canning directions here. Warning ... it's hot!
Sourdough!
Yes, I made it ... and yes, it's fantastic! I used King Arthur flour (all purpose) and my starter finished in only one day, my sponge proofed for 10 hours and my dough rose in about 1.5 hours... it was delicious!
TIP: I used an old spaghetti jar for my starter and put the lid on it ... bad idea, there's gas buildup that needs to get out. Also, I believe the metal in the lid reacted with the starter and killed the first one I made. Best solution I came up with was using a rubber band and a piece of cloth over the top. This let the gas out of the jar as well as keeping flies and such at bay.
Follow the Directions here: http://www.prismnet.com/~sjohn/sour.htm (blogspot link won't work... sorry you'll have to copy and paste into your browser)
TIP: I used an old spaghetti jar for my starter and put the lid on it ... bad idea, there's gas buildup that needs to get out. Also, I believe the metal in the lid reacted with the starter and killed the first one I made. Best solution I came up with was using a rubber band and a piece of cloth over the top. This let the gas out of the jar as well as keeping flies and such at bay.
Follow the Directions here: http://www.prismnet.com/~sjohn/sour.htm (blogspot link won't work... sorry you'll have to copy and paste into your browser)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Safe for me!
I've decided to compile some of the 'safe for me' foods in one place for easy reference. Please know, I am not as sensitive as some and more sensitive than others - in other words, proceed with caution, read labels and know your own allergy! We are all very different in our sensitivities to various derivatives.
Waaay more to come, this is just off the top of my head tonight.
Pasta:
Kroger brand 100% Durham Wheat pasta - all varieties.
Kroger brand long grain rice.
Sauces/Condiments:
Kroger brand Natural Selections pasta sauce
Goya Coconut Milk
Trader Joe's Mayonnaise
Trader Joe's Yellow Mustard
Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Dairy:
Kerry Gold Cheese All Varieties
Black Diamond Cheddar Cheese
Kroger Brand Natural Selections Parmasean (whole block, not shredded, grated, etc. - those contain cellulose powder to prevent caking and have cause reactions for me.)
Organic Valley Whole Milk, Half n' Half and Heavy Whipping Cream (cardboard carton causes me no issues)
Horizon Whole Milk, Half n' Half and Heavy Whipping Cream (cardboard carton causes me no issues)
Fage yogurt, 2% and whole (I haven't tested skim .. becauses I like the fat - also haven't tested the honey they serve with some of their yogurts)
Greek Gods plain yogurt
Bread:
n/a
Crackers/Cookies/Chips:
Triscuits
Kroger Organic Sea Salt
Nature Valley Oan & Honey granola bars
Sesmark Rice Thins Rice Crackers - Brown Rice
Toiletries:
Dr. Bronner's Soap
Dr. Bronner's Shikakai Soap
Beverages:
LaCroix flavored waters
Stash Black Tea (English Breakfast Tea)
Folgers coffees (unflavored only, I'm not into froofie coffee anyway so haven't tested the flavored varieties)
Starbucks Komodo Dragon
Starbucks Anniversary Blend
Keurig cup - Green Mountain Sumatra
Keurig cup - Green Mountain Nantucket Blend
Keurig cup - Tulley's French Roast
Keurig cup - Caribou
Flour/Cereals/Sugars/Oils:
Sugar in the Raw
Kroger Brand Private Selections Turbinado Sugar
Domino Brown Sugar
Domino Sugar
King Arthur Flours
Red Star Yeast (three packs NOT the jar stuffs)
Kroger Brand Safflower Oil
Spectrum Apple Cider Vinegar
Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
McCormick's spices (individual spice bottles, not spice mixes)
Fruit/Veggies
Organic Chiquita Bananas (always buy green)
Kroger Canned Green Beans
Kroger Canned Black Beans
Kroger Canned Red Beans
Kroger Canned Pineapple Chunks
Kroger Canned Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
Dried beans have never been a problem for me - always check labels
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
No shampoo! - Water Only, wait ... what?
yeah, I'm not kidding. I started washing my hair about every three days or so and then just stopped because I'm lazy. Nothing. Hair is great, smells good (like cloves which I put in my stash tea rinse the last time I washed), looks great and my dandruff I've had my whole life... magically gone.
Weird. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm pretty surprised by the results.
Oh, by the way. Organic Salt and Ground Black Pepper Kettle chips ... not corn free. I know, I know... no one ever said they would be - but a girl has to take chances.
Weird. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm pretty surprised by the results.
Oh, by the way. Organic Salt and Ground Black Pepper Kettle chips ... not corn free. I know, I know... no one ever said they would be - but a girl has to take chances.
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