Allergy Free Cooking A Family Friendly Cookbook By Victoria Mazur Copyright @ 2013 by Victoria Mazur All Rights Reserved This book is not intended to provide or replace the medical expertise of a trusted physician. If you have a serious food allergy, you should consult with your doctor before making any decisions that affect your health. While the recipes in this book do not require the use of any ingredients containing gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, shellfish, or nuts, remember to check the labels of all products you purchase to ensure they do not contain any such allergens. While every effort was made to check the allergy-free status of the foods listed, manufacturers are often changing their formulas. It is the reader's responsibility to double check the allergy-free status of your foods. If you are unsure, contact the manufacturer directly.
DEDICATION To Ryan, my most amazing husband. To my sons Steven, David and Adam, you make me proud every day. To my dau ghter Sarah, my angel face mini-me. To my daughter-in-law Nicole, Im so lucky to have you in my life. .
Introduction I decided to write this cookbook after I married into a family with multiple food allergies.
I have always been the primary cook in the house, so if someone had food issues, I had to find a solution. After buying many "allergy free" and "gluten free" cookbooks that use expensive and hard to find substitutions in their recipes, I knew that wasnt the answer for me and my family. Have you ever tried to find xanthan gum at your local grocery store? Good luck! And let's be honest, a lot of the substitution recipes are simply not very tasty, especially if you're also cooking for family and friends without food allergies. I decided to create a book of recipes that do not rely on specialty store items, that your family and friends can enjoy together, whether you have a food allergy or not. The recipes in this book don't require any fancy ingredients or a lot of cooking experience to prepare. Rather than reinvent entire recipes from scratch, I have simply brought together recipes that my family has enjoyed for years, that don't use the most common food allergens: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, shellfish, and nuts.
I am not a chef, I just cook dinner six nights a week and really like food. The recipes are grouped into complete dinners that can be switched around depending on your personal preference. Most of these recipes serve four, but can be modified to fit your needs. One final note for those of you with a serious food allergy. While each of these recipes is free of any gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, shellfish, or nuts, please remember to check the labels before you buy your groceries. For instance, I have a couple recipes with Worcestershire sauce in them, and several brands include gluten and soy.
Lea and Perrins is the only Worcestershire sauce I know that is both gluten and soy free Table of Contents
Soups
I always have basic stocks on hand for everyday cooking. If you are able to find a store-bought stock that is allergy free and tastes good, by all means use that shortcut. I am a bit of a "stock snob," so I usually make my own. If you do decide to use store bought stocks, I have found that mixing beef and chicken stock together provides a more homemade taste.
Vegetable Broth
This is a very flavorful broth that I use in all our vegetarian meals. I also use this when I am making vegetable dishes or more delicate fish dishes.
The roasted vegetables really add to the flavor. However, they will darken the broth. Vegetable broth 3 onions, quartered celery stalks, halved 1 lb. mushrooms 3 peppers, quartered 5 carrots , halved T vegetable oil 1 gal water 2 bay leaves 8 sprigs of fresh thy me 1 T salt t pepper Preheat the oven to 425. Divide the onions, celery, mushrooms, peppers and carrots onto two cookie sheets. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to each cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes until browned, stirring every ten minutes.
Scrape the vegetables into a large stock pot and add water, salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme. Bring the water to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Strain well. Cool and store in the freezer.
Chicken Stock
I usually save the chicken parts that we dont care for, like the wings and backs, in the freezer until I am ready to make stock. If I am running short on freezer space, before I store in the freezer I will boil the stock over medium heat until the stock is reduced by half.
I can then freeze the stock in ice cube trays for easier storage. When I am ready to use the stock, I simply add equal parts stock and water to whatever dish I am making. Chicken stock 2 whole chickens or 4 lbs of pieces 3 onions , quartered celery stalks, halved 5 carrots, halved 1 gal water 2 bay leaves 10 sprigs of fresh thyme 1 T salt 1 t pepper In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, combine chicken, onions, celery, carrots and water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. For the first hour remove scum from the top of the pot every 15 minutes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot.
Simmer partly covered for 4 hours. Strain well. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight. The fat will congeal on the top of the stock. Lift the fat off the stock and store the chicken stock in the freezer.
Beef Stock
Beef bones can be expensive at the grocery store, so I will save bones from steaks and roasts whenever I can.
They freeze wonderfully and then are ready for the stock pot. I dont like to use very fatty meat for this recipe because it leaves the finished stock a little greasy. Beef stock 2 lbs beef bones 1 lb beef, cubed 3 onions, quartered celery stalks, halved lb mushrooms 5 carrots, halved 2 T tomato paste 1 T vegetable oil 1 gal water 2 bay leaves 8 springs of fresh thyme 1 T salt 1 t pepper Preheat the oven to 425. Combine the onions, celery, mushrooms and carrots with vegetable oil. Place beef bones and vegetables on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes until browned. Scrape bones and vegetables into a stock pot and add water.
Add the cubed beef. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. For the first hour remove scum from the top of the pot every 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and thyme. Simmer partly covered for 5 hours. Strain well.
Cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight. The fat will congeal on the top of the stock. Lift the fat off the stock and store the beef stock in the freezer.
Minestrone Soup
This was my grandma's recipe. Its a very hardy soup that is great for lunch or dinner. If desired, this soup can be made early in the day and reheated before serving.
Reserve the fresh basil and add just before reheating. I freeze any leftover soup and simply reheat when needed. Minestrone soup Timing to table: 1 hours Serves 10 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1 large onion, d iced 2 celery stalks, diced 1 small head cabbage, coarsely shredded oz spinach 8 oz kale, de-stemmed and chopped 1 (2 8-oz) can whole tomatoes with juice 8 oz frozen green beans 2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cubed (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained 1 medium zucchini , diced 2 T vegetable oil 8 c vegetable broth c fresh basil 1 t dried basil t salt t pepper In large stock pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and celery. Cook 4 minutes until they begin to soften, then add cabbage, spinach and kale. When the greens begin to wilt (about 6 minutes), add tomatoes.
Using a spoon, slightly break up the tomatoes. Add vegetable broth, salt, pepper and dried basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add green beans and potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cannellini beans and zucchini and simmer another 20 minutes.
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