Tried and True Playdough Recipe!

I've surfed up and made many different playdough recipes, and most of them could not compare to Play-doh.  I had suspected for a while that Lukas might allergic to something in Play-doh since he seemed to get itchy while playing with it.  I hadn't let him get it out for in months because of my suspicions.  When he received a glorious selection of beautiful vibrant Play-doh from his grandparents, I had to let him have his fun.  A few minutes after playing with it, he started scratching so I had to face facts: Lukas is allergic to something in Play-doh.  

Although advertised as non-toxic it contains not only water, salt, and a starch based binder, but also retrogradation inhibitor, borax, petroleum, lubricant, surfactant, preservative, hardener, humectant, fragrance and color.  That is quite a chemical cocktail so it's no surprise Lukas reacted to it.

There are tons of recipes out there but a reviewer said this one's texture was the most like Play-Doh.  It involves the stove but it's still very quick, easy and worth the hassle!

Ingredients:
2 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used light olive)
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2-4 cups flour
Natural food coloring
1 drop lavendar oil (scent)

Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.  Remove from heat and add flour until the right consistency is achieved.  I started with 2 cups and then added more until it was right.  (I accidentally put the first 2 cups of flour in the saucepan and it still turned out great).  Stir and then knead until smooth. Separate into as many different colors as you want and mix in the colors!  This was my sons' favorite step. The red food coloring exploded out of the middle of my play-dough so I screamed and tricked my husband and oldest son into thinking I cut myself.  They totally fell for it!  Is that mean?

 

Since this playdough is truly natural, I let him use our pasta maker.  He played with the pasta maker and playdough for HOURS!!!

Delicious Sesame & Nut Free Hummus!

You'd think that having the entire family avoid all the things Lukas is allergic to would be stressful, but serving something he's allergic to is actually way more stressful.  Who has touched it?  What surfaces has it migrated to?  Where do we need to clean?  Sometimes eating allergens means washing hands, mouth, changing clothes, and even brushing my teeth. This is the reason we haven't had hummus in the house in a long time, and I have really missed this healthy tasty snack!

I finally surfed up a few sesame free recipes but I doubted whether they'd be any good.  The last time I tried to make hummus (with tahini) was years ago and it was NOT good, so I really didn't have much motivation to try.

After making chickpea chocolate chip cookies, I've fallen in love with chickpeas again.  Not only are they packed full of nutrition, but they have a delicious creamy texture that can be used for both savory and sweet treats!  It was this newfound infatuation and some pre-dinner munchies that finally spurred me to make one of the 4 sesame free recipes I've been sitting on for weeks now.

My little one had fun helping me put this recipe together in the food processor.  I was shocked to taste this homemade sesame free hummus - it was actually great!  I put in just the right amount of garlic to give it a slightly spicy aftertaste which unfortunately resulted in Lukas fanning his mouth after a bite.  

For me though, this hummus was REALLY good. Not just "good for an allergen free recipe", but really good. I no longer believe that tahini is crucial to hummus.  And, I can eat it without worry of spreading allergens everywhere!

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drain and set aside the liquid

1 lemon squeezed

2 cloves of garlic (perfect for the adults, but too much for kids)

1/4 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs creamy sunflower seed butter

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Put all ingredients except for olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth.  If mixture is lumpy or thick, you can gradually add the reserved liquid until you get a smooth and thick puree.  I used very little.

With the processor running, slowly add in the olive oil.  Let the it run for another 3 minutes.  Enjoy with pretzels, pita, or sweet potato chips!

Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies

Garbanzo Bean Sunflower Seed Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Brandy Walters | August 12, 2013

Whenever I make baked goods, they are always allergen free but rarely actually seem healthy (my homemade Clif bars being the exception).  When my husband passed this recipe on to me I REALLY wanted to try it.  Usually my boys “help” me make tasty treats but I made this recipe in secret; I wanted it to be a surprise.  When they discovered the treats they were panting and begging but alas, we hadn’t had dinner yet!  After one nibble my three year old was BEGGING for more!  He ate a great dinner and immediately asked for cookies.  They licked the batter AND devoured the cookies, never knowing they were made from GARBANZO BEANS!  Even I didn’t feel guilty eating these.  These will definitely be a regular treat in our household!!!

Not the most beautiful cookie but when it tastes this good who cares???

Ingredients
1 can (1 ¾ cups) chickpeas (rinsed and dried)
¾ cup sunflower seed butter
3 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey (or agave or maple syrup)
0-3 TBL coconut oil
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2/3 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Directions
1.     Preheat the oven to convection 325° (or regular bake 350). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.     Puree all but the chips in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Scrape down the edges, and pulse again a few times until the dough is completely smooth.
3.     Remove the blade and add chocolate chips.
4.     Scoop out spoonfuls of dough and scrape them onto the parchment with another spoon.
5.     Bake for about 13 minutes. They are delicious warm!

Safe Seasonings, Sauces, and Dressings

I am so tired of reading spice mixtures and finding MSG, GMO's, mystery ingredients, and myriad other creepy chemicals.  I realized that I've compiled quite a lot of recipes for spices, sauces, and dressings that I wanted to document for myself, family, friends, and anyone else out there who's like me and wants to control what goes into her cooking!

I recently spent some time with my grandmother who has her own dietary concerns, namely salt.  This made me realize that I'd rather reduce or eliminate the salt in my spice mixes and adding only what is absolutely necessary for taste. 

I also adjust the spiciness down since I have small children but you can increase the pepper (black, red, etc.) as much as you like for your tastes.

I save all my old spice bottles so I always have a selection to choose from for me latest mixes.  Mine aren't as pretty as this even, but you get the idea:

 

Taco Seasoning

0-2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp black pepper

2 TBL chili powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½  tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp dried oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 TBL ground cumin

Steak Seasoning (Similar to Montreal Steak)

0-2 tsp salt

2-3 tsp black pepper

3 tsp dried minced onion

1.5 tsp dried minced garlic

1.5 tsp crushed red pepper

1.5 tsp dried thyme

1.5 tsp dried rosemary

1.5 tsp dried fennel

Rib Rub (Similar to Emeril’s Rib Rub)

0-2 TBL salt

4 TBL brown sugar

1-3 tsp black pepper (3 tsp = 1 TBL)

1-3 tsp cayenne (3 tsp = 1 TBL)

2 TBL paprika

1 tsp ground mustard seed

1 TBL onion powder

1 TBL garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

2 TBL chili powder

¼ tsp oregano

¼ tsp thyme

Vegan Ranch Dressing or Dip

1 cup veganaise

¼ cup unsweetened soy milk

1 tsp garlic powder

0-1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp onion [pwder

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 tsp fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried

1 TBSP cider vinegar

Pinch dried dill

Combine.  Increase mayo to milk ratio for dip.

Vegan Thousand Island Dressing

1/2 cup veganaise

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon white vinegar

0-2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

0-1/8 teaspoon salt

1 dash black pepper