An eat free! Cookie Exchange

By Miranda

The Eat Free Trio & Friends
Pictured left to right: Miranda, Jaclyn, Cheryl, Sharon, Irene

Yup, that's right; this year the Eat Free Trio had a cookie exchange filled with gluten free, IC friendly, and of course, vegetarian delights! I have to admit, we didn't focus much on weight management, because, hey, it's the holidays! (Read about Jaclyn's approach to holiday eating here.)

My mother-in-law was kind enough to host this gathering at her home. We each brought at least two kinds of cookies, and as you can see, we had plenty of variety!

Pictured above:
Jaclyn's fabulous Coconut Macaroons (Gluten Free),
Perfectly Peanutty Peanut Butter Toffee Chip Cookies (Gluten Free),
and World Peace/Korova Cookies



Pictured above:
Irene's delicious Russian Teacake Cookies
and Gingerbread Cookies (IC Friendly)



Pictured above:
Cheryl's Iced Pumpkin Cookies (IC Friendly)
(she also made unbelievable Shortbread cookies and Pumpkin Bread, not pictured, but both IC friendly)



Pictured above:
Sharon's Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Raspberry Thumbprints,
and Nutella Cookie Sandwiches

***

As for me, I made two kinds of cookies as well:

Miranda's IC Friendly White Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies

3/4 cups organic sugar
3/4 cups packed organic brown sugar
1 cup organic butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure organic Madagascar vanilla extract
1 organic egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag (12 oz) Ghirardelli white chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee bits

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, stir sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg until well blended.
3. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff).
4. Stir in white chocolate chips and toffee bits.
5. Drop dough onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Press down lightly with hand so cookies come out round.
6. Bake for 4 minutes, turn pan 180 degrees. Bake for 4 more minutes.

Yields 3 dozen cookies.


Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Two Ways (Candy Cane Flavored & Frosted)

3 cups sifted organic all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons organic baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup organic butter (softened at room temperature)
1 organic egg, lightly beaten (egg should be at room temperature)
3 tablespoons organic milk
2 teaspoons pure organic Madagascar vanilla extract
1/2 cup crumbled candy canes

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter and blend with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
4. With a fork, stir in lightly beaten egg, vanilla and milk. Blend well with fork.
5. Add candy cane crumbles and mix with your hands to ensure thorough blending.
6. Chill for 15 minutes in refrigerator.
7. Drop dough onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Press down lightly with hand so cookies come out round.
8. Bake for 3 minutes, turn pan 180 degrees. Bake for 3-4 more minutes.

Frosting
Combine 4 cups organic powdered sugar, 1/2 cup shortening, 5 tbsp organic milk, 1 tsp pure organic Madagascar vanilla extract in a large bow. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Add food coloring if desired and decorate!

Yields 2 dozen cookies

***

Overall, the cookie swap was a great success and proof that dietary restrictions don't have to get in the way of fun around the holidays!


Happy New Year to all!

Hot Beverages to Get You Through the Holidays Without Chocolate

By Miranda

A couple nights ago my husband and I were going to help some friends decorate their house for Christmas. I knew everyone else would be drinking hot chocolate, which I something I desperately miss, especially around the holidays. Instead of letting it get me down I decided to create my own festive hot drink to enjoy for the evening. I enjoyed it so much that I am having some again right now!

Peppermint Vanilla Tea

1 teabag Traditional Medicinals Organic Peppermint Tea (it's caffeine free, of course!)

1 tbsp Flavorganics Vanilla Syrup (purchased from the IC Network)

6-8 oz. hot water

Your favorite holiday mug



Another incredibly delicious holiday drink is White Hot Chocolate! Jaclyn actually posted the perfect recipe for it recently on her own blog. I get a shout out in the post and she mentions IC! Read the post and get the amazing recipe here: White Hot Chocolate

Cheers!

Zippy Egg Tacos

By Jaclyn

As an ovo-lacto vegetarian, I eschew meat, but I do eat eggs and consume dairy. And I'll tell you what. I absolutely LOVE eggs.

Since I do a lot of weight training, I have to be sure to get adequate amounts of protein and beans and tofu are great, but nothing is easy, wholesome, or cheap as eggs. I love eggs because they're insanely versatile; you can just do so many different things with them--fry them, scramble them, boil them, bake them, poach them--really, the list could go on and on. I eat eggs several times a week and I try to switch it up, but this is my absolute favorite way to cook scrambled eggs; the cumin and red pepper give the eggs some real zip, the vegetables give a nice depth of flavor, and the corn tortillas make the dish extra-comforting and satisfying. Best of all, it's filling, nutritious, and delicious in your mouth.



Zippy Egg Tacos

Recipe serves 1

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 corn tortillas, fajita size, warmed (wrap in a paper towel and nuke for 15 seconds)
1/4 cup chopped zucchini and onions (sometimes I add red pepper or mushrooms too)
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 cup shredded jack cheese
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat and saute chopped vegetables for 1-2 minutes until slightly soft and the cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add beaten eggs and move the eggs around with a spatula until curds start to form. Add cheese and continue moving eggs around. Once the eggs have set up, put half of the egg and vegetable mixture on each corn tortilla and salt and pepper to taste and eat it like a soft taco!

This can be served with spicy salsa and reduced fat sour cream for extra zip and it's awesome for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Be Thankful For All Things Thanksgiving

By Miranda

There are a lot of reasons to love Thanksgiving. For one, I've always considered myself a very grateful person and I love the idea of a day when everyone takes extra time to think about what they are thankful for. Also, I have an amazing family and we always have fun on holidays. Oh, and I am a huge Charlie Brown fan so I'm always excited about watching Peanuts specials.




And then there's the mashed potatoes.

I LOVE MASHED POTATOES.

And turkey, and carrots, and corn, and green beans, and yams, and rolls.

AND PUMPKIN PIE!

Let's take a moment to think about what all of those things have in common:

THEY ARE ALL IC FRIENDLY!

When I say I get excited about Thanksgiving, I'm really not kidding. I've always been thankful for Thanksgiving, but since I got stuck on the IC diet, I've developed a whole new appreciation for the holiday. Just thinking about sitting at a table surrounded by the people I love is enough; but to top it off with a smorgasbord of food I can actually enjoy is almost too much for me to handle! It's the one big meal of the year that gives me no anxiety. I get to sit at the table and eat the same food as everyone else. I take full advantage of it, too. I'll eat seconds, maybe thirds, and even partake in midnight leftovers with my dad if I'm up for it.

This year I've been lucky enough to have already celebrated Thanksgiving once. Fakesgiving, actually. Fakesgiving is a concept my family invented a couple years ago since some of us can't always make it to town for "real Thanksgiving". This year we celebrated Fakesgiving (the name was coined by my husband) on November 12th. It was just like regular Thanksgiving, but maybe even more fun!

My sister is serious about her Fakesgiving selection, as she should be.

This Thursday I get to celebrate Thanksgiving again at my mother-in-laws house. I'm making mashed potatoes and my somewhat famous honey butter carrots. I use pretty standard recipes for both, and get great feedback from ICers and regular folks alike.

Mashed Potatoes For Everyman

10 peeled organic potaotes

5 tbsp Olivio butter

1/4 cup Organic milk (this is one of the only times I used milk that isn't fat free; I usually go with 2%)

Salt & pepper to taste

Yields 8 servings

I peel and slice the potatoes into chunks and then boil them in a large pot for about 15-20 minutes. I add half a handful of sea salt to the water before adding the potatoes.

Once I can cut through them easily, I drain the potatoes and then put them back into the pot. Then I add some more salt and some pepper, the butter, and the milk. Then I mash them up! I like them to be smooth so I use my OXO Good Grips Smooth Potato Masher.

It's about as basic as mashed potatoes get, but I love them.

Miranda's Somewhat Famous Honey Carrots

2 lbs carrots baby carrots

2 tbsp organic cane sugar

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp Olivio butter

1 tbsp organic honey

Add the sugar and salt to a small amount of water (just enough to cover most of the carrots) and boil. Once boiling, add the carrots and let cook on high for 15-20 minutes.

While the carrots are cooking, mix the honey and the butter and set aside.

Once the carrots are cooked to your liking, drain them and then return to the pot. Add the honey butter and stir until it covers the carrots.

This is a great way to take something very healthy like carrots and make it less healthy so it can be enjoyed by everyone on the best holiday of the year ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

How I Stopped Being Stubborn & Started Loving Pears

By Miranda

Recently I was craving one of my old favorite snacks: apple slices with peanut butter. I got sad about it for a little while, wishing I could just cheat on my diet without painful consequences, but I flare up easily from both apples and peanut butter, so I decided against it. A few days later it hit me; pears and almond butter would be a great substitution!



When I was first diagnosed with IC I couldn't believe that one of the only fruits left in my life would be pears. I literally hadn't consumed a pear in over 20 years at that point. I lived off apples, but I was completely unimpressed by pears for pretty much my whole life until about 3 years ago.

It took a little while for me to stop being stubborn and start loving pears, but luckily I gave in eventually. Now I eat (and enjoy) one almost everyday.

As it turns out, pear slices with almond butter make a great snack. Want to know a secret though? Pear slices with caramel dip make an even better one!

A Big Ol' Pot of Vegetarian Chili

By Jaclyn

Something about the cooler weather makes me want to eat all of my food with a spoon. There are lots of delicious soups and bisques to warm your belly, but for me, the best cool weather dish is hot vegetarian chili.
My vegetarian chili is sweet, spicy, and really easy to make. Everything can be done in one big pot, which means no piles of dirty dishes!

Vegetarian Chili:
(Serves at least 8. I eat this for days.)

Ingredients:
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can of diced tomato, drained (I get the kind with the Mexican spices)
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 15 oz can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 package of frozen corn (or fresh corn if you have it. I usually use the Steamfresh super sweet corn)
1 package of Morningstar Farms veggie grounds, or other vegetarian ground hamburger substitute
1 medium to medium-large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp cumin (the spice of the gods)
1/2 tbsp dry ground mustard
1/2 tbsp table sugar
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
Olive oil
20 grinds of cracked black pepper
More salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put about a half a tablespoon of olive oil in the chili pot on medium heat and add the chopped onion and garlic. Let the aromatics get aromatic, then add the Morningstar veggie grounds. Stir the onions, garlic and grounds until the grounds are warm, then add the tomato products and the kidney beans. Add all of the spices, the corn, and the jalapeno. Stir until heated through and salt and pepper to taste. I usually let this simmer for a few hours, but you can really eat it just like that.

Depending on my mood, I might add a bit more chili powder and red pepper flake. If it gets too hot, I've been known to add a square of dark chocolate. You can pretty much add anything in here and it will be insanely flavorful and it will feed you for days.

I like to serve this with a dollop of low fat sour cream and some shredded cheddar and a warm multigrain baguettea or some corn tortillas.


The best part is that this is chock full of veggies and fiber. Mmm, delicious fiber.

Happy Fall!

GF Enchilada Casserole

By Irene

Just like those with IC (ahem..Miranda!) those of us who eat GF run into some major issues when trying to enjoy a good ol' tortilla. Should we risk the "crunchy" knowing that they are commonly more wheat and less corn? Go with those soft corn tortillas that rip when you fill them with anything warm, or just eat something along the lines of a rice-bowl or a taco-flavored salad?

This recipe is my solution to the tortilla conundrum. It's warm, gooey, cheesey and crunchy and will leave you wondering what non-GF eaters are thinking!

Ingredients:

2- cans of enchilada sauce
1- can black beans (low sodium is best)
1- can vegetarian refried beans
1- large bag of "fiesta" blend cheese
1- package (you will need about 12) small corn tortillas
1- small package yellow rice (publix brand is the lowest in sodium by far!)

*sour cream for garnish is optional and good!

Directions:

Cook the yellow rice first. When it's just about done (it can be left a tiny bit underdone) start layering the tortillas into a square baking pan. I put 4 on the bottom, let them slightly overlap and crawl up the edges of the dish for support (all this food will need some support!)

Spread about half the can of refried beans onto the torillas. Add a layer of rice, sprinkle with cheese (if you are me sprinkle means make it rain cheese) and pour on some sauce.

Put down another layer of tortillas. Add the can of black beans. Add cheese. Add another layer of rice (this should be about it for the rice). Add sauce.

Again, tortillas. The rest of the refried beans. Rest of sauce (if you think you're adding too much sauce, you might be right. You don't necessarily need to use both cans, but then again, enchilada sauce is delicious.)

Now for the crunch. Add a top layer of tortillas. Sprinkle (downpour) with chese. Bake on 350 for approx. 35 mins. Enjoy! And forget why anyone would not be GF! Hooray!