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  • Allergen-Free Personal Care and Household Products

    I’m going to take a break from talking about cooking tasty, allergen-free food and focus on a related issue: finding allergen-free personal care and household products.

    Finding personal care and household cleaning products that don’t have allergenic ingredients can be a challenge. Furthermore, since hugs, kisses, and general horsing around is common in our household, everyone in the family uses only allergen-free products to avoid accidentally touching Sprout with anything allergenic (e.g. allergenic soap residue, lotion, hair gel, etc. on our hands, face, and hair). (more…)

  • Italian Sausage

    Pizza
    I love this sausage recipe, which comes from Jeff Smith’s wonderful cookbook, The Frugal Gourmet, a companion to his PBS cooking show, which I grew up watching. I use this sausage primarily as a pizza topping, but it would be great over rice, in a red sauce — whatever strikes your fancy. The above is a photo of a pizza I made that incorporates the sausage as one of its many toppings. (more…)

  • Chamorro Red Rice

    FYI: I’m in the middle of updating this recipe. I’ve had too many disasters, so consider this recipe problematic prone for now. Will post again as soon as I can get it right and duplicate good results reliably. Thanks!

     

    This dish relies on annatto seeds, not tomato, for its distinctive orange-redness and smoky, earthy flavor. It’s a classic accompaniment to Chamorro-style barbecue at fiestas. Everyone adds their own touch to this dish: bacon, hot peppers, peas, etc. (more…)

  • Chicken Kelaguen

    Kelaguen can be made with other protein sources, but chicken seems to be the favorite at the various fiestas, barbecues, and parties I’ve attended. Traditionally, the chicken is barbecued first, but to save time, I boil the chicken and then brown it in a dry skillet to achieve a similar effect. I picked up this tip from Annie, a great chef by all accounts and a member of our gracious “host” family in Saipan. (more…)

  • Bao de Bing, Bao de Beng!

    The evolution, which is still ongoing, of this recipe travels the globe. It started out as a Kenyan recipe for a sweetened, yeast-risen rice pancake tinged with cardamom. We were enjoying that for a while. Then one day, I ran out of rice flour and threw in a bunch of glutinous rice flour. Chewier and nicer — toddler smiles all around. The next day, I adjusted some of the dry ingredients and along the way, accidentally left out the cardamom. The result? Something definitely Chinese in texture and flavor and even bigger toddler smiles. (more…)

  • Aim for a Dog….

    Sleeping Dog

    “Aim for a dog who is alert while the child is busy reading labels.”

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  • Neat Bread

    img_3374

    This rustic loaf offers a thin, chewy, golden crust full of a rye/wheat-like taste, which is neat considering it’s gluten-free. The interior is moist, soft, and dotted with flaxseed — a nice contrast with the thin, chewy, rustic crust. And it smells wonderful in a heady, bread-y kind of way. 🙂 (more…)

  • Ingredient Spotlight:Erawan Rice Flour & Glutinous Rice Flour

    Bread
     Erawan Glutinous Rice Flour

    When a recipe calls for rice flour or glutinous rice flour (note: glutinous rice flour does NOT contain gluten), I always reach for Erawan rice flours. (more…)

  • Ingredient Spotlight: Tra Chang Fish Sauce

    Tra Chang Fish Sauce

    Fish sauce should never have more than fish, sugar, and salt as its ingredients. Tra Chang, a smaller, venerable label that has a long history and is family-owned and-run, fits the bill. The flavor is well-balanced and nice. I use Tra Chang both for cooking and for making dipping sauces. My son, who is allergic to wheat and all forms of gluten, dairy, egg, tree nuts, peanuts, and sesame, has never had any reactions to Tra Chang fish sauce. (YMMV.)
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  • Caramelized Shrimp with Garlic and Shallots

    Caramelized Shrimp with Garlic and Shallots

    This is a great recipe for home cooks who are short on time but happen to have frozen, deveined shrimp on hand. Get a pot cooking with rice, boil some greens in water seasoned with salt and oil (or peel and slice up fresh cucumbers and serve raw), cook this shrimp dish, and viola! Instant balanced meal.

    The distinctive combination of caramelized sugar, fish sauce, and shallots as well as the use of raw herbs to finish the dish alerts you of this dish’s Vietnamese heritage. The cooking technique is clearly Chinese.

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