Keep it simple...

Following on from my back to basics post, I wanted to share something else that i have learned over the last 7 years. Being an allergy mum is difficult (no really??) first you have to make sure you read EVERYTHING, looking for the lurking ingredients that might put your child into the hospital.

 Next, you have to be vigilant everywhere you go..when we traveled to Russia, i was surprised to find that most of the bread available in supermarkets had milk in it (here in Cyprus our bread is not made with milk- thank goodness!)

And lastly, when you buy cookbooks and look for recipes online, you usually find really complicated recipes, with 5 ingredients that you are supposed to use in place of the one that you can't (this is especially true if you are trying to replace egg!).

I have found that if you keep it simple, you can usually do the things that you want to do ...simply!

Case in point- pancakes! When George was first diagnosed he was allergic to lots of things- including milk,wheat,eggs,tomatoes,celery, apple and a few others that i can't remember off the top of my head. I really had my work cut out, trying to make pancakes without milk, eggs and wheat! If you are determined though, you can do anything, and i soon figured out that egg, in this case, adds a little richness and protein to the batter- bit that if you leave it out, it really doesn't make too great a difference.


For the milk, you can substitute your favorite non dairy milk, i favor soya, but it will work with just about any liquid (including water). Now wheat- i have to say i LIKE wheat! I found lots of other flours, and i used them when i had to, but i was VERY relieved when he was able to eat wheat again!





So, the simple answer to pancakes? 1 cup all purpose (or plain) flour, 3/4 cup soya milk, (you can add an egg if tolerated to bump up the protein). 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Mix until you batter is thick and smooth. Heat a saucepan, and put in a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot, pour the oil out of the pan, and pour in some batter- fry on each side until golden and put on a plate. Continue until you have no batter left. I make pancakes that are around 4 inches wide, and i made around 13 of them today with this recipe.
Enjoy , people!

Mama Michaelides' Pasta sauce recipe

You may or may not know this, but i hate tomatoes- the fresh ones. They are slimy, have pips, and smell yucky- however, once cooked they transform into this nectar like substance and I can;t get enough- weird huh? Anyway, my wonderful husband (who already likes to provide me with freshly caught fish in the summer) has a very successful vegetable plot going this year, and keeps bringing me tomatoes- what to do, what to do??? Aha- i smell a pasta sauce coming on. So, today i picked around 10 little tomatoes (worked out to 600g) .

Then i put them into the food processor, and 'blitzed' them until they were nice and liquidey, but with some 'bits' you will see what i mean here: 

Put the blitzed tomatoes into a pan, bring to a boil and simmer for approx 5 minutes, then add  a tablespoon of basil, a tablespoon of oregano, and a teaspoon of garlic powder (or crushed garlic- whichever you have on hand). 

Then simmer for another 4-5 minutes, and add 1 tablespoon of cornflour which has been dissolved in 4 tablespoons of water. The cornflour will just thicken the sauce up a little.

Stir the sauce up, and it is now ready to add whatever you like to it. I like to add chunky vegetables (whatever the vegetable patch has ready at the time- peppers, courgettes) or maybe just some mushrooms. Cut the vegetables into chunks, and lay onto a baking tray. Add some cloves of garlic (peeled) and drizzle with olive oil. Put under the grill for a few minutes, or until the ends of the vegetables start to blacken slightly. Then throw them into the sauce...yummy :) or you could put some little meatballs into the sauce like the ones i have made today...

Take 200g minced beef, 200g minced pork and put into a bowl  and 3 slices of bread that have been soaked in soya milk. (just drizzle the soya milk onto the slices of bread until they are moist). 

Then put the bread and the mince into a bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon chopped chives, 1/2 minced onion, and 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped). If i am cooking for the children i don't add salt, but tend to make half the meatballs, then add a teaspoon of salt for the meatballs that I am going to eat :) Now, it's time to get your hands in there, and mix it all up.

Now we are ready to make the meatballs. Use a teaspoon, and take small chunks of the mix, fashion into mini meatballs by rolling in between our hands. Then roll the meatballs in some flour so that they do not fall apart in the oil. They should look something like this...

Then all you have to do is fry them- these cook in around 2 minutes, as they are so tiny (just bite sized) but that's the way my lil ones like 'em :) The meatballs can be served on their own (with a dipping sauce) or on top of spaghetti and smothered in the pasta sauce :) How do you eat yours?