Jason and I went to a Valentine's Banquet last night, and since I can't have gluten, dairy, or soy, I knew that I would need to take my own food. I really didn't want to feel deprived, so I decided to make something that I really like and pretty it up a bit! For supper, I made a delicious ginger, garlic chicken stir fry over sticky sweet rice. It was absolutely delicious! However, that is not what I want to focus on. The dessert is what I want to share!
Tapioca is extracted from the cassava or yucca plant. It is used as a thickener, but it also makes delicious pudding. I used the small pearl tapioca for this recipe. This recipe is just taken from the back of the box.
You will need:
1/2 Cup small pearl tapioca
3 Cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Combine tapioca, milk, and salt in a 1 1/2 quart pan. Stir until boiling. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered, over lowest possible heat, add sugar gradually. Beat eggs, mix in some of the hot tapioca very slowly to equalize the temperatures of the two mixtures (to avoid curdling). Return all to pan. Bring to a boil, stir 3 minutes more over lowest possible heat (or longer to achieve pudding consistency). Stir constantly. Cool 15 minutes then add vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.
Okay, here are my changes and additions. Instead of the milk, I used 2 1/2 cups almond milk and 1/2 cup coconut milk. I also chopped an apple and a small handful of pecans. I sprinkled the apples and pecans with cinnamon sugar and sauteed them in a small bit of canola oil. Then I added them to the cooked pudding and chilled it. It was absolutely delicious! I took my dessert to the banquet in a glass goblet, and I garnished it with a pecan and apple slices dipped in cinnamon sugar. I did not feel deprived at all!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Following the recipe?
About a year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. I never had the test done to see if it is full-blown celiacs, but I have been eating gluten-free since Thanksgiving of 2008. I had been struggling with gastrointestinal problems for about 10 years. The doctor had diagnosed me with IBS, and some of the diet changes I made helped, but I was still having a lot of problems and a lot of pain. The symptoms were getting worse, and I was having more severe attacks.
Jason started praying, and within days, we had our answer. I cut gluten out of my diet, and I started feeling immensely better-better than I had felt in years! I started learning how to eat without gluten. Cutting out bread was only the beginning. Gluten is hidden is so many other foods-it's crazy! I have experimented with alternative flours and have been successful in making some delicious bread alternatives!
During this time, I really didn't drink much milk until around the end of summer 2009. At this point, we started drinking smoothies almost every day. I started having gastrointestinal problems again. You can imagine my discouragement! God led me to cut out dairy, and within days, I was feeling better, but I was still having some problems. I did some more research and read that people with dairy problems can also react negatively to soy.
So, I have eliminated gluten, dairy and soy from my diet. There have been some challenges, but I feel so much better, so it is worth it. One of the biggest challenges is when I make food for my family or for BSU that contains gluten, dairy or soy. So much of what I cook is based on how it tastes. I don't like following recipes exactly how they are written, but I have found that more and more, I have to. I can't cook based on taste anymore. It makes me nervous to serve food that I have no idea how it tastes!
Much prayer goes into food that I serve to others-especially food that I don't have the pleasure of tasting. I depend on memory for a lot of things, but I wonder how long I can rely on memory. I wonder if I will forget what potato soup tastes like?
But please, don't feel sorry for me. I endured 10 years of embarrassing gastrointestinal problems. I feel great now! I have more energy, my thyroid is behaving, my stomach is calm, and my anxiety levels have plummeted! I thank God for all of these! I feel that eliminating gluten, dairy, and soy is totally worth it for how well I feel!
So, moral of the story? If I ask you to taste something for me...please be honest! You have to tell me if it tastes bad or good! I am depending on your honesty! You must be my taste buds!
Jason started praying, and within days, we had our answer. I cut gluten out of my diet, and I started feeling immensely better-better than I had felt in years! I started learning how to eat without gluten. Cutting out bread was only the beginning. Gluten is hidden is so many other foods-it's crazy! I have experimented with alternative flours and have been successful in making some delicious bread alternatives!
During this time, I really didn't drink much milk until around the end of summer 2009. At this point, we started drinking smoothies almost every day. I started having gastrointestinal problems again. You can imagine my discouragement! God led me to cut out dairy, and within days, I was feeling better, but I was still having some problems. I did some more research and read that people with dairy problems can also react negatively to soy.
So, I have eliminated gluten, dairy and soy from my diet. There have been some challenges, but I feel so much better, so it is worth it. One of the biggest challenges is when I make food for my family or for BSU that contains gluten, dairy or soy. So much of what I cook is based on how it tastes. I don't like following recipes exactly how they are written, but I have found that more and more, I have to. I can't cook based on taste anymore. It makes me nervous to serve food that I have no idea how it tastes!
Much prayer goes into food that I serve to others-especially food that I don't have the pleasure of tasting. I depend on memory for a lot of things, but I wonder how long I can rely on memory. I wonder if I will forget what potato soup tastes like?
But please, don't feel sorry for me. I endured 10 years of embarrassing gastrointestinal problems. I feel great now! I have more energy, my thyroid is behaving, my stomach is calm, and my anxiety levels have plummeted! I thank God for all of these! I feel that eliminating gluten, dairy, and soy is totally worth it for how well I feel!
So, moral of the story? If I ask you to taste something for me...please be honest! You have to tell me if it tastes bad or good! I am depending on your honesty! You must be my taste buds!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
"Lazarus, Come Out!"
I have been reading John during my devotional times lately, and it has been incredible. I have loved reading the words that Jesus spoke. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead really struck me this time.
The story starts in John 11:1. Mary and Martha send word to Jesus that Lazarus is sick. Jesus knows that Lazarus is going to die, but he stays where he is for two more days. In fact, in verse 4 Jesus says that God will be glorified through this. After two days, Jesus and his disciples leave for Bethany. When he gets there, Jesus is met by Martha. They take him to Lazarus' tomb, and Jesus commands them to take away the stone that is covering the tomb. They obey, and Jesus tells Lazarus to come out. Here is the part that really hit me. Verse 44 says, "The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go'."
Isn't that awesome? Lazarus had been dead for four days. He was held captive by death and Jesus set him free! This made me think of things that hold me captive. I struggle with fear, and I feel that fear holds me in captivity when I let it. It keeps me from doing things I want to do. It sends me into panic, and it steals my joy. Fear becomes my grave clothes, and they wind tighter and tighter around my entire body, around my face, until it squeezes the life right out of me. Then Jesus is there, breaking through the darkness, breaking through the bondage of sin-and he sets me free! "Take off the grave clothes, and let him go!"
The story starts in John 11:1. Mary and Martha send word to Jesus that Lazarus is sick. Jesus knows that Lazarus is going to die, but he stays where he is for two more days. In fact, in verse 4 Jesus says that God will be glorified through this. After two days, Jesus and his disciples leave for Bethany. When he gets there, Jesus is met by Martha. They take him to Lazarus' tomb, and Jesus commands them to take away the stone that is covering the tomb. They obey, and Jesus tells Lazarus to come out. Here is the part that really hit me. Verse 44 says, "The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go'."
Isn't that awesome? Lazarus had been dead for four days. He was held captive by death and Jesus set him free! This made me think of things that hold me captive. I struggle with fear, and I feel that fear holds me in captivity when I let it. It keeps me from doing things I want to do. It sends me into panic, and it steals my joy. Fear becomes my grave clothes, and they wind tighter and tighter around my entire body, around my face, until it squeezes the life right out of me. Then Jesus is there, breaking through the darkness, breaking through the bondage of sin-and he sets me free! "Take off the grave clothes, and let him go!"
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