Archives for April 2016

24 Hour Yogurt

April 23, 2016 by sugarcoatednanagrams 3 Comments

I have been having some stomach issues lately so I am in search of the reason why. I am hoping to get to the bottom of it by adjusting my diet rather than depend on medication to do it for me. I have been reading until I feel like my eyeballs are going to fall out. It’s a lot to take in and planning a menu that eliminates all of the things that could be causing these problems require a spreadsheet. I am spending the weekend preparing some things that will help me and will start, in earnest, on Monday. I am attempting to only eat the foods that are classified as Low on the FODMAP food list.

One of the things that I would have to give up is yogurt. I really love Greek yogurt and wasn’t happy to read that it wasn’t allowed. But, in reading further, I read that something called 24 hour yogurt was allowed. Off to Google I went in search of 24 hour yogurt. I used to make my own yogurt all the time and what I discovered is that 24 hour yogurt is made the exact same way except it is left in the oven for 24 hours instead of 12. The longer the culturing process goes on, the longer the culture has time to multiply, thereby increasing the amount of bacteria and acids in the yogurt while decreasing the lactose content of the milk.

24 Hour Yogurt

Category: Uncategorized

24 Hour Yogurt

Ingredients

2 quarts milk, I use 2% but you can use whatever you prefer
2 tablespoons commercial yogurt like Fage or any yogurt with live cultures.

Instructions

Put the milk in a pot and heat it to 180 degrees. If a skin forms on the top of it, skim it off. Allow the milk to cool to around 110 degrees. Whisk in the yogurt. Turn the light on in your oven. Cover the pot and wrap it with a towel. Place it in the oven and leave it for 24 hours.
If you want a yogurt that is more like Greek yogurt you will have to strain it. I have tried several different methods but I found the best, cheapest and easiest way to do it was by using a jelly strainer. Put the yogurt in the strainer and leave it for several hours. The whey will strain off and you will be left with a thick yogurt that also substitutes nicely for sour cream. I will add a link to the strainer that I use.

http://sugarcoatednanagrams.com/2016/04/23/24-hour-yogurt/

Whether you are trying to cut down on the amount of lactose in your diet or you just want to try making your own yogurt, I hope you will try this recipe and let me know how you like it.

This is a link to the type of strainer that I use. It comes with 2 bags. I put one bag inside the other to get the finest mesh.

Chicken Pot Pie – Low Iodine

April 20, 2016 by sugarcoatednanagrams 4 Comments

I only have to be on this low iodine diet for a few weeks but I still want to be able to eat some of the things that I love. The biggest drawback of this diet is that you can’t eat anything that is already prepared. That means no more last minute calls to Dominoes, no rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and no carry out from a favorite deli. I am going to post some of the recipes that I have made while on this diet in the hopes that it will help someone like me who is looking for good, basic food while on this journey.

One of the best finds for anyone on this diet is Earth Balance baking sticks and Earth Balance spread. I am amazed at how good it tastes! I used the vegan option because I can’t have soy while on this diet either. The first time I was on this diet I had to go to a health food store to find it but now it’s in every grocery store and very easy to find.

One cold weather meal that we love is chicken pot pie!. From Fall until early Spring, you can almost always find some in my freezer. I often make 5 or 6 at a time. They freeze beautifully and they go from freezer to oven which makes them perfect for a last minute meal. No need to thaw them before you bake them.

This recipe makes a large pie and will serve 6 hearty appetites. We usually have a simple tossed salad on the side. If I am making a single recipe I will put it in two smaller casserole dishes. I freeze one and bake the other one It’s the perfect amount for the two of us with enough left over for lunch.

This is the same recipe I use when I don’t have to follow a low iodine diet except I use real butter, store bought or homemade chicken stock and iodized salt.

You can make this in any type of pie pan or casserole dish that you prefer. You can make individual pot pies, too.

Low Iodine Chicken Pot Pie

Category: Miscellaneous

Low Iodine Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

1 potato, diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1⁄3 cup Earth Balance
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low iodine chicken stock * Link to chicken stock recipe below
1 teaspoon non iodized or kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
1 pie crust **

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Saute onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in margarine for 10 minutes.
Add flour to sauteed mixture, stirring well, cook one minute stirring constantly.
Gradually stir broth into vegetable mixture.
Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly
Stir in salt and pepper; add chicken and stir well.
Pour into shallow 2 quart casserole dish and top with pie shell (recipe for low iodine pie shell below).
Cut slits to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly and cooked through.

http://sugarcoatednanagrams.com/2016/04/20/chicken-pot-pie-low-iodine/

I was amazed at how great the pie crust turned out using the Earth Balance instead of shortening or butter. It went together in a flash and was really easy to roll out. It was the flakiest pastry I have made in awhile. I always make my pie crust in a food processor because it takes about 5 minutes to put it together.

** LOW IODINE PIE CRUST

1/2 cup Earth Balance cut in pieces and frozen for about 1/2 hour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon non iodized salt
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Make sure your butter is cut up and really cold before starting.
Put some ice in a glass of water and measure your water from it. It’s important for the water to be very cold.
Combine flour and salt in food processor. Pulse once to mix.
Add the Earth Balance and process until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Add 2 tablespoons of water and pulse, a few times.
Pulse until the dough forms a ball. You may have to add a little more water. Pinch a little of the dough together. If it holds together you have enough liquid. If it doesn’t, add another tablespoon of water.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into desired shape, i.e., pie plate or casserole dish and place on your pie. If you are baking it right away, you may brush it with an egg wash. I didn’t because I don’t like wasting a whole egg for one pie.

*Low Iodine Chicken Broth

Saute vegetables

Add Flour and cook for a minute or two.

Add stock and cook until thick and bubbly.

Add water or stock to get to your desired consistency.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. You can ask here or find me on my Facebook page.

Basic Chicken Stock

April 16, 2016 by sugarcoatednanagrams 5 Comments

I wasn’t kidding when I said this chicken stock is the best stock you will ever make. It doesn’t have any fancy ingredients in it but it will produce a wonderful, full flavored stock that you can use in a multitude of recipes. Looking at the photo , the large jar of stock, on the left, shows the stock after it has been refrigerated and the fat has come to the top. The smaller jar, on the right, shows the stock after the fat has been skimmed and it has been heated. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Because I am on a low iodine diet, I had to use salt with no iodine it it. When I’m not on a low iodine diet, I use table salt. I prefer table salt to Kosher salt but I know a lot of cooks prefer Kosher salt over table salt. Use whatever you prefer. It will still be delicious.

The difference between stock and broth is stock is made from bony chicken parts and broth is made from chicken meat, like breasts. Making a good stock takes a lot longer than making a broth. Chicken stock tends to have a fuller mouth feel and richer flavor, due to the gelatin released by long-simmering bones. You will also notice that the chicken stock made from roasted chicken pieces has a much richer color than broth made from chicken meat that hasn’t been roasted.

I discovered that I could make the same stock, in a pressure cooker, in a fraction of the time. Instead of simmering for 6 hours, I cooked it for 1 hour. It took about 1/2 hour for the steam to get to the right level and another half hour for the steam to come down on it’s own. Two hours vs. six. Another advantage of using a pressure cooker is that you end up with a super clear stock.

You can also make this stock in a slow cooker. This will take longer but you don’t need to “babysit” the pot. You could even cook it overnight.

The recipe below is the basic recipe. I have done it with chicken wings, chicken parts, and a whole chicken. It depends on what I want to make with the stock. I usually make it with a whole chicken. Then I divide the meat and stock into meal size containers for the freezer. When I want to make a meal using one of the containers, I add cut up carrots and celery to the meat and stock mixture, season it to taste, simmer it for about 1/2 hour and then add cooked pasta, rice or dumplings.

Chicken Stock

Category: Uncategorized

Chicken Stock

Ingredients

4-5 pounds chicken wings
4 Large carrots - scrubbed but no need to peel
4 Celery Stalks - scrubbed
2 Onions - cut in half
2 Tablespoons oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475
Put chicken on a foil lined baking sheet or other shallow pan. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. For a low iodine diet, use Kosher salt or table salt with no iodine.
Roast for 45 minutes and then add the onion, cut side down, to the roasting pan and roast 15 additional minutes.
To a large heavy-bottomed pot, add the carrots, celery, roasted chicken wings, onion and the juices from the pan. Add about a tablespoon of salt. Cover with 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer, uncovered, on low for 6 hours, skimming any impurities that float to the top. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer.
At this point you may freeze your stock in individual containers or refrigerate it for about 5 days.
You may also make this in a pressure cooker or a slow cooker.
Pressure cooker directions - After roasting the chicken put all of the ingredients in a pressure cooker. Do not fill your pressure cooker more than 2/3 full. You may have to adjust the water and add less to stay below the 2/3 line. Bring the steam up, cook for 1 hour, let steam go down on it's own. When you can take the lid off the pot, strain the broth and store or use.
Slow cooker directions - After roasting the chicken put all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover with water. Cook on low for 8 hours or overnight.

http://sugarcoatednanagrams.com/2016/04/16/basic-chicken-stock/

Living with and Enjoying a Low Iodine Diet

April 15, 2016 by sugarcoatednanagrams 4 Comments

If any of you have had thyroid surgery then you are probably familiar with the much dreaded low iodine diet.

About 4 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer of the thyroid. I had a complete thyroidectomy, was put on medication and went on my way. If anyone has to get cancer, the type I had is a “great” one to get. It almost never metastasizes and almost never returns.

Along the way, I had to have a PET scan to see if there were any cancerous thyroid cells floating around my system. To prepare for the scan I had to go on a low iodine diet. Apparently, normal thyroid tissue takes iodine from the blood stream and traps it within the cell to make thyroid hormone. The reason for the low iodine diet is to deplete your body of any iodine. After a few weeks of this diet, you get a dose of radioactive iodine. The iodine will hunt down any roaming thyroid cells that might be in your body. The PET scan will be able to see them, if they are present. I was a little disappointed to learn that even though any thyroid cells would glow, I would not. There should be something fun that comes from all of this, right? Can you imagine the fun that I could have if I glowed in the dark? <sigh> Oh well, it wasn’t to be so I’ll move on.

The diet isn’t really that bad although there are a lot of posts, on the Internet, that say otherwise. First of all, it’s only for 2 weeks. We can do pretty much anything for 2 weeks. You can’t have anything with iodine in it. I won’t go into all of the foods that you can’t have (and there are plenty) but I will focus on what I could have. I love food and I was determined to eat as normally as possible and still have it taste good. I could use table salt as long as it was iodine free and I could have Kosher salt. There aren’t enough herbs and spices in the world that can take the place of salt, for me. Not all salt free products are iodine free but many are. You can’t eat anything processed because most cleaning agents, that commercial meat producers use, have iodine in them. You can’t have any dairy or egg yolks so that would present a challenge when making cookies and other goodies but I was pretty sure I could figure out something.

In the next few days I will share some of the recipes I have made while on this journey. My goal was to make a few things that would taste good, be easy to make, and use readily available ingredients.

When I am done with this diet, I have to go on another special diet. It seems I have reflux. I want to try to get a handle on it with diet and lifestyle changes rather than medication. One of the things I have to give up when I go on the reflux diet is gluten. To tell you the truth, I’m a little excited about that part because I have been dying to try more gluten free recipes. I have made a few gluten free recipes for friends who have Celiac Disease or who are gluten intolerant but I tend to make the same few things over and over again because I don’t like wasting ingredients on something that might not be good. So, now’s my chance. I will share what I learn in a few weeks.

Tomorrow I will post the best chicken broth that I have ever made (and I make a lot of chicken broth). Until then, be kind to yourself and feel free to ask any questions you might have along the way.