Salmon and Shrimp Over Quinoa Salad

May 24, 2010 — arkenterprises
    Ingredients

2-6oz Salmon Filets
4-Large Shrimps
1-Handful of Mixed Greens
1/2 Bunch of Asparagus
1/2 Head of Broccoli
½ Onion
1 Tomato
1 Avocado
1 Lemon
1 Cup of Quinoa
2 Cups of Chicken Stock or Broth
½ Cup of Carrots
¼ Cup of Crumbled Feta Cheese
3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 pinches of Himalayan Sea Salt
3 pinches of Freshly Ground Pepper
¼ cup of Balsamic Vinegar and ¼ cup of Olive Oil Dressing
2 Tablespoons of No Salt Seasoning

    Prep

Chop Carrots into bite sized pieces and place into a medium sized pot
Pour Chicken Stock into the pot and cook over high heat
Pour Quinoa into the pot and stir.  Reduce heat to medium once boiling. Place lid on top of the pot and cook for 15 minutes

Rinse and clean the Salmon and Shrimps, and pat dry. In a medium sized bowl, pour in the Olive Oil and place the Salmon and Shrimp with the oil tossing and coat all sides of the Salmon and Shrimp.  Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, and no salt seasoning coating all sides of the Salmon and Shrimp.  Let mariniate while you prep the vegatables

Soak, Rinse and Spin the Handful of Mixed Greens

Clean the Aspargus and cut into bite sized pieces
Clean the Broccoli and cut into bite sized florets
Peel the Onion, and slice radially.

Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat with some olive oil
Place the Salmon and Shrimp, turn the heat to high and sear for 4 minutes
Flip the Salon and Shrimp and cook for another 3 minutes
Cut the lemon in ½ and squeeze ½ of the lemon and pour juice over the Salmon and Shrimp.  Remove the Salmon and Shrimp from heat and place on a dish

On another large skillet on medium-high heat with some olive oil, place the sliced Onions, Broccoli and Aspargus and cook until the Broccoli is bright green

Place the cooked vegatables on top of the mixed greens, then add the quinoa.  Add sliced tomotoes and feta cheese (you can leave this off), and toss with balsamic and olive oil dressing.

Place salad on a dish, and place the Salmon and Shrimp on the salad.

Enjoy!

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Saving on Allergy Free Foods

May 22, 2010 — arkenterprises

As usually, walking up and down the aisles of Wholefoods, Trader Joes and Wild by Nature, and looking for foods free of Gluten, Dairy and Egg.  I grab a box of something that says Gluten Free, and flip it around to see what is inside.  Darn, it has eggs or some dairy mixed in the product.  To my estimate, even at these “Healthy” supermarkets, about 1 percent of the shelves would fit the needs of my child, aside from the fruits and vegetable section of the store.

Once and a while you get lucky and find something made free of Gluten, Dairy or Eggs.  Then you need to remember while it might be 1.5 to 2 times the cost of a comparable product.  It’s for the long-term health of your child, so you make adjustment elsewhere.  The payoff is that the rest of the family is eating better and that cost is priceless.

We recently came across a company called Glutino, which make a bunch of snacks that are Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free. While I normally don’t think of Corn and Potato in my Pretzels, it’s quite tasty. It’s been grade to be able to send a snack in my son’s lunch box and he is happy to eat.

After going to McDonalds for so many years, and getting that Happy Meal with the little toy was the delight of my childs car ride. Now, no more chicken nuggets from any fast food restaurant. Grilled chicken isn’t quite the same. How lucky are we to come across Ian’s Chicken Nuggets. They are also Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free!  They seem okay.

To ease the cash flow burden, my wife started searching the internet for the manufacturers make tasty products, and she came across Coupons.com. They are great coupons for $1.00, what a deal! Coupons.com also has access to other manufacturers, so keep an eye out on what you want so save on.

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Which came first the chicken or the egg allergy?

May 18, 2010 — arkenterprises

Every morning, I would crack open three organic brown eggs in a medium sized bowl. Sometimes I would crack them open with 2 hands, and sometimes I would show off and use a one handed method on the rim of the bowl. Out drops the clear and yolk goodness into the bowl. Then with a folk in my hand, my wrist would gyrate like Elvis Presley’s hips to start agitating the eggs into a silky smooth mixture. Add a little water and more mixing, the egg concoction is ready to become an egg omelet.

During the mixing, the frying pan is being heated up by the electrical element on the stove, and I pour the mixture on to the hot pan. After some coagulation the mixture becomes a little firmer and starts to form that famous circular shape. With my handy silicon spatula, I make a some adjustments to the omelet to ensure that the eggs are sliding on the non-stick pan. A little shaking of the pan the eggs are ready to flip. I could flip the eggs with the spatula, but I call the kids into the kitchen to watch the 1-second show spectacular.

I let the eggs slide around a little more, and with a little wrist action the yellow round breakfast staple begins to flip in the air. It flawlessly lands smoothly back on the non-stick pan, and finishes cooking on the other side. “Tah Dah!” And I take a bow. The kids then yell out, I wish I could do that, and I tell them, “Practice, Practice and Practice.”

I slide the finished product onto a plate, sprinkle a little salt on to the omelet, and ask them, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

If you are allergic to eggs like my son, and eat something that contains eggs, your immune system releases and an army immunglobulin (IgE) antibodies, which triggers the release of certain chemicals, one of which is histamine to protect the body. Millions of people have this condition. While my son should outgrow this allergy, for many they will remain allergic for a lifetime.

The release of these chemicals can affect the respiratory system (allergy like symptoms like wheezing and runny nose), gastrointestinal tract (cramping, diarrhea, vomiting or nausea), skin (hives or eczema), and the cardiovascular. In my son’s case, he would constantly cough, and our medical doctor thought it was asthma.

Now since my son has been diagnosed with an egg allergy. The breakfast show has been replace with sliced fruits and Van’s French Toast which are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, and I think a few more free items. The Van’s products actually taste really good. I originally found them at Wild By Nature and now Wholefoods.

Once and a while I will make a gluten free pancake and use a egg substitute called Egg Replacer by Ener-G. The ingredients include, potato starch, tapioca flour, levening (calcium lactate (not derived from dairy), calcium carbonate, citric acid), sodium carbonxymethlcellulose, and methlycellulose. The first I used it was in meatloaf, which I could not tell the difference

Other egg substitutes are:
· 1 tbsp ground up milled flax seed and 3 tbsp of water (it did not work out the way I thought it would)
· 2 tbsp cornstarch
· 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
· 2 tbsp potato starch
· 1 heaping tbsp soy powder and 2 tbsp water
· 1 tbsp soy milk powder, 1 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water
· 1 banana (great in cakes)

Some hidden sources containing eggs include:
· Albumin
· Lactalbumin
· Ovalbumin
· Ovomucin
· Ovomuclod
· Ovovitellin
· Viellan
· Surimi (imitation seafood ie sea legs)
· Some Vaccines

Common foods containing eggs include:
· Baked goods
· Caesar salad dressing
· Cream sauces
· Custard
· Eggnog
· French toast
· Hollandaise sauce
· Ice cream
· Mayonnaise
· Marshmallows
· Meatloaf (My families favorite!)
· Meringue
· Omelets
· Pudding
· Sherbet
· Soufflés
· Tartar sauce

The bottom line, always consult with your healthcare provider to review your nutritional choices when you have been diagnosed with an egg allergy.

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Snap, Crackle and Pop! A Gluten Free Snack.

April 30, 2010 — arkenterprises

Snap, Crackle and Pop!  was a familiar sound in my breakfast bowl in the morning.  Pour a little mik and with a spoon, the Rice Crispies were gone.  On the weekend, we would make rice crispy treats.  Just recently, I was watching a Food Network show on creating buildings with food and many of them used rice crispy treats, like building blocks.
Glenny’s makes a delicious rice crispy treat, also known as marshmallow treats, and I would not use them to build a foundation, except for filling my tummy with goodness.  It’s organic, vegan and only 100 calories.  Most important, my son loves them, and he feels like a regular kid at school when he rips open his treat at snack time.

Ingredients include;  Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice, Organic Marshmallow Recipe (Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Guar Gum, Sea Salt), Organic Palm Oil, Vegetable Glycerol, Organic Rice Brown Extract, Organic Vanilla Flavor ALLERGENS: May Contain Traces of Peanuts, Tree Nuts and Sesame Seeds

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Bar (24g)
Servings Per Container
Amount Per Serving
Calories 100 (from Fat 20) Calories from Fat (X%)
  % Daily Value *
Total Fat 2.5g 4%%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%%
Trans Fat 0g  
Cholesterol Xg 0%%
Sodium 35mg 1%%
Potassium XXmg %
Total Carbohydrate 17g 17g%
Dietary Fiber Less than 1g Less than 1g%
Sugars 7g  
Protein 1g 1g%
Vitamin A 0%%
Vitamin C 0%%
Calcium 0%%
Iron 0%%
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.
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Is Santa Allergic to Dairy?

April 29, 2010 — arkenterprises


Every year, my kids bake some delicious cookies (2010 they will be gluten free, egg free and nut free), and strategically arrange them on a plate. Then that plate is paired with a tall glass of milk and methodically positioned perfectly in front of the fireplace so that Santa has the optimum reaching distance from the snack to the Christmas tree. The kids want to make sure that he is refueled in order to finish his rounds flying around the world giving gifts to good little boys and girls.

Now the question, is Santa allergic to dairy? Based on his bloated belly, that is a possiblity! A dairy or milk allergy is an adverse immune reaction to animal milk protein that can be found cows, goats or sheep. These milk proteins are casein and whey. Also in the milk is lactose, the sugar in milk.

Casein is about 80% of the proteins in dairy. Some processed food that may contain casein; glazed donut, mints, non dairy coffee cream, cereal, high protein shakes, ice cream, baby formula, nutrition bars, processed meats like hot dogs, salad dressings, and whipped toppings. Even some sorbet’s might have dairy, so we usually opt for italian ices.

Whey makes up about the 20% of the milk protein. It is a liquid by product in the cheese making process when the curd (casein) is removed and strained away. Whey can be found in ricotta cheese, brown cheese and nutritional supplements (especially in body building formulas)

The concentration of whey and casein varies from different dairy products, and immune reactions vary depending on your sensitivity.

Not to confuse a dairy allergy with lactose intolerance, lactose intolerance is a non-allergic sensitivity, where a person cannot produce enough of the lactase enzyme to digest the lactose sugar in the milk. While lactose intolerance is not a food sensitivity, it can lead to intestinal distress and the development of food sensitivities.

Some dairy substitutions include;
· Coconut Milk
· Hemp Milk
· Nut Milk (Almond)
· Rice Milk
· Oat Milk
· Potato Milk
· Soy Milk

Some symptoms to dairy allergy include;
· Abdominal Pain
· Acne
· ADD/ADHD
· Anxiety
· Arthritis
· Canker sores
· Constipation
· Diarrhea
· Ear Infections
· Fatigue
· Fibromyalgia
· Gas
· Headaches
· Heartburn
· Indigestion
· Iron deficient anemia
· Irritability
· Irritable Bowel Syndrome
· Joint Pain
· Lactose Intolerance
· Osteoporosis
· Poor Growth
· Poor immune function (frequent illness)
· Sinusitis

Read the labels and work with your healthcare professional team to review your dairy options. Be Well!

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Food Allergy Ingredients Labels

April 25, 2010 — arkenterprises

Your largest source of gluten free foods!For the forty some odd years that I’ve been roaming the earth in search of food and other stuff to eat.  I usually thought, if the packaging looked good, the food inside must be good.  Sometimes if tasted good, and most of the time it was bad for me for one reason or another.

In the last several years, I was cautioned to pay attention to my blood pressure, so I search for the sodium content in the foods that I eat, and that was that.  I really never read what else was in the food that I was about to devour.  Again, it looks good, it must be good.

Now that my son has been screened to be sensitive to Gluten, Dairy, Egg, and Nuts, I read each label scanning for the allergies that will harm my son.  Probably 99.9% of everything on the shelf of the grocery store contains some thing that my son cannot eat.  I’ve been visiting GlutenFree.com, which has the largest variety of gluten free products.  Even thought it might be gluten free, I still need to look out for Dairy, Eggs and Nuts.

During a recent shopping visit to WholeFoods, I asked the pizza maker what happened to the Gluten Free pizza they had during the grand opening.  It turns out they have wheat flour floating in the air, that they cannot claim that pizza to be Gluten Free.  It even had Dairy Free cheese!  So I am now relegated to making home made Gluten Free and Dairy Free Pizza, but that will be another article.

Some times my Dad watches the kids.  He’s an old school character, and thinks kids should eat everything.  I constantly remind him that his grandson can not have bread, cheese or nuts, and I cringe and have to yell, “Stop!” when he is about to give my son a piece of toast. 

Thank goodness, my son knows better and politely refuses the toasted baked slice of bread.  So whenever we go shopping, I grab a box and quiz to scan for any allergy culprits.  Some words he searches for; barley, malt, casein, or eggs.

In order to be able to advertise a product as Gluten Free, there must not be more than 20 parts per million of gluten be present in the product by testing each product coming off the production line.  As you read the labels, many products are free of any grains and other gluten-containing products but the potential for cross contamination is possible.  Therefore, only with dedicated facilities and production lines can you guarantee an item to be gluten free and sealed.


StarbucksStore.comFor example Starbucks in it’s open and inviting environment can not claim to provide gluten free coffee, but on it’s shelves the have products that meet gluten free requirements such as Food Should Taste Good Chips, Kind Bars, Peeled Snacks, Lucy’s Cookies, and Two Mom’s Raw Granola.

As for being Dairy Free, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration has not established any regulations regarding Dairy Free on package labels.  Without a regulatory definition in place there is no guarantee that the Dairy Lee statement on a food labels is really free from any milk proteins.  While Milk and Cream can be easily seen as milk, a milk derivative such as casein or whey might be overlooked as being milk.

Shop our wide selection of high-quality culinary spices from kitchen classics to exotic blends.

One of the places I frequently visit is Frontier, which is a natural products co-op.  All of there products are highest in quality.  More importantly, they have a stringent food safety program regarding allergen control which prevents cross contamination.

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 became effective on January 1, 2006.  Which requires manufacturers to clearly identify on their food labels if their product contain products that are derived from the eight major allergenic foods and food groups; wheat, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, or soy.  These eight groups account for 90 percent of all food allergies, and all other food allergies such as sesame are not required to be listed in accordance with FALCPA.

 An example Ingredients List;

Ingredients: Enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and/or cottonseed oil, high fructose corn syrup, whey (milk), eggs, vanilla, natural and artificial flavoring, salt, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), lecithin (soy), mono-and diglycerides.

 Another example of declares a possible an allergen right after the Ingredients list and looks like this;

Contains Wheat, Milk, Egg, and Soy

Again, please read the labels, be cautious, and enjoy your meals and snacks free from allergies!

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Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate are all Good and Delicious!

April 24, 2010 — arkenterprises

From the Olmec Indians, the Mayans, Aztecs, Milton Hershey to Willy Wonka, we all know that chocolate is delicious.  Most of us enjoy the goodness of chocolate in a variety of forms, and in moderation of course.  Some need to be very cautious when eating chocolate.

There’s ongoing research regarding the health benefits of chocolate, including;

  • Circulation in the body, cocoa contains a good amount of polyphenol antioxidant known to reduce blood pressure
  • Cancer fighter
  • Cough suppressant
  • Anti-diarrhea
  • Improve brain function
  • An aphrodisiac, who doesn’t enjoy a box of bon bons from that special person during Valentines Day!

 Knowing all these benefits does not mean that you should eat vast quantities.  Moderation is the key to health, and eating large quantities without burning it off can lead to obesity then to cardiovascular disease.

 There are different types of chocolate with varying degrees of chocolate, sugar and milk;

  • Chocolate Liquor is pure, ground roasted chocolate beans that can be used in baking and cooking.  Mixing chocolate liquor with sugar creats a base for snacks like cakes and cookies.
  • Dark chocolate is made by adding fat and sugar to at least 35% cocoa solids.  Some versions can remind you of coffee.
  • Milk chocolate contains milk mixed with at least 10% chocolate liquor which was invented by Nestle, and further refined by Hershey.  Probably the most popular version of the chocolate.
  • Semisweet chocolate is dark chocolate combined with about half the sugar content.  Mostly seen in chocolate chips.
  • Bittersweet chocolate combines chocolate liquor with about a third sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla. 
  • White chocolate is the cocoa butter removed from the cocoa solids with sugar added.  Some people do not consider white chocolate as a real chocolate.

For those with food allergies, always read the labels to indicate whether the product contains gluten, dairy, nut, or any other allergen.  While chocolate may be made one way on one day, there can be some cross contamination when they switch to milk chocolate or make a confectionary with nuts.  In general, a high quality dark chocolate will be gluten free and dairy free, just watch out for the nuts.  More mass produced manufacturers may use milk or other flour product to keep the chocolate from sticking.

Contact your chocolatier to find out whether there is a possibility of cross contamination, from flour on the bakers table, to stirring in milk, to adding nuts to an treat, or to adding eggs for a cake.  I just visited the Hershey Store on line and searched for Gluten Free and no results were found.  This is most likely because they make so many different thinks that it is impossible to label anything as gluten free. 

Always read the label and question before you munch on that chocolate bar, cake or drink that hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows.  Now go ahead and enjoy!  By the way, my favorite is Dark Chocolate.


Shop Hershey's Online Store!

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Videos on Food Allergies

April 18, 2010 — arkenterprises

Click here for some videos that are about different food allergies and you can get them from Amazon.com for convenience!

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What does Gluten do you your body and you don’t know it?

April 18, 2010 — arkenterprises

Surprisingly millions of people are allergic to wheat type breads, bagels, pastas and pastries every day. In addition, many unknowingly have complications with those products that contain gluten. Gluten attacks the small hair-like projections on the intestinal wall (called villi) by slowly wearing down the villi. Normally these villi absorb the nutrients and vitamins as food passes through the intestines.

Now the food nutrients pass in the gut less absorbed and unbroken down. Part of the bowel is anticipating the food to be in a certain state so it continues to process the foods further down the line. By this time it only can absorb what water is left. By this time you feel a pain in the lower belly and experiencing constipation.

This traffic jam then affects the emptying of the stomach then some get acid reflux and heartburn. So you grab an antacid like Pepcid AC or other products to help you feel better. It’s important to realize that everything is connected and the type of diet does make a difference.

In addition, from the villi being worn down and constipation increases, tiny holes are created in the lining, which lets food particles leak into your bloodstream rather than being broken down and absorbed normally. Then your body’s own natural defense system then starts to fight these “foreign invaders” and attacking the body. From this, you may see other symptoms such as skin rashes, eczema, bloating, mouth sores, and headaches to a name a few.

While some people will have this life long complication known as Celiac Disease (Leaky Gut), others can rebuild the intestinal lining with a gluten free diet to start the healing process. It may take 6 months of strict adherence to a gluten free diet. Just like anything else, it takes practice, practice and practice to get use to removing gluten.

Our Family now feels better with these changes. We have all noticed that our bowel movements are regular. I would have never thought eating breads would cause such complications.

The teachers have also noticed a difference, since he is able to eat his lunch and instead of thinking of being hungry, he can concentrates on this school work with his belly full of good food, which we are very happy with.

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Meal Times Gluten Free

April 18, 2010 — arkenterprises

As I push the shopping cart up and down the aisle of our local supermarket, I now carefully read the ingredients of each package of food. Looking for sources of gluten can be as like navigating a minefield. When you think a product has no gluten, oh no bam, you’re eating something with gluten. So unless it is marked with Gluten Free, assume it has gluten, and proceed with caution.

Reading the ingredients list, avoid the words that include barley, malt, oats, spelt, and wheat. Some surprises are soy sauce, teriyaki, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. My daily favorite Cheerios has been replaced with a gluten free rice o’s. While it the crunch in my mouth is different, it is just as tasty. My son is also sensitive to dairy, so milk is out and has been replace by almond or soymilk. Be aware that some brands of milk use barley malt as a sweetener. We have not been to the International House of Pancakes in a very long time, in the frozen section of the grocery store, Van’s makes a great line of Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free Waffles, French Toast and Pancakes. All are delicious. Now for breakfast meats. As you grab a link of sausages, some brands use barley malt for flavoring or other flour as a filler. As for coffee and tea, they are generally safe. Thank goodness for that!

Sandwiches are the usual fare for our mid day meal. Anything between two slices of bread was great. For me, holding a sandwich in one hand and typing away with the other was my daily practice for lunch. Now I usually have food on a plate and eat with utensils, such as a fork to eat my non-bread sandwich. So I add the meats, like grilled chicken on top of some tomatoes and lettuce, and squeeze some lemon juice rather than a salad dressing. Some dressings include malt vinegar and blue cheese contains gluten because it’s made from bread mold! In addition, some cheeses contain a modified wheat starch as an anti-caking agent.

Everybody enjoys a snack every so often between major meals. Flavored potato chips have been replace by plain potato chips because gluten can be hidden in the flavorings. All cookies, cookies and bars must say gluten free before chomping down on them.

By the time you get home from a long day at work, what’s for dinner? The canned soup is replaced by home made soup. Quinoa pastas have taken over wheat type pasta. Any fish is grilled or broiled rather than fried where the fish was dredged in flour to provide a golden crust.

Well, I am doing my best to watch my figure. Looking out for gluten in my kid’s dessert has been interesting. Cookie dough and brownie ice cream has been replace by Italian ices. Ready made cookies have been replace by homemade gluten free cookies. Continuously purchasing gluten free cookies can hurt the pocket, so making homemade baked treats is great for the budget and you know what is in it.

Overall, please be aware of your food allergies when shopping and eating out. There are plenty of gluten free products to enjoy, and everyday there are more companies producing gluten free products, as more awareness is being make regarding gluten and food allergies. Read the labels and enjoy your meals!

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