dermatitis herpetiformis - SUCKS

So this isn't a glowy post about what wonderful food i've found. its a post about how bad i've been and the hooooooooorrible toll i'm paying now. Basically you can decude that lack of blogging = lack of interest & a lack of interest leads to a bad bad gluten FULL diet.

so what is dermatitis herpetiformis? Well you can click on the link for more, but basically it feels (& sorta looks) like poison ivy ~ itches like a MOTHER ~ and is caused by eating gluten products. Good times right. No worries ~ it gets better. Basically when your live 100% gluten free you can suppress the outbreaks but the second you fall off the bandwagon ~ BAM. And that is for.life. Good times.

So my options are pretty few. I can be 100% gluten free forever or take a drug. A drug that sucks so bad you must get blood tests every 3 mos to make sure you haven't completely ruined your body. No Thanks. GF may feel like a train wreck when you can't have that grilled cheese that your simply dying for ~ but actually dying at the hands of a pharm company...I'll pass.

Peter seems to think that if i do a GF detox my rash will have a shorter shelf life. I'm a little less optimistic but am seriously willing to try anything!

Soo...here we go! (again)

Kale, Potato & Sausage Soup

This is going to be hard for me because I REALLY don't have any measurements. But a good thing is -- that just means its sooooo easy!!!

- 1 lg box of organic GF chicken stock
- 1 bag of kale
be sure to wash the greens a few extra times! Nothing is worse than gritty sandy soup. Any by wash i mean fill a large bowel / sink with cold water. Place in greens, swish around and let soak. Gently pick up the floating greens out of the bowl THEN discard water. Repeat until there is no sediment at the bottom of the bowl.1
- package of chicken sausage
my favorite for this recipe is Trader Joes Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage
- new potatoes
cut into bite size pieces
- Parmesan cheese rind
- salt & pepper

in your large stock pot - brown the sausage
remove and chop up into bite size pieces
add chicken stock & potatoes and cheese rind. let simmer for about 15 minutes
add Kale & a few cups of water
toss in chicken sausage
salt & pepper to taste.

Turkey & Olive Shepards Pie

DISCLAIMER: be sure the pan you choose to bake the 'pie' in does NOT have a plastic handle!!

from: a lower fat/ nonpork / quicker version of Rachel Rays 'Jumbo Pork-and-Potato Balls'
60 Minutes to Prepare and Cook
Number of Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs Potatoes, peeled & diced
1.25 lbs Chicken Thighs
1 Med Yellow Onion
1 c. Chicken Broth
1T Potato Starch
1/2 c. Green Pitted Olives
1T Olive Oil
1 Pat Butter

DIRECTIONS
-In a saucepan, combine the potatoes and enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes
-drain, season with salt and pepper, butter, milk and mash
-let cool
-Season the chicken with salt and in a large skillet, cook for 3 minutes on each side
-Transfer to a work surface.
-In the same skillet, over medium high heat, saute onion and cook, stirring, until softened
-Add the chicken broth, olives and potato starch then cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
-Finely chop the chicken and stir into the skillet and season with salt and pepper
-Turn broiler on HIGH
-In a large saucepan, heat the oil on high and place 2/3 of the mashed potatoes down and spread like a giant pancake going up the sides of the pan if you can
-Fill the mashed potato 'cup' with all of the chicken mixture
-Top the chicken mixture with the remaining mashed potatoes and dot with butter
-Place under broiler until potatoes are brown and crisp

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving: 1/4 of pie
Calories: 458.4
Total Fat: 16.3 g
Cholesterol: 94.6 mg
Sodium: 1,330.9 mg
Total Carbs: 47.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.9 g
Protein: 29.0 g
calculated from from sparkrecipes.com *thanks Peter for your correction :P

Veggie Cakes

Like veggie latkes but heavier on egg than normal. A nice breakfast idea. I'll admit, they're a lil bland for my taste buds, but our toddler LOVES them and they're perfectly portable for lunch at daycare or snacks on the road. (without the sour cream of course!)

from: me
20 Minutes to Prepare and Cook
4 servings of 2 cakes each

INGREDIENTS
2 carrots, shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp potato starch
salt ~ to taste
1 T sour cream per serving for garnish

DIRECTIONS-Mix shredded carrots, zucchini, eggs and potato starch in a bowl, salt to taste
-Cook like pancakes
-3inch rounds should make approximately 8 cakes
-serve warm with sour cream on top.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving: 2 3-inch cakes
Calories: 86.5
Total Fat: 4.3 g
Cholesterol: 160.8 mg
Sodium: 75.7 mg
Total Carbs: 6.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.0 g
Protein: 5.6 g
calculated from from sparkpeople.com

Swiss Chard with Raisins & Pine Nuts

This is a nice alternative for those greens i dread ever so much. The raisins add a sweetness that isn't often a combo with greens so i appreciate the contrast.

and uhhh don't forget to wash the swiss chard WELL...even if it looks really really really clean. (not that i've got grit between my teeth or anything)

from: mothering.com
20 Minutes to Prepare and Cook
6 1/2-cup servings

Ingredients
6c. Chopped Swiss Chard (or 1 large bunch)
1/2 c.Water
1/2 c. Raisins
1/2 c. Pine Nuts toasted
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt ~ to taste

DIRECTIONS
-In a large saucepan put the chopped swiss chard, water, and raisins.
-Cover on an angle so it vents
-On high steam/boil until water evaporates ~ (approx 10 minutes)
-While cooking, in a seperate pan, dry roast the pine nuts until nutty smelling (approx 3 min on med-high)
-When swiss chard is well wilted and pretty dry, add pine nuts, olive oil and salt if desired
-Toss & serve

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Amount Per Serving 1/2 c.
Calories: 172.6
Total Fat: 10.3 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 315.2 mg
Total Carbs: 19.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.6 g
Protein: 5.3 g
calculated from from sparkpeople.com

and one last lil tidbid...when i mean dry, i don't mean this.

Avgolemono Soup ~ the best alternative to chicken soup

This is the perfect alternative to chicken noodle soup on cold icky days. The lemon livens it up and despite the blues ~ makes you feel a lil bit more alive by the end of the bowl. I really, really, really, like this soup and can see myself making it often. It could be the perfect quick lunch with leftover rice.

from: mothering.com
30 Minutes to Prepare and Cook
6 1-cup servings

INGREDIENTS
8 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. white long grain rice
3 eggs
1 lemon
salt ~ to taste

DIRECTIONS
-Heat 8 cups of chicken broth till its at a rolling boil
-add rice and turn to low
-let simmer approx 20 min or until rice is done
-in a seperate bowl beat the 3 eggs
-remove broth from heat
-wisk in beaten eggs
-roll lemon on counter to get it juicy and add the juice from 1 lemon to the soup ~ be careful to avoid the seeds
-salt to taste

Number of Servings: 6

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving: 1 c
Calories: 160.1
Total Fat: 6.0 g
Cholesterol: 109.6 mg
Sodium: 2,153.1 mg
Total Carbs: 7.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 18.3 g
caluclated from from sparkpeople.com

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