beef stroganoff

this recipe came to me by way of shyana, who found it at kidswithfoodallergies.org under the title, 'bailey's beef stroganoff'. thank you so much for passing it on, this recipe was an instant hit with the kids and reminded hubby of his favorite hamburger helper meal ! i've modified the amounts for a family of 7, having 2-3 servings each, smaller families can probably reduce the amounts by half.

i've gone on to tweak the original recipe quite a bit for a heavier, creamier sauce as well as a vegan version. the bottom-most pic shows the original way it used to come out - the top 2 pics are my modified way - i figured out how to get the same texture as when you use sour cream in a traditional recipe and this meal is a top favorite w/ my kids and husband!

2 lbs grass-fed, free range organic ground beef.

3 small onions

2 medium packages fresh mushrooms (optional OR can increase amount to replace beef for vegan version)

6 stalks celery, chopped

6 TBLspns virgin olive oil

1 cup allergy friendly flour (i used bob's red mills gluten free, all purpose baking flour - bean based)

2 cups allergy friendly milk (i used 'tempt' brand hemp milk, original, unsweetened)

1/2 cups beef broth ( i have used 'knorr' brand beef bouillon cubes for yrs and just this month it suddenly has corn starch in it! so i've now switched to 'kitchen basics' brand in the red box) (for vegan version - i use 'pacific' brand (corn-free) vegetable broth instead.

1 1/2 cups 'imagine' creamy portobello mushroom soup (in box- whole foods, other health food stores)

salt and pepper to taste

2 boxes rice pasta (i used tinkyada gluten-free spirals)

cook meat, onion, mushrooms and celery together, covered.

add mushrooms for last 10 minutes or so of covered simmering)

heat olive oil in separate pan, adding flour gradually while whisking constantly. once mixture is too sticky to spread, slowly add broth, whisking frequently.

gradually add alternative milk & mushroom soup next, whisking frequently. if you simply can't get the sticky lumps out, i keep the blender at the ready and pour the mixture into blender for a thorough and complete blending. once it has reached glossy perfection, i put it back into the saucepan to bubble and thicken.

put pasta on to boil, following instructions on box - (it's important to do the cold water rinse for this recipe so you don't get sticky, clumpy rice residue that will thicken and absorb the sauce!)

bring sauce to a boil while continuing to watch & stir the meat/onion/celery mixture. the meat mixture is done when the onions, mushrooms and celery are significantly reduced and soft and the meat is browned nicely - about 15-20 mins on med heat.

once your liquid sauce has come to a boil, it will begin to thicken, whisk constantly and reduce heat. when it has reached desired thickness, remove from heat add in meat & veggie mixture, mixing well. i simmered the combined pan for another few mins. i prepare a giant mixing bowl in the sink and place the rinsed pasta into it. then dump sauce mixture on top and stir well - and serve!

even w/ a family of 7, this meal provides for leftovers and trust me, you are goimg to want leftovers - this is one of those meals that tastes even better the next few days after it was cooked!

the vegan version of this recipe is also totally awesome!

i use fresh mushrooms (i love portabello & shiitakes) instead of beef - it's a mushroom stroganoff to die for, even the kids loved it ! (tho i may have told them it was a rare and delectable kind of meat instead of the evil mushrooms they've convinced themselves they hate).

popsicles & summertime snack ideas

the weather has been warming up and my mind is turning to hot weather treats for my little allergy guy and the other kids. popsicles are always a huge favorite, but i am dismayed and shocked every time i check the labels on the store brands. they all contain 4-5 sources of corn syrup or corn sugar, regular sugar and dye. that's it. not a trace of real fruit unless you buy the really expensive, 'natural' ones and they still have 2-3 sources of hidden corn. so we just make our own, it's easy and fun!

we buy fresh fruit and try to come up with flavors that sound good. a big hit is apples and berries. we also love oranges with a dash of cinnamon. nectarines with white grapes and a dash of ginger. if you want heartier popsicles with chunks of fruit, make the flax seed and fruit smoothies in my recipe collection on this site, and freeze in popsicle molds. if you want a fudgesicle, make the homemade chocolate coconut milk ice cream also in the recipe section here and freeze in popsicle molds. if you want a fruit and cream type popsicle, juice up some fruit and mix with coconut milk.

we have an industrial juicer and pick fruits that are easy to juice and not too costly which yield a lot of juice for their size. we don't really measure amounts, per se - we just keep juicing and tasting until we fill the pitcher, then pour into the popsicle molds. larger chain grocery stores (like target, walmart, etc...) should carry these seasonally - but i LOVE the ones at www.chasing-fireflies.com - that's where i got the ones in this pic).

you can also just use ready made juices form the health food store - but if you have severe corn allergy, be warned there are *very* few that are truly without corn. the orange mango juice by whole foods (brand name 365) has one ingredient that usually indicates hidden corn: natural flavoring. we use it occasionally and my super sensitive corn allergy toddler seems to be okay with it so far, but anything with ascorbic acid, vitamin c or citric acid, we can't do - he reacts to it.

in the pic, we have apple blueberry, orange mango and lemon raspberry popsicles.

another favorite for my allergy guy when the other kids are enjoying sunbutter and fruit spread sandwiches is shown here. we use the safe rice cakes i mention under 'snacks' in my recipe lists and i top it with a safe fruit spread and banana coins. another huge favorite is banana coins, thin apples slices and honey drizzled over it on a rice cake!