Mushroom tacos

When it comes to preparing meals that are supposed to contain meat, I always ask myself if there is a suitable non-meat substitute.  Usually, if meat is the star of the meal, it can't be replaced, but if meat is just an accessory, it can be substituted.    So, for example, there is absolutely nothing that can replace a good pork chop or some chicken wings.  On the other hand, for tacos, the ground beef (or what have you) isn't so important and can absolutely be swapped.  For me, the seasonings and toppings are what make the tacos.

I normally like to use some form of mushroom when making vegetarian tacos.  I recently had the revelation that chopped up button or cremini mushrooms would have the same texture as cooked ground beef and it would make the tacos much easier to eat.  Sliced portobello mushroom caps are good if you're looking for something comparable to steak or chicken strips; unfortunately, the slices always came out of the taco making for a somewhat messy eat. 

In my last post, I pointed out how tortilla shells and taco seasoning mixes may contain soy.  I searched high and low for soy-free flour tortillas and the only type of tortilla that was suitable was the La Banderita Fat Free Tortillas (click on 'La Banderita', select 'Flour Tortillas', then find the fat free variety).   If you like corn tortillas - Tara doesn't - your options will be greatly expanded.  Additionally, you can make your own, which I have done a few times when I was younger (bonus points if you use your hands to flip the tortillas like my Guatemalan friends).

For the taco seasoning mix, your best bet is to make your own.  I was stoked to find that I had all the  ingredients listed in most taco seasoning recipes (be aware that they contain onion and garlic powder, items that may need to be restricted for Porphs).




Mushroom Tacos
Serves 2

This is an incredibly easy recipe to make.  I can normally get this on the table in under 30 minutes (20 if I'm fast and organized) and most of that time is spent prepping and cooking the mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 8-16oz  mushrooms, stems removed and diced
• ~1 Tb oil for the pan, grapeseed or olive oil are good
• ~1 Tb butter, optional
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup water
• 1 Tb or so taco seasoning
• 4-6 taco shells or tortillas
• Toppings, we like: salsa, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, and diced onions

Directions

Heat a large skillet over med-high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the oil.  After the oil has heated, add the butter.  When the butter is melted, add the mushrooms.  Cook until mushrooms are browned and slightly crispy, about 10 minutes.  At this point, add the taco seasoning and water; stir to mix.  Let the liquid come to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. 

While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare all of your toppings: shred the lettuce, dice the onions and tomatoes, etc.

A few minutes before the mushrooms are done, prepare your tortillas or shells.  If we're having our tacos with tortillas, I wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for about 45 seconds.  (You could also shape them into a tortilla shell bowl, as we did the last time we made tacos.)  If we're using the taco shells, I stick them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or so;  follow the directions on the package.

Assemble your tacos as you see fit.  (Tara and I do this completely different, naturally.)

*Note: The listed amount needed for the mushrooms is so large because it really depends on your needs and preferences.  If you like just enough filling for your tacos and will maybe have a side dish, then use the smaller amount.  Conversely, if you like to over stuff your tacos and have extra filling to make a small salad on the side and have leftovers, then use the larger amount.  We find that 12oz is a good amount for us.

10 foods you didn't know had soy

Did you know that soy is in a lot of bread, cereal, and meat products?  Yeah, neither did we before we began our restricted, Porph-friendly diet.  And, at about 4 months in, we have finally eliminated almost all soy from our diets.  We did this by being super strict when food shopping and now everything we buy is soy-free.  (We are a little less concerned when eating out, but we figure this is more than balanced by our uber-strictness at home.)  This has been incredibly difficult because soy is in everything.  Obvious, soy-containing foods like tofu, edamame, soy sauce (Duh!), and soy-based meat products were easy to cut out.  However, there are a lot of less obvious and even surprising foods that contain soy; it is most commonly in the form of soy lecithin and soybean oil, but it can also be found as soy flour and soy protein.  

Here's a list of 10 foods you probably didn't know had soy:

1. Prepared baking mixes like cake and brownie mixes

My favorite boxed mix.

2. Crackers and cookies: most commercially available brands.

3. Breads: most commercially available brands

I love their 100% Whole Wheat.

4. Breakfast cereals, especially high-protein varieties like Kashi

I can't eat any of their stuff anyway, due to a buckwheat allergy.

5. Multi grain products like crackers, cookies, and pastas.

6. Flour tortillas

Fat free versions can be OK.

7. Frozen prepared meals

7 different mentions of soy ingredients!

8. Seasoning mixes

9. Peanut butter

10. Chocolate

Even the fancy Valrhona has soy. :(

Of course, soy is in lots more foods than those mentioned above.  What surprising foods have you found that contain soy?

I had originally intended on providing some alternative choices for each category, but it all came down to checking out an alternative, more natural product and/or make your own.  Thankfully, I've been noticing that there are more and more soy-free alternatives at my regular grocery store, especially since my last snacks review.  I have had the hardest time with bread products and chocolate (for which I don't think there are any soy-free versions).  As far as making your own food, I find that it is incredibly satisfying eating a meal or treat that I made myself, even more so if I've put a lot of work into making it.

And, yes, you can make your own Oreos.

Vegan tortilla 'sandwich' and eliminating foods

When we first decided to tackle Tara's AIP head-on and try to manage it instead of allowing it to control us, the most daunting aspect was revamping her diet.  Aside from the universal mantra of eat a carb-rich diet, there is so much conflicting information about what a Porphyriac can and can't eat. Honestly, it was really overwhelming.  

After some moping around and a lot of, "Oh my goodness, what the hell can you eat, Tara," I realized that being so overwhelmed to the point of paralysis wasn't going to get Tara anywhere.  So, what did I do?  I looked through several websites that had dietary information and picked out some major themes.  I found that the guidelines could be roughly boiled down to this: 

1. Eat a diet that has at least 250-300g of carbs per day.

2. Avoid all soy products.

3. Limit the amount of sulfur/sulfite intake.

4. Avoid alcohol.

5. Eat regularly and don't fast.

6. Avoid chamomile. ( I know, weird.)

UPDATE: For a more detailed restricted foods list, check out the Restricted foods page. 

The first thing we did was to get Tara to eat more regularly; this isn't something that comes easily to Tara.  She doesn't get hungry to often, so she can't rely on her body to tell her when to eat.  So, we figured that she needs to eat every three hours or so.  Also, she has to eat or drink something very shortly before going to bed and after waking up.  This has made a huge impact on how Tara feels.

As far as eliminating the porphyrinogenic foods, our strategy is to no longer bring it into the house and when we use it up, that's it! (This will save us from having to replace everything in the pantry.)  I decided to start with soy.  I figure that, while it will be the hardest to eliminate, it will also have the most impact.  Soy can be tricky because it comes in several different forms: soy lecithin, soybean oil, vegetable oil, soy flour, soy protein, etc.  I was shocked to learn that it's in almost everything, especially in baked goods.  What's worse, I can't even rely on the allergen information (you know, the "Contains wheat, dairy, etc. ingredients."), because soy is not always listed, so I have to check all of the ingredients.  The biggest problem has been with convenience foods that Tara really likes, such as frozen waffles or breakfast bars.  My goal is to slowly replace those with either other soy-free, convenience-substitutes or homemade versions.  

 Gratuitous shot of rising steam...

We've also started to decrease the amount of high-sulfur foods we eat.  Sulfur is in things like cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and tomatoes - yeah, tomatoes!  (See somewhat conflicting lists here and here.)  We're not being super strict about eliminating any of these foods yet because it would just be too much.  Thankfully, though, we don't regularly eat foods that are super high in sulfur, like those from the cabbage family, so that hasn't been too difficult.  However, when it comes to things like garlic and onions, foods that are integral to so many other recipes, all we can do is decrease the amount of how much we eat for now.

The hardest thing about this has been being creative and open-minded about what we cook and eat; we have to be willing to try different foods. On the up-side, though, we've eaten so many yummy foods that we never would have tried before, like these vegan tortilla sandwiches.

 I love how the grains of rice look like teeth.

Vegan tortilla sandwich

They say that necessity is the mother of all invention... Of course, it's cliche to say so, but in the case of this tortilla sandwich, it's so true.  I used all of my energy making a from-scratch bread (recipe soon) that I could barely come up with anything for dinner.  So, I started randomly pulling things out from the fridge.  I ended up with an old package of sun-dried tomato tortilla, Moroccan-flavored hummus dip, leftover black bean and tomato rice, and frozen peas.  The combo was de-freaking-licious!  The entire time I was eating the sandwich, I kept saying how insanely good it was.  The only thing I would have changed was to mix the peas in with the rice and included them in the sandwich (I actually did this the next night for dinner).  

Feel free to experiment with what you have.

Ingredients:

• Tortillas (at least 2)
• Some sort of dip or spread that isn't too runny
• A rice and/or chopped vegetable mixture, room temp.
• Olive oil

Directions:

Heat a pan over med/high heat.  Spread one side of each tortilla with your dip. (You want it to be thick enough to hold your rice/vegetable mixture on the tortilla, but not so much that the mixture gets lost.)  Spread your rice/vegetable mix on one of the tortillas.  Place the second tortilla, dip-side down, on top.  

Brush one tortilla lightly with olive oil.  Put the sandwich, oil-side down, in the pan.  Cook for a few minutes until the bottom is browned to your liking.  Brush the top lightly with olive oil.  Flip and cook until browned.

Cut in quarters to serve.  

Note: Recipe can be halved by using one tortilla, cut in half.