Recipes: Gluten-Free Tea Time

We don't have the standard three meals here at Babylon Sanctum. We couldn't be that normal, could we? ;)

We have:
Breakfast
Lunch
Tea
Dinner
1am Meal

The only meals there with specified times are dinner and tea. They are also the only meals that multiple household members are expected to take part in.

Dinner is by 7pm. Tea time is 2:30.

I've been eating a lot of microwave soup for tea time lately. Here's today's :)


Neo-Peasant Soup
-a soup spoon of butter-substitute
-broth (chicken, beef, veggie, or whatever you like)
-broccoli (fresh)
-1 small potato
-green bean baby food
-sqaush baby food

Add everything to your microwave-safe bowl; use enough broth to cover all the veggies. Chop the broccoli and the potato relatively small, so they'll cook.

I use scissors for the broccoli and cut it directly into my bowl of broth. And a very sharp knife for the potatoes.

Microwave until potatoes are tender, approximately 6 minutes.

In that six minutes, you can, in this order:
-put the kettle on to boil
-get the tea pot and leaves or cups and bags ready
-make a toaster oven sandwich to go with your soup
-clean up the counter after prep

And when your soup is done, your microwave is going to be very steamy. Give it a quick 10 second wipe-down with a rag or paper towel, and you're ready to sit down to a full meal, quickly and easily prepared :)


Serving Ideas

Excellent spicing options are adobe, soul seasoning, or just plain salt and pepper.

If you want to, you can thicken the soup with some instant mashed potatoes and then thin it with a little milk-substitute or cream-substitute. This makes a heartier version, really good for a cold afternoon :) You can also do this and leave the potato out if you're out of potatoes or just don't want to bother with a potato.

It's really good topped with deli ham, too.

Serve with a warm baguette topped with ghee, or with a toaster-oven ham sandwich, recipe below. Dip the sandwich in the soup. It's awesome :D


Toaster Oven Ham Sandwich
-par-baked gluten-free baguette
-casein-free ghee
-thinly sliced deli ham

Cut a section of baguette in half, spread with ghee, and arrange ham on bread. Toast open-faced in toaster oven until baguette is crispy.


Notes
Butter substitute: We use casein-free ghee and/or Earth Balance.
Broth: You can make your own if you want to, but you're good to use a high quality brand of store-bought stuff. Read the ingredients list to make sure whole ingredients were used. It should look like this, not like this.

Baby food: Trust me. They will add a lot of depth of flavor and nutrition to your soup. Experiment with different baby food vegetables, or even meats if you're adventurous. It's a quick, simple, shelf-stable source of lots of vitamins. Use Beechnut. Alternatively, you could make your own vegetable purees and freeze them for things like this.

Instant mashed potatoes: Again, go for something high quality. The ingredients should look like this, not like this.

Milk substitute: We use almond milk.

Cream substitute: We use a cashew-based product.


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There you go. Enjoy tea time :) What are you thankful for today?

Love, life, light and luck,
Mama Coyote

Funny Morning!

Elijah woke up giggling this morning :)

His Grandmere's comment is that he must really like Texas.

-Mama Coyote

Making (Personal) History

I am riding in a car, connected to a cell phone network. From my laptop. We're in Texas, on a long drive from one place to another.

This. Is just so amazing.

May I never get tired of things like this.

--Mama Coyote

Caffeine levels are critical!

I'm not allowed Vanilla Coke until after Pennsic and I've sworn off caffeine except in certain situations until after I try to donate blood.

And now, I'm stimming like mad.

Grrrr... Stupid chemical reactions between caffeine and vitamins!

Titi Bug

Outside Moment

I wish I could get pictures, but it's dark outside.

I brought the rug from the master bedroom outside and laid it out in the front yard, to get rained on and to have the sun beat down on it. It needs a good cleaning.

Elijah laid down on it and said he was going to sleep. "Goodnight, Mom. See you tomorrow!"

So we brought blankets and pillows out, and we are now lying down on the rug in the front yard, wrapped in a big Little Einsteins comforter and enjoying bedtime.

I need to thank my mediciation, and FlyLady, and Al-Anon. Before all of that, I would never have let this happen.

Thank you for this moment.

"Cloud fly high up in the sky. Going fast."

"Elijah's scared. It's dark out here."

"Elijah warm." "Elijah's warm?" "Right."

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This didn't last too long; he decided he wanted water, and to go inside. So now he's in his room, playing with trains until he's ready to go to sleep. But it was such a wonderful moment.

I love my boy.

Goodnight,
Mama Coyote

From a couple weeks ago

I'm going through my email, and this is one I sent myself from my phone while Elijah and I were still at my parents' house:

"Elijah stayed w my dad this evening while Lyn and I went to mooch some Internet and play with the kittens. When we got back; E was asleep in my bed. Dad says he set up a chair and tv tray, spent two or tree minutes making sure he had everything in place, including the rug and his trains. Then sat down and said, "Eggs and rice please.". After eating his eggs and rice, he went into the room he and I are staying in, turned on the light, and put himself to bed. Dad thought he'd be back in a minute, but when he went to check on him, he was asleep."

He's so awesome :)

--Mama Coyote

I wish I could record straight to DVD

I think Mama C would enjoy Masterpiece Mystery and Are You Being Served? BritComs make lots of things better.