It’s pumpkin time! It’s that time of the year when I am reminded of why I love New England.  Autumn is my favorite season. Perhaps it is the sound of the recently bare tree branches rustling in the wind or the colorful fallen leaves that crackle under my feet or brisk air that causes my inner core to shiver reminding me that I am alive!  I am constantly stimulated by fabulous shades of red, pink, brown and ORANGE.  Speaking of orange, I went pumpkin shopping (not exactly at a pumpkin patch…it was the supermarket).  My little ones and I spent last week decorating our pumpkins.  Our ghoulish pumpkins with their slightly goofy smiles guard our house and greets our guests.

As we prepare to help the pumpkin completes its life cycle (from seed, to patch, to supermarket to our stomachs), I asked my mom about a good old Haitian recipe – Soup Joumou (in English, pumpkin Soup).  In my culture, Soup Joumou is a popular meal consumed on Haitian new year as a symbolic meal.  While most Haitians continue Haiti’s rich tradition of serving this traditionally rich soup, the Soup Joumou is perfect if you are looking for a warm and hearty meal on a brisk Autumn day.

Pumpkin Soup Joumou

Soup Joumou
1 lb corned beef or 1 lb beef stew meat
0 – water
1 1/2 lbs pumpkin, peeled & diced
2 turnips, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 sprig parsley
1 sprig thyme
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup rice, washed (uncooked, not instant)
salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 -4 teaspoons butter
1 bunch of spaghetti

Put meat in a pot with generous amounts of water and bring to a boil for 1 hour. When the meat is tender, add pumpkin, water, salt and pepper to the large pot and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and cloves to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and cover and simmer until the pumpkin is tender. Add carrots, turnips, cabbage, nutmeg, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer. Stir in the pasta, parsley and let it simmer as you prepare your serving bowls. The wonderful thing about this soup is you can be creative. For example, if you have a wheat allergy, you can use rice spaghetti as a great alternative (be sure you use rice and not corn based products)! Some Haitians even add rice to their recipe.

Another idea – try roasting the pumpkin as well as butternut and acorn squash until golden in color. Sautee the roasted squash in a pan and add salt, pepper and a ½ teaspoon of Olive Oil for flavor. When ready, add roasted squash to pot of boiling meat and follow recipe above.

If you have ghoulish goons hanging around your house this Autumn, you should check out this recipe.

Check us out on Hearth and Soul!

First,  my mom, who immigrated from Haiti almost 40 years ago, stepped foot in the Museum of Fine Arts for the first time.  A self-educated woman of petite stature, her eyes glistened with amazement and gratefulness.  She moved from painting to painting, Iranian ewers to Japanese woodblock prints, reading about each piece.  For that moment, her ailments disappeared.  She walked those exhibit halls with confidence as she flirted with each piece of art. Our Haitian Creole was just an echo in the exhibit halls among several other languages spoken that day…a testament to the universality of art.

Second, it was the first time my 14 month old walked the halls of this great museum, cruising past Renoir masterpieces, an Egyptian asophagus and El Greco.  He stood in the European art gallery, lifted his little head (well, actually, he has a large head….it’s ok, I make big head babies! LOL!) and just stared at the wonderful portraits.  He would tilt  his head as far back as he could and then bring it forward towards the ground – it was amusing to observe his playful innocence.  He seemed particularly interested in St. James  and I wondered if it was the firery red of Saint James’ robe that caught his attention.  I stood in marvel as I watched my oldest sit with a friend on a cushioned ottaman to sketch their version of Anubis and my baby smiling at what – at first sight – appeared to be dark and melancholy figures.  I smiled as I thought that this may be the beginning of a pleasurable experience with fine art or any art.

While my boys share a curiosity about art and interest in many things, they do not share that certain something that has the potential of becoming a critical marker of their difference: food allergies.  As you have read in previous post, my oldest is allergic to a lot of foods.  It turns out, the baby (so far) is not.  It was less of an issue when the baby’s only source of nourishment was milk; however, things changed when the baby started eating solids.  My oldest became more interested in what his brother was eating.  At first his questions were – well – just questions, and more on the curious-side.  He would ask: “Can I eat that?”  “Does his lunch have wheat?” As the months passed and his brother’s palate (and belly) expanded, his questions were protest  “Why can’t I eat that?”  “Why do some people have food allergies and others don’t” “That’s not fair, why does he get to eat that?”

I decided that day that my baby can go without fries.  For the first time, and yes I too had a first at the Museum of Fine Arts – I decided that on this day my boys would eat the same food.  They both chomped on carrots and took spoonfuls of rice.  My oldest was so happy to share his wheat-free, egg-free chicken nuggests with his little brother.

It was easy.  It was stress-free.  It was temporary salvation.

I know that every day I will be faced with this decision and so I vow to take it day-by-day.  No pressure.  Most importantly, I let my oldest know that I too am trying to figure it out.  He watched me diligently inquire about each food.  My truth is – I know that at a certain point in my boys development they may feel like they don’t have anything in common with each other.  I will not let my oldest boy’s allergies to food become a reason for him to envy his little brother.  At this stage in their development, my boys are not foodies!  Similar to their fine art experience, their relationship with food is also at the surface.  I look forward to the day when they will look for the deeper meaning behind those wonderful paintings and art pieces at the museum.  Perhaps by then, my oldest will outgrow his allergies and they will be able to dine at a restaurant and experience another first – their first meal together where both can enjoy unrestricted goodness.  Perhaps! But Sunday was not that day.

What would you do?  You may have a lot of questions about my decision and I would love to hear from you.

As a mom of a child with food allergies, holidays (and quite frankly, most celebratory and social events) also trigger a certain level (although over time this level of anxiety has diminished) of anxiety.  Whether it is a July 4 BBQ or a birthday party, I am constantly faced with the challenge of preparing wheat-free, egg-free, nut-free and most everything-else free cakes, brownies, cookies and cupcakes.

Many times I will call the host and ask “So, have you decided on what you plan to offer as a treat for the kids?”  Other times, I make a guess as to what to bring.   I would like to think that besides being driven by my child’s well-being and safety, I also am driven by the idea of helping my child and other children understand more about food allergies, acknowledge their differences and accept them.  As I prepared treats for a BBQ this weekend, I realized that I also just want my child to fit-in.  Unlike the maestro of the Boston Pops, my goal is to help orchestrate a non-event.  From BBQ chicken (having pulled the host aside to ask about each ingredient in the rub) to the cupcakes, I want my child’s transitions to be seamless.

During the last several years, I have tried quite a number of approaches:

(1) “Match Treat” approach – I would call up the host to find out what the treat is and even what color is the frosting. The goal? Typically is to prepare a slice of cake that perfectly matches the main dessert.

(2) “Reasoned Treat” approach -  I usually don’t call the host in advance for a copy of the menu.  Instead, I just make assumptions.  For example, if it is a birthday party, there is a greater likelihood that the main treat will be a cake rather than cookies.  The challenging aspect about this approach is the unpredictability.  I attended a couple of birthday parties armed with vanilla frosting and food coloring in case I had to “mix-to-match” on the spot.

(3)  “Kid-a-li-cious Treats” approach – Instead of baking a piece of cake for just my son, I make treats that all little ones can enjoy.  Although not effective at a birthday party (picture the scenario: Hi, I prepared a cake for your little one’s birthday party just so my kid and your kids can enjoy the same treat), it is a wonderful approach for every other event.

Which one are you? Over the years, I have come to lean more towards the “kid-a-li-cious” approach because it helps with that seamless transition.  Most importantly, the “kid-a-li-cious” approach has a certain flexibility built-in where you  no longer have to uncover the main treat in advance.  Instead, I prepare whatever I like with the idea that my kid and other children will enjoy it!

This July 4 weekend, I prepared butterfly-shaped and ice-cream cone shaped cupcakes using my Nordic cast iron pans.  Unlike the other talented  and lovely contributors to Zomppa who prepare exquisite baked goods from scratch, I am more of a cake mix “plus” type.  You should check out Gluten-free Goddess for awesome recipes from scratch!  I found a cake-mix that is easy to make and very tasty.  In addition, I often will add pure maple syrup, brown sugar, tapioca flour and a touch of fruit juice (i.e., apples or peaches) to the ingredients.

The cupcakes are excellent 90% of the time.  They are fluffy and light – slowly melting in your mouth.  The remaining 10% are less predictable…well, the cupcakes taste more like mini french baguettes (I think it is the tapioca flour – too much of it gives it a gummy consistency!)

Well, regardless of whether your approach is the  “Match Treats”, “Reasoned” or “Kid-a-li-cious”,  I salute you because of your efforts (however tiresome) to normalize your child’s experience and bring that child happiness.  My son’s eyes light up every time I tell him we are going to prepare treats for his friends.  He wants his friends to love his mommy’s cupcakes….I mean, is there a kid who does not share this desire?

At the BBQ this weekend, my butterfly cupcakes were gaily displayed for curious little fingers to capture.  I can’t tell you if the kids ate them or not, but I can tell you that my little guy didn’t even notice…he just seemed content that he can bring something special to the party!

Happy July 4!

As a mom, many times I find myself reflecting on the grandiose nature of my responsibility – Wow, the fate of this little person completely rest on: the values that I teach him, my commitment to reading to him, the food that I feed him and the knowledge that I share with him.  Seriously, think about the pressure.  For example, in our household, my husband and I made a commitment to build our boys’ vocabulary – essentially giving them the gift of self-expression.  As a result, most days we are constantly bombarded with questions such as  “what does ‘independent’ mean?”  Most days, I live up to our commitment, but I will be honest and say that some days I just don’t want to put in the effort to find the answer.  On days when I have a “Homer” (and not the author Homer of the Iliad and Odyssey, but more Homer Simpson) moment,  a question like “what does ‘independent’ mean?” may get the answer “it means whatever you want it to mean!”  Moms are constantly under pressure to always do and say what is right.  The same pressure applies when it comes to nutrition.  With the innovation of the internet, we have real-time access to information about parenting and nutrition and real life examples of the Ms. Honeys of our time.   As a result, decisions, including the less stellar ones like feeding your child white rice, are often very well informed.

When we learned of our oldest son’s food allergies, we introduced rice into his diet.  It was the first real food that he ate sans vegetables and protein and he loved it.  In fact, three and a half years later, my little person loves to indulge in a bowl of plain white rice.  That’s right, we didn’t introduce brown rice even though I am aware of brown rice and its benefits (when compared to white rice).  We opted for taste.  White rice has served as a building block in our son’s diet.  Whenever we want him to try a new vegetable or protein filled food, we add it to rice or rice-based products like rice noodles or rice flour.  One of our early and simpler recipes was “Spinach rice”, and later, “Spinach rice noodles.”

Zomppa’s Spinach Rice

Spinach Rice
3 handfuls of  organic spinach
1 and 1/2 cups of rice
2 teaspoons of olive oil
sea salt

1. Saute spinach in a pan with a little salt and olive oil. 
2. Add three cups of water to a pan and let it come to a boil. 
3. Add the rice to the boiling water. 
4. After most of the water in the pan evaporates, add three teaspoons of olive oil along the boarder of the rice and tightly seal the lid on the pan. 
5. Decrease the temperature to low heat and let the rice simmer for a 1/2 hour or so. 
6. Put the sauteed spinach in a food processor for 2 to 5 pulses. 
7. After the rice is cooked, we mix the spinach in with the rice and let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

The result: Spinach rice.

When using rice as a building block, we didn’t worry about our son’s taste buds becoming dependent on rice.  His buds didn’t.  Our son now loves to eat leafy greens like spinach and collard greens sauteed with garlic and red onions.

So now what?  Should I try to correct my decision and introduce brown rice into my boys’, especially my oldest son’s, diet?  Of course.  I know the benefits of brown rice.  My goal is to introduce brown rice and my wish is that brown rice will eventually replace two to three servings of white rice per week.  As a mom, I became comfortable with the fact that accomplishing the greater goal of raising a healthy child who enjoys nutritious and healthy foods may require small compromises along the way.  White rice was a compromise, but one that proved to be an incredible and fundamental building block to healthier eating.

My affirmation statement for today -  I’m ok with not being perfect!

When I was preggers with my first child, I cast my inner eye upon my heart and talked to God about all my hopes and worries.  I prayed for a healthy child who would embrace life with a curious mind and a loving heart.  But, I did not realize that I should also pray for a child who is free from eczema, asthma and allergies, especially food allergies.  If I were more aware of how prevalent food allergies have become in our country (and better yet, if I knew my darling child would not be able to share one of my favorites – king crab with legumes), I probably would have talked to God sooner, prayed harder to keep the food allergies demon at bay.  I can hear the prayer now:  “Dear God:  So, I am seeing more and more kids with food allergies.  I am scared that I would not know what to do, how to feed a child with food allergies.  I love food!  I love the freedom that comes with choosing my foods and the sense of control I feel knowing that I can eat whatever I want.  Please bless this child with the same freedom!”

Nine months afters after my son was born, our pediatrician called to tell us that the RAST test results were off the charts – in the thousands.  The alarm in her voice frightened me.  My husband and I went from loving the experience of enjoying food to dreading it.  Our little man is allergic to: wheat, soy, eggs, all seafood, tree nuts, kidney beans, peas (and some others).

My husband and I thought: “There goes bringing him to dim sum on Saturdays!  There goes traveling abroad as a family! There goes baguettes and French pastries! There goes peanut butter and jelly! There goes sushi!!!”  I’ll be honest, we focused on everything he wouldn’t be able to eat, so much so that we pumped his little body with milk, vitamins, white rice and veggies.

As a result, his early food experience was bland.   It wasn’t until one day we went to my parents’ house to pick up our little man and we saw him standing on a chair at the kitchen table helping his grandma prepare a Haitian meal that things changed.  At that moment, we realized two things:  just because he has food allergies doesn’t mean he can’t share the same love of cooking and food.  Second, he may have no control over his food allergies, but he can develop a sense of control over what he eats.  Control starts with knowing your allergies and so, that is where we began.  So we went to work. We taught him all about his allergies and we taught him early. By age two, he could list his allergies as a foodie could recite a recipe.

So here is our lessons learned:

(1) Teach your child what he/she is allergic too! Not just “I’m allergic!” or “I have celiac disease!” But more of “I’m allergic to [list the food]!”;

(2) Teach your child about the importance of reading the ingredients.  He/she may not be able to read, but he/she can tell his care provider “I’m allergic to [list the foods].  I don’t know if I can eat the cake.  What are the ingredients?”;

(3) Help your child understand how his/her body reacts when he/she eats an allergic food; and

(4) Help your child accept his/her differences by starting the conversation and setting the habits at home.  Every time we cook, we talk about the ingredients!  We also don’t always limit our menu because of his allergies (it’ helps him get comfortable with being around diners that are eating foods he can’t).

I look forward to sharing my family’s stories and experiences with food with you.  ‘Til next time!

What is your favorite food movie or book?

My favorite movie - Like Water for Chocolate - I love that movie because it exposes the emotional process that goes into cooking a meal. I think I smiled throughout the entire movie! Rachel Getting Married - for many this movie is more about family and less about food and that is exactly why I love this movie.  Food is just as central, but less obvious. The characters bond over a meal, argue over a meal and celebrate love over a meal!