Mom's Custard Pie Revisited

6 eggs
1.5 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups scalded rice milk
nutmeg
10" pie crust

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.

Scald rice milk. Beat eggs, then add sugar, salt, cornstarch, and vanilla, mixing well. Dribble scalded milk in while mixing, until well combined.

Place crust-lined pie pan on cookie sheet on oven rack and pour in filling; sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 min, then at 425 degrees for 35-40 min. Allow to cool, though it may be served slightly warm. Refrigerate any remainder.

Pumpkin Pie

• Pastry for a 10" one-crust pie -or- graham cracker crust
  
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
• 6 oz. rice milk
• 1/2 stick margarine, melted
• 1 Tblsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry. Beat eggs slightly with hand beater; beat in remaining ingredients. Place pastry-lined pie plate on cookie sheet, and put both on oven rack; pour in filling. Bake 15 min.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 45-55 min. longer. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours.

Stir-Fry Pasta

This can be made with shrimp, cooked chicken, or cooked beef. Samantha loves shrimp, though, so that's what we usually use.

• about 30 small or a dozen large frozen shrimp, shelled, deveined, tail-off, and thawed -OR-1-1.5 cups cooked chicken, cubed -OR- 1-1.5 cups cooked beef, cut into strips
  
• 10+ oz firm pasta (e.g., spirals, shells, ziti), cooked and drained
• .5 to .75 cup matchstick carrots
• 1-1.5 cups frozen broccoli
• 8-10 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 3-4 green onions, sliced
• 2-3 tbsp sesame oil
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, minced

Heat oil over medium heat; saute garlic, green onions, mushrooms and carrots for about 3 minutes. Add broccoli, cover and cook for 3 minutes. (Add additional oil, as needed.) Add meat and cook until shrimp is just cooked (turns pink) or chicken or beef is heated through. Add pasta, stirring to coat.

"Half-Wheat" Waffles

This is a double batch; I freeze the remainders. Pop them straight from the freezer to the toaster. Serve with Fleishman's margarine and syrup, powdered sugar or jelly.

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegatable oil
• 3.5 cups rice milk
• 2 tblsp sugar
• 8 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup buckwheat or oat flour (can use AP flour)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

Beat eggs until mixed, then add remaining ingredients, one at a time, until mixed. Fill waffle iron and bake as directed in iron instructions.

Suggested/common meals and snacks

Breakfast:

• oatmeal (if instant, check for milk) made with water or rice milk
• cereal (she likes Kix, generic Cheerios, Corn Pops) with rice millk
  
• scrambled eggs (made with water or rice milk, with oil or allowed margarine in pan)
• waffles

Lunch:

• Hebrew National hot dogs
• tuna salad
• egg salad
• PB&J
• Campbell's Double Noodle Soup (NO LONGER SAFE AS OF 12/08)
  
• Pigs in a Blanket
  

Dinner:

• Campbell's Double Noodle Soup (NO LONGER SAFE AS OF 12/08)
  
• Hebrew Natinal hot dogs
• Pigs in a Blanket
  

Snacks:

• graham crackers (including Honey Teddy Grahams and Cinnamon Teddy Grahams)
• jello
• rice milk ice cream
• strawberry frozen fruit pops
• banana (1/day)
• apple
• orange
• strawberries
• marshmallows
• s'mores (use Ghiradeli semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of a chocolate bar)
• Kettle Korn
• churros! (just recently found this out!)
• banana chips
• Nabisco saltines (can be topped with PB, tuna salad, egg salad, etc.)
  

Drinks:

• cocoa (made from scratch with rice milk, cocoa powder and sugar)
• water
• lemonade
• limeade
• gatorade
• rice milk
• hot or cold tea
  

Overview/FAQs

This blog contains recipes that are safe to feed my galactosemic daughter, Samantha. Some are others' recipes that work fine w/out adulteration; some I've had to tweak a little; and some I've had to make up from scratch.

Diet:

In general, you must avoid the following ingredients: any dairy (including margarines (unless the ingredients are listed and allowable), whey, butter, buttermilk, yogurt, any cheese,......); soy beans, soy sauce (except La Choy), soy flour, soy milk (though soy oil is O.K.) and all other legumes except peanuts, which are (thank the Goddess!) allowable; tomatoes (though catsup and tomato soup made with rice milk or water are fine); organ meats (e.g., liver); and figs.

In fruits, cantaloupe is allowed, honeydew and watermelon are not; bananas are just barely allowed (1/day); same for apples. Strawberries and cherries are allowed; blueberries are not. Oranges are allowed, but not orange juice, unless diluted 2:1 with water; apple juice must be diluted 1:1 with water.

For veggies, the favorites are corn, green beans, green baby peas, and broccoli, and all these are allowable. Avocado and asparagas are allowed; sometimes she likes avocado, sometimes she doesn't. She has not yet had asparagas. Sweet potato and regular potatoes are allowed; remember to use rice milk and Fleishmans, if you make them mashed. Butternut squash and zuccini are allowed.

There are three Gerber baby foods she eats on a regular basis: bananas, country garden mixed veggies, and butternut squash.

Substitutions:

In general, substituting rice milk for milk, and Fleishman's unsalted margarine for butter will make many recipes accessible. (For example, most cakes, cookies and breads can be made this way.) This does not work, however, in cases where the fat content is important; you must then compensate for the much lower fat content of rice milk vs cow's milk (see Custard Pie and Pumpkin Pie recipes).

In bread machine recipes, I will often replace margarine or butter with vegetable oil.

Brands:

I have found the following brands to be safe, though it is always best to double-check the ingredients, and be on the lookout for "New!" on the label:

Teddy Grahams: Honey and Cinnamon are fine, not sure about the Chocolate, have not been able to examine the Chocolate Chip (doubtful)

Fleishman's unsalted margarine (their regular margarine is NOT safe; look for whey in the ingredients)

Smart Balance Lite (a violation of the general rule that "lite" things are usually bad; the regular Smart Balance is not allowable)

Nucoa margarine

Bumble Bee Albacore in water

Hebrew National hot dogs

Campbell's Double Noodle Soup

Best Food's Mayo and Miracle Whip (not light versions of either)

La Choy soy sauce

Medications:

Many medications have dairy as a filler, and even this small amount can be harmfull. The Robitussin brand cough syrups are generally allowable, as are (TBD) vitamins.

Random facts:

You will not see any reaction if Samantha eats something which is not allowable; it acts more like lead poisoning, building up in her brain, eyes, and liver.

This is a genetically-based, therefore life-long, condition; she will not grow out of it.

The reason she cannot take medication for this is that the enzyme is missing from her blood, not from her stomach, as with lactose intolerance. The galactose is properly processed in the stomach, but once in the bloodstream, it cannot be metabolized, and thus builds up in the tissues. Some research is going on to find a mechanism to deliver the necessary enzyme to the blood, as there is a suite of diseases which arise from various blood enzyme deficiencies, but, as far as I know, there is nothing yet even in the early testing stage.

Galactose levels: If you are consulting the link for the galactose level of specific foods, look for foods with levels 10 mg/100g or below. Interestingly, in Europe, the recommended cut-off level is 25 mg/100g, and many of the parents on the Parents of Galactosemic Children list say that they allow tomatoes, which are 25. We try very hard to keep Samatha's food under 10, as instructed by our geneticist.

A general rule of thumb is that if it says "light", "lite" or any variation on that, there's a good chance it has forbidden ingredients, usually soy.

Tuna Salad

• 1 can Bumble Bee albacore in water
• approx. 1/4 cup mayo
• dash lemon or lime juice
• 1 large or 2 small ribs of celery, chopped finely
• 1 tblsp. sweet pickle relish

Drain tuna and mix with remaining ingredients. Serve on spinach leaves or in a sandwich.

Egg Salad

• hard boiled eggs
• mayo
• salt
• dash of lemon or lime juice
• sweet pickle relish

Separate whites and yolks. Chop whites; mash yolks with remaining ingredients and mix.

Things to Watch out for

In bread or rolls: soy flour, whey, milk, buttermilk, butter, margarine, caesin, soy flour, raisin juice

In peanut butter, mayo, etc. DON'T get the "lite" versions; they often have soy protein added (soy oil is O.K.)

margarine: whey, butter, milk, soy protein, caesin

tuna: broth, as it usually has soy in it

In general, "light" or "lite" versions of nearly anything usually contain forbidden ingredients.

Chicken and Strawberries Salad

• 2 frozen chicken breasts, cooked, cubed, and cooled
• basket of strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
• fresh baby spinach leaves
• raspberry vinegrette dressing (need to check the brand and what to watch out for)

Arrange spinach leaves on plates, scatter chicken cubes over spinach, then strawberry slices over all. Add dressing to taste.

Beef Pot Pie

• 2 frozen/refrigerated pie crusts (check that there’s no dairy (including margarine) or soy flour)
• 3 large or 4 small potatoes, washed and cubed
• 1-1.5 cups cooked beef, cubed
• 1-1.5 cups frozen green beans
• 3 large or 4 small carrots, washed and sliced
• 1-1.5 cups sliced mushrooms
• .5 onion, chopped
• 1 stick Fleishman’s unsalted margarine
• ½ cup AP flour
• 1 beef bullion cube (one that makes two cups of broth)
• 1.75 cups rice milk
• .25 cups red wine
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• bay leaf
• 1 tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp pepper

Defrost/bring to room temperature the pie crusts. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt margarine in pan over medium heat; place bay leaf in margarine and sauté onion in margarine until limp. Stir in flour, pepper, garlic powder and crushed bullion cube, heating and stirring until smooth. Add wine and rice milk, heat to boiling, boil and stir for one minute. Remove bay leaf.

Steam carrots and potatoes until tender.

Place all veggies and beef in large mixing bowl and pour sauce over this mixture, stirring to coat.

Line casserole dish with one pie crust and fill with veggie and beef mixture. Top with second pie crust, trimmed to fit, and crimp edges together to seal. (If you’re feeling fancy, cut tiny hearts or other shapes out of the leftover dough and place on top crust, wetting the undersides of the appliqués to make them stick.) Cut vent holes in the top crust.

Place on a cookie sheet to prevent spills, and bake at 350 for approx 1 hour, or until hot and bubbly. (Note: can be frozen before or after cooking.)

Chicken Pot Pie

• 2 frozen/refrigerated pie crusts (check that there’s no dairy (including margarine) or soy flour)
• 3 large or 4 small potatoes, washed and cubed
• 1-1.5 cups cooked chicken meat, cubed or shredded
• 1-1.5 cups frozen broccoli –or- 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 large or 4 small carrots, washed and sliced
• 1-1.5 cups sliced mushrooms
• .5 onion, chopped
• 1 stick Fleishman’s unsalted margarine
• ½ cup AP flour
• 1 chicken bullion cube (one that makes two cups of broth)
• 1.75 cups rice milk
• .25 cups white wine
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp pepper

Defrost/bring to room temperature the pie crusts. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt margarine in pan over medium heat; sauté onion in margarine until limp. Stir in flour, pepper, sage, thyme, and crushed bullion cube, heating and stirring until smooth. Add wine and rice milk, heat to boiling, boil and stir for one minute.

Steam carrots and potatoes until tender.

Place all veggies and chicken in large mixing bowl and pour sauce over this mixture, stirring to coat.

Line casserole dish with one pie crust and fill with veggie and chicken mixture. Top with second pie crust, trimmed to fit, and crimp edges together to seal. (If you’re feeling fancy, cut tiny hearts or other shapes out of the leftover dough and place on top crust, wetting the undersides of the appliqués to make them stick.) Cut vent holes in the top crust.

Place on a cookie sheet to prevent spills, and bake at 350 for approx 1 hour, or until hot and bubbly. (Note: can be frozen before or after cooking.)

Egg Refrigerator Bread

Egg Refrigerator Bread--makes 2 braided loaves

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 0.5 cup warm water
• 1.75 cups warm rice milk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoons Fleishmn’s unsalted margarine
• 3 eggs
• 7 to 7.5 cups all-purpose white flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add rice milk, honey, salt, margarine, 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (save remaining white to brush braids before baking). Stir in 2 cups flour and beat at medium speed of electric mixer for 2 minutes. Gradually add additional flour, enough to make a medium stiff dough, mixing well by hand after each addition so that dough is very well blended. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into two braided loaves and place on greased baking sheet. Cover with towel and plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and uncover. Brush braids with slightly beaten egg white. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.

Ham Pizza

pizza dough (do not use Boboli, as they have cheese in them)

• “Christmas onions”- about half a sweet red onion and about 4 green onions, chopped
• 1-1.5 cups cooked ham
• olive oil
• oregano
• .5-.75 cups sliced mushrooms
• handful of matchstick carrots

In advance: put the pizza dough in the bread machine, and set the timer for when you want to start cooking dinner

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Heat olive oil and oregano in non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent; add mushrooms and carrots and sauté for another minute or two. Add ham to pan and heat until warmed through.

Remove pizza dough from bread machine and shape on cookie sheet or baking tile (the first time I did this, it was Valentine’s Day, and I made it heart-shaped!). Pour topping on dough, even out and bake until the dough is cooked, about 15 minutes.