Eggplant Parmagiana from Cooking Light

I heartily recommend this recipe from Cooking Light magazine. We had it tonight, with a few changes:
- I didn't have any fontina cheese, so we went with all mozzarella
- I used 8 oz of mozzarella instead of the 6 oz of mozzarella/fontina a half recipe should have used.
- I didn't have any whole-wheat panko (which often has soy, anyway) so we used homemade dried mixed (whole wheat, rye, oatmeal bread, whatever was on hand) bread crumbs.
- We used a whole 24-oz jar of sauce for a half a recipe
- It said a whole recipe served 10, but we got 6 servings out of a half recipe

My (dear) husband liked it and asked that it be made again. Since the kids never liked eggplant, and I am officially an empty-nester as of 24 August, I suspect he may get his wish.

SOY-FREE CONSIDERATIONS:
Homemade breadcrumbs instead of whole-wheat panko
Misto sprayer with canola oil, instead of commercial cooking spray
Jar of commercial sauce carefully checked to make sure there is no soy or soy oil in it

Devilled Eggs for Summer

Back from hiatus--had a new job and it was a tough adjustment.

Every time I have ever made devilled eggs, it has been a crapshoot--too much mayo or not enough. Well, I happened upon the right proportions, so here you go:

Devilled Eggs

9 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 cup soy-free mayonnaise
2 Tbsp grainy mustard
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seafood Seasoning (or celery salt)

1. Shell the eggs and cut in half. Put the yolks through a sieve or potato rices. Stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, and Old Bay.

2. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the egg halves. Garnish with paprika, chopped chives, small parsley sprigs, or the like.

SOY FREE CONSIDERATIONS:
Soy-free mayonnaise--canola, safflower or olive oil (without lecithin!)

Orange-lemon Cranberry Relish

If you don't like the cranberry jelly with the ridges from the can in it, the Soy-free Kitchen presents:

Orange-lemon Cranberry Relish

4 cups cranberries, washed and sorted
1 large orange, cut into chunks
1 lemon, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

1. Put the cranberries, orange pieces, and lemon pieces in the food processor and pulse until the cranberries are cut up but not a smooth puree. Transfer to a large bowl, with a cover, that you can put in the refrigerator.

2. With a large spoon or a rubber spatula, mix in the sugar and spices.

3. Refrigerate at least overnight. The longer it sits, the redder it gets and the better it tastes.

SOY-FREE CONSIDERATIONS:
none

(c) Copyright 2010 Karen Hubachek

Two Washington D.C. Restaurants for People with Soy Allergies

Brasserie Beck, on 11th Street, NW:

http://www.beckdc.com/

We've eaten there several times. The staff is very nice about checking for soy if they're not sure. They use canola oil to make their Pommes Frites, which are thin and sprinkled with salt and dried parsley, and served with a trio of house-made flavored mayonaises. The three flavors are garlic, tomato, and curry--and the mayo is made with canola oil, too!

Pete's New Haven Style Apizza (2 locations, and soon to be a third across the river in the Clarendon section of Arlington):

http://petesapizza.com/

"Apizza", pronounced ah-BEETS, is a dialectical word for pizza, and it's used in the New Haven, Connecticut area. (If you want to read about New Haven-style apizza, go to the Wikipedia page here; it is a good explanation.) I emailed Pete's Apizza and asked about their pizza--it is made with pure olive oil and their sauce is house-made and also soy-free. We ordered sausage and mushroom and it was heaven. Make sure to try the Foxon Park white birch beer; they get it shipped from East Haven, Connecticut, where it's made and bottled. (I grew up in East Haven and the next town east from there, North Branford, and I vouch for the authenticity of the apizza and love the soda.)

I can't vouch for the rest of the menu, but they were nice to me when I asked about the pizza, so I have high hopes for the other menu items also.