Vegan Shortbread Cookies (NO Egg, Dairy, Nuts, Peanuts)

We are knee deep in red paper, heart stickers, and lace doilies, as I have all of our Valentine card making materials occupying a good third of our dining table.  I always look forward to helping the kids get inspired and excited about Valentines Day.  This year in particular, Addison is enjoying every minute of the pink glitter and rose colored paint.

Of course, I also find myself baking batches of heart cookies to offer a vegan and allergy-friendly option for the kids' dance program fundraiser.  No, I don't need another item on my plate.  But when these types of opportunities present themselves, I can't help myself.  Handing the kids the five dollars to buy a bag of cookies (for a good cause, no less) is entirely worth all the mess, clean-up, and chaos that occurs as I try to keep the kids occupied while I bake, but I also love the challenge of showing people how delicious allergy-friendly treats can be!

I have to admit, I hadn't made this recipe in a while.  If I'd had any hints or advice, I'd forgotten them by now.  So start from scratch is literally what I did.

This recipe comes from my favorite allergy book, "The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies" by Marianne S. Barber.  I must remember to write a book review about this book because I really find it a valuable resource.  Among other things, it's got a great recipe section, with recipes that you will find yourself using over and over again.  The three ingredient recipe that follows is Barber's Shortbread (Version 1).

Shortbread (NO Egg, Dairy, Nuts, Peanuts)

1 1/4 Cups flour
3 Tablespoons Sugar (I added 4)
1/2 Cup allowed Margarine, or Butter if you can (I used Earth Balance with pretty good results)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine flour and sugar, and cut in margarine until mixture resembles course crumbs.

3. Form into a ball and knead until smooth.  It took quite a bit of kneading and elbow grease to get a smooth consistency.  Even after that, the dough is more crumbly and stickier than other dough I'm used to.

4. Roll out carefully on a very lightly floured board and cut into shapes.  Originally, I wanted to use some large cookie cutters I had, but because of the crumbly and soft texture of the dough, it was impossible to get a clean cut out.  I ended up using a 2" heart cookie cutter with a 3/8" dough.  The thinner dough wouldn't hold up.  Also, keep your dough lightly floured as you roll it out, and the sticky bits off the rolling pin.

5. Place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined cookie pans.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown.

Makes about a dozen 2" cookies.

Options:

Add 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger for a spicy shortbread
Add 1 teaspoon grated orange or lemon peel for fruity shortbread
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla or lemon extract

Decorating ideas:

Add sprinkles before the cookies are baked.  They'll harden and stick to the cookie without the need for icing.
Dip partially into melted chocolate coating.
Add food coloring to dough before rolling out.
Sprinkle confectioners' sugar.

Happy Valentines Day baking!

Not so sweet dreams

A few nights ago, I awoke from a startling dream.

In the dream I am walking with my sons, Ryken and Callan, trying to find my way home through a school campus.  As we pass through a narrow pathway, I run into an old high school friend, something that I am wont to do in the randomness of my dreams.  I am so excited to see this old friend that I quickly engage in conversation and momentarily forget that the kids are with me.  Then suddenly the scenery changes and I am in someone's house.  I stop my conversation because I realize that it's a birthday party and cupcakes are being served.  I feel a sense of panic immediately, remember my kids, and shout out for Ryken not to take anything. He hasn't -- but looking past my high school friend, I see an empty cupcake wrapper in front of Callan.

Before I know it, I'm running to find an exit with Callan in my arms and Ryken trailing behind us.  I take a glance at Callan and he is moving his tongue around in his mouth, perhaps having a hard time breathing.  I take out an Epi-Pen twin pack and pull one injection out but I can tell that the pen's tip is bent -- no good.  I pull out the second shot and I can't get it to work right.  I check out Callan again and his eyes are closed, as if he's lost consciousness.

This is when I woke up from my nightmare.  It took me several seconds to orientate myself, to accept that this was just a bad dream.  I quietly checked out my boys who were fast asleep in their beds and tucked them in again, relieved that they were peacefully sleeping as they always do.

While the emergency was imagined, anaphylaxis is a real and daily danger for me and no doubt the same for many of our Get Allergy Wise readers.  This past month was particularly anxious because of real tragedies such as Ammaria Johnson's preventable death and Max's Roseland accidental ingestion of peanuts and near-fatal delayed reaction.  If you have yet heard about Ammaria and Max, take some time to read their stories and share them with others.  While extremely scary and sad, their ordeals can help us stay vigilant about our kids' safety.

Everyone can forget sometimes -- whether it's not carrying Epipen on their person, serving something to a person with food allergies, biting into a familiar-looking food before double-checking the ingredients-- but with enough safety nets in place, we can hope that an accidental exposure can be avoided and, at the bare minimum, a potentially fatal allergic reaction can be identified and treated effectively.  Here are a list of precautions so that you, your food-allergic child, and other caregivers should review periodically so that you will always be comfortable in a real emergency:

Ryken stricken with stomach pain
after eating salami that contained
milk on a camping trip.

1. Know the signs of anaphyalaxis and think FAST: Face (redness, rash or swelling of eyes, lips, tongue), Airways (coughing, sneezing, difficulty with swallowing, speaking, or breathing), Stomach (pain, vomit, diarrhea), Total Body (rash, itching, paleness, weakness, swelling, dizziness, loss of consciousness, sense of impending doom)
2. Epi-pen Review: Take out your Epi-pen trainer and go through the steps.  Do it as review but also to gain more comfort.  I model this for grandparents, babysitters, and I model this for my 6-year-old and have him practice as well.  While he doesn't feel comfortable yet with the responsibility of self-administering in the event of an emergency, he understands how important it is (for his and his brother's safety) to know how in the event that knowing adults are incapacitated. 
3. Make sure your food allergy action plan is current and in the hands of all caregivers, teachers, and school office staff or nurses.  If you do not have one yet, make an appointment with your child's doctor so you can complete it together.  
4. Retrain all possible caretakers on how to read labels.  Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) has printable sheets for each of the top 8 food allergens that can help you identify ingredients to avoid.  Print sheets to keep handy at home, your cars, schools, and in caregivers' homes.  At our house, the rule is that the kids are not to eat anything new that mom or dad have not personally approved.
5. Include kids in your own process of determining the safety of the foods they eat.  While you grocery-shop and when you're pulling something out of the pantry, model for them the safety measures you take.  When I read labels, I use my finger to slowly read each line.  When vetting new foods, I do a second read from bottom to top -- I read it in a different way to make sure I didn't skip anything the first time.  As I do this, I talk with my kids, narrating what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.  This educates kids who are growing up faster than we want to believe and can do themselves.
6. Now that my 6-year-old is a strong reader, we share the responsibility of reading through labels.  I give him a package for reading, and I double-check it.  Kids shouldn't eat food that isn't checked by their parents, true.  However, it's important to start teaching older kids who can read how to ask about foods/read labels.  As kids grow older, they spend more time out of our care at school, extracurricular activities, or friends' houses.  We can't always be there to ensure that they are making good choices so it pays to empower them with safe practices as early as we can. 
7. Arm kids and their belongings with allergy identification for those situations when caregivers can't be there and when kids cannot speak because they are too young to advocate for themselves or too affected by a reaction.  Check out allergy jewlery such as STATkids bracelets, Allerbling bracelets and stickers such as Allergy Alert Stick-ons.  Include basic information on who to contact in the event of an emergency. 
8. Teach kids how to decline food; not only politely but in a manner that clearly gets the message across that they have food allergies. "No thank you.  I have food allergies.  My mom and dad need to check if that's safe for me." or "No thank you.  I have food allergies.  I have my own food."
9. Do you eat out?  Invest in translations of allergy alerts for your favorite foreign cuisines.  Check out Select Wisely translation cards and Allergy Translation cards. 

As we prepare for the inevitable food-filled Valentine's Day class celebrations and birthday parties, it pays to revisit your safety measures.  As parents with kids with food allergies, I want my kids to enjoy these occasions just as others do.  And I want to do all that I can to prevent my nightmare from ever becoming a reality.

 

Allerbling food allergy bracelet

Fanny pack with Epi-Pen twin pack, Benadryl, and notes
on allergy symptoms, emergency instructions, and phone numbers.

Labeled lunch box which I need to update
since the boys do not have a kiwi allergy.

Select Wisely laminated allergy alert card

STATkids medical alert bracelets

Last Minute Super bowl Snacks

Yes, my beloved Niners have fallen.  But the show must go on, and we mustn't attend a Superbowl party empty-handed.  With that in mind, here are some easy, allergy-friendly, and crowd-pleasing options for your Superbowl Sunday:

Hummus Dip

Guacamole and Hummus Dips: Everyone loves a good dip!

Cranberry Avocado Salsa: A twist on the traditional favorite.

Superbowl Snack Stadium: For the ultimate in Superbowl snacking!

Superbowl Snack Stadium

  Knorr Vegan Spinach Dip: So delicious, no one will know it's dairy and egg free!

Corn and Chickpea Chowder: Whip up some chowder in your slow cooker. 

Furikake Chex Mix: Easy and fast to prepare, but so addictive!

Kale Chips: No guilt munching on a vitamin-rich superfood!

Slow cooker barbecue chicken on Milton's Gourmet buns

Barbecue Chicken:  With some light prep in the morning, you'll have a tasty, easy main meal for game time.  Pair it with your favorite safe hamburger bun.

Want more?  Find even more snack ideas!

Take-out Options:

Chipotle Burritos
Allergy-friendly Chipotle is offering half off burritos on your online or fax pre-order or 6 or more Burritos-by-the-Box on Superbowl Sunday only.  Plan ahead and get in on this deal.  Check out Chipotle's website for their at-a-glance guide to allergens in their menu.

Chicken Wings
Call Hot Sauce and Panko in San Francisco to order half or whole trays of chicken wings.  They use wheat in their panko batter, but no nuts, dairy, or egg go into the fryer.  We order trays of Naked Wings--crunchy, hot, moist.  Try one of their other 12 varieties (but ask about allergens in their sauces first)--SO good.  They will only take phone orders for Superbowl Sunday, so get dialing before the wings run out.

Corn and Chickpea Chowder -- hearty bowls of goodness, free of the top 8!

Ahhh...February.  Busy days, cold nights, and Super Bowl Sunday.  All perfect excuses to bust out the slow cooker and get my soup on!

When my family lived a short time in Seattle, we loved visiting Pike Place Market on the weekends.  If you aren't familiar with Pike Place Market, it's a public market overlooking the waterfront that houses local merchants, crafts and farmer's markets.  You can find stands making hot donuts, vibrant freshly cut flowers, retro toys from your youth, and huge fish being hurled through the air.  The market itself is surrounded by a neighborhood that boasts the original Starbucks and other small businesses.  It's a charming, warm place with  lots of yummy options, too!

One of my family's favorite spots near the market was Pike Place Chowder.  In addition to seafood chowders and bisques, Pike Place Chowder was also creator of a very popular vegan chowder.  The chowder was so rich and creamy, it was hard to believe it was dairy-free.  I remember asking and, um, re-asking (excessive but c'mon -- I've got a milk-allergic boy!) to make sure that there was absolutely no milk, no cream, no butter, no dairy of any kind in the soup.  Nope.  None of it.

I miss that chowder and a bunch of other things about living in Seattle but, make no mistake, I am thrilled to be a Californian again.  I'm grateful for having sun and warmth most all year long.  The nights have been getting chilly around here, though, and it reminded me of the warm bread bowls of vegan chowder.  I decided to try to recreate the chowder experience in a safe way for my milk-allergic, nut-allergic kids.  This recipe is also free of wheat (gluten), soy, and animal products -- in other words, it's completely devoid of the top 8 allergens.

I tried a couple different chowder recipes including one from The Post Punk Kitchen's Isa Chandra Moskowitz from her cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance.  If you are managing milk and/or egg allergies or simply want to bring more veggies into your meals, do yourself a favor and check out Isa's cookbooks!  Her recipes are fairly simple.  They focus on plants, beans, herbs, and spices and the results are delicious.  In terms of the chowder, Isa's wasn't as creamy as Pike Place Chowder's so I played with the liquids.  I used coconut milk to build up the richness.  I also threw in more vegetables and garbanzo beans for more flavor, texture, and added nutrition.  The results were delicious!  You could even replace more vegetable broth with coconut milk to make the soup creamier if you don't mind the extra fat.  (My poor hips do...)

Warm chowder paired with Isa Moskowitz's sweet potato drop biscuits from her book Appetite for Reduction.

Don't be scared off by the lengthy list of ingredients.  It's an easy soup to prep for the slow cooker (took me about 15 minutes) and the beauty is, when you get home at the end of the day, it will practically be ready to serve!  If you don't have a slow cooker, you can toss everything into a big pot and simmer for 45 minutes or so.  For extra flavor, you can saute the vegetables prior to cooking the soup with the liquids but this will add to your clean-up and cooking times.  For thicker soup, omit one cup of vegetable broth.

Vegan Corn and Chickpea Chowder
Adapted from La Pure Mama's vegan chickpea corn chowder recipe and Isa Chandra Moskowitz's corn chowder recipe 

1 to 2 red potatoes, diced into chunks of 1/3" or 1/2" thickness

Use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest results.

3 to 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
15 oz. can or 2 cups cooked garbanzo or white kidney beans
16 oz bag of frozen organic corn
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves
1 cup full-fat coconut milk or other milk substitute
4 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp salt
juice of 1 lime 
pepper and additional salt to taste

1. Wash, peel, and chop all vegetables.  Put potato chunks on bottom of the slow cooker.  Then add all other vegetables and beans.
2. Add seasonings, coconut milk, and broth.  
3. Stir in maple syrup and some salt.  Cover slow cooker with lid.  Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.  If you can, stir the pot once in the middle of the cooking time but try to refrain from checking the soup too often.  Each time you remove the lid, a lot of the cooking heat escapes and this can slow down your cooking time.
4. At the end of the cooking time, stir in lime juice.  
5. Taste the soup and add pepper and more salt to taste.
6. Once you're happy with the taste, remove half to two-thirds of the soup from the slow cooker and blend until smooth.  Replace blended soup back in slow cooker.
7. You can keep the soup on the warm setting until you are ready to serve.

Potatoes on the bottom -- they need the liquid most to cook!

The soup is a hearty meal on its own but having it with some bready loveliness really hits the spot.  Perhaps serving it in a sourdough bread bowl or with toasted slices of your favorite safe bread?  I myself have recently become obsessed with sweet potato drop biscuits from Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction low-fat vegan cookbook.  I made the biscuits half a dozen times last month including once with a gluten-free flour blend that seemed to work okay.  A little gummy, but I think I added a bit too much xanthan gum.  Again, another cookbook to buy or check out at your local library!

Superbowl snack stadium -- Trick out your game day foods!

Superbowl Sunday is coming up!  Whether or not your favorite team made it to the bowl or even if you're not big on football, Superbowl is still a good excuse for an afternoon of snacking, silly commercials, and just plain being happy with friends and family.

I was searching the internet for game day snack ideas when I came upon this football stadium built of junk food on HolyTaco.com.

Whoa.

This thing was seriously a work of art.  I was completely blown away by the cleverness and level of detail even if I was kinda disgusted at the same time.  (See the Twinkie-bacon grandstands.)  Read the entire hilarious post at HolyTaco and you too will be just as conflicted as my mind and arteries.

While HolyTaco's stadium was over the top with junk food, it gave me the inspiration to try my hand at creating my own snack stadium.

Because of my kids' food allergies, I had to substitute some of the original ingredients for safe foods.  I also replaced some of the heavily processed foods and meat products with healthier choices.  The stadium I made was milk-free and nut-free.  Some of the snack chips do contain gluten or soy but you can use your favorite safe snacks instead.  Tofutti's Sour Supreme imitation sour cream contains soy and, according to their website, may contain traces of gluten from the manufacturing of the added flavors.

Below are the ingredients that I used.   While I often like to make homemade guacamole and hummus, I bought ready-to-serve stuff from Trader Joe's to build the stadium.  The Trader Joe's guacamole has a smoother consistency than my homemade guacamole, and that worked well for the football field although next time I'll mash in a couple more avocados to make the field thicker for holding the carrots.  Definitely have extra guac or avocados on hand.  If you are having a huge party, definitely double the recipe and use a deeper pan.

I used salsa for an end zone but you should try refried beans instead or at least use a strong base for your goal posts.

You'll see in the photos that I used salsa in one of my end zones.  Logistics-wise, this wasn't successful as it was too thin to support the celery goal post.  In my recipe, I suggest using refried beans instead.  Also, try anchoring each goal post into a chunk of tofu or cheese to offer even more stability.  And jicama might be an easier food to work with than celery so I included a mention of that in the post. 

Superbowl Snack Stadium
adapted from HolyTaco.com's 2009 Greatest Snack Food Stadium

12" x 8 1/2" x 1 3/16" aluminum foil pan
Pointed toothpicks
Skewers
Plastic baggie or icing bag

The field:
Minimum 16 oz. of guacamole
1 can of refried beans
12 oz. container of sour cream or milk-free sour cream (I used Tofutti sour cream)
10 oz. hummus (double check ingredients for any potential allergens)
2 stalks celery, cut into half lengthwise, or 10 pieces of jicama, cut into 1/2-inch thick sticks
Block of extra firm tofu or safe cheese

The players:
1 to 2 dozen baby carrots, cut in half  (If you are double the recipe, you can probably keep them whole)
At least 5 sugar plum tomatoes, cut in half
At least 5 whole olives, cut in half

Stadium and fans:
A pan or box a little wider all around than the pan used for the field
Your choice of safe snacks - I used popcorn, tortilla chips, and Trader Joe's Veggie Sticks (contains wheat starch)

1. Place aluminum pan into larger pan.  
2. Evenly spread guacamole in the middle of the smaller pan, leaving a rectangular section at each size for the end zones.
3. Spread in refried beans for one end zone.  Spread in hummus for the other.  Make sure your "field" is level and smooth.
4. Put about 1/4 cup of sour cream into icing bag.  If using a baggie, add the sour cream to one corner and cut off the corner's tip to create your own icing bag.  Make sure all your sour cream is packed into the corner and then carefully squeeze out your yard lines onto the field.
5. Assemble goal posts by using toothpicks and celery or jicama.  The vegetables may split with the pressure of the toothpick so you had to be gentle and gradually screw in the toothpicks the first time.  I cut out toothpicks in half and used the pointed end to carefully bore out the holes where the toothpicks would be.  I used 4 pieces of celery for each goal post.  Right before serving, anchor your goal post into a chunk of tofu or safe cheese and pop the posts into the end zones.
6. Add the cut baby carrots onto the field.  (I used the wider ends to anchor them.)  This is where I got my football-loving husband involved.  He had a great time creating a play with the carrots!  If a football novice is assembling, remember that it's 10 players on the field from each team.  Add olive halves and sugar plum tomato halves to create helmets.
7. Add your stadium fans!  Carefully pile in chips, crackers, pretzels -- whatever floats your boat!  If you are avoiding gluten, tortilla chips and popcorn are great choices.  I used some homemade "cheesy" vegan popcorn.  I loved how it added movement to the display.  You can almost hear the roar of those kerneled fans!
8. Set up your goal posts.  Experiment -- it might take a few tries and a couple different chunks of tofu or cheese to get it sturdy.  Now you're ready for the game!

Enjoy your Super snacks!

As you can see, I didn't attempt to construct the grandstands.  Truth be told, it was the afternoon before our Chinese New Year feast and I didn't want to spoil our appetites on snacks!  If you are planning a huge party and want to build out your stadium the way that HolyTaco.com did, think about using your favorite hot dogs and safe buns to recreate the Twinkie tiered seating.  I'm thinking a perimeter of homemade tamales or hot dogs -- single layer for the lower grandstand and and skewer-connected, double-stacked tamales or hot dogs for the higher level.  Milton's Gourmet White is a milk-free bun (contains wheat, soy).  Udi's Gluten-Free sells gluten-free, milk-free hot dog buns (contain eggs).

I had a lot of fun making the stadium.  It's too bad we have no plans for Superbowl Sunday and no TV reception (we got rid of cable service and have lived off Hulu.com years ago) or else I'd love to do this again and built out the stadium even more.

Send us your photos of your game day spread!  Or better yet, join us on our Facebook page and share your photos on our wall!

My sons' most recent allergy tests

It's all smiles and laughs when there are no needles involved!

Last month we visited Ryken's and Callan's allergist for a yearly check-in.  My kids hate this (what kid wouldn't?) but this is always something I secretly look forward to.  Will they have outgrown anything?

Ryken had only previously tested positive for allergies to peanuts and macadamia nuts and for the past two years, I focused testing on milk and peanuts.  The last time I had retested for all nuts was three years prior.  I realized I should be retesting him for all nuts every year because new allergies do spring up.  And I was pretty certain he had developed an allergy to walnuts because he complained of an itchy mouth and abdominal cramps after having a tiny sample last spring.  It was easy to make the choice to retest Ryken for all nuts and milk.  Since we do the  IgE antibody test, which requires a blood draw, there is no extra pain.

I have a couple of reasons for choosing the blood test over the skin prick. First of all, I like to see if Ryken's IgE levels are going up or down throughout the years.  It can be a sign of worsening or diminishing allergies.  Having his blood drawn is no fun for Ryken.  Secondly, the blood test is safer as it does not expose Ryken to the allergens.  With more exposure to an allergen, a person's allergic reactions can intensify.  Ryken is already known to be severely allergic to milk and peanuts so I didn't want to risk making things worse.  Don't get me wrong, though.  The blood test is an easy choice for me but not for Ryken.  It took me a good 5-10 minutes of talking, begging, and finally bribing him to be brave to go through with it.  The results were worth it: we found out that Ryken's severe milk allergy is holding steady, his peanut allergy has worsened considerably, and he is now mildly allergic to walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts.

As for Callan, we had discovered the year before -- after some frozen yogurt followed by a trip to the ER-- that he has mild allergies to milk and almonds.  The allergist and I thought it was best to retest him for all nuts and milk since he hasn't had any oral challenges since.  I elected to have skin prick testing done on Callan.  From what I gathered, neither the skin prick and blood IgE antibody tests are free from error and both definitely have their benefits.  The biggest benefit for me in Callan's case was that he could avoid a blood draw which he was petrified of.  I figured that since Callan's allergies were mild, that we would try skin prick testing and, hopefully, it would be the less uncomfortable route.

Skin testing involves scratching or pricking the surface of the skin with extracts from potential allergens.  Doctors literally draw and number a grid on your skin (usually on your back so you can't scratch at it) and prick you with extracts from whichever allergens need testing.  Skin tests are often used because they offer results quickly and fairly accurately and, again, kids can avoid the terror of the big needle prick from a blood draw.

When Callan's skin test was administered, the big size of the wheal made it apparent that his milk allergy had worsened.  He was so uncomfortable during the test and I found that I had to wrap my arms around him to prevent him from scratching.  Callan also reacted to cashews and mildly to peanuts -- surprisingly, no reaction to almonds or halibut.  We slowly started giving him almond milk and then roasted almonds.  No reaction!  Woo hoo!  Almond milk is back on the table!

While it will take some serious convincing and negotiating for new toy cars, I'm certain that I want to do blood IgE antibody testing for both of my kids in the future.  I'm a numbers person and I like seeing how the IgE levels change over time.  Also, I want to minimize any direct contact with allergens since now it is clear that both of my boys have serious milk allergies and that they have developed more nut allergies, with Ryken's peanut allergy at an alarmingly severe level now.

Chinese New Year: Photos and Neen Gow

Gung Hay Fat Choy!  Happy New Year and welcome to the Year of the Dragon!

Yesterday was a really busy day for us, not only because it was Chinese New Year's eve but, truth be told, there was a important football playoff game!  So between cleaning up the house and preparing a special dinner, I was also designing fun game day munchies (more on that next week) and keeping our eye on a close match.  I figured our family would be so full of snacks from the late afternoon game that I decided to only prepared a couple of dishes for our New Year's meal.  (Good call.  We had TONS of leftovers.)  I kept it simple and stuck to lettuce cups and glass noodles, main dishes that worked well for us last year.

I did make one new thing this year, New Year's Cake (called nian gao in the dominant Mandarin dialect, or neen gow in Cantonese, which is Sarah's and my family's dialect).  Neen gow is made as an offering to the Kitchen God, who observes your behavior and helps determine if you have a prosperous new year.  Another explanation on why we offer this treat:  the sticky cake will keep the Kitchen God's mouth so occupied, he will be unable to report back on anything at all (bad or good)!

Neen gow is not your ordinary cake.  It uses glutinous rice flour and steam to create a mochi-like, gummy cake.  (For those unfamiliar with traditional Chinese desserts, they are typically less sweet than Western desserts and often use beans or rice.)

Making neen gow was really easy!  I bought my ingredients at a local Asian supermarket.  The rice flour should be easy to find there in most Asian markets -- make sure it's "glutinous" because you'll find out that there are quite a few different options in rice flours.  If you cannot find brown sugar pieces, you can easily substitute the readily available regular brown sugar.  In fact, it might be easier.  It was time-consuming to try to break down the hard pieces in the liquid.  The water-coconut milk combination I used was delicious but you can also replace the water with more coconut milk for an even richer flavor.

For the steaming, I used a huge stockpot and a metal wire stand to elevate my ramekins over one inch of water.

The neen gow mixture before steaming

While people usually prepare a big feast the night before Lunar New Year begins, there are fifteen days of celebrating.  Let the long party continue with your own new year's cake!

Steamed New Year's Cake (Nian Gao or Neen Gow)

1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 cup water
16 oz. bag of glutinous rice flour
1 package of brown sugar pieces or 2 cups brown sugar (I used 4 of the 5 pieces in the package)
Dried fruit, sesame seeds (optional)

1. Heat coconut milk and water over stove or in the microwave.  Add brown sugar.
2. Dissolve brown sugar in the liquid making sure the completely break up any hard pieces.  This took a bit of time but after a while, the pieces absorbed enough liquid so that I could break them up with a potato masher!
3. Remove pan from heat.  Slow stir or whisk in glutinous rice flour into water-coconut-sugar mixture.  
4. Once ingredients are well combined, pour into a well-greased 8-inch pan or six greased 4-inch ramekins.  Add a dried piece of fruit (a pitted plum is common) in the center of pan if desired.
5. Steam mixture over medium heat for 1 to 1.5 hours or until neen gow starts to pull away from the sides of its container.  Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Drizzle with sesame seeds if you desire.  For easier cutting, refrigerate before serving.  Slice before serving.

The finished product after 1.5 hours of steaming

We hope the Year of the Dragon has started off well for your family.  Enjoy the renewed hope and remember, no sweeping today or you'll sweep away your good luck.  Woo hoo!  A break from cleaning!

A pre-New Year's trim, new red car shirt, and lucky money --  Callan had a great start to the Year of the Dragon!