Friday, May 25, 2012

Baked Pineapple

If you get a tingly, sore mouth after eating pineapple you might have an oral allergy syndrome reaction to it.  I always thought it was the acidity!  If you have allergies to things such as grass, birch, or ragweed, your mouth area cells sometimes mistake certain foods (often fruits) as those, causing a reaction.  With most foods (but not always), cooking takes care of the problem.  So after years of avoiding pineapple because I thought I was allergic to it, I'm eating it again!  It is moderate in histamines, though, so I'm eating it every once in awhile.


Baked Pineapple
Trim the outside of the pineapple off and cut into slices.  Place slices on a baking sheet.  You can sprinkle each slice with brown or raw sugar if you want a nice dessert, but baking makes the pineapple taste sweeter just by itself.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes (depends on how thick your slices are), or until the pineapple is beginning to brown slightly.

Updates thru 5-25-12

Added:
Trader Joe's Organic Coconut Oil - doesn't taste as "coconutty" as the Spectrum, but is also half the price
Wholesome Foods raw cane turbinado sugar and molasses
Trader Joe's raw cane turbinado sugar
Cooked pineapple - if you're allergic to corn and sensitive to the ethylene gas used to ripen fruit, you may have problems with pineapple.  I avoid Dole and Del Monte and seem to do okay with organic brands.

Add to allergies:
salmon

Almond Cookies

These are amazing, whether or not you have tons of allergies!  If you bake them for around 18 minutes, they turn out crunchy and if you cook them around 15 minutes (they'll still look too soft), they turn out chewy.  I follow the instructions on The Nourishing Cook for soaking and drying almonds before using them - it makes them easier to digest and makes the nutrients more available.  I also grind my own almond meal, flax, and powdered sugar using a Tri-Best Personal Blender with the grinding blades.

Almond Cookies
3 1/2 cups almond meal
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar (I grind my own from organic cane sugar)
2 T ground flax
1 tablespoon homemade vanilla
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1.  Mix the ground flax with 6 T water and microwave for about 1 minute.

2.  Mix together all dry ingredients.  Add the cooked flax and vanilla and mix thoroughly.  I finish it up by hand kneading the mixture to make sure it's all mixed.

3.  Roll dough into balls (about 1 1/2 inches diameter) and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Flatten with the palm of your hand or a glass.  Press an almond sliver into the center.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.  Let cool.