Finding the alternative

As a boy growing up, local cookbook author David Kish spent a lot of time in his grandma’s kitchen, where fresh baked goods and afternoon tea later influenced him to start a tea shop and tea catering business.

He first opened the business in Albuquerque about 10 years ago, later moved it to Scottsdale and relocated it yet again in Historic Downtown Yuma just over a year ago.

At the Entertaining Tea shop, he sells popular and organic loose teas and tea bags, basic tea pots, tea infusers, filters, strainers and a “wonderful variety of tea cozies.” Also for sale on the store shelves is his recently released, 48-page, self-published book, “Living with a Yeast, Wheat, or Sugar Intolerance.”

In addition to 72 quick, easy, healthy, yeast-free, wheat-free, sugar-free and no sugar added recipes, the book also includes tips for food shopping and dining out as well as questions to ask doctors.

Using the pen name David Russell, Kish wrote the book after conducting extensive research on a medical condition that caused him to feel constantly tired and hungry and to lose a great deal of weight. “I wrote it because I’m a person living with Yeast Syndrome, which in laymen’s terms is yeast poisoning,” he said.

“Years ago in Albuquerque, my allergies got so bad that I had so much pressure in my head that I almost lost my hearing. So in order for (doctors) to save my hearing, they had to give me a double batch of antibiotics, which killed all the flora in my body.“

The body’s flora is what helps digest anything that ferments, such as yeast, he said. Sugar feeds yeast, so sugar must be avoided. And anything that ferments in the stomach, such as olive oil, olives, meats and most dairy products must also be avoided by a person with Yeast Syndrome, he said.

With so many foods to avoid, Kish had to find foods that he could eat. So he began researching Yeast Syndrome and trying to find ways to deal with it. “I started looking up recipes that I liked, and I started changing them over to ingredients I could have. And I started designing recipes.”

Converting and designing recipes came easy to Kish. “My background in cooking is being tied by my grandmother’s apron strings. I was very small when I would be cooking with her. As a little boy, I used to come home from school, and my grandmother’s home was on the back of our property, and after I checked in with my mom and dropped off my lunchbox, I’d head right over to Grandma’s to see what she had baked. She loved baking muffins and biscuits and especially popovers. And we always had tea.”

Watching Julia Child on TV and later working as an assistant to celebrity chef Jane Butel on her Albuquerque cooking show and in her cooking school also provided Kish with cooking experience.  

His cookbook, which is intended to help people with yeast, wheat and sugar intolerance to maintain daily comfort and weight, contains a variety of recipes such as salsas, soups, salads, entrees, desserts and beverages.

He shared and demonstrated a recipe from the book, Orange Cornmeal Coffee Cake recipe, which follows this article. Flavored with orange zest, it is subtly sweet, very satisfying and fills the house with a rich aroma as it bakes.

It can be eaten as a dessert, snack, breakfast, or bread replacement, and Kish recommends serving it with a fruity tea, such as Chief’s Delight or Cranberry Orange tea. Anyone seeking to soothe their stomach can also try ginger or chamomile tea, he said.

The cookbook is available for $12.95 at Entertaining Tea, 224 Main Street, Suite 107, or by mail order for $14.95, which includes shipping and handling. It will soon be available on Amazon and eBay as well. Call Kish at 928-304-9505, or email him at davidetea@yahoo.com for more information.  

Orange Cornmeal Coffee Cake
3 / 4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 cups oat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 packets of sugar substitute
1 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 orange
1 / 2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 / 2 cup rice milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix 3 / 4 cup of cornmeal with other dry ingredients. Add orange zest (using a fine grater, scrape only the orange part of the rind and not the white) and mix again. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 / 2 cup of oil, eggs and rice milk. Pour over dry mixture and stir with a spoon until batter forms.

Use one tablespoon of oil to coat the inside of a nine-inch round cake pan and dust with the two tablespoons of cornmeal. Pour in batter, smooth with a spatula and tap pan on counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 45 minutes, remove and place on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Makes eight wedges.

Suggestion: Serving warm with a dollop of plain yogurt, a sprinkle of cinnamon and berries.