"Me Allergic To Allergies"

A proud day in the life of a mother of children with food allergies occured about a month ago. My two year old looked at a can of tomatoes and said "me allergic to tomatoes." I was, of course, thrilled as it is my hope that he can learn what he is allergic to so that he can say "NO" when offered. Attempting to build on this great teaching opportunity I prompted him to say what else he is allergic to, he replied with "cow's milk". I excitedly praised him and prompted him for further insights. To which he replied, in a very matter-of-fact way, "me allergic to allergies." Frankly, I couldn't agree with him more ;)

On My Bookshelf

What books/publications have helped us most during our journey? Here are some of my favorites.

The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybelle Pascal

• All recipes are free of wheat, milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, treenuts, fish, & shellfish. Unfortunately, the recipes are NOT gluten-free. But I've managed to convert them fairly easily to gluten free. She also has a lot of great tips for reducing sugars.

Living Without: bi-montly publication

• I always look forward to the release of this magazine! The recipes are predominantly dairy/gluten free. They also have great articles relation to food allergies & sensitivities. Check it out at http://www.livingwithout.com/.

The Food Allergy Cure by Dr. Ellen Cutler

• Written by the founder of BioSET. A fascinating book identifying some of the alternative approaches to coping with food allergies. It also identifies common ailments and complex disorders and their origins in food.
  
  

Micromiracles by Dr. Ellen Cutler

• A fabulous book identifying the powerful effects of enzymes. It details how enzymes can benefit us by fighting inflammation, slowing aging, accelerating weight loss, renewing our energy, combating depression, dealing with digestive problems, and other ailments plaguing us today.
  
  
  
  

Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Conditions by Karen DeFelice.

• Digestive enzymes have been a very key part of the management of our food allergies. I love this book because it is an excellent no-nonsense book written by a mother of two sons who suffered from gastrointestinal problems and neurological challenges. She gives excellent descriptions of the elements at play with digestive disorders and enzymes and how they can help. She gives a fantastic analogy of six blind men and an elephant, which for me was a clear description of how doctors tend to view these conditions. We as our children's advocate are responsible for piecing together the six blind men (doctors) interpretations and declaring our "elephant".

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies by Dr. Kenneth Bock

• I can't say enough good about this book. It is fantastic. Look at this data identified by Dr. Bock. Do you realize that Allergies have increased 400% in the past 20 years? Autism now affects every 1 in 150-166 births, an increase of 1500% - 6000%. ADHD has increased 400%. Asthma has increased 300%, and ashtma deaths have increased 56%. This book explores some of the root underlying causes of these increases and identifies a "healing program" to help undo some of the damage which so many kids have sustained.

Flying Saucers

I wanted to share a new recipe we tried this week which is stuffed sunburst squash. I received the sunburst squash from my co-op and was at a loss of what to do with it. So I looked up several new recipes and combined bits and pieces of them to create this allergen-free version. Also, when I pulled them out of the oven I told my sons that we were having "Flying Saucers" for dinner. This generated a lot of excitement!

They turned out to be much better than even I had imagined. The squash was nice and tender, and it was fun to create something new. The recipe is quite flexible, for our version we used cooked red & white quinoa and italian pork sausage. Enjoy!

Stuffed Sunburst Squash
8 sunburst squash
1/2 c. cooked quinoa or brown rice
1 lb. ground beef, turkey or sausage
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. zucchini, chopped
1/2 c. tomato, diced
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1/2 fresh lime

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa or rice according to directions. Cook meat of your choice with diced onion. Drain off excess grease. Bring one-inch of water in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add sunburst squash (stem & blossom removed). Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until a fork can pierce the skin with little resistance. Drain and slice off the top 1/3 of the squash. Use a melon scoop to scoop out the center seeded section, while being careful not to dig through the bottom. Lightly salt the inside of each sunburst squash.

Mix together the cooked quinoa or rice with the meat, zucchini, tomato and cilantro. Top with fresh lime juice. Stuff the sunburst squash with the meat mixture. Drizzle the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil. Add stuffed sunburst squash. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes or until squash are heated through.

Birthday Parties?

When your child has food allergies it can be awkward being invited to birthday parties. Most of our friends are already aware of our allergies, however I always call to find out what they plan to serve and I bring our safe alternatives with us.

To make life easier, I always bake a full cake mix into cupcakes (we like Namaste vanilla or spice cake). I then freeze the cupcakes, unfrosted, in groups of three. The day before the party I defrost the cupcakes and freshly ice them. Here's our favorite icing recipe:

1/2 cup palm oil shortening (we like Spectrum)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. rice milk

Mix with a beater until well blended and creamy. We keep ours in the fridge and it will store well for several weeks. Because we avoid artificial colors, we leave our frosting white. However, we do use India Tree naturally colored sugar sprinkles.

We also trade our kids for the candy they receive in the goody bags from the party (also for Halloween and Valentine's Day). We either trade for naturally colored/flavored Yummy Earth candy, or money to visit the dollar store or football/baseball cards. Now get out there and have fun at all those birthday parties!

Wheat, Milk & Egg Substitutes

I've compiled a list of useful substitutes from various sources over the years. Hopefully you'll benefit from it as much as we have.

1c. white/wheat flour =

• 7/8c. brown or white rice flour mixed with 1/2-1 tsp. xanthan gum

1c. milk =

• 1 c. rice, soy, almond milk
• 7/8 c. Vance's Darifree
• 1c. fruit juice
• 2/3 c. water, 1/3 c. canned coconut milk

1c. butter =

• 4 T. applesauce, 2/3c oil
• 1 c. + 2 T. shortening, 1/2 t. salt (for salted butter)
• 7/8 c. oil, 1/2 t. salt
• 1 c. coconut oil

Regarding eggs, sometimes you have to determine what role the egg is serving in the recipe & then make the substitute accordingly.
1 Egg (As a Binder) =

• 1 T. ground flaxseed mixed with 3 T. water
• 1/2 large mashed banana
• 1/4 cup apple sauce or pureed prunes
• 1 1/2 T. water, 1 1/2 T. oil, and 1 t. baking powder
• 1 pkt unflavored gelatin, 1 c. boiling water (3 T. of this mixture equal one egg)
• 1 T. apricot puree

1 Egg (As Leavening) =

• 2 T. carbonated water, 2 t. baking flour
• 1 t. baking powder, 1 T. water, 1 T. vinegar (add vinegar separately at the end for rising)
• Dissolve 1 t. yeast in 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 T. bean flour and 1 T oil
• 1 T arrowroot powder mixed with 3 T. water
• 1 T. cornstarch mixed with 3 T. water
• 2 T. flour, 1 1/2 t. corn oil, 1/2 t. baking powder, and 2 T. water

1 Egg (For Whipping) =

• 1/4 t. xanthan gum with about 1/4 c. of water. (let stand, it thickens, and can be whipped like an egg white.)

Ham & Potato Skillet

I received this recipe from my Grandma and it has been a family favorite. It took us awhile to successfully modify it from its' original dairy-laden ingredient list, but we have perfected it, and my husband (who has no allergies) loves it too! Enjoy.

Ham & Potato Skillet
1 lb. sliced ham (we use Hormel natural choice, gluten & nitrate free)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. rice milk
2 T. tapioca starch
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Dash seasonings (we use celery powder, garlic powder, basil)
3 c. potatoes, peeled & sliced
1 c. carrots, peeled & sliced

In a 10-inch skillet, brown ham with coconut oil & brown sugar. Pour ham & drippings in bowl. In same skillet, mix rice milk, tapioca starch, onion, salt, pepper & seasonings. Stir in potatoes & carrots. Cover, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Pour ham & drippings over vegetables. Cover & cook about 10 minutes more.

(Allergen-Free) German Pancakes

This is one of our family favorites which we enjoy every Saturday morning. We went without these for quite awhile until we figured out how to adapt them to meet our diets. Now I would say our allergen-free version is just as good as the original! We like to top it with fresh berries and drizzle with agave nectar or pure maple syrup. Enjoy.

German Pancakes
6 eggs
1 cup rice milk
1 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)
6 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil

Add eggs to mixing bowl. Beat until fluffy. Add rice milk, flour, xanthan gum & sea salt. Mix on low, just until flour is mixed in. Melt coconut oil in 9x13 baking dish. Pour batter in, stir gently with melted coconut oil. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until light golden brown. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.