Over the years, whenever I was faced with a new "crisis" my body has decided to
reject yet another food.  At first it was just artificial sweeteners.  No
problem.  Then I developed diabetes, and had to start avoiding refined
carbohydrates of all kinds and most foods with a high glycemic index.  A pain,
but after 7 years, I've managed.  Now, my body is rejecting casein.  No milk or
dairy of any kind.  Even goat and sheeps milk cheeses are hard on me.  Ick.  I
*love* cheese!!!  

Then, a few days ago, I got a note from a friend who knows I love to cook and
that I face food restrictions.  She has just be diagnosed with allergies to bay
leaf, broccoli, cantaloupe, celery, dairy, cocoa, corn, egg white, egg yolk,
grapefruit, oranges, peas, green peppers, sweet potatoes/yams, cane sugar,
sunflower seed, tomato, walnut, wheat, yeast, high-sugar fruits, and mushrooms.

She's not entirely unhappy -- removing the allergens will resolve a lot of her
low grade poor health -- but this *is* a challenge.

  Fortunately, she's an adventurous eater and has been substituting lesser
  known grains for wheat and corn as she can find ways to do so ... but there
  are some things (bread for instance) that are just really, really hard to
  manage on her new diet.  Her favorites are Indian, Chinese, and Mexican ...
  how does one eat mexican with no tomato, no corn, and no cheese?!?!?!

So, I figured I'd ask here about recipes I cna share with her that contain none
of her allergens.  Grexers are some of the most imaginative cooks I know, so
... 

Can you help?

15 responses total.

Are other grains safe for her, or just unknown?  Because barley bread is
traditional in some areas of the world, it just doesn't rise as much as
wheat bread.

There are a lot of bakeries that sell spelt bread. I have a friend who 
is allergic to wheat and when I have her over to dinner, I buy spelt 
noodles and put some kind of tomato based sauce on it. It isnt fancy 
but it is pretty yummy especially if you put extra veggies in the sauce 
(my favorite is zuccini)

 

But since, she cant have dairy or tomato, I wonder if some kind of 
garlic/oil based sauce could be used instead. 

I dont envy your friend. 

I don't envy her either ... gads, no tomato!

Spelt and barley bread sound like wonderful solutions.  Of course, they may be
difficult since yeast is out, too, but maybe something that uses some other
"rising" agent ... 

One of my sisters is on what may be the ultimate nightmare allergy diet.
Her really-messed-up immune system is sensitive to *ALL* foods.  (There
is literally NO food that she can freely eat.)  She buys all organic, as
close as possible to the producer, due to loads of chemical sensitivities.
(Direct from farmer better than local veggie stand better than local 
natural food store better than big-chain natural food store.)  She has to
plan & track all her meals based on the biological families of the plants,
noteworthy allergens, etc. in 'em to maximize the lengths of all the time 
gaps in which her immune system does not see any given thing (but not get
too much of any thing quickly, either).

(a "rotary diversified diet plan", in other words)

resp:3  what about pesto sauce with pine nuts over those spelt 
noodles?  The pine nuts could be left out if they are a problem.. 
pesto itself is just delicious.

As for Mexican.. hmmm.. there is rice (that out, too?), refried 
beans.. is she vegetarian/vegan?  Most meat dishes do not require the 
use of tortillas.  Don't forget Mexican style seafood.. for example, 
what about Spanish paella with no tomatoes?  Does green peppers 
include chiles, too?  Chile dishes include chile relleno (stuffed 
chiles) and chile colorado (chiles in red sauce).

I think you could use cabbage, spinach, or even large lettuce leaf 
(say, butterleaf) in place of a grain tortilla, and this would likely 
work for Chinese-style dishes, too.  I remember Greek and Middle 
Eastern dishes use this, too.

I didn't see a large list of vegetables mentioned, so perhaps it would 
also be helpful to focus on veggies she can eat, either steamed or 
stir-fried.  I don't *think* stir-fry must include broccoli and baby 
pea pods.

I hope this is helpful.  Also, if organic is a concern, I think 
growing a garden might a consideration.  I have been enjoying it so 
far.

Those are truly excellent ideas, Lumen!  Thanks!!!

Steamed shredded cabbage makes an excellent substitute for noodles.
Thick, thin, lasgne size, I use them a lot to stay away from refined
carbohydrates, and, as it appears, mild allergies to wheat, corn, and
rice.  

I have made flat pancakes from rice or barley flour just poured into a cast
iron pan.  Chinese stores sell noodles made from rice flour and other things
(mung bean flour) in various shapes.  I don't see potatoes on the list of
foods to avoid.  How about the tropical starchy root vegetables (cassava =
tapioca, taro, various other starches that you can make into something called
fufu by mixing with boiling water and cooking a bit longer)?  Europeans used
to have to cook without corn, tomatoes, or peppers before 1492.  Sorghum,
teff, amaranth, quinoa, millet (we eat lots of that).  Rice flour or mung
flour or chickpea flour can be used as thickeners.  Try an Indian food store.
What other sour things can be used instead of tomatoes?  I can think of lemon
(unless it is a general citrus allergy), tamarind, vinegar, pomegranate syrup
(Middle Eastern food stores).

resp:8 I hope they work =)

Is she allergic to all kinds of mushrooms, or just button mushrooms?

Does she eat meat?

As far as I know, it's all mushrooms, but I'll ask.  Yes, she's an omnivore...

that makes things slightly easier.

Potatoes are related to tomatoes and so may be a problem.  Buckwheat comes
to mind as yet another grain.

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