Here's a good looking Brownie recipe that the author converted to allergen-free.


http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/12/peppermint-fudge-brownies-dairy-gluten-free.html

From Robin (who should be working, but is noodling around the food allergy world on the internet)

It's Monday

It's Monday and lets complain a little.  Its another gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, sesame-free day.  I must have two meals for the day completed by 7:30 a.m. because it is a school day.  I am lucky enough to have a wonderful eater for a daughter.  She loves food and likes a wide variety of things.  I am unlucky enough to have a wonderful eater for a daughter.  She loves food an likes a wide variety of things.  So she won't eat the same old thing everyday.  The mothers of the fussy eaters are jealous of me.  They watch my child snack on everything from sardines to watercress salad to scorpions (yep, I have pictures of that).   But I am also a little jealous of them at times.  They can throw together the same old thing because it is all their kids will eat and they are done.  At our home, things get a little desperate.  Once she has eaten something often enough, she does not care to see it show up on her plate for awhile.  I am sure she would get tired of scorpions if I could serve them up regularly (She thought they tasted like a cross between chicken and popcorn.  We have to take her word for it because I did not try them).  She is tired of most of the breakfast foods that I can conjure up quickly.  Coconut milk yogurt with allergen free granola - don't even suggest it.  Not even with our own blueberry sauce - doesn't want to see that for awhile.  1-2-3-Gluten-Free pancakes????  with bananas for egg replacer - Nope, been there, done that.  Gluten-free oatmeal with fruit and coconut cream???  SO over it.  Turkey bacon??? That was good for awhile due to this being a vegetarian household prior to "the diet," but no, we have had our fill of that. Apples with nut butter??? Over that on the third day.   Hash browns stirred up with broccoli, bell peppers and onions (throw in some chicken sausage, really expensive Applegate Farms sausage)????  That worked for the last month, but is losing its glow. 

If I serve something that has lost its edge, she picks at it and does not eat much.  It's a grumpy morning with me harassing her to hurry up and eat and her trying to eat something she now finds downright unappealing.  Then, on that happy note, we race out the door for school and work. 

Sunday has become begging day.  I beg her to think of things that might be appealing come Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.    Breakfast AND lunch options. This week she agreed to hash browns again with the addition of tilapia on the side.  People might think I am spoiling her, but really, she's a good eater and I have to embrace that.  She has invented a rub for tilapia that she likes, so she has some motivation to handle breakfast cooking while I handle lunch. 

This morning, she had hash browns, tilapia and left-over butternut squash soup.  For lunch, she was to have grilled chicken with a watercress parsley salad, cucumber slices, carrot sticks and munchies.  Munchies are some sort of allergen free cereal or crunchy snack (just nothing sweet, she is not that big on sweets) with some almonds or non-peanut nut thrown in.  I have found that without some sort of carbohydrate, she will get in the car starving at the end of the long school day.  I need the nuts for a protein boost. She is sick of sunflower seeds.

Chicken cooks much better if you turn the oven on.  (Remember, this is Monday).  As the carpool ride to school pulled up, I was desperately emptying plain salmon into a container for some sort of lunch protein.  I squeezed a little lime and some seasoned salt on it and ran it out to the car.  Better luck tomorrow, the chicken should be cooked by then. 

I am off to work now, thinking, "Ok, what's for dinner?"  Can't be tilapia, its my breakfast savior this week. 

Food Dyes

Food Dyes-Yep, some people break out in hives when given that red popsicle.  Some kids get really irritable with flushed cheeks after those orange colored cheez-its.  Some kids get hyperactive after their antibiotics are dosed.  Did you notice the medicine was pink? We in America will add color to almost anything.  I saw pickle relish dyed purple.  WHY would anyone want to do that?  Or eat that?  But I guess it is ‘fun.’   It’s not fun if you break out in hives or excema or you just feel lousy.  Plus, food dyes are being linked to cancer.  Of course, you may have to eat a lot of dyes to get cancer, but then again, we eat a lot of foods with food dyes.  Did you know that those same food dyes are banned from children’s foods in Europe and Great Britain because of the research on food dyes and behavior?  Did you know that major food manufacturers in the United States make foods without those dyes to ship to Europe and Great Britain, yet still add it the foods they sell here?  Makes me crazy.

I went out to buy all-natural organic food dyes, but they were exhorbitantly expensive.  We went home and made red dye from beet juice.  I am working on some other colors.  I occasionally let the kid and company indulge in sprinkles on cupcakes, but not much.  Food dyes scare me.  I may start a business of making and selling natural food dyes.  Color is fun, but cancer is not. 

Here is an article from Allergy Kids.

http://www.allergykids.com/blog/seeing-red/

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

Sesame

Sesame seeds look so cute and benign, but The National Institute of Health notes that sesame is a rapidly increasing allergy in children. This is thought to be due to its increased presence in the American diet.  It is most often identified in children under the age of 2.  The first symptom is often an anaphylactic reaction such as hives and swelling.  It is thought that about 20% of these children will outgrow this allergy by preschool. 

Children with peanut or tree nut allergies are also likely to be sensitive to sesame. 

Sesame can make a parent super vigilant because the cute little buggers can be sprinkled everywhere.  Sesame seeds are sprinkled on bagels, sushi, and hamburger buns.  Sesame is also the base for tahini and therefore in hummus and falafel. Granola, crackers, and many breads have sesame seeds.  Indian curries (both powders and paste) may also have sesame.  Some kids will break out in hives if they have been kissed by someone who has recently eaten anything with Sesame. 

Sesame oil is considered a great flavor to add to stir fries and other Asian cooking. It can also be used in making lipsticks and other cosmetics. 

In Canada and the European Union, sesame is considered a major allergen and must be noted on food products. Yay for Canada and Europe.

Here is a nice article and list of sources of sesame.

http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_8/sesame_seed_allergy-2025-1.html

 PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

 

Fish and Shellfish

Fish

There are a lot of fish in the ocean and people who are allergic to fish are usually not allergic to all of them.  However, it takes specific allergy testing, fish by fish, to figure out which specific fish is a problem. Many people who have a fish allergy just avoid all of them.  Fish allergies are up there with peanuts for the high rate of anaphylactic reactions. 

People think fish are obvious (and they usually are), but fish can ‘hide’ as well.  Watch out for anchovy paste, fish sauces and fish broths.  And who would have known that you could find fish gelatin in marshmallows. 

Oddly enough, people who are allergic to fish are generally not cross-reactive with shellfish. 

Here’s a little article on fish allergies and sources of fish.

http://www.acaai.org/allergist/allergies/Types/food-allergies/types/Pages/fish-allergy.aspx

 

Shellfish

Shellfish allergies send more people to the emergency room each year than any other allergy.  It can make you re-think that shrimp platter for your party.  Shellfish refers to the shrimp, crab and lobster, as well as octopus and squid (who knew? no shell).  Some people may be allergic to clams, mollusks, and oysters.  Shellfish allergies usually develop after early childhood and are not “outgrown.”  Shellfish are usually pretty obvious on the table, but can hide in sushi or sauces.  Some people are also sensitive to vapors when shellfish are cooking or to cross contamination on cooking spoons.

Here is a nice little article on shellfish and sensitivities.

http://www.projectallergy.com/medical-information/allergy-medical-information/shellfish-allergy-avoidance.cfm

 

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

Soy

Soy, always touted as a healthy food, is also a major allergen.  Like peanuts, it is a legume.  And like peanuts, soy is in obvious places such as soy sauce, but is also hidden in other foods.  Even more than peanuts, soy is a major ingredient in many processed. foods.  So there is “obvious soy” such as tofu, edamame, soy sauce and soy milk.  Then there is less obvious soy. Soy is an “agent” in many other foods.  Who knew that soy would be in just about all chocolate and also in your tea bags.  Soy lecithin is an emulsifier.  Its keeps processed food blended well.  When soy lecithin is an ingredient, there is very little soy in product, usually less than one percent.  However, it is there and it has to be listed.  You can find chocolate and tea bags (and other stuff) without soy lecithin, but you have to look. In addition to working as an emulsifier to keep ingredients from separating, soy lecithin can be found in cake mixes to smooth out the dough and make it spread more easily. In baking, it can help dough rise.    Soy is in a lot of infant formula.  It is a problem for people sensitive to soy.  Some people are also concerned that the genetically modified soy is contributing to other allergies (see peanuts).

Here is a cheat sheet on Soy Allergies from the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.

http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/allergy/soy.html

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

Tree Nuts

Tree nuts include almonds, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, chestnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, pistachios, lichee nuts and walnuts.  Tree nut allergies are very common and tend to persist into adulthood. 

A tree nut allergy means “no nuts.”  These nuts are all biologically related so if a person is allergic to one, they may react to any of the others.

Tree nuts are not related to peanuts.  Peanuts are a legume.  Tree nuts are a hard fruit of a tree. So a person who cannot have peanuts, may be able to have tree nuts and vice versa. However, many people with a tree nut allergy also have a peanut allergy.

Sunflower seeds are seeds, not nuts, so you are good there unless there is cross contamination.  There is only the rare allergy to sunflower seeds, but parents should keep you posted.  

Nutmeg is not made from nuts, so it is ok. 

Water chestnuts are also not nuts (as noted by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxsis Network). 

 Coconut is listed by the FDA as a tree nut, however coconut allergies are extremely rare.  The coconut is not considered a “tree nut” in most of the “allergy circles.”  Some of the big Food Allergy sites are trying to get the coconut off the nut list because it confuses people.

Tree nuts can be found in nougats, nut butters, granola bars, cereals, pesto, marinades, and some lotions (think shea butter from the shea nut).

Here is the tree nut allergy avoidance list.

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=60

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.