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Allergen-free recipes and meal ideas!

45K views 482 replies 70 participants last post by  WuWei 
#1 ·
To all allergy-suffering moms and T/ED refugees- I think it would be great to have a running thread with recipes and meal ideas that we could share with each other. I'm constantly wondering what to eat and sometimes have trouble trying to put together 3 allergen-free meals a day.

So maybe everyone can post their favorite meal ideas with the group. It would be a good idea to bold ingredients that are potential allergens (of course, everyone's allergen list is different, so just make sure to read carefully before using someone else's recipe!!)

I hope Astromom doesn't mind me quoting her
, but I thought her recent post was great and now I have a new alternative to store-bought tortillas!!

Quote:
I also work full-time. It is so overwhelming to be making all this stuff from scratch but I'm finally getting into the rhythm of it. On the weekend I buy a roaster chicken, 3 lbs of ground lamb, 3 lbs of ground chicken. (I used to do turkey too but I'm sick of turkey.) Then I bake the chicken, save the meat, boil the bones and make a broth overnight. Then I make patties out of the meat and dip them in quinoa flour (which is gluten/wheat free) with some sea salt and cook those in a skillet with some oil (I use safflower oil or grapeseed oil.) I put the roast chicken pieces in the fridge and eat them over the next couple days. I put the patties in the freezer and eat them over the rest of the week. It takes several hours but then I'm done with the main dishes for the rest of the week.

For my bread fix, I make tortillas out of buckwheat. I take buckwheat flour (which is gluten/wheat free), baking powder, a little bit of oil, and enough warm water to make it a good slightly sticky consistency. Squash them flat (onto a plate of buckwheat flour to keep them from sticking) and then cook on a skillet (no oil needed) for like 30 seconds per side.
 
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#2 ·
I buy a big pack of turkey legs and make bone broth. (Throw the legs into a pot with just enough water to cover, add a couple T. of vinegar, let soak for about an hour. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 12-24 hours.) I take the meat off the bone about an hour into the simmering, before it's completely fallen apart.

After the bone broth is done, I use it instead of water to cook some rice (I use a white/brown mix). Then I mix in some of the shredded turkey meat, stir fry some zucchini and broccoli in olive or canola oil, and throw it on top.

I make a big pot of rice (with the turkey mixed in) so that I have leftovers for a couple days. Then I can just fry or steam some fresh veggies each day and throw them on top for an easy meal.
 
#3 ·
I have lots of recipes on my blog (in my signature). I can't post them all here. But you can search by allergen in the search feature, so you should be able to find something you can eat on any allergen diet.
Kathy
 
#4 ·
This is a good idea. The simpler the recipe, the better!


Quote:

Originally Posted by changingseasons View Post
I hope Astromom doesn't mind me quoting her
, but I thought her recent post was great and now I have a new alternative to store-bought tortillas!!
You bet! You have to be careful about how much warm water you add to the tortilla dough. Too little, and it's crumbly. Too much, and it's too sticky. Experiment with it..

ETA-- and note that baking powder has corn in it... these can be done w/ baking soda and cream of tartar instead... or they also can work without any of those!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjbrown92 View Post
I have lots of recipes on my blog (in my signature). I can't post them all here. But you can search by allergen in the search feature, so you should be able to find something you can eat on any allergen diet.
Kathy
I found some good recipes here!
 
#5 ·
I made up a "pancake" recipe many weeks ago and it has become a staple:

1 C safe flour (I usually use a mix of quinoa, buckwheat, and rice flours)
1 t corn-free baking powder
some sea salt
1 T oil (safflower, grapeseed, etc)
Add some rice milk until it's still a bit thick
Add chunks of safe fruit if you like

Sautee in oil - they are surprisingly good considering they don't have wheat, butter, eggs, etc!

Another version of this is to do sweet potato, safe flour, baking powder, and oil. These don't need as much rice milk to get to the right consistency. Sautee these in oil as well. These taste really good dipped in honey.

ETA these can be done w/ water instead of rice milk...

I think pretty much I've discovered I can make anything edible as long as I fry it.
 
#6 ·
How about some snack ideas? I have a hard time finding something to throw in my mouth on my way out the door... everything seems like it has to be cooked when your diet is restricted. I am addicted to the Enjoy Life bars and cookies, but I would prefer to get away from the packaged foods, even if they are allergen free.

Apples and bananas are the only things that I can ever think of to just 'grab and go'.
 
#7 ·
I know it's not a recipe, but I just discovered the enjoy life cocoloco bars and they are delish!!
can't wait to try the others!!! by the way, I keep wondering - if a dedicated facility uses sesame seeds (like food for life), does that mean there is no chance they are x-contaminated with nuts? I mean, where do they get the seeds from and how do we know they weren't made in a different factory that DOES process nuts??

and yes, more snack ideas! (other than fruit!)
 
#8 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshuasmom16 View Post
I know it's not a recipe, but I just discovered the enjoy life cocoloco bars and they are delish!!
Oh, I LOVE LOVE LOVE those things. But now am thinking that DD might be allergic to chocolate, so I just cut them out of my diet (today!)


You should also try the Enjoy Life Chocolate Brownie Cookies (or something like that). They are FABULOUS!!! Of course they are like $4 for a package of 12 tiny cookies, but when you need a serious chocolate fix...
 
#11 ·
I'm really not sure, it could be a few things in my diet over the weekend. She has been ok with the occasional CocoLoco, but I have been eating a LOT of them lately, then started drinking chocolate hemp milk last week (also SUPER yummy for a chocolate fix!). So someone suggested that maybe having that much chocolate all at once, she finally reached her threshold and started reacting. I'm taking all the chocolate out of my diet for now...
 
#12 ·
DS loves chicken salad made with leftover chicken. He is allergic to eggs so I mash up avocado with olive oil, lemon juice salt and pepper and mix that with the chicken. You can even shred some carrot in there. This is good, if you can get over the fact that your chicken salad is green.
 
#13 ·
For those who aren't allergic to soy, but are allergic to eggs, dairy and wheat, Vegenaise is great. Tastes just like mayo (to me, anyway). I haven't tried it in something as mayo-based as chicken salad yet but it tasted wonderful on my sandwich.

As for meal ideas, my favourite right now is "dirty rice". Found the recipe online and it is GOOD.
 
#15 ·
I can't remember which site I found the recipe for dirty rice on, but here it is:

1/2-1 lb ground meat
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
2 stalks chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked rice
4 beef bouillon cubes (I use 1 CelifibR cube, but you might want to use 2 if you prefer it more salty)
1 teaspoon paprika or chili powder (make sure it's a gf brand like McCormick's)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3-4 cups water (I've never needed more than 3, but I live at sea level)
1 1/2T soy sauce (I use San-J soy sauce)

Brown and drain meat. Add veggies and garlic and saute until onions are tender. Add all other ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Add more water if needed.
Voila! Supper.

I've also added about a cup more veggies (broccoli and spinach) and it turned out great.
 
#17 ·
I just had to say, Sweetjane, I have to try making your chicken salad sometime. I love avocados (and so does DS).
The favourite snack around here right now (other than fruit) seems to be rice cakes with hummus.
We're pretty new to the whole food-allergy thing (other than having eliminated artificial dyes years ago) and still adjusting.
 
#18 ·
our favorite snack is carrot sticks or celery sticks dipped in mashed avocado. YUM!

I made a really good rice pudding yesterday (coconut milk, sugar, rice). I ate a ton of it warm (as did DD) but it's not that wonderful cold, so I keep reheating in the microwave. It was a BIG batch. But it makes a filling snack.

Today I'm having an urge for chewy gingersnap-ish cookies, so I'm going to experiment with that.

While I was doing the TED, my favorite meal was jasmine rice, a couple of splashes of rice vinegar, diced carrot, cucumber, and avocado, salt & pepper. Filling, fat, and healthy. And a change from turkey.
 
#19 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by kjbrown92 View Post
I made a really good rice pudding yesterday (coconut milk, sugar, rice). I ate a ton of it warm (as did DD) but it's not that wonderful cold, so I keep reheating in the microwave. It was a BIG batch. But it makes a filling snack.
How do you make rice pudding? I don't think I've ever tasted it, let alone made it... But with my new diet, I am excited to try new things and expand my limited menu options!!
 
#20 ·
For quick(er) meals, I like to make up a bit pot of black beans. Soak overnight, then drain. Add fresh water and put in crockpot all day. Cool the beans and now you can portion and freeze if you want for several meals.

Black bean and sweet potato cakes. I don't have exact amounts, but maybe 1 or 2 cups of black beans mashed together with 1 cooked sweet potato (use a hand masher, you want them to be coarse, not smooth like mashed potatoes). Add a good amount of salt and pepper, granulated garlic, cumin and chili powder if you can have it and flour as a binder (rice flour works fine). Heat a safe oil (we use canola) in a pan. Form small patties (2 in. diameter), dredge in a little more flour and fry for a few minutes on each side. You can make a dipping sauce of some safe yogurt mixed with chopped cilantro (or whatever kind of sauce sounds good). These are good cold or hot, so they make a good quick lunch or snack.

Black beans and rice. Saute some onions, garlic and meat if you want. Mix with black beans (you can add a little broth and mash a bit if you want it more stew-like) and serve with or over rice. We (well, dh and I) like cold sliced tomatoes on the side, dressed with lemon juice.

You can also make refried beans with these for some quick burritos. Reheat the beans with some broth, and sauteed garlic and onions if you want. Mash as you cook so they're smooth. You can make a bean dip with this, too, for a quick snack with vegetables or some safe bread/tortillas.

Can you tell we like beans? lol. You can used canned/drained black beans, too, if you aren't able to make your own. ETA: with black beans you make from scratch, you always need more salt than you think (well, *I* do anyway).
 
#21 ·
We do tapioca pudding too (DD likes it; something that grossed me out when I was a kid).

Rice pudding

Soak 1 c. jasmine rice for 20 minutes. Drain.

Bring 2 14-oz. cans of coconut milk, 2 1/2 c. vanilla rice milk, 1 c. sugar, pinch of salt, 1 Tbs. extra virgin coconut oil, and 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve at room temperature.

Personally, I burned my tongue in my haste to eat it. The original recipe, which I changed a little, said it was good chilled. I didn't like it as much chilled so I'd take out a serving, put a splash of rice milk on it, and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, and it was perfect again. Some people like raisins in theirs. My DD can't have raisins/grapes but I never liked them in it anyway. If you can do berries, dried cranberries might be good. Just make sure to get coconut milk that doesn't have weird additives (some of them have guar gum), and I don't use the light ones anymore. I buy my at an Asian market and the cans are 95 cents each. I've been using coconut milk alot.

If you can have seeds, it's really easy to make sesame-honey candy. It's good to halt a sweet craving.

K
 
#22 ·
Kathy - all of my coconut milk has guar gum - is this inherently a bad thing? Is it really possible to find canned coconut milk without some sort of additive? We have a great, huge Asian grocery in Seattle but it's very inconvenient for me and I never go there.

ETA: one more question if anyone can answer. I LOVE coconut tapioca and used to make it all the time but cannot make it anymore since I am avoiding eggs. Is there anything that could replace the egg in the tapioca recipe? Also, when I make it I add some lime zest and organic, no-sugar added dessicated coconut to it. Yummo!
 
#23 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by kjbrown92 View Post
We do tapioca pudding too (DD likes it; something that grossed me out when I was a kid).

Rice pudding

Soak 1 c. jasmine rice for 20 minutes. Drain.

Bring 2 14-oz. cans of coconut milk, 2 1/2 c. vanilla rice milk, 1 c. sugar, pinch of salt, 1 Tbs. extra virgin coconut oil, and 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve at room temperature.
Thanks for the recipe! Tapioca pudding also grossed me out as a kid, so I'm still a little wary of the puddings.
But I am so ready to have more foods in my diet, so I am going to try it! Do you think another sweetener like maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or honey would work, or is it best with sugar?
 
#24 ·
My tapioca recipe doesn't have egg in it either. I don't do guar gum in my coconut milk because my two intolerant kids can't do any legumes. There is an additive in mine that's a stabilizer or something, but it's chemical-y, and DD doesn't react to it, so I'm going with it. Our Asian market is about 35 minutes away. I go up and buy a case of coconut milk at a time, and lots of rice noodles (because they're tons cheaper than at health food stores).

Not sure if honey or agave would work. Try it. I'm still trying to perfect my granola bar recipe (gluten free) - GF oats, crispy rice cereal, flaxseed, honey, molasses. But I haven't figured out how to make it stickier. It's good when it's refrigerated, but falls apart when it warms up at all, and I'm thinking if I cook the sugars down more they'll get to a stickier stage, but I don't know if molasses burns. Anyone help on that one?

My little one like tapioca pudding much more than rice pudding! (fish eyes)
 
#25 ·
Ooh- that reminds me of the recipe I found for crispy rice squares. But these have the same problem as yours Kathy- they are good chilled, but totally fall apart when warm. I found that if I REALLY, REALLY smoosh them into the pan and then chill them, they stay together a little better.

1 t. cold pressed canola oil
1/2 c. brown rice syrup
2 T. sesame tahini or almond butter (we can't do almond, but the tahini seems to be ok for DD)
3 t. vanilla extract
2 c. crispy brown rice cereal
2 c. puffed rice
2 c. puffed millet or Perky's Nutty Rice
1/2 c. pumpkin or sunflower seeds
1/2 c. currants, chopped dried apple or dates

Heat oil in a large pot; add rice syrup and tahini or almond butter. Stir until bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Add remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Press into ungreased 13"x9" pan and press mixture flat. Let mixture set at room temperature or refrigerate. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

I found this recipe in this elimination diet, and there's a lot more. FWIW- I also tried making the blueberry muffins and they were horrible... of course I did a lot of substituting since we're off nuts.
 
#26 ·
I can't do the tahini or any nut butter, so mine is held together even less, though that didn't stop DD and DH from eating the first batch. I used Lyle's golden syrup in the first batch (like corn syrup, only cane sugar) and left it out the second time because my naturopath said it wasn't very healthy. Maybe I should try baking the leftovers and see what happens.

Yesterday I made a good soft gingersnap type cookie (we can do wheat, luckily) and they're all gone, so I'm going to try to alter the recipe to make them sugar cookies today. Not sure if it will work but I'm bringing dessert to the family dinner tonight and our options aren't very big considering the food intolerances.

And I'm still trying to figure out pancakes that aren't gummy in the middle. I want a fluffy pancake, but with no egg or milk, I'm just getting gum. It's been so long since we've had real pancakes though, my kids gobble them up anyway.
 
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