The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook

200 Gourmet and Homestyle Recipes for the Food Allergic Family

allergy cookbook

Saturday, January 09, 2010

THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER ACTIVE! FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE AT

www.cybelepascal.com

Thanks, and see you there!

Cybele

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Dear Readers:

Would anyone with a gluten or casein sensitivity like to participate in the following survey? It's from a grad student at UNH. They are working on developing a product that tests for the presence of gluten or casein in foods. You must be allergic or sensitive to at least one of these proteins to participate in the survey. Here is the email from the student, Mark Moccia. Link below.


"We have moved into the concept phase and have come up with 2 possible product concepts. Please note we have not developed these products, these are just screenshots and associated information. To that end, we would like to gather feedback on the feasbility of the products in question. Would you be willing to assist us again with a survey on the concepts? This survey can be accessed at the following link:

www.mbaclass.net
Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Mark"

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Hi.

I was asked by an anonymous to come up with a recipe for frosting one cupcake. Here is a simple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe for 1 cupcake.

Allergen-free Frosting for One

1 Tablespoon dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon rice milk
1/8th teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat until fluffy. Frost one cupcake. Voila!

Alternately, you can buy frosting from Cherrybrook Kitchen to have on hand at all times. I haven't tried these, but they sure look cute.




http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/products/frosting.php

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Happy Fall Everyone!

Today, my kids started school. And along with KFA, I'd like to remind everyone to make sure that their kids' EpiPens are up to date.

I also just came across a really cool site that sells what are called "allernotes",

which are notes that you can stick to your kids' lunch box, or give to a waiter announcing your food allergy, which they can then stick on the menu ticket for the chef. Here's the link.

http://www.allernotes.com/index.html

And I want to tell you about a new line of Teriyaki Sauces that I am pretty excited about. SEAL SAMA. They are all natural, and they even have a Gluten-free sauce, which is hard to find. (Please note, however, that these sauces contain soy). They are not too salty, and use pineapple juice to enhance the sweet tart flavor. In addition to the "Gluten-free" sauce and the "Chef's Blend", there is also a "Less Sodium" sauce and a "Sugar-free" sauce made with splenda. I like these sauces for there simplicity. They are light, fresh, and
easy to use. Either marinate, or use them for dipping. Hope you enjoy!

Next up:

I have a holiday cookie spread coming out in the December issue of Living Without, and I can finally tell you all that my next book will be available in December 2009. It is an allergen-free baking cookbook, and will be published by 10 Speed Press/Celestial Arts. Regretfully, the follow up to the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook will have to wait a little while longer. But that's coming too!

kind regards,

Cybele

Thursday, July 10, 2008


ALLERGY FREE BANANA BREAD

Wheat-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free, Peanut-free, Tree Nut-free, Sesame-free, and of course, Shellfish-free and Fish-free... It's also VEGAN and free of refined sugar. Please note that this recipe is NOT Gluten-free. For gluten-free baked goods, you must wait for my next cookbook (which I am busily baking up delicious new recipes for).

So I'm back. Back with a few updates. Most importantly, I'm back to right a wrong.

It has been brought to my attention that the oat flour/barley flour version of my Banana Bread recipe on p.22 in The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook doesn't work. So I tried it, and lo and behold, I am mortified to report that it's true. It doesn't work without the spelt flour. It's a big ol' mess. I don't know how this happened, I think there may have been a misprint, or maybe I just didn't test it enough... However, now that it's been brought to my attention, I've rectified the error. Below is the new and improved recipe. It works. It's delectable. Phew, I can sleep again at night!

REVISED RECIPE FOR BANANA BREAD FROM THE WHOLE FOODS ALLERGY COOKBOOK

ALLERGY-FREE VEGAN BANANA BREAD
Makes about 8 servings

1 cup oat flour
1 cup barley flour
1 cup amaranth flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup honey
3 ripe bananas, mashed (1 1/2 cups)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (nutmeg is not a nut)
3/4 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine oat flour, barley flour, amaranth flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer set on medium, combine canola oil, and honey. Add bananas, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Once thoroughly mixed, add flax seed meal, then raisins.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix until just combined.
5. Grease a loaf pan, sprinkle with a little flour, tapping out the extra. Transfer batter to loaf pan.
6. Bake in center of oven 45 minutes, rotating once halfway through until golden brown on top.
7. Let cool in pan about 5 minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack. Let rest at least half an hour before slicing.

YUM!

And on other fronts, several people have asked me about allergy-free and gluten-free restaurants and dining. For those of you who don't already know of it, I recently reviewed a GF dining guide published by Triumph that was quite good. http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Gluten-Free-Restaurant-Guide-3rd/dp/0977611124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215719977&sr=1-1And then there's always Let's Eat Out http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Eat-Out-Passport-Allergy/dp/0976484501/ref=pd_ts_b_25?ie=UTF8&s=bookshttp://www.amazon.com/Essential-Gluten-Free-Restaurant-Guide-3rd/dp/0977611124/ref=pd_cp_b_3?pf_rd_p=413864201&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0976484501&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1DJ229Q61D85HKBWWZJG


Come back soon for the long awaited review of The Allergy Grocer's NEW SOFT BAKED PRETZELS!!! And forgive me for the long delay in posting... I've been out of the country, and then I moved. Packing, unpacking, you all know the drill.

Happy summmer!

Be well,

Cybele

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

FOOD ALLERGY DRAMA

No, I'm not dead. Just busy. I have considered leaving a message saying there will be no more posts until I publish my next book, but I can't quite commit to that yet. First, Miss Roben's is sending me some fabulous new allergen-free, gluten-free product samples to review, so look back for that soon. Second, I'll be attending Expo West next month, so expect some breaking news on upcoming allergen-free products to be expected on store shelves in the coming year. Speaking of which, does ANYBODY like the GF mixes from Whole Foods? I think they are awful!!!!! They ought to be ashamed of their supposed "Whole Foods" selves. Made with WHITE RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, and POTATO STARCH (ummm, hello, WHITE, NON-WHOLE FOOD STARCH!!) these mixes are closer to a twinkie than a whole food (and nowhere near as good, I might add).

But on to the drama....

There has been A LOT OF DRAMA in the world of Food Allergies in the past few months. First, FAAN founders are stepping down, which is kind of a huge deal. Kind of like a whole new administration is coming in to rule our allergy country. Second, The NY TIMES ran an inflammatory article about Robyn O'Brien (founder of AllergyKids)



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/dining/09alle.html?emc=eta1


and the community has responded with furor.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/dining/16lett-WARONALLERGI_LETTERS.html?ref=dining



Additionally, Meredith Broussard wrote a flippant article, which has stirred up a commotion. The best response I've seen so far is posted below.

Published January 19, 2008 09:37 pm

GUERILLA MOTHERING: I'm allergic to semi-humorist attacking serious subject


By LESLEA HARMON
Local Columnist

Someone is attacking my kid, saying his food allergies are exaggerated. My first response is to fire back, and I do, in my own way — I write about it on my blog. I write about it also in a letter — the most scathing, insightful, soul-piercing prose ever composed by a sentient being on the topic of food allergies. I don’t finish the letter, though. I know there’s something more important I have to do first: take stock.

1.) There’s my son. I look at my boy, one of three children I would give my very life to defend. At age 6, he’s impudent, spunky, serious, and goofy in equal parts-but he’s a kid, so get off his back, already and let him be, right? Don’t go after his medical frailties, or any other weaknesses. He’s not ready.

2.) There’s the trouble-maker. I recently read an article implying that food allergies don’t exist. That the “few people” who do have them will easily outgrow them, and that all the hysteria surrounding food allergies is a marketing ploy put together by the corporate cronies who make drugs and fund research.

3.) There’s my quandary. Now I’m at odds. I fear the sinister manipulation of The Man, but I love my peanut-allergic kidlet with all my heart and don’t want to play Russian Roulette with his health.

4.) There’s no easy answer. Do I fight for my kids health, sanity, and safety by rejecting the corporate brainwashing some magazine article is telling me that I’ve been eating all these years? Or do I stick by what I know is true: I have seen my son — with my own eyes — swell up, develop hives, rashes, experience intestinal problems, and a lot of other disturbing symptoms that together are known as anaphylaxis.

Some writers enjoy just shooting from the hip, blathering out their opinions and being humbly corrected later by the powers that be — if anyone cares enough to respond. It allows them to go way out onto the fringe, to elicit powerful responses from sensational verbal imagery. It’s powerful, I know. I used to be that kind of writer. It’s thrilling.

Nowadays, I prefer to research my arguments before I make them. I like the power and weight of a solid argument before I slam it down on the table for discussion. I’m not afraid of being a drama mama when the need arises, but more than that, I just like to be right. So I started my research by looking up the author of this inciting bit of news. Was this article even written by a credible authority?

What I found was telling. The author of the article, Meredith Broussard, is a semi-humorist with a history of failed relationships. I’m not saying that to be mean — she has actually built a writing career on the topic of failed relationships, even publishing a presumably witty book on their unique lexicon. I’m sure it’s hilarious, just the kind of thing I would have loved back when I was a single chick who valued a snark above all else. Since I’ve become a mom, I feel differently about that kind of thing, but that’s just me going soft, I’m sure.

On her blog (entitled “The Blog of Failed Relationships,” naturally), Broussard mentions the torture of growing up with food allergies, and the diet of strict avoidance her mother put her on. In her own words “no sugar, no white flour, no peanut butter, no artificial coloring of any kind, no chocolate, no fish, no shellfish, no dairy.” Ouch. Strict avoidance. The diet evidently worked — Broussard outgrew her food allergies — but she still sounds so angry about it.

I hate it, but it’s the same kind of diet we have our kid on, though admittedly Broussard had it worse. Sam doesn’t have to avoid such a long list of things, but he really has trouble with what he has to manage. And now I feel sorry for her. I can’t help but see her as having so much in common with our own witty, impudent, wacky kid. How hard her life must have been, and at the same tender age our child is now.

I wonder if I can do any better than this woman’s mother did — not just in making my child avoid his allergic foods, but in communicating that I am doing so in hopes that he will outgrow his food allergies. Can I somehow impart kindness and caring to my son, who is denied so many treats and experiences that his friends and classmates get to have? Is it part of life for allergic children to be resentful of their parents? Must this baseline frustration hinder him for life?

I wonder if, in the history of another woman’s failed relationships, I can find inspiration to make my own family a success.

Ultimately, as I have advised the participants in my journaling classes so many times, I decide to keep my scathing letter unsent. I do not wish to add more hurt and trouble to the world. I use it to release, to voice important emotions, and now I choose to roll forward in an attitude of acceptance, focusing on the long-term solutions to food allergies instead of wasting time in the present arguing with a woman who’s already been deluged by angry letters from allergy parents and doctors all over the nation.

With my own eyes, I have seen the truth of food allergies. I know that there is a food allergy epidemic, and the fact that 10 percent of my son’s class has peanut allergy, alone, is illustrative of what is going on with one particular food. There are similar widespread cases of milk allergy, tree nuts, wheat, and many other foods. That’s just how it is. I have seen my son react and I have seen photos and videos of other people reacting, mostly children. No magazine article can change that.

With my choices, today and everyday, the people in my life, and in my son’s life — including my boy — I speak volumes about what I believe. My actions must stand up to the end result I wish to see. I must be the change I wish to see in the world — and my wish is for a world that works together to protect all its children, regardless of whether they have allergies or not.


AND THE ARTICLE TO WHICH MS. HARMON SO ELOQUENTLY RESPONDED


Everyone's gone nuts: The exaggerated threat of food allergies

by Meredith Broussard

from the January 2008
Harper's Magazine

(sorry, you'll have to cut and paste this into your browser, the link is being as uncooperative as Ms. Broussard)

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/01/0081878

THOUGHTS?

Check back soon for a review of GF Allergen-free Soft Pretzels from The Allergy Grocer/Miss Roben's and Allergen-free Marshmallow Peeps (just in time for EASTER!!!)

Cheers!

Cybele

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

AMY'S KITCHEN
NEW GF/CF PRODUCTS



CREAM OF RICE


As the weather turns wintery, even here in Southern California, where I'm wearing slipper socks and curling up in front of the fireplace, what better way to start the day than with a warm bowl of hot cereal? I have always loved cream of rice, it's kind of the ultimate comfort food. And now Amy's has introduced an improved new spin on this age old staple, it's made from ORGANIC BROWN RICE, and is sweetened with AGAVE NECTAR. At only 170 calories, this is truly a guilt-free treat that is sure to be loved by every member of your household, from baby to grandparents. A wholly modern innovation. It's so simple, yet so delicious. So on those days when I am literally racing to get the kids breakfast before school, or when I want a quick pick-me-up snack (while sitting in front of the computer, where I practically live), I will now turn to Amy's. This product is made from: Water, Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice, Organic Agave Nectar, and Sea Salt. Nothing less, nothing more. Just pop it in the microwave, stir, and you've got breakfast made in 4 minutes. It's allergen-free, GF/CF, Vegan, and Cholesterol-free. But wait, the best part, it tastes creamy, smooth, and sweet!


NON-DAIRY CHEEZE RICE CRUST PIZZA



I've long been a fan of Amy's Rice Crust Spinach Pizza, it's Dairy-free, and Gluten-free, so when I heard they were coming out with a single serving Rice Crust Non-dairy pizza, I jumped for joy. First of all, my kids love anything "mini", and the single serving pizza is the perfect size for two little kids to split. It's also the perfect size for any adult wishing to manage their portion sizes. And as much as my family loved the Rice Crust Spinach Pizza, I must admit, my kids most adore plain old regular pizza... nothing fancy, just crust, tomato sauce, and cheese. Somehow, Amy's has managed to make a wheat-free crust that is better than any frozen wheat crust I've ever tasted. It is reminiscent of a deep dish crust (but obviously thinner). It has fantastic texture and flavor. And the cheese has none of the rubbery weird non-cheesiness you often encounter with soy cheese, it tastes like cheese and it melts like cheese.

Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 6 oz
Serving Per Container: 1
Calories: 460
Calories from Fat:250
% Daily Value
Total Fat: 28g 43%
Saturated Fat: 3g 15%
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg 0%
Sodium: 680mg 28%
Carbohydrates: 46g 15%
Fiber: 4g 16%
Sugars: 7g
Protein: 10g

Organic: 76%

Vitamin A: 4% • Vitamin C: 10%
Calcium: 4% • Iron: 10%


Single Serve Non-Dairy Rice Crust Cheeze Pizza
INGREDIENTS : NO TRANS FAT • NO ADDED MSG • NO PRESERVATIVES (VEGAN) ORGANIC RICE FLOUR, SOY CHEEZE - MOZZARELLA TYPE (FILTERED WATER, HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, TOFU [SOYBEANS, CALCIUM SULFATE], SOY PROTEIN, INULIN [A NATURAL EXTRACT OF CHICORY], CARRAGEENAN [FROM SEAWEED], AGAR AGAR, SEA SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, LACTIC ACID [VEGAN]), ORGANIC TOMATO PUREE, FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC SUNFLOWER SEED MEAL, ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, ORGANIC POTATOES, ORGANIC TAPIOCA FLOUR, ORGANIC AGAVE NECTAR, ORGANIC RED ONIONS, SEA SALT, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER OIL, YEAST, SOY LECITHIN, SPICES*, ORGANIC GARLIC, BLACK PEPPER. CONTAINS SOY AND SUNFLOWER SEEDS. *100% PURE HERBS & SPICES (NO HIDDEN INGREDIENTS)

No Gluten Ingredients Dairy free Lactose free Vegan Kosher Corn free