Hello! I’m Back...

Hello my lovely readers. I saw this little cartoon here on "Oh My Words' and thought of you or rather me...or rather my very lonely blog. I’m so sorry that I have been gone for soooo long. What can I say? Life got in the way. There’s been a few ups (new job, lots of wedding planning) a lot of downs (bereavements, and the sadness and lack of motivation that goes with it) and despite a lot of Food Allergy Friendly discoveries I’ve simply had little to no time to write because of sheer exhaustion. I have been soooo tired. 

BUT, Thank you for all your comments, likes and emails! I am very sorry that it has taken me so long to get back on track because I have SO much to share with you! I’ve seen lots of new products; new flavours of old favourites; amazing arrays of Dairy Free, Egg Free and Gluten Free sorbets (in every direction that I look!).

There are some awesome new restaurant finds like the Bay in Clontarf that I’m dying to try out (totally Allergy Friendly and comprehensive menu!!) and some great Dairy Free, Vegetarian and Gluten Free meals in town (favourite dish of the moment is definitely the Dairy Free deep fried squid in black pepper from Saba for pescetarians and seafood lovers alike - Oh My Goodness it’s direct from Yum Town). 

I went on a Pizza making course which showed me some great ways to make your Cheese-less pizza win a Gold Medal and even just this morning I whipped up a sandwich of dreams to rival any evil Parma Ham/Cheese Croissant (my flatmate G. made me VERY envious with his full house of ingredients recently but I think I definitely fought back today!)

The idea was very easy and traditional:

What I wanted was a toasted sandwich with cheese and ham.

What I made was a lightly toasted and fried bagel with a sunny side up corn fed free range egg, Tesco’s Italian Salami, Tesco’s Roasted Onion hummous and a grind or two of fresh black pepper.

The key for me was to press down the middle of the bagel to fit the egg into neatly before toasting and to use the runny yellow egg yolk to satisfy my visual need for cheese and get my bang from the onion hummous (best hummous on the planet for sandwiches) and salami. It was simple, it was rustic and it tasted damn good. It’s already Dairy Free, and Tomato Free (and Nut Free if you can tolerate Sesame), but could easily be made Wheat Free and Gluten Free as well with a bagel substitute.

So anyway, the long and short of it is that I’m back and can’t wait to get back into the swing of things :D

What I'm Reading: May in the Free From Food Allergy World

Lately it’s all about health related reading for me with a sprinkling of entertaining recipes thrown in. I have been very preoccupied with metal toxicity, poor digestion, and fluid retention and the on-going battle with modern living! But it’s not all bad news.. there’s a lovely interview with Pippa Kendrick (The Intolerant Gourmet) and a hopeful story featuring none other than Macdonalds, and let’s not forget that this week is Allergy Awareness Week in some parts of the world so don’t say that I don’t supply silver linings too! ;)

IN THE KITCHEN

Fruit Leather (that North American love): 

http://www.foodallergyqueen.com/2012/04/recipe-how-to-make-fruit-leather-from.html

Vegan Mexican Chickpea Fajitas with some Eye Candy pics!:

http://tongueticklers.com/2012/04/mexican-chickpea-fajitas-with-veronika/

Fennel Syrup (Anything with Fennel must be good!):

http://glutenfreegirl.com/fennel-syrup/

LIVE, LIVING & FOOD ALLERGIES

Metal Toxicity, my new obsession:

http://drlwilson.com/articles/TOXIC%20METALS.htm

Hello Fluid Retention, my old friend:

http://www.freewebs.com/jumblebox/healthF/tidbit1b2.html 

TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT, THAT IS THE QUESTION:

Digestive problems and Hidden Food Allergen Dangers:

http://www.cbn.com/health/nutrition/DrLen_031207.aspx

All about avoiding allergens to avoid allergies later on & the possible myths attached:

http://www.mssm.edu/research/programs/jaffe-food-allergy-institute/news/reuters-no-need-to-hold-back-on-milk-nuts-in-babies-dr-sicherer-explains

The woes of a milky world - Added benefits of being Dairy Free, Vegan and/or Vegetarian:

http://milk.elehost.com/html/why_does_calcuim_leave_the_bon.html

Food Allergy Awareness Week, YAY!:

http://foodallergyassistant.blogspot.com/2012/05/food-allergy-awareness-week-plans.html

McDonalds - I don’t generally support them but this little quip gives me some hope & faith for the food allergic world:

http://foodallergyassistant.blogspot.com/2012/04/mcdonalds-and-food-allergies-few-

fast.html

A nice little interview with Pippa Kendrick:

http://www.piginthekitchen.co.uk/2012/04/interview-with-pippa-kendrick-author-of.html

EYE CANDY:

...and in honour of the horrible fevery cold/flu/mess that I was 'dealing with' over the the last  week...  I love this little picture of sick in bed:

http://katieboo85.blogspot.com/2012/05/twas-crohn-christmas-and-epileptic-new.html

What I’m Reading February: Food Allergies, Side-Effects, Being Sugar-Free & A Lot of Eye Candy

I’ve been doing loads of Food Allergy related (and more) reading this month! Maybe it’s my new wonderfully comfy work station in my lovely new room or maybe it’s just that there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on on the www. lately but whatever the reason I have a bundle of recipes, pictures, allergy related health & info not to mention a few links from 'The Nourishing Gourmet' related to going Sugar Free. That’s right folks... I’ve been trying to go completely Sugar Free (fruit & natural sweeteners included) for a couple months now but its just not happening so what better time than lent... of course, if duty calls, than that’s a different issue & this is definitely not a ‘rest-of-my life’ thing because I totally plan on nom-nomming on some Petite Treats come Easter morning, but in my day-to-day life, since Wednesday, I have unshackled myself from the Sugar world. The craving is tough but I’m feeling much stronger since my life got back in order (moving, etc.) ... The thing is, is that I have never given up ALL types of sweet before... only the pure sugar thing so this is a big one for me.. no dates.. no pear pureé.. no agave. The only sweet allowed in is in the form of Rice Milk. So wish me luck!
The Sugar related posts are not hard-fast ‘cut out all sweet’ posts, they are more just on the topic of sugar, the natural balance and some natural ways of avoiding the refined stuff. Anyway,

I hope you enjoy the reading - If you’re in a hurry, my favourite links which are 100% worth the read have asterisks (***)


FOR THE KIDS
- Allergy Awareness for Kids (Learning & laughing in funny clothes - the Elvis ariel shot is my favourite part!): www.avoidingmilkprotein.blogspot.com - Wiggles Allergy Song

GOING SUGAR FREE
- Sugar Cleanse & Chaos in Life (The Balance & Like-attracting Like): www.thenourishinggourmet.com - How a Bookcase Helped Me Eat Better
- ***Musings on honey, sweet food and moderation (Just some thoughts):www.thenourishinggourmet.com - Eat Honey For It Is Good
- Sugar free fruit-based Desserts (to help you get through): www.thenourishinggourmet.com - Fruit Centered Desserts with No or Little Added Sweetners

IN THE KITCHEN
- How to Make Vegan Sausages (She makes it sound so easy that i just might try it): www.theppk.com - Vegan Sausage
- ***A Cross-Reference of Grain-Free Pancakes (If you haven’t moved on to reservation and restriction and are still basking in pancake glory!): www.foodrenegade.com - Grain Free Pancake Recipe Links
- Tree Nut Free Nutella Recipe (Dairy substitute available) (possibly for one of your new pancake recipes!): www.nut-freemom.blogspot.com/ - Nut Free Nutella
- Creamy Dairy Free Potato Recipe (This looks pretty yum in a good old fashioned savoury kind of way):www.glutendairyfree.co.uk - Gluten Free, Dairy Free Potato Dauphinoise
- Gluten Free (and Dairy Free) Brioche (because in a sugary world brioche is king): www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com - Brioche Recipe
- Nutritional Content of Gluten Free Flours (in case you were wondering): www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com - Nutritional Content of Gluten Free Flours

LIFE & LIVING, FOOD ALLERGIES & GENERAL HEALTH
- Some Coeliac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity Coverage (A little piece from the Wall Street Journal: www.online.wsj.com - Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity
- ***Fashion Victim Reality (how your clothes could be hurting your health): www.online.wsj.com - Fashion Victims
- Coeliac related health problems (Only Potential problems!): www.free-from.com - Accociated Gluten Sensitivity
- ***Life with eczema (An eye-opening account of living with eczema & eczema flare-ups): www.whatallergy.com - Eczema Flare Up
- ‘Go Dairy Free’ the Book (Top notch stuff for the people new to Dairy Free living: www.godairyfree.org - New to the Dairy Free Diet, Start Here
- Soy-Free & Dairy-Free Yoghurt (from the Rice Dream company):
www.godairyfree.org - A Whole New Class of Dairy Free & Soya Free Goodness
- ***The Craziness of Macdonald’s Fries (Read this if you thought it was just potatoes and oil!): www.foodsmatter.com - Are Macdonalds French Fries Safe

EYE CANDY (& MAKING BETTER EYE-CANDY)
- Taking better Food Photos (guest post on Kitchen Flavours): www.kitchenflavours.blogspot.in - Food Photography
- 'Photo a Day' projects (I just love them!): www.greenveganliving.com &
www.glutenfreephotos.blogspot.com
- ***Another 'Photo a Day' Project (My very favourite photo a day project, ever!): www.simplybreakfast.blogspot.com
- Some Taste-bud tempting photos (in the form of a tasty Raw recipe): www.loveraw.blogspot.com - Raw Hemp Brownies

Have you been reading anything interesting lately? Tell us all about it, throw us some links! that www. is so big it's hard to get around it all by myself!!

What I’m Reading: Fresh Starts, Free From Recipes & the World of Restricted Diets

Well, it’s that time of the month again where I try to share some of the wonderful, interesting and inspiring things that I have been perusing over the last 30 or so days. This month has been a see-saw of healthy foods, new years resolutions and dietary/allergic reactions/cures competing with holiday reminiscent indulgent recipes and lazy living. So now that January is almost over lets get down to work at making 2012 exactly the way we want it to be... So the menu is Copper Toxicity, Beginning an Allergy Free Diet, all the crazy Mental and Emotional stuff that can go along with Food Allergies, Getting your Fresh Starts on the road before January is out, A dose of healthy and wicked Recipes to tempt you whether your plans for 2012 are drink more, be healthy, or indulge yourself...My ordinary Extras and one little Question: Has anybody tried Flax Milk??

P.S. A little bit of bad news - the Valentines Raw Dinner I was all excited about last week has sadly been cancelled... woe is me! But there are still loads of courses and whatnot to get you Raw and active: www.sseduced.com

LIVING & LIFE WITH FOOD ALLERGIES, INTOLERANCES & RESTRICTED DIETS
- Copper Toxicity (fascinating & essential reading - it could be you): www.drlwilson.com - Copper toxicity Syndrome
- The Slow Oxidizer Eating Plan (getting your Yang on): www.drlwilson - The Slow Oxidizer
- Going Allergy Free 6 Step Plan: www.godairyfree.org - 6 Simple Steps
- Allergy Related Behaviour (Obsessive Compulsive): www.allergyfreecookery.blogspot.com
- And More Allergy Related Behaviour (Depression & Food Allergies): www.whatallergy.com & www.foodsmatter.com

DETOX & HEALTHY LIVING FOR 2012
- Eat More Greens (‘cause everyone should do it!): www.therparticularkitchen.com - How to Eat More Leafy Greens
- Sugar Cleanse (because I feel guilty after all the January sweets I posted about - and ate!): www.thenourishinggourmet.com - Sugar Detox Challenge Invite
- New Beginnings (it’s never too late to start fresh): www.loveraw.blogspot.com - Your Strategy for 2012

IN THE KITCHEN (TASTY LOOKING RECIPES - BOTH HEALTHFUL & INDULGENT)
- Sweet but Green Raw Drink (the pictures make me want to try it): www.loveraw.blogspot.com
- Caramelized Beets (I’m not a beet lover but these might be nice): www.theppk.com
- Tofu Scrambles (some helpful tips on perfecting the art): www.vegansaurus.com
- Gluten Free Upsidedown Cake: www.glutenfreephotos.blogspot.com
- Cake in a Cup (for those instant needs): www.glutenfreestudentcookbook.co.uk
- Kale Martini (sounds gross, might be good - only one way to find out!): www.celiacchicks.com

BLOGGING
- New Job Titles (interesting post on the term ‘food blogger’): www.kblog.lunchboxbrunch.com

THINGS I WANT
- A Wake-Up Light (the birds chirping sentence sold me!): www.eatinglikeahorse.wordpress.com
- Flax Milk to come to Ireland Please! (or have you seen it somewhere? Must hunt!): www.godairyfree.org

A TINY BIT OF EYE-CANDY
- Travel photos (from a free from blog): www.simplygluten-free.com

Happy Reading & Happy Weekend!

Gluten Free Breakfasts (Vegan)

I find the hardest thing about a Gluten Free diet is finding something to eat for breakfast every day. This is all the more difficult if you are Dairy free and Egg free too! I love breakfast. I have specific things that I like to eat, the entire meal is a comfort to me. So when a dietary restriction gets in the way of that comfort I get seriously annoyed and feel like everything is impossible ... not exactly the way I like to start my day.
So, I’ve been thinking that if I feel this way, and I’m not even a coeliac, I imagine that it might be a familiar feeling to others. Soooo, Over the next little while I am going to do some ‘What I had for Breakfast’ specials which will give some Allergen Free ideas to help start off our day.

Today, because I was recently asked to refrain from oats (my love!) my breakfast is a bit light. Generally I need a quality breakfast to consist of more than Gluten Free corn flakes in a bowl because I am prone to feeling weak if I don’t get something solid first thing. So, the task at hand was to make a light cereal breakfast of Rice Puffs into something a bit more solid which will last me until lunch so I added some Pea Protein to give it a bit more staying power.

1/2 bowl Kallo Natural Puffed Rice (the honey ones are divine but I’m being good so its plain today)
1 Banana, sliced
1 handful of Blueberries
1tbsp Pea Protein powder
Rice Dream

(This Breakfast is: Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Oat Free, Dairy Free, Soya Free, Sugar Free, Corn Free, Tree Nut Free, Egg Free, Potato Free, Vegan, Vegetarian)

Today I actually had Kara Coconut Milk (which is considered a nut) only because I ran out of Rice Dream, but if you are going for the plain rice puffs and you don’t want to add a sweetener than I suggest a naturally sweeter Dairy Free milk like Rice Dream. Also, if you don’t like the ‘thinness’ of Rice Dream you'll be happy to hear that the protein powder thickens it up a bit.

Note about using Protein Powder: I use Pea Protein because it is Vegan as well as being Soya Free. Just sprinkle the powder over the cereal and then mix with your spoon before adding the milk to avoid clumping. Mix again after adding the milk and you shouldn’t have a problem.

That’s it, have a great & Food Allergy Friendly day!

The Food Allergy Free Month (& Year) in Review!

Happy New Year!!! I hope that you all had a very wonderful Christmas and that you managed to stay healthy and Allergy Free during one of the most difficult times of the year to do so! My personal Free From highlights of the season were 1, Vegideli Beanfeast paté on crackers with Tesco hummus as a pre christmas dinner snack (addictively tasty!). 2, My Mom’s insanely good Gluten Free and Dairy Free christmas cake (pictured above) which was SO good this year that we actually took a mini vote and decided that it was BETTER than the Gluten-filled one, which was already totally awesome! and 3, My beautiful beautiful gramophone, which F. gifted me with - Swooon!

picture courtesy of F. because it was too big to transport to my family home!

But now its all done and dusted and its time to look back over the past year and re-cap, re-group, and re-start all over again. December was obviously very ‘holiday’ oriented with lots and lots of Christmas foods (I’ll do a quick review of the month at the bottom of this post) but first lets do a big sweep of all of the wonderful Food Allergy Friendly things that happened in 2011...

Not only did I get this blog finally looking the way I want but my page views more than quadrupled! Yay!. I reviewed no less than 18 Cafés and Restaurants which cater to Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions and 12 shops around the city which sell a good range Allergy Free food products, I’ve shared at least 14 Free From recipes (I’ll work on creating and sharing even more in 2012!) and reviewed some books on the topic of food allergies and digestion. I also reviewed a WHOLE HOST of food allergy friendly products that are available in and around Dublin not to mention all the going’s on out and about the city.

Some of my big feature posts over the year were:
- Soya Free & Dairy Free Cheese: The Quest Through Grilling
- Dairy Free Butter/Margarine - Which to Choose?? (Soya Free & Corn Free Options Too!)
- Is Sake Gluten Free, Dairy Free & Soy Free? Not Necessarily
- Gluten Free Bread Baking & Xanthan Gum Trials
- and a little St. Patrick’s Day special: Is Guinness Good For You? Have An Allergy Friendly St. Patrick’s Day

And because a girl’s got to get away every now and then I also did some features on Cork City, West Cork, Salzburg (Austria) and India and all of the allergy free finds in those wonderful places.

...whew...

DECEMBER 2011
And now for the quick review of December 2011 which had a lot of festive foods and some really good year-round appetizers and snacks....



FREE FROM PRODUCTS
Dec 7: An Easy Dairy Free Appetizer - Great for Seasonal Celebrations!
Dec 12: A Delicious (Naturally Dairy Free) Elisen-Ledkuchen - The Prefect Christmas Treat!
Dec 14: Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free Rich & Fruity Cider Cake Anyone?
Dec 16: A Free from Appetizer, Perfect for a Savoury Christmas Breakfast: Vegideli Beanfeast Paté
Dec 19: The Verdict on Free From Mince Pies
Dec 21: Food Allergy Friendly Christmas Pudding & Some Essential Free From Extras
Dec 22: The MOST AMAZING Gluten, Wheat, Dairy & Yeast Free Mince Pies

LIFE & LIVING WITH FOOD ALLERGIES
Dec 2: A Petite Treats Charity Coffee Morning: Dec 8!!
Dec 9: Gossip & Gatherings: Loads of ‘Free From’ News That’ll Definitely Interest You!
Dec 23: What I’m Reading: The Last Food Allergy Surf ’11

What I’m Reading: The Last Food Allergy Surf '11

So in a couple days everything will be done and dusted. By Sunday, all that will be left to do is cook it, eat it and open it! I love Christmas. I always have, and I hope that I always will.
Over the month of December I've tried to aid you in your search for all the festive Food Allergy
Free alternatives that are available 'out there'. I hope that it's been of SOME help anyway.
I'm signing off now until after the holidays so I wish you a very very Merry Christmas, or Happy Holiday, or however you like to phrase it :) ... In the mean time, see below for some christmas crafts, last minute gifts, festive recipes, ways to entertain children, some general holiday food allergy reading and of course, my favourite, a little bit of eye candy.
Have a great one, don't drink and drive, don't eat too much and by all means STAY AWAY from your food allergens/intolerances.. it's never worth it!
With love, Aurea x

Food Allergy Talk:
Sometimes I think that we can go too far, but you never know:
Foods Matter: Becoming Truly Gluten Free

The wicked world of aspartame:
Foods Matter: Aspartame and Gulf War Syndrome

Something to keep in mind about Food Allergens and Alcohol over the holidays:
Avoiding Milk Protein: Allergens in Alcohol

In the Kitchen:
Inspirational Appetizers which, I’m sure with a bit of though and imagination, can be altered and re-jigged to suit we allergy free folk:
Simply Splendiferous: Christmas Leftovers: Some Ideas to Nibble On

Not Christmasy, just a good recipe to help you spice up your kale life:
Gluten Dairy Free: Asian Style Kale

Some mmm mmmm good looking Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Dairy Free Biscotti (with some nice pictures):
Simply Gluten Free: Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Dairy Free Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Dairy Free & Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls that look AMAZing:
The Gluten Free Homemaker: Cinnamon Rolls - Gluten & Dairy Free

A Wonderful page of tempting pictures and links to Beyond Curries' Christmastime recipes such as a Fat Free Vegan Christmas Pudding, Vegan Truffles, Indian Fruit Salad, Strawberry Verrines:
Tongueticklers: Recipes for the Festive Season

Ways to Entertain Kids at Christmas - while creating nice memories... sigh :) :
Bake-able Gluten Free Christmas crafts & ornaments:
Gluten Free Girl: Gluten Free Salt Dough Ornaments

An Easy Peasy No-Bake Gluten Free & Dairy Free Christmas Cookie recipe (I LOVED baking when I was little!):
Simply Gluten Free: Gluten Free & Dairy Free NO Bake Snowball Cookies

Christmas Ideas (Gifts & Crafts):
Gift Ideas for yourself! - seeing as it’s way too late for Christmas gifts via the net! I saw these on The Food Allergy Queen (Like the Queen I love the ‘If Not for Gluten, I’d be Normal’ bag but I also LOVE the ‘Corn is Evil’ bag!:
Zazzle: Tote Bags Designed to Raise Food Allergy Awareness

The Best of the New Vegan Cookbooks (you might still find these in the shops if you go NOW):
Go Dairy Free: Best New GIft-Worthy Vegan Cookbooks

A cute present for a nut intolerant child (so sweet!):
Avoiding Milk Protein: Royally Allergic

A Little Bit of Eye-Candy:
Some Beautiful Allergy Free Food Photos for Dairy Free recipes using Kallo Organic Soy Drink (I’m sure any soya drink would do of course):
Gluten Dairy Free: Kallo Organic Soya Drinks

YUM...Just have a look around - esp. the vertical slide show on the bottom right:
Love Raw: Raw Candy eBook Update

...and something for all of you who are fed up of food and Christmas already! Here's some totally unrelated pics...

Just plain funny pics, in an arty way of course:
Julian Wolkenstein's The Postiche Collection

Scroll through to #7 wow!!!! ... the sand castle of my dreams!!!:
Kwaku Alston's Rebirth in Venice




ho, ho, ho!

October: The Month In Review - Free From Friendly Restaurants, Recipes, Products & Living

Another month done and dusted! (I think I better start checking for new grey hairs, time is passing so quickly!) This past month has been a busy one for me between my long awaited Naturopath appointment; the new regime to help me on the road to gut & digestion healing; planning our trip to India which is approaching at light speed; getting up to speed for voting on the presidential election and uglifying myself for our annual Halloween dance. I honestly can’t believe that November is upon us and the stores and television are already filling ever corner with Christmas! So before I completely loose sense of time, let’s take a little look back at all the food allergy friendly and not so friendly happenings this last month... Also, see the end of the post for my gruesome Voodoo Witch costume (Halloween 2011)!

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS
Oct 5th: Ukiyo Bar: Allergy Friendly Menu incl. Gluten Free, Dairy Free & Vegan Listings
Oct 17th: Yamamori Oriental Cafe: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free

FREE FROM PRODUCTS
Oct 10th: Traveling to India with Food Allergies & My Questionable New Look
Oct 21st: Dairy Free hot Chocolate: Fail
Oct 24th: M&S Dairy Free Butter
Oct 26th: A New (to me) Vegan & Sugar Free Flapjack: Coco-Jack

LIFE & LIVING WITH FOOD ALLERGIES
Oct 7th: The Food Allergy Interviews - Catherine Conroy - Dairy Free w/ Sensitivity to Eggs & Oats
Oct 14th: My Visit to the Naturopath: Retained Moro Reflex, Pyroluria & Food Allergies
Oct 19th: Free Raw Food Talk with Food Tasting, Recipes & More
Oct 28th: What I’m Reading: October’s Food Allergy Surfing

RECIPES
Oct 12th: Pineapple Ice Cream: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free & Free From Refined Sugar

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!
...and beware because the following pictures actually turn MY stomach (!!) and I'm the one whose responsible for them (I did the makeup myself and F. took the pictures for me)... Some people didn't recognize me at all under all the makeup, which I thought strange, but even my family struggled to see the 'me' in the pictures and it actually comes as a bit of a relief I must say! ;) ...have a spooktacular night!

What I’m Reading: October’s Food Allergy Surfing

It's that time of the month again for 'What I'm Reading'. This month I have been looking for steamy hot soup recipes and I've been thinking about the difference between food allergies vs. intolerances and all the 'stuff' that goes with it. Oh, I've also been daydreaming about a ski trip to the French Alps with an allergy aware kitchen in a sweet chalet...mmmmm! And lest we forget some top notch food photography because I always need a bit of food eye candy to get me though the day.








Food Allergy Talk:
A helpful post to help keep your Dairy Free diet top notch beaming with the nutrients you may be missing:
The nourishing Gourmet: Q & A: What Nutrients Am I Missing on a Dairy Free Diet?

An interesting little q&a answer on cross-reactivity and likely food allergy relationships:
Safe Food: can you be allergic or intolerant to more than one food?

A sensible & realistic clarification of the allergy vs. intolerance debate from foodsmatter.com: Foods Matter: ‘Food allergies in children over-diagnosed

What you don’t know about sucralose:
Learning to Eat Allergy Free: Dear Colette, I think I’m allergic to Sucralose


Food Allergy Friendly Product Reviews:
Free-From ski trip in an Allergy Safe Chalet in Morzine, France anyone? I found this advertised on foodsmatter.com Check out the Your Stay > Allergen Free Food page: www.alikats.eu


In the Kitchen:
Handy Helpful flour mixing chart for all the Gluten Free bakers out there:
Gluten Free Blog: Guide to Gluten Free Flour Blends


Recipes:
Two recipes from C’est la Vegan which are making me want cold winter evenings and movies:
Artichoke Vegan Soup
Vegan Onion Dip

And one from Ice Cream Ireland to make me crave coffee and friends:
Gluten Free & Dairy Free Olive Oil Brownies:


My Monthly Dose of Eye Candy:
The yum yum YUM Photographs from the photographer working on Gluten Free Girl’s new cookbook : http://www.pennydelossantos.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=1

A drip-tastic shot of Gluten Free Quinoa Pumpkin Pancakes: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2010/10/14/quinoa-pumpkin-pancakes/

Simply Nice Pictures: www.mattarmendariz.com

Free Raw Food Talk with Food Tasting, Recipes & More

Just a quick little note today because I heard that Natasha from Natasha’s Living Food is giving a **FREE** talk on Thursday, October 20th (that’s tomorrow).

It’s part of the Natasha’s Living Food Program and is promoting the Raw dietary lifestyle and Raw food courses in November and December. There will also be free food tasting with recipes! I won’t be able to make it myself but if I could I Definitely would go along. I’m not a raw foodist, as I’m sure you know, but I would definitely jump at the chance of a free talk with super tasty samples to bite on and the added bonus of a recipe or two which, as you know, will be Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy Free, Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free, and Free of Refined Sugar too!

Did I mention that it’s free? Because that means that there should be nothing to stop you from going along! ;)
And if you do go, which I hope, please tell us all about it!

Where?
Open Mind Yoga Studio (right across the lane from 'Melt')
26 Temple Lane South
Temple Bar, Dublin 2

When?
Thursday October 20th 2011
@ 18:30 - 19:30

Pineapple Ice Cream: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free & Free From Refined Sugar

If you are Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Vegan, Sugar Free, Corn Free, Nut Free ... basically, what I’m trying to say is that if you have any type of food allergy which hinders your enjoyment of the simple pleasure that is ice cream just break the mold and buy yourself an ice cream maker. Yes, it is possible to buy allergy-free ice cream and yes, some of it tastes really good but very little can compare to the real deal homemade iced cream from the gods...and sorbets too!

Con’s to buying an ice cream maker:
- It’s being lazy because you can technically make ice cream without a dedicated machine (but unless you’re a domestic goddess it’s unlikely that you will do it very often)
- It takes up space in your freezer or kitchen shelves

Pro’s to buying an ice cream maker:
- They’re really not that expensive
- No matter what your food allergy you will probably be able to create an ice cream that is suitable
- The flavour possibilities are endless
- The taste of soft cold freshly churned ice cream is hard to beat
- Home-made anything is free from all the nasties like preservatives, enhancers, colours, GLUTEN, etc,etc
- It doesn’t take up THAT much space in your freezer or kitchen shelves
- Free From food allergen ice cream can give your pocket book a beating at €5-7 a tub and up
- Making Ice Cream in a machine is one of the easiest, fastest homemade free from desserts you are likely to find, and if you keep the machine permanently stored in your freezer, fresh free from ice cream is never more then 60 minutes away!

And if you're worried about all the extra pounds you will put on from eating bowl after bowl of allergy free ice cream fear not because I promise that once you get the knack of it even your cow drinking friends and family will love you more because you will now be the provider of sweet soft and beautiful ice cream and it will swiftly disappear before you can over indulge for they will neither know nor care if it doesn’t have ‘real’ milk or that it just so happens to NOT contain any gluten or wheat or eggs or even sugar like the recipe below!!

All your guests will know is that they are eating some seriously nice ice cream!

Sugar Free Pineapple Ice Cream
serves 4
A smooth, gently sweetened and gently flavoured soya based ice cream for any occassion!

*Dairy Free
*Milk Free
*Lactose Free
*Gluten Free
*Wheat Free
*Egg Free
*Free From Refined Sugar
*Vegan
*Vegetarian
*Corn Free

Ingredients:
1 tin pineapple chunks
300ml soya cream (almond cream would work for a soya free alternative but the quantity of sweetener may need to be altered to taste - I used Provamel Organic Soya Cream)
1tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vanilla extract (be careful to use pure extract which is Gluten Free)

1. Measure out 8oz of the Pineapple, equal parts of both chunks and juice (retain the remaining pieces for step 5).
2. Purée the pineapple pieces and juice until smooth (I used a hand-held blender).
3. Strain out the stringy pulp by pressing the mixture through a sieve with a spoon. Discard the left over stringy pulp.

4. Mix the Pineapple Purée with the Soya Cream, Agave Nectar and Vanilla Extract. Blend thoroughly (again, I used the hand-held blender).

5. Chop the remaining chunks of pineapple into small cubes, discarding any pieces which don’t hold their shape. Stir into the cream mixture.

6. Chill the mixture in the fridge thoroughly (I put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes before moving it to the fridge to speed up the process).
7. And follow the instructions for your machine.
(note: I have a Le Glacier 1.5 Magimix Ice Cream Maker which requires the following: 1,Freeze the bowl for at least 12 hours 2, Mix the ingredients and thoroughly chill in the refrigerator
3, Turn on the machine 4, Once the paddle is turning, pour the chilled mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze-churn it for 20-30 minutes)

If you just glance at the above directions you will think that there is a lot involved but seriously the problem is that I am way long-winded so just get straight to the making, you’ll have ice cream in 35 minutes tops!
yum yum yum!

September: The Month in Review - Restaurants, Recipes & Free From Foods for Food Allergies

My internet was down for the entire morning - errrgGah! - but I sometimes think that the internet is part of my life purely as a poor (and frustrating) attempt to remind me that I cannot and do not control everything....
Anyway, It’s that time again to bring the new month in (Happy October!) and take a little look back at all of our food allergy friendly finds over the past month.

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS (Dublin & West Cork)
September 16th: Eating Allergy Free in West Cork: Glengarriff, Bantry & Castletownbere
September 19th: KC Peaches: Wholefoods with Allergy Free Options
September 26th: LIDL - Dairy Free groceries for the Patient

FRIENDLY SWEETS & FREE FROM SAUCES
September 21st: Anila’s Curry Sauces: Allergy Free Sauces
September 28th: Simple Sweet Snacks Free From Common Allergens

DAY-TO-DAY LIVING WITH FOOD ALLERGIES
September 12: Free-From-Foods at the RDS Rude Health Show
September 30th: What I'm Reading: Allergy Free Surfing

RECIPES Fails & Successes
September 14th: A Super Easy & Super Healthy Snack: Kale Chips!
September 9th: My DIY Birthday Cake: Gluten, Egg, Dairy, Soy & Refined Sugar Free
September 23rd: Dairy Free, Soya Free, Vegan Coconut Yoghurt: Fail

What I'm Reading: Allergy Free Surfing

I seem to have been hungrier then usual this past month... Between experiments in the kitchen and surfing for free-from recipes I'm going to have to buy a longer belt! But don't let that put you off reading some of the yum-town good free-from recipes that i've linked to below.
In other news, the web seems a bit scarier then usual with possible food allergy contaminants, buttered hamburger buns and illusive terminology but onwards and upwards because knowledge is power! or so they say...
oh yeah, and don't forget to check out this months eye-candy - yum yum yuuuuummmm!



Food Allergy Talk
Some interesting information on Food Regulation Terminology: www.foodsmatter.com (the dangers of so-called dairy-free ice cream)

Once, many moons ago, I was getting a toasted sandwich and I just happened to notice the girl buttering the outside of the bread for better ‘toasting’! This totally freaked me out. It was the first time I had seen such a practice, but it’s more common then I once thought. If you are in the United States and find yourself in a Wendy’s with a milk allergy read this: Wendy's (buttered burger buns)

If I had severe anaphylactic reactions to my food allergies I would probably panic regularly at the thoughts of my allergens being in non-food related products but one must remember that people do live in the world... but maybe think twice before taking a job in some factories... ??
products made from peanuts:
products made from corn
products made from milk
products made from egg

Food Allergy Friendly Product Reviews:
Possibly the best Gluten Free Pasta ever?? Where can we find it?! Also, in the interview portion of the post, some top class ideas for tomato-free pasta!
www.glutenfreegirl.com (jovial pasta)

In the Kitchen:
Vegan Cookie Mix Gifted! I love the idea, I love the picture, I love the ingredients, and I would definitely LOVE to receive one!! www.theppk.com (punk rock cookie jar mixes)

An absolute must try simple simple simple recipe for dairy free, egg free, soya free, vegan whipped cream! www.kblog.lunchboxbunch.com (coconut whipped cream)

I don’t know how it would taste but the picture looks the business! www.manifestvegan.com (apple pie cheesecake)

And while we’re in the kitchen lets totally try some of this as well! www.versatilekitchen.blogspot.com (pecan pumpkin butter)

A Little Bit of Eye-Candy:
I wish my food photography looked like this! (note: also a great post on food photography equipment): www.laraferroni.com

...and purely for some amazing visual pleasure check out these documentary pics (esp. ‘the traveller’, with the man walking through the birds! OOooo AHHhhhh) www.mitchellkphotos.com

Anila’s Curry Sauces: Allergy Free Sauces

As I was browsing the shelves of the Hop Sack, in Rathmines, as per usual, I fell upon a few of Anila’s Curry Sauces. I was surprised that I had not seen them before (maybe it was the new swish packaging that caught my eye) as they have been around for a number of years(??!) Anyway, It is a rare occasion that I find a ready-made food allergy friendly sauce (especially a curry of any description!) which is free from Garlic, Onion, added Sugar, Vinegar AND Dairy! On top of all that, Anila’s sauces are also free from Gluten and are suitable for Vegans! Happy Day say I!

Anila is Hindu, thus explaining the Garlic and Onion Free quality of her sauces and apart from that I will put down the wonderful 'Free From' & 'Un-preserved' qualities down to pure loveliness! ;) So the only thing to do now was try it out!!
Due to my current avoidance of tomato I went with Anila’s award winning Goan Green Curry. Fact be known, most of the curry sauces are award winning but this one came free of the wicked canker sore (mouth ulcer) producing tomato so I skipped home to cook up a storm!

The curry is concentrated so the directions say to add ‘up to’ 1 jar of water to the sauce and put in your vegetables, or meat (chicken or seafood is recommended) and cook for 15-10 minutes for veg or 30 min for meat.

I fried some baby potatos and cauliflower in a pan and then tossed them into a pot with some courgette and a tin of chickpeas and added the sauce plus one jar of water and presto! 20 minutes later I had a Goan Green Feast!
Served with brown basmati (white would obviously be nicer, but it’s not as good for you!) and some poppadoms (usually Gluten Free by nature) and I had an awesome dinner!

If i had it again (because I’m a Pizazz flavour hound) I would have fried some fresh ginger for some added kick and diluted it only half as much. Overall the curry tasted mild but nice and made the house smell like I was an amazing chef!

Anila’s Curry Sauces are:

*Gluten Free
*Wheat Free
*Dairy Free / Milk Free
*Lactose Free
*Nut Free
*Corn Free
*Egg Free
*Soya Free
*No Added Sugar
*Potato Free
*Vinegar Free
*Vegan
*Vegetarian
*Preservative Free

Goan Green Curry
Ingredients: Fennel, Spinach, Coconut Milk, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Gram Flour, Coriander, Mint, Peppers, Green Mango, Ginger, Green Chillies, Sesame Seeds, Spices, Salt, Lemon Juice
Two Star Gold – Great Taste Awards Winner 2010
Best Vegan Product 2011 – Cook Vegetarian Magazine

Fruity Mild Curry Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Fennel, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Milk, Tomato Puree, Mangoes, Red Peppers, Ginger, Green Chillies, Spices, Salt.

Spicy Mild Curry Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Cabbage, Carrots, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Puree, Mango Slices, Ginger, Green Chillies, Spices, Salt
Three Star Gold Award Winner in the Great Taste Awards 2007
The Best Speciality Reserve Award 2007.

Mild Curry Korma Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Fennel, Chickpeas, Creamed Coconut, Coconut Milk, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Puree, Ginger, Green Chillies, Spices, Salt, Tamarind
Great Taste Awards Winner

Spicy Korma Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Fennel, Creamed Coconut, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Puree, Coconut Milk, Green Chillies, Ginger, Spices, Salt
Three Star Gold Award Winner in the Great Taste Awards 2007
FREE-FROM Food Award Winner in 2009

Spicy Medium Curry Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Fennel, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Puree, Ground Cashews, Green Chillies, Ginger, Spices, Salt
Great Taste Award Winner

Spicy Hot Curry Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Celery, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Puree, Ground Almonds, Green Peppers, Green Chillies, Ginger, Spices, Salt.
Great Taste Award Winner

Hot Methi Curry Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Fennel, Celery, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Puree, Gram Flour, Fenugreek (Methi) Leaves 1%, Green Chillies, Ginger, Spices, Salt, Tamarind

Also in Anila’s repertoire (Note: The free from attributes differ from above):
Chutney’s
Pickles
Dips
Snacks
Spices

Available at the Hopsack, The Swan Centre, Rathmines, Dublin 6
web: www.anilassauces.com

A Super Easy & Super Healthy Snack: Kale Chips!

I had been hearing about Kale Chips everywhere I went lately and was dying to try my own hand at it despite being somewhat weary of anything made from kale (one of my childhood/adolescent/teenage most hated foods) when much to my surprise I called into my friend S. only to find a big glorious bowl of her first attempt!...the verdict: YUM-TOWN! I couldn’t believe how tasty they were. The kale was there, no doubt, but it was nothing like the horror of my youth! so salty and crispy that I struggled hard, and possibly lost the battle of not devouring the entire bowl myself!

S. assured me that it was one of the most simple things she had made and boy, was she right!

Literally all that needs to be done is:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Wash and spin dry the kale
3. Toss in the oil of your choice & season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4. Place on a baking tray & bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, tossing them at the 7 minute mark.

My first attempt turned out great except for being a bit heavy on the salt so season lightly! On my most recent attempt I seasoned them with a very light dusting of hot chilli powder, in addition to the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I actually think that the seasoning possibilities are endless and I can't wait to try out more flavours!

The only problem that you could possibly have with this super easy and super healthy snack is the necessity to brush your teeth directly after eating because those crispy little flakes get EVERYWHERE!

If you are still unsure about this amazing snack let me try to reassure you:
Kale in addition to being one of the more affordable vegetables, is a form of cabbage and is also known as borecole

This of course makes it sound pretty yuck but after making it into the above chips you can laugh your tummy full in the knowledge that you are filling your body with a total super food which is a great source of:
- Beta Carotene
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin C
- Magnesium
- Kutein
- Zeaxanthin
- Dietary Fibre
- Calcium
- Indole-3-carbinol
- Sulforaphane
- Carotenoids
- Isothiocyanates
- Over 45 different Flavonoids

...and If you want to get on the Kale bandwagon but can't get your hands on the curly green stuff I have found it in Superquinn and Lidl and S. tells me that she found hers in the Temple Bar food market.