Trader Joe's to the Rescue

I had been lamenting the fact that I would no longer be able to eat prepared meals, when I happened upon this little gem at Trader Joe's. The Super Spinach Salad contained: spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots, quinoa, dried cranberries, chickpeas, edamame and pumpkin seeds. The item I was most excited about was the carrot ginger miso dressing, which had no ingredients that I have eliminated from my diet. I will have to check the Joe's next time to see if they bottle this goodness.

Still rather bummed about not being able to hit up a fast food joint when I'm in the mood, or have pizza, but I didn't really have those things on a frequent basis in the first place.

An update on my health: I've noticed far fewer stomach aches and no bloating after eating meals. Good progress for sure.

First Restaurant Visit

Last night, my friend and I went to one of my favorite restaurants, The Elephant Walk. For those of you who don't know, The Elephant Walk has both Cambodian and French cuisine, with traditional and original dishes. I chose this restaurant, not only because it's delicious, but I knew they had a gluten-free menu. Normally, I'd order either: 

• Roasted bone-in chicken breast with potato gnocchi in a white wine cream sauce; with tomato coulis and sautéed spinach 

          or

• Rice noodles sautéed in a sauce of shredded chicken breast, tofu, garlic, salted soy beans, pickled shallot, Chinese chive, bean sprouts and red bell pepper; topped with shredded omelet

My mouth is watering just thinking about those dishes, but unfortunately, I could not have either. Looking over the gluten-free options, I thought I spied a dish that would be safe in terms of the ingredients listed, but knew I had to confirm my selection with the waiter.

When our waiter approached to take our order, I simply said "I have quite a few dietary restrictions and was wondering if you could tell me what's in a dish I'm considering." His response was a much better way to handle things. "Tell me what you need to avoid and I will guide you to the right dish." 

I gave him the biggies, figuring if he can avoid those, I can pick anything else out: gluten, olive oil, garlic, black pepper and basil. He was incredibly knowledgable about the menu, informed me that most items are pre-marinated in either oil or pepper, but that he'd go speak with the chef to see what they could do. 

Within a few minutes, he was back and I was in luck. They had a special on the menu that had nothing pre-made, so we could pick and choose ingredients. I ended up with Poulet Malika: Sliced chicken breast sautéed with lemongrass, shallots and garlic; with cubanelle peppers, tomato, jalapeños & Asian basil. The chef simply left out the garlic, basil and jalapenos (not an allergy, just an aversion to hot peppers). What resulted was very good:

Thanks, Elephant Walk!

Lettuce Eat!

I've started to realize that if I want to succeed with this diet, I'm going to have to stop trying to make a dish that is a fake version (i.e a gluten-, cheese, garlic-, basil, etc.-free pizza) of what I love and just cook what I know tastes good.

I've also realized that trying to buy items that make cooking a bit easier, like already cooked chicken, is proving to be a difficult task. Turns out, pre-cooked chicken has lemon in it. I'm definitely going to miss the convenience of fast or already prepared meals and will have to get used to eating leftovers for many days/nights in a row.

On that note, I made a big batch of lettuce wrap filling last night. I ignored the recommendation for iceberg lettuce and chose Boston lettuce instead which turned out to be a big mistake as the Boston lettuce didn't stand up to the weight and saucy-ness (yes, I make up words) of the filling. I ended up eating most of it with a fork and served it with jasmine rice.

Chicken and Tofu Lettuce Wraps (recipe adapted from here)

1 head fresh iceberg lettuce (this type works best for this recipe)
1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger), grated
1 red chili, minced, OR 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
1 shallot, diced
1/2 cup firm tofu, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1 carrot, grated or cut into thin strips
1/4 red bell pepper
1 broccoli head
1 egg (omit if vegan)
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
3 spring onions, sliced lengthwise into matchstick-like pieces
1 cup cucumber
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1+1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar (I used sherry vinegar because I had it)
1/4 tsp. sugar

TOPPINGS:
1/3 cup fresh dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped or ground

OTHER: 2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil for stir-frying

Preparation:

1. Drizzle oil into a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add galangal (or ginger), chili, and shallot. Stir-fry one minute, or until fragrant.

2. Add tofu, chicken, carrot, red pepper, broccoli, cabbage, and spring onions. As you stir-fry, add the lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sprinkle over the sugar. Stir-fry about 1 minute.

3. Push ingredients to the side of the wok or pan, and crack in the egg. Stir-fry quickly to break the yolk. Mix in with the other ingredients.

4. Add the cucumber and stir-fry briefly to mix (avoid over-looking or it will go limp). Remove from heat.

5. To assemble, take a whole lettuce leaf and place 1-2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center. Top with a sprinkling of peanuts. Then wrap up and eat! (For those who like it extra spicy, fresh-cut chili can be added as another topping.) ENJOY!

Tomato Sauce Success!

I must admit, when I first looked over my list of ingredients to avoid, my first thought was: how will I ever eat Italian food again? I should add that I love me a good pasta dish. Anywho, I made it my mission to make a red sauce-based pasta dish and was able to come up with a delicious meal.

Rice Pasta with Chicken and Asparagus in a Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce (I made quite a bit so I can freeze leftovers, about 4 cups worth)

28oz can whole tomatoes in juice, including juice (Whole foods brand)

1.5 C Organic chicken broth

6 tbsp yellow onion, chopped

1/4 of a red bell pepper, chopped

1.5 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Pour into large saucepan and gently simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally and skimming froth until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about 4 cups, about 15 minutes.

Rice pasta

Cook according to directions on package.

Chicken and Asparagus (serves 3, or makes leftovers)

3 boneless chicken breasts

1 bunch fresh asparagus, chopped

Salt/Grains of Paradise* to taste

Grapeseed oil

Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat (enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Season chicken with salt and grains of paradise. Add chicken and asparagus to pan and cover. Steam for about 5 minutes and flip chicken over. Continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink in the center and asparagus are cooked through, about 5 more minutes.

Serve pasta, chicken and asparagus covered with tomato sauce. Bon appetite!

*As you might recall, I cannot have black pepper and have substituted it for Grains of Paradise (Whole Foods carries it), which I read about when searching for a pepper substitute 

Nutritionist visit

I  had my first appointment with the nutritionist today and had a lot of questions answered.

1. I should avoid all dairy for now since I had such a strong response to cow's milk, but I may find in 4-5 months that I can introduce some cheeses and maybe other animal's milk back into my diet.

2. Butter's ok since it doesn't have casein or lactose in it, but I should use it minimally in case there's something else in cow's milk I'm allergic to.

3. I should only use a small amount of onions/leeks since I had a strong reaction to garlic.

4. I don't have to be extremely careful with gluten...if the ingredient list doesn't contain gluten, I'm fine, even if it's manufactured/cooked in places where gluten is prepared.

She also gave me a helpful list of foods for GI health categorized as eat unlimited amounts, limited amounts and avoid. We made sure to cross off my food sensitivities. Finally, we went through my normal daily meals and she helped me come up with similar things that would fit my new diet.

As I still have some leftovers, I'm planning to try some new things tomorrow.

Interestingly, I've noticed the past few days that Pepsi now tastes sickeningly sweet to me. Not sure why that is, but nonetheless a change.

Grocery Shopping

I headed out to my local Trader Joe's last night to stock up on allergen-free foods, as most of my pantry contains at least one forbidden ingredient (I will soon be looking to donate the non-perishable foods to the needy and the perishable ones to friends). It was definitely a different experience, having to look at the ingredients of everything I picked up and the trip took much longer than my typical grocery shopping. I guess this will become much easier as I grow accustomed to brands that I like.

Anyway, one thing that threw me off was the gluten-free bread available at TJ's all had that it "may contain safflower oil", which is on my forbidden list. I'm hoping to find some bread where this is not the case, but until then, I have some pretty tasty gluten-free bagels (Udi's®).

Last night's dinner was very tasty:

Pecorino Crusted Chicken with Wine Sauce (Serves 4)

4 chicken breasts cut into strips

Salt to taste

Pecorino (Sheep's milk cheese)

2 eggs

4 tbsp. butter

1/2 C. white wine

1 bag of baby spinach

1. Whisk eggs in bowl and spread pecorino over flat surface. Season chicken with salt. Dip chicken strips into egg and then coat well with pecorino cheese.

2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken and brown on each side. Reduce heat and add wine. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the spinach in the last 2-3 minutes and cook until wilted.

I served this over rice, but would also go well with gluten-free pasta.

I'll try to remember to take pictures of the meal next time. I have a meeting with the nutritionist tomorrow and am hoping to clear some things up, like why is cow's milk on the avoid list, but cheddar cheese is not and also, can I have goat's milk.

Day 1: The Diagnosis

I'm starting this blog to help others that may also have to avoid a large list of allergens by sharing recipes and the trials and tribulations of having to do without, but also providing updates on any changes in my health.

On Tuesday of this week, I received a letter from my physician:

"Your food sensitivity test results are attached. Items marked with a #2 or 3 should be eliminated for 4-5 months. #1 foods can be eaten in a 5 day rotation cycle."

I flipped to the next page, hoping to find very few 2s or 3s, but to my surprise, there were 21 items on the list and 7 items listed as a 1. Much to my chagrin, several of these items are ones that I would bring with me to a deserted island, as in, I could eat them everyday and be a happy camper.

So, here we go. The items that I will be eliminating for the next 4-5 months are:

• Basil
• Bean, Green
• Bean, Pinto
• Bran
• Cheese, Swiss
• Cocoa
• Coffee
• Garlic
• Gluten
• Honey
• Lemon
• Milk, Cow's
• Mushroom
• Mustard
• Olive, Green
• Pepper, Black
• Rye
• Safflower
• Wheat
• Yeast, Baker's
• Yeast, Brewer's

And these are the items I can only have once every 5 days

• Barley
• Cantaloupe
• Lobster
• Malt
• Peas, Green
• Sesame
• Yogurt