Gluten, soy, casein and eggs, oh my!
July 25, 2012 9:35 AM Subscribe
No gluten, soy, casein (milk), or eggs for me. Sad face. Please share your amazing recipe sources for somebody with a bunch of allergies.
I've had some testing done that suggests I need to cut gluten, casein, soy and eggs out of my diet. Which as far as I can tell, pretty much leaves me with veggies, meat and fruit. Lots of options, but I don't have many recipes that comply with my new rules.
Are there any other food allergy victims out there? Blogs? Cook books? Brilliant suggestions?
I love to bake but the egg thing really has me stumped. I'd love all your favorite meal ideas.
I've had some testing done that suggests I need to cut gluten, casein, soy and eggs out of my diet. Which as far as I can tell, pretty much leaves me with veggies, meat and fruit. Lots of options, but I don't have many recipes that comply with my new rules.
Are there any other food allergy victims out there? Blogs? Cook books? Brilliant suggestions?
I love to bake but the egg thing really has me stumped. I'd love all your favorite meal ideas.
You should be good with pretty much all East Asian food, which is meat/veg/rice. Fuschia Dunlop's cookbooks have never disappointed, for authentic Chinese.
posted by Fig at 9:53 AM on July 25, 2012
posted by Fig at 9:53 AM on July 25, 2012
Well, to specifically answer your question, you could look up some "raw vegan" recipes. Here in Houston I belong to an organic co-op that is run by a raw vegan woman, and she's always sharing her recipes with the crowd. (It is called Rawfully Organic, in case you want to check it out.)
But how certain is this? I totally totally totally understand how you feel. But when I finally got tested, and the allergy test lit my back up like a switchboard, I was ready to stop eating everything except for broccoli and walnuts, which were pretty much the only things that didn't cause a reaction. The doctor was pretty nonplussed though. He said that food allergy testing is kind of sketchy AND that there seems to be some evidence to show that other (environmental) allergies can actually manifest or be triggered by food. But the food isn't the allergen - just the vector.
His suggestion was to work to get my environmental allergies under control through shots, and then take a second look at food.
posted by jph at 9:56 AM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
But how certain is this? I totally totally totally understand how you feel. But when I finally got tested, and the allergy test lit my back up like a switchboard, I was ready to stop eating everything except for broccoli and walnuts, which were pretty much the only things that didn't cause a reaction. The doctor was pretty nonplussed though. He said that food allergy testing is kind of sketchy AND that there seems to be some evidence to show that other (environmental) allergies can actually manifest or be triggered by food. But the food isn't the allergen - just the vector.
His suggestion was to work to get my environmental allergies under control through shots, and then take a second look at food.
posted by jph at 9:56 AM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I've never tried them, but Chocolate-Covered Katie's recipes are all vegan, plus she has a lot without gluten or soy.
posted by radioamy at 9:57 AM on July 25, 2012
posted by radioamy at 9:57 AM on July 25, 2012
AllergyGirl.com is a great resource for people with food allergies and intolerances. The Sensitive Pantry is a great recipe site.
In general, flax seed and chia seeds work really well as egg replacers in baking. Also, my advice for gluten-free baking is to stick with the things that work really well (scones, pound cakes, quick breads, cookies) and just let the things that don't go. I may never have a croissant or baklava again, but I make amazing pumpkin bread.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:06 AM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
In general, flax seed and chia seeds work really well as egg replacers in baking. Also, my advice for gluten-free baking is to stick with the things that work really well (scones, pound cakes, quick breads, cookies) and just let the things that don't go. I may never have a croissant or baklava again, but I make amazing pumpkin bread.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:06 AM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Minus the egg thing, that sounds like a Paleo or Primal diet. I'd start looking at Mark's Daily Apple and Paleo OMG and screening for the non-egg recipes.
posted by pie ninja at 10:08 AM on July 25, 2012
posted by pie ninja at 10:08 AM on July 25, 2012
This is a good site for vegan (no soy or dairy) gluten free recipes. Some of them do have soy, but not all.
I'm not gluten free, but I have been cooking vegan for nearly two years and you can totally still bake without eggs. I haven't used an egg in ages and I make cookies and cakes and breads all the time. It was extremely surprising to me how unnecessary eggs are in baking, actually, and I find that most non-egged baked goods have a much better and purer flavor than the traditional counterpart, as long as you're working with good recipes. In a lot of the vegan muffins and breads I make, there is not even a clear substitute; you just leave them out and it still works great. In general, I've found that ground flaxseed is the best as long as it's relatively hearty (i.e., brownies, chocolate chip cookies), etc. Here's a little primer to get you started. That PPK site is good for non-dairy recipes and she does have some gluten free options as well.
posted by something something at 10:14 AM on July 25, 2012
I'm not gluten free, but I have been cooking vegan for nearly two years and you can totally still bake without eggs. I haven't used an egg in ages and I make cookies and cakes and breads all the time. It was extremely surprising to me how unnecessary eggs are in baking, actually, and I find that most non-egged baked goods have a much better and purer flavor than the traditional counterpart, as long as you're working with good recipes. In a lot of the vegan muffins and breads I make, there is not even a clear substitute; you just leave them out and it still works great. In general, I've found that ground flaxseed is the best as long as it's relatively hearty (i.e., brownies, chocolate chip cookies), etc. Here's a little primer to get you started. That PPK site is good for non-dairy recipes and she does have some gluten free options as well.
posted by something something at 10:14 AM on July 25, 2012
(sorry - my first sentence should say no eggs or dairy.)
posted by something something at 10:14 AM on July 25, 2012
posted by something something at 10:14 AM on July 25, 2012
Check out Chowstalker. Some have eggs, but you're good on all other fronts.
Also, Elana's Pantry is good for grain-free baking.
posted by lizifer at 10:19 AM on July 25, 2012
Also, Elana's Pantry is good for grain-free baking.
posted by lizifer at 10:19 AM on July 25, 2012
Hey, you know what? Your restrictions sound VERY similar to the restrictions people on a low-iodine diet have! You may want to check out some low-iodine websites/recipes/cookbooks... it's not EXACTLY the same diet, but there is heavy overlap (no animal products EXCEPT meat, no soy, etc).
posted by julthumbscrew at 10:29 AM on July 25, 2012
posted by julthumbscrew at 10:29 AM on July 25, 2012
Response by poster: With regards to allergy tests, I had my IgA antibody levels taken and I appear to have an immune reaction to soy and gluten (Strong) and egg and milk (mild).
posted by gilsonal at 10:39 AM on July 25, 2012
posted by gilsonal at 10:39 AM on July 25, 2012
So basically you're eating vegan. Go pick up some vegan cookbooks!
posted by deathpanels at 10:41 AM on July 25, 2012
posted by deathpanels at 10:41 AM on July 25, 2012
My friend hasn't updated her food blog in a while, but she has all of your allergies (and then some) and is a great cook: Aprovechar.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:53 AM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:53 AM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
The key thing to remember here is that the universe of things you can cook is still much bigger than the universe of things you can't cook, so I'm going to talk more about ingredients than recipes.
Rice noodles are generally egg free, so you can cook all manner of Asian soups and stir fries. Many gluten free pastas are also egg free, so you can still cook any tomato or oil based pasta. Obviously, all meat, vegetables and most grains (quinoa, rice, corn, oats) are still available to you, which covers much of American and Asian cuisine. (You can buy gluten free soy sauce and make gluten free teriyaki). Traditional Mexican cuisine is corn based, so aside from cheese, it's all available to you, and there are vegan cheeses (Daiya) available that are at least decent.
I believe (and please do your own research) that things that are high in milk fat, like butter and heavy cream, are low in casein. This makes much of French cooking available to you, minus the bread.
The one thing you will have a problem with is bread and baked goods. You can certainly find gluten free equivalents to many baked goods, but they're almost all made from eggs. Gluten free pancakes are pretty good, but they require eggs. Not sure how flexible your egg requirement is. Rice breads made without eggs are not good. If your egg requirement isn't flexible, consider experimenting with homemade bread.
Anyhow, many things you cook fresh (aside from bread, pasta and cheese) don't actually have milk, soy, wheat or eggs in them. Most recipes that do have these ingredients can be modified to not include them. Processed food and fast food are LOADED with gluten, and that's the stuff you really won't be able to eat any more.
In other words, you may not have to change your eating habits completely (unless you eat fast food, pizza and pasta consistently). You just have to modify the recipes you already know.
posted by cnc at 11:12 AM on July 25, 2012
Rice noodles are generally egg free, so you can cook all manner of Asian soups and stir fries. Many gluten free pastas are also egg free, so you can still cook any tomato or oil based pasta. Obviously, all meat, vegetables and most grains (quinoa, rice, corn, oats) are still available to you, which covers much of American and Asian cuisine. (You can buy gluten free soy sauce and make gluten free teriyaki). Traditional Mexican cuisine is corn based, so aside from cheese, it's all available to you, and there are vegan cheeses (Daiya) available that are at least decent.
I believe (and please do your own research) that things that are high in milk fat, like butter and heavy cream, are low in casein. This makes much of French cooking available to you, minus the bread.
The one thing you will have a problem with is bread and baked goods. You can certainly find gluten free equivalents to many baked goods, but they're almost all made from eggs. Gluten free pancakes are pretty good, but they require eggs. Not sure how flexible your egg requirement is. Rice breads made without eggs are not good. If your egg requirement isn't flexible, consider experimenting with homemade bread.
Anyhow, many things you cook fresh (aside from bread, pasta and cheese) don't actually have milk, soy, wheat or eggs in them. Most recipes that do have these ingredients can be modified to not include them. Processed food and fast food are LOADED with gluten, and that's the stuff you really won't be able to eat any more.
In other words, you may not have to change your eating habits completely (unless you eat fast food, pizza and pasta consistently). You just have to modify the recipes you already know.
posted by cnc at 11:12 AM on July 25, 2012
On the meat, vegetables and fruit side, check out paleo recipes. Lots of grainless recipes.
Also they aren't quite as good as the real thing, but I did want to mention that Ener-G makes a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free sandwich bread. It's not carried in very many places, but online places like vitacost.com have it, and it's vacuum sealed and ships well. Personally, knowing there was a sandwich bread out there I could eat was awesome.
Also baking: egg replacer and xanthan gum can make for eggs. For gluten-free, there are lots of alternative grains: Gluten-free Goddess blog Check out her gluten-free vegan recipes.
Corn tortillas and Tortilla Chips are a decent substitute for wraps and something to munch on, assuming you're not allergic to corn. There's also a lot of rice products- rice crackers, rice cakes and even rice tortillas if there's a trader joe's near you. Quinoa is also a great grain alternative. It's kind of like couscous in texture, but it's gluten-free. Oh, and Pasta- I recommend Quinoa pasta, made from quinoa and corn. There's also brown rice pasta.
posted by Aliera at 11:59 AM on July 25, 2012
Also they aren't quite as good as the real thing, but I did want to mention that Ener-G makes a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free sandwich bread. It's not carried in very many places, but online places like vitacost.com have it, and it's vacuum sealed and ships well. Personally, knowing there was a sandwich bread out there I could eat was awesome.
Also baking: egg replacer and xanthan gum can make for eggs. For gluten-free, there are lots of alternative grains: Gluten-free Goddess blog Check out her gluten-free vegan recipes.
Corn tortillas and Tortilla Chips are a decent substitute for wraps and something to munch on, assuming you're not allergic to corn. There's also a lot of rice products- rice crackers, rice cakes and even rice tortillas if there's a trader joe's near you. Quinoa is also a great grain alternative. It's kind of like couscous in texture, but it's gluten-free. Oh, and Pasta- I recommend Quinoa pasta, made from quinoa and corn. There's also brown rice pasta.
posted by Aliera at 11:59 AM on July 25, 2012
Oh also, you can substitute applesauce, flax seed meal, potato starch and etc. for eggs. It's more complicated and takes some experimenting but egg-free baking is very possible.
posted by Aliera at 12:00 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by Aliera at 12:00 PM on July 25, 2012
Oops forgot to mention: oats need to be gluten-free oats since they are usually processed in same factories as wheat.
Also great soy-free and gluten-free substitute for soy sauce if you're interested: coconut aminos. Tastes just like soy sauce, made out of coconut.
posted by Aliera at 12:06 PM on July 25, 2012
Also great soy-free and gluten-free substitute for soy sauce if you're interested: coconut aminos. Tastes just like soy sauce, made out of coconut.
posted by Aliera at 12:06 PM on July 25, 2012
This is me. Rice, potatoes, beef, chicken, fish, fruits, beans, vegetables, nuts, seeds. One suggestion: You will probably not get enough saturated fat from lean meats. (You'd otherwise be getting it from milk and eggs.) Consider finding a good source of lard if you start feeling weak and weird and achy or you can't seem to get full or you binge on carbs until you're bursting. You can use it like butter. I would be pretty much screwed without it.
posted by zeek321 at 12:15 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by zeek321 at 12:15 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
So basically you're eating vegan.
gilsonal said that they were eating meat.
Gluten-free vegan baking recipes, on the other hand, are a good resource, once you filter out the ones with soy.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:46 PM on July 25, 2012
gilsonal said that they were eating meat.
Gluten-free vegan baking recipes, on the other hand, are a good resource, once you filter out the ones with soy.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:46 PM on July 25, 2012
Lots of meat, rice, beans, and vegetables seem to be the way to go.
Cajun cooking could actually fit the bill quite nicely... There are plenty of jambalaya that meet your criteria, and most of the foods in that particular culture aren't going to touch any of your allergens. You don't have to make it super spicy if that doesn't work for you.
posted by MysticMCJ at 1:50 PM on July 25, 2012
Cajun cooking could actually fit the bill quite nicely... There are plenty of jambalaya that meet your criteria, and most of the foods in that particular culture aren't going to touch any of your allergens. You don't have to make it super spicy if that doesn't work for you.
posted by MysticMCJ at 1:50 PM on July 25, 2012
MysticMCJ is right about cajun food, but beware of ready-made Cajun food in a box. These often contain spice mixes that have flour in them. If you make things fresh, you generally don't have to worry about this.
posted by cnc at 7:16 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by cnc at 7:16 PM on July 25, 2012
There was a period when Shauna Ahern from Gluten Free Girl was unable to eat eggs.
Here is one post and here is another. Poke around on her site and see what else could work for you.
Good luck!
posted by bibliogrrl at 7:19 PM on July 25, 2012
Here is one post and here is another. Poke around on her site and see what else could work for you.
Good luck!
posted by bibliogrrl at 7:19 PM on July 25, 2012
Ha ha! My friend (mefi's own medea42) has just started a tumblr for her own allergy-free diet with recipes: http://becauseicanteatshit.tumblr.com/"
posted by jillithd at 10:00 AM on July 26, 2012
posted by jillithd at 10:00 AM on July 26, 2012
I just picked up a cookbook called "Allergy-Friendly Food for Families". It has gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and soy-free recipes. Is a mix of those "free-nesses" but many hit all 5 of those. The pages are color tabbed along the side to tell you at-a-glance.
Here's a link
posted by vitabellosi at 6:07 PM on July 26, 2012
Here's a link
posted by vitabellosi at 6:07 PM on July 26, 2012
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posted by Hanuman1960 at 9:43 AM on July 25, 2012