Allergy shots are for real, kids!

For about four months now, I've been making a twice-weekly trek to my (new) allergist's office to receive four shots (two in each arm) of special made-for-me allergy serums that contain tiny (but increasing) doses of all the environmental things I'm allergic to.

The idea is that by s....l....o....w....l....y increasing the dosage, we can train my body not to freakthefuckout when it encounters a bit of pollen, a dust mite, or a mosquito bite.

Today I reached what is called my maintenance dose--a dosage level of allergy serum I'll continue to receive every 3-4 weeks for several more years or maybe forever.

This allergy shot journey has been a huge time commitment--though the shots themselves take no more than 2 minutes, there's travel time to and from the office, waiting room time, and then you have to wait there 20-30 minutes after each shot to make sure you won't have a serious reaction. Not to mention countless hours spent at home laying on ice packs to combat the local swelling I often get after a shot.

Back of the envelope math--I've had something like 112 individual shots and spent somewhere around 40-50 hours in various shot-related activities.

But it all paid off this weekend when I spent several hours cleaning my house (sweeping, dusting, raking, etc.) with the windows wide open all while landscapers outside stirred up a veritable cloud of grass, tree, and weed pollens. For pre-shot me, this would have been a nightmare scenario--itchy eyes, hives, sneezing, etc. I might have lasted half an hour before I knocked myself out with a few benadryl and called it a day. But post-shot me had barely a sniffle, and that's without any antihistamines at all. It was like being a normal person. Truly a huge difference in less than four months.

One other note - yes, I did eventually become the mayor of the allergist's office on FourSquare, which led to a really awesome moment when the former mayor recognized me in the office and came up to congratulate me on my progress and tell me what a great difference the shots have made for him--a refrain I've heard from almost everyone who has gone through this process.

Off to lay down on some ice packs (for the last time before a 3-week break!)

So I'm a sucky blogger (are we really all that surprised?)

So work has been nuts and the blog has gotten away from me. Apologies to my 3 loyal readers.

Unfortunately another big factor in the blog getting away from me is that my rash is back in full effect, and this time nothing (special diet, steroid creams and shots, double doses of multiple types of allergy meds) seems to be controlling it. It turns out it was much more fun to blog about allergies when I was doing something about them and it was working.

I'm with a new allergist now, who is much more attentive than Dr. Beverly Hills was, and I've begun immunotherapy (i.e. Allergy Shots) with him. What this means is that I have four little vials of special made-for-me allergy serum in his office refrigerator, and I go twice a week (one day apart, always when the Dr. is in the office in case I go all anaphylactic on them) to get four shots of these serums in my arms. The shots are for all my environmental allergies - pollens, animals, molds, etc.*

* Those who've memorized my list of environmental allergies may recall that I'm allergic to cockroaches. When they were putting in the order for my special serum, but poor technician had to call and ask if cockroaches are something I "regularly encounter in my day to day life" and thus should be included in the shot. AWKWARD! And god I hope not!

The idea here is for roughly 12 weeks I'll go twice a week and get these shots, which will increase slowly in dosage. Then after this 12-week ramp up, I'll go on maintenance shots every 3-4 weeks for a year or more. Hopefully after this time,

1. I'll have increased or even total tolerance of the stuff in my shots!
2. I'll be the Mayor of his office on Four Square
3. I'll stop getting that Shots! Shots! ShotsShotsShotsShots! song in my head everytime I think about this.

Dr. Glendale (yawn, but that name will do for now), thinks maybe if we can get the environmental allergens under control, that will help enough with my general histamine level that the food allergies won't matter anymore, or will be easily controlled with Allegra, etc. Besides, not eating all that stuff wasn't stopping the rash anyway anymore. So now I'm avoiding only soy--because I really do think I react to it. But that's all I'm strict about for now. Dark circle status: Moderate--but not as bad as before.

In the back of my mind, I'm a little worried that these uncontrollable rashes might actually be my body reacting to myself, rather than to pollen or food or anything I can control or avoid. Apparently in something like 50% of cases like mine where rash flares just won't quit, that's the problem. One step at a time, I guess.

Anyway, that's the latest. See you in less than two months next time*

*no promises

I see a SANDWICH in my future!

I came across this top-8 free bread recipe linked in Pinterest today: http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=228 and got a little obsessed, because it doesn't contain a single thing I can't have (well ok, except potato starch, which is easily subbed). So naturally after work I hightailed it over to the natural foods store to grab some millet, sorghum, and teff flours to work with because I just could not wait another day to make it. Miracle of miracles they had all three in stock!

My gosh baking has changed a lot for me. I used to make a mean baguette out of just bread flour, yeast, salt and water. Now my supplies for a simple recipe look like this:



I baked a half batch (one loaf) because these flours are expensive! Below are the measurements, many of which are in grams, which I prefer. If you want volume measurements, they are in the original recipe (doubled from mine):

.25 cup white sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
2 tsp olive oil
1 5/8 cups warm (but not hot) water

90g Millet Flour
30g Teff Flour
68g Sorghum Flour
1 cup cornstarch (or 1 cup potato starch, or a blend)
60g tapioca flour
2 tsp zanthan gum
.5 tbsp salt

Mix the first four ingredients and set aside for 10 mins or so to proof the yeast. This was not in the original recipe, but it's part of my standard bread practice, so I did this while I mixed the other flours.

Measure and mix all the dry stuff.

Mix the wet and dry in your trusty mixer. Note this is more like a batter than a bread dough--you're in paddle territory, definitely not bread hook. You want to mix this for 2-3 mins.

Once mixed, pour into a standard loaf pan. It should fill it about halfway. Set aside using your favorite rising method (I tried out the author's suggestion of using the microwave and it was great).

Once the volume has doubled (your bread will be peeking out of the pan), pop in the oven at 400 for 10 mins. After 10 mins, cover with foil, then bake 35-45 mins (until 190 degrees internal temp). Note: the recipe said 35-45, I was actually at temp in 30. But I bake with a pizza stone in the oven, so your mileage may vary.

Try to let it cool before you eat it.

I want to play around with the baking method. I'm not thrilled with the browning I got and I think I can do better. But otherwise--this seriously tastes like real bread. Real, homemade, warm, delicious, comforting bread. Look at that crumb!



I feel like I just got back something major that I had lost.

On "just staying home"

One of my biggest fears with this diagnosis was that it would further cut me off from an already small social circle here in LA. If I couldn't eat "normal foods" how could I go to parties, or eat out in restaurants, or even cook things for friends who are used to flour and eggs and all that delicious stuff.

I've actually found that my fears were overblown in many ways. Both friends and restaurants have been very accommodating, and with a little planning I can almost always find or bring something to eat. Restaurants, especially, have blown me away with their attention and willingness to work with me. It helps that I'm polite and clear and willing to eat pretty much anything as long as I'm not allergic to it!

So I was sad to see a tweet this morning from a restaurant owner in Copenhagen (retweeted by an LA Times food blogger):

ReneRedzepiNoma: Dear people, if you are allergic to everything from the sea and would like to keep wheat, butter, offal and salt?? of the menu. Stay home!!

I got into it a little with him, and he backpedaled a bit. Apparently when he said "stay home" what he meant was "call us first so we have warning" - he's still learning twitter. He could have helped his case tremendously by not referring to "allergies" in quotes a tweet or two later as though he doesn't believe someone can actually be allergic to a bunch of normal stuff. Newsflash buddy--click the food allergens link at the right to see that this is indeed possible.

The good news is, at least in my world, restauranteurs like Rene don't have to suffer us annoying allergic people. And lucky for us we don't have to suffer them either. On to other restaurants!

~ Pity me post ~

I walked three blocks to a local taqueria for lunch. When I got back, my legs looked like this:



And that's all just lingering reaction from stuff I ate in SF last week. Get out of my system please because I would like to be able to get my heart rate above 100 without a huge breakout again!!!

Back on the Wagon

Last week I traveled for work up to my favorite city in the world - San Francisco.

Although I'd done a lot of pre-planning for the trip and had my lara bars and special granola in tow, and my mom was wonderfully accommodating in the meals she prepared at home, I still fell off the allergen-free diet wagon, hard.

It was the business lunches that did me in, mainly. First a delicious sushi meal in which I got too frazzled by the line at the counter to carefully order sashimi without tuna or shrimp and instead got the chef's sampler (rice! tuna! shrimp! something in a sauce I'm certain contained soy! Miso soup!) Although I refrained from dipping the sushi in soy sauce, I know the damage was done. Rashalicious.

Day 2 I vowed to be smarter. I told the coworker I'd be dining with that I needed her to choose a restaurant where I could order simple foods--steamed or grilled veggies and meat, or possibly just a simple salad. So what does she pick to accommodate my needs? DIM freaking SUM. Granted, delicious, but clearly my request went in one ear and out the other. We had a client meeting in the afternoon and by the end of it my chest was fully broken out in big raised hives.

It didn't help that being in SF and Marin was like wearing a giant helmet filled with pollen. I started back on my Zyrtec immediately upon arriving and checking the weather.com pollen forecast, but it was too late for me at that point. I was a sniffling, congested mess pretty much the whole week.

Someone remind me of this incident when I decide in a few months whether to opt for allergy-shot treatment for the environmental allergies, at least.

One bright side: I've been wanting to write a post about my allergic shiners (or lack thereof on this diet) for awhile, but I was having trouble finding a good before shot of what my under-eyes look like with a good dose of allergens in my life! Rest assured, I now have the perfect photo to use, so stay tuned for that!

Oh, and bright side #2 - Once I finally said "screw it I'm eating whatever I want" I got to have sourdough. Mmmm sourdough.

Double-Double, Mustard-Grilled, Protein Style

Yeah. I can eat that.

h/t to eating is the hard part for the photo (and inspiration to go see In & Out university!)

So it's been 30 days!

When I first got this diagnosis, I didn't think I could get through a single day without all these foods. Now I've more or less made it through 30 days--though not without a few accidental exposures along the way.

I'm at a point where I can start doing food challenges, because when I have a reaction it's totally obvious--I break out in a rash within an hour or two, and my under-eye circles return.

So far, I've discovered that eggs and potatoes are probably not ok, but that rice sometimes is. And that red wine is definitely ok (yay!).

I'm off zyrtec almost entirely--choosing to take it only if I'm going to be outside for an extended period of time (or if I'm spending a week in allergen mecca Northern California like I am this week). But it's cool that zyrtec is a choice now instead of a necessity.

I know more about avoiding food allergens than my (former) allergist seems to.

And I've been able to go out to meals, be social, have a life, and eat really well. Better than I ever imagined.

Thanks everyone for the support! On to the next 30 days...

Dr. Beverly Hills: My Yelp Review

I went back and forth on whether to share my experience publicly (knowing they would likely see it and be able to tie it to me), but ultimately I feel like since I went there based on the great yelp reviews, others should be able to see my experience as well.

It's here if you're interested.

Another Safe Thomas Keller Recipe: Tri-Tip

Here's another safe Thomas Keller recipe - it's more about the technique than the actual ingredients.

-one 2-3 lb tri-tip, trimmed of any silverskin

-Spice blend for a rub (see below)

-1-2 lemons, thinly sliced

-1 tablespoon unsalted butter

-1 sprig rosemary

-2-3 garlic cloves, smashed with skin left on

Step 1 takes place 24 hours before you're eating. Make yourself a rub. My man TK uses black pepper, sweet paprika, and something crazy I don't have called piment d'Espelette. I did that once (using chipotle powder instead of the piment d'Espelette). Honestly it was too paprika-heavy for me. So this time I made it up as I went along: fresh black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and chipotle.

So 24 hours before touchdown, trim any silverskin off your 2-3 lb tri-tip and rub it down with your choice of herbs and spices. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and leave it in the fridge for the flavors to meld.

The next day, about half an hour before you're ready to cook, put the tri-tip on the counter to come up to room temp, and prep your aromatics - lemon, rosemary, garlic, and butter. Pre-heat the oven to 300 and heat a heavy skillet (or cast iron pan) over high heat (use canola oil if you're not using a well-seasoned pan).

Sear your room temperature tri-tip on all sides--about 2 minutes per side. Once seared, throw your aromatics into the pan--the lemon slices will give up juice, the butter will melt, and rosemary and garlic will smell delish!. Roll that tri-tip around in that deliciousness for a minute or two. Then pull it out, place on a roasting rack, in a roasting pan, and pour all that delicious aromaticness on top.

Pop that baby in the oven for about 40-60 minutes--you're going for an internal temp of about 130 if you're me and you like medium rare. Once you get there, pull the meat, cover in foil, and let it sit for 30 minutes somewhere warm (e.g. the back of the stove). Use this time to prep your sides--I made mashed plantains and a big gorgeous salad with the first fantastic farmers market cherry tomatoes of the season :)

Easter isn't the same without Cadbury Creme Eggs

And of course, they are teeming with stuff I can't have - especially soy and egg.

But luckily I found this instructable, which walked me through the incredibly easy process of making my own, DIY creme eggs.

It's actually a tremendously simple recipe.

Step 1 is to order yourself an egg-shaped mold. The instructable walks through a process that wouldn't require the mold, but the mold makes things much simpler. I got mine on Amazon (of course).

The ingredients are very simple - chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Allergen Free chips), light corn syrup, powdered sugar, butter, yellow food coloring, and vanilla (I used artificial, since Vanilla is on my allergen list--but if you can eat real vanilla, please do it for those of us who can't!).

Basically all you do is melt the chocolate chips and coat the molds with them. Then cream together everything but the food coloring to make the fondant filling. If you want to have fun with it, dye 1/3 of the fondant yellow to make the yolk.

I put the white and the yellow fondant in separate piping bags, and then piped it into the center of the chocolate-filled molds until they were full. Then into the freezer they went to set!



The next day you can press the halves together. Or, if you're like me and half a creme egg is the perfect serving, leave them as separate little chocolate fried eggs. I won't tell.

Yum!

Why I have to read every label

I made a lovely salad last night. Fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumber, cheddar cheese, green onions, and baked "fried" chicken soaked in buttermilk and then dipped in an oatmeal flour and herb coating. I used Marzetti's Simply Dressed Ranch Dressing, which has simple and real (and non-allergic) ingredients. Love it.

But then I got the rash. And I got it again today when I ate the leftovers.

The apparent culprit? Kraft shredded cheddar, which is apparently coated in potato starch to keep it from sticking together in the bag. I hadn't thought to read the label, because who thinks there's potato in a simple ingredient like shredded cheese?

Lesson learned. My kitchenaid food processor and shredding blade will be getting a workout going forward.

Dr. Beverly Hills: The third time's NOT a charm

My appointment with the alternate allergist I'd found got cancelled at the last minute last Friday, so I decided to keep my appointment with Dr. Beverly Hills today. I could not wait to hear his "big plan for me" - the suspense killed!

Honestly I shouldn't have bothered.

Highlights:

• Another 30-40 minute wait in the lobby


• 15 minutes with the Dr.--interrupted twice for him to go do other stuff


• He tells me his diet plan--it's basically slightly less restrictive than what I'm already doing


• And yet--the 19 days of my diet I've already done don't count because I didn't fill out his fancy diet form--which is basically a grid where you fill in the date and a score from 0-10 of how your symptoms are that day. Note that he just handed me this within a stack of other papers--did not explain it in any way.


• Other paper #1: A list of things that contain wheat such as "wheat flour, wheat grass, couscous, and seminola [sic]" which I can only assume is a mistyped "semolina". Groundbreaking.


• Other paper #2: A referral to a local allergy-friendly bakery (yay!). I am so excited about this that I look them up during one of the times he leaves the room. Turns out they bake with rice flour. Which I'm allergic to. Which we had discussed two seconds before. How helpful.
  


• I was not able to get many questions in before he booked it out of there, but I did get a chance to ask about soy lecithin and soy oil--both of which reputable sites and books I'd read say have a very small chance of causing allergic reaction because they only contain traces of protein. Soy oil is the only thing holding me back from all the Chipotle Bols I can eat, and soy lecithin is in most chocolate, so you can see how this is of the utmost importance.
  
  Dr. Beverly Hills tells me I still have to avoid those. But then in practically the next breath he says he has no problem with me eating egg yolks after I separate them from the white part I'm allergic to. Now I probably just looked like a very good egg separator to him (which I am), but even with my mad skills, I'm pretty sure those yolks still contain at least traces of egg white.

Needless to say, Dr. BeverlyHills and I are not meant to be. The only question now is whether to pick up with another allergist now, or just to go it alone for a bit and work the plan of elimination followed by challenges. Oh, and whether to write about my experience on Yelp, knowing they'd be able to connect it to me if they saw it.

On the bright side, I finally found the right streets to use to get to the westside in the morning!

Things I can eat: Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding

I am pretty ridiculously excited about this. Eating some now with peanuts mixed in!

In which I cheat, thoughtfully

Tonight I'm eating rice.

(audible gasp)

I've avoided all the allergens on my list for two full weeks now. I feel fairly confident that my body is somewhat reset.

Rice was one of the most mild reactions I had (2A--not that that always matters) and it just so happens there's a pizza place in our neighborhood which offers a gluten-free crust made from rice flour.

I felt it was a good time to try adding a single food back, to see how I do.

It was freaking delicious.

Rice-rash watch 2011 begins now...

Things I am not allergic to

This mold called Mucor. Often found in rotting vegetable matter.

My google history is getting weird.

This pad thai is awesome

I am so happy with this easy to allergen-adapt pad thai recipe from Savory Sweet Life.

I made a few changes (noted below) to make the recipe allergy safe for me, and also to get more of a gingery-peanut flavor from the sauce.

The results were delicious, and served both of us with a generous lunch serving for me today.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 1 cup palm sugar (note: I used half a cup of brown sugar instead)
  
• 1 ½ tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup tamarind juice concentrate (note: I subbed the juice of a huge orange and a lime)
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (My addition to the original recipe)
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger (My addition to the original recipe)
  
• 4 ounces dried rice stick noodles (note: I subbed quinoa and corn noodles)
  
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• .25 cup red onion, thinly sliced (I used 1/4 of a yellow onion because that's what I had)
  
• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or tofu ( I used thin-sliced pork tenderloin, which I marinated in some of the sauce, plus the juice of another orange and and some minced ginger for 30 mins after slicing but before cooking)
  
• 1 egg (I used two egg yolks since I can't have whites)
  
• 1 cup carrots, match sticks
• .25 cup green onion cut diagonal in ½ inch segments
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• .25 cup cilantro
• .25 cup toasted peanuts chopped
• Lime wedge

Instructions

1. To make pad thai sauce, heat a small pan on medium low and add fish sauce, palm and white sugar, tamarind concentrate, (peanut butter), and garlic. Cook sauce until palm sugar has completely dissolve. At this point, you will want to taste the sauce and tweek the sweetness or hotness (be careful, the sauce will be hot). To make it more spicy add a little Thai chili powder. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 minutes before storing it in a jar or plastic container.
2. Boil noodles for 4-5 minutes and drain immediately rinsing with cold water for a few seconds. Noodles should be slightly firmer than Al dente. But don’t worry, they will continue to soften and cook later when stir frying. Using kitchen shears, cut the noodle clump in half. This will make it easier to fry and eat.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok or frying pan on high and cook raw chicken, pork, beef, tofu or shrimp for 3-4 minutes. Remove meat/tofu/seafood into a small bowl. Next, heat the remaining oil and then add garlic and red onions to the hot pan and stir fry for 1 minute stirring the garlic mixture so it will not burn. Add noodles and stir for 1 minute. Add 3-4 tablespoons Pad Thai sauce continually stirring noodle mixture until well coated with sauce. Add cooked meat/tofu/seafood back and fry for 2-3 minutes. Move the noodle and meat mixture to one side of the pan and crack an egg on the other side. Scramble the egg with a wooden spoon and cook for 30 seconds. Add carrots, green onions, and sprouts and cook for one more minute frying everything together. Test the firmness of the noodle. If the noodle is too firm, fry for an additional minute. If your noodles need more flavor, add another tablespoon of sauce and fry another half minute. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with remaining raw carrot match sticks, spouts, cilantro, toasted peanuts, and a wedge of lime. Enjoy!

Environmental Allergen Results

Plus a link to a self-portrait of the test on my back if you're into that sort of thing. (you're not allowed to move during these things, but I got a decent shot over my shoulder with the iPhone front-facing camera).

I reacted to 49 of the 73 things we tested today. Also, my reactions appear in a mere 5 minutes, instead of the normal 15. I am an allergy over-achiever.

From Eat Me Allergies

Dr. Beverly Hills, Part Deux

Another day, another scanned report of stuff I'm allergic to (this time in pink!)

Turns out I'm allergic to all grasses, most weeds and trees and molds, and most things in my environment :) Reactions I found particularly entertaining--palm trees (hello LA), flaxseed (goodbye, my planned egg replacer), and tumbleweeds (is there any climate I'm not allergic to?)

(actually, the quote of the day from Dr. BH was "well, you could always move to Alaska and be Sarah Palin's neighbor")

Generic dog and car hair were both mild 2A reactions, and I did not react to my dog Toby's hair at all in the scratch test. But then Dr. BH's nurse injected some of that fur intradermally (which burns like hell for 10 seconds, btw), and I did react to that.

I don't understand what reacting to one test but not the other means--largely because Dr. BH didn't bother to make the time today to sit down with me and go over everything (despite the fact that when we scheduled today's appointment, that was part of the planned activities). So I left with another heavily-highlighted sheet and a list I'd prepared of questions (still unanswered). And a vague command not to start the diet yet because he wants to discuss it with me (this after I told him I had already started nearly 2 weeks ago).

Not impressed. Between driving (45 mins to an hour each way) and cooling my heels in his waiting room (45 mins to an hour each time), these appointments eat up huge chunks of my day--even before I actually interact with someone. I feel disrespected.

The bill also came through for my first appointment today. $295 billed to insurance for "consultation" and another $495 for lab tests. (Only $40 out of pocket for me--thanks Cigna)

If I see today's bill and it's got that $295 charge on it, I will LOSE. MY. MIND.

My photocopied tests and I will be visiting another allergist whose office is a bit closer for a second (but actually first) opinion this Friday.

Collecting saliva from a chihuahua

That's my big plan for tonight.

Got a hot date tomorrow with Dr. Beverly Hills Allergist, and I'm supposed to come with a syringe-full of Toby saliva and a thimble-sized chunk of Toby hair in tow. I have a feeling these samples will be made into a tincture which can be injected into my back to see how much I swell. Good times.

It's an interesting thought experiment though. What happens if I'm violently allergic to my dog?

I'm 100% sure that in my case nothing would change. Maybe I'd wash him more, change the sheets more often, things like that. But there's no way this dog is going anywhere. Probably not even out of the bed at night. He brings too much joy to my life, and he'd be absolutely sullen if he weren't allowed to snuggle with me at night. I couldn't do that to him (nor would I want to). How could I resist this face?



But I suppose it's still worth knowing--if not for this dog than for dog decisions in the future.

Here's hoping I'm only allergic to cats!

Diet Coke Break?

As I've embarked on this allergen-free diet, the husband and I have been puzzled by a lingering mystery...

Although most of my allergy symptoms seem to have cleared up significantly, I have still been getting a rash on my torso most nights after dinner. The weird thing is I typically eat last night's leftovers for lunch the next day, and I wasn't getting an afternoon leftovers rash so it couldn't have been the food itself.

We've been stumped. Until yesterday (Sunday) I got a rash in the afternoon again--and it suddenly hit me that the common denominator is my daily Diet Coke. I allow myself one diet coke a day, and that diet coke typically comes with dinner, but on weekends (like yesterday) I sometimes have one in the afternoon. Then bingo, an afternoon rash.

So add one more No to my list. Aspartame. Sigh.

Allergen free and healthy dinner from Fitness Magazine

This delicious recipe from Fitness magazine just needed one substitution (edamame --> lima beans) to be allergy safe for me. And it was quick and easy--the chicken marinade will definitely be making it into my regular rotation. Also the idea of cutting the zucchini into ribbons using a vegetable peeler was brilliant! My husband thanks you, Fitness, since he only had to wash the peeler instead of my whole mandoline!


Lemon-Thyme Chicken with Sauteed Vegetables

Recipe developed by Anna Berman

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, divided
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound chicken breast tenders, lightly pounded
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium shallot, sliced
1.5 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1.5 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 medium zucchini
1/3 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
1. In a ziplock bag, combine 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garlic, and 2 teaspoons thyme; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add chicken tenders, seal the bag, and gently turn to coat. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot, remaining garlic, edamame, and tomatoes; saute 4 minutes.
3. Use a vegetable peeler to slice zucchini into long ribbons. Add zucchini and remaining lemon juice and thyme to vegetables in skillet; saute 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, stir in feta, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
4. Add remaining oil to skillet. Remove chicken from marinade and saute 2 to 3 minutes a side or until cooked through. Serve with vegetables.

Why aren't you eating me, Elena?

Doesn't that delicious crab look like it misses me?

Safe Granola!

Thank you (as always) Alton Brown.

I'm living off a modified version of this awesome oat-based granola recipe:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

For my needs, I've replaced the almonds and cashews (both of which are on my no-list) with peanuts and pecans. I also use canola oil rather than vegetable (which typically contains soy). I've been eating this granola on its own, or mixed into my morning Fage or Chobani greek yogurt for breakfast.

State of the Union

It's coming up on a week that I've been completely off all the foods on my list, and I really am feeling great.

I've lost a few pounds, obviously from water weight, which makes me think there's something to this idea that my body is swollen and unhappy trying to fight off all these "attacks" from allergens.

I also have a ton of energy, and I'm much less hungry. I don't crave wheat or sweets, which is definitely something I've struggled with in the past.

I am, however, getting a bit sick of protein + veg meals. Going to make some spaghetti with corn pasta tonight to break things up.

An old favorite that still works: Ad Hoc Pork Tenderloin

Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home is pretty much my favorite cookbook ever. Although many of the recipes are a lot to take on, his brined pork tenderloin is simple enough to be in your weeknight rotation.

And it's allergy free for me!

The Brine:
3 tablespoons honey
4 bay leaves
1 large rosemary sprig
2-3 sprigs thyme
Several sprigs italian parsley
3-4 garlic cloves (smashed, skin left on)
Black pepper
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 cups water

Bring the brine to a boil for one minute to dissolve salt, then cool and strain.

Place one pork tenderloin in the brine for 3-4 hours (this is where it helps to work at home). Ideally, pull it out of the brine 30 minutes before cooking and wrap it in some paper towels on the counter to dry out and come up to room temp.

When you're ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 350, and put a large skillet on the stove on medium-high heat. Gather the rest of your ingredients:

Canola Oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic gloves, smashed with skin
6 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1-2 lemons, thinly sliced (note: my boy TK uses preserved lemons, which take 2 weeks to make. I'm sure that's delicious, but trust me fresh lemon is also fine)

Put some Canola in your pan and start searing your pork tenderloin--I usually do 2 minutes per side on 3-4 sides depending on the shape. Once you're all browned up, toss all the rest of your aromatics in the pan--the butter will melt, the lemons will give up juice. Roll that tenderloin around to pick up all that delicious goodness for another 2 minutes.

Then place the tenderloin on a rack in a roasting pan, place the aromatics on top and drizzle the pan juices over, and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes until the internal temperature has reached 135 (for medium rare).

Pull it out and let rest for 15 minutes to redistribute the juices. I usually take that opportunity to steam some green beans (toss with olive oil and lemon) and make some parmesan polenta.

It's to die for, relatively healthy, and allergen free!

The real test: Pizza

My husband is a real meat and potatoes midwesterner, and one of my biggest concerns about starting this allergen-free diet was how I'd be able to feed him in addition to myself.

One of our favorite meals is homemade pizza. He likes pepperoni on his half, and I've always had ham and pineapple on mine. Of course, pineapple is on my no-list for the next month, so I decided to go with a classic margherita for my half instead.

One of the most frustrating thing about my particular allergy profile is that all the wheat dough substitutes seem to be made from potato or rice, both of which are also off-limits for now. But I was able to find this recipe for a quinoa-based crust from the blog A Gluten Free Day.

Pizza Crust Recipe - From A Gluten Free Day

-50 grams fresh yeast
-5 dl or 2 cups quinoa flour
-1-2 tsp salt
-3 dl or 1 and 1/4 cups of water
-3 tbls olive oil
-3 tbls psyllium husk powder

Start by warming your water, add your yeast and your salt, mix everything together, and then add your psyllium husk into the mixture, and leave everything to sit for about ten minutes.

After that take your flour and mix it with the wet mixture, start kneading your dough and do it for about 2 minutes, then add your oil, knead again for a little while until you have formed a ball out of it, after that put your dough into a warm and dark place to rise.

When it has doubled in size spread it onto your pizza tray, you can spread it by hand or with a rolling pin, whatever works for you, pat it a little bit after you have stretched it and start applying your toppings.

I was a bit skeptical as I worked the dough together. In its 10 minutes of sitting, the psyllium husks and water had taken on an almost gel-like consistency. I was also substituting active dry yeast for fresh, and although I have a lot of pizza crust making experience, this was out of my comfort zone. There was no gluten to develop, so I wasn't sure how much kneading was really necessary, and I focused mostly on getting the dough to come together somehow. And it did.

I gave it two hour-long rises, which is what I typically do with wheat pizza dough. My hope was that letting the yeast do its thing for a bit longer would create a sourness in the dough--similar to sourdough bread--and hopefully help tone down the nuttiness of the quinoa.

My dough never became as smooth and dough-like Emilia's did in the photos. But it did roll out successfully onto the bed of corn meal I laid out for it on our pizza peel. We topped it up with safe tomato sauce, parmesan, and then my beautiful farmers market tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella (and some turkey pepperoni for the husband).

Into the well-heated oven for about 12 minutes at 450 it went (we use a pizza stone).

And out came this...



It was delicious. Crisp and nutty and filled with protein and fiber. Husband went back for seconds.

I can work with this.

Quick woohoo

I spoke with the tamale dude at my local farmers market.

Nothing in those babies but corn, lard, and delicious slow-cooked pork. No soy or wheat or eggs for miles.

I bought 6 and they are in the freezer as meal insurance. Yay!

Shopping day!

I'm lucky to live in a neighborhood with an awesome natural food store and bulk bins. My husband and I headed there after dinner on day 1 to see if we could pick up some foods that would be safe for me over the next 30 days.

Things I was happy to find: safe pasta (made from corn and quinoa!), chocolate without soy lecithin (but this required a lot of digging and label reading), quinoa flour, Bobs Red Mill oats (not contaminated with wheat). I also found a chocolate corn cereal (think corn-based cocoa puffs) that is safe!

Then we headed to the regular grocery store and stocked up on veggies, string cheese, a safe ranch dressing for dipping, canned beans and corn, polenta, and Haagen Dazs chocolate ice cream--which was the only one I could find without vanilla or soy lecithin in it. Ah well, I will have to suffer.

The first day of the rest of my life

Having taken a few days to process this new food-allergic self, I've decided to go for broke and quit all these foods for 30 days. I figure the worst that can happen is I have to get creative in the kitchen and at restaurants, and there's a real chance I could lose this nagging rash (and maybe, hopefully a few pounds too?) 30 days is a drop in the bucket of the rest of my life so why not. Plus it will be a challenge.

I admit I have my doubts, but I've been making a list of foods I can eat, and it's promising. I have no dairy allergies. I can eat pretty much any meat I want (aside from shrimp, tuna, and crab). Veggies are almost all ok, as are many nuts and some fruits. Sour patch kids are shockingly acceptable.

Today I had Greek yogurt for breakfast, a greek chicken salad with feta, olives, and a lemon vinaigrette for lunch, some hummus and veggies as a snack, and a braised short rib over polenta for dessert. I can't guarantee there was no wheat in the sauce of the short rib, because I am still too shy to ask these kinds of questions of my server--I know I'm going to have to get better at that for this to work. But I figure this is a good effort for day 1.

Wait, I have food allergies?

Fast forward to my appointment with my fancy Beverly Hills allergist ($15 worth of valet parking!).

I tell him about my seasonal allergies, and that based on my google-doctoring I worry I may have a sulfite allergy or sensitivity (which would explain the dried fruit, matches, and occasional shrimp reactions). I confidently state that I really don't think I have any food allergies, but Dr. wants to do a full food panel anyway.

72 pricks and 10 minutes later, the doctor comes back, audibly gasps, and the nurse makes a joke about needing to wire my jaw shut. It seems I was wrong about not having any food reactions. Here's the sheet I left with, detailing my reactions:

From Eat Me Allergies

How daunting is that right column? Wheat! Soy! Sesame! Shrimp! Potatoes! Rice! Vanilla! Not to mention egg whites, white grapes (wine!) and my personal saddest: Crab. All this in addition to the sulfites suspects, which we can't test for: most notably wine and beer.

My immediate reaction: This is a joke right? I'm nearly 30, I've never considered myself a person with food allergies, I'm living my life just fine aside from a few seasonal allergies and you're telling me I'm allergic to wheat, eggs, soy, etc. and I just never knew it?!

Dr. Allergist says his recommendation will be to eliminate every highlighted food on this list for 30 days. Says most patients who do this come back at the end feeling amazing, and totally willing to live without this stuff forever (but that if I can't, we can try adding things back one at a time to see what I can tolerate).

I leave the doctor with an appointment to come back in a few weeks with some of my dog's saliva and hair for a full environmental allergies panel and some nutrition counseling.

Whoa.

My allergy background

I've always been an allergic person. Each turn of the seasons has always brought a nasal onslaught, and sometimes also skin rashes. I've always suspected I may be allergic to animals as well (but never really wanted the answer to that one!).

As a kid, dried fruit and recently lit matches would make my throat feel itchy and tight, so I've avoided those triggers since childhood. I've also had odd hive reactions to shrimp, as well as medicines like Advil and Aleve, on a few isolated occasions. That was my only inkling of any allergies other than the "normal" seasonal and maybe pet ones.

My husband and I recently moved back to California (land of eternal spring allergies), and I had developed a pretty constant skin rash, plus had another shrimp reaction, so I felt like it was time to see an expert. I booked an appointment with a well-reviewed allergist in Beverly Hills hoping to confirm my seasonal allergies and maybe get a prescription to help with the rash, and to make sure the shrimp reactions weren't an indication that I should be carrying an EpiPen.

I got a lot more than I bargained for... Stay tuned to share my journey...