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...