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?