Farm Fresh Recipes from Keppers Pottery & Produce

Picnics, potlucks, barbecues, county fairs...

Summer is full of opportunities for someone with nightshade and other allergies to go hungry in a crowd!  I almost always bring a small cooler with snacks to these evens and am thrilled if I find one thing that I can safely enjoy. I didn't bring anything with me to Keppers Annual Field & Garden Tour. It was only a 2 hour event and not far from home so I figured I would just skip the food and eat when I got home. Imagine my surprise when Judith laid out a beautiful spread of dishes fresh from their gardens and Ken said to me, "You should be able to eat any of these things with the exception, obviously, of the tomato salad.

It is such a simple pleasure, to be able to go to an event or gathering and share a meal, and one I used to take for granted.  As a host, using simple recipes with minimal ingredients make it easy to modify dishes for your guests while having ingredients lists available and saving packaging from store bought items ensure your guests with allergies or food sensitivities can see for themselves what is safe and what is not.

Thank you to Judith for the wonderful meal and for sharing her recipes on her blog at www.kepperspottery.blogspot.com.

Lunch Hack: Mediterannean Pita

Life has gotten so incredibly busy I often find myself resorting to fast food or coffee shop scones to get through the day. Gaining 10 lbs in the last year and feeling tired all the time tells me I need to get organized again and start packing healthier meals. This morning I had 5 minutes to spare so I looked in the fridge to see if there was something I could throw together to bring along.  This is what I came up with. It worked well for a day that I don't have access to a fridge and didn't have my chillable lunch box with me. I don't know that I would leave it in the car all day on a hot day but it certainly survived a few hours in the office and kept me out of the drive-though.

• 1 individual sized pack (or about 2 tbs) Sabra Hummus
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1/3 package leftover broccoli slaw mix (I almost always have this in the fridge or some type of homemade slaw - just the veggies, no dressing. Almost any variation of julienne veggies will work. I know, it's packaged food but this is one of the compromises I make in the winter when I'm not pulling fresh veggies out of my own garden anyway)
• Pita bread (regular bread, crackers, tortilla chips, whatever...)

I did a quick blend of the hummus and lemon juice, poured it into a container with the slaw mix and viola! By the time I had lunch it had been well tossed and was ready to eat. My only regret is not grabbing a few of the lovely (nightshade free marinated) Greek olives from the fridge to add a little fat to the meal. As it was it was pretty satisfying but the olives would have been the kicker... or some feta... or a little chicken... maybe avocado...

You get the picture, it's not about a recipe here. It's about learning how to work with and make the most out of what you've got while still enjoying nutritious, yummy and SAFE meals.

*Note: sesame seeds can be cross-reactive to nightshade allergy. This means that even though they are not a nightshade, those with nightshade allergy may have trouble with them. I find that I'm OK as long as I don't have too much/too often. If you can't handle sesame seeds it's pretty easy to make your own hummus. Blend up can of garbanzos with1 tbsp lemon juice, pinch of salt, a little olive oil and as much water as needed to make it creamy.

Turkey Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients
1 turkey carcass
6 celery stalks, roughly chopped
6 medium carrots, roughly chopped
herbs, chopped-sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary
1 medium roughly chopped yellow onions
3 tbsp garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups baby arugula
16 oz wild rice blend
Notes / Directions
Put carcass, celery, carrot & onion in stock pot & cover with water

Bring to a boil & simmer 4 hours

Remove carcass, fat, bones, etc. pick meat from bones & return to pot.

Add rice, herbs & seasonings.

Simmer 2 hours, add arugula.

Bhutanese Red Rice Salad

Ingredients
1 cup bhutanese red rice
1 can baby corn, cut in 1/2 inch segments
1 can straw mushrooms, cut in half
2 heads baby bok choi, washed & chopped
1/4 cup Asian sesame oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon: ground ginger
1 tsp galangal, optional
1/4 cup soy sauce
Notes / Directions
Prepare rice according to package directions

Add mushrooms, corn & bok choi

Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl

Pour over rice & toss

Serve hot or cold.

Gluten Free Blueberry Scones

I took the day off work to sleep off this cold or flu or whatever it is dragging my butt down today. After almost an entire day on the couch watching back to back episodes of NCIS and compulsively checking Facebook for activity I got an uncontrollable craving for Scones.

I couldn't find a recipe that was free of all the things I needed it to be (wheat, eggs, dairy, nuts, potato flour or starch) so I pulled up a few and used them to come up with my own. I don't consider myself a baker and GF baking without eggs is very hit or miss for me so I am amazed at how well they turned out!

Servings: 12
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
3 cups Gluten Free flour blend
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp arrowroot starch
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg or egg replacer, i use ground flaxseed in hot water
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup, warm
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 cup warm water
2 small flats blueberries
cinnamon/sugar blend
Notes / Directions
Preheat oven to 350

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl

Slowly add melted coconut oil, stirring continuously

Add remaining ingredients except water & stir

Add water 1/4 cup at a time until a firm dough forms

Remove 1/2 of the dough & form into a ball (be careful not to overwork dough)

Place on a cutting board & roll or flatten to 1 1/2 inch thick circle. Cut into 6 & arrange pieces on a baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining dough.

Brush with a little coconut oil & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 mins

Refrigerator Oats

Easy, healthy, no-cook breakfast or high energy snack!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 3/4 cup rice milk
• 1 scoop UltraMeal Vanilla Rice Protein (or 1/2 serving any vanilla protein powder)
• 1/2 cup diced apple
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• pinch sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, cover & put in the refrigerator overnight. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pumpkin seeds before serving.

Pumpkin Biscuits

I started with the basic biscuit recipe on the package for Bob's Red Mill Biscuit Mix and added a few things. The insides stay moist so this would probably also work pretty well as muffins or a bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Biscuit Mix
• 1 cup canned or pureed pumpkin
• 1/4-1/2 cup rice milk or milk substitute
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp Galangal (opt.)
• handful of roasted pepitas

Preheat oven to 350. Combine biscuit mix with pumpkin until crumbly. Add rice milk a little at a time, stirring until the dough is smooth but firm. Stir in spices and maple syrup. Drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and top with a few pepitas. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Accidents Happen: Natural Ways to Manage Allergic Reactions.

I am fortunate in that, since my multiple food allergies have been diagnosed, I haven't had any 911 emergencies. Before diagnosis was a totally different story. 3 ambulance rides and 5 ER visits makes for a single week I'll not forget! I have had a few close calls though. As hard as I try to screen ingredients and not take chances while eating out, every once in a while something slips through. Sometimes I know exactly what happened, like the grilled chicken at the deli counter which I had been told "is just plain chicken" but had been marinated in Italian Dressing. Other times I don't know, like the grilled tuna over mixed greens salad I had at a restaurant in New Orleans. Lucky, Benadryl was enough to stop the reaction both times.

The after effects of both the reaction and the medication can be difficult to deal with. I am usually exhausted for 24-48 hours and often have other symptoms such as stomach cramping, nausea, bloating, gas, diarrhea and headaches. Over the past few years I have found that there are things I can do to minimize both the reactions and the after effects.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and am not qualified to diagnose or treat any disease. Take responsibility for your own health. Do your own research. Find a good Doc that involves you in your treatment and listens to what you have to say.

Prevention:

• Do your research. When I was first diagnosed by my local allergist, I was told I had a tomato allergy. I was given an Epi-Pen, warned not to eat tomatoes and sent on my way. It took me months of continued reactions to figure out that I was also having problems with other foods in the same family---nightshades.
• No Dairy. There are many theories about dairy proteins and people feel very passionately on both sides of the dairy argument. I'm not an expert so here is some basic info from someone qualified to speak on the subject. But really the proof is in the pudding (so to speak). Try eliminating ALL dairy (butter is OK) from your diet for 7 days and see what happens. The first few days will be tough. According to some, dairy, especially cheese, has addictive qualities, making it very hard to give up. Remember, there are a lot of other great sources for calcium like leafy greens, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), broccoli,  almonds and enriched non-dairy milks like rice or soy milk. 
• Manage environmental allergies. If you have food allergies, chances are that you have other allergies or sensitivities as well. Limiting your exposure to other allergens, sublingual immunotherapy , and antihistamines if needed can reduce the overall allergic stress on your body. To simplify:  if your body is already on alert from dealing with exposure to an environmental allergen, like tree or grass pollen, you may have a stronger reaction to an allergenic food. I have also discovered that I can reduce the severity of my seasonal allergies by avoiding foods that are cross-reactive to my environmental allergies during peak allergy seasons.
• Listen to your body. Pay attention to your body's signals when you eat. Not all reactions are sudden or severe. Notice subtle signals like a slight flush in your face, neck or ears or a tingling feeling on your tongue or even just a gut feeling. These signals can help you catch a mistake before it's too late. I had a funny feeling about a sauceless pizza at a restaurant. They assured me there was no sauce and the cutting board had been wiped down. I insisted to the server that there was something wrong and just then the chef coming running from the kitchen to stop me from eating. He had just realized that the pizza cutter hadn't been cleaned before they cut my pizza. It was cross contaminated. Noticing your responses can also help you and your Doctor diagnose an allergen that may have given false negative results on an allergy test, which are not always accurate. 
• Control overall inflammation. More and more studies are showing that inflammation could be the root to many chronic health problems.  Reducing inflammation in the body can improve your overall health and ability to deal with allergic stress. Eating a healthy diet, managing stress and specific supplements can help reduce inflammation. I take Vitamin C daily in addition to some of the supplements listed in the link as prescribed by my doctor.
• The most important step I have taken in minimizing the severity of an allergic reaction and is sublingual immunotherapy. Sublingual Immunotherapy is antigen drops taken under the tongue to reduce sensitivity to known allergens. It can be used in cases where the allergy is too severe for standard allergy shots, such as peanut allergy or in small children, and has a high rate of effectiveness. There has never been an anaphylactic reaction recorded in connection to the use of sublingual antigens. Ex:  My son was diagnosed with a severe walnut allergy at age 3 1/2.  Even a very small amount could be life threatening.  Standard allergy treatment would suggest total avoidance and no preventive treatment other than daily antihistamine. Allergy shots could not be given because of possible danger of a reaction to the shot itself. However, at Allergy Associates of LaCrosse, he is being treated with sublingual immunotherapy to reduce his sensitivity to walnuts.  The LaCrosse MethodTM can help reduce the severity of the allergy so that accidental exposures may be less severe.  

After Exposure:  (Always follow the treatment protocol advised by your Doctor for any allergic reaction.  The following steps are meant to minimize discomfort and side effects after the reaction has been treated.)

• Rest: Remember that both an allergic reaction and the medication create stress on your body. It is typical to feel tired for a day or 2 after a reaction. Take it easy if possible and honor your body's need for additional rest.
• Hydrate: Lots of water will help your body process the offending food, histamines and other byproducts of the reaction from your system.
• Vitamin C is a natural anti-inflammatory. Histamine creates an inflammatory response in the body. I usually take 1000mg vitamin C with a large glass of water at the onset of a mild reaction. For more severe reactions that require medical intervention ask your doc if it would be appropriate to up your dosage of vitamin C for a few days to help reduce inflammation.
• Give your gut a break. Allergic reactions to food can cause all sorts of GI distress. Pamper your digestive system by giving it healthy, whole, non-processed, easy to digest foods.  Peppermint and ginger also aid digestion and soothe the stomach.

Every Time!

I am so conscious and cautious of foods in most circumstances. In a restaurant I always check, double check, triple check and take the first few bites slowly, noticing any signals of a reaction. I read labels at the grocery store and don't compromise on mystery ingredients like "spices" and "natural flavorings". I even double check labels of things I use all the time in case they change the ingredients.

Every once in a while I slip and something comes in under the radar. This afternoon I started feeling off: sniffly, watery eyes, stomach cramps. It came on too quickly to be a virus so I started backtracking my foods to see if I could have made a mistake somewhere. No time for breakfast this morning and lunch was leftovers from dinner last night, which was a simple recipe I use often and I knew was clean. The only other thing I'd had today was a cup of tea-a new tea I'd ordered online. I had read the label which said it was a blend of green & white teas but I didn't bother to check the complete ingredients list which shows "flavoring" as one of the ingredients. I don't know if it's the mystery "flavoring" or the rosebuds also listed (which I try to avoid because certain flowers including roses make me sneeze). I'm guessing it's the rosebud as a nightshade would likely have caused a more serious reaction but the lesson is the same. NEVER assume. Never take it for granted that something is safe.

So on this beautiful afternoon that I promised my son a trip to the park, I am instead trying to fight the Benadryl drowsiness while I sit sniffling and sneezing on the couch, the seat nearest the bathroom for when the stomach upset hits. And I'm thankful because at least I didn't have to call 911 this time.

Big Bowl O'Love - Dad's Special Soup

There is no denying the relationship between food and emotion.  Some foods can bring us back to childhood.  Candy Buttons always make me smile.  They taste gross but they make me smile because they remind me of the summer my cousin, John, stayed with us for the summer.  He babysat my sister and I.  I idolized John and have so many memories of that summer full of trips to the pool and riding our bikes up the road to Kenny's Market to buy candy necklaces, candy buttons and brown cow suckers.

When you have food allergies those strong emotions related to food can cause quite an internal conflict, especially when you develop an allergy to a food with ties to strong memories or emotions.  The last few years I have worked on changing my perception of food.  Looking closely at labels and ingredients helps me to shift my thinking from craving and desire to nutrition and sustenance.  It works for me, most of the time.  Sometimes though, a food holds such a strong connection that I would do just about anything to taste it again.  This is true for my Dad's special soup.  It is a recipe passed down from his mom but to me, it is my Dad's soup.  Just the smell of this soup makes me feel safe and loved, the kind of feeling a little girl gets from knowing that her Daddy is there watching out for her.

Last week was rough.  I had a wicked cold and was struggling with some personal stuff.  I was sad, frustrated, sick, tired and feeling like a lost little girl.  Every day I thought about Dad's soup.  I wanted nothing else.  Finally I called him and asked for the recipe, knowing it was full of tomatoes and potatoes but determined to see if I could make a safe version that would fill that void.  We didn't really talk about anything other than the soup recipe but just talking to him made me feel better.

I made the soup yesterday.  It wasn't the same as Dad's but it was pretty good.  I was a little disappointed until I remembered one of the secrets of the soup:  it's always best after a day or 2 in the fridge.  I tried it again today for lunch and it warmed my heart just the way a good comfort food should.  I'm also finally starting to feel like I'm getting a leg up on this cold or flu I've been fighting.  Quantities are flexible.  Put in more of what you like and less of what you don't.  It takes all day to cook so it's great for a weekend when you can enjoy the aroma filling the house but a crock pot works too.

Ingredients:

• Beef Soup Bone with plenty of meat on it - or a bone and some stew meat (Dad likes to use a chuck roast slow roasted in the oven and added at the end but I think that without the tomatoes you need the extra flavor from the marrow of the bone)
• Carrots - 4
• Yams or Sweet Potato - 2 med
• Onion - 1 lg
• White Cabbage - 1 med head - don't skimp on the cabbage!  This is the ingredient that makes or breaks it.
• Garlic - 4 cloves thinly sliced
• Beef Broth - 3 x 36oz boxes- I used Pacific Foods, all ingredients listed and no nightshades
• Olive Oil
• S&P

Directions:
Heat some olive oil over med/high heat in a large soup/stock pot.  Add Beef to pot and sear on one side about 5 min.  While beef is searing, chop the onion.  Cut your veggies into large chunks.  Turn the beef and add onion to the pot.  Cook another 5 min.

Add Garlic, cook 3 min
Add Broth & turn to High Heat
Clean and chop remaining veggies and add to pot.
Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer all day (6-8 hrs).  Before serving, remove the beef to a cutting board, trim fat, remove bone and pull apart.  Meat should pull apart easily.  Return meat to the pot. S&P to taste.

Cool the leftovers in the fridge.  Remember, it's better the second day.  As always, let me know how you like it and what you do to personalize it.

Nightshade Free Foods - reviews and recommendations

"Spices"

This is the one word on an ingredient list that causes me the most frustration followed a close second by "natural flavorings" and "fruit and vegetable juice".  Requiring companies to list the 8 common allergens is a start but it's not enough.  There are so many of us out there with allergies that don't fall into the common category.  I've met people allergic to beans, beef, chicken, oranges, sesame and all sorts of things.  Requiring ALL ingredients to be clearly listed on labels would help those of us with allergies to make safe choices and it might also make everyone who reads labels more aware of what goes into their food.  At this point, even without the allergies, I don't think I would want to eat many of the things they are putting in our food.

I've spent a few years dealing with this and am compiling a list of companies, brands and products that provide hard to find items that are Nightshade Allergy Safe.  Please ALWAYS double check labels and trust your instincts.  This list is based on my personal experience.  I am not an authority, doctor or nutritionist.  These companies may change their formulations or recipes at any time.  Take responsibility for your health and read the label EVERY TIME!

This find made me so ecstatic!  I love Asian food but usually have to cook it myself to make it safe or stick to steamed rice and veggies at restaurants.  These are found in the frozen section.  I love making a quick soup by tossing a few in Swanson's Chicken Broth.

Annie Chun's Mini Wontons - Pork & Ginger

Annie Chun's Potstickers - Chicken Vegetable

Annie Chun's Potstickers - Shitake Vegetable

Other Asian Treats are:

Veri Veri Teriyaki by Soy Vay

Nature's Rancher Korean Sesame Cooking & Grilling Sauce

Seasoning:

Herbamare Original Herb Seasoning Salt

Salad dressings:

* almost always list "spices" on the label.  Here are some that have clear labeling and are Nightshade free at the time of this blog post.

Bragg's Ginger & Sesame

Bragg's Organic Healthy Vinaigrette

Annie's Goddess Dressing

Annie's Honey Mustard

Annie's Balsamic Vinaigrette

Anne's is one of my favorite companies because they clearly list the ingredients.  The 3 dressings listed above are the only 3 I've tried.  There may be more options.  Read your labels.  They also offer an Organic Dijon mustard that has no Paprika!  That is like finding gold!

Beware of boxed broths.  Many use green peppers in the chicken stock and a variety of nightshades in the veggie stock.  I haven't yet found a safe veggie broth so I usually stick with Swanson's Chicken Broth.  Pacific Foods Beef Broth is also safe at the time of this post.  

Have you discovered Nomato Pasta Sauce yet?  I found this treat at a specialty store in Woodbury, MN.  I was so happy I almost cried.  You can make pasta or pizza!  It's not the same but it is close enough to keep me from feeling sorry for myself when my kiddo and husband have pizza or pasta.  Go ahead, do your happy dance!  You know you want to!  This product does list "herbs" on the ingredients.  Normally nightshades would fall under the heading of spices rather than herbs and I haven't had any trouble with this product but if you're unsure you can always contact the company.  I emailed them about their other products; Nomato Ketchup and Nomato Barbecue Sauce and confirmed that the Ketchup does NOT contain nightshades but the barbecue sauce DOES contain cayenne pepper:(  Oh well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad and I always appreciate it when a company responds.

Another product that lists "spices" is Reed's Original Ginger Ale.  I contacted the company and they confirmed it's safety.  It has pepper, not peppers.   Bonus points to them for responding to my email within 24 hrs.

Here starts the "Boo" List - those companies that do not clearly list their ingredients and are unwilling to provide information.   Most will not give you detailed information but are willing to at least tell you if their product is safe or not.

Bolthouse Farms

*Early into my diagnosis I picked up a bottle of Blue Goodness.  After having a severe reaction in which my tongue swelled and I went to the ER I contacted the company to see if there was nightshade in the ingredients.  It was early into my diagnosis and we still hadn't figured out exactly what I was reacting to.  If there was no nightshade I would know that I needed to look for other possible allergies.  I explained the situation and also that I didn't need to know details - just if any of the following items were in the smoothie & listed the nightshades.  I was told they could not give me any information on the ingredients and that if I suspected I was allergic to their products I shouldn't use them.  Done.  I recommend you don't use them either.

If you have found other hard to find products or have had experiences with other companies please comment below.  I will continue to update this list as I find more resources.