Allergy Free Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Ohh, how I have missed carrot cake and cream cheese frosting!  This week my hubby begged me to try to find a substitute.  I experimented in the kitchen and ended up with this recipe.  This was better than my hubby imagined it would be and it's now become a favorite-all this for a guy who claims to "not like" carrot cake.

This cake is made with pureed babyfood carrots rather than grated carrots because heaven forbid I put anything "chunky" in the cake-my kids would revolt.  But it adds moisture and makes the texture perfect, even in an egg-free cake!

2 1/2 cups flour blend (4 cups rice flour, 1 1/3 cups potato starch, 2/3 cups tapioca flour)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 T cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ginger

3 T egg replacer

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup vanilla hemp milk

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

7.5 ounces pureed babyfood carrots

Whisk together flour through egg replacer in large bowl and set aside.  In separate bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together.  Pour into greased cake pan and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until top springs back when touched.  (This would also make a great 2 or 3 layer cake but lessen baking time by around 10 minutes for smaller pans.)

Enjoy!  And please excuse the sad cake picture on a paper plate.  I'm trying to take a little break from the dishes this week.....maybe it will help me catch up with the laundry....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We celebrated with some festive scones and lots of yardwork!

Gluten Free Flours

I've been sticking with mostly rice and tapioca flour with some potato starch but I know these aren't my healthiest options.  After looking at this comparison chart, I'm hoping to branch out and try some different and more nutritious options. 

Here is an excellent list of the various flours that are gluten or wheat free.  This site has a breakdown of the various flours as well as information about how to store them.

How many recipes will I destroy in the process of trial and error?

Allergy to Dogs or Dog Food?

Bee tested allergic to dogs in her last skin-prick test.  Whenever we are around dogs, she breaks out in hives.  When a dog licked her face we nearly had to take her in to the ER to control her reaction.  So, it would seem that we are allergic to dogs.

But through doing some research and thinking about past experiences, I have a new question:

Are we allergic to dogs or to their dog food?

My parents had a dog that never seemed to bother Bee.  I couldn't figure out why this one dog was different from all the others.  Then I remembered that the dog had been diagnosed with food allergies in the past.  When I spoke with my mom about her dog, she told me the dog was on a dog food that did not have gluten or corn or soy.  The only grain in her food was rice-it was a specialty food for dogs with allergies.

So, Bee is allergic to other dogs but not this one.  Is it because this dog ate a diet that Bee could also eat?

I had to find out what was in other dog foods.  I did a comparison and found that nearly every major brand has a minimum of 2 of Bee's allergens in the ingredients.  Some foods had more than 5.

It would seem to make sense that if the dog ate a diet full of Bee's allergens, then Bee would also be allergic to that dog.  But what if a dog ate a diet that Bee could also safely eat?  Would she have less problems around that dog?

That has been our new question for our doctor.  She felt it was thought provoking and is now working to research it further.  We will be retesting the dog allergy in a month and then decide what our next step should be.  Maybe one day we can safely have a pet, even if I have to make all the dog food from scratch too.

Yet another holiday season with food allergies

Halloween has come and gone with all of its unsafe candy and activities.  We made it through another Thanksgiving and Christmas while staying allergen free and visiting with family and friends.  And Valentine's with its chocolate candy and cupcakes has finally passed.

Every year, with each upcoming holiday, I cringe.  Bee's getting older and starting to notice that our traditions our different.  One day I'm going to have to explain just how different our foods and traditions are.  I often wonder at her reaction.  Will she be angry that she's different?  Will she simply accept our lifestyle?  Will she look back fondly on our traditions as we do the best we can to make each holiday special?

I hate the holidays for their constant reminders that our life is not what it was.  I view them for their potential allergens and picture every worst-case scenario.

True, each holiday can be seen as an opportunity to start new traditions and celebrate in unique ways.  But sometimes I tire of being different.

Now with Easter soon approaching, I've hit that point of frustration and stress-worrying about the holiday and about how to cope and trying to come up with creative alternatives.

What do we do about dyeing eggs?  Do we try for the real thing or use an alternative?  What about Easter Egg Hunts?  What if all the eggs are candy-filled?

It's time to plan out our holiday and start new traditions and put on our own egg hunt in our yard....and gracefully decline all the invitations to egg hunts or other holiday activities.

Mexican Pizza

Now that we can make tortillas, we've tried to find some new ways to use those tortillas.  The kids new favorite is Mexican Pizzas!

Make the tortilla recipe.  Then fry the tortillas individually in a skillet of olive oil on medium high heat.  Cook on both sides and set out on a paper towel, sprinkling with salt.  These make an excellent crust for a Mexican Pizza!

We pile our pizzas with beans, taco meat, enchilada sauce, and sometimes rice and other veggies.  They are one very messy meal but are so yummy!

Or if the tortillas are made in a smaller size, you can fry those small tortillas for rice chips that are perfect for hummus.

Food Cancer

Food allergies are misdiagnosed and misunderstood.  I've often wondered what it would take for doctors to suspect food allergies when symptoms are present and for others to understand the seriousness of the condition.

When you hear food allergy what comes to mind?  Before Bee, my first though would have been peanuts.  Everyone has heard of a peanut allergy.  The seriousness of that allergy has been well-documented.  If you have a food allergy, then you should avoid peanuts!  But wait, you mean other foods can cause allergic reactions as well?

Ok, you have a food allergy, then don't eat the food!  It shouldn't be difficult.  I won't give it to you, please don't take any, know that you can eat something else-bring it yourself.  A reaction can be caused by simply touching or inhaling an allergen?  It doesn't have to be eaten?

Well, this food is free of your allergen, go ahead and eat it!  It's safe!  I checked the ingredients and read the labels.  Were the utensils I used cleaned thoroughly?  Was the food prepared near another food which contained your allergen?  You mean I can't use the same knife for both things?

That was me before the diagnosis and the research.  I simply did not understand the ins and outs of living allergy free or the serious nature of food allergies.

What did it take for me to be hit with the severity of Bee's life threatening condition?  It took a scary anaphylactic reaction and ER visit.  Witnessing the life and death situation first-hand taught me more than any education ever could.  This was serious and was beyond anything I had previously understood or researched.  This was extensive.  This was deadly.

I can say that I'm no longer in denial of Bee's condition; I understand the severity.  But those around us are uninformed and oblivious to the measures we take to keep her safe.  I do my best to educate, to inform, to explain, but how can you understand what you can't see or witness.

The term "food allergy" doesn't carry much weight and it doesn't receive much respect.  When you say "food allergy" you are sometimes brushed aside as an over-reactive, over-protective parent.  Food allergies don't garner much respect and attention from doctors or the media.

Now, if you stated that your child had cancer you would be met with sympathy, understanding, and compassion.  No one would question the diagnosis or the seriousness.  Others would understand the life and death implications of the diagnosis.  Many would be willing to meet your needs and accommodate you.  Cancer is scary, serious, and deadly-no one would deny that.

Why then are other life threatening conditions pushed aside and given no respect?  Do we need to rename food allergies "food cancer"?  Then would people take us seriously and work with me to protect my child?  What would it take to receive widespread respect for this diagnosis?

Food allergies kill.  But many of these deaths are preventable.  No, there is no cure for cancer, or for food allergies either.  However, there is a treatment for food allergies that can be highly effective and life saving-avoiding allergens with strict avoidance. 

If only society would accept that there are other deadly diseases which have the potential to kill.  If only people would realize that while food allergies and other conditions do not receive the media attention of cancer, they are life threatening as well.

What would it take for everyone to be compassionate of the conditions of others?  What would it take to garner respect for food allergies?  Do we need to name every potentially fatal condition as a form of cancer?  Or are people willing to educate themselves regarding the needs of others and work to find ways to accommodate them?