Allergy Free Crockpot Taco Dip

Crockpot Taco Dip

1 lb ground beef

taco seasoning

Beef broth

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes (I put mine in blender) - or you could use 1 15 oz jar of salsa

1 onion, diced

tortilla chips

Brown the ground beef and drain.
Add in 2 T of taco seasoning with 2/3 cup beef broth. 
Let simmer until most of broth is absorbed.
Put pinto beans in food processor and process while adding some beef broth and 1-2 T of taco seasoning.
Place ground beef on bottom of crock pot.
Layer diced onion on top.
Next, add the black beans.
Then spread the tomatoes on top.
Spoon the pinto bean mixture over the tomatoes and spread evenly.

Cook on low for 5-7 hours.

You could also add some Daiya cheese on the pinto beans with some crumbled tortilla chips on top for more of a casserole dish.  But we like ours as a dip so we keep the chips on the side.

Allergy Free Lemon Pepper Marinade

Lemon Pepper Marinade

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp black peppercorns, cracked

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp dill

1/2 tsp salt

1 lb chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients inside large ziploc bag and shake well.
Marinade chicken for an hour and then grill!

Allergy Free Oatmeal Zucchini Muffins

Oatmeal Zucchini Muffins

2  1/2 cups flour blend

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1  1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup quick oats

1 T baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

6 tsp egg replacer whisked with 8 T rice milk

3/4 cup applesauce

1/8 cup vanilla hemp milk

1  1/2 cups shredded zucchini

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk the egg replacer mixture with the applesauce and hemp milk.
Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Fold in the zucchini.
Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 400 for 20-22 minutes.
Cool on wire racks.
Makes 18-24

I'm Still Here!

No, I haven't given up the blog.  I'm still here.  We're still managing food allergies.  We've just had a few big changes around our house lately.  We've moved to a new house and we're trying to get settled and plan for our new school year.  So, I've had to take a short blog break to get reorganized.  But I'll be back with some new recipes soon.  I'll also be reorganizing my other recipes and adding pinnable images for Pinterest. 

We have a new house, new kitchen, and we'll have new recipes coming soon!

It's Not a Joke: Food Allergy Awareness

FARE has launched a new campaign to raise awareness for food allergies.  Here's their newest video clip:



You can read more about the awareness campaign and find more information on their website.

Have you experienced bullying due to food allergies?  Thankfully we have not experienced extreme situations, just clueless or careless people who brush us off or make snide comments.  I've only cried a few times.........and I'm sure these situations will happen again.  I'm just so thankful for those who are so gracious about our allergies. 

Allergy Free Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

I call these cupcakes.  We ate them as muffins - at least I tell myself that since the kids ate them for breakfast.  They are light and summery with a perfect balance of blueberries and lemons.  I ate 5........shhhh!

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

3 cups flour blend

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted

3 tsp egg replacer whisked with 4 T rice milk

1 cup rice milk whisked with 2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup rice milk

zest of 1 large lemon

1/2 cup blueberries tossed with 1 T rice flour flour

Whisk together flour blend through baking soda in large bowl.
In separate bowl, whisk egg replacer through lemon zest.
Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes.
Let cool on wire rack.

Lemon Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance

2 cups powdered sugar

zest from 1 lemon

1 T lemon juice

Cream Earth Balance.
Add in powdered sugar and lemon zest.
Mix on low.
Add in lemon juice and mix on medium until frosting is creamy and smooth.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

The Great Unknown

With food allergies I battle a fear of the unknown.  I dread walking into new places, experiencing new situations, and meeting new people because I don't know what we'll be facing or how others will react.  I don't like not knowing what the outcome will be.

I'm terrified of others cooking for us.  I don't know how conscientious they are.  I don't know how aware they are of cross contamination.  I don't know if they truly understand the severity of food allergies.  I don't know how well they can read labels.  I don't know what their kitchen is like and how clean it is. 

I am always afraid that an ingredient on a label will be missed.  Not all foods have large allergy labels or lists of common allergens.  I'm afraid that I won't know one of the alternative (and tricky) names of our allergens.  I'm afraid of foods that aren't labelled, which is why I don't like anything homemade.  I just can't be certain of what's in a product. 

I don't know what it's like behind the scenes in a restaurant kitchen.  When I'm assured that Bee's food will be cooked separately and that they've handled allergies before and that I shouldn't worry, I still do.  I don't know how aware all the chefs and cooks and servers are.  I don't know if our specific instructions will get lost in translation as they are passed from person to person.  I don't know if they are following every precaution. 

But most of all I fear not knowing all of Bee's allergens  Many of her allergens we've discovered through trial and error.  That's never a good way to discover allergies.  We've tested multiple times and tried hard to avoid foods that are cross-reactive, but some of her foods didn't show up on tests and some of her allergens took us by surprise.  We've had ER visits that taught us new allergens and made our list longer. 

I have so much fear that we still don't know her full allergy list.  What if there are more things?  What if we're missing something?

I also fear that Bee will develop new allergens.  I fear that the doctors will not know the best course of treatment.  I fear because there is no cure.  Food allergies are really an unknown.  No one can explain the significant rise in food allergies over the years.  No one has found a cure or even a reliably effective treatment.  No one child's food allergies and symptoms are like another.  There is just so much unknown in the world of food allergies.  And walking in the unknown is scary. 
fear of the unknown