This month I’m taking part in a writing project, hosted by my friend Robert Hruzek of Middle Zone Musings. If you’ve never stopped by his blog, it’s a chatty, friendly kind of place where you can put up your feet and sip a cuppa, while enjoying his writing and learning a few things along the way. He might even introduce you to a few other blogs worth reading (like this one).
Which brings me to the topic of this post: If there’s anything I’ve learned from friends, it’s about allergies – theirs, mine and ours. When I bring a bunch of my favorite people together, there’s always the interesting balancing act of making food that everyone can eat, without making myself crazy.
It’s not always easy.
I’m always on the hunt now for new recipes. In fact, it’s become an embarrassing preoccupation. If a magazine is laying around and it’s got recipes in it, I likely have my nose in it. I find myself picking up the supermarket trash reading, because some of those things have really good recipe sections! I even find myself trolling the online resources to support my addiction. However, that recently paid off when I found Karina’s Kitchen and fell in love with her blog full of gluten-free recipes.
What I’ve found in the search for the perfect allergic repast is this: simple food, simply prepared and lovingly presented is the best cure for any fear of allergies. I’ve also learned from many Sunday mornings, while having dim sum with my best friend, to take a somewhat Chinese approach to any meal. If I make lots separate dishes with tons of variety, there’s bound to be something that everyone can eat!
In most cases, I can make a meal for at least a dozen, with goodies and sauces, full of spices and luscious tastes while never touching an allergic ingredient. On top of that, if I want to provide a naughty something for those who can eat what I can’t, I usually find that there’s a way to include a sauce on the side or a separate dip and – Voila! Dinner is served in such a way that my allergic guests (and myself) can try a little bit of everything, and avoid that particular something that would make us sick.
If you’ve just been told you are allergic to one of your staple foods and are still trying to figure out what to do, check out our information on the top 8 food allergens, and check out my tips on cooking for food allergies. Browse through the site for information and other tips. You’ll be glad you did.
