What’s to Eat?
What’s to Eat? The Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook
Good question. Certainly nothing from this extremely unhelpful food allergy cookbook.
Out of 151 recipes, there are a mere 24 that my daughter might touch. Thirty-five if I include those with veggies or potatoes, but since she refuses to let either enter her mouth (except sweet potatoes for some reason), they really don’t count.
Of those 24, there are:
- 2 kinds of tabouleh (not too many American toddlers are all that interested in tabouleh. Though the Punkin does like Ethiopian-style spiced lentils…)
- 4 different sauces (Dilled mustard? Oriental dressing? Sunflower pesto? Tofu and spinich dip? Actually, she might eat that one–she loves tofu)
- 3 kinds of biscuits (the Punkin can’t even eat the pancakes and waffles as written–they call for vanilla soy milk, and she’s allergic to vanilla.)
- 3 desserts (including pie crust and frozen fruit. Like I needed a cookbook to tell me that frozen fruit was a good dessert. Sigh)
- 1 pasta dish (basically spaghetti. Again, duh.)
- 2 cookies
- 5 rice dishes (apricot, basil, bell pepper, “second-time around,” and Burgundy wild rice pilaf. Yeah, that’s it. Let’s give the toddler some Burgundy (I know, the alcohol is mostly cooked off. Still…).)
And a few other odds and ends.
Other than the spinich dip, I think I might be able to adapt the lemon poppyseed muffins. Those are the only two recipes I’m planning on trying. I might not even use the muffin one, as I’ve had better luck adapting Betty Crocker for baked goods than using special “allergy-free” recipes.
I paid $16.95 for this cookbook. That’s what I get for buying cookbooks off of Amazon–you can’t flip through the recipes beforehand. Yes, it’s milk-free, egg-free, and nut-free, and if those are the only allergies you’re dealing with, this is an okay cookbook. I suppose. Personally, I think the dishes are rather upscale for a household with kids. Burgundy wild rice pilaf? Dilled cucumber and bay shrimp salad (I was shocked to see that one, as shrimp allergies are fairly common, and usually pretty nasty)?
Supposedly the recipes are kid-tested, but I’m dealing with a toddler. You know, the type that won’t touch anything green (I was ecstatic when she willingly put a green bean in her mouth this week. She spit it right back out, but I didn’t have to fight her to get it in there in the first place). Or will only eat brown foods this week and only liquids the next.
I’ve been mostly on my own, figuring out stuff to make the Punkin, and she seems to be doing just fine. Perhaps I should write my own cookbook, “The Neutral-colored, Wheat-only, Soy-only Cookbook for Discriminating Toddlers.”
October 28th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Hey Ness: Just going through my back emails and realized that I hadn’t checked out the MWC (yes, C, goshdarnit) message board in too long and lo and behold look what popped up. I’ve been awol too long! Hugs to the Punkin’ and husband.
October 28th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Also, FYI Camp Hanover is doing a big thing for the 50th anniversary on April 9th - you may want to check out the website http://www.CampHanover.org/news or http://www.camphanover50th.com for more info. Hugs.
October 28th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
As a postscript, the Punkin won’t touch the spinich dip either. Everyboday else at home group loved it (even asked for the recipe). Punkin took one bite, shuddered violently, and pushed the spoon away saying “All done.”
October 30th, 2006 at 8:34 am
Yes, you should.
October 31st, 2006 at 8:51 pm
Poor Punkin. And poor Mama. My kids had no allergies, but if it weren’t for peanut butter and mac and cheese they would have STARVED. I almost cried when both of them voluntarily ate a piece of broccoli at the same meal.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Okay, I know it isn’t funny to you, but I had to sit back and have a good laugh.
My two kids wouldn’t touch anything green as toddlers. Their idea of a balanced meal as teens was a hamburger in one hand, french fries in the other and a giant cola nearby. I did try to teach them how to eat right as kids, honestly I did.
The laughter is because now both are runners and very careful about what they eat. Salads and other greens are high on their lists. My son now has a couple of kids and I occasionally hear, “Mom, how can we get them to eat good foods when we aren’t standing over them?”
Music to a mother’s ears.