Totally Awesome Giveaway!

... it's not mine, it's total sweetheart Katie's, but go here and check it out! Wildbars are raw and chocolatey deliciousness and if you haven't checked them out, run to the nearest health food store and grab one! They're a little pricey but sometimes you can get lucky and find them on sale (I got a bunch for $1 each)... they are full of nutrients and sooo yummy!

Favorite Things to Eat

Hopefully I'll get around to posting more frequently, but for now... some food-gasmic shots ;)

Raw vegan fudge with blueberries

Raw eggplant ravioli with pesto

Raw, gluten-free tabbouleh (hemp seeds, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, lemon juice, parsley, salt & pepper -- let marinate overnight for best flavor)

Raw sushi (jicama 'rice', marinated portabellas, living alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, red pepper, wasabi, served with pickled ginger)

Giant tossed salad (spring mix, huge handful fresh basil from one of the plants on our balcony, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, hemp seeds, homemade citrus vinaigrette) - definitely an everyday staple

Support Katie's Awesome Charity Drive

Go here to check out Katie's Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness and her amazing giveaway... because she's a gorgeous girl with a huge heart.

Nut-Free Cacao-Hemp Butter Bites

I stumbled across the brilliant Matthew Kenney's recipe for Almond Butter Cup Ice Cream *again* and decided that I needed to make it... or at least the almond butter cups... problem being that I can't have chocolate, vanilla, or almond butter.... so what's a girl to do? Improvise of course! Below is my variation on his recipe for the almond butter cups. I just made classic banana ice cream (frozen bananas thrown in the Vitamix and blended until smooth, with the addition of raw cacao nibs... I seem to tolerate raw cacao just fine, but no other chocolate. You could certainly add raw cacao or carob powder or vanilla) and added the cacao-hemp butter cups. They also rock on their own.

Sweet Syrup:

2 T raw agave nectar

2 T pure maple syrup

1 packet Stevia (optional)

1 c. dates, soaked in ~3/4 c. warm water (reserve water)

2 T raw honey

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix until smooth.

Hemp Butter Mixture:

1/2 c. raw hemp butter

1/2 c. raw tahini

1/2 c. sweet syrup

1/2 c. raw coconut oil

1/2 T sea salt

Stir ingredients in bowl until mixed together. Set aside until ready to use.

Chocolate Sauce:

1 c. raw cacao nibs

3/4 c. raw coconut oil

remainder of sweet syrup

1/4 - 1/2 T sea salt

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix until smooth.

Line small jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with parchment paper. Pour slightly less than half of chocolate sauce into pan in even layer. Place mixture in freezer for about fifteen minutes until slightly hardened. Pour hemp butter mixture over chocolate sauce, then layer remaining chocolate sauce over hemp butter. Swirl mixture with knife and return to freezer until frozen solid. Cut into small squares and store in freezer until ready to use (will be rather unstable at room temperature due to the coconut oil). Deee-licious!

Food & Wine Festival - Pictures to Come

Today we're headed off to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival (today is the last day). I'm pretty sure there won't be a lot I can eat, but I've heard Mexico serves up awesome margaritas, and I'm definitely bringing the camera.... so expect some pictures :)

Elimination diet-wise.... beef (aren't I turning into a vegetarian / soon-to-be-raw-vegan

anyway) and garlic are

definitely out, but here's

some pictures of what I've cooked recently... tomato soup topped with basil and butternut squash lasagna with eggplant instead of noodles.

Don't forgot to check out the always-adorable Katie (aka chocolate-covered-vegan)'s blog for Operation Chocolate Covered Kindness... talk about a girl with a big heart! Please support her mission <3

Finally - a recipe!

okay, well ... it was a slightly longer recipe but I somehow deleted it... so - chocolate avocado mousse - dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and totally delicious

1 avocado

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 c agave nectar (or stevia or soaked dates)

1 t vanilla extract

blend together in food processor and enjoy! more recipes to come...

LEAF & a new hope

I went to the LEAF (Lake Eden Arts Festival) in Asheville, NC this past weekend (totally awesome, long post on that -- and the food there! -- to come), and while I was there I was telling my friend about my newly diagnosed food allergies. This really nice gal overheard me and stopped me to tell me about AAT - Adavanced Allergy Therapeautics http://www.allergytx.com/home.html - and how the treatment helped her and her daughter to overcome a ton of food allergies. Definitely something to look into.

So far I have tried almonds and oysters (on the 'naughty' list) and baked winter squash and rice (not on the list) and had bad reactions... so the therapy could be a godsend.

Pictures and recipes to come this weekend!

Elimination Diet - Day 5

Welcome to my blog! I have considered putting one together for some time now and have finally gotten around to it. I really wanted to have one place to store all my recipes & food photos, as well as a place to communicate with other foodies. I spend so much time lurking around other people's blogs, I figured I may as well have my own!

About 5 years ago, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which means I am allergic to gluten - so no wheat, barley, rye, "normal" breads, pizza, pasta, etc... but what cook doesn't love a great cooking challenge? It has definitiely been a learning experience! I am very lucky to have a wonderful fiance, family, and friends who are always willing and eager to try my new recipes and read labels and put up with my *special* orders at restaurants.

Unfortunately, I also suffer from migraine headaches and have since I was about 8 years old. They recently have gotten more frequent and severe, so last week I saw an allergist and had a skin allergy test performed -- the test indicated I was allergic to pork, beef, tuna, scallops, oysters, crab, mussels, shrimp, salmon, lobster, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, watermelon, canteloupe, raspberries, nuts (including hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, & pecans), mustard, vanilla, chocolate and nutmeg. WOW! What a shocker that was! Of all those foods, I had the biggest allergic reaction to garlic, tuna, and pork. I cook with garlic every day and LOVE LOVE LOVE tuna sashimi. drat. Of course, like most tests, it *is* just a test, so my allergist recommended the "elimination diet" where you eliminate all the potentially offending foods for 10-14 days, and then re-incorporate them one at a time, three meals a day, for up to three days, documenting any reaction. Since my list was SO long, my doctor just said to call him for a follow-up when I near the end of the list. It may turn out that I'm not allergic to some of the foods, or that I need to simply avoid the foods rather than eliminate them entirely (read: a little once in a while is okay, gorging on 3 dozen raw oysters in New Orleans in probably not the best idea!).... so that brings me to today. Day 5. My food has been kinda bland - I really do use quite a bit of garlic & onion! I've been doing stir-fries with ginger & jalapeno and other veggies for dinner, salad at lunch, and a bit of fruit for snacks. I'm also trying to be careful to avoid foods on the migraine-potential-offender list, including eggs, dairy, tomatoes (in addition to pork, chocolate, and the wheat I already have eliminated).

Stay tuned for recipes & pictures!