I can’t tell you how many times I have gone out to eat at a restaurant with promises and hopes of being able to order like a normal person. Without having to pull the waitperson aside and explain my “situation”.
You see, I’ve learned over the years that it is best to make friends with the person serving my food and then let them in on my dirty little secret. That way, instead of thinking of me as that annoying picky person at table 12, I’ve become that endearing quirky girl who can’t have dairy or gluten, the poor thing!
Several times over the years, I’ve gone out to a new restaurant at the behest of people who know my deitary restrictions. So often, they will excitedly exclaim, “KATIE!! They have suchandsuch and its gluten free!!!“
Or, “Look at this Katie – A whole page of vegan options!”
Here’s the truth: I hate it when this happens. I want so badly to be as excited as they are, but 99% of the time, whatever it is that they are so excited about is either gluten or dairy free. Rarely is it both.
Then comes the awkwardness.
I won’t even begin on the subject of those who doubt the reality of food intolerances, because….I won’t.
Back when I was trying to determine what was causing all of my intestinal *ahem* distress, I consulted many many (many) people, giving them far too much personal information than they probably wanted. Some never responded.
Others did.
Alisa Fleming created a website devoted to sharing information and recipes that are primarily dairy free, and she did this back when dairy free wasn’t something most people knew about. Her website (and her brain) contains such a wealth of information on product reviews, tips on eating out and shopping, recipes, and so much more that I can’t even begin to talk about here. But check out her website, it truly is fantastic.
She is my go-to for dairy-free, gluten-free, allergen-free, and general nutritional information. (Not to mention, the girl makes some bomb cookies and is hysterical and just a general awesome lady.)
I got her first cookook Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook several years ago, and my copy is ratty looking indeed – covered in splatters and spills, pages dogeared, full of hand-written notes.
That is the sign of a good cookbook.
I’ve made savory recipes – soups (seriously, the Broccoli Cheeze soup is worth the price of the whole on its own), stir fries, sauces, dips, salads – and sweet – fudge, cookies, muffins, and puddings – and I have never once been disappointed. Not once. (No, she isn’t paying me to say this and is probably right now blushing while reading this.)
You can read my review of that cookbook here, but what I really want to talk about is her latest cookbook: Dairy Free and Gluten Free: A Whole Food Starter Guide and Cookbook.
Her latest is a collaboration with Hallie Klecker and not only are all the recipes dairy free, but they are also all gluten free. A cookbook made for ME. (Okay, not really. But yeah. ME!!!)
My cooking style is decidedly no-fuss and the easier the better, and the whole food approach is 100% in line with my cooking and eating philosophy, and I really can’t wait to dive into the delicious sounding recipes. I’ve already got my first few picked out:
- Garlic and Herb Baked Fish and Zucchini
- Colorful Cabbage Slaw
- Sole-ful Blackened Fillets
- Broccoli Bowl with Rich Thai-Spiced Sauce
- Chewy Dark-Chocolate Brownies
- Mango-Orange Sherbet Bars (Are you kidding me with this one?!?!)
- No-Bake Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- …..and so many more!
In addition to the recipes, there are menu plans organized by season, an introduction to dairy-free and gluten-free basics, how to get started, and a huge list of resources for any question you could possibly have.
You don’t have to be plagued with gluten or dairy intolerances to love this book either. The recipes are just flat out GOOD. Not “good for dairy free”. Good.
And for the bargain price of $7.99, you can have these 75 recipes on your Kindle in seconds.
No-Bake Chocolate Chunk Cookies
If you need more proof that Alisa knows what she is talking about (aside from everything else I just mentioned), she recently became the senior editor at Allergic Living magazine where she gets to share even more of her knowledge with us mere mortals.
Do you have a favorite dairy and/or gluten free recipe? Feel free to post a link in the comments.
Do you have food allergies/intolerances? Does anyone else suffer from the “maybe its just in my head complex”? About twice a year I start to wonder if I am making this all up, so I’ll go on a dairy and gluten bender and ever time I do….well….bad things happen and I am satisfied that it isn’t just in my crazy head.
No-Bake Chocolate Chunk Cookies = those look amazing! and one of my all time faves is my spin on that, the raw vegan choc chip cookie dough balls. Ever since 2009, those things are in my top 5 most viewed posts, every year!
I love this post and I identify very much with your sentiment! (trying to explain Paleo to many people in the south is like telling them the sky is pink…) Plus I found have a sensitivity to almonds and some of the FODMAPS stuff (cauliflower, squashes like butternut and spaghetti, cabbage although I eat that anyway sometimes..) The squash is a real bummer because I LOVE it.
My friends crack me up because they always ask- can you eat this? can you have this?
Thanks for sharing about these cookbooks!
Sounds like those are some awesome cookbooks! I don’t have any food intolerances or allergies that I know of. Many of the recipes I post are dairy free (or can easily be made dairy free) and gluten free. I don’t eat dairy that often. And I’m very aware of gluten because one of my close friends has celiac disease, so I’ve learned how to cook so that when we’re together she can enjoy the food too.
Recipe favourite (aka the only actual recipe I sometimes follow): buckwheat cabbage casserole – both gluten and dairy free. I should edit the post to add that last time I added maybe 2-3 dl of mushroom stock, which made things infinitely better. And if you didn’t want a vegan version, minced beef would be traditional (http://moonwriting.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/buckwheat-cabbage-casserole/).
I eat gluten free and vegetarian and I can totally relate to your restaurant experiences. The choice, if there is one, is between mushroom risotto and goat’s cheese salad. Both are fine, but Every Time? I tend to avoid eating out.
I love this post. Which means I love you for writing it! I don’t have any food intolerances that I am aware of, but it makes me so crazy when people make reference to them being in people’s heads. Really? Sounds like the fact that you’re a big fat jerkface is in your head. Thanks for sharing these cookbooks – they sound fantastic!
I have found that a lot of dairy and gluten upset my stomach. It also affects my joints and my psoriasis. I have started eating Paleo for my main meals and when I eat dairy or gluten, it’s in something that I made (not processed). Just this small change has helped.
As to eating out, I always look at the menu on-line, so that I have an idea as to what I want to eat or what substitutions I need to ask for.
Oh wow. As a person who recently discovered they are MAJORLY dairy intolerant I can relate so much. Eating out was never easy for me and now it’s taken on a whole new level of insane. Aiiee. Thank you so so much for the cookbook recs. I’m buying them rightthisverysecond!
Aw, I’m blushing. You are too, too sweet you amazing lady! So glad you like it – I mean, we did write it for you after all
I love when you write about these issues, because I have a feeling I have some intolerances of my own and I am NOT happy about the reality of it.
You could say, you are sort of “my” guru.
Does the term “dairy free” include eggs.
I am finding that eggs …bloat and constipate me in substantial quantities .. I hope I need only to scale back and not exclude entirely.
People are so judgy about food choices and the rationale behind them. Eyes on your own plate SOB.
Sounds like a great resource for you gurl.
I seriously can’t do fruit and gluten, try as I might – especially with the latter. How many upper and lower GIs do I need to convince myself? Bleh.
OMG I hate this more than anything too! I know everyone means well but I would love for them to stop being so concerned with what’s on my plate, let me take care of it. Like when people like to point out everything they think is vegan or dairy free on the menu regardless of my taste preferences. I’m just like I”m FINE, I can read too ya know. My bf’s parents are sweet but so overly concerned that his mom buys out anything labeled vegan at the grocery store when I’m coming over. Vegan sausage, vegan cheese, even though I don’t really use substitutes because I don’t miss them. And for Christmas, his parents bought vegan kielbasa and happened upon a vegetable shortening labeled vegan and kosher! His dad was soo excited about this they smothered all the veggies in it…..oy vey :\
I developed an allergy to red peppers a few years ago, that has now developed into including other types of peppers (green, yellow, orange, jalapeño, other fancy peppers I don’t know what they’re called, etc). This has made eating out at asian restaurants difficult, and potlucks are pretty tricky. I always see those “Make a Month of Easy Crockpot Meals” that start with “slice and dice eight peppers” and I sigh.