Dear Applebee's - Is it Soy or Not?

Okay, so in the foodie world finding any restaurant anywhere that is willing to list a menu for those with food allergies is RARE! But I recently learned that a major chain, Applebee's has done just that. They have an entire menu listing of foods that are 'x' allergy free. WOO-HOOO!!!! NOT! 


So in glancing upon the 'soy free' menu I immediately spot mayonnaise and several salad dressings. The red flags go up. . . almost EVERY salad dressing (EXCEPTION is home-made) has soy oil. And ditto for mayonnaise. Dang. I'm mumbling under my breath. 
Hubby is very optimistic. "They're a large chain, they actually may have these items made with a different oil."
"Harrumph", I say. Chains are notorious for using the standard, whether it's Hellmans Mayo, or the like, they STILL all have soy!
So, I shoot off a query. Short, sweet, and simple. I indicate that I am allergic to soy and read their soy free menu. I noticed the salad dressing and mayo. . . so what gives? I specifically asked, "what oils are contained in your salad dressings, and mayo, which you call soy free?"


{Choke, gag. . .} received my response tonight, and thought I'd share. This IS the full email, not any revision or changes made:

Dear Christina,

Thank you for your recent request for a list of Soy-free menu items available at Applebee’s. As America’s Favorite Neighbor, the health and safety of our guests are top priorities at Applebee’s. As part of our commitment to you, we provide the most current allergen information available from our food suppliers on eight common allergens: milk, soy, wheat, eggs, fish, shellfish, treenut and peanuts.  We do not use peanut oil.  The items listed that would be soy free, are made free of soy.  Oils can vary from soy or vegetable oil from location to location.  Please contact your local Applebee's if you have any additional questions.

You can view our allergen listing at www.applebees.com under our Menu tab.

If you have any questions or comments, please call us toll-free at 888-592-7753 (888-59APPLE). You can reach us between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, central time.

Sincerely,
XXX
Guest Relations Coordinator

Case # 1181089

Okay, I was nice and XXX'd out her name. So, let me get this straight. . . I ask you about your soy free menu. You tell me that everything on that soy free menu is free of soy, yet in the next sentence you tell me the oils you use (in your dressing and such which is listed as part of your soy free menu) IS SOY OIL?!?!?!?

Am I the only one missing the boat on this?????

I told Hubby and he was just as shocked as I was. One would think that a large, major restaurant chain that went through the trouble of actually including a menu for us allergic folks, would ACTUALLY KNOW or at least hire a consultant for such matters. . . the stupidity astounds me!

Read more »

Posted in: food allergies,gluten-free,recipe

Hive, Hives, Hives. .

You know, sometimes I willingly subject my taste buds (and body) to things I can't/shouldn't eat. There's nothing like biting the bullet and having a full-fledged Chinese meal. Yes, soy sauce and all. I, know. I know I shouldn't eat things that I'm allergic to, but every so often I just go for it! And knowingly subject myself to after effects of hives, stomach distress, etc all  in the name of food.

But it's different when I think I'm being mindful, not eating soy or wheat, then WHAM! I wake up covered in hives. Times like that I just want to kick myself. And two days ago I discovered yet another item I'd better steer clear of - Ben and Jerry's Ice cream. I just want to cry!

It started out simple, "Ohhhh, haven't treated myself to ice cream lately. . . {scans freezer at local supermarket} and here's Ben and Jerry's 'All Natural' ice cream! {grabs container of coffee with heath bar crunch} Mmmmm."
Foolish me was so enamored with the thought of the ice cream and the natural contents that I didn't even bother to scan the label. So, home I went with my purchase. After dinner I announced that I was having ice cream. It's a big deal in our house when I actually have dessert. Hubby and daughter are sweet hounds and take every opportunity to catch a dessert, but me. . . it's a real rare occurrence. So I scoop out just a little bit of ice cream into my bowl, and then savor it's coffee-chocolate goodness.

Next morning as I'm about to climb into the shower, I notice a small red dot on my shoulder. Uh, oh. I move over to the mirror and turn to view my back. Yup. Hives. Covered in 'em. "NOOOOOO! " I wail. I knew the only thing that could have possibly been the cause was the ice cream. But maybe, it was something else (what I hadn't a clue). . .  I had a few moments of fleeting happiness before I looked at the label. Yes, all natural ingredients, milk sugar, chocolate, etc. all up until I got to the soy lecithin part. Dang. And you know what's even worse is that 'They' say that most people who are allergic to soy can tolerate soy lecithin. Obviously, I'm not one of 'Those' people.

So - shall we sing? "Hives, hives, hives, hives. . . Hives! Wonderful Hives!" Not.

Read more »

Posted in: allergic reaction,food allergies,hives,soy

Dark Green Leafy Veggies - They Rock!

After posting about my daughter and her experience with her nose bleeds at school. . . it reminded me of something very important - dark green leafy veggies! I know, it seems like a non sequitur, but here's the scoop - dark green leafy vegetables are high in many vitamins, including vitamin K, which aids in blood clotting and contains iron.

Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, chard, collard greens, are super powerful foods! They contain a ton of vitamins (including C and K), contains iron, aids in weight loss (they keep you feeling full since they are loaded with natural vegetable fiber), contain antioxidants, and help inhibit the growth of cancerous cells in the body. Now THAT is a super food!

My daughter prefers not to eat meat, and we monitor her carefully, making sure she gets all her necessary vitamins, but when she gets her seasonal nose bleeds, we need to step things up a bit and she knows the routine - Spinach, and if she's still feeling ill, then we break out the burgers.

Green leafy vegetables are a great addition to a pasta dish, or on the side of other foods. Just remember do NOT over cook it! The rule of thumb is that the vegetable should remain a dark green color, and be fork tender. If you over cook it, not only do you lose flavor, but all those wonderful vitamins as well.

So - grab yourself a few leafy greens at the grocer and get cookin'!

Read more »

Posted in: food allergies

School and Food Allergies

I wanted to share this story with you - this comes from my daughter and her experience a few weeks ago at school.

She'd been sitting in the nurses office with a bloody nose. Unfortunately, this time of year it happens frequently for her. We've been to doctor after doctor, and it is pretty much just a case of dry air, etc. So, anyway, she's just 'waiting it out' at the nurses office when a child arrives who was experiencing a major allergic reaction. She told me that his face and tongue were swollen. Apparently what happened was his friend shared an Oreo with him, but didn't know the boy was allergic to peanuts. . . and the filling had peanuts. Well, my daughter was in the corner of the nurses station, and though she desperately needed a new tissue for her own issue, she told me she knew this boy was in serious trouble, and she just stayed put. She told me the nurse called 911 and shortly thereafter the ambulance and crew arrived at the school. They took the boy (in a wheel chair - despite his argument that he could walk) out and into the waiting ambulance. When the nurse returned to her room, my daughter finally moved from her chair. The nurse was quite shocked that my daughter, whose arm was blood drenched, but didn't get tissues. My daughter told her that it was very obvious to her that the boy needed space and help, and she could just wait until his emergency was handled. I was very proud of her, and let her know. We've always told her what could happen to those with food allergies, and though she's never seen it (until that day), she knew it was a very serious situation.

I think educating people about food allergies and the seriousness of the situation is very important. Many people just do not understand. Learning signs, symptoms, and what to do in case of a food allergy emergency can save a life!

Read more »

Posted in: food allergies

A View From the Road. . .

Well, yesterday I participated in a cooking contest. I entered the local Cattleman's Association Steak Cook-Off. For a few weeks we've tried several recipes to come up with the best of the best that I could offer. After several tries, we finally decided upon THE recipe  - it was the Asian inspired recipe. Part of the decision process was first, to find out the cut of steak that I'd have to cook. Of course, not all cuts of steak are equal, some are thicker, some have more fat, and all of this is important to the recipe. So, when I found out we were using flat iron steak (usually very thin), I knew I had to have some sort of marinade in order to keep the steak juicy. My biggest worry with this cut of steak is over cooking it. Since it's so thin, one extra minute on the grill could mean a disaster.

So, I saddled up and headed out to the contest with my Asian marinade, broccoli stir fry (for added flavor and color), and the family in tow. Points were given for presentation, taste, and ease of preparation. I'd planned a colorful plate (should have taken pic's, sorry!) - with the dark steak, presented on my white, square plate with broccoli and red pepper stir fry, then I added some chopped green onions over the entire plate. I also added a very neat touch - you take the tops of the green onions, and slice them into little slivers keeping the bottom attached. It kind of looks like a party favor, all frilly.

Here's how it all went down:
Arrived early to scope out the place.
5:45 we entered the prep kitchen, grabbed a spot, and readied the kitchen area as best we could. I had my trusty sous chef with me (aka - my daughter), and she helped out tremendously when it came to the broccoli stir fry and helping to make our plate clean and perfect to present to the judges.
We fired up the grill. I was at a disadvantage at the grill, since we were using charcoal and I haven't cooked on a charcoal grill in years (I use our gas grill at home). But I still felt calm and ready to get cooking!

6:00 preparation began. I had already prepared the marinade at home, so all I really needed to do was to dump it into the zip bag and go. I glanced around the kitchen to see what others were doing. Most of my competition had the usual salad dressing, packaged dry rubs, and A-1 or similar sauce. First thought was we are certainly 'different'. Maybe it was a good thing, maybe not.

6:30 steaks onto grill. Our grill was a perfect temperature! Thanks to my hubby, he monitored it to be certain that it was ready just in time for us. I flipped the steak every few minutes, and checked it often. I didn't want it to overcook. The steak was very thin, and I was nervous about making shoe leather instead of steak! I pulled it off at 6:48 and when the temp reached 120 and immediately tented it with foil.  I knew that was rare, but I also knew the steak was going to continue to cook and reabsorb the juices over the next 15 minutes.

7:00 plating begins. Out of 9, I was number 7, which ultimately meant 6 others would present to the judges before me, and if I started plating then, my steak would be stone cold by the time it reached the judges. So, while everyone else in the kitchen raced to cut, plate their steak, I stood around and just watched. The majority of the plates had corn, baked potato and steak. Some had salad, but in looking around, we were the ONLY ones with something different. One other person had a beautiful presentation of tacos. They looked tasty and great! I figured he was some serious competition for us.
We were required to have your recipe on a card to bring with the dish. I was sort of shocked to see some of the others had only one or two lines written for preparation. Certainly cooking a perfect steak requires more than just dumping it into salad dressing, tossing it onto the grill, then serving.
As the plates left the kitchen I finally assembled our plate. My sous chef plated the broccoli, and assisted in making sure we didn't have any sauce splatters etc. Some of the fellow competitors gawked at my knife. I'd brought Big Red - my professional meat knife (that has sliced through frozen, raw chicken - including bones!) Both husband and daughter won't go anywhere near Big Red since he's so sharp. I love him! Despite waiting so long after cooking, our steak was PERFECT! Medium (with some slices of Medium Rare - toward the thicker end), and still hot (Even Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsey would've approved!). My worries evaporated!

7:20 our time had finally come. We were called to bring our plate. Our steak was warm, and I was very pleased with the outcome. We had a stunning plate, warm food, and perfectly cooked steak. I approached the judges table and my voice shook slightly as I explained our steak. A few murmurs of 'wow' escaped their lips as they passed around the plate. I watched as they passed the recipe around pointing at the ingredients, then the preparation.

Finally after all steaks had been sampled, the judges turned in their score cards, and the organizers tallied the votes. They offered three prizes, and we didn't receive any of them. Neither did the taco guy, which surprised me. Every winner had the most basic steak, with potato, corn etc., some of which I thought were overcooked. I'm certain there was more going on than just awarding the best steak. Perhaps it was a who knows who thing, or maybe our dish was just waaayyy to complicated. I know we probably lost points due to the complex ingredients, or details in preparation (I included the removing when internal temperature reaches 120, tent to allow juices to reabsorb  - everything word for word that I did to that steak).

So, while I am disappointed in the outcome, I am thrilled with our performance. We cooked the most perfect steak, had a gorgeous plate, and we weren't panicked. We were working in an unfamiliar kitchen, with a charcoal grill, on a time limit, but managed to pull it all together perfectly. Yes, there will be more cooking contests in our future, and now that we've been through one, we have the confidence to try it again!

Read more »

Homemade Gluten-Free Pasta

Here's my newest recipe. This was adapted from my regular (wheat) pasta that I made many, many times. While I use a pasta maker to roll out the dough, you can do it by hand if you don't own a pasta maker.

Gluten-Free Pasta Recipe

1 Cup Flour (I used Bob's Redmill All purpose GF Flour)
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Water (as needed)

Using a food processor, place flour, salt and olive oil into machine. (you can do this on the counter-top if you don't have a food processor - just make a well out of the flour then add other ingredients). Slowly add eggs and blend until mixed well.

(here is going to be a little guess work on your part) Add small amounts of water (drops at a time) until flour mixture comes together and sticks, creating a ball. Knead ball until dough is elastic. (while most dough can be over kneaded, it seemed this dough only improved with more work)

Reform into a ball, cover, and set aside for an hour, allowing pasta to rest.

After an hour, run through pasta machine. You may need to add water again, based on humidity levels, and texture of your dough. If you find the dough is breaking apart, add some water, reshape by patting it together, and retry. Again, this dough seems to get softer, more elastic, the more it's worked with.

Place lasagna noodles onto clean towel and let dry for an hour. These can be added directly into the pan (no need to boil!). 

This mixture should yield around 6-8 lasagna noodles, depending on thickness of dough once rolled out.

Hope this helps some others who are craving GF Italian food!

Happy, Allergy-Free Eating!
Christina

Read more »

Posted in: food allergies,gluten-free,recipe

More Gluten-Free Information

So, I've now added wheat to my allergy list. Over the next few weeks I'll be trying new products, and experimenting with recipes. Tonight the experiment will be making a homemade gluten-free pasta. Yes, I've had the store-bought variety (and will recommend a brand in a bit), but one thing the stores do not have are lasagna noodles or ravioli. I LOVE Italian food, and also love to make homemade pasta with my handy, dandy pasta maker. Another great thing about making pasta is that the whole family joins in to help since it's such a tedious process, thus making it more pleasurable.

I'm geared up with my pasta maker, eggs, and Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF Flour. I don't think it's possible to make a pasta that's egg free, since eggs are the binding element, but if someone would like to know the answer to that question, shoot me an email.

Product recommendations:
I can say that Udi's makes awesome bagels. This week I've purchase their bread, so we'll see how that tastes.

My pasta recommendation is Tinkyada. They make different varieties of pasta (spaghetti, fettucini, etc.), and they've all tasted good. It is an interesting food - made with three ingredients - brown rice, brown rice bran, and water - hence it is THE perfect food for people with multiple allergies!

Oh, and one odd thing that I've noticed about these products - they fill me up quicker than if it had been wheat. Seriously, I used to eat a whole-wheat english muffin in the morning. Now, I can only eat half of an Udi's bagel and I'm stuffed!

Hopefully this information will help. I'll post more about other products, and information on how my pasta making went.

Happy eating!

Read more »

Posted in: food allergies,gluten-free