Several of our members have food allergies. Thus we always have the 'recipe reading' portion of the meeting so they know if there is a dish they have to avoid. We often prepare alternate version of dishes to comply with food restrictions; these alternates often taste better than the original.
Many people have allergies to certain foods that the population in general tolerates and even enjoys. Sometimes it is possible to cook around the problem, sometimes it's not. It is always good to ask if you aren't sure. This is a list of common types of allergies and substitutions that may help.
Dolly, long time member of the club and 2005-2006 president, has a number of allergies. Members of the club learn to handle food restrictions while working with her restrictions. This has come to be called making the food Dolly Friendly. It also makes us more aware of what is in each recipe and appreciate the affects of substitutions, some of which are actually deemed improvements.
| Foods not Dolly Friendly | |
| Restriction | Substitute |
|---|---|
| Dairy | Butter: Beware of margarine that is not vegetarian, it may contain dairy. Tofu sour cream (usually brand name Tofutti) can be substituted for Yogurt, and possibly for heavy cream with a little water added. Tofu based cheese exists too. |
| Pork | |
| Beef | |
| Wheat | Foods with wheat are not Dolly friendly. But here's where 'Dolly friendliness' is educational: Spelt wheat is Dolly Friendly. So what is Spelt wheat? (That's the educational part.) Spelt is an old form of wheat, a long lost ancestor as it were, that was not selectively bred as much as modern wheat was. |
| Soy Sauce (usually made from wheat) | You can use Tamari, which is wheat free soy sauce. It tastes the same to most people. |
| Zucchini | |
| Eggplant skins | For some reason Dolly is allergic to the just skins of eggplants. Eggplants, for those of you who are curious, are in the nightshade family. If you can peel the eggplants and discard the skins then it is considered Dolly Friendly. |
Richard B has allergies to Shrimp, Wheat, and Tomatoes. He has considered committing suicide in despair over losing his favorite foods by eating a shrimp pizza.
| Foods not Richard B. Friendly | |
| Restriction | Substitute |
|---|---|
| Shrimp | |
| Wheat | |
| Tomatoes | |
Leslie maintains a vegan diet that excludes foods derived from animal sources. This exclusion contains dairy, eggs, fish, meat, etc. She also prefers to avoid wheat. She says she makes it a point to bring something she can eat so she won't go hungry. Meeting these requirements is hard.
| Foods not Leslie Friendly | |
| Restriction | Substitute |
|---|---|
| Animal Derived | |
| Wheat (prefers to avoid) | |
Steve has a dietary restriction that excludes dairy and meat but allows fish.
| Foods not Steve Friendly | |
| Restriction | Substitute |
|---|---|
| Meat | (fish permitted) | Butter: Beware of margarine that is not vegetarian, it may contain dairy. Tofu sour cream (usually brand name Tofutti) can be substituted for Yogurt, and possibly for heavy cream with a little water added. Tofu based cheese exists too. |
Lactose intolerant so no uncooked milk and cheese, or regular dairy like standard ice cream or yogurt. Ex. Pizza has fully cooked mozzarella (ok), soy or rice products (ok). .