mission: EAT

Okay, so I'm a freak of nature, probably like you since you're reading this blog, and I've got crazy food allergies. Rice, wheat, soy, and eggs are my no-no's, and in case you haven't checked a food label lately, one of those four things is in pretty much anything pre-packaged or prepared. Due to this sad fact, I've been on a journey for a little over 8 months now where I'm figuring out how to shop, cook, and bake with all kinds of new and fun ingredients (and by "fun," I mean weird, odd-tasting, and expensive).

"But why are you writing a blog?"

Well, because I like to complain. And I figured there's gotta be someone else out there that can empathize. So I figure I'll write down my experiments, successes, downfalls, and everything in between here with the hopes that someone in cyber-space will get something out of it!

Oh, so a few other things you should know:
1. I try to only eat organic produce and diary products, although I eat vegan and/or vegetarian most days.
2. I was a strict vegetarian for 7 years and a vegan for 1 of those years until my diagnosis (oh, I have eosinophilic esophagitis...it means that my food allergies are rare, atypical, and I have an array of symptoms that DON'T include anaphylaxis. So I'm not one to look to if you're concerned about cross-contamination. Look up eosinophilic disorders here if you're interested: http://www.apfed.org/ee.htm). I hate that I've had to give up my vegetarianism, but eating quinoa and vegetables all day gets really boring.
3. I'm not a professional chef, nor do I have any formal training. I'm a music student getting her masters in voice, but I happen to like food. I use vegetarian cookbooks with modified recipes to suit my needs, but I must seriously recommend these two cookbooks for anyone battling food allergies:
The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook and The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook by Cybele Pascal. These books changed my life...seriously. Both books eliminate all common allergens (unfortunately for me, these do include a lot of rice, but I've figured out how to substitute well). Anyway, if you don't own these books, go buy them. You won't regret it.

So all-in-all, I plan to post recipes (ones which aren't copyrighted, that is), tales of restaurant eating, and anything else that has to do with my allergic-life. Enjoy :)