At a restaurant today, I ran into the familiar question “She can’t eat what?”. I feel like their kitchen screamed…
I have been tired of making two dinners, one for us and one for our little one. I decided to try a new restaurant, one of those pre-cooked refrigerated dinner places. I figured it’s healthier, they’ll have plenty of variety and maybe this will be a great alternative to cooking. Puhleaseeee be an answer to my prayers.
Despite the initial questioning, I still had hope as I starred at refrigerator after refrigerator full of tempting food that I did not have to cook! Moments after reading the menu and ingredients, my hopes faded faster than snow in Texas. First, there was nuts in almost everything because they cooked with macadamia nut oil. Second, what wasn’t cooked in nut oil, had her other food allergens: tomatoes, corn, or dairy. Okkk, so I wasn’t expecting them to accommodate all of her allergens, but I was hoping to find a couple of the 30+ meals listed that we could try. Instead we left empty handed. I pulled into the grocery store across the street to get one of our usual meals. Woe is me, right?!? I feel like Charley Brown and friends, “wha waaa wha waaa”.
Today, I turned my sorrows into a quest. I came home inspired to locate as many vegan, vegetarian and allergy friendly restaurants in town. We will not be defeated! Andddddd I’m starting to create staple dishes beginning with no tomato spaghetti. Hope you enjoy the recipe below, courtesy of the “Cooking Allergy Free” website 🙂 We, superhero moms, must not let eczema equal “can’t have”. We must conquer! Let the no-tomato quest begin.
No-Tomato Sauce (even the name is catchy)
1/4 tsp basil or oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp savory
pinch of salt
1-3 tsp lemon juice, fresh
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz jar of red peppers, roasted, marinated, pureed
2-3 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup red onion, minced
Instructions:
Saute onions (minced adds a more tomato-ish texture) and garlic in the olive oil until onions are tender
Add parsley, savory and basil (or any combination) salt and sugar (dark brown is best). Stir.
Add the pureed red peppers, lemon juice and red wine and simmer until the sauce thickens
Serve with pasta of your choice and enjoy!
The only thing I didn’t know about on this ingredient list was “savory”. It’s thyme, marjoram, or sage.