Gluten Free Round Challah

Finding ready-made, round, gluten-free challah doesn't have to make your head spin in circles. Katz's Gluten Free Bakery is just around the corner (on the internet).
*Egg and Sesame allergies?
Katz's Round Challahs are gluten-free but contain sesame and eggs.
Katz's Gluten Free Round Challah

Rosh Hashana Menu

Planning your allergy-friendly Rosh Hashana Menu? Checkout these samples for ideas.While fish is a traditional omen food eaten on Rosh Hashana, it is also one of the 8 most common allergens. There are many other wonderful foods rich with symbolism that you can enjoy safely!
Rosh Hashana Night Meal Menu
Round Eggless Challah
Apples and Honey
Broiled Salmon Fillets
Roasted Beet Salad
Honey Balsamic Carrots
Egg Rolls (can be made gluten or egg free if desired)
Honey Mustard Pastrami Stuffed Chicken
Pomegranate Sorbet

Rosh Hashana Day Meal Menu
Round Cinnamon Challah
Fruit Salad Garnished With Pomegranate Seeds
London Broil
Mashed Potatoes and Turnips
Carmelized Butternut Squash
Grilled Vegetables
Baked Apples with Vanilla Soy Ice-Cream

Rosh Hashana Recipe- Purple Cabbage Salad

Cabbage is an extremely versatile Rosh Hashana Siman.You can cook it (stuffed cabbage, cabbage with noodles). Fry it (eggless eggrolls). Serve it in a salad or slaw. It also comes in green, purple, and red varieties to add color to your festive table. I love to purple cabbage salad with mandarin oranges with mandarin oranges.
Purple Cabbage Salad
1 head purple cabbage (shredded)
1 can mandarin oranges
2 green onions diced (scallions)
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
Marinade
6T cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
4T brown sugar
dash of black pepper
dash of garlic powder
pinch of salt
Wash, drain, check, and shred salad. Toss in mandarin orange segments, green onions, and craisins.
In a separate bowl combine marinade ingredients. Pour marinade over salad (an hour before serving).Don't dress too early or you'll wind up with a soggy salad.
*optional mix ins- add some diced green apples(for Rosh Hashana). add some crunch with chow mein noodles (assuming you can tolerate wheat).
*allergy tip- purple cabbage salad recipes often calls for pine nuts or almonds so "heads up" if you're not preparing it.
For more allergy friendly Rosh Hashana Recipes order "A Taste of Sweetness"

Rosh Hashana Recipe- Pomegranate Sorbet

Pomegranates are rich with Rosh Hashana symbolism. You can incorporate these potassium rich fruits into your meal in a variety of ways. You can toss them into a salad, eat them fresh, or enjoy in a sorbet. This sorbet recipe is about as easy a recipe gets. Only 2 ingredients! No ice-cream maker necessary.
Pomegranate Sorbet
1 32 oz bottle of 100% Pomegranate Juice (like POM or Bolthouse Farms)
1 12 oz can of frozen lemonade concentrate
Simply blend ingredients in blender and freeze. After freezing, remix to make sure all ingredients are fully integrated.  
For more allergy friendly Rosh Hashana Recipes order "A Taste of Sweetness"

Rosh Hashana Recipe- Honey Balsamic Glazed Carrots

It is customary to have a dish made with carrots at the Rosh Hashana night meal. Carrots are eaten as omens for plenty (from the yiddish word for carrots merren meaning more). We ask G-d to bless us with abundance! So, how will you enjoy your carrots? Perhaps shredded in a salad with raisins and apples, maybe pureed in a soup, or baked in muffins? This recipe combines 2 traditional  Rosh Hashana foods: honey and carrots. May we have an abundance of sweetness this New Year!
Honey Balsamic Glazed Carrots
10 large carrots (peeled and cut into 3" stalks)
3T balsamic vinegar
2T honey
2Tdark brown sugar
2T canola oil (melted margarine can be substituted)
garlic powder
pinch of salt
pinch of chili powder
Preheat oven to 450. Place carrots in a single layer on a pan. Mix ingredients listed above to form a dressing. Coat carrots with the dressing. Bake uncovered for atleast 20 minutes.
For more allergy friendly Rosh Hashana Recipes order "A Taste of Sweetness"

Rosh Hashana Recipe- Roasted Beet Salad

Another flavorful food filled with symbolism for Rosh Hashana is beets. An easy way to serve beets is to simply open up a can of sliced beets. A little bit of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and you're good to go. If you have the time though, roasting fresh beets is worth the effort. Roasted beets are healthful, vibrant, and flavorful. Be prepared with gloves (unless you like bright fuschia hands).  Once the beets are roasted you can serve them hot or cold. Here's a favorite recipe in our house.
Roasted Beet Salad
8 medium beets
parsley (fresh or dried)
coarse black pepper ground
dash of salt
lemon juice and olive oil (equal parts, not too generous- a little goes a long way)

• wash, lightly scrub, and trim off ends of beet (don't peel yet- peels will come off easily after roasting)
• place beets in a 9x13 pan (lined with foil and covered tightly with foil)
• bake at 425 for 35 to 50 minutes (beets are done when fork pierces flesh easily)
• cool  beets and remove skins (be careful not to stain things with the vibrant beet juice)
• cut beets into 1" chunks
• toss beets with a dash of salt, ground pepper, fresh parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil
• serve warm or cold

For more allergy friendly Rosh Hashana Recipes order "A Taste of Sweetness"

Rosh Hashana Recipe- Carmelized Butternut Squash

Squash is served at the Rosh Hashana Night meals as a request that G-d tear up bad decrees. There are many ways you could serve the squash (sauteed, stir-fried, baked in a souffle, or pureed in a soup). I find  roasted butternut squash with a hint of  brown sugar to be a perfect side dish for this festive meal.
Carmelized Butternut Squash
2 butternut squash- peeled, seeded, and cut into thick chunks
2 T margarine (canola oil can be substituted)
Salt (1/4 tsp)
3 T dark brown sugar
dash of cinnamon
yield: serves 8

• Peel Squash (you can pierce and cook the squash for about 25 minutes to make it softer and easier to peel)
• Remove Seeds
• Cut Squash into Chunks
• Place chunks in a baking dish (sprayed with baking spray)
• Combine sugar and margarine/oil and drizzle over Squash
• Sprinkle salt
• Sprinkle cinnamon over squash
• Bake at 425 for about 50  minutes till lightly browned

*Tip- squash not getting that carmelized look?
ovens vary and so do baking times.
To achieve that roasted color, turn up your oven to a higher temp until desired golden color is achieved
For more allergy friendly Rosh Hashana Recipes order "A Taste of Sweetness"

Rosh Hashana Recipe- Eggless Eggrolls

Cabbage is one of the simanim (Rosh Hashana symbolic omens) served during the night meals of the holiday.This Rosh Hashana serve up the traditional simanim with an Asian twist. Do eggrolls  filled with cabbage and onions sound good? Can't eat eggs, try eggless springroll wrappers(also called skins). I haven't found kosher ready-made eggless eggroll skins in the stores yet (but maybe scouring an asian market or health food store could be productive)? In the meantime, you can make your own eggless (vegan) eggroll wrappers from the recipe below.
Vegan Eggroll Skins Recipe : Deborah (Recipes.vegsource.com)
2 cups flour

1 scant cup boiling water
Dash salt

Mix boiling water into flour. Stir well.
Knead dough for 3 minutes.
Cover with damp cloth and let rest 10 minutes.
Form into ping-pong size balls.
Roll out dough balls thinly on floured board.
Cut into squares, or leave round.
Use immediately, or dust with flour, put in
plastic bags, and refrigerate or freeze. 

*Gluten Free Version (has eggs)- use this Gluten Free Eggroll Skins Recipe from Glutenfreeonashoestring.com

Eggless Eggroll Recipe:
eggroll skins/wrappers (home made or store bought)
1 bag of shredded coleslaw salad
1 onion (finely chopped)
dash of  lite soy sauce (not as salty)
oil for frying
sautee onion and coleslaw in a pan with a little bit of oil till onions are transluscent and cabbage is wilted. Add a dash of soy sauce to flavor mixture. Don't cook too long. Place cabbage filling in the center of each eggroll skin and *wrap. Deep fry each eggroll in a separate pan till golden (turning over and watching so they don't burn).
*Learn how to wrap an eggroll  watch video
video uses some sort of mixture to seal the eggroll but a little bit of water to seal the edges works just as well.
Serve with dipping sauce (teriyaki sauce,duck sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or honey mustard)
For more allergy friendly Rosh Hashana Recipes order "A Taste of Sweetness"

Mode of Delivery and Food Allergy Sensitization

Does the mode of delivery affect whether babies will develop food allergies? Research suggests that babies delivered via c-section are more likely to have altered or delayed bacterial colonization of the gut (integral to the development of the baby's immune system). The c-section babies in the study were twice as likely to be sensitized to cow's milk and any of the five food allergens studied at 12 months of age.
Source: C-Section Babies May have Increased Allergy Risk- TeleManagement.ca

The Latest in Peanut Allergy Research

The latest in peanut allergy research suggests that some patients can be desensitized to minimize the development of allergy symptoms. Desensitization is based on exposing the patient incrementally to more and more of the allergen. Of course this must be done methodically and with utmost caution under the supervision of an allergist. While smaller studies have shown promise in this area, further research is necessary to determine short and long term safety and efficacy. 
Source: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/lifestyle/health/x1533295351/Dr-Jeff-Hersh-Peanut-allergies-in-a-nutshell#ixzz2bu2SAHoV 

Gluten Free Challah

Gluten free challah,  an idea who's time has come! You can either make your own gluten free challah or buy it ready-made. Made with alternative flours, the breads are not necessarily suitable for washing with a blessing (ask your local rabbi about appropriate blessings) but provide a safe alternative to the classic gluten laden challah.

Gluten Free Challah Recipes:
all are pareve(non-dairy)
Celiac.com
Epicurious.com
Gluten-Free Bay

Gluten Free Ready-Made Challah:
Heaven Mills Gluten Free Challah
Katz's Gluten Free Challah
Rising Hearts Bakery

Kosher Gluten Free Pie Crust

Don't have the time to bake your own gluten free pie crusts? No problem, the folks at Wholly Wholesome have done the work for you! They've done the impossible, created a delicious, frozen gluten free pie crust that is not only kosher but dairy free and all-natural as well. OU certified and totally convenient, Wholly Wholesome is awesome!

Rosh Hashana Cookbook

Is it almost Rosh Hashana already? Wow the year has zipped past! We're all gearing up for school and and a productive New Year. Once again, the Kosher with Food Allergies downloadable Cookbook, "A Taste of Sweetness", is available. We've got you covered for an allergy free, sweet New Year.

Peanut Allergic Sacramento Teen Dies

13-year old Natalie Giorgi died of laryngeal edema (throat swelling) after accidentally ingesting a rice krispy treat with icing. The Sacramento teen's parents did all the right things. Her father, a physician, injected her multiple times with epinephrine to no avail. A sad reminder that constant vigilance is a necessity with food allergies.
Source:Sacbee.com  

Florida's New School Allergy Policy

It's a bright day in the Sunshine State!
Kudos to all involved in a groundbreaking amendment to Florida's school allergy management protocols. Prior to this amendment, Florida school personnel could treat students who were already diagnosed with food allergies but not those suffering anaphylaxis for the first time. The current amendment allows these children to be treated as well. The amendment was endorsed by the Florida Medical Association, various Florida medical societies, patient advocacy groups, and parent groups. Auto-injector manufactures, Mylan and Sanofi-Aventis will distribute devices to every public and private school in the state.
What is your state's position on the matter? Find out, we can make a difference!

 Source: Sunshine State News

Kosher and Gluten Free

 
There are a variety of reasons that people choose to avoid gluten. Celiac, Food Allergies, Diabetes, an ADHD to name a few. Whatever your reason for choosing a gluten-free lifestyle finding kosher products shouldn't be  too tough!You might be surprised to learn that there are many kosher gluten free products out there. We've featured a few websites that sell a large selection of kosher gluten free products for your convenience.

KOSHER GLUTEN FREE WEBSITES
The Gluten Free Shoppe (over 130 kosher brands)
Allergy Free Kosher (419 gluten free products)
Katz Gluten Free Kosher Shoppe (product offerings include gluten free challah, rugelach, cakes, cookies, and more)

Infant Food Allergies and Eczema

Infants who have eczema may be more prone to developing food allergies! The researchers at King's College London and the University of Dundee found  a correlation between the severity of eczema and food sensitivity. This study suggests that when the skin barrier is compromised (like in eczema) the skin's immune cells are more susceptible to allergens. Perhaps repairing the skin barrier could reduce the risk of food allergies?

Source: rttnews.com