Not Technically Red Sauce (No corn, yeast or tomatoes--and not actually red)

     Commercially canned tomato products generally contain citric acid made from corn or soy and may contain traces of yeast or mold (see Tomato Products, Canned in the Glossary). Fresh tomatoes from the grocery story are generally coated with wax containing corn, soy or dairy products and have likely been gassed with ethylene gas made from corn. 

     This recipe evades all these problems with tomatoes by replacing them with a different tart, somewhat fruity vegetable. The sauce doesn't taste like tomatoes, but it is surprisingly tasty. Try it on pizza.

The rhubarb in this batch of sauce was mostly
green. The color would be deeper with bright red rhubarb.

  

     1/4 c. olive oil or other oil to which you are not allergic (See Oil 

          in the Glossary)

     2 celery stalks, chopped

     2 carrots, chopped

     1 onion, chopped

     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     2 cloves of garlic, crushed

     3 c. chopped rhubarb stems

     1 Tb. basil (See Spices in the Glossary)

     oregano (See Spices in the Glossary)

     Heat the oil in a pan. Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Saute gently on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent. Do not brown. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the rhubarb, basil, oregano and one cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook on low heat until the vegetables are quite soft. Blend thoroughly, adding a small amount of water if necessary, and adjust salt to taste. If you prefer to "cut the acidity" in spaghetti sauce you may want to add a spoonful of sugar.

Corn-Free Peach Pie Filling

     Peach pie, like many other fruit pies, ordinarily contains quite a lot of cornstarch. Use arrowroot: it gives just the right texture. 

     Another note about the texture: Cut the peaches into one-inch cubes rather than thin slices. This helps the peaches to keep more of their texture (rather than turning into mush).

I used einkorn flour (einkorn is an older variety of wheat)
for this crust as no wheat avoiders were coming over. 
Just remember that a lot of wheat flour contains corn products,
especially if it is bleached and/or enriched. Source your flour carefully.

     5 c. fresh, ripe
          peaches, peeled
          and cut into 
          1-inch cubes
          (See Produce in
           the Glossary.)

     1 Tb. freshly
          squeezed lemon
          juice 
          (See Juice in
          the Glossary.)

     1/2 c. sugar (See 
           Sugar in the 
           Glossary.)

     3 Tb. arrowroot
          starch

     1/2 tsp. cinnamon
          (See Spices in
          the Glossary.)

     pinch of salt (See Salt in
          the Glossary.)

     Stir the lemon juice into the peaches. In a small bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the peaches.

   
     To make the pie: Put the filling into a 9-inch nonallergenic pie crust or other crust you are not allergic to and follow the baking instructions for the crust.

Hypoallergenic Cranberry Ice

   

  This recipe has very few ingredients and no common allergens. Nevertheless, it produces surprisingly smooth "ice cream" with just the right amount of sweetness, and the cinnamon perfectly complements the tartness of the cranberries.

     Unlike some other thin-skinned fruit, such as grapes and blueberries, cranberries contain very little sugar and are thus unlikely to attract yeast and become covered with a yeasty white film. Whether you have a yeast allergy or not, though, you should wash your cranberries and throw away any that are not perfectly fresh and firm.

     2 c. sugar

     2-1/2 c. water

     1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice

     12 oz. cranberries

     1 cinnamon stick

     Wash the cranberries and remove any that are soft or damaged. Put all ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. REMOVE CINNAMON STICK. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. 

     Place a large spoon and a container for the ice cream in the freezer. Puree cranberry mixture in a food-processor. Freeze, following the instructions for your ice cream maker. Use the prechilled spoon to scoop the ice cream into its prechilled container. Put directly into freezer to harden.

Spicy Potato Salad with No Common Allergens

 

Some potato salads are bland. This potato salad, besides containing no common allergens, is very well seasoned. 

     2 tsp. oregano (See Spices in the Glossary) 
     1 Tb. Aleppo pepper (See Spices in the Glossary) 
     1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary) 
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary) 
     1-1/2 c. red onion cut into slivers
     6 c. peeled potatoes cut in 1/2" or 3/4" cubes
     1/2 c. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary) 

     Stir the oregano, Aleppo pepper, lemon juice and 1 tsp. of the salt together in a largish bowl. Stir in the onion. Set aside to marinate. 

     Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the potatoes, bring back to a boil, and simmer until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. (Allow for the fact that they will become somewhat firmer as they cool off.) Strain. Immediately mix the potatoes and the olive oil into the onion mixture. Allow to  steep for 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Chicken Meatballs

      These meatballs, besides being perfectly seasoned without containing any common allergens, puff up to the perfect texture when they cook.

     1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
     1/2 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary) 
     1/4 c. rice flour
     1 tsp. black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary) 
     1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves (See Spices in the Glossary) 
     1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves (See Spices in the Glossary) 
     1/2 tsp. dried whole celery seeds (See Spices in the Glossary) 
     1-1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1 onion, grated
     2 lb. ground chicken
     oil (any you are not allergic to) (See Oil in the Glossary)

     In a mixing bowl, stir together the baking soda, salt, rice flour, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and celery seeds. Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Shape as desired (I use a very small food scoop for the purpose); heat some oil and saute on medium heat until golden brown and cooked through. Serve as is or simmer in a sauce for a while.

Chicken Salad With Very Few Allergens

 

   This chicken salad contains no mayonnaise or vinegar and thus doesn't have the allergens that they introduce (egg, soy, yeast, corn).  It can be dressed up, if you like, by stirring in a bit of brown mustard if you have some that you're not allergic to, or garnishing with pomegranate seeds and/or toasted pine nuts, if you're not allergic to them.

     6 T. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     juice of 1/2 lemon (See Juice in the Glossary)

     pinch of tarragon (See Spices in the Glossary)

     pinch of white pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)

     1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste (See Salt in the Glossary)

     3 cups diced cooked chicken (1/3 inch or so)

     1 cup sliced celery

     6 green onions, sliced

     Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, tarragon, pepper and salt.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Chimichurri Chicken Salad

Alternatively, if you happen to have some vinegar-free no-mayo chimichurri, mix your diced cooked chicken and cut up crunchy veggies (celery, green onions, whatever crunchy veggies you're not allergic to) and dress with chimichurri. This is a particularly delicious way to serve leftover chicken.

     

Celery Root in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Kereviz)

     Celery root, or celeriac, is a surprisingly tasty, savory vegetable you should definitely check out while learning how to cook without any of the common allergens.

     This Turkish cold dish contains no common allergens, no corn, and no yeast. It also has the advantage that it can be prepared ahead of time. Most importantly, it is delicious.

     1/4 c. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1 medium onion, peeled, washed and chopped
     2 medium carrots, peeled, washed and chopped
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     1 large celery root, peeled, washed and cut into 1-inch cubes
     juice of 2 lemons (See Juice in the Glossary)
     juice of 1/2 orange (See Juice in the Glossary)

Gently heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the onion and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and saute gently until the onion is translucent. Do not brown. Add the celery root and continue sauteing for a minute or so. Do not brown. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the celery root is tender, 20-30 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Refrigerate and serve chilled.