Sunday, February 28, 2010

RA Sushi

I road tripped with some girlfriends to Phoenix this weekend to visit family, it was really fun! Eating, however, was difficult as usual. We stopped in Blythe, California on the way there at Quiznos and I can't even tell you how rude the worker was to me when I asked what was in Honey Mustard salad dressing. I ended up having to eat plain black beans and chicken at a Mexican place, and the lady there was largely unhelpful as well. We also ate at On The Border and Applebee's, overall, they were both good about it, but there were some things they couldn't help me with, which is always frustrating.

But thankfully, my dining experience in Phoenix wasn't completely unpleasant. My aunt took me to a sushi place in Gilbert called "RA Sushi". Sushi is usually ok as long as there aren't any extra sauces or anything, but I never know how helpful the staff will be when serving me. Our waitress was incredible. I told her my allergies and she basically picked out something for me based on what I could eat, making sure everything was allergy free even down to the sauces. I had edamame (my favorite!), a salad with this incredible garlic dressing, and their "Lobster Roll", which consisted of lobster, avocado, and tuna topped with shrimp and served with a dairy free asian pesto sauce. All of it was absolutely delicious! The best part was, at the end of the meal, the waitress made a point to ask me how everything was and tell me that all the RA staff was equally as knowledgeable as she was about allergies and would be more than willing to help me next time. I was so impressed! I'm definitely making a point to visit RA again next time I'm in Phoenix!!

Check out locations and menu at http://www.rasushi.com/

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Tuna Avocado Salad

Making lunch for work is one of my least favorite things to do. By the time I'm all ready to go, I'm usually out of time to spend on making a quality lunch. With my allergies, its especially hard since I can't eat simple recipes like tuna salad. I miss tuna salad....I mean, how easy is it to throw together some tuna, mayo, maybe celery and the occasional dash of garlic salt? Unfortunately, my egg intolerance takes mayo out of the picture. And makes my life a lot more difficult on work mornings.

Don't worry, I've found a solution to this problem.

Tuna Avocado Salad

1 can chunk light tuna or salmon
2 tbsp. Trader Joe's Avocado's Number guacamole (more or less depending on preference)
Rice crackers

Mix those up and serve with crackers...easy as pie, and absolutely delicious. The guacamole gives the salad a more interesting flavor than mayo does, plus your getting all the healthy fats and none of the unhealthy ones. You could also make a sandwich out of this on gluten free bread.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Real Food Daily


I'm hooked.

My friend Stevens and I went to the West Hollywood location of Real Food Daily tonight for dinner. Its a restaurant that serves organic vegan food. They have gluten free vegan tacos, pizza, enchiladas, burgers, and so much more. Because of my other allergies, like corn and tomatoes, there were still quite a few things I couldn't eat, but the staff was so knowledgeable and helpful and I was able to find something that would cater to my needs.

I ordered their Tempeh Reuben, which is made with rye bread (whcih I didn't know was wheat free, but apparently is! It isn't gluten free though...), tempeh, sauerkraut and vegan thousand island dressing. Wow. I think its the best restaurant-made allergy free meal I've had yet. I will definitely be returning. Not to mention the ambience of the place is so peaceful and calming. I have nothing but good things to say, and I can't wait to try more meals!

Check out menu and locations at www.realfood.com

great news if you love mexican food!


I can eat at Chipotle. I'm insanely excited about this.

Mexican is my favorite type of food, however, with all the corn, tomatoes and dairy (cheese, sour cream) that is a staple in most Mexican dishes, I mainly have to stay away from it.

Chipotle is known for its burritos, where you can choose exactly what you want in your burrito and they make it right in front of you. They also give you the option of serving your burrito tortilla-less in a bowl. Their rice is simply white rice and cilantro, they don't add anything besides spices to their beans, and best of all, the staff usually is very knowledgeable about how the meats are marinated. And, you can get fajita vegetables if you order the vegetarian option. In fact, you can see the ingredients of each specific topping at http://www.chipotle.com/#/flash/food_ingredients. If you are vegetarian, go for the black beans, as the pinto beans are seasoned with bacon.

Best of all, their guacamole is made without sour cream and tomatoes. I usually get a bowl with chicken, rice, black beans, lettuce and guacamole. Sounds plain, but the meat has so much flavor from the chipotle pepper marinade you really don't miss the sour cream, cheese and salsa.

Chipotle is a chain, so you can find locations on their website. Props, Chipotle! I can eat Mexican again :)

Fish Grill

Last night my friend Tiffany and I met for dinner. We were dead set on seafood, but wanted somewhere inexpensive and easy to get to. Solution? Fish Grill. We went to the one on Beverly Boulevard, but they have 3 locations total in L.A. and one in Malibu.

I had to stay away from the deep fried stuff, sandwiches, pasta and the fish tacos, but they have a section on their menu called "Mesquite Grilled Specialities". You can get salmon, skewers, ahi, trout, red snapper...there's a good variety. I ordered Sea Bass, and it came with rice and a garden salad. Everything tasted amazing and it was so basic! The Sea Bass was very tasty, I'd never tried it before! Caution: there was corn in the rice, but I was able to eat around it.

As long as you steer clear of the complimentary tartar sauce and salad dressings, you can enjoy a delicious allergy free meal! And you can get it to go! I spent around $15, but there are cheaper options as well.

Check it out online here:
http://www.fishgrill.com/

Strawberry-Peach Smoothie

This morning I tried a variation on a smoothie recipe I'd found. Generally, smoothies at places like Jamba Juice are packed with dairy, whether its milk, ice cream, yogurt, or whey protein powder. But you can get a nutrient-filled smoothie allergy free, and its super easy to make!

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries and peaches (I have a 1 lb. bag of private selection mixed frozen fruit, and I pick out the strawberries and peaches depending on the ratio I want)
1 banana, cut in half
1 tbsp. ground flax seed
1 c. soy, rice or almond milk (i prefer unsweetened vanilla almond milk....makes it sweet without sugar)
10 almonds

Put all the ingredients in your blender and voila! If your blender has a hard time chopping up frozen solid fruit, thaw the fruit for about 15 seconds in the microwave first.

This makes a great breakfast because it's pretty filling. I usually don't like smoothies for breakfast because they leave me hungry, but for some reason, probably because of the protein from the almonds, this one doesn't!