Z Pizza

So, with my tomato allergy and Mike's dairy allergy, pizza (once much beloved) has become sort of off limits at our house. I can't have the tomato sauce and what's pizza without the cheese? Horrible, I know!

Until we discovered a place by our new apartment called Z Pizza. We checked out the website and low and behold it is allergen friendly! You can choose what type of sauce they use for the pizza; exit tomato and enter either pesto, garlic, bbq, or spicy thai sauce. For the cheese. there are soy and vegan alternatives. And I even noticed a gluten-free crust option for those with celiac disease. Wow! Talk about choices.

For our new place in Seal Beach, its close, its cheap, it caters to our allergies, and they even deliver. Everyone must try Z Pizza!

Forgetting

My allergies to tomatoes and peas are new for me; well recently discovered. My whole life I've been able to eat anything and everything I wanted. Because the allergies are not fatal to me, it's easy to cheat (though I pay a price). Because the allergies are newly found, it's easy to forget.

Moving over this past month, my allergies have gone haywire with all the dust and sometimes mold I've had to clean up. My sinuses and headaches have taken a huge toll on me with all the moving and accidental carelessness. I took a bite out of my boyfriend's sandwich not realizing there were raw tomatoes in it; I ate a salad at work and ate around the tomatoes; and even ordered fried rice at Panda Express though I realized the mistake and didn't eat it (it had peas).

This is harder than I thought. Who would've known the most difficult part for me would be remembering not to forget.

Desserts

I've been in the process of moving over the past few weeks, and as such have not been able to cook since all the cookware is in disarray. So, Mike and I have been eating out quite a bit. Now, usually I am a huge dessert person. I love sweets! But I can never finish one on my own. The problem: almost every restaurant we've been to does not have a non-dairy dessert option. Mike's dessert options are very limited due to his milk allergy.

Recently, I've been chiming in on a discussion on AllergyEats.com's blog on whether or not restaurants should be required to post allergens on their menu. It's been a great dialogue and I urge you all to read the article and comments.
http://www.allergyeats.com/blog/?p=182

Now, I must add to this by suggesting that restaurants should include a non-dairy item to their dessert menu. There are very few choices out their for milk-allergic people when it comes to dessert. A simple pie, sorbet or fruit concoction without the a la mode would be nice. I would simply like the option of sitting in a restaurant and share a dessert with my fiancee after a wonderful meal. Anybody else have this problem? It's great we have options in entrees and appetizers that are allergen specific, but what about the dessert? All I'm saying is options would be nice.

Lent

So, being Catholic, I gave up soda for Lent. I love coke! I drink coke, and soda in general for every meal. I was feending for a coke the first few hours; I wanted one bad. But now that its two weeks into Lent, I'm not really craving soda. Yet, I am still feending for some spaghetti or pizza. Isn't that funny? I gave up soda voluntarily and I don't want it, but giving up tomato because it makes me sick makes me want it even more. At the end of Lent, I'm sure I'll have a coke. But when will I ever stop craving the tomato?

Restaurant

Being a bartender at a restaurant myself, I know what a pain in the butt it is for a customer to make changes to a menu item. But all they have to say is that they are allergic to something, and I will take extra precautions with their order because I can commiserate. I guess I don't share that same degree of care with every server.

Remembering my tomato allergy and Mike's fatal dairy allergy, we have to pay attention to restaurant menus very carefully. The other night, a simple salad was the downfall of our meal. One no tomatoes with ranch, one no cheese with thousand island. It took the server three variations of those instructions to get it right. Neither one of us could afford to pick out the allergens. Restaurants are so tough for us, because its hard to say if the server will adhere to our allergy demands.

Incidentally, I have been aware of a great new website that matches your allergies to a suitable restaurant in your area. Its called Allergy Eats, and I have placed a link to their website under Sites of Interest. Hopefully, we can all enjoy an allergy-free meal sometime.

Pesto

I have to admit that I've cheated recently and ate a plate of spaghetti. And I'm paying for it. But sometimes, I just don't feel like alfredo sauce, too creamy for my taste. Here's a great alternative with no tomato! YUM!

Pesto:

Ingredients

* 3 cups fresh basil leaves
* 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
* 4 cloves garlic, peeled
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup olive oil
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.

The Pea

I have been so focused on testing my tomato allergy it had slipped my mind that peas were another of my unusual food allergies. I felt it was so easy to abstain since I don't like peas anyhow. However, in many Asian food restaurants, they add peas into their rice. I usually just pick them out. I guess that's not a good idea.

I either accidentally ate one or there's pea residue to take into consideration. Last night the peas allergy rendered such an enormous attack that not only did I heavily blow my nose from the congestion, it also caused a migraine (yet another affliction I suffer from). This migraine literally crippled me, and if you ever get migraines you know what I mean. My eyes start to blur and light itself can blind me; my head pounds as if my heart were beating in my temples; the slightest sound is deafening; and my whole body becomes limp and lifeless from ache and nausea. There is no cure. I must huddle under a blanket in a dark, soundless room alone, to sleep for the an entire day.

God help me to remember I'm allergic to peas!