Emails, Recipes and Updates - Oh My!

Yesterday started out as a sunny, lazy Sunday in San Francisco. Yes, San Francisco. I said good-bye to Chicago recently. 

View from my neighborhood my first night in the city.

My time had come and gone in Chicago (so had my acceptance of winter). And I knew I had to go to grow. So off I went to sunshine, year-round farmers markets, old friends, new adventures.

It's been a wild adventure, from packing up my beloved studio in Chicago, to road-tripping in a 16' Penske with my dad, two cats and two fish (yes, the fish survived.) There are stories. And good eats. And I owe you blogs on them so please stay tuned.

But, back to my Sunday morning. Sunny, snuggly, lazy, slow-to-wake - all the goodness you want in a Sunday morning. And then "ping"...that ever-faint notice from my Mailbox app telling me I have a new message.

“I always used your chipotle crema recipe when making fish tacos, and am having my wife’s parents over for fish tacos for mothers day, and your website has changed around and the recipe is nowhere to be found!! I had it bookmarked but everything is broken links now... Please help!!?”

Oh, how this made my heart sing! To know my recipes are used and enjoyed. To know I get bookmarked. And to know he used that nifty "Ask Marisa, Send a Note" button in the footer. Sunday snuggles no more, it was time to share some good eats! And help I did - with a copy of the recipe as quick as possible. 

It's just one of the many features I'm excited about on my new site. I'm building out a recipe box just for you so you can bookmark recipes on the blog or print recipes from my Box file system. 

So, welcome to the new www.marisavoorhees.com.

Chipotle Crema-lover and others, please forgive the old broken links you may have for me. And please bear with me while I rebuild the new pages so I can provide you with better access to recipes and more yummy inspiration. 

Now, if this has got you craving some Chipotle Crema or fish tacos, I've got those recipes PDF'd for you in the recipes section so you can print or save them directly to your computer.

Enjoy! And the next time you're searching around here, click on the nifty "Ask Marisa" button below - send a hello, a recipe request, or share your food-sensitive foodie story with me. Your notes inspire me to keep cooking up delicious things (and to keep updating this site as quickly as possible).

Delicious wishes! xoxo

Save Your Dough: A Review of Trader Joe's New Vegan Cheese

I had high hopes. I really did.

Trader Joe's has done a lot of things right when it comes to food for us food-sensitive foodies.

• The easy-to-see visual cues.
• The clear notations about manufacturer practices.
• The ever increasing options available.

So it was a moment of glee when I spied with my little eye the package sitting on the shelf at Trader Joe's.

VEGAN MOZZARELLA STYLE CHEESE! Jackpot (I thought). Especially at under $4.00 a bag.

Oh Trader Joe's, how you made me and my tastebuds sad...very sad and rather parched.

Here's the thing. The first ingredients are: water, canola oil, cornstarch and arrowroot starch. Liquid + liquid + dry binder + moisture-robber = yuck. 

Sure it melts and stretches (which they proudly advertise on the package)...into a pasty, oily substance. I could get the same affect by baking gluten-free play-dough. And while it's been a long time since I nipped a pinch of doh during playtime, I'm guessing it probably tasted better than this vegan cheese.

So, save your dough. And buy the good stuff. 

Eating Out Food-Sensitive Foodie Style

I met some friends for lunch today. They were the team, plus one, who brought me here to Chicago seven years ago. And by that, I mean they were my bosses. 

Through travel, work-stresses and work-sillies, as well as continued meals and get togethers after we had all left the company, our friendship has grown and become something special. They're some of my most cherished advisors.

Choosing a spot for us to eat together isn't so easy.

One is a no-allergies eater.

Two are vegetarians (one is also no sugar, no raw tomatoes).

And me - no gluten. no dairy.

 

So there the four of us were at D4 Irish Pub in downtown Chicago. Lucky waitress.

Orders up! One burger special (on a pretzel roll - Chicago does burgers well). Two veggie burgers with sides of veggies. And then it was my turn.

"So, I have some food allergies."

I tried to say it nicely, in a breezy, approachable manner. But, I got the look. You know, the one where the server thinks, 'uh oh. Here we go. High maintenance. And I won't be able to please her.'

Me: "No gluten, no dairy."

Waitress: apprehensively, "Oookaaaay..."

Me: "The green salad, there are no croutons?"

Waitress: "No croutons."

Me: "And is the dressing housemade?"

Waitress: "Yes."

Me: "Great. Can I please have the green salad, balsamic dressing on the side. With grilled salmon. Can you please ask them to cook the salmon in oil, not butter."

Waitress, surprised and relieved: "Oh, wait. Yes. Your order is totally ok. Uh...Wow! That was easy."

And yes, it really can be that easy.

I've been through enough server conversations and judgements to learn a few things. They have served me well when eating out, and have led to some awesome, special, off-the-menu treats from servers and chefs who seemed relieved I wasn't expecting them to alter the entire menu for my lunch.

I hope you find them useful, too.

• Check menus before you go. Sometimes, an apple and almond butter before you get to the restaurant, or a snack bar in your bag, can keep you from going hangry.
• If you're at a restaurant that doesn't have an allergy-friendly menu then do yourself and everyone around you a favor and order something simple.
• Picking the gluten-y-est, cheesiest burger around and then asking them to modify it to something more resembling Thai lettuce wraps will only leave you disappointed, the wait staff frustrated, and the chef tempted to spit in your food.

• Big green salads are almost always safe and are usually the easiest thing on a menu for the kitchen staff to modify.
• But that doesn't mean you have to accept one with your allergens on it. I have sent salads back because offending croutons were all over it, making out with my lettuce. ON IT MEANS IN IT. I also caught one server simply picking the offending items off - not cool. (The tip they got was very different from the one they anticipated.)
• Usually, housemade dressings are safe. Why? Well a) someone in the kitchen can tell you what is in them since they are made in-house and b) housemade dressings don't require thickeners or stabilizers (usually wheat ingredients) to stay together.
• Note: Usually. While they probably don't have added thickeners, chefs get pretty darn creative when it comes to creating in-house dressings (I do it all the time at home). So get a little creative back when you ask about the dressing, "The tahini dressing - does it have soy sauce in it (code for wheat/gluten)? Does this creamy dressing have butter, yogurt or cheese in it?" 
• And that's another tip - get specific. Not all servers/waiters/line-cooks/chefs may understand, "no gluten" but they will understand, "Does this have bread in it?" So, don't assume, "I can't eat nuts" means the same to you as it does to the person taking your order. Often times, "There are no pine nuts in the pesto? Or walnuts?" are better questions. Give them specifics to work with and ask the kitchen staff about. You'll get a better answer than if you say, "No gluten, right?" Because for some, it is easier to say "no" than "I don't know" and that is not assumption any food-sensitive foodie wants to start off their meal with.
• When they do accommodate your requests, thoughtfully come return to your table after placing the order to confirm, "It's ok to cook the salmon in oil?", and then proceed to present you with your order, which they state back to you when serving, and then come back to check to make sure it really is ok, tip generously.
• When in doubt, drink your calories. I go out to spend time with friends. If, sometimes, it means a glass of wine instead of a meal, I'm ok with that. I much prefer my tummy aching from a good dose of laughing than an accidental gluten-ing.

Luckily for me, today, the meal was delicious, the company even better.

Thanks Whit, Betty and Bill. xoxo

And that's the best tip of all, when eating out as a food-sensitive foodie,

you're there for the company.

Keep your order simple, clean and green so you can spend your time enjoying your friends, not picking food-offenders off your plate.

What about you? What are your favorite food-sensitive foodie tips and tricks for eating out?