Modifying 4th of July Recipes to be Alpha-Gal Safe
It's that time of year again. The 4th of July, yippee! During the summer we enjoy the warm temperatures, late sunsets, and of course the holidays celebrated with friends and family.
Our family is super patriotic. We love to celebrate the United States of America and everyone who fought and died to give us the freedom we enjoy. We raise the stars and stripes with enthusiasm.
Our 4th of July celebration includes family, fellowship, and lots of good home-cooked food. Of course, with Alpha-Gal Syndrome, that can be a huge problem. Cookouts and family gatherings are not nearly as much fun when you don’t know what you can safely eat!
We all like fireworks…but definitely not when they are going off inside our bodies. Laugh or cry, this is our reality. I choose to make jokes and laugh as much as possible because a joyful heart is medicine for the soul.
To make cookouts easier, one of my favorite hobbies is finding new recipes and modifying them to become Alpha-Gal safe. That means cutting out all mammal ingredients - including meat, dairy, or even the less conspicuous mammal byproducts.
So if you’re on the lookout for some new recipes to try for the 4th (or for everyday meals), keep reading! Below, I’ve shared three recipes that are modified from Taste of Home to make them mammal-free.
Two-Bean Baked Beans
Baked beans are a southern staple, but bacon in your beans is a big no-no that can cause an allergic reaction for those with Alpha-Gal Syndrome! Even the sugar can cause a reaction for those who are very sensitive, since most sugars are filtered through bone char.
To make Alpha-Gal friendly baked beans, I used this three-bean Taste of Home recipe as a starting point. Then I had fun modifying it to make the recipe mammal-free! Plus, I toned it down from a three-bean to a two-bean recipe.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground turkey, duck, chicken, or emu (I recommend turkey)
5 strips turkey or duck bacon, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup vegan brown sugar (Wholesome Brand Dark Brown Organic )
1/4 cup vegan white sugar (Vegan sugar like Wholesome, Florida Crystals or Zulka Morena Cane Sugar)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's Original is vegan)
2 Tbs molasses or honey
2 Tbs prepared mustard
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a large skillet, cook and crumble the ground turkey, turkey bacon, and onion over medium heat. Cook until the ground turkey is no longer pink and drain.
Stir in the vegan sugars, ketchup, barbecue sauce (vegan), molasses or honey, mustard, chili powder, and salt until blended.
Stir in the beans.
Transfer to a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish.
Bake, covered, for 1 hour.
Gelatin-Free S’mores
S’mores are a campfire staple, and they are something I really miss when at cookouts! They are usually off-limits to people with Alpha-Gal Syndrome because marshmallows contain gelatin, a popular mammal byproduct.
But it IS possible to have allergen-free s’mores. Marshmallow creme is the key!
Click here to see the original recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Vegan Chocolate Chips)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (Here I would sub your favorite non-dairy cream. You could use coconut or Califia Farms brand, just check the labels to make sure there is no carrageenan.)
1 package (14.4 ounces) graham crackers, quartered (Look for vegan Graham Cracker brands like Nabisco, Keebler, Kellog’s original, or if you need gluten-free try Kinnikinnick Smoreables)
1 cup marshmallow creme
7 oz vegan chocolate chips (these will be for dipping)
4 Tbs solid coconut oil or vegan butter
Instructions:
Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the dairy-free cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate and stir with a whisk until smooth. Then cool to room temperature or until the mixture reaches a spreading consistency (about 10 minutes).
Spread chocolate mixture over half of the graham crackers.
Spread marshmallow creme over remaining graham crackers; place over chocolate-covered crackers, pressing to adhere.
Melt the additional 7 oz of chocolate chips with the coconut oil or vegan butter, and stir until thoroughly mixed. (It needs to be melted enough for dipping.)
Dip each s'more halfway into dipping chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; let stand until dipping chocolate is set.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer (to keep them from getting soggy).
Turkey Tater Tot Casserole
Lastly I have a tantalizing, fattening, you’ve-gone-to-a-local-burger-joint kind of dish! This recipe is a modified version of a Taste of Home Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole recipe.
Ingredients:
1 bag (32 ounces) frozen Tater Tots, divided (some brands contain carrageenan, which can still cause an allergic reaction in people with AGS, so make sure your choose a carrageenan-free brand)
2 lbs ground turkey (you could also use chicken, emu, or I especially like duck from Amaroo Hills Farm)
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 bottle (8 ounces) sweet chili sauce (I use Heinz brand, but I’m not sure if the natural ingredients are vegan or not. If you’re worried you can make your own. I use a Simply Organic Brand chili flavoring pkg mixed with 8 ounces of ketchup.)
2 Tbs (packed) vegan brown sugar
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce (you could also sub Coconut aminos, Tamari sauce or soy sauce.)
1 Tbs dried minced garlic
1 Tbs dried minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cups your favorite shredded vegan cheese
1/4 tsp paprika
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large skillet, cook the meat over medium-high heat until it is no longer pink and is breaking into crumbles. (Usually 5-6 minutes.)
Drain the meat and stir in the next 8 ingredients, then reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes.
Place the meat mixture in a 9x13 casserole dish and top with Tater Tots.
Bake the casserole at 400°F until bubbly
Top with cheese, sprinkled with paprika. Let stand, uncovered, 15 minutes before serving.
I really hope that these recipes give you hope and encouragement that those of us affected by Alpha-Gal Syndrome can adapt and overcome. I certainly feel hopeful when I am able to modify recipes I find online so that I can eat them without an allergic reaction!
You can get most of these ingredients from your local grocery store and get right to cooking. You will feel so much better about life with some yummy food in your tummy, and new Alpha-Gal friendly recipes in your cookbook.
This 4th of July, enjoy celebrating the freedom that the United States of America offers each of us!
