Talking Allergies

We are huge fans of this guacamole recipe. We eat it with Tostito corn chips all the time and also put it in our fajitas and tacos. My kids love helping me make it too, which is fun.

Note (from the Web): The trick to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.

1-2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp or more minced onion
½ tsp salt
3 ripe avocados
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 tsp lime or lemon juice
2 tsp coriander (optional but worth the fuss), chopped

1. In small bowl, mash together garlic, onion and salt with back of spoon – or use mortar and pestle (easier if you have one).
2. Peel, pit and mash avocado (using potato masher). Reserve one of the pits.
3. Stir in garlic mixture, tomato, lime/lemon juice and coriander.
4. Taste and add in more lime juice and salt if necessary. Serve with Tostito chips.
5. If not serving immediately, bury avocado pit in mixture to prevent darkening, cover and refrigerate. (There is a great debate over whether this works or not, but it seems to work more or less for me.)

Makes 1.5 to 2 cups.

For those of you who like to know the origins of words, apparently the name "guacamole" is derived from two Aztec Nahuatl words - ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce).

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

You know, I don't think I've ever had avocado before. It's something I've wanted to try...but haven't. I'm always a bit wary about trying new foods...

Anyone out there with an avocado allergy? OAS to avocado anyone?

Helen, I love avocado, but I have to admit, I'm extremely reluctant to try new foods with our son. I remember reading somewhere about avocado being in the same family of foods as one of our son's allergens (I'm sorry, I don't remember the family of foods off hand); therefore, we have avoided avocado (probably needlessly, I admit). Anyway, I will be very interested to hear if anyone has reacted to avocado. In the meantime, I will try to locate the correct "family" of foods avocado is part of.

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14 yr old daughter: no health issues
11 yr old son: allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, sesame, sunflower, mustard, poppy seeds, green peas, some fruits, instructed to avoid all other legumes (except soy & green beans), pollen, cats, horses

Thanks for the note-----I just did a google search, and here's the first page I came up with:

http://www.immunocapinvitrosight.com/templates/Allergens.asp?id=2129

I think the message here is that if I try it I ought to cook it (as most of you know, I have oral allergy syndrome problems). Although I've never heard of anyone eating cooked avocado.

Helen,

I have often thought of trying some sort of creamy sauce for pasta with avacado (instead of anything milky). That would require cooking if you made it into a sauce.

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DD age 9 1/2 -peanuts, nuts,
DD age 7 1/2 - milk, eggs, chicken, peanuts, treenuts, cats, dogs,
DS age 2 1/2
Husband- asthma, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish environmental
Self - penicillan, eurithromiacin, mild laytex allergy.

Julie - a really good site that I use a lot is the Botanical Food Family list from the Calgary Allergy Network:

http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/E ... anical.htm

It says that Avocado is from the Laurel Family

Laurel: Avocado, Bay Leaves, Camphor, Cinnamon, Laurel, Sassafras.

So it looks like perhaps from a "food family" perspective, you might be alright.

However, I do know that those with avocado (and banana and other) allergy are at increase risk of being allergic to latex (and perhaps vice-versa)... Perhaps that's what got you worried?

From http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv ... enDocument :

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Yeah, I was thinking about the fact that I react to some of the cross reactive foods (like potato and especially banana. banana is bad news.)

I have had a few cases of minor hives after being in contact with latex. And I had a positive skin test---but those skin tests can be unreliable.

I think I will try *cooked* avocado one of these days.

Update: No avocado for me. I was thinking of letting the whole latex allergy issue go . . . but eventually decided that I'd better get it checked out. My allergist sent me for a RAST test--which was flagged as "high." So it's official. I have a latex allergy.

That doesn't necessarily mean that I can't have avocado, it isn't something that I'm going to want to try at home (maybe some day at a doctor's office while clutching my epi . . . . but at the moment, it isn't that much of a priority)

I'm allergic to latex and papaya (require epi and immediate help).

I can have avocado IF (and only if) my total allergen load is low. Ditto for banana. Otherwise, I get OAS, hives, and a bit of wheeziness.

So I have guac in the dead of winter, when I'm not visiting any friends with pets, etc. ;)

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~*~*~ That which does not kill me only gives me hives. ~*~*~

I know it was an old post, but my family does have a favourite pasta sauce recipe which uses avocado (for those that can eat it) and no dairy, but it doesn't require cooking (which can make avocados bitter).
Avocado Pesto
Blend in a food processor:
1 avocado
1 rib celery
1/2 clove of garlic
1 green onion
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2c. fresh herbs (our fav. is a parsley/basil combo)
1 tsp. sea salt (or to taste, reduce amount if using regular table salt)
1tsp. dried oregano
dash of Tabasco

Blend until a coarse paste, add 1/2c. water and blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings and lemon juice to taste, and add more water if needed to make a creamy sauce consistency.

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1 son allergic to eggs, peanuts, green peas, chick peas, lentils and tomatoes
(avoiding tree nuts and most other legumes too)
1 son allergic to eggs, and has outgrown peanuts
Both with many environmental allergies, asthma and eczema

That recipe sounds delish twinmom! I love avocados -- just wondering if a blender would do the same? I'll have to try it out. Is "rib celery" the same as a stalk of celery or is it a different kind of celery? ( sorry if that's a silly question...) Oh -- and how many people do you think that would serve?

A rib of celery meaning one piece from a bunch of celery. And totally not a silly question. I just googled it to make sure I had my terminology right, and discovered "A bunch of celery is more precisely referred to as a stalk composed of individual ribs", but I've always used the terms stalk and rib of celery interchangeably. Who knew?

As far as servings, I usually use that amount of sauce with about a pound of pasta (454g), and it feeds my family for a supper and a lunch of leftovers. We're a family of 4, but my husband's portions are large and my sons' are small...so I'm not quite sure how that all works out?

I also forgot to mention that we top our pasta with more fresh herbs, minced tomato and cheeses (mozza, parmesan or feta depending on what we have), and usually serve it on a bed of spinach (gotta get those greens). The warm pasta wilts the spinach just a little, and it's very yummy. But that's all optional of course.

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1 son allergic to eggs, peanuts, green peas, chick peas, lentils and tomatoes
(avoiding tree nuts and most other legumes too)
1 son allergic to eggs, and has outgrown peanuts
Both with many environmental allergies, asthma and eczema

That's really interesting. I have noticed that my reactivity to bananas varies---but I never thought to see whether seasonal allergies played a role. But bananas are now on my 'verboten' list of foods after my last reaction several years ago (not anaphylaxis--but my throat got very itchy with a very small bite.) Potatoes are out too--even cooked potatoes (sigh). Maybe I should see if I can tolerate a bit (of potato, not banana) during winter.

[apologies to guacamole fans for hijacking the recipe thread ]

Thanks twinmom...I'll have to try it.

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DD age 9 1/2 -peanuts, nuts,
DD age 7 1/2 - milk, eggs, chicken, peanuts, treenuts, cats, dogs,
DS age 2 1/2
Husband- asthma, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish environmental
Self - penicillan, eurithromiacin, mild laytex allergy.

Hi twinmom!

Thank you for your awesome recipe! I tried it today and it was DELICIOUS!!! We will definately be trying it again - especially with the spinach and tomatoe! Is this your own creation?