Dane Colby
Great Recipes for Food Allergies

From the age of thirteen, I have delighted in the practice of creating all my own recipes, while cooking twenty minute meals. Each of the recipes below expresses my joy savoring new flavors, and is also free of wheat, sugar and cow dairy. Enjoy!

Spicy Tortillas for Two:

These are extraordinarily spicy and delicious, while very quick and easy to make, using only one pan.

  • Using a large Wok, with a lid, place 4 table spoons of olive oil in the bottom and turn on medium/high.
  • Quickly slice up a medium sized onion and add to the pan.
  • Add 10 spicy green and/or kalamata olives.
  • Add eight one inch cubes of mochi (a Japanese ingredient derived from rice that is not necessary)
  • Add half a can of spicy refried pinto or black beans.
  • Add six turns of fresh ground black pepper.
  • Add half a cup of frozen or fresh corn kernels.
  • Stir all of this for three minutes, roughly level the ingredients, and lay a few handfuls of baby spinach on top.
  • Swiftly add 3-4 corn tortillas on top of the spinach and grate a thin layer of goat gouda cheese on top.
  • Add four tablespoons of water or olive juice to four points on the edge of the Wok to create steam and then put the lid on the dish for about three minutes.
  • As soon as the cheese is clearly melted, take the pan off the burner or turn off the gas.
  • Lift the tortillas one at a time onto plates (it's fine if some spinach sticks to the underside or not)
  • Fill the tortillas with the contents of the pan (about 4 table spoons per tortilla)
  • Add two table spoons of fresh salsa.
  • Wrap the tortillas and eat by hand or with fork or knife approximately five minutes after removing from the pan.
  • Do another round of 3-4 tortillas on a fresh bed of spinach with added water to use the remaining filling.


Rye Beer Pancakes for Two:

The beer in this sumptuous feast, creates a wonderfully light effect on what can otherwise be a heavy pancake.

  • Whisk two eggs, a half can of beer, a tablespoon of ginger powder, a pinch of salt and a pinch of baking powder into a decent size bowl of any kind.
  • Turn on a frying pan on medium/high with three table spoons of olive oil so it will be ready when the batter is done.
  • Add in one or more cups of rye flower, stirring constantly until you have a batter that is neither too runny or too thick to pour easily.
  • Using a soup ladle, put a large ladle full into the oiled hot pan and spread the batter out a little.
  • Once little holes appear all over the pancake, it is ready to be flipped.
  • Allow the pancake to rise a little and cook for a similar amount of time on the other side.
  • Place on a waiting plate with either coconut cream from unshaken cans of coconut milk, or butter.
  • Repeat the process until you have made about five large pancakes.
  • Now add more oil to the pan, and add in two barely ripe bananas, pealed and sliced vertically in half. To this you may also add one or two handfuls of either fresh or frozen peaches and/or strawberries.
  • After the bananas have browned on one side, flip them over.
  • Pour one third cup of grand marnier in the hot pan, immediately lighting it. This is a lot of fun, more than anything else.
  • When the liquid is largely burned up and the flame out, divide the contents on top of the two plates, and garnish with either coconut ice cream (mint chip, vanilla or rum raison are all good), or with coconut cream.


Sauteed Veggies on Toast for Two:

Turn on the heat to a Wok or frying pan to medium/high
  • Put two pieces of dense, German pre-sliced 100% rye. bread in the toaster, available in the freezer or refrigerator of most health food stores.
  • Add oil and half a large onion, sliced into the pan.
  • Add two handfuls of either mochi or sliced pre-rolled polenta.
  • Add 14 spicy olives of your choosing.
  • Add a handful of fresh basil, sliced up.
  • Add six turns of black pepper.
  • Add six baby carrots, sliced in half.
  • Add one tomato, sliced large.
  • Add two table spoons of tamari.
  • Add two large handfuls of spinach.
  • Add two one inch cubes of goat feta, crumbled finely.
  • Butter the toast, and then stir the pot thoroughly.
  • Serve vegetables with the toast.

This takes about fifteen minutes, and if done in this order will be done, adding each thing just as fast as you can cut it up, throw it in the pan and mix it in.


Thai Delight for Two:

Some Thai Restaurants sell a soft vegetable roll, wrapped in soft rice paper and containing rice noodles, mint and a few veggies. It usually comes with a sweet sauce. Ca-Am in Berkeley does this really well. This dish builds on an order of these rolls.

  • Divide up the rolls on two plates.
  • Thinly slice crisp, cool, watermelon, and form six one inch squares of it on each plate.
  • Peel and slice a Kiwi lengthwise in sections 1/8th inches thick and array these on the plate tastefully.
  • Cut two strawberries in half and arrange on the plates.
  • Take a small handful of basil and mince over all of this.
  • Add about 10 large raisons to each plate scattered through.
  • Pour the sweet sauce evenly over both plates.
  • Optionally you may mist or dribble a bit of lime or lemon liquor over the whole thing.
  • Add one scoop of coconut mint-chip ice cream (available in Whole Foods and other health-food stores)
  • Enjoy all of the combinations separately.


Delightful Drinks:

These tasty drinks are easy to make.

  • Spicy Hot Chocolate: Mix two tablespoons of cocoa powder, with half a cup of coconut milk from a standard coconut milk can. Add a small pinch of salt and  cayenne pepper, a shake of cinnamon and as much honey or agave nectar as you prefer. This can also be flavored with a bag of dandelion root tea, for an added richness.

  • Tropical Green Tea with Peaches: "Mighty Leaf" makes a fabulous "green tea tropical," which is nicely complimented by organic frozen peach slices.

  • Lemon Liquor: Fill a wine glass with frozen peaches. Add 3-6 tablespoons of lemon or lime liquor. Fill the glass with sparkling water and squeeze either 1/2 of a lime or a full lime into it. Top off with a slight shake of cayenne pepper and enjoy on a hot day.