Since this week marks the Food Allergy Awareness Week, let me launch a new category here in Allergizer: Allergen-Free Recipes. I know how frustrating preparing meals can be when one or more members of the family are allergic to one, or worse, a lot, of food items. One mother I know who has a daughter with celiac disease (and therefore cannot eat anything with wheat/gluten), another with allergy to nuts, and a son with allergy to cow's milk. You can imagine how complicated cooking dinner can be for such a family!

But the web is sull of infomation and ideas... if you know where to look for them. It is my aim to make it a bit easier for all of by bringing to you recipes I find on- and offline that will make food preparation a wee bit easier.

First stop: Stefoodie.net.

Formerly, Stef's blog is a hodge-podge of mouth-watering recipes (if not the recipes, the photos will already make you drool!), but since last month, she decided to concentrate on posting and creating (!) wheat-less, dairy-less, and egg-less meals. The recipes are not just what makes Stef's blog a must-bookmark for those with food allergies (although, i can't imagine how one can resist trying herwheatless, dairyless and eggless brownies recipe). It's her positive attitude towards living with allergies:

The good news is that there is so much more out there that I haven't explored, and that despite the limitations of an allergy-free diet such as this, there's also a wealth of recipes and information that I can share with you. Some of them I've tried through the years, a lot of them will be totally new to me as we begin this quest. Though I am feeling sorry for the hubby, especially since his one favorite dessert in the whole world is Filipino Leche Flan (made with eggs and milk and sugar), I prefer to view my glass as half-full, and hopefully he will too. This is an exciting challenge as we try to find the dishes that will work with our somewhat diverse palates, and at the same time will not trigger the allergy response.

Goodluck on your quest, Stef! Your success will be ours, too!