Thorns

This came out so tasty I had beat distantcam off with a stick even though he can eat "real" icecream :)
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I've been asked to buy someone japanese incense for their birthday. Anyone know where I could find such stuff?

Also: thankyou all for your advice on icecream makers! We bought a Sunbeam Snowy ($50 from Retravision) and made some tasty, tasty banana ice cream.

Updated version

I thought about doing a poll (and may later) but people are so complicated decided it was easier just to ask. Partly out of curiousity, partly because having such extreme restrictions myself has made me want to be aware of other people's issues and cater to them where possible.

So: what can't you eat? I'm including moral choices and extreme taste preferences (ie you can't stand chili), but not anything where you'd rather not eat it but can put up with it if you have to, the operative word is can't.

So, mine:
I've gone back onto gluten (THANK GOD) but am otherwise being quite picky. So this is just where I'm at for now.

dairy eg milk, cheese, butter
coconut
soy protein or tofu, soy sauce and miso are ok
chili, paprika, red capsicum
alcohol
cocoa or cocoa butter, tea/coffee
artificial sweetners
too much acid (egfruits like plums and citrus, most fruit juices, salad dressing, preserved veggies and pickles, soft drink, vinegar)
spring onions/leek/watercress/chives
peppermint
too much fat (ie deepfried stuff)
mustard
kidney beans
raw apple/pear
most raw or undercooked vegetables except cucumber or lettuce
pine nuts
asparagus
xanthum gum or guar gum

Also some artificial chemicals disagree with me but apart from artificial sweetners I haven't been able to pin down which exactly, so I just avoid overly processed foods. Gluten free flour mixes are definitely all bad, I think it may be the xanthum gum.

The usual disclaimers apply.

seaya suggested I try soft tortilla tacos, and I just made them and they were tasty. They were even bordering on authentic (for me) if you ignore the lack of chili and cheese :)

I found this site with lots of promising looking recipes but ended up making the traditional "mince +cumin" sort (plus green capsicum, coriander, onion, oregano, and cornflour) with lettuce, tomato, avacado, and left over Doritos mild salsa. (Which I really shouldn't eat since it sets off my reflux, but it was there) I've yet to try the "boil the ingredients without browning" cooking technique though, it goes too much against the grain.

The trick with soft corn tortillas I've found is to never eat them cold and fresh. Either eat them warmed up, or toasted/fried etc to crispiness.

Now I'm all inspired to try other foods from countries-in-the-americas-south-of-the-US, including making my own tortillas (they're expensive!). I think I need to track down some masa flour. A brief google implies it's not really available in australia :(

Almond roulade. I made this hazelnut roulade recipe using almond meal and Orgran chocolate mousse and it was tasty. I intend on making it with hazelnuts when my family comes over this weekend. This recipe uses the egg yolk too which could be interesting.

And again, that's a soy and dairy and egg free chocolate mousse mix from Orgran. It's basically cocoa, sugar, and vegetable gum and tasted kind of funny by itself, but made a nice cake filling. Obviously it's not vegan once you put it inside meringue but there's other options :) I could only find this is health food stores.

The soy&dairy free almond dark chocolate from the Woolworths health food section, it has a name like "Artisan". One of the nicer dark chocolates I've eaten.

Corn tortillas from Coles. They're small and dry and crack fairly easily so don't suit burritos, but make a nice toasted sandwich with chicken and avocado. Searching online they're often used in a kind of mexican lasagna which could be interesting. Would probably be much tastier with cheese :/

The gluten free muesli from "Food for health life foods", bought from coles. A bit over sweet, but nice mixed with more plain cereals like Amaranth, and unlike a lot of mueslis doesn't have coconut.

Also I just encountered the idea of tamales and am intrigued.

I thought I'd record my hits and misses going gluten free, both for personal records and anyone else who might find it useful. All foods are gluten, soy, and dairy free. (Also coconut etc)
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Over the holidays I decided to try out a bunch of foods, especially once the local asian supermarket/vegetable shop started stocking a bunch of interesting looking stuff I can actually eat.

Quinoa(pronounced keen-wah) from Kakulas brothers
This is a protein rich grain which is very popular amongst the vegetarians and the gluten intolerant on my flist. I first saw it for $8 a packet at the nedlands IGA which I decided was a bit much for a rice substitute, but then found it for $7.50 a kilo at Kakulas brothers in the city (which is still pretty pricy but at least I could buy a small amount)

Cooks and tastes like a cross between cous-cous and rice. Quite nice, works really well with a little stock added.

Buckwheat Pancakes From the nedlands IGA
Also gluten free. Ok, but in my opinion not as nice as these

Dutch Cocoa from Kakulas brothers
Mmm. Nice.

Taro (frozen) from local asian supermarket
Just cooked it up with some chicken, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and chicken stock. Quite tasty, a bit like a potato. After some googling I realised what it reminds me of is taro cake from yum cha.

Jackfruit (frozen) from local asian supermarket
I miss the stalls selling fresh tropical fruit that were everywhere in singapore and malaysia. Anyway, this stuff makes for a nice jackfruit milkshake (Cam loves these, and I am always sad that I can't have them since they're made with full fat milk)

Takoyaki (octopus balls) from local asian supermarket
Like little tasty balls of chico roll mixed with octopus! So tasty!

Plus of course hazelnut macaroons.

The asian supermarket also has a bunch of other interesting looking veggies: manioc, purple yam, and lotus root
Anyone who's familiar with them got any cooking suggestions?
I'm not going to make frozen imported fruits and vegetables a staple of my diet since it's both expensive and environmentally unfriendly, but it's nice to try them out.

Other things I haven't tried yet are the red bean and lotus paste seed buns, and some nice looking chocolate mantou (which I've never tried, but they look nice, and are dairy and cocoa butter free!) Plus a bunch of savoury yum-cha-esque dumplings etc, with the ingredients conveniently listed on the side so I can see which ones are safe. I pass this place every day on the way home from work! I'm dooomed!

(Originally from my blog)

Ingredients

One Egg
1/4 Cup Caster Sugar
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence (Or other sponge flavouring ie citrus rind)
2 Tbsp Self-raising flour

Method

Break egg into 2 cup capacity microwave proof cup. Beat with fork/hand-whisk etc, slowly add sugar, essence. Fold in flour. Microwave for around 1.5 minutes. Eat immediately.

Also nice if you add a bit of jam and use less sugar.

Adapted from an oven-bake 6 serve apple-sponge cake recipe from the back of the CSR caster sugar packet. I have been looking for a one-person lowish fat (ie not 25% butter!) microwave pudding for years! So now I share it with you :) The texture is a little wierd but it tastes ok.
Note that self-raising can very easily be made from plain flour and baking powder.