The other day, I received this lovely note from one of my favorite readers, CoconutGal:I wanted to send you an email to let you know how thankful I am for your generosity in sharing your wholesome, creative, and super delicious recipes.I would like to tell you a little bit about my story;
I have been diagnosed with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis, an autoimmune disorder where my white blood cells recognize food as a virus and attack my body when I eat, causing extreme pain, malabsorption, frail body, etc.
This diagnosis is still relatively new to me. I am 22 years old and went most of my life complaining of bellyaches and knew that greasy foods made me sick. I went to doctors and was simply told I was a picky eater or I had IBS. So I continued on with the belly aches but had no major problems until about 2 ½ years ago.
Two months before my wedding I became extremely ill. Food wasn’t staying inside of me. No one could figure out what was wrong. After 1 month and a 10-pound weight loss I was in the ER. After several tests, including an upper endoscopy and a colonoscopy they diagnosed me with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis.
Since that day, my eating has drastically changed, I have been to countless doctors and no one knew what to do. Only 300 Americans have been diagnosed with EG and all the doctors I have seen have never met anyone before myself with the illness. It’s very rare and very scary.I went days and months trying all sorts of elimination diets, not knowing what to do. I felt very helpless and alone. One day I could eat something and feel fine but the next day my body would attack me for eating the same food and I would be held up in bed for a week in excruciating intestinal pain.Life went on like this until this past August. I finally found an amazing naturopath who has helped me so much!Through some great tests, (normal doctors tested me for food allergies and I came back all clear, supposedly allergic to nothing!) we found my body attacks itself when I eat: gluten, dairy, cane sugar, eggs, soy, yeast, sesame, and peanuts. I have been free of all those foods since October and am finally starting to gain some strength and feel a little like my old self again.
I first stumbled upon your great website in the summer when I was on a feeding tube formula (full of icky things like soy and BHT) but needed it to stay alive. I loved looking at your site but sort of took a hiatus from anything food as it was just too hard to think about it since I could only drink my nutrition. Anyway, when I was able to slowly wean myself off the formula and go back to cook purred foods, I remembered your blog as it was about the same time I found out the real foods that made me sick and your diet is quite similar to mine.I already ate low gluten and had been dairy free for half a year and was mainly living on protein and veggies before I cut out the for-sure offenders.Your site has been one of my inspirations that I don’t have to suffer eating this way. It’s fun and unbelievably healthy! I would’ve never known I could have a cookie or apple pie! I just thought if I cant eat flour, butter, sugar- than there obviously aren’t any treats I can eat!I had not had a cookie in 2 ½ years. I’ve made raw food desserts with lots of nuts and dates but never knew I could have an ACTUAL cookie until I found your recipes. Thank you so much.
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I just wanted to share this with you because I am sure you spend a lot of time creating these recipes and responding to people on your website and all this work you do is out of the goodness of your heart. Your site is a great place to find community as well which has been something I have craved for so long because eating this “restricted” is just so rare.I’ve included a couple of photos from my “first cookie since I’ve been ill experiment.” My husband helped me make your dairy free version of chocolate chip cookies on Valentine’s Day! We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, but this was our special treat. They turned out wonderfully. I couldn’t wait for them to cool and ate 3 piping hot cookies! Oh my gosh! So yummy!! We used raw cocoa nibs as I cannot find cane sugar free chocolate chips. I think my dough turned out a lot greasier than yours looks in the photo. You don’t pack down the almond flour when you measure it do you? I was thinking maybe I should have done that because it seemed rather moist. I used Honeyville. The cookies were gone in 3 days and my “normal eating” husband enjoyed them just as much as me! I brought them to my parents house and it made them so happy that I should share a treat with them.I know to most people, a cookie is just a cookie, but this provides me with so many more opportunities to feel included in social events and I get to actually enjoy my food, rather than eating out of necessity. Thanks Elana for all your yummy recipes!Blessings, CoconutGal
Thank you so much CoconutGal for your heartwarming message. It is so sweet and inspiring! And yes, I do pack the almond flour in the measuring cup when I cook –good detective work on your part that will be of help to others too.
Gluten Free and Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Stir together wet ingredients in a small bowl
- Mix wet ingredients into dry
- Form ½-inch 1-inch balls and press onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350°F for 7-10 minutes
- Cool and serve
In case you haven’t seen it already, here is my video tutorial on how to make chocolate chip cookies. Stay tuned for more video tutorials.
M. Kaplan says
Hello! We love these but cannot have sugar. I replaced the chocolate chips w/ bakers chocolate, melted and mixed w/ a little honey – then set it in the fridge, broke it into pieces and behold! Chocolate chips!
elizabeth says
oh my god.
i can’t stop eating these as they come out of the oven.
they are beautiful!
j.cro says
I made this recipe over the weekend – and since I didn’t have almond flour I used almond meal instead and halved the recipe, just in case.
I haven’t had great success baking gluten-free cookies, but these came out pretty good. They were a little flat and the dough was a little bit on the soft side but everyone that tasted one said they were “good”, “delicious” or “not bad”.
I take the “not bad” comment with a warm heart, since it came from my husband, who HATES when I mess with cookie recipes.
Also, my neighbor’s autistic son LOVED it, and he hates most sweets – so I must’ve done something right, huh?
I’ll try this recipe again some time for sure – even if I don’t have the flour.
elana says
Debbie -You’re welcome.
Rachel -Isn’t it great to shock ’em?!
Amy -Thanks.
Hannah -Thanks, she’s the best, isn’t she?!
Laney -You are very welcome.
Jacqueline -Hooray for taking chances again!
Susan -Yup, she’s got some cute kitties.
CDM -Yes, that would be fine, much appreciated in fact :-)
Christine -Yup, natural remedies win again!
Lara -“We absolutely can and need to eat food that nourishes our unique body,” brilliantly stated.
monique -I hope she will!
CoconutGal -You, your kitties and your husband are ALL cute! I’m a big fan.
Debbie -Thanks.
Shirley -Hello, there, I hope you are doing well :-)
LK -Yes, it is truly amazing.
Sarah W -“Pleasure from food instead of pain,” that is an amazing statement in your comment. Thank you so much.
June -I am so happy that you are finding my site a warm and cozy place, that is just so sweet! Blessings to you.
Sue -Great questions.
To answer your first one, I am a lazy chef. What you see in the video is exactly the way I cook in “real life.” I have no patience for using different measuring cups for dry and liquid ingredients, nor would my children and really I cook to provide them with food and to teach them the skill of cooking. My original teacher taught us to cook (and bake) using only our hands and no measuring equipment whatsoever. Now I measure everything for my readers.
Second, You are so very welcome! I think it sounds as though you may have had withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes things we are allergic to can actually be addictive on a neuoro-chemical level and gluten is definitely one of those things. You may want to check out the book Dangerous Grains for more info on that phenomenon. Soooooo glad to hear that you are feeling better.
Christianne -Hello dear friend on the other side of the ocean. How are you? It’s always good to “hear” your voice.
Lauren B -Well, I have to tell you, that is an honor, since yours is one of the blogs that I follow very closely and love to read. Your creativity is inspiring!
Jo -Yes, you said it best, “we don’t have to feel deprived…” Thanks for your comment.
Beth -Isn’t that the best when they don’t know they are eating a gluten free dessert?!
Christine -Hope you like them!
Gina K -Awww, we are all rooting for you to feel good!
colormepink -Love the happy cookie dance :-)
Debbie -Your version of the Honey Cake sounds amazing, can’t wait to try it myself.
Marissa -That is fantastic, good for you.
Rhonda -Thank you for your sweet comment.
Kate -Thanks, happy to help with the vegan recipes :-)
Lindsey -I haven’t used the amber agave, however I think it would be worth a try. If you do decide to experiment please leave a comment in the forums to let us know how it goes.
Baden -Thanks, I appreciate your feedback.
Katy -You have some lucky children! It is so great that you are making goodies and cooking good food for all of them.
Renee -Thanks for your comment and good find on the pun.
Renee says
I stumbled upon this site through searching for something online… As I looked through a few recipes I clicked home and found this wonderful story. It is wonderful to see how some foods that many take for granted, can be an inspiration to others who have a more restrictive diet.
I also noticed the cute “pun” (aka typo): ‘go back to cook purred foods…’ The photo above it was off the cat on the laptop. Too cute!
Katy says
I just have to echo CoconutGal’s kudos. Our famiy’s allergies and intolerances include gluten, dairy, wheat, oats, cane sugar, yeast, corn, and soy. Did I mention there are 6 of us? So, cooking fun and delicious meals for a large family was depressing until I found Elana’s website. It is so nice to be able to make goodies for four children under the age of 7 again! Thanks so very much!
Baden says
Normally I really dislike food-prep videos, but I *loved* this one, Elana! You are calm and super clear and keep it well articulated, relevant, well-edited and simple. Thank you!! I look forward to more!
Baden
Author, GAPS Guide: Simple Steps to Heal Bowels, Body and Brain
Lindsey says
Elana, your site is amazing, and thank you so much for sharing CoconutGal’s story!!
Question about agave and measurements of flours. In your video turotial you use light agave. I have amber agave at home, will it work and taste the same? Also, do you firmly pack both the almond and coconut flours the same way as you would pack brown sugar?
-Lindsey
Kate says
Elana-simply put, you are amazing. Your site is such an inspiration. I personally do not have celiac disease, but I feel better when I minimize the amount of wheat in my diet. Your site combines my two passions-healthy eating and baking. I really enjoy reading your posts and testing your recipes. I am vegan, so I am so happy about the vegan cookie recipe! If fact, a batch is cooling on my counter :)
Thank you Elana-
Kate
CoconutGal says
The doctor that I have work with is a naturopathic gastroenterologist in my area. I encourage anyone with GI issues to see a gastroenterologist.
Here are links for some of the tests I had done that were helpful:
https://www.enterolab.com/
http://www.usbiotek.com/
http://www.metametrix.com/
Catherine Boe says
Hello. Thanks for sharing. I am so glad you made it through such a difficult time in your life! I have many food sensitivities and no food allergies. And there are many time I just get sick after eating even those foods which I think are safe. Anyway, I was hoping you could tell me the name of your doctor. Thank you so much!
Catherine