I should really get a tattoo on my forehead that saying WARNING: Ticking Time Bomb…

I will detonate if even just an iota of a food I am allergic or intolerant to seeps into my intricate system.

It’s hard for some people to swallow the amount of intolerances I have… And after giving the laundry list to those who ask… I often need a nap because it’s exhausting.

However, I woke from my quick doze-off when Leslie Durso arrived at my doorstep, delicious ingredients in hand, ready to make me one of her favorite vegan recipes!

Check out exactly what she made me in the latest GiGi Eats…

As you saw from the video… I dove head first into this dip… Yes, we made enough to fill a diving pool!

However… Much like one might smack their head on the bottom of the pool if they dove into the shallow end… I collided with something rather severe only a few short hours after my “dip”…

Watery eyes. Blurry vision. Itchy nose. Sneezing so much I could be the power source for a 50 foot building. This was just the beginning.

As time passed… I got more and more uncomfortable… And then… I began to itch. First my arm pits, then my neck, then my boobs, yes, my boobs… And so as to not feel left out, my abdomen followed suit.

Hives.

(And that’s actually a TAME photo… They ONLY got worse…)

Typically when I get a reaction from one of the foods I should not be ingesting, I get severe stomach pains, as you read in my previous blog posts. When I tried the dish Leslie made for me, I was willing to take the stomach beating, as I knew almond milk and I did not mingle well. I however had NO IDEA it would cause me to erupt like a volcano as well.

After an afternoon and evening straight out of a sitcom (seriously, my day’s activities would be cause for another blog post), I woke up the following morning… Eyes swollen shut, face completely inflamed and… Kylie Jenner would have been insanely jealous of my lips.

I downed Quercetin like an addict pops pills. Quercetin is a natural antihistamine found in onions (I typically take it on the daily for overall immune support) and since I didn’t have any Benadryl, it was my only option!

THANKFULLY Quercetin treated me like Superman would Lois Lane… And SAVED ME from the agony. WAHOO for natural medicine! Quercetin is no “hoaky baloney”!

Any ways… The moral of this story is… If you do in fact have a nut allergy… Swap the almond milk in this recipe for a milk variety that won’t BLOW YOU UP like almond milk did me… Or use vegetable broth!

And with that… I give you the recipe!

• 18 oz Frozen Artichoke Hearts (quartered)
• 2 whole Celery Roots (peeled and cubed)
• 4 whole Cloves of Garlic
• 3/4 cup Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 3 – 4 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 – 5 Sprigs of Thyme
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Optional: Baby Fingerling Potatoes, Celery Stalks, Bell Peppers, or whatever you want to use to DIP… Into this DIP! Before feeding your cats leftover celery, research if can cats eat celery first.
• Optional: Chives

Get dipping… 

• Peel and cube celery root.
• Toss celery root with a tbs of olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Peel garlic cloves.
• Spread celery root cubes and garlic over a baking sheet, and add sprigs of rosemary.
• Roast vegetables in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, add defrosted artichoke hearts to the baking pan and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden brown.
• When done, transfer the vegetables to a food processor and discard rosemary sprigs. Pulse mixture.
• Add another tbs of olive oil. Pulse. Add almond milk. Pulse. Add another tbs of olive oil and more salt and pepper.
• Pour delicious mixture of healthiness into a serving dish and garnish with chopped chives and last tbs of olive oil necessary for the recipe.

So Tell Me…

• Are you allergic to any foods? If so, what happens to you?
• Have you ever been the TWIN of Will Smith’s character “Hitch” when he has that horrific allergic reaction? 
• Do you have a favorite VEGAN recipe!? Share a link in your comment! 
• What do you typically bring to a BBQ?
• Have you ever smacked your head on the bottom of a pool? 
• Everyone has one problem or another… What one problem are you dealing with RIGHT NOW? (It’s always good to talk about things!)

PS: The giveaway for THREE (3) passes to IDEA FIT’s BLOG FEST is still going on until next week!!! Don’t forget to GET IN ON THE ACTION!