CONTAINS WHEAT AND SOY, and I don’t know the source of “sugars” so that might be corn or it might not. They do produce some foods that look to contain nuts, and I don’t know their factory practices preventing cross-contamination.

It seems that Washington State has declared April Disaster Preparedness month, which got me thinking again about the problem of emergency rations for us food-allergic folks.

I finally found and tried a ration that is safe for both my husband and I, but it contains wheat and soy – so if those are your allergies (and I know there are many of you) don’t get your hopes up. I’m sorry. :(
Seven Oceans 2500 Calorie Food Ration is made in Norway and carried by Prepare Smart in Redmond (link to purchase).

The ingredients are appropriately simple:

• Wheat flour
• Vegetable soya fat
• Sugars
• Malt
• Vitamins C, B1, B6

It tastes like a dry undersweetened piece of shortbread. I may start taking some to work to keep in a drawer for those days when the lunch I pack doesn’t go quite far enough.

We tried them last night and today, no reactions even with our super-anaphylactic reactions to milk, eggs, nuts, peanuts, and most legumes (beans and peas).

For those of you who haven’t found an appropriate emergency supply yet – I have been trying to keep enough boxed/canned soups and beef jerky on hand to get us through the worst of a situation. I have to rotate those more often though, so usually my supply dwindles.

I haven’t actually put my kit together yet, I’ve been slowly adding to a pile of stuff over the last few years. Crank flashlight and an out-of-state emergency contact was all I had in the “disaster kit” for the longest time. Maybe this year I’ll actually put it together.

From Alice Enevoldsen

• 2 Carrots
• 3-5* Tbsp Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2* Tbsp Olive Oil
• Fresh Basil
• Prosciutto (watch out for weird ingredients)
• Thin-sliced Smoked Turkey (watch out for weird ingredients)
• *Measurements approximate.

Directions:

Shave the carrots into nice thickish shavings – about 2-3 inches long. Toss them with the rice wine vinegar and olive oil. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.

Separate the prosciutto and turkey into individual slices, and slice in half.

Wrap a basil leaf and 5-15 carrot shavings in a cold cut. Lay out on a pretty platter.

Eat.

From Jason Enevoldsen

• 1 tsp pepper
• ½  tsp mustard
• 1 tsp celery seed
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp clove
• ½ tsp cardamom
• ⅛ tsp ginger
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp (or more) bay

Directions:

Grind up all the spices as fine as possible (or as finely as you have the patience for), then mix together.

As Old Bay seasoning has nutmeg and all-spice, it isn’t an option for us. Here’s something that smells the same and is tasty in similar recipes.

From Corinne Cooley

• 3 Russet potatoes (no, really … use Russets for this)
• 5 Tablespoons canola oil
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

Before you turn on the oven, move the rack as far down as you can. Then preheat the oven to 475F. Use 4 tablespoons of oil to grease a cookie sheet. Season the pan with salt and pepper.

Cut the potatoes into fries. Soak the potatoes in the hottest tap water available for 10 minutes. Dry the potatoes completely, toss with 1 tablespoon oil, and lay out on cookie sheet. Cover with foil and tuck in tightly.

Bake 5 minutes. Remove foil.

Bake until the fries are beginning to get golden brown on the bottom (15-20 minutes). Flip – but make sure you still have only one layer of potatoes.

Bake until done – crispy (5-15 minutes).

Rotate the pan if the fries are cooking unevenly.

Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Salt.

From Corinne Cooley

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• Jason’s “Old Bay” seasoning
• 1 bottle Duchesse De Bourgogne
• 1.5 lbs salmon, cut into fish & chips-sized pieces
• Cornstarch

Directions:

Heat oil to 350°F

Mix the dry ingredients. Mix in the beer until smooth. Chill for at least 15 minutes but up to an hour or so.

Cover a plate with cornstarch. Drag fish strips through cornstarch, lightly coating them. Dip each strip in the batter, coating and drop into the oil. Once the batter is firm enough, flip them and cook 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Drain and serve with Corinne’s fries.