Why There is No Cheese in my Blueberry “Cheese” Tart
Generally speaking, cheese is composed of fat, a “little” bit of lactose, which is a naturally occurring sugar found in milk, and the dairy derived proteins casein and whey. The amounts of each depends on the variety and age of the cheese.
When it comes to a dairy allergy, it is the milk proteins, casein and whey, that are the culprits. It could be one or the other or both. Oftentimes, dairy allergies are confused with lactose intolerance, which is not an allergy but an enzyme deficiency. A person with lactose intolerance is deficient in lactase, the enzyme necessary to digest the lactose.
Food allergies come in two classes, IgE (think peanut allergy, anaphylactic shock and epi-pens) and non-IgE. Non-IgE allergies are still immune related, but the symptoms are delayed. This makes non-IgE food allergies pesky. Pesky because it can be a few days before the symptoms surface and then hard to trace back to the offending food.
The majority of adults with a dairy allergy do not have circulating milk protein-specific IgE and show negative results on the common skin prick test. These non-IgE-mediated reactions tend to be delayed, with the onset of symptoms occurring from 1 hour to several days after ingestion of dairy. Hence, they are often referred to as “delayed hypersensitivity”. Journal of the American College of Nutrition
I love cheese, but cheese doesn’t love me. I have a non-IgE dairy allergy. When I eat dairy within 24-48 hours I experience muscular tension in my neck and shoulders, usually on the right side, as well as chronic fatigue. I think the fatigue is the worst, as it zaps my motivation to do anything but sit, sit and sit some more. This can last for a few days to a few weeks.
I realize some believe, not without good reason, that with gut healing, food rotation and nutritional supplementation, oftentimes allergies can be reversed. This however, hasn’t been the case for me, in spite of expert guidance. I have avoided dairy for over a year and according to my latest set of lab work and food allergy panel, my gut is doing well, however, I still have a dairy allergy.
In somewhat disbelief of said results, I decided to rebel and test myself by eating cheese. Not just any old cheese, but good organic raw grass-fed cheese. It was the weekend before Christmas, I had 1 oz. of cheese on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and by Monday, I was miserable with a capital M. The aforementioned symptoms returned and they took two very long weeks to subside. Let me tell you, it was so not worth it.
Truth be told, I have avoided dairy long enough to be perfectly okay without it. While I do love a good cheese, it doesn’t do any good to cry over spilled milk. I would rather relish in all the creative things I can do in the kitchen with ingredients that are healthy and keep my body happy. Today’s recipe is the perfect example of a little creative ingenuity, cream cheese made from blanched almonds that when combined with blueberries results in an amazing healthy dessert.
The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.” Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese
Other posts about Food Allergies:
- Allergic Tension Fatigue Syndrome
- Downfall of Dairy
- Food Allergies: My Casein Confession
- Q & A : Food Sensitivity and Coconut Milk
- The Cow Says Moo
- The Dangers of Gluten
- What is a Food Allergy
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. (2 oz.) Almond Flour (I make my own)
- 1/2 c. (2 oz.) Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil, Melted
- 5-10 Drops Liquid Vanilla Stevia
- 1/2 c. Water, Boiling
- 1 tsp. Unflavored Gelatin
- 1 c. Soaked Blanched Raw Almonds (see notes)
- 1 c. Frozen Wild Blueberries
- 1/3 c. Water
- 2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil, Melted
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Pure Stevia Extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In small mixing bowl, using a fork, combine almond flour, coconut, egg, coconut oil and stevia.
- Divide dough equally and using fingers pat into four 4-inch tart pans.
- Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake for 10 minutes or until just lightly browned.
- Cool crust completely before filling.
- In small bowl dissolve gelatin in boiling water and set aside.
- To the base of food processor or high-powered blender add soaked and blanched almonds, blueberries, water, coconut oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and stevia extract.
- Process on high until smooth then add gelatin and process again.
- Pour filling into each crust and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
Notes
To make the "cheese" filling you need 1 cup of soaked and blanched almonds. Please see this post for a step-by-step tutorial on this process. I would advise you to start soaking the almonds the night before you plan to make the dessert.
That really does look delish! Looking forward to trying it out! Now, what really scared me was your description of your symptoms when eating dairy. I experience that exactly, every now and then. And, I do eat dairy, every now and then. I’m gonna start tracking this and see if there is a connection!
As always – you are an inspiration Vanessa! Thanks!
The reaction is the same every time…even cross contamination gets me. I had some organic 85% dark chocolate (read the label after the fact to see it was manufactured on the same equipment as the milk chocolate) recently, and the very next day, wham, fatigue and neck/trap/upper back pain. What stinks, is it there is nothing I can do but just ride it out.
That is interesting! I experience this fatigue sometimes like lightning – it just hits me and I – just like you described above – can do nothing other than just sit on the sofa. And the combination with neck pain is so familiar! I’ve been trying to figure out what triggers it, and this might be the answer!
I found out by coincidence that eating feta cheese gives me symptoms of having a cold. Throat ache and runny nose. Funny how we react to different foods!
Yum! This looks delicious. I am obsessed with blueberries these days. I have found that it’s the casein in cow’s milk that I am sensitive to and I have been doing well with Goat’s milk. What has your experience with goat’s milk been?
I will be trying this recipe soon, thanks!
Ashley
Hi Ashley! I was doing okay with the very occasional dose of goat’s milk dairy. After my innoculation in December, I have nixed the goat’s milk as my system was in such a hyper-immune state. I was tested for goat’s milk as well and scored a level 1 (1 being low and 3 being high) whereas bovine dairy I am a level 3.
I would have loved to try this recipe, but unfortunately, my husband has an allergy (the IgE type) to almonds…
Wait! Don’t give up on me yet…in place of the almond flour in the crust use sunflower seed flour and for the filling instead of almonds try cashews.
I actually had the same questions, thank you for posting alternatives! Do you have any other alternatives for the stevia? I am trying to use what I have in my pantry instead of having to buy any new ingredients. Thanks
Can you use anything else in the place of gelatin to thicken and hold together??
Hi Kathy. You can skip the gelatin and set by freezing. Take out of freezer about 15 minutes before serving and cut in half. The texture is a little different but taste is still good.
So if I skip the gelatin and set by freezing, then take filling out of freezer do I then fill each crust after the 15 minutes?? Or do I fill each crust and then freeze? Just wanted to be sure how to do this. Thanks so much!
Fill the crust then freeze to set…
Hi Vanessa- I have also given up dairy and realized that the probiotic supplement I have been taking for over a year has Lactobacillus Acidophilus( I assume that means derived from dairy) -so I stopped about a week ago. Just curious if you take a probiotic supplement? If so, what brand? I do also eat fermented foods almost daily…..so even wonder if I even need an additional supplement.
Lactobacillus Acidophilus is not “dairy” but a strain of healthy bacteria found in probiotics. Yes I do take them, Douglas Labs Multi-Probiotic 4000.
The word Lactobacillus is derived from the fact that these bacteria produce lactic acid and thrive in that medium. It has absolutely nothing to do w/ dairy/milk products. The tanginess in yoghurt, kimchi, kraut, and other fermented foods comes from the lactic acid produced by lactobacillus bacteria (there are dozens of different strains).
Your experience is interesting Vanessa! I recently did a “test” on myself to see if dairy was causing some symptoms I was having and it didn’t turn out to be the case, but I never even thought of the symptoms you mentioned as being dairy related. It’s hard to play detective on yourself sometimes, when there are so many things in life that can cause the same symptoms. I love your recipes! I still may have to do a more thorough test on myself I suppose to rule it out for certain or go see an allergist or something. I do love my dairy! But you have some encouraging ideas and recipes if the need does arise for me to ditch it for good.
Hi,
Thank you for the innovative recipe. It looked so tasty, I even bought a food processor to make it. The crust was pretty good. But the blueberry filling didn’t have enough flavor, and it was a bit grainy. I wonder what I did wrong. Thank you again, though.
Hi Meg, to get rid of the grainy you have to really blend until smooth. As far as the flavor, I imagine it might depend a bit on how flavorful the blueberries are.
This tart looks great and I will have to try it soon!!! I just found out 3 days ago through a blood test from my regular doctor that I have an IgE allergy to wheat and milk. I already knew wheat/gluten was a problem for me because after reading the Wheat Belly my family went on a wheat/gluten/grain/sugar free diet for about 2 months now and I felt great but I knew something was still not right so I asked my doctor to do the blood test, the milk kind surprised me, but I have always disliked milk and avoided it. Do you have a good book to read on milk/dairy allergies? I can’t get in my allergist for about a month and it has been difficult to find reliable information about this because the IgE to milk in adults is rare. Until my appointment I took myself off all milk and dairy, but I feel a little lost!
Thank you so much for this wonderful website!!!! It has helped me so much already!!! I am truly thankful!!!!
Adri
Can I substitute anything for the stevia? Thank you greatly.